"Unfortunately, my eyes are bigger than my stomach."
- 54 Friends
- 63 Reviews
- 3 Review Updates
- 4 Firsts
- 9 Fans
- 1 Local Photo
- 2 Lists
-
Rating Distribution
Loading...
- View more graphs »
Review votes:
153 Useful, 113 Funny, and 124 Cool
Los Angeles, CA
Yelping SinceFebruary 2006
Things I LoveRelaxing in the South Bay, cocktails on the Westside, noodles in the SGV
Find Me Inugly skirts
My HometownAll around LA, CA
When I'm Not Yelping...I regularly overindulge in crunchy, savory snacks.
Why You Should Read My ReviewsI'm uber-critical. Also, I love umlauts.
My Second Favorite Website The Last Great Book I ReadOutlaw Cook, by John Thorne
My First ConcertDebbie Gibson - Electric Youth, feel the power, see the energy!!
My Favorite MovieThe Royal Tenenbaums
My Last Meal On EarthMassive quantities of salmon sashimi + sushi rice
Don't Tell Anyone Else But...I used to subscribe to a computer gaming magazine. And a knitting magazine.
Most Recent DiscoveryThe "hold" function on the LA Public Library website - it's changed my life!
Current CrushG.O.B.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 576-3030
Copa d' Oro
Category: Lounges
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 247-1005
Janna Hines
Category: Hair Salons
Neighborhood: Beverly Hills
No, really. I walked in all winter-blues-y. Blah. A little sniffly and sick. My roots had grown out and I had let my hair get too long and scraggly.
After my haircut and color, I walked out with a spring in my step, the bright, Disney-esque Beverly Hills Christmas light displays glinting off my shiny, sweet, newly-shorn bob.
I could even swear that my hacking cough is gone.
Game on, girls.
1 Previous Review: Hide »
-
10/6/2009
My time with Janna has seen many "firsts." Let me say that I had never had my virgin black hair colored before (not even with those blue or purple streaks that were so popular in high school). My now-deflowered locks are currently tinted a lovely deep burgundy, thanks to Janna.
Also, I had previously always worn my hair in long layers. I put my trust in Janna to take me to the land of angled bobs, and have never looked back. I brought Janna a photo of one of Rihanna's famous bobs to duplicate on moi. Ok, so I still don't look like Rihanna, but I'm getting there! Heh.
Janna is methodical, always brainstorming and tinkering with different ideas, color recipes, etc. Sometimes I like to think of Janna as some sort of brilliant mad scientist of hair. What I especially love about Janna is that there is no pretension; she's open to different ideas and collaborating with you on your cut or color or whatever else you may see her for.
She's also so warm and sweet, as is her fantabulous assistant Julie. Both are very easy to talk to, and Janna dispenses the best advice, like a wisecracking all-knowing older sister. It's like a therapy session and a hair styling session, all in one - really, quite a bargain, if you think about it.
Their fabulous "John Daly" cocktail, made with sweet tea vodka and lemonade, is a dead ringer for that perfect blend of sweet tea and lemonade more commonly known as an Arnold Palmer, and is, as a result, extremely deadly in its total deliciousness. Monday nights feature mixologist Naomi's creative offerings with such creations as a coconut mojito (delicious and refreshing; made with fresh coconut milk) and the "Prop 8" (so spicy with jalapenos that it gave me a tummy ache).
Monday nights also feature the excellent vocal and piano stylings of Aaron Barnhart (the next Gavin DeGraw, I swear). Wednesday night is (or at least used to be; check the Myspace page to be sure) karaoke night!
The ambiance is excellent. Dive bar-speakeasy feel, but clean. I especially appreciate that it does not have the stinky-feet smell that seems to permeate most dive bars (Backstage in Culver City and Liquid Kitty on Pico, I'm looking at you!). Drinks are well-priced, and they usually seem to have drink specials of some sort going on.
Be forewarned that the lack of any English signage out front may make it slightly difficult to find when you go the first time. R Bar is usually dominated by hipsters, but I do see the occasional fellow Asian face as well.
Also, make sure to befriend the gregarious, delightful, and laid-back doorman named Shaun.
(Finally, last but not least, R Bar holds a particularly exalted position in my heart because it's located across the street from my favorite taco truck in LA - Tacos Sinaloa. Tacos Sinaloa has some of the best al pastor around - after they slice the pork off the spit, they then GRILL THE MEAT so that it has little crunchy caramelized bits! Swoon.)
Also, Michelle Kwan used to train here! A little slice of celebrity right here in good ol' PV.
Los Angeles, CA 90014
(213) 627-7385
The Association
Category: Lounges
Neighborhood: Downtown
The second time I went, it was early on a Friday night, and there was only a smattering of people at the bar. The amiable, mustachioed bartender chatted with me and my friend as he made us our deathly strong and incredibly smooth old-fashioned drinks, and told us endlessly fascinating stories about the history of cocktails and spirits.
(I should also mention that I'm so ditzy that by the second time I went to the Association, I had forgotten the name of the place and totally thought I was in the Varnish, which, to be fair, I had never gone to. Oopsie.)
Loved the Association, and would totally go back on a weeknight to avoid the crowds.
Los Angeles, CA 90189
(323) 655-3331
The Village Idiot
Categories: Bars, Restaurants
Neighborhoods: Mid-City West, West Hollywood
Santa Monica, CA 90403
(310) 828-2010
Bijan Cohenmehr, OD
Category: Optometrists
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 859-1100
Le Pain Quotidien
Category: French
Neighborhood: Beverly Hills
About halfway through the first piece, I chomped down on a hard plastic tab that had been mixed in with the egg salad. Yummy!
I called the manager and she agreed to refund me. I then proceeded to scrape the egg salad off the bread and just ate two mini slices of bread. And then spent the afternoon hungry.
Sad. After two mediocre experiences, I probably won't be back. Which is too bad, because the pastries and bread looked yummy.
Culver City, CA 90230
(310) 559-4770
Surfas
Categories: Kitchen & Bath, Grocery
Neighborhood: Culver City
There's just so much good stuff here to tempt food lovers. Tons of fun baking ingredients, beautiful heavy aluminum baking pans, neato professional-grade ingredients, cute and functional little gadgets. This is truly cooking heaven.
Date
Bottom line - I will probably still take my fancy shoes to Arturo's Shoe Fixx, but for solid everyday work I think I've found my new cobbler in Mike's Shoe Repair.