James "Opinioñato" S.'s Profile

A wonderful three-pronged attack with entertainment and celebration being the target. The front room works nicely for bands, and for spoken-word interactive shows. The bar within has a ton of interesting ales and pils etc on tap. The barkeep and roving waitstaff are pleasant and relaxed. Jessica, one of the owners I think, has been at the box office on the couple occasions I've been here. She's a friendly sort, who seems very interested in the well-being of the audience as well as the artists.

The back theatre is a great space, too. A more traditional theatre space as opposed to the front space, you could do a lot worse than seeing a show here. I caught a solo show here that used the space very well, with plenty of good tech support. From the audience, I sat back and loved it.

The third prong is the outdoor porch. People go here to drink etc, after a show. (Maybe before a show?) A relaxed make-shift Biergarten. Tasty place to catch up with friends, or rub shoulders with members of the preceding show.

Trivia: Across the street is Brooklyn Bagels -- which are possibly the best bagels in town.

Delightful proscenium theatre in Santa Monica. Right off Wilshire, by the Park, next to the tennis courts.

A lovely theatre space with a nice backstage area, green rooms, etc. And onstage, its nice, too. What you have here, is a comfortable venue that serves the community well.

Delightful stripmall Thai. Cash only, with a little parking lot (with attendent), and open til 3am! What more do you ya want? OH, THE FOOD!

Well, I had possibly the best Satay ever there. Five thick sticks of chicken just a-waiting to be dragged through the traditional peanut-y paste. Mmm. Plus, the cucumber salad that accompanies was perfect -- just the right amount of sweet to sour. And a nice ratio of jalapeño, too. Double MMm.

Nice, laidback place. I can't wait to come back a little earlier in the day/night. Super good, super cheap, super cool. Yay!

Like they need another review! But here goes: A lovely, if occasionally pricey place to pick up tons of healthy things to eat and drink.

They have stuff here I've never heard of that in some cases, I haven't seen elsewhere. There are snacks and such that are fun to try, as well as some familiar grab n go things I like. At times cheaper than Whole Foods -- what's that saying anyway, right?
Still, I really like Co-opportunity.

Get a made to order juice for $5 or so. That'll curb that sandwich hankering you have brewing. They have a salad bar, as well as a hot food dept. Looks good. And in the produce, it's the ONLY place I've seen that sells purple asparagus!

There's a Club to join, if you like. I don't live nearby and I'm infrequently here, but maybe if I did live closer, I'd consider it.

Tasty, healthy, vegan glory and then some.

A great alternative to standing in line at the regular Post Office. Still, you may sometimes have to wait. The parking lot to get in and out can also sometimes be a challenge. Sometimes, I just walk here.

The owner and other people who work here are generally friendly. They have a pretty wide selection of postage stamps, too, if you're looking for variety. Once, I did get almost over-charged for something that wasn't postage. Likely an honest mistake, but I do always check what things are supposed to cost -- and I recommend you do, too!

Other than the occasional queue from hell -- and the tricky parking lot --- this is a friendly, comfortable SB. I once had a great conversation with the head Barrista, or maybe he was the Bean Monger -- sorry can't recall his title. But I really enjoyed discussing the various grades of grinds for the beans. He gave me a tip which I used for the next couple years (with a particular drip coffee maker I had) and I thought it made a difference. I have come here often, and have been greeted and remembered by a few barristas. So, it's easy for me to remember this place!

I have had nothing but great experiences with USA Printing. I have had postcards done at least three times, and now a mini-poster. The work is well-done, the prices are the best I can find. In one case when the sizing of my art wasn't properly matched to the piece I wanted -- this was brought to my attention.

They follow up with you via email for your proofs, and you get a call when your job is done. They're convenient to get to, so it's a pretty sweet package.

My dealings with them over the phone, online and in-person have all met or exceeded my hopes. And I'm glad my graphic designer recommended them!

Very much in love. Now, we've only had one date, but everything was perfect --- so maybe I should never ever go back, right?

From the perfect Martinis, to the delicious breadstuffs all thru the baked Alaska dessert, we had a first class meal. Those breadstuffs: began with a cheese puff flaky treat, baked with gruyere and a perky, spicy seasoning. Gruyere is somehow in the name of this amuse, but I can't recall its actual nom de pan.

I really liked and respected our server -- though I dont know if I ever got her name. So helpful, knowledgable and conscientious. When, for instance, I considered the American Wagyu / Angus "Kobe Style" Beef versus the Nebraska Corn Fed, Dry Aged 35 Days, I got a straight answer when I asked the difference. (Beyond the price). I wasn't paying for dinner,  but it was made evident to me that the less expensive 'regular' Ribeye would be my choice: the flavor of the beef was the bottom line. And, I, for one, don't care if the cow was massaged while still standing.  A few sauces were brought to go with, and they were remarkable.

The steak was outstanding, and of course cooked to order. I suggested rapini, if I remember correctly for the table and that too, was a winner. There were tastes of wines for the guest in our party who needed a bit of variety and a bit of guidance. And it was easy enough to venture out of her comfort zone for a nice glass.

Since everything was so spectacular, I conspired with our server and chose a dessert for the table - the aforementioned Baked Alaska, or perhaps they had a slightly different name for it. Regardless, it was luscious without being gaudy, goopy and unnecessarily sweet.  And, like the rest of the meal, I felt it delivered with imagination and a bit of surprise.  

The entire meal truly was a sensible, if extraordinary dinner. The music may have been a tad loud for some of the senior set (70s rock, mostly), but it gave the room a worthy, uncomplicated backdrop. I would look forward to a return soon.

These guys are very good. I have had a cracked interior thing in my phone - and TMobile actually referred me here. That got fixed.

Then a year later I had a different issue with my charger. They fixed it. And I've tried to be gentle with my phone --- but it happened again. They fixed it again...though I was just out of the warrantee period.

It's also a Boost Mobile outlet, so there's that, too, if you do that sort of thing.

They're open Sundays, too. Dialnet is at least a four and half star place. Very courteous and they know their stuff. Show owner comment »

Hadn't been to the Festival in a few years and only at the last minute did I realize that it is no longer at UCLA, but at USC! (NOTE THAT THE YELP LISTING HERE STILL SAYS UCLA)

The promo materials that hit the streets weeks in advance were helpful and colorful and enticing. The author panels looked good. The one I did pop into (for a revered Children's author) was actually more appropriate for the adults -- so that was a slight mis-fire. Not blaming the Festival nor the author. Just didn't know.

The layout is vast but in a good way. It is more spread out than at UCLA, but that's fine. Depending on your time and your endurance level, you could easily spend the day here. We lasted a good half a day with small kids.

It is packed in places so you may enjoy the occasional bench/resting area. It can be a bit of sensory overload for those not used to (or who don't care for) that type of action. But if you wait it out a little bit, all sorts of cool things appear. Including: Nature Museum reps, such as a junior T-Rex (guy in suit) walking and posing for pictures. Very fun. There's the Target stage with different celeb/authors. Saw the kids from Dora, in real clothes, no makeup, reading a script aloud.

Some excellent vendors were here, too. Loved that Chronicle Books had a stall. http://www.chroniclebo...     Can't always get to SF. But even so, they have a number of titles of their own -- nice to browse and purchase some books. I also loved how they (like some others) had tasty discounts. 30% there and 50% off of a new kid, "California Book Fairs."  This organization is a sort of response, if not simply a competitor of Scholastic. I've had some Scholastic Books fatigue, frankly. Maybe it was something to do with the rather untidy situation where they had the Head of LAUSD on the payroll as an 'advisor.' Just reeked of conflict of interest. OK, allow me down from my pedestal a second. On the positive side for California Book Fairs, they had an excellent selection of familiar and not so familiar books for all sorts of kids. http://www.californiab...

Also at the fair were individual authors selling their wares. (A B Curtiss, for instance.) I applaud the hard work and energy these folks display. And, I'm happy to see them doing business. Another cool store, Thematic Attic http://www.thematicatt... has books, puppets and even classes. They're in Covina. My daughter fell hard for one their animal puppets. Thankfully her birthday is right  around the corner!

Parking was not the nightmare I feared. And there were plenty of security folk offering help and guidance too. I parked pretty much at Figueroa and Exposition, I think, and it was a quick walk from there. ($10) Otherwise, the Festival is free, but the author panels require tickets.