Spice Table - Little Tokyo

I have been to Spice Table before for lunch (sadly, no picture or post), but this time I went for dinner for which they have a completely separate and different menu. In general, the ambiance is always pretty chill. It gets a little warm by the bar, because that is where they do the cookin’. But, they have some great beer and wine to help keep you cool.

I wanted light so I ordered the gem lettuce, herb and oro blanco salad and the chicken satay. Oro blanco, (which translates literally to “white gold”) is a grapefruit. Unlike common grapefruits, it is much sweeter.

Although I enjoyed the satay, my favorite was the salad. Next time, I will NOT order the $4 iced green tea. Even if it is fresh brewed, it is just tooooo much for iced tea. But, it’s okay — they have the Diet Coke in the glass bottle, which is one of my favorite vehicles for soda.

The Spice Table
114 S. Central Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 620-1840
Mon-Wed: Lunch - 11:30-3:30 & Dinner - 5:30pm-11pm
Thu-Sat: Lunch - 11:30-3:30 & Dinner - 5:30pm-12am
Twitter: thespicetable

Tony’s Saloon & Casey’s Irish Pub - Downtown

For reasons I’m not going to get into, a few of my comrades and I were on a mission to find a bar with a ping pong table. Through a little research, we found that not only did Tony’s  Saloon supposedly have a ping pong table, but it was also where some of the scenes from The League have been filmed.

I use the word “supposedly” because quickly upon arrival we realized that the ping pong table was out of commission. Apparently, drunk people and ping pong tables are not a great economic investment. The manager told me the tables are broken all the time. Although we couldn’t play table tennis, we stayed for a drink and played some pool. You’re probably wondering how good I am at pool? Well, considering that I can count on my two hands how many games I have played in my life, it is easy to say that I am the opposite of good.

My billiard skills aside, Tony’s is a great place. It was a little empty at the time we arrived, but I prefer that. I don’t go to bars to meet people (that I don’t know already). Tony’s also has a great selection of whiskeys and beers. My favorite part of the bar was the photo booth. For five dollars, you can shove all your friends into a tight space and take silly pictures that are printed on photo paper that is superior to other bar photo booths I know of in Los Angeles.

Because we were still on a mission, we continued on our journey to find a ping pong table, with a brief respite & some tacos at a Chipotle. We then arrived at Casey’s Irish Pub.

We immediately found the dilapidated ping pong table sitting outside in the shadows. People stood around it nonchalantly drinking their beer until we took over and played some crazy games of ping pong.

Overall, I liked both bars. I prefer Tony’s vibe, but I would be happy to go either one. Interestingly, both bars are owned by 213 Nightlife.

Tony’s Saloon
2017 East 7th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90021
(213) 622-5523
Weekdays 5pm-2am; Sat & Sun 8pm-2am

Casey’s Irish Pub
613 South Grand Avenue,
Los Angeles, CA 90017
(213) 629-2353
Hours found here.

CASA Cocina y Cantina

I had heard a lot of great things about CASA lately and was happy that I could check it out. My first impression: high-end Chipotle. The way food is ordered is very similar to Chipotle, but CASA is undoubtedly better quality and gives more options.

You start by choosing a base (burrito/bowl/tacos/salad), a protein (pollo asado/carnitas/al pastor/grilled seasonal veggies/soy chorizo y papas/barbacoa/carne asada/baja fish), and then customize it (beans/ lettuce/salsas/cheeses/guacamole/etc.).

My choice was (not surprisingly) tacos. I ordered the pollo asado, grilled seasonal veggies, and carne asada. My favorite was between the veggies and the carne asada.

CASA
350 South Grand Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 621-2249

LAPD - Downtown

I was arrested! Arrested by the shiny and comically mesmerizing LAPD building located downtown, across from City Hall. It was impossible for me not to stop and take pictures — even at a time when I was trying to beeline to the subway.

It’s official title is the Los Angeles Police Department Police Administration Building, designed by DMJM (or what is now AECOM) Architects and completed in 2009. The 491,00 square foot, 10-story building was a $437 million project and houses about 2,300 employees/officers. The design is “modern with both physical and metaphorical connections to the surrounding community.”

The building/design has won a plethora of awards and certifications. Two are of note:

• ONE: It has achieved a LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council because of sustainable strategies such as using recycled content building materials; energy-saving daylighting design and lighting controls; a high-efficiency HVAC system; locally produced materials; and water-efficient plumbing fixtures/irrigation/landscape materials.

• TWO: The Downtown Breakfast Club, a LA based real estate group gave the building a “lemon” award at its yearly Roses & Lemons ceremony for having the shabbiest appearance of all government buildings.

Pictures inside the LAPD can be found here.

LAPD Police Administration Building
100 West 1st Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Señor Fish - Downtown / Little Tokyo

For the longest time I thought Señor Fish was a one of a kind restaurant located only in Eagle Rock (the Rock). [I had been to the Rock SF numerous times during the years I attended Oxy. It was conveniently close to campus and also a great change from the Cooler or Marketplace meal plan menu selection.] I realized my mistake while wandering around Little Tokyo (LT) looking for lunch. Apparently there are six Señor Fish restaurants in SoCal.

Even more surprising to me was that the LTSF establishment significantly differs from the Rock SF. First, LTSF is gigantic! It is easily twice the size of the Rock SF. Second, LTSF has a GIANT bar, a Happy Hour (weekdays 4pm-9pm; weekends 12-4pm) and a later happy hour cleverly titled Happier Hour (12pm-1am). The Rock SF serves alcohol, but not to the extreme as LTSF (no giant bar). Third, LTSF has table service. Contrast to the Rock SF where a patron must order at the register, pay at the register, take a number, and sit down to wait for the food. Fourth, the whole look and vibe of LTSF is more hip and fun than the Rock SF. I’d take my friends to LTSF and my family to the Rock SF.

I ordered the Lunch Special. Any weekday between 11am and 3pm, for $6.95: 2 tacos, rice, beans, and a drink. I chose asada tacos. The tacos were tasty. Pretty much how I remember them to be at the the Rock SF.

I know what you’re thinking — Space, bar, tacos - this place sounds great! I would be inclined to agree if it weren’t for the 50 minute wait between ordering food and food arriving (we ordered around noon, but food arrived around 12:50). This is a huge handicap and makes it unlikely that LTSF will be repeated during the lunch hour. However, the Happy Hour will be another story.

Señor Fish
422 East 1st Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 625-0566

(Hi!) / Hama Sushi / Delicious

Almost 2 years, wow. I’d be lying if I said my life has not significantly changed since the last time I blogged. I’m not going to get into the boring details, but let’s just say I do not have much free time. (I’m still lamenting that I never got to finish blogging about my trip to SF. It’s too late now, I have no idea where my photos are from that trip.) Fortunately, I have a teeny weeny tiny bit of extra time that allows me to hopefully add a few posts. I am spending my summer in a part of Los Angeles that I have never really explored before - downtown! Including, but not limited to: Little Tokyo, Olvera Street, and Chinatown. I am very excited for what lies ahead.

As you might have noticed in the past, as I became busier in my life (not unemployed) my choice of subject matter and adjectives became more limited (everything was either delicious or not delicious). This will probably be the case this summer as well. So, I apologize for my future lack of descriptions now & hope you still enjoy my documentation of delicious, sans details.

Anyway, let’s cut to the chase! (A phrase that originated in the U.S. film industry b/c many early silent films started with obligatory romantic story lines but ended in chase sequences. The first reference dates back to 1927 after the first ‘talkie’ The Jazz Singer. More info on this phrase here.) For my first review this summer, I will start with what arguably might be the best sushi restaurant in the downtown vicinity: Hama Sushi. I bet you’re wondering what Hama means. No? Well, I’m going to tell you anyway. According to one website on Kanji and Romaji the word Hama, aka  はま, means beach or sea coast. (This name choice makes sense b/c it implies that the sushi is fresh from the ocean.) Although the restaurant is small and it was getting close to standard lunch time in Los Angeles (1pm), my friend and I were able to be seated immediately and order our little hearts out. And it was delicious. DELICIOUS.

To be honest, I can’t remember everything we ordered. But, it doesn’t matter because everything was great. I am confident that I could order completely differently next time and still give my same lazy delicious approval.

However, there are a few things that stood out enough for me to repeat: Order hot green tea (obv), order toro (obv), order hand rolls (they are cheaper and more filling). There are a few more pictures, but uploading them is not as easy as I remember it to be! Maybe I will add them later…

Hama Sushi (Yelp page b/c I couldn’t find official website)
347 E 2nd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Neighborhoods: Downtown, Little Tokyo

Cannibal Flower Show

Last Saturday, my boyfriend and I traveled downtown to the LA Firehouse to check out the Cannibal Flower Show. Sadly, the event has nothing to do with cannibals or flowers, but what it lacks in flesh eating flora it makes up for with crazy local art of all forms! The Cannibal Flower Show is a portable venue art exhibit that occurs once a month. It started in 2000, when a couple of artists solved the problem of dealing with conventional art gallery politics (slides, pitching, jumping through flaming hoops) by using alternative, transient spaces to showcase the underground art and music of the city. In 2006, they opened a walk-in permanent location, Thinkspace Gallery, which is now located on Sunset Junction.

We arrived before the event started, but they were kind of enough to let us in early (admission was eight dollars). The featured artist of the exhibit was Eric Montoya. His art makes your eyes do the equivalent to squats and lunges; seeing things in things is how I naively describe it. More specifically, seeing hidden faces in flowers and nature. It is pretty incredible. There was one painting of his at the exhibit that I was unable to see anything beyond the nature, making me wonder if it was done purposely to mess with the observer’s brain or if there was something there, but my eyes are just unable to perceive. Please look at a few of his pieces that have obvious hidden faces in them, like Introduction or Wistful, and then take a look at Carpe Diem and tell me whether I am:

a) Blind as a bat! It’s so obviously right there!

b) Super right! There is nothing there! (or we both need to see an eye doctor)

We left before the music started playing, because we are sometimes a boring couple. In retrospect, I wish I had stayed because apparently the event turns out to be a raucous party. Maybe next month!

Cannibal Flower Show
Los Angeles, California
(310) 397-2244
theirspace