Give the Gift of Art

As all of you know, the Soto family is going through an immense loss. We lost an irreplaceable woman who was a wife/partner/best friend to Papa Soto and mother to three beautiful children. I consider myself one of the luckiest people alive to know and befriend such a beautiful family and to have Carm apart of my life. I am sure many of you feel the same way.

For past few years, Carm has been wanting to get her mother's portrait tattooed on her. I know that tattoos are quite expensive, especially when you book a top notch artist. A consult has been made and I know Carm is trying to save up enough mula to make this happen. This is where I think all of us could help out tremendously. If we could all pitch in a bit we can help make our friend's commemorative tattoo a reality much faster.

I know the holidays are coming up but I believe any contribution would be a meaningful addition. Donate over $45+ and get a free business card, web flyer, photo editing or invitation design from Carm! Have tons of photos you need cropped, retouched or who the heck is that drunk guy making a funny face in the back? Carm's photo editing services are also up for grabs! (50 photo max.) Redeemable at any time (does not include printing).
Sincerely, Leilani and Rocio Villa

No Shortage at Shorty's

On my recent trip to Seattle I was excited to get to work on discovering some of the local watering holes. Behold, Shorty's Bar in Belltown. I was excited to check this place out as it came highly recommended and the yelp reviews were phenom. Warning though, anyone with coulrophobia [coulrophobia: [noun] rare extreme or irrational fear of clowns.] might not wanna set foot in here. Otherwise, this place had a great vibe and atmosphere. The deco is circus and arcade themed and somehow they manage to pull it off without being overly kitschy or scary.

If you're into pinball and old school video games, this is THE place! I was in heaven being able to drink and play video games without having to go to nightmare chains like Dave & Busters or Gameworks. My first order of business here was to drink so I made my way to the bar and grabbed a stool. Glancing behind me an the booths against the wall I noticed the tables were actual pinball machines. Lit up and non functioning but cool to look at. Later we were able to snag one and illuminate our drinks while chatting over which hot dog to order. The drinks were strong and greatly priced! I was able to score 3 drinks for under $20, one of them being a call and 2 wells!

After losing out to Addams Family Values pinball and running out of change for a second game of Galaga, I returned to our pinball booth. My friend had ordered the Chicago dog ($4.50). I wasn't expecting it to look as good as it did! It had relish, peppers, onions, mustard and even the presentation was nice for a hot dog served in a bar on a paper tray plate. Other appealing items on the menu were nachos and chili cheese dogs. I wish I had the appetite to try the nachos at least...wah wah.

The crowd here varied in age and had more of a laid back feel. Bartenders were all very attentive and happy to fetch me a Shorty's t-shirt and sweatshirt that were available for purchase. Wish I could take Shorty's itself home with me but then it wouldn't be what it is without Seattle. Sigh...

Holiday Hiatus

Forgive the lack of bar hunting and posts but this holiday is catching up with me. As I type this entry in my xmas chonies I'm suddenly inspired to continue. Fear not my followers there is a bar straight ahead in my plans this evening...to be continued.

Dull Night at the Denny's Bar...not at all!

Just off the 210 freeway nestled in an industrial culdesac lies the strangest Denny's I have ever encountered. What makes it so strange you ask? Well its the only Denny's that has an attached bar to it called The Liars Club.

When I first received the text with the invitation to go I was certain my friend had made a mistake. It peeked my interest so we made it a date! Cruising down the industrial area just off the Irwindale exit we missed it and had our co-pilot Gerardo not pointed it out we might have been circling for quite a bit. Upon walking up to the Denny's it looked like your typical drunk after partying breakfast stop but off to the side was the hidden gem we had been searching for.

First off the vibe is very sports bar-ish with a pool table and large plasma which was illuminating the karaoke lyrics of some horrid country song sung by a gentleman in a mullet. YES it WAS a mullet, live and growing in the Liars Club of Irwindale...who'd a thunk , right? So we make our way to the bar which had a scarce selection of liquor but decent. Grey goose, Stoli, Bacardi, Captain Morgan, Jose Cuervo... Started with a vodka tonic which arrived in a tall glass and was good!! Best of all it was cheap! Four mixed drinks and a 32 oz beer ($6.00 ea.) for $20! We took a seat in the patio overlooking the soothing sounds of the 210 freeway to enjoy the view. The clientele is older, 30+, and my group and I were the youngest ones there. During my 2 minutes at the bar my lovely friend Carina and I heard the worst 2 seperate pick-up lines and hopefully the last ones of the night. And yes it was not a figment of my imagination that the "old school guy" did in fact grab my ass coming back from the bathroom...moving on....

I have to say my time there was most enjoyable thanks to my group. Had we been a party of 3 I am sure our time there would not have lasted but how can you shy away from cheap drinks, booming Chente karaoke, and a bartender with a good pour who maybe shouldn't be wearing a tube top? After my 3rd or wait was it my 5th grey goose and tonic... I was beginning to love the idea of it all until we witnessed some cholos taking down the "old school guy" and that was our cue to leave. So like I said, not a dull night at all!

More like the best 'kuche!

Wurstkuche! I yelled in the car with my girlfriend and her friend Renee while circling downtown trying to find some fast good eats. Pronounced worst-coochay, I know... I have visited this purveyor fine sausages and German and Belgian beers before and on such a nice summer night nothing sounded better.

My last visit was when they were still setting up shop and fine tuning and there was only one person ahead of me in line. When we walked up the door we saw a group of four waiting just outside the entrance so we stepped behind them and calmy waited. Suddenly the line was starting to form behind us and just as we stepped in we realized there were MANY people ahead of us in line! I have waited in worse (Kogi BBQ, Pink's, Philipe's) and we were moving along. I got the bratwurst with spicy peppers, caramelized onions, and belgian dipped fries on the side. All fries come with dipping sauce so I chose the pesto mayo. As for what to wash it all down with I got the Bitburger pilsner. Perfect pilsner, not too heavy. Tastes like something common they'd have lots of on hand in Germany nothing too impressive but gets the job done. Compared to the other beers I have sampled there it was ok. Having trouble deciding on which beer is right for you from the menu? Ask for a sample! The staff is very friendly and great with recommendations.

We got our ikea designed looking table number and sat in the large wooden benches in the back awaiting or sausages. We formed our collection of mustard bottles from the tables around us. Yellow, dijon, honey mustard, and a dark grainy unlabeled mystery mustard. The dining room was filled with hipsters, business men, families, and loft dwellers. A laptop in the corner was pumping out barely audible tunes by Air. They had the back area bar set up with taps and only taking beer orders. Our sausages soon arrived and set forth before us was a glistening sausage delicately nestled in a fresh soft roll. Colorful peppers and brown onions sprinkled atop looking like a pinata ready to explode with flavor in my mouth. The verdict: Mmmmmmm... The sauasage had that crispy snap to it and the flavor was all 100% german in and around my mouth! The fries had undergone vast improvement since my last visit! They proved to be thicker, browner, and less greasy!! I got the Klein (small) sized ones and they were plenty for 2! Overall Wurstkuche is a serious beer and sausgae experience not to be missed. Stroll in for late night bite or make it a beer tasting destination with friends after work!

Wurstkuche
800 E 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013
http://www.wurstkucherestaurant.com/

Parking: Plenty of street parking by Crazy Gideons