Because what’s more punk rock than romping around the notoriously kitschy redwood forest themed bar, Bigfoot Lodge? Hanging out in an alley contemplating disestablishmentarian notions you say? Poppycock! (Or perhaps you’ve simply become bored that your only other social options on Tuesdays are being stuck in Hollywood, pretending to be pretentious. Bleh! That’s not punk rock at all!)

Starting this Tuesday, Some Nerve, the new bi-weekly punk rock n’ roll themed night invites you to take a few hours off from your anarchy planning to go have fun dancing around with Smokey The Bear while drinking cheap Colt 45. They’re on special (when are they not?) along with other drinks sure to unleash your wilderness rock monster. The various music providers of the evening (commonly referred to as “DJs”) include Helleion, Jacob Safari, and TNT, along with the roaming photographic stylings of Shadowscene, so don’t forget to get that studded leather jacket and mohawk in tip top shape!

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WHAT: Some Nerve punk rock n’ roll party
WHEN: Tuesday, June 1st – 9pm – 2am
WHERE: The Bigfoot Lodge, 3172 Los Feliz Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039
$$$: Free!!!

This week’s Bored & Thirsty is a different sort of animal than you’re likely used to. Week

after week, we see bars and clubs across this great city of ours, and really, there’s only so many variations on that theme. Sure, there are some great variations – Footsies, Jumbo’s, El Cid  - but let’s not forget about some of the other ways to get your drink on.

Among them, one of my all-time favorite drinking engagements: the time honored tradition of getting housed at a Dodger’s game. Now I’m not a sportshead (Hoorah for points, I guess!), but this is something different. Situated near Mt. Washington on the east side of town, Dodger Stadium is like our city’s Mt. Olympus. On a good night you can see a 360 degree panorama, and there’s something spectacularly captivating about walking into the bright-white lights of a stadium at dusk, drink in hand, about to get down with doing the wave with tens of thousands of your like-minded Los Angelenos.

The drinks are standard, and pricey as hell. Beer (only) on draft or in a can (promptly poured in a plastic cup) run from $8 all the way up to $13 (YIKES, you guys – let’s cool it with the ridiculous prices, k?), and admission is $12 for the shittiest seats, so you’ll  have to save a little for a night of sporting, but let’s me tell you: it’s freaking worth it. Because nothing says summer like peanuts and beer. And yelling “Charge!” everytime something important happens (like I said, I’m a total sports nut).

Here’s a little tip: you’re not allowed to bring your own booze to tailgate. No tailgating! Or rather, DON’T GET CAUGHT TAILGATING – DOUBLE WINK!

It’s all about singing the Star Spangled Banner, it’s about garlic fries (the perfect compliment to getting wasted, I assure you), it’s about being bright outside until 9 p.m. It’s about participating in Los Angeles, not just being a resident. This is like an annual initiation, and you’re not officially enjoying summer until you go and quench your boredom and thirst.

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WHAT: Baseball and brews.

WHEN: Throughout the summer!
WHERE: Dodger Stadium
$$: $12 entry, $10 beers… dare I suggest: pregame.

Hold your breath and dive – dive – dive!  In the truest sense of the term, Jumbo’s Clown Room is a dive bar.  On Hollywood Boulevard near Thai-Town Jumbo’s is a skeazy little bikini bar (essentially a strip club where no one gets naked) with nothing to prove.

The drinks here are nothing special; just your run of the mill mixed drinks and bud light on tap.  What is special about Jumbo’s is something intangible.  On the surface it is a tiny, dirty, seedy strip bar, but when you are inside nothing about it feels that way.  The staff

The Jumbo's Girls do The Time Warp

and the dancing girls are extremely warm and friendly, they seem to really just want you to have a fun time.  I have only been to Jumbo’s in mixed company and the ladies always have as just as much fun as the fellas.

The thing about Jumbo’s Clown Room is you either get it or you don’t.  Do you get it?  Bring some ones and  head to the Clown Room to find out.

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WHAT: Friendly burlesque dancers cultivate your good time.
WHEN: Daily till 2am
WHERE: Jumbo’s Clown Room
$$: $6 for a can of beer, bring some cash to tip.

Let’s be perfectly honest, “dive bar” is a term that is tossed around without much consideration for what it actually means. Not every bar is a dive just because it has leather upholstery and a jukebox. A dive bar in the proper sense is a place that makes you a little uncomfortable. They’re generally a little dark, a little dingy, and populated by a clientele that rarely waits for happy hour to start their drinking. Roger’s Exciting Tattle Tale Room is precisely this kind of establishment – and I fucking love it.

Located in between Westchester and Culver City, the Tattle Tale is a hole-in-the-wall amongst holes-in-the-wall, you very well might pass it, if it weren’t for the proud and prominent sign encouraging you to check out an “exciting room.” Inside, cracked red leather and a bar stocked with all sorts of (mostly plastic) bottles of booze await patrons daring enough to check it out.

The drinks are stiff, the pool tables are old, and – if you’re there at night – the karaoke is as loud as it is obnoxious. There’s a full cast of regulars, the motley-est of crews: drunks, vagrants, and the euphemistic “ladies of the night” are all likely to make appearances, and with the occasional Free Drink Token doled out after every third or fifth drink, it’s not difficult to see how a first time customer can quickly make this a regular drinking hole.

This is the spirit of a real dive – it’s a place where people come to, well, drink in the company of other drinkers (and lately, the occasional LMU student as well). Maybe they belt out an occasional karaoke jam (Hollywood Swingin’!, anyone?), maybe they sling some billiard balls, or maybe they just sit in the corner with a leacherous grin on their face – it doesn’t matter how the patrons amuse themselves as long as they have a drink in hand.

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WHAT: Roger’s Exciting Tattle Tale Room
WHEN: Whenever you can handle it.
WHERE: 5401 Sepulveda Boulevard Culver City, CA 90230
$$: Cheap!

Rockwell VT is breath of fresh lounge in a Los Feliz sky clouded with pseudo dive bars and tequila joints.   Los Feliz has a ton of great places to get a drink, but every once in a while it is nice to step out of the kitsch and into a classier, modern place, where one can order a decent martini and just relax on a clean and comfortable seat.

Rockwell is a bit hard to find from the street.  You have to enter through the alley in the back, off Prospect Ave.  Once you find your way inside it is a glorious indoor/outdoor tower of a bar.  The place has at least three levels, all surrounding an open air courtyard with big tree in the center.  There are two bars inside, a large one on the bottom floor, and a little bar stuck somewhere in the middle level.

The drinks themselves are a satisfying combination of middle of the road fancy.  A cocktail will cost a bit more than at some surrounding bars, but are well below downtown fancy-pants prices.  The drinks are tastily well mixed, and fairly stiff, but not Seven Grand or The Hungry Cat out of this world delicious.  On Sundays I hear told of  a delightful brunch with free flowing bottomless mimosas; that might just be worth a try.

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WHAT: A touch of class on the east side, gay friendly and spacious.
WHEN: Daily until 2 am.
WHERE: Rockwell VT
$$$: $8-12 cocktails.

Outfitted with wooden booths, stone walls and a hearty imported beer list, The Black Boar isn’t too dissimilar from a number of other great drinking establishments – you’d just be more likely to find them in the Swiss Alps than someplace as close to home as Eagle Rock.

Formerly The Chalet, The Black Boar still carries a little Swiss DNA – it looks and feels like a ski lodge, a nice place to warm up after a day on the slopes (People still call them “slopes,” right? Right?). It’s a little heavy on theme for my liking, but I enjoy the irresponsibly cheap beer, and the jukebox that passes the Official Roommate Dan/DJ Shoebox Crowd-Pleasers and Deep-Cuts exam (like the SAT, but for music-folk).

Speaking of drinks, there’s a solid late-night happy hour running from 11 to midnight – $3 beers, anyone? They also boast a fairly expert cocktail list, and a lovely staff of bartenders who’ll whip up something tasty and chat your ear off at the same time. Although St. Patrick’s Day has past, I’d wager that you’d still be able to get your hands on a Fuzzy Leprechaun, an innocuous-looking little drink that involves Irish Whiskey, Bailey’s Irish Cream and a splash of Amaretto, and works on your brain a lot like a standard Irish Car-bomb (The drink kind, not the IRA kind. Too soon?) .

At first glance it might look a little small. That’s because, well, it’s a little small, and it gets pretty busy pretty quickly, so if you’re angling for a booth, maybe show up a little early. I’ve heard rumors of there being a line outside the front on occasion, but I can’t confirm it.

This isn’t a drinkers-bar in the same vein as a place like the also-local Johnny’s, this is more novel like Bigfoot Lounge. It’s a fun place to chat with some friends and check out the neighborhood faces, and definitely a place I’d recommend for those nights you spend way, way east. So go on, getcha Boar on.

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WHAT: Bavarian-style brews in Eagle Rock
WHEN: Daily until 2am
WHERE: The Black Boar
$$$: Beer and drink specials from $5 up, cocktails are a bit more.

The newest addition to West Hollywood’s bar scene is a beer centric wonder.  The Surly Goat offers a selection of 27 beers on tap which will rotate to make every trip a new adventure.

The atmosphere is more of a stark modernity than your typical beer pub, but the place is comfortable and the people seem friendly and ready to taste beer.  The place is still only a couple of months old, so when I was there the not all the staff was completely knowledgeable about every beer they had, but I am sure that will work itself out.

They did not have any flights or tastings either but maybe they will add that soon.  On my next visit I am looking forward to trying Barrel Aged Sea Monster Stout, and something simply called Honesty.  Check the website to see what they have on tap at any particular moment.

They also will periodically be holding beer related special events.  March 20th, will be your chance to try the insane sounding 32% Tactical Nuclear Penguin. Where else in town can you get your hands on something like that?

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WHAT: New spot with hard to find beer
WHEN: Daily until 2am
WHERE: The Surly Goat
$$$: A pint will cost you somewhere between $5 and $10

Driving through the Cypress Park neighborhood on the east side of Los Angeles, you might drive right by this week’s Bored & Thirsty location. Footsies is an unassuming bar situated on the south side of Figueroa, near the intersection of the 110 and the 5. A gray wall, a couple neon signs and two cowboy-style swinging doors tucked in an entry alcove are all you’d see, but step inside and you’re likely to be pleasantly surprised.

Dimly lit with high wooden ceilings and red velvet accents, dark leather upholstery and a bar that stretches most of the length of the interior, Footsies is what you might imagine a bar would look like if you’d never been inside one. It’s quintessential – four or five beers on tap (including Chimay – a personal favorite), a well-stocked backbar and a bevy of regulars (“Hey, Al, how ya doin’ tonight?” and “The usual?” were both overheard during my time there) make it clear that this place has a reputation for serious boozing and serious client loyalty.

Footsies has all the components of a your new favorite bar – a pool table, a smoking patio and – according to Roommate Dan/DJ Shoebox – a jukebox loaded with tunes that’ll satisfy even the most hardened hipster. It might look like a dive bar, but in reality, it’s a well-kept, highly stylized lounge that works hard at creating a comfortable atmosphere. Footsies also boasts resident DJs playing most nights of the week, except for Sunday and Monday, so if you’re in the neighborhood and looking to unwind – in fact, even if you’re not – give Footsies a visit.

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WHAT: An east-side bar with citywide appeal
WHEN: Nightly until 2
WHERE: 2640 N Figueroa Street, 90065
$$$: About $7 for drinks.

Let us face it, every bar in Los Angeles has a gimmick.  There are fancy whiskey bars, Vodka bars, tiki huts plucked from the tropics, and speakeasy upon speakeasy popping up on every corner of our fair city.  Oh I love them all, but sometimes it is nice to put all that theming aside, and head to a bar that is… just a bar.  Burbank’s The Snug, fits that bill.

The Snug is just one room, brick walls, a bar, and some booths.  A few TVs show sporting events but it is not a sports bar.  A modest but well picked draught beer includes, Chimay, Bass, Sam Adams, Boddingtons, Stella, Fat Tire, and Guinness; all poured properly at a cold temperature in the proper glass.  The bartenders are friendly and knowledgeable, and they even remember your name when it is time to settle up the tab.  They don’t serve food, but they have menus of some local places that are happy to deliver. 

There is one of those internet jukeboxes that can play any song that it can download, and it doesn’t blast your face off, so talking to the folks on the stools next to you is not a strain.  If you are looking to have a drink at reasonable prices, in place that makes getting that drink easy and talking with your friends a breeze; the Snug might just be worth the trek over the hill for a pint.

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WHAT: A bar that is a bar
WHEN: Daily till 2am
WHERE: The Snug
$: The perfect pint for $4.50

Fat Tuesday is just around the bend, and with no special festivities in Los Angeles to speak of, now is as good a time as any to pull up a stool at Piano Bar.  As far as I know they make no claim to be a New Orleans bar, but it certainly does have a NOLA feel to it.  Darkly lit by faux gas lamps, with low ceilings, and nightly live music; enough to make me crave jazz music and a muffaletta sandwich.

Friendly good looking bartenders, keep well balanced mixed drinks, and a small selection of beer on tap coming, all for typical LA prices.  A courtyard next to the piano offers smokers both stools and a classy safe haven for their exile (non-smokers even venture out to enjoy the night air).  It can get a little loud inside with a crowd and live music, but the lively feel will keep you smiling.

Happy hour is offered every evening, and live music is served up nightly around 10pm.  A night at Piano bar cozied up near the piano, with a stiff drink and a good friend, might be just what the Mardi Gras King ordered.

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WHAT: New Orleans feel, Cahuenga Corridor location
WHEN: Nightly until 2am
WHERE: Piano Bar
$$: Around $8 for a mixed drink.

On a recent trip to Hollywood I ducked into Dillon’s for a beer and a quick bite.  A sign outside proclaimed “$3 beers.”  How could it miss?  The place is decked out in dark wood, in just the way you would expect and “Irish Pub” to be, but somehow with the high ceilings and flat screen TVs it felt oddly cold and corporate.  Maybe the all female waitstaff in short skirts and knee high socks is the draw here? 

I tried the Avocado Fries and the Slider Sampler.  The Avocado Fries are just what they sound like, slices of avocado breaded and deep fried.  They were okay, but ultimately not as good as regular old potato fries.  The Slider Sampler was 4 sliders: a mundane pulled pork slider, a dry salmon slider, a Kobe beef slider that tasted like a frozen ground beef patty, and an inedible turkey slider.

Dillon’s Irish Pub may be a fine place for a cheap pint before catching a play at the Pantages, but in a town full of bars serving more unique beers, places with many more beers on tap and other spots to watch sports while eating delicious food, it is hard to recommend you head to Hollywood just for Dillon’s.

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WHAT: Cheap beer at Hollywood & Vine
WHERE: Dillon’s Irish Pub & Grill
$$: Every draught beer $3

Silverlake’s El Cid is an everchanging venue of events with a few choice constancies: tapas, steep stairs, and booze.  Seen from the street as mild mannered Spanish hacienda, the interior holds all kinds of untold wonders on any given night including, Flamenco dancing, comedy, murder mystery dinners, and live music (check out the website for a calendar).

Friday – Sunday nights $35 gets you a three course meal and one hour of live Flamenco dancers (try the paella which serves 2 people).  If you’d rather skip the show and just booze it up, a multilevel back patio serves up what you need.  You can’t go wrong sipping some sangria or a mojito.  Some nights there is a cover charge so call ahead. 

Tonight at ten there will be a comedy and burlesque act, and if you tell the bouncer you are here with Thirsty Club, the cover charge will be waived.  See you there!

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WHAT: Often a live show, always Spanish style
WHEN: Daily until 2am
WHERE: El Cid
$$$: $35 for some Flamenco, Free with Thirsty Club tonight!

The Gaylord Apartments were built in the 1920’s; I am not sure when the HMS Bounty was installed on its first floor, but I can guarantee it hasn’t changed since the day it opened.  The food here is pretty mediocre: steaks and seafood only your grandmother would enjoy, but the drinking is superb.

As you may have gathered from the name, HMS Bounty has a nautical/British pub theme, everywhere you turn is wood paneling or a picture of a ship.  Each red booth has a little plaque naming the old icons who preferred sitting there, Jack Webb and William Randolph Hearst amoung them.  If you need to use the restroom you must leave the restaurant, walk through the lobby of the Gaylord, down a hallway and some stairs, this place is definitely an experience.

At the bar regulars and hipster invaders drink stiff drinks in harmony.  It is relatively bright inside, never loud, and the mood is some how fun filled (might have to do with the heavy pour of the Seagrams). 

The HMS Bounty is one of those great old places that hasn’t changed a lick, but doesn’t seek to turn away the new comer.  This notion is made clear on their website where they admit, “the restaurant has become know to Gen X’ers as a great hang.”  If that statement doesn’t tell you what to expect I can’t help you.

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WHAT: Drink lik an old man
WHEN: Daily till 2am
WHERE: HMS Bounty
$$: Well drinks about $5

I am sure you all stayed home last night, lost without your weekly Bored & Thirsty to tell you where to go.  Consider this the late edition to save your weekend drinking plans.  Over the summer the owners of Bar Lubitsch took over the dive next door to Largo and created The Roger Room.

The Roger Room is another one of those sign-less speakeasy spots, so look for the black door next to the weird neon signs (pictured below).  It is the type of bar that is quickly taking over Los Angeles, old style vested bartenders, and fancy drinks with fresh squeezed juices (I am in love with this trend by the way), but a few of the Roger Room’s drinks make it stand out from the other places in town. 

They have an excellent (and boozy) champagne cocktail, The Dame, which is cognac, cherry juice, lemon,  and champagne.  And if you like alliterations you might try the unique Flim Flam: gin, Cynar artichoke liqueur, Luxardo Maraschino, and Sambuca Molinari.  The drinks can be a bit steep, so don’t come here with the intention of drinking cheap Tecate.  If you are looking for a little class and some good sipping drinks, The Roger Room is your place.

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WHAT: Speakeasy next to Largo
WHEN: Daily till 2am
WHERE: The Roger Room
$$$: $14 for fancy pants cocktails, $5 for a beer.

Located next door to its bigger brother Mexican restaurant El Chavo, El Chavito delivers a hip vibe and cheap drinks.  Purple booths and cement floors assure the casual drinker he is in the right place, and a calkboard of drink specials confirms it.

At happy hour between 5 and 9pm, one can get $4 well drinks and $2 tacos.  Tecate in the can is $3 all the time, and chips and salsa are always free at the bar.  On most nights a DJ spins interesting selections, and friendly hipsters abound.

If you are looking for a cover free spot to chill this New Years Eve, El Chavito just might be your place.
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WHAT:  Easy Eastside Drink’n
WHEN: 4pm – 2am
WHERE:El Chavito
$: $4 well drinks at happy hour.

If you have ever been to a bar on Christmas Eve, you know it can be a sad affair.  Tonight I suggest you stay home and avoid the angry, sad, and drunk souls that litter the bar stools of those drinking establishments which remain open tonight.  Staying home with friends and family is not always a pretty picture either.  The best plan of action is to stay home, but ensure everyone is properly lubricated with Christmas cheer.

Today I will merely link you to three delicious drink recipes to make your holiday merry:

Click here for simple and deliciously boozy eggnog reciepe from Drinks Mixer.

The more exotic Holiday drink mixer might try the Food Network’s mulled wine.

Or try something out of the ordinary and make this Apple Cider Martini.

Happy Holidays!

As the oldest restaurant in Hollywood Musso and Frank Grill has seen it all, and so have the waiters.  Indeed Musso and frank is like the restaurant time forgot.  Many of the waiters and bartenders have worked there for decades and have thus perfected their art of service.

 Musso and Frank reminds me a lot of Burbank’s The Smoke House but with even more class, and better food.  The prime-rib is quite delicious, but it will set you back more than 30 simoleons, so I prefer the liquid dinner.

When drinking at a bar that hasn’t changed in 60 years like this, it is best to order classic old style drinks, like a martini or a greyhound.  As you can see in the picture of Luis above (working at Musso & Frank since 1956) they do the old trick of keeping half your martini in a carafe while you drink the other half.  This helps keeps the drink cool and makes it twice as delicious.

If you are looking for a quiet drink with an old Hollywood feel, the bar at Musso and Frank Grill is exactly what the doctor ordered.  Sidle up to the bar and let Ruben serve you the same drink he has poured in that exact spot since 1967.

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WHAT: Martinis at the oldest restaurant in Hollywood
WHEN:  Daily until 11pm.
WHERE: Musso and Frank Grill

Possibly the most appropriately named bar in Los Angeles, Bordello knows how to please.  Situated on the outskirts of downtown, you definitely will never end up at Bordello just  because you are in the neighborhood.  If you find yourself in this sea of chandeliers, high backed velvet chairs and red red red, you are probably here to see a concert, comedy, or burlesque; Bordello is a destination.

The drinks are fine, but this isn’t the place to get fancy cocktail concocted with care.  Bordello is a place to have a bartender in a corset (or less), quickly mix you up a G&T (from previous posts you know the value of a good corset clad bartender).  I know it all sounds a bit sleazy, but the girls are really just a reflection of the bars irreverence which is infectious.

My first visit to Bordello was to see some comedy, which just happened to be interspersed with a burlesque show.  At one point I was pulled on stage by a dancing girl, where she made me sit in a chair well she frightened me until I was dismissed.  There is always something fun going on at Bordello.  It seems the schedule on their website is off (or at least the days of the week are wrong), so I would call ahead to see what is happening that night.  A couple of drinks at a live show at Bordello and you are dancing, cheering and having a great time.

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WHAT: A night at Bordello
WHEN:  Daily until 2am.
WHERE: Bordello Bar
$$$: Occasional charge, so call ahead: (213) 687-3766

One the the Smog Cutter's finest bartenders taking a break

Los Angeles is a great town for Karaoke.  You can hit up Sardos, The Gas Lite, or  Dimples and have a great night, but for a truly unique karaoke experience, head to Smog Cutter.

Smog Cutter is a dank, narrow watering hole which on its own is nothing more than a bar in the corner, a less than spotless bathroom and tiny pool table near the door; but come 9pm a petite Thai woman fires up a karaoke machine next to the bar and all bets are off. 

The women who run this place are all insane and wonderful.  The bartender demands that you buy a drink immediately upon entering.  Take to long to decide what you want to drink and expected to be shouted at.  They are mean but they are hilarious and they do it with love (so I imagine).  Put in a song with the karaoke hostess and she shouts “You pay me now!” and you better because she means business.  The drinks here are nothing special but they are certainly strong.  Stick to one kind of booze because you will be high pressured into drinking lots and lots more.  The ladies of Smog Cutter drink too as the night goes on and only become louder and more amazing. 

The karaoke is also loud,  and there is no stage.  One just sings in the crowd next to the bar.  It is fantastic to sing in the face of a complete stranger and to have them sing loudly with you treating you like the amazing karaoke star you have just become.  Head to the smog cutter next time you are feeling down, and be prepared for a dive into greatness like you have never experienced.
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WHAT: Crazy bartenders, crazy karaoke, and a crazy good time!
WHERE: Smog Cutter
$$:  $6 to $9 for stiff drinks.

Looking for authentic Chinatown atmosphere without having to leave your hipster haven of a neighborhood?  You are in luck, because right next to the Vista Theater lurks Good Luck Bar.  Covered in red and gold, lit by Chinese lanterns this watering hole serves up such unique drinks as the Yee Me Lou, The Fists Of Fury, and Chinese Rose Whiskey (no one knows what is in these drinks).  It is a great low key lounge, often with a DJ at night.

One week from today happens to be Good Luck Bar’s 15th birthday, and it will be a celebration not to miss.  On November 19th from 7pm to close selected beers are just $2, and Stoli, Sailor Jerry, Cazadores, and Jack Daniel’s cocktails are all served for only $5!  The Koji truck will be parked outside for all your Korean-BBQ-taco needs, and the evening will be capped off with a Chinese burlesque act!  I think I will be calling in sick next Friday.  Check this newmusicreviews.net to get the full press release (I don’t know why the info is on that site, but it is).

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WHAT: Chinatown charm in Los Feliz
WHEN: 15th anniversary celebration November 19th, 7pm to 2am.
WHERE: Good Luck Bar
$$:  $8-10 for a cocktail, $5 on the 11/19/09.