RESUME
CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles County
Bull Pen
314 Ave I
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
I have a tendency to stop in bars because I like their signs; this was one of those instances. It felt reminiscent of the bar in The Shining, except populated and not creepy. The bartender was a short, bald, fat man..mmmmmmmm. It was the Bull Pen where I first tried Loopy (http://www.threeolives.com/flavor/loopy), which has since become a favorite with my group of friends. Too much Loopy at night equals projectile vomiting the next morning, directly resulting in entertainment for those who drank with more caution.
Rating: x
Rating: x
Chez Jay
1657 Ocean Ave
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Discovering Chez Jay was one of those perfect, kismet moments: Chad and I were lost in Santa Monica, starving to death, and like a mirage, this placed appeared. Purely based on the inside and outside decor (the “nautical” look, if you will), Chez Jay is a dive 10. However, paying four dollars to valet (yes, there is a private lot) at a place this dumpy is unorthodox, even when nestled in beautiful Santa Monica. They have the Green Goddess dressing and pretty good food, but the waiters are mentally retarded (“I’ll have a Manhattan up”, “What?”, “A Manhattan up!”...comes back with a glass of rum and ice). I’m really not trying to throw shade here, but even with the fancy name and parking fee and expensive food, it’s still a shithole. And I like shitholes.
Rating: xx
Rating: xx
Dear John's
11208 Culver Blvd
Culver City, CA 90230
I am a huge Dear John’s fan. I like that it’s close enough to my apartment that I could walk home if I had a few too many ‘Tina Beans’. I also enjoy the pleasant neighborhood adjacent, which makes for a good, post-drink stroll. A quality French dip sandwich, romantic live music, and 80-something waitresses make this place the complete package.
Rating: x
Rating: x
Proud Bird
11022 Aviation Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90045
Getting lost in the LAX vicinity sucks. If you don't make it over one lane in the nick of time, the next thirty minutes of your life are gone, as you are forced into the mighty traffic jam that is LAX. I've experienced this once or twice, shame on me, but my second mistake did lead to my discovering a very special restaurant: the Proud Bird. Like the fat child picked last in gym class, trains, dinosaurs, magic cards, and airplanes get me hot and bothered, so I make it a mission to get my ass back over there to enjoy a cocktail. I can only imagine the signature cocktails..."I'll take the Amelia Earhart with a twist, please".
After a competitive two and a half hours of bowling at the AMF Lanes on Lincoln, Chad and I decide to cap off our victories with refreshing adult beverages at, where else (?), the Proud Bird. We pull into the beautiful, bountiful parking lot and wander around the premises for a while. Model airplanes and lush green plants adorn the entire stretch from my car to the front door.
We step inside and are greeting by an array of aviation memorability, a sprinkling of geriatric patrons, and a beautiful empty bar, fit for two. We pull up two bar stools and order drinks: a Manhattan for the gentleman and something called a "Skinny Colada" for the lady. There were, unfortunately, no homages to famous pilots on the house cocktail list.
The drinks are decent and pair nicely with the view of planes landing at LAX. After we finish, we walk around the restaurant to discover various banquet rooms, one being occupied by Harry's 100th birthday party. Happy birthday, Harry!
Although the Proud Bird is outdated and looks and smells like a museum, I would recommend it to everyone. I read that they might close the restaurant in the next couple of years, so definitely stop by and experience this treasure before it's gone.
Rating: x
After a competitive two and a half hours of bowling at the AMF Lanes on Lincoln, Chad and I decide to cap off our victories with refreshing adult beverages at, where else (?), the Proud Bird. We pull into the beautiful, bountiful parking lot and wander around the premises for a while. Model airplanes and lush green plants adorn the entire stretch from my car to the front door.
We step inside and are greeting by an array of aviation memorability, a sprinkling of geriatric patrons, and a beautiful empty bar, fit for two. We pull up two bar stools and order drinks: a Manhattan for the gentleman and something called a "Skinny Colada" for the lady. There were, unfortunately, no homages to famous pilots on the house cocktail list.
The drinks are decent and pair nicely with the view of planes landing at LAX. After we finish, we walk around the restaurant to discover various banquet rooms, one being occupied by Harry's 100th birthday party. Happy birthday, Harry!
Although the Proud Bird is outdated and looks and smells like a museum, I would recommend it to everyone. I read that they might close the restaurant in the next couple of years, so definitely stop by and experience this treasure before it's gone.
Rating: x
The San Franciscan
2520 Sepulveda Blvd
Torrance, CA 90505
The San Franciscan is another one of those restaurants/bars that makes me tingle in my loins (the Dear John’s of Torrance, if you will). I’m an old-fashioned girl, and I appreciate a cozy, dimly-lit atmosphere where everybody knows your name. The waitresses here are wonderful: straight out of The Golden Girls with their perfect globes of permed hair and slightly hunched shoulders. They make me long for the grandmother I never had...
Rating: x
Rating: x
Ventura County
The Aloha Steakhouse
364 S California St
Ventura, CA 93001
Chad and I stopped in Aloha because he needed to take a shit and my buzz was wearing off. We parked it in the bar area and ordered a couple of their specialty cocktails. Mine was called a Cocomo, which was essentially a Piña Colada with tequila instead of rum, and he ordered some sort of muddled grape and Merlot concoction. The drinks were pretty weak in alcohol content, but they tasted really good. The bartenders were primarily middle-aged women who spent the majority of their time gabbing about ex-husbands and searching for drink ingredients, then apologizing for the wait, but “these cocktails just take a reeeeally long time to make”. Um okay, cool. I didn’t ask.
We missed happy hour by a few minutes, which sucked because I was really craving mini sliders. Can someone please explain to me why restaurants only have sliders on happy hour menus? What am I supposed to do if I want sliders outside the hours of 3p-6p?!?!
Rating: x
We missed happy hour by a few minutes, which sucked because I was really craving mini sliders. Can someone please explain to me why restaurants only have sliders on happy hour menus? What am I supposed to do if I want sliders outside the hours of 3p-6p?!?!
Rating: x
Deer Lodge
- 2261 Maricopa Hwy
Ojai, CA 93023
Ojai, CA 93023
Review coming soon!
Sportsman Restaurant and Lounge
53 S California St
Ventura, CA 93001
Review coming soon!