Royal/T

What this city has been missing is a Japanese cafe filled with waitresses done up in maid uniforms.

LA's first real cosplay (short for "costume play") cafe, Royal/T Cafe is inspired by the Maid Cafes of Tokyo's Akihabara district, with concrete floors, walls of glass and the occasional incongruous chandelier that make it all feel like a contemporary Asian art gallery gone wild—which it is. Patrons can expect a menu that, like the art and design of Royal/T, is authentic to a contemporary Japanese experience. The menu presents a fusion of French and Japanese texture with local and organic California style. Alongside "comfort" food and beverage classics like Curry Rice and Matcha Milk Tea, are modern creations like Ponzu Salmon and Kyoto Sunset Tea. Royal/T also offers specialty desserts and afternoon High Tea. The cafe melts into an adjoining shop and gallery currently featuring the rather demanding new exhibit "Just Love Me." But your attention will be focused on the Japanese comfort food as interpreted for California diners—think shrimp and avocado salads, flank steak sandwiches and green tea mousse cakes—and delivered by the maid serving you for the duration of your stay. (see full post @ Urbandaddy)

Royal/T / 8910 Washington Blvd (W. of National)/ Culver City, CA 90232 / 310-559-6300 / http://www.royal-t.org/ / Map

* This Friday night, 7/17/09, marks the kickoff of a new art show called Crusaders & Haters: Superheroes and Villains in American Pop Culture—and the Royal/T gallery is throwing a suitably outlandish blowout.
Curated by the world's foremost authority on all things superhero-related—an actor from Mean Girls—the show explores everything from character studies of the Joker to what would happen if Batman were actually Beethoven. (Answer: he'd be Bathoven.)
To supplement all this profundity, there's a photo booth, a DJ and some allegedly superhero-themed snacks. There'll also be an epic costume contest that's sure to draw a crowd far removed from your usual Friday-night get-togethers.