Yamashiro’s Pagoda Bar

Sunday BBQ at Yamashiro’s Pagoda Bar

The new and improved Pagoda Bar at Hollywood’s historic Yamashiro has kicked off summer with its BBQ pool parties. Every Sunday from 2-5pm, Executive Chef Jason Park is grilling up $3 cheeseburger sliders and Kurobuta carnita sandwiches served with a side of Asian coleslaw and house made pickles. Enjoy muddled cocktails like the strawberry Basil-Jito, Glover’s Gimlet, or one of Norman’s famous Mai Tais...

Get the full scoop at my buddy Mattyshack's DigLounge


Yamashiro's Pagoda Bar / 1999 N. Sycamore Avenue / Hollywood, CA 90068 / 323.466.5125 / www.thepagodabar.com

The Blind Lemon

One of my all-time favorite bars.




The Blind Lemon / 938 Hatch Street / Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 / 513.621.3666 / www.theblindlemon.com

Beer Sommelier

Great Brewers' Beer Sommelier is a simple guide to appropriately pairing beer with food. The process starts with a vertical row of large picture boxes, each representing a main ingredient, from meet (beef, fish, poultry, game), to dairy, pasta, nuts, fruit, cheese and chocolate. Click one and a second row appears offering loads of popular dishes within the category (i.e., Pasta breaks into mac & cheese, lo mein, lasagna, etc.). Once a dish is specified, a third row appears featuring general styles of beer to pair with it (i.e., German-style strong doppelbock, Bamberg-style Marzen Rauchbier) with links to a fact sheet on the style (flavor profile, typical ABV, bitterness, appropriate glassware), and myriad examples of the style from a database of over 2,100 craft beers, each with its own page replete with tasting notes, availability, and tap type required.

http://greatbrewers.com/beer-sommelier

Once you find the perfect brew to pair with your meal, GB uses its connections with 22 of America's leading craft/specialty beer wholesalers to Gmap out people selling it near your zip, whether for take-home purchase or on tap.

Ice Cream Floats

From Tasting Table...
Root Beer Inspired by good old-fashioned diner food, BLT Steak pastry chef Jessica Goryl added a classic float ($9; pictured) to the summer menu. But this one's special: She makes all the ingredients from scratch. Her root beer is more herbal and less carbonated than store-bought brands, and perfect poured over her rich, homemade vanilla-bean ice cream.
BLT Steak / 8720 W. Sunset Blvd. / West Hollywood, CA / 310-360-1950 / bltrestaurants.com

Beer When made with smooth, dark Old Rasputin Imperial Stout and Scoops' gelato, the Golden State's beer float ($8) is the root beer float's doppelganger. It might not be for sweet tooths, but with hints of coffee and dark chocolate, the malty stout makes a perfect foil for creamy brown-bread gelato.
The Golden State / 426 N. Fairfax Blvd. / Mid-City; LA, CA / 323-782-8331 / thegoldenstatecafe.com

Port Downtown wine bar The Must tops vanilla gelato with locally made San Antonio Winery ruby port and a splash of cream soda ($7). After it swirls and foams in the small glass, the fruity concoction verges on milkshake, but it's sweet fun.
The Must Bar / 118 W. 5th St. / Downtown Los Angeles, CA / 213-627-1162 / themustbar.com

Mandrake | bar

"all my favourite artists had problems with alchohol"


Mandrak Bar on Yelp.com (with photos)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-mandrake-bar-los-angeles


Mandrake / 2692 S La Cienega Blvd (between Venice Blvd and Washington Blvd) / Los Angeles, CA 90034 / 310.837.3297 / www.mandrakebar.com

Drinks to try

The London (freshly squeezed grapefruit shaken with Bombay Sapphire gin and Lillet. Served straight up and finished with Cremant de Loire) - Gordon Ramsey at The London West Hollywood / 1020 N. San Vicente Blvd. / West Hollywood, CA 90069 / www.thelondonwesthollywood.com/gordon_ramsay

English Quat (gin, mint, kumquats) - Boé Restaurant inside The Crescent Hotel / 403 N. Crescent Dr. @ Brighton Way / Beverly Hills, CA / 310.247.0505 / www.crescentbh.com / if it's anything like the english twat i'm friends with, it's bound to be good

The Sour Kraut
When a friend challenged Vincenzo Marianella to "make something special," the Copa d'Oro barman went straight to the kitchen to find inspiration. His eyes immediately landed on sweet orange marmalade and Dijon mustard, and he thought, "Why not?" The end result: the bar's most unusual drink, the Sour Kraut.

This is one surprising but very quaffable drink. It's tart and tangy with a subtle hint of mustard--if the ingredient wasn't listed on the menu, you probably wouldn't know it was there--and a touch of sweetness from the marmalade. "I'm surprised no one's really used mustard before," says Marianella. "It just adds an interesting, unique flavor." And it makes for a drink that's great with the bar's grilled cheese and ham sandwich, though it really cries out for a hot dog or soft pretzel (even better: a soft pretzel-wrapped hot dog).

Marianella uses Martin Miller's gin but says 10 Cane rum or Partida Blanco tequila also work. Because some marmalades are sweeter than others, he suggests adjusting the mustard and citrus ratio accordingly. Here's his recipe.


The Sour Kraut
Makes one drink

Ice
2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce Cointreau
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sweet orange marmalade
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the gin, Cointreau, lemon juice, mustard and marmalade and shake well. Strain into chilled martini glass and serve.

Copa d'Oro / 217 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA / 310-576-3030 / www.copadoro.com

Chloe

Past an unmarked red door next to the Hotel Carmel is where you'll find Chloe, the westside lounge from eastsides (at least Hollywood's) Laurie Mulstay and Ron Marino. Already known for bringing a saught after vibe to their places, Chloe rests somewhere between two: It has food as good as Magnolia (bacon-wrapped dates, mac and cheese, burgers), but it's not a restaurant; and it's not as much bar as The Bar. But there are some killer signature cocktails.

Mulstay calls it a modern take on a 1930s French lounge, filled with velvety animal print sofas, and server girls in fashionable gray uniforms with red sashes by local designer (and "Project Runway" contestant) Rami Kashou.

After settling in with your Sidecar, Pimm's Cup or Whiskey Cobbler (that's bourbon, Grand Marnier and fresh lemon), you'll sample small plates that are accessible but with a twist—the fries come with malt vinegar and sea salt, and you'll find ingredients like persimmon and pistachios that came from the Farmer's Market just up the street.

The overall vibe at the tiny, but radiant lounge is meant to inspire return visits; with a warm decor and neighborhood vibe. If the ex-New Yorkers who run Chloe's past success record is any indication (Magnolia is especially doing well), count on this Santa Monica gem to be around for many years.

Chloe / 1449 2nd St (btw Broadway & Santa Monica) / Santa Monica, CA 90401 / www.barchloe.com