Come Join Us!

Always wanted to meet V&K but can never seem to track down where we’ll be on any given night? (We like to stay mysterious like that…)

Or maybe you already know us, and thus know we are incredibly fun to drink with and that any night out with us is bound to be an adventure…

Either way: come drink with us tomorrow, we’ll be at EAST in Hollywood for their big ‘ol Socialite Happy Hour party!

We went here once before for a girl’s night/dinner, and while the normal menu wasn’t terribly overpriced, we are 10x as excited to return now that we know about their happy hour specials.

Here’s the details: 

EAST’s 5-6-7-8 HAPPY HOUR

(eerily similar name to the Street happy hour…)

$5 Valet Parking

$6 Specialty Drinks

$7 Menu Items

Nightly, 5pm – 8pm

Gotta love that Happy Hour lasts ‘til 8pm. Late happy hours mean we don’t have to leave early from work (thus making less money) just so we can save money on our drinking and eating habits.

If you do decide to join us in tomorrow night’s debauchery here’s a little tip: check out www.socialbuy.com/losangeles for a special discount coupon on drinks at EAST. Just $7 will get you $15 dollas worth of drinks tomorrow night. 

If you can’t make it tomorrow, don’t worry, you can still use the discount coupon all the way up to Mar. 10th 2011. But we gotta warn you - it won’t be as fun without us…

To all creepsters and stalkers: please disregard this invitation. We don’t want to  meet you. Please stay away. We tend to travel with a large entourage of really strong dudes who will beat you up at our beck and call... well maybe they arn't really strong.. but they are definitely dudes... we think...

Our Addiction: Burgers & Beers

It’s sad when you live in a city where $20 for a burger and a beer is a deal. But, alas, in LA everything is expensive and the $20 seems well worth it for the deliciousness of red meat + suds.

When we're craving this ultimate combo we head to our favorite neighborhood burger + beer joint: The Golden State. 

The Golden State Burger 

(Photo from LA Weekly)

The Golden State burger (which Jonathan Gold from LA Weekly deems one of the best in LA) is absolutely delicious. The burger comes with your choice of side (the sweet potato fries with curry ketchup are a must), and to compliment your burger Golden State has a great menu of beers from Cali. If you’re feelin' a jones for something sweet you can add a scoop of gelato to your beer for a strange, but tastey, combo called the beer float. Note: Golden State is itty bitty in size and doesn't have reserved tables (its a seat yourself type spot) so don't show up with a giant party.

Golden State Burger: $10 + Tastey Beer: $5-$7 = Under $20 = Score.

But if you live Downtown there’s an even cheaper burger+beer spot. This place not only serves you a burger+beer for under $20, but goes even further to offer a burger + PITCHER OF BEER for under $10. 

The spot? Carl’s Jr. 

Carl’s has sneakily operated three select locations in Downtown LA that serve beer for years now. For just $6.50 Carl's will serve you a pitcher of Bud Light along with your $2.50 Hot Carl Big Carl Burger. 

Granted the burger is not nearly as good as the one at Golden State, but hey – it’s a cheap fix for a constant craving (what? You don’t crave burgers and beers every day?.... Well we do.)

Either way you now have burger+beer options under $20 bucks in LA. We'll probably stick with Golden State for dinner, but Carl's+Beer might be the perfect fourth meal after a night out in Downtown.

 

The Golden State

426 N. Fairfax Ave

Los Angeles, CA 90036

Open:  Tue. - Sun. (12pm - 10pm)

Carl's Jrs that serve beer (Downtown Only):

* Macy's Plaza on 7th & Flower

* California Mart at Main & Olympic

* Citigroup Plaza at 5th & Flower

Prix Fixe Fix!

Here at Finer Things LA, we have a fondness for all things prix fixe and all things wine, so when today's Blackboard Eats deal landed in our inboxes, we were pretty much in heaven. Not to mention the blurb on the deal included a shout out to my favorite white wine ever - viognier.

Today's deal will get you a 3-course dinner at Mercantile on Sunset, a low key wine bar-slash-grocery-slash bakery-slash-eatery.  The fixed menu includes and endive and watercress salad, your choice of main entree (sausage, ricotta gnudi or trout rillettes) and a scoop of home-made ice cream (yum!). All this for $20!

If you haven't used Blackboard Eats before, sign up NOW, and then click to get in on the deal. You will receive a passcode for the deal that is good to use at the restaurant for a month.

Blackboard Eats: www.blackboardeats.com
Mercantile. 6600 W Sunset Blvd. (323) 962-8202. www.themercantilela.com

Cork Me!

"You haven't drunk too much wine if you can still lie on the floor without holding on."

~ Dean Martin

As you know, we love wine. With brunch, lunch or dinner, or even on its own as a pre-party beverage before a night out... Anytime there's wine - we're in. 

But if you're out to dinner and you want to drink wine like Dean Martin - you'll need a Dean Martin sized bank account too. 

So then begins the fun game we all play of 'which bottle do I order that doesn't make me look like a total cheap ass, but also doesn't cost me a fortune?' 

My dad taught me you always pick the second least expensive bottle on the menu, and then pretend you've had it before. This makes it seem as though my 'inexpensive' wine selection  ($50 for what would have been $15 at Ralphs) is based on my discerning and experienced taste, and not my 'just outta college' budget. 

OKAY, so yes, we graduated three/four years ago. Quit rubbing it in and let me finish my story!!

Anyway... There are two alternate solutions to the wine-bottle game: 

1. Drink at home before dinner (and risk not remembering the meal)

2. Find a place with free or cheap corkage so you can bring your own cheapy bottle and drink for less

Option 2 is always the best solution. 

And now I present to you: FinerThingsLA's favorite free corkage spots around town: 

* Nook - 11628 Santa Monica Blvd #8, West LA

Free corkage on Mondays and Tuesdays only. Favorite items on the menu: Flat Iron Steak and the Burger (friends claim it rivals the F.O. Burger)  

* Colori Kitchen - 429 W. 8th St., Downtown

Family owned and run Italian spot, free corkage every day of the week. This place looks like a total hole-in-the-wall but it's actually the perfect date spot and you really can't go wrong with their homemade pasta. (Thanks for the tip Mr. Lobanov!)

Not free but cheap: 

* Allora Cucina Italiana - 8432 W. 3rd St, Mid-City-West

This place USED to have free corkage, but since they obtained their liquor license they started charging an $8 corkage fee. Not as good as gratis - but still relatively reasonable! While you're there drinking your weight in wine: try the mushroom ravioli, its tastey!

A Tip for Date Night

Your classic date night: dinner and a movie. What was once a reasonably priced endeavor has quickly turned into quite the expensive night out in LA.

 - Two tickets to an evening newly released movie at an LA theater? $27.

 - Dinner for two at Morels French Steak House? $80 (drinks not included)

 - Parking? $2.

So now you’ve spent $109 bucks and what did you get: a  booze-less dinner at a restaurant that almost constantly has a B health rating, followed by two hours of not-talking, ending with a kiss on the cheek as you drop your date off at home.

Yippee….

Well the Grove has a promotion to make this standard date night slightly more palatable: for just $30 per person you’ll get free valet parking, two movie tickets, and 3-course dinner for two at a participating Grove restaurant (hopefully not Morels… seriously… B Rating…Gross.)

So with all your saved money you can take your date to the bar in the Farmers Market (or El Carmen down the street) and buy some drinks. You’ll STILL be saving money even after ordering drinks (unless you drink like our friends, then it might be more, a lot more…) and the booze will definitely help your chances at the end of the night! 

Date Night @ The Grove

$30 Per Person

Available Monday - Thursday Nights

Participating Restaurants and Menus

The Farm of Beverly Hills 

Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill
The Cheescake Factory 

Maggiano’s Little Italy
La Piazza Ristorante Italiano  

Morels French Steakhouse & Bistro
The Whisper Restaurant and Lounge

 

VandK’s Sausage-Fest Adventure at Big Wangs

Somehow, and I still don’t know how, we got conned into going to the new BigWangs downtown on Saturday night. While others were enjoying the delicious foods (and long lines) of LAFoodFest, we were enjoying beer and mediocre bar food with our usual crowd. This 'usual crowd' tends to consist of V, about 12 dudes, and me… i.e. a sausage fest.

The beers were good (and in some cases gigantic). The chicken-wrap-thing I ordered was a 4/10. The sampler platter was typical bar food so I’ll give it a 7/10. The wings, however, were a big hit with the guys (see a trend here with these guys?) The Rochester sauce, and the fact that the wings were actually boneless (and thus less wings than they were balls of chicken meat), was a crowd pleaser that night. 

Note: Keeping our guys happy is important, as it means we have leverage the next time we want to try out a ‘less than manly’ new establishment in the future.

However I wasn’t totally sold on Big Wangs until I ventured into the bathroom. There upon the wall, framed above the sink, was a sign showing the happy hour specials… And they are great:  

Oh how easily we are swayed by Happy Hour deals….

Plus, because of the crowd we roll with, I’m pretty sure we will have no choice but to return here in the future. At least now we’ll know what times to go so we can save some moolah!

Fat Tuesday = Sick Day Wednesday

Mardi Gras celebrations tend to involve some of our favorite things – drinks, food, and live music (… and boobs and beads but those fall a little lower on the ‘favorites’ list.)

We’re not sure which festive events we will be attending – but there are a few good options across the city:

Liquid Kitty, WestLA (5pm – 2am)

·      No Cover,

·      Live Cajun/Zydeco band (“The Damn Well Please Organ Trio”)

·      Grilled Cheese truck out front at 10:30pm

·      Drink Specials: $3 Abita Beer, $6 Hurricanes, $6 Sazerac Martinis, $2 PBR, $3 Low Lifes (Pabst & a Shot)

Rush Street, Culver City (7pm – Close)

·      Specialty Drinks: Mint Juleps, Hurricanes, Alabama Slammers

·      Free Party Favors

·      Masked Bead Girls

Westwood Brewing Co, Westwood (Beginning @ 6pm)

·      Free Beads

·      Gumbo Special: $7/bowl

·      Zydeco Music, 6pm – 8pm

·      8pm: New Orleans Themed Trivia Night!

South, Santa Monica (4pm – Close)

·      $4 Beer Specials

·      Beads, Masks

J Lounge, Downtown (5pm – 8pm)

·      “Fat Happy Hour” Drink Specials

·      Creole Menu Items by Chef Oz

·      Live Entertainment

For those just looking for a good Cajun meal: 

Dominick's, West Hollywood
Mardi Gras Themed Menu included $5 Gumbo, $6 Jambalaya, $8 Eggplant pirogues with shrimp sauce

The Gumbo Pot, Mid City

This spot serves their delicious Cajun food year-round at the Grove Farmer's market. However, for Mardi Gras the Farmer's Market transforms into a Mardi-Gras party with live music and Gumbo Pot has King Cakes available for purchase for the holiday.

Maybe plan to call in for a ‘personal day’ at work on Wednesday? You’ll need it after you take down all those southern-style drinks!

Get Drunk Like Gee-Dub

 

Back in the day when Washington was elected, the campaign trail was all about providing tons of Hard-A to the public. Citizens would wander through the town square, from campaign table to campaign table, getting their fill of whiskey from each candidate. The larger the quantity, and the higher the quality, of booze you provided: the more people liked you. By the time the drinker was ready to vote they were thoroughly trashed, and because drunks are easier to convince into voting for you, you were basically ensured a vote if they finished their binge drinking at your campaign table (ingenious!)

In honor of this old-as-time tradition of providing booze to gain a following - CommeCa is offering drink specials today at a special price. For President's Day only, a select menu of cocktails will be available for just $4.40 (since we're at Presidente numero 44.) 

Here's the menu: 

1. Frost/Nixon: "Last Word" - gin, lime juice, Green Charteuse, maraschino 
2. Kennedy: "Cuba Libre" - cola, lime, white rum
3. FDR: "Dark and Stormy" - black rum, lime juice, ginger syrup, splash of soda
4.  Washington: "Penicillin" - Scotch, ginger, lemon, honey

While you're there try the French Onion soup - it's delicious!

CommeCA
8479 Melrose Avenue
11:30am - 3pm, 5:30pm - 11pm

Happy President's Day Everyone!!!

SAVE MONEY MONEY SAVE MONEY MONEY

Getting fat and drunk are great fun. But getting fat and drunk on the cheap - well that's just fantastic. Thanks to 'deal-a-day' websites we can do just that.

Here's a few of today's deals to keep you tipsy, chubby, and happy all day long:

GROUPON – LOS ANGELES

$10 for $25 worth of locally grown cuisine at Food Fair by Diego

7825 Beverly Blvd. / Los Angeles, California 90036

Not a member yet? Sign up here.

BLACKBOARD EATS – LA

30% off Lunch at Lotteria Grill – Hollywood 

No Purchase necessary - just sign up and download the password to start saving! 

Discount valid until March 13th.

http://blackboardeats.com/los-angeles

WIRED FOR WINE

Premius Bordeaux Sauvignon Blanc 2006

Wine Enthusiast:  Designated this wine as a "Best Buy".

Sale Price:  $9.97 - 41% off (Reg. Price:  $16.99)

Free Shipping on 6 or more

www.wiredforwine.com

SOCIAL BUY

$25 for $50 worth of Gifts and Baskets at Bountiful Baskets by Jean.

I.E. Cookies, candies, drinks, and treats for a friend or to spoil yourself

Not a member yet? Sign up here.

GILT

MarieBelle Chocolates

Beautifully packaged gift sets and boxes of chocolates 30-35% off – while supplies last!

Not a member yet? Sign up here.

Burger Bargain

I feel like I am on a constant search to find the best burger in LA, but there are so many options that so far we are at a probably 10 way tie. Sometimes I crave a Father’s Office burger and sometimes I dream of the shoestring fries that accompany my Rush Street burger. And almost always at 3am on a weekend, I want my In-N-Out burger with animal style fries (I know…it’s fast food…and a chain…but you can’t beat In-N-Out).

One place I have yet to try but have heard great things about is the burger at The Counter. And on Tuesdays (today!), they have a great burger special that almost makes me want to leave the house in this rainstorm and head there tonight.

Every Tuesday starting at 4pm, at the Santa Monica and Marina del Rey locations, The Counter has a $12 special where you can get 4 mini burgers and 4 beer pairings. These are not your regular mini burgers either, you can choose from a beef, turkey, chicken or veggie patty and they have a large variety of cheese, toppings, and sauces (including grilled pineapples, caramelized onion marmalade, roasted garlic aioli…yum!)

So if you are in the mood for some burgers and beer get there tonight, I don’t think you will be disappointed.

The Counter. http://www.thecounterburger.com/

Celebrating S.A.D.?

No +1 to join you next Sunday for Brunch or and over priced Dinner? Prefer to celebrate the awesomeness of being single on Feb. 14^th?  OR maybe you’re just a couple that just wants to do something different this year and are looking for ideas.

Either way, here’s a few spots holding some non-traditional Vday/SAD events next weekend (reservations recommended where applicable):

Venice Valentine’s Scavenger Hunt:

A scavenger hunt through the streets on Venice by bike! This one works for couples and friends – though they recommend teams of two – so grab a partner and your bikes and head out to Venice next weekend. Prizes go out to the top three teams and hunts are scheduled for Sat (13^th, 10am & 2pm) and Sun (14^th, 10am, 1pm, & 4pm). Tickets are $25.

Last year the events sold out quickly so go online today to book your tix:

www.outoftheboxevents.net, or call 323.799.1374

Single’s Night Out @ Remedy Lounge

Drink specials, games and entertainment in Downtown LA just for singles (and there’s no cover with RSVP!), Saturday, Feb 13^th (8pm – 2am)
http://thelek.com/TL/lek/los-angeles/events/heartbeat-find-your-valentine-party/39404

Rush Street – Culver City

The bar and restaurant will be open as usual, with a special menu of Valentine’s Day themed desserts. If you’re there from 10pm – 2am on Sunday night – Rush Street will be passing out FREE SHOTS of American Honey whiskey to everyone in the bar. Plus wine and champagne will be 1/2 price - all day long.

Wine + Cheese + Chocolate Tasting

Goldstar has a deal on an event held by LearnAbout Wine next weekend – learn about wine pairings with cheeses and chocolates for $39 per person (regularly $69). The event is held both Saturday & Sunday (tastings at 1pm & 5pm).

Hash @ Hotel Erwin

This one’s more for couples than SAD celebrators – but I’d have fun doing this with one of my gal pals just as much as with the man. For $60/per couple you can enjoy a bottle of Graham Beck Sparlking Rose with an order of chocolate covered strawberries – all while watching the sunset from Hotel Erwin's great Venice location.  For reservations call Tiffany Bosch 310.452.1111 (ext 175).
Deal is available: Friday, February 12^th (Starting at 4pm
) and Saturday & Sunday, February 13^th & 14^th (Starting at 1pm.)

Peet's Coffee: Buy One Get One Free

Today when you buy one beverage at Peet's Coffee & Tea you can get a second free for a buddy (or yourself!)

Here's the link to print your coupon:
http://www.peets.com/specialoffer/Default.asp?rdir=1&cm_mmc=retailemail*10.01.07_bev_bogo*retail*coupon_btn

Enjoy!

Deal Alert!

A few deals to start your day off right:

* GROUPON: One dozen chocolate dipped strawberries from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, $18 (Normally $36)
Not a Groupon Member Yet? Sign up!

* BLACKBOARD EATS: Coupon code for 30% off at Provecho, 800 Wilshire Blvd (Downtown).  
Valid today through Feb 27th; Maximum party size of 6; dine-in only; excludes other specials or prix fixe menus; not valid on Valentine's Day.
Not a Blackboard Eats member yet? Sign up!

* GOLDSTAR: Little Tokyo Food Tours from Six Taste, $33 (Normally $55.)  
Valid Saturday, January 30th and Sunday, January 31st. Check availability online when purchasing.
Not a Goldstar member yet? Sign up! 

Gimme Some Dim Sum

I’ve wanted to try the lunch specials at Joss Cuisine in Beverly Hills for some time now but I’m rarely around Beverly Hills during lunchtime. Unfortunately I’m imprisoned daily in the Pacific Palisades where food options are few and those that are good are pricey.

Well I lucked out last Friday when I was able to escape my prison by the sea (I had the day off) and FINALLY try out Joss’s lunch specials.

Here’s the scoop: Joss Cuisine has two lunch deals and here’s what they come with:

Special 1: $11, Mu Shu Crepes Plate with Dim Sum Trio:

·      Soup or Salad

·      Three (3) Pieces of Dim Sum

·      Three Mu Shu Crepes (your choice of chicken, pork, shrimp, or veggie stuffing)

Special 2: $15, Joss’s Lunch Plate with Dim Sum Trio:

·      Soup or Salad

·      Five (5) Pieces of Dim Sum

·      One full sized entrée of your choice

My party of three all went with the $15 option.  As you can see from my expert photography the soup/salad its full-on Wonton shrimp soup or Chinese chicken salad. The dim sum was delicious (though I did miss the rad little cart I’m used to from China-Town dim sum experiences), and the main entrée was a full sized entrée. 

As far as value is concerned: normally the entrees run $15 - $20 per item, the soup is normally $7.50, and I have no idea how much the dim sum is since from what I saw I believe it’s a lunch special only. Either way you are already stealing from this place by ordering this menu option. 

The option we went with ended up being too much food for me – so next time I’ll go for the Mu Shu crepes special. But either way I’m coming back for some more over weekend or the next time I escape the Palisades.

Joss Cusine

9919 Santa Monica Boulevard

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Reminder Post: DineLA Restaurant Week!

Just a reminder post to get your prix fixe fix this week and next week at participating restaurants in DineLA's restaurant week!

List of restauarants can be found at http://www.dinela.com/ and you can make your reservations through http://www.opentable.com/

Deals Found at the Foundry!

I'll admit - we've never been to the Foundry. We've heard great things about the food there but its always been slightly out of our budgets.  However, after a quick look at their website today I believe we will be making our first visit there this Sunday.

What: Suds and Song Sundays @ The Foundry on Melrose
When: Sundays, 8:30pm - 11pm (in the Lounge)
The Low Down: $2 Featured Beers + Live Music

 BUT WAIT FOLKS! THAT'S NOT ALL!

The Foundry also has a few other great deals early in the week (And an extra special DineLA menu):

Mondays: Lunes Latinos
Latin inspired cocktails, Greenspan's Gorditas (3 kinds / $3 each), and Latin Jazz
8:30pm - 11:30pm every Monday (in the Lounge)

Tuesdays: Bluesy Tuesdays
Listen to the Blues while eating up Chef Greenspan’s take on Southern food - fried chicken (priced by the piece) and waffles ($4), sides of creamed corn, grits, and greens($5), Green Tomatoes ($5), Corn bread pudding ($7). 
8:00pm -10:00pm every Tuesday (in the Lounge)

DineLA
While other restaurants are offering three courses for a set price for DineLA Week, The Foundry is upping the ante to offer four (4!!) courses for the same $44/per person price. The menu includes items like White Gazpacho, Beef Tenderloin, Duck Breast, and a Blood Orange Bar for Dessert (I want I want I want!)


As you know from our detailed love for the Windows Lounge at the Four Seasons - we love any place with live classy music*. A place with live swanky music and drink specials = True Love.

*Note: a DJ is not 'live music' by any stretch of the imagination... and though we really love 80's cover bands (one of us has even dreamed of having Fast Times play at our wedding...) these just don't fit in this classy equation for love.

Hope to see you at the Foundry this Sunday!!

Deal Alert!

Here’s a great way to whet your palate before a delicious dinner (or long night of drinking): Vinoteque on Melrose holds a ‘Sip and Swirl’ event every Tuesday at 7pm.

The restaurant pair three wines with three appetizers – and each Tuesday is a different theme (upcoming events include Whites of the Loire Valley" on January 26, "Napa and Her Wine" on February 2, and "A Night in the North of Spain" on February 9).

Normally the cost is $20.10/per tasting (a pretty good deal on its own.) However, if you go to Groupon.com today they are selling certificates for these events for only $10! You can use the certificate any Tuesday between now and April 22nd – but the deal is ONLY AVAILABLE TODAY so hurry up and purchase!

We already told you guys about Groupon earlier in the week, but just in case you were stubborn, or stupid, and didn’t listen to us - here’s the link so you can sign up to become a member:

http://www.groupon.com/r/uu310080.

Great idea: start your night with ‘Sip and Swirl’ and continue your eating adventure with Vinoteque’s DINELA menu ($35/pp for dinner with a great line up of delicious food!)