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Echo Park wine bar, CitySip, put up for sale

CitySip, Echo Park

Photo provided by CitySip

It’s always a bummer morning when learning that one of our favorite locally-owned spots, CitySip, is being put up for sale.

Owner Nicole Daddio first opened the wine-centric bar on Sunset Boulevard in 2008, and at the end of September completed renovations and a branding “revamp.” The fresh food menu, new taps for craft beers, and a more accessible and laid-back wine experience made the restaurant feel practically brand new.

We don’t have official word on whether or not the restaurant will continue to operate or shut its doors while attracting new owners, or how much the business is going for. Check back later for updates!

UPDATE:

Owner Nicole Daddio confirmed the closure will take place on January 31, with occasional popup events in February and March. She will be making the official announcement this week.

 

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Echo Park Lake bird species decline in recent count

On Sunday, December 30, 2012, bird-lovers took a walk around Echo Park Lake with notepads in hand for the annual Christmas Bird Count. According to organizer Judy Raskin, Echo Park Lake saw three new species – acorn woodpecker, common raven and bufflehead – despite the total number of species declining (the lake is still under construction).

Over 70 bird species have been counted at Echo Park Lake over the years – the 2012 Christmas Bird Count saw 41 species with winter usually being a popular month for the migrating birds at the lake. This year, Echo Park Lake bird watchers counted a total of 29 total species, which are broken down below:

2 Canada geese
6 Mallard
4 Bufflehead
3 Ruddy duck
1 Double-crested cormorant
1 Cooper’s hawk
3 Red-tailed hawk
15 American coot
21 Killdeer
8 Western gull
69 Rock pigeon
2 Yellow-chevroned parakeet
9 Vaux’s swift
6 Allen’s hummingbird
4 Acorn woodpecker
4 Black phoebe
1 Cassin’s kingbird
2 Western scrub jay
12 American crow
2 Common raven
38 bushtit
1 Ruby-crowned kinglet
2 Northern mockingbird
11 European starling
9 Yellow-Rumped Warbler
2 California towhee
12 Brewer’s blackbird
7 House finch
18 House sparrow

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A new shade of blue for Echo Park’s Little Joy

Little Joy on the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Portia has undergone many exterior paint jobs over the years. From green to black, and covered in colorful murals, the dive bar now dons a purple-ish blue shade.

The exterior facelift is just one of the new changes that new owners Joaquin Reyna-Donaldson and Donald Andes have been working on since closing the doors in November. We’ve reached out for some more info, but for now it’s not clear whether or not the dive-bar vibe will be a thing of the past.

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Allston Yacht Club reopening as “Allumette”

Although owners Charles Kelly and Bill Didonna closed four-year-old Allston Yacht Club in September, the duo have been remodeling the space to reopen a new restaurant under a new name.

“Allumette” (French for matchstick) will reopen some time in early 2013 under chef Miles Thompson, who oversaw the pop-up Vagrancy Project at AYC. Zagat has the scoop:

The menu will keep his focus on “seasonal, soulful” dishes, things like red kuri with broccoli, vadouvan and carrot, monkfish with sour cherry and chorizo, and rabbit with hazelnut tortellini. This time the bar will be overseen by Serena Harrick, another Harvard & Stone alum.

Perhaps the facelift the restaurant is getting will wash it clean of any past karma – prior to AYC, it was Restaurant 15, which lasted just a year. But now that Echo Park isn’t a stranger to upscale dining, hopefully Allumette will stick!

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Echo Park street in the holiday spirit

Photos by Christine Peters

Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park today just got a little more festive – some new holiday decor was installed along the corridor earlier today.

The Echo Park Chamber of Commerce sponsored an “Adopt-a-Pole” drive, which a number of businesses participated in along with Council District 1 and 13, as well as Senator DeLeon’s office. It will sure look nice for the Echo Park Community Parade on Saturday!

Photos by Christine Peters

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7-Eleven denied beer and wine sales permit

Even though the new 7-Eleven store that recently went up on Glendale Boulevard in Echo Park has shiny new signage and appears (from our observation) about ready to open, it won’t be offering beer and wine in its coolers any time soon.

We recently learned the store’s application for a permit to sell beer and wine for off-site consumption was denied by the city of LA, however a 24-hour operation was approved (in lieu of 7:00 am – 11:00 pm). This is not exactly a surprise as not only was there a large number of opposition letters (including a petition), and the store did not receive the support of the Northeast Police Division Captain.

This may come as a relief to many neighbors concerned with having yet another convenience store (there’s an AM/PM across the street) selling alcohol, however the hours of operation may not quell those concerns. According to comments on the application notice, the store representatives expressed they would not likely pursue opening the store if it was denied the beer and wine permit.

Both the Echo Park Improvement Association and the Greater Echo Park Elysian Neighborhood Council submitted letters of support dependent on certain conditions, including the limitation of store hours, prohibition of single bottle sales, store lighting, security, and more.

We have reached out to 7-Eleven representatives via email, but have yet to hear back.

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Delilah Bakery officially up for sale

Owner Genevieve Ostrander just reopened the Echo Park Avenue bakery in June after some renovations and a menu rehab, but the six-year-old business is now officially up for sale. She tells Eater LA that she put the bakery up for sale due to “unforeseen medical issues,” and that she is “VERY motivated to sell.” Asking price is $150,000 or best offer (plus rent).

h/t Eater LA and The Eastsider LA

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Vote! Neighborhood council elections on Saturday

Saturday is a big day for the Echo Park neighborhood council – the biannual elections take place, and there are a lot of new faces vying to represent you as representatives and board members.

A common theme from candidates at last night’s Echo Park Improvement Association forum included both the lack of outreach on the elections (and just overall) by the current neighborhood council, as well as concerns about the NC’s plagued reputation. “The dialogue needs to be richer, it needs to be understood, it needs to be clear. With mutual respect I think we could accomplish a lot in those meetings,” said teacher Cheryl Ortega, running in District 2.

Others like Todd Walker, running in District 1, are also concerned about development in Echo Park, citing the impending Barlow Hospital development as an example. “I see a lot of growth happening in Echo Park, and I think it’s exciting, but there are certain ways I think it can be better managed.”

President candidate Ari Bessendorf also attended last night’s candidate forum (Francisco Torrero, part of the current NC board, is also running but was absent last night), saying he believed that he can fix the NC’s credibility. “I believe in intentional community,” he said – meaning transparency, focusing on the right issues, and being a responsible council can mean accomplishing more for our community.

Whoever ends up representing us in the neighborhood council, we have a few suggestions and some unsolicited advice:

  • Re-evaluate the website: It’s difficult to navigate to meeting agendas and minutes
  • Post meeting agendas and minutes on the website (the minutes, for example, haven’t been updated in quite some time)
  • Improve outreach: Facebook, Twitter, and an online sign-up form for receiving email alerts are easy to set up and not at all costly
  • Collaborate with other neighborhood non-profits and organizations
  • Educate board members, committee members, and representatives on complicated land-use issues, Roberts Rules/Parliamentary procedure

Click here for a list of candidates and information on the Empower LA website. Election results could be announced as early as Saturday night.

Who can vote and how?

Click for larger map

Just in case, I would bring in some sort of identification. You can vote for board members (President, VP, etc.), as well as District Reps. For either of those, all you have to be is a stakeholder – which means you live, work, own property, or frequent the area (shopping, going to the dentist, etc.). You don’t need proof of being a stakeholder – just sign a piece of paper saying you are one. That’s it!

Getting out the vote

Be sure to vote! Election takes place on Saturday, October 6 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at Edendale Library, 2011 West Sunset Boulevard.

Candidates can vote, but they can’t campaign within 100 feet of the library.

Community activist Christine Peters told the crowd at the EPIA meeting last night that the very first election in 2002 had 1,000 people show up to vote. The last election… 214 people voted. “I want to see 1,000 people come in,” she said, “I want to see 1,000 votes.”

 

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Neighborhood Council candidate forum Thursday

The Echo Park Improvement Association (EPIA) is hosting a forum for candidates running for neighborhood council positions on Thursday, October 4, 2012. The forum takes place during the EPIA’s regularly scheduled town hall meeting at 7:00 pm in Williams Hall, Barlow Hospital.

The Greater Echo Park Elysian Neighborhood Council (GEPENC) elections are just around the corner, on Saturday, October 6 (at the Edendale Library from 10am-2pm). This is your opportunity to hear directly from the candidates as they seek your vote to represent you in the neighborhood council. All positions are up for grabs, including all the board positions (President, VP, etc.) and District Representatives.

Click here to view the candidates who have filed, their statements, and more information about the elections on the Empoyer LA website.

More coming soon about these GEPENC elections and why they’re important!

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Parenthood returns to filming in Echo Park

Today the hit NBC show Parenthood is back to filming around Echo Park, even though the show actually takes place in the San Francisco area.

This morning filming trucks and vehicles took up the entire street along the Logan Elementary School to film episode #407. The school kids probably got a few glimpses of the filming in action while playing at recess – something they are probably used to in Echo Park! Filming on Logan Street is supposed to go until 6:00 pm today.

Parenthood will also be filming at 1455 W Sunset Blvd. until 10:00 pm, but get your flaming margaritas somewhere else tonight – El Compadre will be closed for the filming.

Last February, the show filmed in front of The Echo and inside Origami Vinyl, adding in a few more hills and homes to the background for that “San Francisco” feel (see below).

The episode filmed earlier this year that was aired in February; shows the front of The Echo with some additional graphics added to the background. Screenshot via Hulu (click to view larger image).

Be sure to follow us on Twitter for filming alerts around Echo Park and Elysian Park.

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7-Eleven sign goes up on Glendale Boulevard location

Despite community opposition to the new 7-Eleven store in a strip mall at Glendale Boulevard and Berkeley Avenue in Echo Park, the store has gone full steam ahead. It’s been under construction for a couple of months now, but the sign went up in the past couple of days. Strangely, we haven’t yet been able to track down any license granted to the location by the California Alcohol Beverage Control, a permit that the store will really need to sell beer and wine off-site. And a 7-Eleven without beer and wine sales wouldn’t be a very attractive opportunity for the brand.

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Señor Fish expanding its footprint and liquor license

Tonight, the Greater Elysian Echo Park Neighborhood Council (GEPENC) will discuss an application by Echo Park restaurant Señor Fish to add liquor to its existing beer and wine license, as well as to expand its seating to the adjacent building, formerly the tortilleria.

Señor Fish may have opened last May, but it would be difficult to tell if you were just walking by. Though a new sign has been installed on the corner of the roof, the restaurant chain has yet to repair the graffiti-riddled windows. General Manager Jesse Pimentel said in July, in an email, that the windows were to be replaced within a couple of weeks, saying, “The windows will be replaced first. We are also going to put some stools along the counter by the TV and also beautify the interior.”

In an article by The Eastsider LA from late August, the windows were again addressed and the new windows were only a “couple of weeks” away from being repaired:

Ramirez [the restaurant owner] said he has held off  replacing the windows for fear they would get scratched as soon as they get replaced. He said vandals can still scratch or cut their way through the plastic film that has been applied to many windows to protect them against scratches.  Currently, his family is working on a wood screen that would protect the windows at night but roll down and out of the way during the day time and create a wainscoating at the base of the building. If that does not prove practical,  the store will install some other type of metal screen or folding doors. What ever option is selected, expect new windows in a couple of weeks, he said.

Pimentel also mentioned the response to the restaurant opening had been great, but they may not get the community support for a full liquor license and restaurant expansion if the windows aren’t repaired.

The neighborhood council meeting is tonight, Wednesday, September 12, 2012 at 7:00 pm. The Community Center where the meeting will be held is located at 1572 Sunset Boulevard behind the Bank of America.

The meeting agenda also includes discusion of five single family small lot dwellings at 1516 Echo Park Avenue.

 

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What not to do during an LA car chase

We may be used to the car chases being aired on Los Angeles TV networks, but when they come through your own neighborhood things get a little real. It was especially scary that the suspect was not only considered armed and dangerous – he was possibly a murder suspect, and definitely had an AK-47. When that happens:

DON’T

throw things at the suspect’s car during a low-speed chase through your neighborhood. The suspect may have an AK-47. CBS Los Angeles reported that people were seen throwing items at the suspect’s car in Los Feliz – don’t do it!

DO

watch from your home or work, away from windows, because who knows what will happen and where.

DON’T

jump out in front of the suspect’s car as it drives through your neighborhood, especially if the media is report the suspect is heavily armed. The driver was suspected of murder, which means they probably will run you over.

DO

watch from your home or work, away from windows.

And while we’re at it, if you;re a murder suspect, are heavily armed, and get caught talking or texting on your cell phone during a normal traffic stops, just pull over. We don’t mean to make light of it – it is a serious situation. Just don’t try to intervene, let the police do their thing, and hopefully, thankfully like this time, there was no loss of life or serious injuries to passer-byes.

 

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Echo Park Farmers’ Market extending hours

Word is the Echo Park Farmers’ Market has expanded its hours from 7:00 pm until 8:00 pm, starting tonight!

Our lovely little market, located in the parking lot behind the Bank of America at Sunset and Echo Park Avenue, is a fantastic place to get fresh eggs, chicken, salmon, and has some of the best vegetables around. We’re also big fans of the teppanyaki, flan, and roasted chicken. Yumm!

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Behind the fence: Tour of Echo Park Lake construction

About 100 interested locals (including politicians, volunteers, and candidates) spent the morning in LA City hard hats amongst the dust and debris behind the fence of Echo Park Lake. Guided in small groups by project manager Marlon Calderon, our 9:00 am group (the first one!) got a close-up look of the North side of the Lake where Lady of the Lake statue will stand, the “boardwalk” alongside the wetlands and bridge, and the Boathouse – inside and out.

The project is about 60% complete, and come February, it should be full with water. The 60 construction workers are working on Saturdays to beat the rainy season, which will hopefully just fill the lake up naturally without any help from the city water sources. Our guide Calderon mentioned that with the Lake being the lowest point in the Silver Lake / Echo Park area, 26 million gallons of water can fill the lake in three hours – so there shouldn’t be any issues getting the water in there.

The Lake’s historic and widely known bridge

The Lotus plants will actually be planted in the next two months – a “berm” (like an under water dam) surrounding the Lotus bed on the North side of the Lake will keep all the water for that area in.

While many trees were removed due to disease, there are 400 trees currently being maintained and watered, and 200 more are expected to be added before the Lake’s grand opening in Spring 2013.

The Boathouse has yet to have an official concessions company, but the kitchen is high-end and fully stocked (leaving many of us to hope for something along the lines of Homegirl Cafe taking over). They’ll also be adding in a new boat dock, while bringing up the entire Boathouse to compliance to make it fully functional (that means paddle boats, people!).

More photos and info after the jump!

Read more

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