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What’s a holiday without a cheesy portrait session?

Miss out on the Echo Park Animal Alliance pet photos with Santa? Or maybe that’s just not quite your thing and you need something more… sarcastic to send family members for the holidays? Well, Echo Park residents Gino Espinosa and Alfie Numeric might just have the opportunity for you: Cheesy Christmas Portrait Sessions!

And yes, you are required (not by law or anything) to wear an “ugly ass” Christmas sweater for the portrait, so get shopping! They provide Santa hats for the pets if you haven’t already dressed your… turtle already.

The $25 package includes one 8×10, two 5×7, and three postcards plus a digital file of the image. Pictures require one week to produce, and a 50% deposit is required at the shoot.

Portrait sessions will be on a 30 minute appointment basis, so book your spot ASAP and be punctual. Check out the Facebook page for more info, or send an email to gknow.fotos@gmail.com.

Appointments are scheduled for Saturday, December 12 from 10:00 am – 10:00 pm in Echo Park.

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826LA kids’ letters to the First Family

826LA has published a book of kids’ letters written to Michelle Obama (a followup to last year’s book to President Obama, Thanks and Have Fun Running the Country). I Live Real Close to Where You Used to Live is a collection of letters written by kids across America to not just Michelle Obama, but also to her daughters Malia and Sasha and even their dog.

Letters include those from our own Echo Park kids who participated in the 826LA workshops earlier this fall, and tells the first family some pretty awesome kid-like things:

“You’re a better dancer than your husband.” (Tatiana Morales, age 10, Los Angeles)

And our personal favorite:

“I think your husband should legalize immigration. Please put a statue of me in Echo Park. Thank you. J.K. No, really. I want a tuxedo on the statue.” (Andres Ortega, age 11, Los Angeles)

You can now purchase the book for a mere $12 online, or at Echo Park’s own Time Travel Mart.

Of course, all proceeds benefit 826LA!

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Menu Monday: French cooking at Cookbook

Cookbook
1549 Echo Park Avenue
Open daily from 8:00 am – 8:00 pm
Website

We’ll be spending the next few weeks with French cookbooks. First off:

AROUND MY FRENCH TABLE by Dorrie Greenspan
from December 6-12, 2010

Savory cheese & chive bread
Garbure (bean, cabbage & duck soup)
Carrot-ginger soup
Cube shaved Brussels sprouts salad
Quinoa, fruit & nut salad
Spiced, butter-glazed carrots
French lentils with sherry-mustard vinaigrette
Chicken b’stilla
Moroccan spiced lamb meatballs
Wagyu beef with horseradish aioli & caramelized onions on baguette
Braised leeks, sheep’s milk cheese & romesco on focaccia
Egg salad on brioche

and

PERSIMMON PUDDING!!

Gifts for the holidays at Cookbook:
Organic bay laurel wreaths
Chamba black clay cookware
New Hampshire Bowl & Board walnut salad bowls
Fog Linen Work tea towels & napkins
Letter cut-outs by Jason Bacasa
June Taylor jams
Be the Bee raw lavender honey
Mast Brothers chocolate
Black cherry panetone
Cookbooks
Gift certificates
and more!

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Saturday: Chinatown Express Grand Reopening

It’s been quite some time now since a fire broke out in September of 2009 in the mini mall (specifically Regency Cleaners) at Echo Park Avenue and Montana. The long-time Chinese food restaurant, Chinatown Express, has finally reopened its doors, and on Saturday will hold its grand opening.

I’ve heard both good and bad things about the food there, but, heck, it beats driving to Panda Express in Atwater Village (…that horrifying parking lot near Costco).

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Happening today: Raven and Lilly + Ballard’s Sale and Party

Some more local Holiday shopping opportunities for you – check out fair trade goods by Raven and Lilly, and get some great deals while you nibble on cupcakes and holiday treats.

Check out the other neighborhood spots offering deals today:

  • Stories Books & Cafe: Free cookie with beverage purchase
  • Echo Park Independent Co-op: 15% discount on select items
  • 826 LA: 25% off time travel posters

Ballard’s Artwork Framing & Gallery is located at 1568 W. Sunset Blvd.

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Today’s Groupon Deal: Warehouse Shoe Sale

Today’s Groupon deal gets you $15 for $30 of shoes and other store goodies at Warehouse Shoe Sale (WSS) locations for its 25th anniversary. This is a chain store but we happen to have one right here in Echo Park!

Click here to view the Groupon details – you have until midnight tonight to purchase the deal!

WSS is located at 1389 W. Sunset Blvd.

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Echo Park Craft Fair this weekend

Shop this weekend at the semi-annual Echo Park Craft Fair, organized by leather shoe crafter Beatrice Valenzuela. There will be jewelry, organic beauty products, belts, handbags, and other locally made goodies. Pick up your holiday gifts and even some homemade granola to snack on!

Echo Park Craft Fair
Saturday, December 4
1719 Sargent Place

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“Blood is the New Black” pop up shop

We went to check out the new pop-up shop in Echo Park after reading about it on The Eastsider LA. Blood is the New Black Market is primarily an online store that opened its 175 square foot shop temporarily for the holiday shopping season. Located across the street from the Echo on Sunset Blvd, the store is open until 11:00 pm for those late-night crowds headed to or leaving shows.

The market opened just before Thanksgiving on November 23, and will remain open through December 30. There are some super cute items in the store: printed tees by Blood is the New Black, toiletries, jewelry, clothing, and other small gift items. “After the success we had with our Summer Fling Truck, the mobile pop-up boutique,” says Mitra Khayyam (founder/curator of Blood is the New Black) in a press release, “I figured we should try our luck at a fixed location for the Holidays as another way for our customers to avoid malls and big chain stores.”

The store tries to keep prices affordable, and according to the press release there is no item of %50 (which is a bit confusing as there were some Izzy Wolf kids gear for $100). But for the most part, the small store is worth checking out!

Blood is the New Black is located at 1825 Sunset Blvd. Hours are Thursdays through Sundays from 3:00-11:00 pm.

Keep an eye out for their December 7 holiday cocktail party.

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New vintage store takes over the Millenium thrift store



Tucked in an old brick building across the street from the AM/PM is newly established vintage store “TИSEN”, a Danish word that essentially translates into “rocker.” The blue neon sign that decorates the front of the store is eye-catching and one I like (it surprisingly doesn’t clash with neighboring old-school signs for Lolita Hair Salon and Han’s Repair next door).

$20,000 19th century Chinese bed

For 15 years, 2118 Berkeley Avenue was occupied by Millenium Thrift Shop, a treasure trove of antique items you had to dig through, or bring in a lamp for an inexpensive repair. We found new owner Jason in the shop gearing up for the store’s opening. Immediately upon entering the store are cute women’s clothes, shoes and, my favorite, sparkly things (jewelry!). There are furniture items, children’s clothes, and some great-looking antique items. In the back of the store, Jason is putting together a vinyl records room to keep the boys occupied while their girlfriends rummage for clothes.

Prices range from the $1.00 record bin to $15 clothes to a $20,000 hand-carved rosewood Chinese bed – probably the coolest thing in the store because it is so out of my reach. Jason’s wife Cindy is the one behind all the clothing finds, and I have to say her selections are great for the neighborhood.

Jason and Cindy are Echo Park residents, and actually own Silver Lake restaurant Local. We look forward to seeing Jason and Cindy around the ‘hood!

TИSEN’s grand opening is the weekend of December 4th – you can also get 25% off if you mention this article!

TИSEN is located at 2118 Berkeley Avenue.

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Shop Local at Echo Park shops this Holiday Weekend

Flickr photo via Odessea

Happy Thanksgiving! Check out these Echo Park sales/events in honor of the holiday shopping season.

Tavin Boutique: 1543 Echo Park
10% off everything, November 25-27 (Friday-Saturday). Click here for the flyer.

Echo Park Time Travel Mart: 1714 West Sunset Boulevard
On Black Friday, get a free copy of Dave Eggers’ The Wild Things with any purchase of $25 or more (the deal also applies if you spend $25 or more at 826la.org on Cyber Monday).

Feeding Birds: 1825 Echo Park Ave.
Sales, snacks and more. November 27-28 from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. Click here for the flyer.

Echo Park Independent Coop: 1712 W Sunset Blvd,
Holiday Sample Sale: Men’s and women’s clothing and accessories. All EPIC Sale merchandise an additional 30% off. Saturday, November 27 from 12:00 noon – 6:00 pm. Click here for the flyer.

Raven & Lilly/Ballards Artwork Framing: 1568 West Sunset Blvd.
10% discount on all merchandise and framing. Thursday, December 2 from 11:00 am – 11:00 pm. Click here for the flyer.

Gentlemen’s Breakfast: 1101 Mohawk St.
Black Friday Sale: It’ll be 15% off all inventory, including vintage eyeglasses, sunglasses, cuff links, watches, neckties and ascots.

Мишка Echo Park: 1547 Echo Park Ave.
The first 50 customers at Мишка Echo Park will receive a free exclusive Black Friday T-shirt. Friday November 26th, 12:00 midnight – 7:00 pm.

Please let us know in the comments field below if we are missing anything!

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LA Weekly missing out on Echo Park restaurants


A couple of weeks ago, LA Weekly published Jonathan Gold’s annual “99 Essential L.A. Restaurants” – a list of our city’s must-visit restaurants, taco trucks, and even sidewalk eateries. But we noticed a chunk of those little Google map “dots” missing from the map – Echo Park!

An “essential restaurant,” the author writes, “is one that reflects Los Angeles in a startling and unusual way, that uses fresh local ingredients in a fashion that respects the land in which they were grown, that showcases cooking echoing both foreign-trained chefs’ region of origin and the hypercharged mosaic of the L.A. dining scene.” I’m not sure we have many famous chefs to brag about, but we get it. Even if Echo Park remains that little neighborhood where the Short Stop is, we still have some culinary delights I don’t think should be left out.

Masa: Chicago deep dip pizza with a vegan option, paired with one or two (definitely two) of Masa’s own Honey Blonde Ale. I am personally obsessed with the Chicken Caesar Salad and love the service there. They also use fresh, local ingredients.

Allston Yacht Club: Fried feta and fried calamari, along with a spicy jalapeno-infused margarita. Great atmosphere, great happy hour, great service!

The Park Restaurant: Love the brunch, but the dinner specials come into my email inbox and it’s all over. They have really stepped up their game in the kitchen since opening a couple of years ago. Last weekend’s special included a toasted Bartlett pear, candied walnuts, gorgonzola custard, frisee and spinach salad, along with a pan-roasted seabass entree (with lemon and dill-cured seabass relish). Yum!

Elf Cafe: It’s a simple as this: The best vegetarian fare around!

But I guess it’s okay Jonathan – we are Twitter buddies and you included plenty of Eastside delights for us to throw you a bone – like Bigmista’s Barbecue at the Atwater Village Farmers’ Market location, which is also a favorite for Echo Parkians during our Friday Farmers’ Market. And we dig the shout-out to Highland Park’s Good Girl Dinette. But since the publication gave us so many wonderful titles for the publication’s “Best of LA 2010” list, we thought we’d at least get one restaurant in there!

Click here for the Google map of Jonathan’s 99 essential restaurants, and click here for the full LA Weekly article.

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Gigi’s Cafe: The best bang for your bakery buck

I recently finally made my way to the border of Echo Park/Historic Filipinotown to check out Gigi’s Cafe and Bakery, a Cuban bakery down on Temple Street just west of Alvarado. I can sum this place up in just two words: delicious and cheap.

I recommend pretty much everything here; they have pastries, sandwiches, baguettes, pupusas, tamales, coffee and breakfast. You’ll usually find a group of older Cuban men socializing outside on the sidewalk or inside at a big table. Everyone is friendly and the crowd diverse – suffice to say there’s something for everyone (even us vegetarians)!

I would suggest trying, first off, the plantains with beans and crema – it’s a lot of food for one person but feel free to share with friends. Pastelitos de guayaba y queso for a mere 75 cents are melt-in-your-mouth flaky goodness, and by far my favorite. I’ve heard they have great Cuban sandwiches as well!

They are quick in the kitchen if you order breakfast, but expect to wait a little while in line while they take orders (totally worth the wait). We’ve heard that from 8-9:00 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, tacos, baked goods, and coffee is half off.

Gigi’s Bakery and Cafe is located at 2200 W Temple St.

Next stop: La Caridad Restaurant just across the street!

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Order your Delilah Bakery pies soon!

It might not be too late – Delilah Bakery is taking orders for Thanksgiving pies, which is coming up soon on Thursday, November 25. Order delicious fillings like Pumpkin Bourbon Pie, Cherry Cobbler (a classic), or a Apple Brown Betty. You can also grab a tub of whipped cream for $5!

These gals know what they are doing – they took home third place last September at KCRW’s 2nd Annual Good Food Pie Contest in Beverly Hills for their Peanut Butter Pie with Chocolate Cookie Crust.

Click here to download the Thanksgiving menu.

Click here to download the Order Form.

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Video: Pop-Up Pie Shop at the Machine Project

Miss out on the Machine Project’s Pop-Up Pie Shop last Thursday? Here’s a video of stills and audio published on the KPCC website. Click here for the full story and watch the video below!’

Pop-Up Pie Shop in Echo Park from 89.3 KPCC on Vimeo.

Echo Park-ian Sarah Williams is behind the Fruit and Flour take-n-bake/DIY pie kit biz – be sure to check out her website as well!

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Machine Project’s Pop-Up Pie Shop

On the evening of Thursday, November 18, head over to the Machine Project for Untitled (Pie) 2010: A Pop-Up Pie shop benefitting the Los Angeles Food Bank. They will transform the center into a pie shop where, for $20, you get to purchase a pie kit from Fruit and Flour to assemble and bake at home. Also at the shop that night you’ll get to taste (for free) some of the pie flavors along with refreshments amidst the pop-up shop decor (designed by Hammer designer Julia Luke).

Echo Park-ian Sarah Williams is behind the Fruit and Flour take-n-bake/DIY pie kit biz. The kits include a jar of homemade filling (maple pumpkin, classic apple, or lovely lemon) and the pie crust. Apparently she just launched Fruit and Flower, selling pies at $30 including delivery in Los Angeles – and there are a few more flavors to choose from. Become a fan on her newly established Facebook page!

No need to RSVP. For more info email fruitandflour@gmail.com.

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