Tag Archive for: eat and shop

,

Mohawk Bend now serving up weekend lunch and beer flights

Weekend lunch hours in Echo Park are a great time to explore the neighborhood – it’s usually too early to witness the walk of shame by those non-Echo Parkian visitors from other corners of LA, so it’s usually nice and quiet. And, gosh darnett, The Park closes at 2:00pm! But for a couple of weeks now, Mohawk Bend has adopted new hours, helping absorb any weekend lunch crowds and making it easier to grab a little early afternoon brewsky (or a Bloody Mary! AYC used to be the only place with these spicy morning treats).

In addition to the new weekend hours, the doors now open at noon, they now offer pre-set tasting flights every evening from 5:00 – 7:00 pm. For $9 you get four 4 oz. California craft beers to try. The menu during lunch will stay the same, so I suggest trying out a Dork Burger, Fish ‘n Chips, and the calamari. Now I’m hungry!

New hours are:

Monday through Thursday, 5:00 pm – 11:30 pm
Friday,  5:00 pm – 1:30 am
Saturday, 12:00 noon – 1:30 am
Sunday, 12 noon – 11:30 pm

/190 Comments/by
,

Villainy fills in the former Echo Curio space nicely

Villainy General Store opened its doors just last month, on September 15, 2011, taking over the former Echo Curio space after a couple of different places tried and failed to renovate and rent the space (a coffee shop/bakery type place, the a tattoo shop). After repainting the walls, rehabbing the original floor, replacing the stained glass window at the front (someone had broken it), and thankfully improving the bathroom, Villainy was open!

You can find owner Erich Schlieske by the cash register. He and wife Ellen McAlister started eEvil Ink Design in 2003, producing everything from greeting cards to silk-screened t-shirts, bags, journals, and more. Better yet? They live in Echo Park!

If you haven’t been to the new store yet, you should check it out – and, no, you don’t have to be a hipster to dig it. Some of the items I was eying and will definitely go back for include some of the Giurto’s Vita-Grain, which is a high-quality brand that makes flour, salt, and even organic cereal and polenta. The pancake mix they make is on my next shopping list, so that I can force the hubby make me breakfast one of these days soon.

Also of note (should any of my family be reading this article, hint hint): Peppercorn Bacon bitters for those houty touty cocktail nights, a 5 quart Dutch oven ($60 is a great price on that), lucky horseshoes for a mere $5, cast iron cookware and these really cool wood letter cutouts that I’m pretty sure would at least spell B-E-E-R in some combination (they run from $3-10). And of course, there are plenty of eEvil Ink items to pick up.

For some of these items the price might appear a little steep – but a trip to other specialty item stores like Whole Foods and TJs and there isn’t much of a difference. For instance if you’re into organic floor cleaner made from natural ingredients, you’re not exactly paying supermarket prices. If anything, Villainy is really a great local place to drop in and pick up a unique gift for someone, especially those people who are hard to shop for or already have everything.

And today’s (Saturday, October 15) a great day to swing in – they are hosting a grand opening party, celebrating with refreshments and music from 7:00 – 10:00 pm.

Villainy is located at 1519 W. Sunset Blvd.

Check out our photo gallery below:

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

/1,354 Comments/by

For fabulous weather weekends, enjoy the outdoors with a drink

Flickr photo by RexSteed

With our first truly warm weekend on the books here in a couple of days, we think it best to enjoy the outdoors of Echo Park with a mimosa in hand. While the places to enjoy outdoor alcohol are fairly limited in Echo Park, here are a few suggestions to maximize your time off from the work week:

The Park Restaurant

Our number one spot this weekend because they just recently expanded their beer and wine license to the cute little patio that greets you upon entering the restaurant. This is a huge bonus for the restaurant, which is probably at least a couple of years old by now and had limited alcohol service to just the inside (we even remember a short stint of BYOB when they first opened!). Mimosas will run you $6 with other very reasonably priced beers and wines on the list.

Bonus: They should be posting their summer menu (all menus change seasonally) on their website any day now!

Lot 1 Cafe

Along with its newly established reputation as an entertainment venue throughout the week and on weekends, Lot 1 Cafe on the corner of Sunset and Laveta Terrace received its beer and wine license in 2010. That license was also intended for a small patio area that wraps around the exterior of the corner building, so that we can all enjoy a glass of something tasty while watching the world go by.

Bonus: They seem to be the best deal in town for mimosas at $4 a glass!

Barragan’s

This is a spot for the nightlife. Though they open earlier in the day, the outdoor patio in the back doesn’t open until 7 or 8:00 pm. Still, we remember a night last year when it was 90 degrees outside, and it was nice to have a margarita later at night in the back patio.

Bonus: If you’re on a budget and don’t mind the lower-quality tequila, Wednesday nights are $2.50 margarita nights.

Rodeo Grill

Believe it or not, this is a pretty sweet spot to enjoy the summer air in a covered patio area. I’m pretty certain you can enjoy an adult beverage on their patio – especially since they just recently received their liquor license fairly recently (can you say margaritas?).

Bonus: Do your laundry across the street and grab a beer – you can probably see your delicates washing from the patio.

Honorable Mentions:

It wouldn’t be right if I didn’t give a little shout-out to the other patio spots in Echo Park. Just because they don’t serve up alcohol doesn’t mean you can’t chill out:

Masa of Echo Park has a few tables wrapping around the building. They serve beer and wine only inside, but you can get still order from the full menu and bring your pup.

Xoia Vietnamese Eats has a nice covered patio as well, with modern art and woolly pockets it’s a pretty hip place to dine. They don’t serve alcohol at all yet (the restaurant just opened last year), but perhaps this year they’ll be getting that squared away.

Stories Books and Cafe has a nice patio in the back where they’ve hosted many gatherings. While you’re main view is of one of those not-so-pretty parking lots, there are murals and plants and all-around good company. Who knows… they might also benefit from a beer and wine license to serve up along with their super delicious vegan doughnuts.

Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments below.

/16 Comments/by

“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.

/687 Comments/by