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Her name was Lola, she was a....martini bar?

You haven't done LA if you haven't been to Lola's....according to Hollywood natives (I'm pretty sure if you live in Hollywood for more than 6 months, you can qualify as such).

Lola's is a great, swanky, popular little martini bar on Fairfax between Santa Monica and Melrose. Get there before 10 or 11pm to avoid a line.

Swanky? Martini bar? Popular? Now, this entry already doesn't fit the genre of my blog. I like cool, cheap dives and places with friendly atmosphere.

But wait! There is a catch.

Between 5:30 and 7:30 pm Monday-Friday, Lola's has happy hour! Their typically pricey drinks (think $10-$15) are affordable! They have a short happy hour list, which includes martinis and glasses of wine for $5. $5 martinis? Yes. At a swanky Hollywood bar? Yes! Who knew? Now, you do!

Be forewarned, though: These martinis are dangerously delicious. Problem solved: happy hour food menu with select apps at $5.50 (order a couple, because they are teeny).

Lola's does draw a cross section of people, from industry folk, to ladies dressing up for a "girls night." Due to the abundance of tables, and really good food, the bar scene generally doesn't start getting social until later (ie, people eat dinner there a lot).

It is a great place to go with friends; very pricey outside of happy hour, but between 5:30 and 7:30 during the week, have fun!

You are a Lucky Devil if you get to eat here....

Hot damn, that was a corny title! My apologies, but, it will be beneficial for your taste buds to read on...

Lucky Devils is located on the corner of Whitley and Hollywood (just a few blocks east of Hollywood and Highland), and has food that will make you want to sell your soul to the devil! Once again, corny play on words with the title of the restaurant. I will try to cut back.

This little restaurant has it all: bottomless mimosas for brunch ($12), and happy hour, too ($4 beers and cheap apps). The beers are all micro brews and/or imported - think: Chimay, Duvel, Belgium beers, the good, rich brewskis that are full of flavor and potent. All around delicious. Note: this restaurant only serves beer and wine, so don't come in craving jack and coke... The beer and wine here is a really great selection, though.

Unfortunately, the patron is not a lucky devil when it comes to the price of food....or non-happy hour beers. No, it isn't ridiculously expensive, but entrees are more than $10, which isn't all that fabulous, and the good beers run up to $10 a pint.

BUT, all the priciness is worth it, in my opinion. GREAT Turkey burger, great beers, great fire slaw (okay, the only fire slaw I've ever tried, but it is good! and no, I'm not telling you what fire slaw is)

Bottom Line (at the bottom, this time): DELICIOUS food and drinks, not cheap, but definitely worth it.

11

Actually, they spell out the number on the front, so it is eleven (fancy with no caps, too).

West Hollywood night club turned amazing brunch spot between 11 and 3 on Sunday afternoons. (8811 Santa Monica - near Santa Monica and San Vicente)

Don't worry, I wouldn't stop there. At night, it is a $0 cover club, with male go go dancers in booty shorts. On Sundays, there is bottomless champagne for $7 (notice, not bottomless mimosas, bottomless champagne). There are about ten different types of mimosas available, but every time you order a mimosa, it is $2...a $2 per condiment charge if you will. So, one gets all the champagne one could hope for, but if said bruncher wants a mimosa, or a pink sunrise, or something else fruity and delicious, it is $2 per drink.

Standard brunch fare - all delicious. Standard West Hollywood staff - gorgeous gay men. INTERESTING bathroom - unisex with stalls. Little weird, but I will let it slide.

The atmosphere there is very nice, clean, and we got to sit outside, which was really pleasant and fun. Overall, I highly recommend it....maybe sneak in a flask of OJ though....

Beauty Bar

I don't know...

I have had such mixed experiences at this place, it is really hard to blog about.

Beauty Bar is on Cahuenga Blvd right between Hollywood and Sunset. It draws an odd crowd. From hipsters to cross dressers to porn stars to the cliche Hollywood blonds, Beauty Bar hosts a whole slew of types. Surrounded by clubs with covers, this bar is a nice change of pace - no cash required to get through the door.

Once through the door, however, you are confronted with music from the 80s and prior (spun by a DJ late night), and a bar within a beauty salon. They actually do manicures and henna tattoos for $10 on weekends.

Okay. So, there is a DJ. Dancing? Yes? Maybe. Awkward? Definitely. There isn't a dance floor, but there is an area by the DJ that people begin to dance once the place gets more crowded and liquid courage hits the patrons.

There is also the entry area that people stand around and try to mingle, but the music is often a decibel too loud for that.

So, Beauty Bar is a place to stand awkwardly with a pricey beer and attempt to mingle with cross dressing hipster porn stars, or go in an "I just want to dance" mood, with a group of people and have a blast rocking out to favorite oldies. It can be very miss, or very hit.

The lack of a cover is nice, but there are no amazing prices on drinks - $5+ for beers, and hard liquor is just up from there. My recommendation? Pop in with pop-out potential. There are plenty of other bars around, so you will never get stuck there, and it can be really fun.

Hamburger Marys

No Burgers. Just Brunch.

Okay, they do have burgers. They might have the world's best burgers for all I know, but what draws me to the corner of Santa Monica and Sweetzer (a couple blocks East of Fairfax) are the $1 mimosas. Now, THAT is in my price range.

Every Sunday until 3pm, Hamburger Marys dishes up some great eggs, crepes, pancakes, but most importantly, $1 mimosas and $3 bloody marys (coincidence in the name? I think not!). When it comes to bloody marys, however, I usually splurge for the Absolute Peppar. Only a couple dollars more, and the drink is SO much better. As far as mimosas go, since the glass is small, and the service is meh (I'll go there next), I recommend doing the $12 carafe. It should technically be $10, since I don't think twelve mimosas fit in there, but they charge $12 anyway.

On to the service! Located in the heart of West Hollywood, this restaurant/bar is fully staffed with really good looking gay men (they even have Drag Queen bingo on Weds. nights - a MUST). Unfortunately, I have come to the conclusion that these waiters spend more time at the gym than in the books. It is very hit or miss, but most of the time my friends and I get stuck waiting for a while, or our orders are screwed up. NOT a big deal, in my opinion, especially in the company of mimosa carafes.

Also, there is something to be said about the quality of mimosas at Hamburger Marys. DELIGHTFUL. They have a good amount of Champagne, and the OJ isn't pulpy. Genius? I thought so.

uWink

uWink? For this? Hell yes, I wink. Okay - that is DEFINITELY a lie. My winking abilities are slim to none (I blink), but this restaurant kicks some serious arse. Located on the 3rd floor of the Hollywood and Highland center, it is enough out of the way to not get crazy-packed with tourists.

Why does this place rock? Touchscreen games. You know how at some bars, they have touch screen games for a quarter or $.50? Well, this place has them for free....at every table. Wait. It gets better. You even order via the touch screen!

Reminding you of Wall-E too much? No worries; there are interactive games, with more players. A friend of mine commented, "this would be an awful place for a first date."

Wait for it....

First Date touchscreen game. It consists of "mild" and "spicy" questions to ask the other person, ranging from "what kind of books do you like?" to "why did your last relationship end?" (that was under the "spicy" option).

Also, there are group trivia games, and everything.

Food-wise, you can get your meal just the way you like it, without pissing off the waitress. No ketchup? Extra sauce? Just touch the appropriate condiments. Food prices average about $10 a meal, so it isn't a total blow to the wallet, especially with all those games included.

Last, but in NO WAY least: Happy Hour. It is 4-7, Monday - Friday. Half price beers, $4 well drinks and $5 House Margaritas.

Sounds delightful. Know what I mean? Wink. Wink.