Barnsdall Art Park at Sunset. Photo by iamliam

Looking for something to do tonight — but don’t want to get in your car because all the other drivers have gone rain-crazy? Well, you’re in luck. Barnsdall Art Park Foundation is hosting a talkback with artist Manfred Müller whose exhibition “Objects Are Closer Than They Appear” is currently on display at the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery. Still not quite up for it because it will force you to commune with the increasingly rare phenomena known as Los Angeles precipitation? Did I mention there will be Scotch — and that if you grab a ticket, you’ll get to taste it?

When:
Friday February 28, 2014
5:30 — 7:00pm Scotch Tasting (hosted by Silver Lake Wine and Say Cheese)
7:00 — 8:00pm Coversation with the Artist: Manfred Müller

Where:
Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery
at the Barnsdall Art Park
4800 Hollywood Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90027

Tickets/Cost:
Tickets are $40/person, most of which can go towards getting you a membership in the Barnsdall Art Park Foundation which has arranged discounts for members a number of local businesses.

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From a Smut & Bass press release (emphasis mine)

Smut + Bass will release their annual compilation. This Small Sound Would Kill Her will be available in cassette form (for free, limited to 100 copies) and will feature original music by Dave Betamax, Jincallo, Somersett, Shakes, Lower Levels, Windslo, Kone, Walter Gross, Fat Albert Einstein, Somejerk, and Scum. A sort-of-kind-of beat tape with endless styles, courtesy of our label and homies.

The release party will be an in-store showcase, this Thursday (December 20^th) at High Fidelity in Los Feliz, 8:00–11:30PM. Free drinks! Free tapes! Free stickers! Free entry! Throwed sounds c/o Jawn Titor followed by live sets by Walter Gross, Windslo, Jincallo, Kone, Dave Betamax, and Fat Albert Einstein.

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“I just wanted to let you know about a community event and pop up beer garden we’re hosting this weekend at the Riverside Service Station in Los Feliz. There will be real snow on the property, christmas trees for sale, food trucks, music, pop up shops and boutiques, beer wine and cider, as well as games, raffles, and giveaways. More info can be found here on the Riverside station website.”

Sounds like a good time to me!

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Neighborhood Council Elections
Greater Griffith Park District

October, 6, 2012
10AM-4PM

Elysian Masonic Temple
1900 N Vermont Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90027

For information on the candidates, please see: EmpowerLA.org’s certified candidate statements.

Fletch Trailer

Tickets can be purchased and more information can be found at the barnsdall website.

Here is the rest of this season’s calendar:

• Sept 15th – Fletch
• Sept 22th – Edward Scissorhands
• Sept 29th — Swingers
• October 6 – Gattaca
• Oct 13 – Sunset Boulevard
• Oct 20 – Laurel Canyon
• Oct 27 – House on Haunted Hill

Spitz — Home of the Döner Kebab
by Ewan Chung 

When you hear the word kebab, what do you think of?  If you’re an American, chances are you’ll picture skewers of meat.  The new Los Feliz location of the L.A. döner kebab joint Spitz is out to prove otherwise.

A cursory examination of the word kebab (thank you, Wikipedia) reveals that it is a broad term for grilled meat.  The Turkish word döner refers to the method of cooking – “turning,” as in a rotisserie.  For some reason, the Greek version (gyros) became more popular in America, and kebab ended up becoming mainly associated with shish kebab.  Spitz capably shows you what much of Europe has been consuming as street food with the quality and comfort of a sit-down establishment.

Co-owner Robert Wicklund (along with business partner Bryce Rademan) first discovered the kebab while he was in Spain. There was no late-night equivalent of this classic post-drinking European food staple here, and thus Spitz was born.  The first shop opened in Eagle Rock and conveniently services his alma mater, Occidental College.  Next came the Little Tokyo location with an edgier, urban feel.  And now our neighborhood!

This Spitz inhabits the space at the corner of Hillhurst and Kingswell, formerly occupied by Amwaj, a Mediterranean restaurant that didn’t quite have the right character for a neighborhood mainstay.  Spitz easily remedies this with a relaxed, airy atmosphere.  The artsy graffiti outside belies the interior, which has a touch of what I would call “bunker biergarten chic” but with a warmer, rustic charm and a side of Edison bulbs.

Spitz’s take on the döner kebab is Californian, in the best sense of the word.  They use quality ingredients, including fresh breads and local vegetables.  Their self-prescribed “California twist” guarantees a clean, non-greasy experience.  It’s the perfect (what Wicklund calls) “fast casual” food.  Where many restaurants attempt to cover too many territories, this menu is simple.  It’s better that way.  This allows for various minor permutations to cover most preferences, all the while staying focused on the specialties.  Their star item is the Street Cart Döner.   For a perfect mix of flavors, try the chicken in a lavash wrap.  It comes fully packed with lettuce, tomato, red onions, bell peppers, cucumber, and a rich garlic aioli.  If you want to be more European, get the heartier, traditional beef/lamb mix sandwiched by foccacia bread.  For a spicier kick, order the Döner Lite or the Spicy Döner—the tzatziki and chili sauce are surprisingly perky.  Yes, Los Felizians, vegetarian/vegan and falafel editions are also available.  Non-meat versions of their kebab can include hummus, feta, olives, or even fries inside.

Speaking of fries, another signature item is their Street Cart Fries.  It’s a wonderful mess that’s like a cross between a poutine and nachos.  The fries are crispy; and the layers of aioli, feta, mixed vegetables, olives, pepperoncini, and chili sauce can make it a meal in itself.  If you want to take the Californian twist further, go for the Döquitos, the “fried kebab” in a lavash roll.

You say you want a deal?  Spitz offers their “Not Unhappy Hour” from 3 pm to 6 pm on weekdays, with specials on certain beers, chiladas (a kind of beer margarita, if you will), and sangria.  The Fried Pita Strips with Hummus or the Crispy Garbanzo with Fried Olives might go well with your drinks.  Like its Little Tokyo counterpart, the Los Feliz location offers a wide selection of 12 California craft beers on tap and homemade sangrias (red/rosé/white/sake).

Spitz by day is certainly more casual and light.  Spitz by night has the potential to be a decent watering hole or gathering place.  There’s talk of getting a full liquor license and hiring DJs.  For you sporting types, there’s a shuffleboard table.  Just don’t put your drinks on it, please.

While the kebab experience here won’t be the same as when you’re stumbling out of a bar or club in Europe between 2 and 4 am with a raging hunger, you’ll actually be able to taste how good it can be without prior inebriation.

Thank you, Spitz, for educating Los Angeles on what a true kebab is.  Plus, it’s much easier to pronounce than gyros.  Welcome to the neighborhood, guys!

Spitz is located at 1725 Hillhurst Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90027.  Call-in orders: 323.522.3309.  Open Sun-Thurs 11am-11pm, Fri-Sat 11am-midnight.  www.eatatspitz.com

Standard Menu

Happy Hour Menu

The mechanics of tonight’s rover landing are like something out of a mission impossible film. A descent from space into the atmosphere, a gigantic parachute, followed by a rocket-slowed descent, culminating in the lowering of the SUV-sized nuclear-powered rover onto the martian surface. This sequence is known as the seven minutes of terror:

If you want to watch coverage of the landing live, then I highly encourage you to head to the Griffith Observatory tonight.

From the Griffith Observatory website:

Photo Credit: Los Feliz Figure Drawing Meetup

I just happened onto a pretty fantastic ongoing event for the artistically inclined. From their meetup page (emphasis mine):

“We are hosting lifedrawing and painting workshops Monday and Thursday evenings from 7 to 10 pm. Both evenings are twenty-five minute poses for uninstructed drawing. We are located at 4451 Kingswell Ave, at the Northeast corner of Kingswell and Hillhurst in the heart of Los Feliz Village. There’s a long driveway and we’re all the way at the back, through a little courtyard to a burgundy door. The donation is fifteen dollars per session on a pay as you go basis.”

I went last Thursday and was impressed by the space, general ability of the artists, and the dynamism of the model’s poses. This is an uninstructed workshop, and you’ll need to bring your own materials, but it’s a great opportunity to improve your life-drawing chops.

More information and photos (some are NSFW) can be found on their meetup page.