A trendy and quirky shopping experience between Fairfax and Highland, Melrose Ave is truly part of the LA experience. Here you'll find shops you won't find anywhere else. Also, part of the fun of Melrose is people-watching, as it draws an eclectic crowd of tourists and locals. Melrose is also home to comedy clubs and popular Los Angeles restaurants.
If you’re into all things rock, and are looking for a drink before you hit the Whiskey or the Roxy, or if you’re looking for some good food, The Rainbow is where you need to be. Of course it doesn’t hurt that it’s a world famous bar where rock stars still hang out, and where the eighties are still alive and kicking. Known as THE hangout spot during the heyday of the Sunset Strip, The Rainbow still attracts the likes of Tom Morello and Lemmy on a regular basis.
One of the reasons that this place stood the test of time and why the stars still come back is the menu. The Rainbow’s menu is a top notch collection Italian and American favorites, perfect for curing hangovers with the band, or out on the town with the misses. My food recommendation would be the homemade Lasagna, but I must say everything I’ve eaten there has been good.
Now it wouldn’t be a rock club without live music. The upstairs portion of the bar offers live acoustic music by some of Hollywood’s finest emerging talent. Though I will say that the upstairs is not as roomy as the lower portion. As you would expect, the entire bar gets incredibly packed on Friday and Saturday nights and getting around is a little hard to do.
There is a bar located on the outside, but during busy hours it’s almost impossible to get to. You’d be much better off just getting a table and ordering all your drinks from there. It’s a much more proficient way to get your drinks while enjoying the amazing menu. Oh, and don’t be afraid to glance at the dessert menu.
The Rainbow is located right in the middle of such famous clubs as The Whiskey A Go-Go, The Roxy, and The Key Club, making it a real Mecca for musicians and music appreciators alike. Overall, The Rainbow is a great place to get a fresh taste of what the Sunset Strip is all about.
If you absolutely must go to the trendy Sunset Strip, then I suggest going to the Trocadero Lounge.
The Scene
The Trocadero, or the "Troc" as some locals like to call it, is a pretty cool spot for a Friday or Saturday night. This dimly lit lounge is cozy and the crowd is pretty tolerable (for the Hollywood type). The drinks are expensive however; not as expensive as other spots on the strip, but still not cheap. I ordered 2 vodka tonics with a beer and the bill was about 20 bucks.
They have outdoor seating in case you're a smoker or enjoy people watching. The food is awesome too. I recommend a burger and fries. On a scale of 1 to 10, ll give the Troc an 8. Good food, the people are ok, but the atmosphere is what keeps me coming back. My favorite is sitting outside and watching all the drunks walk by.
Parking
The parking is terrible. The bar is smack dab in the middle of the strip. Parking is meter only and you'll get towed after midnight on the weekends. Your best bet would probably be valet (which is reasonably priced) or taking a taxi.
One more thing, you gotta ask for Kim. She is the only cool waitress in the place. She's always smiling and will treat you well!
"Man o man" this place rocks! I love the Cheebo on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood. This is the perfect spot for a first date...or any other type of date for that matter. I recently took a girl here for our first meeting. I actually met her on-line. Big mistake! We'll get to that later though.
The atmosphere of Cheebo reminded me of the show "Cheers". A quiet neighborhood bar where everyone meets for happy hour to plan out the rest of the night. Every time someone walked in, the bartender, Pat from Texas, addressed that person by name. It reminded me of my hometown, Philadelphia. As for attire, you can role out of bed in your PJ's or dress like Don Johnson from Miami Vice, both equally accepted.
The place is reasonably priced and you can feel very confident that you won't kill your wallet. Trust me, I’m a busboy, I can barely afford dollar store tuna. The bartender was awesome and hooked me up with 3 free beers and he gave my date a free glass of wine. She eventually dumped me for a muscle bound, 6'4, 230 pound gargantuan body builder with a fake tan.
As for online dating, screw that! It's a waste of time, well mine anyway, but I ended up having the last laugh. I'll tell you about that later. Cheebo on the other hand is awesome - I highly recommend going there. I give this place a perfect 10. As for my date, well we'll just give her a negative 10.
If you’re looking to enjoy great sushi without putting a dent in your pocketbook, you absolutely must give Sushi Dan a shot. Located on the second floor of the Sunset Plaza complex (above the Virgin Mega Store), Sushi Dan serves a plethora of Japanese specialties with an innovative twist. They have all your favorites…sashimi, specialty rolls, baked rolls, and a fantastic assortment of hot teriyaki meats and udons (Japanese noodle soups).
The Sunset Plaza location can get a little dark in the evening; it’s great for intimacy but not too helpful when you’re trying to read through the menu. The restaurant is broken up into three sections – an indoor dining area, sports bar, and a heated outdoor patio. Parking is available at the complex but make sure that you get your ticket validated at the restaurant before leaving (otherwise, the parking fee can be pretty hefty).
Sushi Dan currently has two locations in the Los Angeles area. The location shown above (Sunset Plaza) is in West Hollywood while the other is nestled along Ventura Blvd in Studio City. Both locations sport an upbeat vibe, attentive service, and sushi that is surprisingly affordable.
My last post was a little negative and highlighted a restaurant that I was not too happy with. This time around, I am going to give a positive review of Blowfish, an upbeat Japanese restaurant bordering West Hollywood and Beverly Hills. The location is actually a little off the strip, and if your heading east along Sunset Blvd, this is exactly where the strip begins and Beverly Hills ends (across from the Jaguar/Land Rover dealership).
Like Katana, the ambiance at Blowfish is upbeat and energetic…but it somehow feels a little more authentic. The lights are dim and there is an interesting blend of Reggae music in the background and Japanese Anime films being played on Plasma TV screens. My girlfriend and I have eaten here on several occasions and she swears that they play the same Bob Marley record each time…but I never noticed.
If you’re eating at Blowfish on the weekday, you probably won’t have any trouble getting a table without reservations. On the weekends, it’s a different story. The restaurant is usually packed on the weekends, and frequently hosts events and parties, so I would suggest you make reservations early in the afternoon (or possibly the day before). If you’re really eager to eat there, you can simply walk-in and try your luck at the Sushi Bar which is seated on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The sushi at Blowfish is on the pricey side, ranging from $12-$18 per roll. But unlike Katana which I featured in my last post, the Sushi at Blowfish is always fresh and full of flavor. My favorites at Blowfish are the Spicy Tuna Roll and the Animal Style Roll…but I am really partial to the latter. They serve several specialty drinks made with Sake or Japanese Vodka…my personal favorite being the POM (Pomegranate) & Vodka. If you still have room for dessert, I would suggest going with the Green Tea Cheesecake.
I highly recommend it!
If you’re looking for overpriced Sushi, then Sunset Blvd is the place to go.
At a whopping $12-$15 per roll, the majority of Sushi restaurants located on the strip fall short when it comes to quality. This isn’t to say that the sushi is bad; it just isn’t worth the price. For instance, take Katana – a very ordinary sushi restaurant with extraordinary prices. I heard a lot of good things about Katana before I went, so it’s possible that I could have come in with really high expectations. If you decide to go there on the weekend, make reservations ahead of time as it gets really packed. I went there on a weekday so it wasn’t too packed, but even for a Tuesday, the ambiance was upbeat and very energetic.
Although Katana does serve much more than just sushi, including traditional Japanese skewers (Robata), we we just went with the sushi. We ordered about 6 different rolls (hand-cut) and a couple orders of sashimi between the two of us. I really hate to make the comparison (since it could have been a one time thing), but the Sushi reminded me of the rolls you purchase from the refrigerators at Ralphs. The fish wasn’t fresh, the avocado was brown, the rice was hard packed (not sure if that’s the correct term), and it was just bland.
I also enjoy Spicy Mayo with my Sushi and they couldn’t even get that right. The Spicy Mayo they brought out had the consistency of margarine; I thought the whole point was to dip your sushi into it, not spread it. The service was also nothing special; the waitress would disappear for long periods of time and never came around to check up on us. On a positive note, the 5-minute souffle (it takes 5 minutes, hence the name) we had for dessert was quite good.
Although I may give Katana another shot, I don’t think I will be coming back in the near future.
