B.D.L.A.

THE HOLLYWOOD SCENE WITHOUT THE VELVET ROPE: THE BELMONT HAPPY HOUR

Neighborhood: West Hollywood

If you’ve been to The Belmont Café on a weekend night, you’ve seen what it is capable of becoming: a long line wrapped around the sidewalk, beautiful Hollywood girls dressed to the nines, and the men that will follow them anywhere. The music gets loud, the crowd gets drunk, and the bouncer gets slightly strict – I was denied entry once for donning flip-flops.

That’s fine – I prefer The Belmont during its more casual time – the daily happy hour from 4pm to 7pm. Here, the doorman is absent, the perky hostess is happy to seat you, and flip-flops are the attire du jour. The entire drink menu is served at half price. The real deal though is the appetizers, normally priced between $11 - $15.00, also given the half off treatment. This is no stale chips and canned salsa joint. The chef is working hard on these apps – sushi-grade ahi tuna chopped and mixed with diced avocado, served with delicately crunchy wonton chips. Beef filet skewers cooked to tender perfection, just right for dipping in the accompanying peanut sauce. Hungry for something heartier then hors d’oeuvres? Order up the beer battered fish and chips – it’s truly a complete dinner. Nothing here has ever disappointed – and a constant crowd pleaser is the mac n’ cheese – that’s blue cheese they are using, as well as scrumptious smoked applewood bacon. It’s heavenly… and even for a starter, heavy. Split this one with a friend.

This happy hour is so good, I fear the secret is getting out.  Lately, I’ve found the hostess asking if I had reservations for the porch. The deck is fun – breezy, shaded, and an ideal people watching position over La Cienega’s smoking hot restaurant row (Spanish Kitchen, Area, Republic) The drawback for some? Smoking is permitted, and a good portion of the crowd is lighting up. If smelling second hand isn’t your thing, make sure to grab a table inside.

The service is adequate if somewhat short - I’ve found the young, attractive waiters usually have a look on their face like they’d rather be drinking with you then serving you. The crowd is undeniably trendy – I’ve mistaken 3 women for Jessica Simpson, if that paints a picture for you.

Still – it all comes back to the food and drink. My friends and I shared a variety of appetizers and drank our fill of frosty draft beer while the sun set on our weekend. At about 7.00 for each dish, and 3.00 per drink – we left full and buzzed and, with paying so little, quite happy. Isn’t that what it’s all about?

Cost: 2 beers, 2 appetizers =  About $21.00 before tip

Link: http://thebelmontcafe.com

Note: The only appetizer not discounted at happy hour are the crab legs.
More deals outside of happy hour – arrive before 10am, and breakfast is $6.00 or less. The make your own Bloody Mary bar on weekends is a fun compliment to your omelet.

WATCH THE SUNSET ON SUNSET – THE RED ROCK HAPPY HOUR

Neighborhood: West Hollywood

I have friends who have said that Red Rock Bar on Sunset Boulevard isn’t for them – crowded, loud, floors sticky with booze. Every single one of them confesses to being converted once they’ve dropped by for Red Rock’s daily happy hour (5pm - 7pm).

When I moved to LA, happy hours at good LA bars were few and far between. They’ve only started to take off in the past five years or so. Like a stable friend in a fast moving town, Red Rock’s good drinking deal has always been there for me from the beginning, offering staggeringly low prices for great tap beer and well-mixed cocktails.

An anomaly of sorts on the famed Sunset Blvd., Red Rock feels like a true neighborhood watering hole surrounded by rock clubs that charge exorbitant admission fees or clubby tourist traps. Never a cover here, never an attitude – and even though ALL drinks are ½ price – never too crowded at happy hour. Even parking here comes easy – valet in the back for about 5.00 instead of paying upwards of 20.00 in any of the other Sunset ripoffs, er, lots.

Grab some friends, and head directly to the west of the bar upon entering – that’s where the best seats in the house are. Get a menu because the food here is better then your average bar grub, with the crisp calamari being a consistent standout. Sit back and enjoy a $3.00 Heifeweizen in front of the huge open windows, which allow the warm breeze to flow in. Watch the Sunset traffic drift by, the people float in and out of neighboring institution Book Soup, and toast the sun as it sets behind the Hollywood hills. Can you think of a more classic way to spend a LA afternoon?

COST: All drinks 1/2 off between 5pm-7pm everyday. (About $3.00-4.00 a drink). Metered street parking should be available at this time, or, park at the bar for $4.50 valet (parking lot in back)

LINK: www.redrocksunset.com

KICK IT IN A SAKI & SUSHI LOUNGE -- THE FAT FISH 'FATTY HOUR'

Neighborhood: West Hollywood

At the intersection of Robertson and Melrose, just north of the paparazzi-infested stretch that’s home to The Ivy, Kitson, and south of the booming boys town-mecca The Abbey… is a modern, hip sushi spot called Fat Fish. The open-air patio in front is perfect for indulging in a sushi feast while people watching. However, tucked into the back, through a discreet rear entrance, is the spot that I keep returning to: The Fat Fish Lounge.
    Small, intimate, with mellow house music and an HD TV screen usually showing an endless loop of translucent jellyfish swimming in slow motion –all done just in such a way you’re almost forced to chill out. Here, everyday, from 5 – 7pm is “Fatty Hour”, where delicious fruit saki-tinis, blackberry margaritas, and hot sake are served up with precision. The sushi’s great too – spicy tuna, shrimp tempura, and perfectly salted edamame were all standouts. The best part? The happy hour prices. The top of the line cocktails are all between $5.00-$8.00, beer and sake are even less… oh, and the sushi rolls? All around $5.00.
    The six bar seats usually hold someone enjoying an early dinner. The few tables for two are romantic enough for an early date. The corner sofa area have allowed my friends and I to kick off our night, or end our weekend in absolute comfort as we passed around sushi platters without worrying when to stop ordering (We ate for 2 hours). How often does good sushi lead to a final bill that makes you say “That’s all I have to pay?”

COST: About $25.00 for 2 cocktails, 2 sushi rolls...

LINK: http://www.fatfishla.com/fatfish.html

NOTE: The happy hour menu can be found under ‘Happenings’ in the restaurant section. However, the happy hour is ONLY offered in the lounge, not the entire restaurant as the website claims. The happy hour cocktail & food menu is actually much more extensive then listed here.