THE ALEXANDRIA HOTEL
A HISTORY
Built in 1906 off of 5th and Spring as a luxury hotel, the Alexandria became residential affordable housing for the elderly and disabled in the early 90’s. In 2006, Ruben Islas purchased the building and began making some renovations that were ummm, a little sketchy. The Times reports:
“The complaint alleges that Islas’ Amerland Group, which specializes in building affordable and senior housing, and the managing partners they hired have ‘systematically and intentionally worked to remove the long-term tenants of the Alexandria and replace them with non-elderly, non-disabled and non-African American tenants.”
According to that article in 2007, he was unavailable to comment to the LA Times. Three years later, I can’t get him to shut up.
Learn more about the series, DEBUNKING DOWNTOWN
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Swooped from LA Times via PEDEN + MUNK
Raul Yrastorza, the flippant bar manager at Las Perlas – a Disney-meets-dirty Mexico décor’d mezcal bar –is taking this whole cocktail craze with a grain of salt. The oversized hoody wearing, three day scruff sporting dude seems to come at this perniciously trendy cocktail scene with a refreshingly innovative perspective, one that seems to be feigning in the world of the over manufactured bar going experience.
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“Across the street from Disney Hall, shiny as the crooked grin on the mug of a gin-sozzled dame, First & Hope is a maximalist’s cool evening out, a restaurant-slash–supper club with a Blue Velvety jazz lounge at its heart, a bar that splits the difference between Busby Berkeley glitz and downtown disco cool, bathed in a purplish glow that recalls the shimmer of footlights reflected in a tight, sequined dress. Does the Flash-intensive Web site give the costume designer and the bartender as much play as it does the chef? It does. Is the menu of proto-Southern tavern food programmed as carefully as a Golden Globes acceptance speech?”
-Jonathan Gold
Honestly, i’m all for one or two well designed artifices, but amidst the hyphens, dashes and superfluous italicized phrases, this is just a jumble of obscurities. Haha. Let’s try and do 1st&Hope a favor and break this down.
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The Doheny –a romping pompous members only cocktail lounge “hidden” somewhere downtown –opened in early 2008 and came with something like a $6,000 dollar-a-year price tag. After the hype died down and people realized that the clientele consisted of old men and “cool guy” employees from Cedd’s other establishments (7 Grand, Broadway Bar, Golden Gopher), the place began to depreciate in value and the fees followed in suit. 
The latest quote was somewhere around $2,550. Obviously heading the clear direction of… south, the boys over at 213 Downtown –Cedd Moses’s nightlife co. –have scrapped the douche den (commonly referred to amidst the blogosphere) for a “new” rum bar concept, Cana.
The best part about Cana is that it still requires a membership fee of $20 a year. Now, I’m not exactly savvy to marketing and I’m sure this is some kind of gimmick, but humor me for a minute. Continue reading →
Beer Floats, Alcoholic Shakes and liquor infused tea’s oh my!
I’m always in search for a sneaky way to get really drunk. It kind of reminds me of my Uncle Don at holiday family get togethers. You’d never catch that guy with a drink all night long but come time to serve dinner he’d be curled up underneath the Christmas tree filling the watering pot with urine. It’s a gift, and one that I’d like to share with you. Here are a few surefire ways to get you through some dull and uncomfortable times with a little alcholic support. Continue reading →
The volunteer based organization, St. Vincent’s Meals on Wheels –known for cooking, packaging and delivering food to the homeless and disabled –has partnered up with pretty much all of LA’s greatest chefs to create the ultimate food truck, Cart for a Cause. Launching March 23rd and running through the Fall, this food truck will be mobbing our streets every Tuesday manned by a different Chef, each of whom will prepare 3 meals (each under $10) with all proceeds going to St. Vincent’s.
Personally, I think this is the future of all great Chefs. They’re going to realize that they don’t need a whole bunch of hooplah and a giant restaurant to do what they love. These fine-dining fixers are going to take to the streets, to the PEOPLE themselves! It’s going to be like a midlife crises for the culinary gifted. Just watch, Walter Manzke already left Church & State and has been rumored to be getting a truck together.
Chefs Confirmed: Continue reading →
Chef Larkin and his pal/business partner/life partner(?) Joshua McBride from the Soul Cajun spot, Larkin’s Joint in Eagle Rock, have just come up with what might be the most profitable business scheme known to the LA food industry. Ya that’s right, taco trucks got nothin’ on this.
Mac N’ Cheeza –a tiny 400 sq ft space in the ground level of the Chapman building – is about to make them a whole lot of coin for the following reasons… Continue reading →
Having lived in LA for a grand total of 3 ¾ months, I already know much more about it than you (<—my credentials). It’s a dastardly concoction of tragically dramatic hipsters, altruistic artists, pompously arrogant Westsiders (yes all of you) and a barrage of other archetypes that I’m too lazy to identify, each of whom are inevitably fast tracked to do none other than bolster the already lavish scene of pish-posh and dilly dallie that continually pervade the city… and I kind of like it. With cunning people crafting clever ideas, the potential for an innovative dining experience is all too evident in our city, to say the least. As gloss finished-fondant cupcakes and flamboyantly tinted macaroons begin to tatter the shelves of our shops, it’s hard to not want to be apart of the gastronomical phenomena that has hitherto been so muffled. And so it begins. Continue reading →
The Thirsty Crow –the new bourbon bar from the dudes who brought you Bigfoot Lodge and The Little Cave in Highland Park -is the latest in the spirit based bar trend. Set to open April 21 in the former Stinker’s Truck Stop space off Sunset in Silverlake, the menu will be focused on small-batch American Bourbons. Don’t expect any talk of cocktail construction or mixology quotients here, they are planning on keeping things plain and simple with a selection of “Classics” like your Old Fashions, Mint Juleps or Sazeracs amongst a varied menu of hued-over Manhattans (think dark caramel, orange marmalade and mole spice). With a name derived from an old Aesop’s childrens tale about a Crow whose only goal in life is to siphon whisky out of a barrel, this place is clearly off to a good start.
Hero’s Quest: Every Sunday from 9-close they’ll be hosting Bourbon education classes where they’ll most likely teach us why we are bad people for mixing these heedfully crafted spirits with soda. Bummer. Go learn something.
Supper Rating: Hero
If you live in LA and even slightly pay attention to what’s happening with the food and nightlife scene, you’re certainly tired as hell with the whole “Mixology” routine. Now, I’m not going to get into this except to say that I am a fan of a well-made drink, but come on… mixology? Get off your high horse and make me a Manhattan.
That being said, if you venture into any cocktail savvy lounge you’re bound to receive a drink with a curiously shaped formation of ice. For instance, a glacier shaped cluster peeks out above the surface of a 12 year Macallen whisky in your Old Fashioned while a long lopsided sphere-like slab orbits the parameter of your Hi-Ball glass as you sit sipping your Gin and Tonic.
My first experience with these oddities was at The Varnish, downtown. Continue reading →
