Drinking My Days Away

A rarely expanding list of bars, pubs, and watering holes

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Drinking My Days Away turned 2 today!  Thanks, Tumblr, for reminding me that I haven't used this site in almost that long!

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1/5/2012 - Beachwood Brewing, Long Beach CA

Beachwood's newish location in Downtown Long Beach was pretty quiet on this particular Thursday afternoon.  After attending a waste of time sleeper of a company meeting in Orange County I definitely needed a pick me up before clocking into the day job.  A midday trip to a microbrewer was definitely the ticket.  Since it was my first visit to Beachwood I had to start with a sampler.  I was most impressed with their extra hopped pale ale; had the nose of a good West Coast IPA with plenty of piney, citrusy hop qualities, but lower in alcohol and of a lighter body than typical IPA fare.  Since I was day drinking I reckoned I needed something in my guts.  Tried a fried green tomato salad; I liked the taste of the breaded tomato but I don't think the $9 price tag was worth it as I quickly polished that bowl without delay.  Enjoyed tasting their house BBQ sauces and homemade pickles.  The latter was nicely spiced if a touch oily.  Beachwood advertises a late night happy hour Thursday-Sunday where they provide one dollar off house brews and some discounted apps.  Standard prices are $6-8 for beers, while house brews are $5-6; in line with most "craft" places, but not my favorite mark up.  I know some of these brews are legitimately expensive to make, but I also know the prices the wholesalers charge on a variety of beers.

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1/10/2012 - BOS, Koreatown

2/18/2016 - **Note - this place closed a couple of years ago!!**

I read that BOS stands for Beer or Soju, but why feel torn between the two?  We  decided to go with both, naturally. 

No hard liquor like many K-town suljips, but they have a solid happy hour if you want to drink some decent draft beer; 50% off all drafts from 6-8p every day of the week allegedly.  It was certainly flowing on this particular Tuesday.  The joint was not very busy, and service was initially very swift.  We had the waitstaff as well as the bartender bringing us glassware, free snacks (tasty tofu soup and some chips/salsa kind of thing), and our beverages, of course.  Where else can you get a pitcher of Green Flash IPA and get a bowl of semi-spicy Korean soup for $10?.  Menu included a range of beers from the states (Allagash White), Korea (Hite – no surprises), and Germany (Kostritzer) plus bar grub like fusion tacos, fried shit, Korean pancakes, and spicy seafood.  We were on a drinking mission so we stuck with the complimentary snacks.  Portions looked typically abundant which should offset the $10-18 pricetag.  Normal beer prices were high (15-20), so come here for happy hour with friends.  I know I’m going back.

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12/6/2011 - Mom's Bar, West LA

Here’s a bar that I can respect.  Happy hour 7 days per week with an easy to remember $1 off everything from 4-8p.  Normal prices aren’t bad ($3 PBR pints, $4 wells, $6 Arrogant Bastard 22s), and Thursdays offers $2 PBR and cheap Margaritas.  They have a real jukebox, a pool table, and a back room that has the occasional comedy night among other events.  The bartender will give you a bowl of chips if they have any left, and while pretty greasy, they do soak up some of the sauce.  The location isn’t convenient to a Northeastsider like me, else I’d be back with some regularity.

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1/1/2012 La Cita, Downtohttp://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lywaf3MXs11r2ixkg.jpgwn LA

Mexican themed joint next to the central market on Hill St.  I have visited La Cita a few times in the past, but we decided to make a special New Year’s Day stop for the Sunday Bloody Sunday build your own Bloody Mary bar.  There was a Latin band playing in the front part of the bar, and a rock n roll type crowd on the patio.

Stiff pour of vodka and a few selections like pickled onions, green beans and olives, plus a few different Mary mixes were available at the hour of our visit.  Apparently they have quite a range of fixins including shrimp and vegetables if you get there early enough.  $3 Tecate was nice, if a bit flat, but standard domestics were $5. 

  Watched some drunk guy in a Bad Brains shirt drink a foul looking mixture called Tiger’s Blood (Fernet, Mezcal, Clamato, Tabasco) that the barman reluctantly made. Make sure you don’t run out of smokes at this place, though; they charge $10 for a pack of Marlboros, which I helped myself to after being offered some by a chatty pair of gay guys on a bar hopping mission.

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12/27/2011 - Congregation Ale House, Pasadena CA

Decided to hit this spot before settling in at my home bar for some serious birthday drinking.  It's the newest of the three Congregation Ale Houses (though I haven’t visited the Long Beach and Azusa branches).  Convivial pub atmosphere with two boards of craft beers from around the world, plus a full bar and kitchen.  Expect a decent amount of west coast offerings including locals Golden Road and Eagle Rock, plus Belgians and German selections. 

They do a daily happy hour from 4-7, then a late night version at midnight Sunday-Thursday.  $1 off all beers, $3 beer of the day, $1-2 off menu items.  These guys also have a $4 pretzel that is a worthwhile purchase on happy hour at $2.  Monday is all day happy hour, and they advertise a 15% discount to service industry slobs like me on Tuesday.  Beer prices are fairly typical for a 'craft beer' kinda space - $5-8.  Thank the maker for happy hour, no?  Space at the bar is limited, and seating is communal so you’ll probably be sharing a table.  Real jukebox in the corner had some gems including Cash and the Ramones, I think.

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12/23/2011 - the Misfit, Santa Monica CA

The Misfit occupies an interesting spot near the touristy 3rd St. Promenade.  The place is divided into a narrow, long bar area and a dining room of sorts on the first floor.  The extra high ceilings provide room for a second floor loft-like area and kitchen.  The bar stocks a fairly extensive tap selection, but beers are in the $6-8 range mostly; $7 is really too much for a Mirror Pond pale ale. They seem to care about their spirits, and make a variety of specialty drinks with carefully selected ingredients.  I tried a mescal concoction called the Yellow Jacket that highlighted the smokiness of the mescal while allowing the tang of citrus to brighten the beverage.  Also tried an Angel’s Envy bourbon on the suggestion of the barman; not a bad spirit - good bourbon sweetness with little burn. 

Guess what?  Like all the other so-called gastropubs the Misfit does small plates.  Food wasn’t bad, but not cheap either.  $4 pretzel tasted hot and fresh, and the tuna burger was properly seared with a small array of vegetable “chips”.  Worth $16 for the pair?  Not so much.  Doubt I’ll be back unless they had a killer happy hour.

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12/16/2011 - The Luggage Room, Pasadena CA

Part of the LGO operation next to the Del Mar station in Pasadena, the Luggage Room supposedly occupies an actual luggage room from the days when people actually traveled by rail.   Cozy space with a U shaped bar between the pizza ovens and the dining tables.  The menu is limited to salads, some apps, and gourmet pizzas with esoteric toppings like broccolini, white anchovies, poached egg, and the like.  Decent, but I found the lemony pesto overpowering and muy grasoso.  Drinks were $6-$7 for beers, $8-10 for cocktails; not what I normally go for, but that’s why I went for their Monday-Friday late night happy hour.  $4 wells with respectable spirits (Eagle Rare bourbon, Tito's vodka in the well!?!) and half off draft beer.  They only have three taps, but I’ll take a $3 pint of beer most every day.  The bartender was nice enough to set me up with a “well” Manhattan on the rocks that qualified for the $4 special.  The Luggage Room also seems to have a pizza special Monday and Tuesday – buy a second pie for $5.  Worth doing if I come back with a few friends or have mad munchies.

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12/13/2011 The Tower, San Diego CA.

After learning of the whereabouts of this bar we both decided that the Tower was the place to stop.  Established in the 1930s with a distinctive tower projecting upwards (currently housing a nifty tattoo shop) the Tower is my kind of bar; $3 drafts and wells during happy hour, a great jukebox (Undertones, two Ramones records, Stiff Little Fingers, the Kids [again!]), and Schlitz paraphernalia scattered across the walls.  They have live music several times each week, and a cool sounding DJ night on Tuesdays advertising darkwave and powerpop.  Sign me up.  The bartender set us up with big bowls of popcorn without even asking.  Why was no one else in this place?!?  I would absolutely return.

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12/13/2011 Alpine Beer Company, Alpine CA.

Small brewpub in sleepy Alpine, California that serves up its own brews plus a few wines and guest taps.  Had a sampler of six for $10 that comes served in a muffin tin.  Beer was over $4 for a pint surprisingly enough, and we had to wait until it was 4 PM sharp before they would discount it a $1 for happy hour despite ordering food and the aforementioned sampler.  Pure Hoppiness and the New Zealand hopped Nelson IPA were the standouts, though the brown hazelnut ale wasn’t bad.  I’d pass on the O’Brien’s IPA (too pedestrian and lacking noticeable bitterness and hops aromas) and the porter (tasted like chilled, day old coffee with a hint of carbonation). 

Their menu is limited for those that don’t prefer porcine products and other meaty comestibles.  We tried the vegetarian tacos – a couple of slices of portabella mushroom with a black bean/corn salsa topped with a runny sour cream/mayo concoction and too much cheap, tasteless cheese.  The greasy tortilla added extra unpleasantness to the plate, which I would never get again.  I did appreciate the collection of hot sauces staged by the kitchen window, however. 

Overall impression?  I wanted to like Alpine Beer Company.  I really did.  They make some tasty beers, but the feel of the place and the service turned me off.  The owner/manager/brewer reluctantly agreed to give us the wifi password, after complaining that he "didn't like people lingering around using free internet".

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12/9/2011 - TeKila, Hollywood CA

This bar occupies a unique courtyard space right on Hollywood Boulevard between Cahuenga and Highland.  They advertise a daily happy hour from 4-8p, and a late night version Sunday-Thursday from 10:30.  $4 drinks and reduced food is offered.  Regular prices are $5 on drafts, $10 and up on premium cocktails.  Food is on the pricey side, too, unless you happen to be in on Tuesdays when $1 tacos are featured.  They do stock a thorough list of tequilas, and also have a few mescals and sotols, but you will pay at least $9 for the basic calls, and as much as $16 or more for a few of the anejos.  Habanero salsa was not hot enough for me, but had enough kick to send fellow Ex-Gent Dave reaching for the starch to neutralize the burn.  What else did not impress?  Having to pay $10 for 1.5 ounces Jimador reposado with grapefruit juice.  There are better spots in Hollywood to be sure.

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12/5/2011 – Black Boar, Los Angeles

This place is deceptive.  We went on a brisk Monday night searching for a drink special at a bar with a fireplace.  We found the latter, but the former was severely lacking.  They used to offer $3 beers at happy hour, and had a decent shot/beer combo.  A sign placed on the sidewalk read “Late Night Happy Hour Sun + Tues,” and I mistakenly took that to mean Sunday – Tuesday.  In addition to paying $6 for a pint, service was ridiculously slow.  Granted, we told the bartender we needed a bit more time to peruse the menu after she told us they no longer offered the $6 PBR plus Tullamore Dew combo, but when we were waiting for close to five minutes while she chatted with her friends and sat on the customer’s side I could not help but feel slighted.  The other bartender just ignored us, making drinks incredibly deliberately despite having thirsty customers hanging.  At least there was the fireplace, right?  It was a gas contraption that spat out almost no heat.  I felt the same warmth putting my hands over the candle.  No intention of returning here.

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12/3/2011 – the Abbey, West Hollywood

Oh, the Abbey.  A venerable destination for the gay and lesbian scene that keeps evolving.  The menu has become much more compact over the last year or so, the back bar moved from the side to the rear wall and there were poles on risers in the dance room.  I’m sure you can imagine the those employed to entertain the thirsty hordes on a Saturday night.  Drink prices are $10-14 for cocktails, but they do pour stiff.  Felt a buzz after two 8 count Manhattans.  Don’t expect old school, pre-prohibition cocktailing here, though; the Abbey specializes (not surprisingly) in fruity concoctions that will get you buzzed.  Barstaff seems to liberally employ the muddle stick to mash up strawberries, mango slices, pineapple, limes and a host of other tempting looking garnishes that adorn each of the bars.  Beer selection stinks – Fat Tire, Miller Lite, Stella, Corona, Newcastle I think – and is $6-7.  Place gets pretty well packed by 11pm on weekends, but weeknights are much more tame. Guess what kind of music the DJs were spinning...

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12/2/2011 – Ma’Kai, Santa Monica.

12/2 – Ma’Kai, Santa Monica.  I visited this location months ago, and back then it seemed like the place was sliding towards the mixology trend that is gaining popularity in this city.  They seem to have fully embraced it now as they utilize fresh juices and syrups, multiple bitters, and their specialties go beyond the cosmo and the appletini.  They mixed me a decent, if not outstanding Rob Roy; don't recall what scotch they used in that bevvy.  Reasonable selection of whiskeys including Jameson 12, Dewar's 12, Bulleit, and a range of Macallans.  Prices are up there - $10 for basic calls and cocktails, $6-7 for beers.  Music skews towards hip hop and a blend of classic and current top 40 dance tunes, which, suffice to say, also leaves something to be desired.  They clear away the barstools around 11p – another unfortunate occurrence.

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11/28/11 – the Parkside, Birmingham AL

This would be my final stop this round in Birmingham. 

The Parkside looked like an old storefront on the outside and a farmhouse on the interior.  Weird signs in German dotted the walls, and the tables looked like something you’d see in a country kitchen.  Small crowd, fairly welcoming to a foreigner like myself kept me there for a couple of drinks.  Had two beers on tap including a so-called double IPA called Snake Handler.  Tasted more like a homebrewing experiment gone wrong; none of the citrusy, piney qualities I look for in American IPA, plus a strong alcohol finish that reminded more of a barleywine.  Bushmill’s set me back $6.50 a pop; felt like I was back in LA.  No Monday specials either.  It was conveniently located well close to my mother’s abode, making for an easy return had I been too swervy.

(Ausgang was nowhere to be found in this bar.  I suppose that explains the sign)

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11/28/11 – Dave’s Pub, Birmingham AL

Healthy tap selection and the promise of $3 drafts lured me to this bar in the Five Points area.  Had the breakfast stout from Founder’s - an unfamiliar brewery I was informed was based in Michigan.  Tons of coffee up front with a pleasing dry finish, but this beer filled me up too much with its richness.  They also serve $3 20 oz. PBRs all the time if you want quantity over quality.  Wells were $5, whiskey $6-$10 depending on quality.  Monday night was pub trivia, so I didn’t stay for long seeing how I had no interest in competing.  Dave’s website lists loads of specials, and I think most every day offers something for the budget conscious drinker like me.

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11/28/11 – Speakeasy, Birmingham AL

This downtown joint looks cool with punk posters (Another State of Mind, Misfits Walk Among Us) and random movie/Hollywood paraphernalia in addition to the booze adverts on the exposed brick walls.  $2 PBR pint for happy hour ain’t bad, and they offer $5 pitchers of the blue ribbon later tonight.  Other taps weren’t very creative with a less than stellar brownish ale called Dos Perros sitting next to Newcastle, Yuengling (spew), Stella and Guinness.  Wells were $3 during HH; looks like they have a $1 well night on Wednesdays.  Small stage sits in the back of this medium sized drinking place, and a sign advertises bands on Tuesdays.  I could see myself wanting to check out what was happening on those nights.  I was only one of four lonely drinkers on a Monday evening, which ended up being fortuitous as I had to drop a nasty load in the unlockable men’s toilet, which was tastefully decorated with old comic book covers.

Here she is - even worse than the O'Riley's photo...