Urban Daddy

Voyeur

Limited Runs

Must-Sees

Mar 17-24, 2010

Fashion Week  

Downtown, Hollywood, and Beverly Hills
info@fashionweekla.com
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Events this season will include a kick-off reception for designers hosted by Fashion Group International, Gen Art’s avant garde presentation of emerging fashion talent, a creative coalition on the edge of downtown at BoxEight Studios, a new Beverly Hills Fashion Week production and the return of the exclusive Simply Stylists event at a private venue.

Mar 13, 2010 - May 31, 2010

Night Lights  

DNJ Gallery, 154½ North La Brea Avenue
323 931 1311
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An exploration of photography focused on night and the uncomfortableness people feel in the dark. Artists include: Helen Garber, Bill Sosin and Ginny Mangrum.

Mar 21, 2010

LA Marathon  

1000 Elysian Park Avenue, Dodger Stadium
310 271 7200
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One of the largest organized road races in the world with more than 20,000 participants, 12,000 volunteers, and 1 million spectators along the course. Starting at Dodger Stadium runners wind their way through the famous LA streets and end in beautiful Santa Monica. Rates from $340 and include breakfast. Click here to book.

May 04, 2010

David Sedaris  

Terrace Theater, 300 East Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach
866 448 7849
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His sardonic wit and incisive social critiques may be even more entertaining in person. The author is incredibly entertaining as he slices through cultural euphemisms and political correctness.

Ongoing

Scene

8Hill  UrbanDaddy Recommendation

801 South Hill Street, Downtown
213 489 4342
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Last week, things got very, very Hollywood for you—both geographically and spiritually. You couldn't be blamed if you need a retreat from the hustle…to, say, a cavernous dance floor where nobody knows your name. You'll find just that at 8Hill, now open Downtown. This is the kind of place where the music's loud, the drinks no-frill, the walls adorned with snapshots of anonymous flesh, and the bar…giant.

Skybar  

Mondrian, 8440 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood
323 848 6025
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Unless you’re “somebody,” the best way to get past the velvet rope is to check into the hotel. Worth it? If you have a soft spot for a stunning setting, poolside beds, one of the best views in L.A., and plenty of stargazing, the answer is yes.

ADCB  

Mondrian, 8440 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood
323 650 8999
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An ideal spot for non-stop people-watching, ADCB serves specialty drinks nightly. Located in Mondrian's lobby, ADCB is also available to book as a venue for private parties and functions.

Must-Sees

Chill  UrbanDaddy Recommendation

930 Hilgard Avenue, Westwood
310 208 8765
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School taught you that water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. But in LA, where things have always been done a bit differently, we put it at the low 70s. Welcome to your new favorite booze-soaked ice-skating rink Chill, launching Sunday where you'd usually find the outdoor swimming pool at the W Hotel. You'll want to bundle up—or just leave on your T-shirt—to enter this not-so-blustery, sun-baked winter wonderland. Once you've made your way through the lobby and out onto the pool deck, you'll find the water covered with a synthetic hybrid ice. (They say it's better for the environment than the real stuff—though, sadly, this eliminates the need for a mini-Zamboni.)

Restaurants

Mixt Greens  UrbanDaddy Recommendation

2 California Plaza, 350 South Grand Avenue, Downtown
323 638 4885
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Bourbon, cigars, that tattooed wild one from last night...usually the good things in life aren't exactly good for you. But today we bring you a welcome exception to the rule: a resolution-friendly lunch spot that won't stink up your suit or steal your car. Behold the cleansing power of Mixt Greens, now open in Downtown. This is the kind of place you keep hearing about, where humans and androids will one day commingle over heaping bowls of organic, locally sourced vegetation, speaking only of peace and sustainability. In the meantime, Sirloin Sandwiches With Black Truffle Aioli and salad options like the Porky–with spice-rubbed pork tenderloin, bacon, apples and squash–make this all go down easy.

Palate food + wine  

933 South Brand Boulevard, Glendale
818 662 9463
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Casual California-Mediterranean bistro and wine bar. Small menu of fresh dishes focused on California's great bounty of local ingredients. A relaxed space with the dining room sprawling into a cocktail lounge and a wine bar. They also have laboratories for curing meats and aging cheeses, which are well used, and a wine shop stocked mostly with small-production bottles from Burgundy and the Rhône.

Anisette  

235 Santa Monica Boulevard, Santa Monica
310 395 3200
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They've captured the vibe and high energy feel of a French brasserie. Serving classic French food infused with fresh ingredients from the farmer's market.

District  UrbanDaddy Recommendation

6600 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood
not availble
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You always try to be a good neighbor. Very considerate. But every now and then, a wild, boozy blowout is in order—neighbors be damned. Which is just what Mercantile's new next-door neighbor did on New Year's Eve. Introducing District, a new spot for fine dining and cocktails that's hosted a sneak-peek preview party to properly introduce itself (and 2010). The place looks like 1880s New York, if you'd been around then and hung out drinking in ominous monasteries.

Asia de Cuba  

Mondrian, 8440 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood
323 848 6000
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Unlikely but delish culinary fusions: fried-calamari salad, tamarind-barbecued-shrimp satay … You get the idea. All served in a glorious, white-on-white restaurant. Service is family style, so come prepared to share. (No fingers!) Outdoor seating is a must at lunchtime.

The Den of Hollywood  UrbanDaddy Recommendation

8226 West Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood
323 656 0336
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At the end of a long day, sometimes you don't want fuss. You don't want finery. You want your chair. A cold one. And maybe even a TV dinner. But, you know, a classy TV dinner. And now you can find all that at The Den of Hollywood, a new bar and restaurant opening later this week on the Sunset Strip. The former home of an unfortunate naughty-sushi den (the rolls had awkwardly sexual names), this revamped stone-covered getaway—peaked ceilings, a fireplace, totally casual—now feels like your den, if you lived on the Sunset Strip…and if the Sunset Strip were in Aspen. You almost want to take off your shoes. Almost.

Recess  UrbanDaddy Recommendation

1102 North Brand Boulevard, Glendale
818 507 0592
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From the classroom to the boardroom, life moves fast. Really fast. And that's okay. You can keep up. But there's one thing in your workday you've been missing lately. Recess. After your morning meeting, and before your afternoon conference call, you should still get recess. And now you can. For your low-key-getaway needs at any time of day, a low-key bistro-y hideaway called, yes, Recess is now open. Based on the idea that everybody needs a no-fuss escape, Recess upstages your old cafeteria pretty quickly—yes, you'll want to get a glimpse of what's behind the counter, but you should expect to see some pristine orzo salad instead of gray mystery meat.

Cecconi's  UrbanDaddy Recommendation

8764 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood
310 432 2000
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Troubled pasts can be tough to surmount, but so can legendary pasts.
In the former home of Morton's, where deals were made and Pitt-attended Oscar parties were thrown, a new stunner is here to give it a shot. Cecconi's opens tonight. Joining the empire that includes NYC's famed SoHo House and the original Cecconi's in London, this is the kind of Italian spot that aims to balance an airy, open-all-day ease with some elegance…even at 7am, when sometimes you can't yet spell "elegance."

Goods

Rimowa  UrbanDaddy Recommendation

332 North Rodeo Drive
310 888 8686
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Not to boast, but–you're ready. Shopping is done. The gifts...they're good. Flight is confirmed. You're all set. All you need now is–oh, wait. Something to pack everything in. (Details, details.) Luckily, you are saved once again by some sleek German engineering–introducing Rimowa, now open on Rodeo Drive. The German legend's first California shop stocks serious suitcases for your serious holiday trips–think lightweight design wrapped up in a gleaming hard case that'll protect the wine bottles, vodka bottles and whiskey bottles inside. Also: gifts.

Social Primer at Alpha  UrbanDaddy Recommendation

8625 Melrose Avenue
310 855 0775
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In agency contracts and health-care reform—to say nothing of your Friday night getup—the devil is in the details. And it's rare when your plans couldn't be helped by a little old-fashioned-with-a-twist panache, maybe in the form of a reversible bow tie. Step inside Social Primer at Alpha, a gentlemanly new pop-up shop in West Hollywood. Alpha's already your go-to when you need a pair of good jeans, some futuristic gadgets or a bit of highbrow smut. But they've gone ahead and carved out space for the regal K. Cooper Ray, aka the Social Primer, an Internet guru who dispenses advice on all aspects of stylish living, like what to eat at a business lunch (avoid the ribs—too messy) and whether social climbing is a bad thing. (It's not.)

Agua  

Mondrian, 8440 Sunset Boulevard
323 650 8999
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An urban sanctuary smack dab in the center of town. Calm. Resplendent. Oh-so-Zen. The best place to restore the mind, body, and soul.