blu la cafe

There’s just some places you should give your business to and blu la café is one of them. After a terrible few minutes at Gen Art BoxEight’s unimportant, scam fashion show I headed over to the little place next to Cole’s to see what it was about. That’s right, if you didn’t know there’s a new little café next to Mr. Moses’ super sandwich shop and hopping bar.

No, blu la café is not a threat to other restaurants in the neighborhood. The owners, a graphic artist and an actor who just wanted a place to eat and more importantly wanted to do something for the community HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY ARE DOING and that’s okay. Continue reading blu la cafe

Movie Review Super Capers–Good

 

Growing up, just how many of you wanted to be, or during “play time” pretended to be,  Superman, Batman, Spiderman, the Boy Wonder Robin, or even the villainous Riddler, Joker or Pruneface?  I am willing to bet, a lot of you (and that group includes both of my brothers).  Let’s face it -to kids – and even to adults – super heroes with super powers is a pretty cool thing. Continue reading Movie Review Super Capers–Good

Hello Wine and Sake Lovers

Hello Wine and Sake lovers.  Tonight at 5pm until 8pm I will be serving Sushi and Sake  for a fun Friday night  Sushi and traditional Sake at Ralph’s.  Friday is a great night to start your evening festivities at Ralph’s with a little Sushi and Sake, then head out to your favorite places in town o get your party on. 

 Sake is an alcohol product distilled from the rice grain; it originated in Japan and slowly made its way around the world. Continue reading Hello Wine and Sake Lovers

New Gallery Is A Must See

When it comes to turning a painting into a three-dimensional piece, I get a little wary. It had better be done for a damn good reason or it will always come off kitsch. Artists have tried for years and failed to turn the surface of a canvas into a sculpture with the notable exception of Jasper Johns. I understand the yearning to mix media and push painting out of the corner Pollock painted it into. I have not, however, seen a successful painting/sculpture arise in any of my art making peers. With this very heavy bias in mind, I ducked into the PYO gallery, 1100 S Hope St, Los Angeles, CA 90015, on a blustery L.A. afternoon. Continue reading New Gallery Is A Must See

USC Spring Break–Mammoth Mountain. You ain’t got nothin’ on Cabo

Foreword by Stan Lerner:

 downtownster is for all downtownsters, so it’s with great pleasure that I post this first blog by Mark Italia who is currently a student at USC. His Spring Break reminds me a bit of my own before I got kicked out of school. Welcome aboard my boy!

SPRING BREAK! WHOOO! Where did you go? Cancun? TJ? Cabo? Did you get shot? Maybe you got mugged? How much were plane tickets?…sucks for you. It is ten o’clock in the morning and I’m still recovering from my Spring Break trip to Mammoth Mountain. That’s right, I spent Spring Break on skis. And I bet you I had a better time spending less money than your sorry ass did for going to Mexico and possibly getting raped. Continue reading USC Spring Break–Mammoth Mountain. You ain’t got nothin’ on Cabo

VARNISH: Getting Lucky on Sixth Street

If I wasn’t such a big fan of Eric Aleperin and Sasha Petraske’s Milk and Honey and from the years I spent in New York, I would’ve written off Varnish as just another Johnny-come-lately watering hole attempting to capitalize on the speakeasy craze. Lump it in with The Edison, Seven Grand, and that place in Little Tokyo down the alley off of first (second?). Hell, it’s right next to The Association. Continue reading VARNISH: Getting Lucky on Sixth Street

LA LIVE’S SAINT PATRICK’S DAY MASSACRE

Okay, I didn’t work on the script, and didn’t raise the $500,000.00 I was supposed to in order to spin downtownster.com off from its’ parent company Lerner Wordsmith Press today… Sorry shareholders, but it was a SAINT PATRICK’S DAY MASSACRE and I had to get in the middle of it—and yes like all good downtownster.com writers (Vaughn Blake) I’ve been drinking Guinness. So as Elvis would say “My boy! My boy!”

It started simply enough; I met Carlos our programmer to go over the pictures that will soon be uploaded to the coming soon downtownster.com store. That would be right here on this very website. Our initial collection of Downtown Oliver Brown clothing will no doubt be a big hit and be an even greater distraction to my screenplay and novel writing than blogging, but enough about me and downtownster. We were working and having a coffee at The Farm at LA Live…As usual there was nothing going on in the plaza. Apparently it was crowded the day before with 450 people trying to get 45 jobs in what AEG calls a job fair and the rest of us call a publicity stunt to lure CNN into using the place as a backdrop.

It was this very quiet nothing going on for the community atmosphere that we have all become so used to that struck me as I stood in the city’s other cement bunker, albeit with trees and a fountain, Pershing Square. And yes I know that the city is working on some multi-million dollar study to determine how to spend a few hundred million in funds we don’t have to make the place feel not so Cold War Era, but I’m actually of the belief that we’re headed back into a cold war with Russia, so that the current state of Pershing Square is just fine. Anyway, I took in the fountain that poured green water and smiled. Then walked to the area where the Young Dubliner’s were rocking the house. Seriously, these guys were great, if you missed them they’re going to be on Kimmel tonight—don’t miss them again.

Young Dubliners

White people, black people, brown people, I think an Asian or two all gathered in Pershing Square in an event put on by Parks and Recreation. Continue reading LA LIVE’S SAINT PATRICK’S DAY MASSACRE

St. Patrick’s Day Downtown LA Style

11:03AM

Much like every St. Patty’s for the last half-decade or so, I began my morning with a nice tall pint of Guinness and proceeded to whip up a traditional Irish breakfast of Irish Baccon, Eggs, and English Muffin toast (I couldn’t find any soda bread in the neighborhood). Main Street is quiet right now, not even a few enthusiastic souls indulging in an early pint at Pete’s. There will soon, however be a parade, and I will hit the pavement to cover it for you, our fair readers. Continue reading St. Patrick’s Day Downtown LA Style

Old Bank DVD

Mark Schumacher and Erik Loyson kicked open the doors to Old Bank DVD on  Christmas Eve of 2005.  Both veterans of the LA’s film industry (Mark’s a Director of Photography, Eric’s a grip) they saw an opportunity in downtown’s growing Old Bank District, found a space in the same building as the downtown staple, ‘Pete’s’ and haven’t looked back.  The store is serves as both a neighborhood hangout as well as the only DVD rental place around, and every night you’ll see a small gathering both inside the store as well as out, with locals sitting on the front patio enjoying a beverage or a few cigarettes. Continue reading Old Bank DVD

Hello Wine Lovers

Well  it is time to put on the green  in honor of St Patrick.  Green beer will be flowing around the city I fear.  Green bagels already are being sold in the bakery and “Kiss Me I’m Irish Shirts are showing up all around the city.  Tonight at Ralph’s from 5pm to 8pm, we will revisit the traditional Irish Beer of Guinness Harp Smithwicks and Guinness stout or as many refer to it, motor oil. The price of the tasting is just six dollars. Continue reading Hello Wine Lovers