BEST OF LOS ANGELES 2017: MEZCALERIAS AND MORE

COVER_BOLA;10_View copy.indd

READ IT AT LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE (in print too)

Ready your appetite, your liver, and your sense of adventure — it’s that time of year again: Los Angeles Magazine’s BEST OF LOS ANGELES. I had a huge haul this year, play-testing (for your benefit, not mine, nope, didn’t enjoy this at all, haha riiiiiight) three finalists in each of 13 categories, which for convenience’s sake I’ll split here into two super-categories. In the WHAT TO EAT zone (page one of the long list on the mag site), I crowned winners in the domains of: Fancy Grilled Cheese (No. 4), Coffee Concoction (No. 5), Mezcaleria (No. 6), Barcade (No. 13), Cemita (No. 18), Rare Liquor Retailer (No. 19), and Cheese Appreciation Class (No. 26). In the WHAT TO DO space (page two), you’ll find: True Crime Tours (No. 40), L.A. River Kayak Tour (No. 48), Laser Tag for Adults (No. 50), Picnic on Mars (No. 54), Hip Bowling Alley (No. 55), and Distillery Tour (No. 57). Whew. And the latter should include a quick Q&A in print. Now go plan your entire summer.

The Battle of the Bean: Coffee Roasting in L.A.

battleOfTheBean

READ IT ON LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE (in print too)

I’m a coffee geek and a cheerleader for Los Angeles, so I nearly spit out my brew when I realized I’ve been favoring beans roasted by out-of-towners—Verve, Blue Bottle, Heart, Stumptown, Four Barrel. So began my quest to find out the truth about L.A.’s caffeine scene. Is there a homegrown roaster who can finally put my town on the map? Yes. No. Well, sort of. Let me explain…

News Roundup: Adult Swim Leaks Madvillain, plus Dâm-Funk, Nada Surf, and more

Adult Swim's 'Singles 2' feat. Madvillain

Quick bloggy bits from around the L.A. underground (and up). Share ’em.

  1. FEATURED: Adult Swim Debuts New Madvillain Track!*
  2. DJ Kutmah Drops Mixtape Honoring Dâm-Funk Supergroup
  3. Shake Yer Dredlocks: Nada Surf Debut “Electrocution” Video
  4. Download: Free Digi-Split from Benji Hughes and Willoughby
  5. (all stories via West Coast Sound, via LA Weekly)

* “Listeners may now rejoice. Adult Swim has shared a song-length glimpse into the forthcoming Madvillain record, and the view is sweet indeed.”

Best Of Supplement: Coffee + Stones Throw, Shafiq Husayn, HEALTH’s Golden Ticket, & Leaving MP3s

Four more for good measure: L.A. bests from the Weekly’s blog, half-disguised as news stories, all worthy of your attention. If you like it, then you better put a tweet on it.

*This is taking place of the “news roundup” for the week.