CARISSA MARSH
A&E Editor
Editor’s Note: This is first of a seven-part series featuring fun, out-of-the-ordinary activities to do each day of the week. It is the perfect guide for those who find themselves searching for new ways to spend their nights.
Mondays always get the short end of the stick. The most bemoaned day of the week, Monday is the start of the work week, non-stop classes, the daily grind, the “do I really have to get out of bed?” lamenting. But just because the weekend is technically over does not mean the fun has to stop. Just like the average college student, Los Angeles never sleeps, so check out this list, get out that Pepperdine agenda, and plan an evening that celebrates the extension of the weekend.
Enchilada Mondays at
The Spanish Kitchen
826 North LaCienega Blvd.,
Los Angeles
thespanishkitchen.com
After the ho-hum of classes and work, spice up Monday nights with a kick of authentic flavor from the Spanish Kitchen, home to “Enchilada Mondays.” The restaurant offers 14 gourmet enchiladas that are not part of the normal menu, each featuring their own unique ingredients. Each plate ranges from $9 to $12, or if you cannot decide, guests can have their choice of three enchiladas for $24, or do it family style and get enchilada platters for everyone to share.
The chefs at the Spanish Kitchen use traditional ingredients, sauces and spices such as adobo and tamarindo, and many of the food items such as seafood and poultry are rubbed with dry marinades before being thrown onto a grill and cooked over an open flame with mesquite. Mexican chilis create the fiery sauces that are paired with many of the dishes, and everything is made fresh daily.
“We concentrate on the southern part of Mexico,” owner Greg Morris said. “There’s a lot of tropical flavors.”
Morris said the restaurant is reminiscent of a colonial Spanish hacienda, accented with colorful tiles, antique doors, wood furniture and artisan-crafted iron work. According to its Web site, the Spanish Kitchen features more than 15,000 tiles from Tecate and it even serves food and drink in dishes and glassware imported from Mexico City.
Morris said people often comment that when they leave the restaurant they have forgotten they are in Los Angeles.
“It really transports you to a little slice of Mexico,” he said.
Together, the authentic décor and traditional cuisine create a spirited ambience suiting the cultural dining experience.
Starving Artist Mondays
at Luna Park
672 S. La Brea, Los Angeles
lunaparkla.com
For those who find their stomachs on empty and their wallets even emptier, try Luna Park’s “Starving Artist” deal. The special menu offers an appetizer, entrée and dessert for a mere $18 (yes, McDonald’s is cheaper, but this is gourmet ingredients here). Guests can choose from a warm goat cheese fondue with grilled bread and sliced apples or a Caesar salad made with Hearts of Romaine to start before moving on to the main dish of either grilled chicken, oven-baked macaroni and cheese, or wild boar rigatoni. But the best is saved for last as starving artists get either deep-fried apple pie or make-your-own S’mores for dessert.
“It’s eclectic comfort food but it’s not sloppy,” general manager Paige Handler said. “It’s presented with a sense of elegance.”
The restaurant — which on its Web site is described as having a “kitschy, flea-market chic ambiance” — features mostly French and Italian cuisine with some American and Asian flavors mixed in. The décor has a trendy yet casual feel, with edgy accents like dark wood, red walls, and antique-looking jewel-toned chandeliers hanging from the ceilings, according to Handler.
While the food preparation is as visually stunning as pricier eateries, Luna Park remains moderately priced, and anyone can find something delicious to suit their budget. Why “starving artist?” Because artists can enter headshots or business cards into a raffle with prizes including $100 worth of headshots or a six-month subscription to “Back Stage West,” an informational magazine for actors.
Mozzarella Mondays at Jar
8225 Beverley Blvd.,
Los Angeles
thejar.com
The swanky, modern steakhouse serves up broilers, roasts and braises of all kinds for a pretty penny, but it is Executive Chef Suzanne Tracht’s cheese that makes this place a Monday night must. Everything on the Mozzarella Monday menu is under $12 and everything features the gooey ingredient of the day, from buratta to burricotti, stracciatella to insalata caprese. There are even three small pizzas — eggplant and prosciutto, kabocha and sageleaf, or tomato and mozzarella — for just $5. It is the cheese-lover’s haven.
Metal Skool at the Key Club
9039 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood
keyclub.com
For the under 21 set, the Key Club is the perfect club to (legally) get into and hear some great music. Every Monday, the hilarious imitation band Metal Skool covers 1980s heavy-metal classics with rock star confidence and sound. With long, frizzy hair and studded leather jackets, Metal Skool rocks out to the head-bangin’ metal anthems of yesteryear, performing songs by Whitesnake, Guns & Roses, Motley Crue, Bon Jovi and more. A place to see and be seen, celebrities are known to frequent the club and jump on stage to jam with the band.
Doors open at 8:30 p.m. Tickets cost $15.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Karaoke
at Bigfoot Lodge
3172 Los Feliz Blvd., Los Angeles
bigfootlodge.com
With a claim to fame as Los Angeles’ only log cabin lounge, Bigfoot Lodge is a must-see for any hipster, even if it is not Monday. But it just so happens that Monday at Bigfoot might be the best night of the week, with their Rock ‘n Roll Karaoke from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. The Web site boasts that Bigfoot has the best karaoke catalog in all of Los Angeles with more than 11,000 songs. And on the last Monday of every month, guests can take a risk with Kamikaze Karaoke, where the patron signs up, but the bar picks the song. Gutsy guests get reduced priced drinks as a reward for their courage.
In the style of a log cabin, the lodge features typical outdoorsy touches such as a fireplace and antlers on the walls. But there are also not-so-typical accents including a large Smokey the Bear figure surrounded by other woodland friends like ducks and deer. The forest-inspired displays and wooden interior give lodge visitors a feeling of being away from the city, while themed drinks such as Toasted Marshmallow, Girl Scout Cookie and Sasquatch bring back memories of camp fire days.
There is no cover charge, but you must be 21 or over with a valid ID to get in. The lodge is open 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Mondays at Spaceland
1717 Silver Lake Blvd., Los Angeles
clubspaceland.com
Mondays at Spaceland are free music night, featuring local indie bands who take up a month-long residency at the Los Angeles alternative rock club. Pop-rock group The Broken West — who this week released their debut full-length CD, “I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On” — will finish out the month of January with a final show on Jan. 29 at 9 p.m. before Hawaiian freestyle band Division Day takes up its residency in February. All shows are 21 and over with valid ID.
01-25-2007