A good hangout can be hard to find, so for anyone who finds themselves looking for nightlife in Long Beach, LAist's Photo contributor Michael Zampelli (aka rink_rat on Flickr) suggests The Pike Bar & Fish Grill. He tells us: "The Pike Bar in Long Beach is owned by the original drummer of Social Distortion and you can feel the vibe from the minute you cross the welcome mat with the Social D. skeleton logo and......

Photo at House of Pies by Sklathill via Flickr Last week's contest for tonight's Rilo Kiley concert at the Greek Theatre was all about what to do in Los Feliz before and after the show (related, we're running a Robert Plant/Allison Krauss contest right now). Many readers responded with food suggestions. So here, we present to you, by you, your quick guide to eating in Los Feliz: Dinners Grab a late night bite to......

It's 6:30pm and you wanna hit the last bit of happy hour before it's over, but you still have a ton of emails you need to send out. What's a drink-happy working stiff to do? Or what if you wanted to use your iPhone to look up the next bar on your barhopping itinerary? Or liveblog while tying one on? Fortunately, we've got plenty of bars in Los Angeles that offer free wireless Internet......

LAist absolutely loves the Redwood Bar & Grill, a pirate-themed hangout close to Disney Hall and the Civic Center downtown -- not only is it a lovely place to wander into on a cold and lonely winter night, but it serves our Editor's Choice for Best Mac N' Cheese in the city. I know, right! So you'll be thrilled to hear that the Redwood is now open for brunch! Beginning this weekend from 11am......

South opened its doors a few weeks ago and already business is booming. I arrived for happy hour at 5pm, quite relieved to see how well they'd filled in the space previously occupied by that hideous dim sum restaurant which was a disgrace to all things Chinese. South looks amazing, with nice clear TVs on every wall, wide open spaces, comfortable seating, and tons of windows. I was rather impressed. South was opened by......

After all was said and done, yesterday morning's fire in Hollywood severely damaged Basque nightclub and the Blood Shot tattoo parlor. Two other adjacent occupancies of the building sustained moderate damage -- Sandee's shoe repair and the San Miguel Spa and Salon. Of the 180 firefighters who reported to the 5:31 a.m. fire, there were no injuries. For those who think an arsonist is involved in the recent spate of fires, Battalion Chief John Miller,......

The fire at Hollywood and Vine spit flames 40 feet into the air. (AP Photo/Nick Ut) After just under two and one half hours, the fire at Basque nightclub was knocked down by the Los Angeles Fire Department, save for one flare up on a rooftop hotspot fifteen minutes later. At 5:31 a.m. this morning, a 9-1-1 phone call alerted officials to a fire at the building located on the northwest corner of Hollywood......

Update: The fire has been knocked down. Read the update here.A major alarm fire broke out at 5:31 a.m. this morning at the famous corner of Hollywood and Vine in the Basque nightclub space (map below). When firefighters responded, the building was fully engulfed in flames. It is suspected that it started in the attic. At 6:00 a.m., fire fighters went into defensive mode on the exterior of the building. By 7:15 a.m., 115 firefighters......

Let’s face it, there are a lot of bar events going on in our city that we hear about every day. When we heard about a new Wednesday night social in Hollywood called Down With the Nerdsters (DWTN), one had to ask, “What the heck is a nerdster?” Promoter Griffin Marcus clued us in: “Nerdsters is a term that I came up with to describe what people call hipsters. I don’t find those kids very......

Earlier this month, we published a story about the Doheny. Due to some scheduling, Caroline on Crack was not able to meet up with a representative of the club to get a detailed tour. In lieu of that, the Doheny submitted some interesting facts and a "for the record" statement. The facts are pretty cool, especially number two: Despite the exclusivity of the club, jeans are actually allowed. To quote the Doheny staff, "There will......

Tonight marks the second installment of a new monthly event called Third Wheel Thursday at The Bar in Hollywood. The idea is for couples to bring their single friends, meet some new people and possibly inspire a love connection or two. It’s a great idea that includes music and drink specials with no cover charges. Founded by Rita Wadhwani, Third Wheel Thursday will move from neighborhood to neighborhood in Los Angeles to keep the......

Went to Finn McCool's in Santa Monica this afternoon for a "business meeting" and suddenly found myself surrounded by people dressed in green and drinking green beer and slamming Irish car bombs. I guess everyone's getting in their St. Patrick's Day celebration early to avoid the crazy bar crowds on Monday. Smart idea! Step-by-step of Irish car bombing after the jump.......

Last night the girls and I decided to go out for Happy Hour - which we'd hoped would extend into Happy Hours and perhaps Happy Night. We went to a few bars in Santa Monica, made our way down to Venice, and after a few drinks and a lot of parking, we decided to head back east. Fortunately we happened upon The Parlor, on Wilshire and 15th in Santa Monica. I'm starting to wonder......

All right, you alchie lads and lassies, your day is near, the one time of the year where the bars open up for breakfast and people won't look at you twice for having a little whiskey with your morning cuppa. Take the day off so you can start drinking early to beat the mad crowds and avoid the long lines. These Irish pubs can accommodate your pre-dawn cravings as they open up in the......

Unless you don't like drinking liquor to begin with, it can be a bit of a drag to be the designated driver for your drunkard friends. You have to sit there on your bar stool sipping your tiny, weak soda while they get to enjoy pretty, decked-out, specialty cocktails. Fortunately, there are some lovely nonalcoholic options out there for you responsible folk, and I'm not talking O'Douls. The Arsenal in West LA has a......

It was bound to happen, I'm just sorry I didn't think of this idea first: a "taco truck" that sells healthy, organic food. "Sacrilege!" you're probably saying but then when you think about it some more you have to admit it is a pretty good idea, especially in health-conscious L.A. But those expecting taco truck prices may be a little turned off by the Green Truck's Whole Food-esque prices. The "Create Your Own" salad, wrap......

Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist UPDATE: Seven Grand is a 21+ bar. We apologize for any inconveniences. There's no better way for LAist to have its first ever public event than next Tuesday, a day where Los Angeles, and all of California for that matter, votes, taking part in one of the greatest Presidential primaries ever. For the Democratic party, California carries more weight than any other state -- that's huge in itself. Locally, several......

Sometimes you see rock tonight and sometimes you want to be rock tonight. If the latter, every Wednesday night at the Hyperion Tavern in the Los Feliz/Franklin Hills area, groups of friends gather to unite as one, to test their skills, woo the crowd and find their glory in Rock Band. Wednesday nights at the shack filled with chandeliers used to be reserved for Guitar Hero zealots, now groups of four can hit the stage......

Wall-to-Wall Patriots fans pack Sonny McLean's Every Sunday NFL franchise or not, Los Angeles is filled with football fanatics. Many of these fans have relocated to LA from all corners of the country, bringing with them their devotion for the home team of city they left behind. Rather than sitting in the confines of their living room and watching their boys battle it out on the gridiron, many transplants have found a sanctuary in......

ART Check out artist Steve Keene's take on famous album covers in a show called "Covers of Covers" up now through next Friday at the Cartoon Network Studios in Burbank. Cartoon Network Studios // 300 N. Third St. Burbank // Free FILM A new film series launches tonight at Santa Monica's Aero Theater, spotlighting screwball comedies, with a double feature of 1939's Midnight, starring Claudette Colbert and 1937's Easy Living with Jean Arthur. Both......

I'm still waiting for all your hot happy hour tips, Los Angeles! We'll be posting happy hour listings at least a few times weekly in 2008; send your secret spots and recommendations my way at carrie@laist.com. And besides, what better way to get 2008 started than with some cheap booze at some happening city spots? Here's a few more we managed to dig up this week: Miss T's Barcade, Koreatown, Happy Hour 5-9 pm:......

Winter really gets me down. It's cold, it's rainy, everybody's on vacation except for me. Worst of all, when I get off work every evening, it's already dark outside. Can we say SADS? So how best to beat the winter blues? Why, BOOZE, of course, the cheaper the better, and there are a ton of happy hours and special events taking place across the city that will lighten your holiday-heavy heart without lightening your wallet.......

Thirty years ago today, Elvis Costello pissed off his record company and got himself banned from Saturday Night Live when he scrapped "Less Than Zero" several bars in and led the Attractions through this incendiary version of the then unreleased "Radio, Radio". Declan MacManus and Lorne Michaels have since made ammends, but this remains one of the greatest musical performances in the history of SNL.......

One of the most recent additions to the panoply of nightspots in Los Feliz is Sgt Recruiter, located on the stretch of Hollywood Boulevard that I think of as Wacko-Adjacent. Split off from Cobras & Matadors (it was the private room on the left when you entered), also under Steven Arroyo’s management, and named in homage to a wine bar in Paris, Sgt Recruiter has room for patrons to sit at 14 comfortable stools lined......

There are a lot of people out of work right now. A lot of people who are looking for odd jobs. Not all of them are obligated to walk in picket lines twelve hours a week, or are the object of scorn and derision by other people who are out of jobs. Here are some tips to survive, with your soul intact (provided you still have it!)...

Tis the season - for cookies!!! Cookies are one of the most versatile treats you can make. They are perfect for gift-giving, office parties, dessert, or a quick snack. They please children and grown-ups alike. Most cookie batters freeze well so you can make cookies anytime you feel like it. Cookie recipes are easy to make and hard to screw up. You just need to keep an eye on them so they don't burn.......

On November 27th, the striking members of the WGA held a rally on Hollywood Boulevard. As I walked towards the rally from my car, I could feel the sound of the helicopters beating down around me. It was one of those silver fall afternoons, the sky distant like winter, but it was still warm. Walking up a side street, all the different Hollywoods crowded up around me – each taking its turn in a......

My brother is a wine snob. What I love about him though, with all his tattoos and his refusal to wear anything other than shorts and flip-flops regardless of weather, is that he isn't a real snob. He knows good wine. He seeks it out. But he's all about finding the best wine at a great price. When he's in town, he wants to visit every wine bar, wine boutique and wine warehouse in LA.......

MUSIC: Machine Project is back with an evening of experimental folk music mix. The evening features the sounds of Ryan Fuller, Julie Carpenter, Laura Steenberge, Ruthann Friedman, rickyricky, Pilar Diaz, Pawko and Marshweed. 8 pm // Machine Project // 1200 D. N. Alvarado, Downtown // Free. THEATRE: The Anteus Company presents two nights of eight Noel Coward plays. Night Two takes place tonight featuring the plays: Come The Wild - Red Peppers, Fumed Oak,......

In business since summer and reviewed then by LAist, The York is a gastropub in Highland Park located in the same spot that once housed The Wild Hare and before that, The Dragon. Looking nothing like its more quaint predecessors, The York offers drinks and food to the Northeast LA neighborhood in an updated, contemporary style. When business partners/owners, Ryan Ballinger and Gabe Byer took over the space, they tore out the old wood paneling......