Results tagged “chachacha”

Several years ago, I used to be a Westsider and part of my weekly routine was to hit up the beach, whether playing ball on the blacktop at Venice, laying out and reading a book at Ocean Park, or people watching at Santa Monica. It was super-relaxing to be out in the sun, soaking up the ocean breeze, and enjoying the local culture. Part of the culture was stopping off at some of the eccentric beachfront shacks to grab a bite and talk with the help.

Photo by sassylittlepunkin via Flickr. Looking for an excuse to try the lobster roll and pug burger at Hungry Cat? Now you have a certifiably altruisitc motive for your gluttony. Tomorrow is the 13th Annual Dine Out Los Angeles, a one-day event where participating Los Angeles area restaurants will donate 20% or more of their day's proceeds to Aid For AIDS, a charity that works to improve the quality of life for people who...

Stocking stuffer alert for the foodies on your list! When it comes time to make New Year's resolutions, oftentimes at the top of ours is "Try more restaurants!" And this is when "new" is a relative term; sometimes "new to us" is as good as new, if not better. But then as any given mealtime approaches, we find ourselves scrambling for ideas: Where should we go? How much of a dent in the wallet will...

Gram Rabbit Cultivation (Stinky) – They’ve got a unique sound (kind of like Calexico mixed with trip-hop) and they’re from Joshua Tree. This is their second release and they’re performing live at Tower Sunset on 4/20 at 6:00 PM and the Echo on 4/21. Listen to some tracks on MYSPACE.

In a week when the governor wasn't running for re-election but lost big anyway and Jesus is Magic won the hearts and minds of our readers becoming our biggest giveaway yet (there were well over a hundred entrants! We love that), we welcomed a couple new contributors, gave a shout out to local digital photographers and started working on a new contest/contributor search that we hope to announce early next week (hint: if you like talking to people about LA and know some interesting folks, you're going to want to pay attention).

Recently we had an urge to head out to eat somewhere fun--not necessarily somewhere the wait staff does dance routines en masse at scheduled intervals, or where patrons stand on tables knocking back sake bombs, but just somewhere interesting and vibrant. Maybe not new to the world of dining but new to us. Our wish was met through dinner at one of the original locations of the contemporary Caribbean restaurant Cha Cha Cha in Silverlake. The restaurant is a sort of shack-like structure, set on the corner of Virgil and Melrose where the Los Feliz area blends into Silverlake. It's a quirky little intersection, more about business than pleasure, and not a likely spot for a thriving restaurant--one that's been in business there since 1986. In 2003 the current owners took over, and took it upon themselves to open up a West Hollywood location, too. Inside the restaurant are brightly painted walls, energetic Latin music, eclectic decor (Jesus, plastic banana lights, fake birds), cozy tables complete with prayer candles and vibrant tablecloths--the color and feel of the fabric pictured above. (Okay, busted--we forgot our camera! And the Internets were unkind in allowing us to unearth relevant photos...) The staff are friendly and fast, and our server was eager to help us make our selections, and the food quick--but not too quick--to emerge from the kitchen.

Richard Alarcon: Cha Cha Cha in Encino