No Place like Holmes | All photos by Elise Thompson for LAist Everyone needs a place that restores their faith. Not only in a religious sense -- a place that restores one's faith in humanity, in rightness and balance. A place that makes the unseen become momentarily visible. Some people find their place in church, nature, or fellowship. And some people's faith is restored when they stand in the presence of great art. There......

I swear to God I did not pose someone in a creepy frock in front of the truck. They were standing there when I got there. Goths eat ice cream too, you know. Especially when summoned by the music of the dark overlord | photo by Elise Thompson for LAist digg_url = 'http://digg.com/odd_stuff/Satan_s_Ice_Cream_Truck'; I heard it for the first time a week after moving into my new house -- the jangly strains of the......

La Luz Photo Gallery | All photos by Elise Thompson for LAist Saturday night La Luz de Jesus hosted the the book signing for The Velvet Hammer Burlesque Book, in conjunction with opening reception for the group exhibition of photographs from the book. The beautifully bound and printed coffee table book was worth every penny of the 60 dollar price tag, as you will see in some of the featured artwork after the jump.......

Zero One Gallery | All photos by Elise Thompson for LAist Remember the good old days, when you would just end up at a random artspace downtown sometime after midnight? People would be walking around wearing bowler hats and bunny suits while loud noise/music/artistic expression screeched out from the next room. So you would wander into the next room and find someone bellydancing or putting on a burlesque show. And you would think to......

The fruit is just right | All photos by Elise Thompson for LAist Once upon a time Millie's was the only game in town. Sure, there was the House of Pies and the coffee shop on Sunset that is now some kind of brewpub -- but no one ever went there. Millie's had a strong family vibe. Everyone in the neighborhood considered it home. Most of the servers were local musicians, and everyone knew......

I discovered this street art on 8th, just west of Grand in downtown LA last week. But where is the chair? It looks like Brooklyn chalk artist Ellis Gallagher has decided to grace Los Angeles with his presence and art. His cryptic signature, "© Ellis G. 2007" seems to be barely decipherable on the other side of the parking meter, along with "NYC". Well-known artist Michael Neff has identified it for me as an authentic......

Why not surprise your Valentine with a homemade treat this year? Fresh, pillowy marshmallows are a refreshing change from the usual chocolate, and surprisingly addictive. My nephew's girlfriend, Julianna, whipped up a batch of these last Christmas and people are still talking about them. Check out The Brownie Points Blog where Julianna found the recipe. It is also reprinted here after the jump for your convenience. Marshmallows will keep for several weeks at room temperature......

Mayor Villaraigosa serves the city in "dineLA Restaurant Week's Big Kickoff" / Photo by Elise Thompson We always encourage you to press that little recommend button at the bottom right hand corner of every post if you enjoyed it. For one, it tells us what you want more of here at LAist. So here's this week's three most recommended and commented posts, as recommended and talked up by you: Most Recommended What is That......

Mayor Villaraigosa serves the city / Photo by Elise Thompson dineLA Restaurant Week kicked off in style yesterday at Neal Fraser's Grace on Beverly Boulevard. Neal Fraser is the only Angeleno ever to have won Iron Chef, against none other than Cat Cora. The Two Hot Tamales, Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, were the belles of the ball. I just had a moment to chat with them regarding a funny story they had......

Red Beans and Rice from The Gumbo Pot/ Photo by Elise Thompson In Louisiana, red beans and rice are traditionally served on Mondays. Monday was wash day, and once all of the ingredients were thrown in, you could ignore the beans all day while you tended to the laundry. I am obsessed with red beans and rice. The only version I've eaten that beat my own recipe was made by Mike Anderson's in New Orleans.......

I never liked the word "cougar" to refer to sexy middle-aged women because it has such a predatory connotation. But because of its usefulness, I have let go of my distaste and accepted it. Now Retirement Living TV has a new show called Another Chance for Romance that hooks up sexy seniors. It made me realize that we need a new word for sexy seniors. We already have the name "silver fox" for gentlemen......

This winter, Seven Grand in downtown LA is offering three specialty winter drinks: The Dublin Flip, Hot Toddy and Irish Coffee....

Photo by Elise Thompson/LAist The King's Head is arguably home to the best fish and chips in Los Angeles. Sadly, the fish and chips get so much attention that the clam chowder is not given its rightful due. Let me make up for that now. The King's Head Pub in Santa Monica serves the chowder of the gods. All other chowders should bow down before it. Other chowders dare not speak its name. I......

I have always had something against mulled wine. Besides it having the viscousity of blood, I just imagine Will Farrell and Rachel Dratch's "Lovers" characters from SNL drinking hot mulled wine to wash down the juices of their roasted goat meat. Somehow mulled wine always seems to be connected to hippie pagan Ren Faire earthmother people. Not that there is anything elementally wrong with hippie pagan Ren Faire earthmother people. I have friends who dance......

People are always there for you in the midst of crisis. But eventually they have to get back to their own lives, and on to the next crisis. Unfortunately, that is when you really need someone. I was running errands early this morning and realized I was only a block away from the studios, and right next to an open bagel shop. I thought about Heath measuring their support in dwindling Twizzlers. When I pulled......

Dupar's is known for its delicious pies, so it naturally follows that they would have a kick-ass chicken pot pie. Really, its only competition in town is Musso and Frank's, and I still think Dupar's has them beat. The thick, comforting gravy is not too bland, and not too salty. In fact, it's just right. Huge chunks of chicken fill the pie, so there is none of that gypped feeling you always had growing......

In addition to your usual Irish Coffee, O'Brien's in Santa Monica serves five other fun alcoholic coffee drinks. The Nutty Irishman, made with Frangelico, was beckoning (why are nutty Irishmen in bars always beckoning? Must be my red hair. And their beer goggles). I wanted something unusual, so I went for the kioki - coffee mixed with Kahlua and brandy. It would never have occured to me to mix those liquers, but it really worked.......

There is a common misconception that we don't have seasons in Los Angeles. We know when the seasons are changing. There are two distinct events that herald the coming winter: the Christmas displays replace the Halloween merchandise, and the lunch trucks start selling champurrado. Champurrado is a type of atole, which is a hot drink popular in the winter. There are a variety of atoles, but chapurrado is probably the most popular. It is......

Every once in awhile something is so surprisingly good that you never forget the first time you tried it. I was standing around a giant campfire freezing my ass off somewhere near the Ortega Highway when a fellow camper handed me a big, warm thermos of cocoa. Mmmm, chocolate - and mint - and alcohol. Alcohol! How was it possible that it never occurred to me to put alcohol in cocoa? She had spiked the......

A feeling of familiarity always comes over me when I escape from the cold and the rain into the warmth and comfort of the Tam O'Shanter. Maybe it's because I grew up in Scottish pubs. Maybe it's because my mother's house is decorated exactly like the interior of the Tam O' Shanter, as is my brother's house, as is my own den (I have managed to contain all of the Scottishness in one room of......

The weather outside is frightful, but here inside Nate 'n Al it's toasty and warm. The waitress treats you like she's your mom, chiding you if you don't eat enough soup. Nothing takes the chill off like a big, hot bowl of Mish Mash soup (pronounced by most people as "mish mosh"). Matzoh ball soup is usually considered to be the ultimate comfort food, but in this soup you get the best of everything......

It was a great year of new books, re-discovered books, and books we meant to get to last year but didn't. The end of the year is nearly here and before we look forward, we'll take a look back. LAist Editors share their favorite book they read this year: Who: Zach Behrens, Editor What: The Four-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris Why: Inspiring words on how to improve workflow, automate tasks, and get more......

As a send off to photographer, Ann Summa's Los Angelesshow, bands/performers from the bad old days of early L.A. punk played in the gallery. Dude, it was both awesome and bitchin. ...

The Mods and Rockers invite all Beatles fans, Anglophiles and latent mods and rockers to attend A Holiday Rave-up: A Very British Sixties Christmas! tomorrow night. This celebration of sixties music will feature The Ravers, the premier sixties cover band. Special guests performing with The Ravers will be Stephen Bishop (On And On, It Might Be You) and Spencer Davis (Gimme Some Loving, I'm A Man). I saw Spencer Davis perform with The Ravers......

It seems like everyone just instinctively knows how to make JELL-O shots. Only recently did I discover that this fine art is not in everyone's repertoire. With the holidays coming up, it might be time to brush up on College Drinking 101. The standard recipe includes 1 (6-oz) package JELL-O, 2 cups boiling water, 1 cup cold water and 1 cup vodka. Over the years I have futzed with this recipe. I like to......

Here's the mix: Download or listen to the mix above which contains the songs and their related articles below: - Spoon "Infinite Pet" for show review by Staci Goodner - No Age "Everybody's Down" for a story/show review by Joshua Pressman - Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings "Tell Me" for a CD review by tomdog - MIA "Galang" for a show review by Joey Maloney - Cake "War Pigs" cuz they play on 11/30 at......

This is Hendrix's original grave in the humble family plot before his memorial was built. It seems a little sad and neglected in this picture, but this Seattle cemetary is actually lush with grass. The only reason for the dirt is because the constant stream of visitors created a well-worn path that didn't allow the grass to grow. On November 26, 2002 Hendrix's body was exhumed and reburied under a much more fitting marble......

I am thankful that my family happens to include people who I would rather spend this day with than anyone else. I know today they will make me laugh, stuff me with food and touch my heart. For the opportunity to befriend everyone here at LAist, including (and especially) the readers For moonlight on the Seine For art museums For white narcissus For See's chocolates For the Pacific ocean For the smell of Crayons......

Last night I was casually checking out what various travel websites had to say about the neighborhoods of Los Angeles. Most of the summaries in Frommers sounded like this: Silver Lake, a residential neighborhood just north of Downtown and adjacent to Los Feliz (home to the Los Angeles Zoo and Griffith Park), just to the west, has arty areas with unique cafes, theaters, graffiti, and art galleries -- all in equally plentiful proportions. The......

The Long Beach Blues Festival On Saturday and Sunday, Sept 1st and 2nd, the Long Beach Blues Festival at Cal State Long Beach will celebrate its 28th year. The Juke Joint stage provides music between sets on the main stage. Although event producer, station KKJZ 88.1 FM, is now operated by Global Jazz, Inc. they are continuing the tradition. Music starts at 10:15am and ends at 6pm. On Saturday, the lineup includes Buddy Guy, Dr.......