Comedians test out their material in front of crowds before their big shows all the time. So why not chefs before they open their next restaurant? Meet Test Kitchen, which opens next week in the much speculated-about former Spark Woodfire Grill space on Pico Boulevard. more ›

Bad news came Monday when Elizabeth Chait suddenly announced that her Pico Boulevard location of Spark Woodfire Grill would be closing later this week. But as the letter, which was posted to the restaurant's front door, continued, things got a little more curious. "In a few days we will be announcing a new concept which will open in the space," she wrote. "There will be many exciting things happening at this location." more ›

The Pico Corridor, that unofficial strip of street past Beverwil but before Koreatown, surely has a story to tell. There are the ubiquitous taco spots, auto mechanics, bodegas and crumbling city blocks, the pitted indentations of weather or street warfare, some washed over with waves of spray paint. There are also lots of little gems, like La Maison du Pain, Sky’s Gourmet Tacos, Local’s bar, The Comedy Union, and PiPS, standing proudly nearby and inviting the neighborhood out for a late night chat. It seems like this little up-and-coming slice of Mid City has always had a lot to talk about, and now Rant & Rave has come to help it find its voice. more ›

If you plan on hitting the many St. Patty's Day-friendly bars along Main Street in Santa Monica--or wherever you go--be smart and be safe. Considering the holiday, police across the region will be on the lookout for the overly inebriated. Tomorrow night, the Santa Monica Police Department will host a party of their own (translation: drivers license and DUI Checkpoint) on the 300 block of Pico Boulevard. "This is the first of several checkpoints to be conducted over the next 12-month period," a news release warned. The department was mum on what time the checkpoint will begin and end. Update: There's a checkpoint in Hollywood, info is here. more ›

The LAPD is on the lookout for a armed robbery suspect who they say, in a press release called "Armed Robbery Suspect Dressed for Success", "appeared to be dressed more for a job interview, than a robbery." The incident took place on February 5th around 7 p.m. when the suspect walked into a business on the 3100 block of Pico Boulevard in the Country Club Park neighborhood and robbed it. The man is described as black, 28 to 30 years old, 6 foot tall and 200 pounds. He had well groomed short hair, a trimmed mustache and wore a gray jacket, red shirt, black tie and pants. Tips can be called into (213) 382-9493 or 1-877-LAPD-24-7 during off hours. more ›

We've seen it time after time. Someone approaches a tagger in action and they get shot, usually fatally. The LAPD recommends getting out of harms way and calling 911, but when former Crips gang member Ronald L. Barron saw a tagger spray painting on Sunday evening on Pico Boulevard, he approached him. There was good reason for that, however, as Barron had transformed his life, becoming a gang outreach and intervention worker. more ›

Barack Obama is still eight days away from moving into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but at 12003 Pico Boulevard, the president elect has already moved in. This West LA location features a mural of Obama palling around with a reptile and sea turtle. more ›

The always popular Santa Monica based Big Blue Bus has done it again, adding its second Rapid bus line to their service line. Like Metro's Rapid Routes and their own Rapid 3 that runs down Lincoln Blvd. between Santa Monica and the LAX area, Rapid 7 will have a limited number of stops, cutting down on travel time (even beyond the Super 7 that it's replacing). It basically runs back and forth between downtown Santa Monica and the Rimpau Transit Center approximately between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. with a small three hour(ish) break from 9 a.m. to noon. ALSO: And now with the school season back in session, the Any Line Any Time service, where Santa Monica College students and staff ride for free, will begin. more ›

more ›

Pico Blvd. was temporarily closed early this afternoon when a business, most likely a store called Furniture by Design according to Google results, lit on fire, heavily damaging the unit. It is not considered a total loss yet because the Los Angeles Fire Department considers computers and business files a major component of the term "loss," and they have had not been able to access the office area. No one was inside the building at 5076 W Pico Blvd (near La Brea) and no injuries have been reported. A total of 101 firemen were on scene and surrounding buildings were not damaged. more ›

Liquid Kitty's annual punk rock BBQs have been such a success, this Sunday they are hosting a special Winter BBQ. What better to chase away the rain than with colorful drinks and hard-core thrash? Some dogs on the grill? Done! And all for the low, low, price of FREE. more ›

John O'Groats is an inconspicuous little breakfast and lunch joint on Pico Blvd, near Westside Pavilion. There's a blue awning and a container of coffee outside -- to keep you awake while you wait for a seat. Alas, I can't vouch for the quality of the coffee, because we were seated promptly. more ›

7 pm // Santa Monica Bar and Grille // 3321 Pico Blvd., Los Angeles // $40 at the door. more ›

UPDATE, 6:01 P.M.: The search continues, residents who live within the area still cannot get into their homes. more ›

With just about a month left in the exhibit, artists Gary Baseman, Tim Biskup, and Simone Legno will be gathering for a discussion about the work of Takashi Murakami at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA. The event, called Pervasive Persuasion, is a panel-style talk moderated by Eric Nakamura, publisher and co-editor of Giant Robot, and will include thoughts on "how and why artists in Los Angeles are blurring the lines of media to spread their ideas beyond museum walls." The evening will end with the opportunity for the audience to participate in a collaborative painting with the artists and a enjoy unique performance art experience by Oguri. more ›

So many events, so little time. Concete Frequency's latest installment is tonight and there's always Disney on Ice (skaters, not Walt), but here's a sampling of the other good stuff to be done in LA tonight. more ›

For those of us not stuck on the 15 to Vegas, here's what's going on around town tonight: more ›

photo by gotomattex via flickr more ›

We told you they were coming to speak on global warming, now here's what happened at yesterday's Presidential Forum in West LA. For the second time this month, fire officials are preparing for more wildfires as dry winds approach. Mission Viejo in Orange County is dubbed safest city in America. Sorry Detroit, you're back at the bottom of this list. However, these numbers came from a private research group and people, including the FBI,... more ›

Liquid Kitty's 11th Annual Halloween Bash Saturday, Oct 27th 6pm-2am 11780 W. Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90064 (Between Bundy and Barrington) 310-473-3707 Come celebrate Halloween in style with the strongest drinks and one of the best DJs in town. Costume contests. Blue Mask Halloween Party Saturday Oct 27th Doors at 9pm At Mr. T’s Bowl (5621 ½ Figueroa, Highland Park, Ca. 323-256-7561) With: Backbiter Thrills and chills in Highland Park with The Motorcycle... more ›

Well known for their masterful tango bowing and plucking skills, Quartet San Francisco will be making their Los Angeles entrada this Friday at Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz, a non-profit theatre run by Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles, a bilingual school that has seen actresses such as Jodie Foster, Claire Danes, Shannon Doherty and others pass through. The school's Theatre, which has a regular season that begins this Friday, is dedicated to French and international... more ›

The festival kicks off this morning with a director's coffee talk at the Landmark. Scheduled panelists include moderator James Mangold, Paul Haggis and the next Bond director Marc Forster. Tickets are $11. The big event today (and it's free!) starts at noon and runs until 6:00 p.m. at the Landmark Regent Theater. It's Live Earth Day: A Celebration of Earth and includes 50 short films commissioned by SOS-Live Earth. Some of the filmmakers who've contributed are Roman Coppola, Rob Reiner, Chad Lowe, Casey Affleck and Madonna (Madonna?). If you can't attend the afternoon showings, another free Live Earth program kicks off at 8:30 p.m. at the Festival Promenade on Broxton. more ›

I'm standing on a side street off Pico Blvd and a black SUV swerves out of nowhere and comes to a screeching halt on the sidewalk. Two men jump out clad in black with machine guns. They begin to talk intensely, officially: 1: Weve made our entrance into the area. 2: Thats a roger by my coordinates Then above us on the roof, we hear a voice and all look up fast. 3: Check... more ›

Need a one-stop shop for all things fashion? Look no further than Intuition, located at 10581 West Pico Blvd. more ›

photo by hexod.us via Flickr. more ›

This administration has seen its highs and lows. It was wrong about Saddam having WMDs, it can't seem to find Bin Laden, billions of dollars are unaccounted for in Iraq, some of our military have been accused of torturing prisoners, the CIA was found to have secret prisons, the President continues to want to spy on US phone calls without a warrant, the Vice President's office was caught revealing the name of a covert... more ›

The only thing better than watching Ann-Margret shake it on a big screen is watching Elvis race cars and dance about it. Oh how I wish I could see both things. At the same time. For FREE. Right now. If you too suffered from a day devoid of psychedelic gyration and 10 essential vitamins and minerals, IMMEDIATELY follow these 4 steps, and may all your dreams come true. 1. Go to your closet and... more ›

Halloween always means three things. Costumes, candy, and pumpkins. And what better way to enjoy a pumpkin than baked up in a delicious pie? Once you carve the guts out of those suckers, you gotta do something with 'em. And we advocate eating those guts, preferably with a big scoop of whipped cream and/or vanilla ice cream. more ›

A police raid on a massage parlor in the Pico Neighborhood resulted in two employees being charged with prostitution. more ›

The building, portions of which collapsed, was empty when the fire began, he said. more ›