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South in Santa Monica: Good Times
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 four men who you may recognize from Qs: Philip, Adam, Robyn and Chris (those bartenders that the ladies used to lust over at that bar up the street). The owners personally have their roots in the south and decided to open a bar that reflects their southern charm. So besides being incredibly friendly and hospitable, they also serve some impressive southern treats: fried green tomatoes, hush puppies, voodoo shrimp, po' boys, crawfish etouffee, jumbalaya, it's all there waiting to be eaten. And it's damn good (see below).
Of course, what you're all waiting for: was it full of douchebags? As far as I could tell through my mint julep goggles, no it wasn't. There seemed to be a nice mix of professionals, UCLA kids, bratty divas, and random drunkards with cameras like myself. The DJ was spinning some 80's stuff that excited most people there, which leads me to believe the crowd was actually over 24 years old (I didn't hear anyone say, "I don't know this, was this before I was born?"). We had a great time. Everyone was drinking and hugging. Adam and Philip served us well. Some of my friends learned firsthand that they keep their bathroom floors very clean. All in all, a successful night.
(We may hit up South for one of the Lakers playoffs games, iso I will be able to report back to you on the douchebag factor. Stay tuned.)
South
www.southsantamonica.com
3001 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA
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Other tidbits: There is valet parking, and lots of taxis around the corner if you've had one too many lynchburg lemonades. There's outdoor seating on a nice patio that has heat lamps. There are private rooms that I will likely never be invited into. Happy hour is Mon-Fri fron 5pm-8pm.
all photos by malingering
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