The month was April. The city, LA. The weekend, short but the drinks most certainly tall. Needless to say, eating and drinking were of highest priority. Here’s a rundown of the latter:
A perfect spot for happy hour – 2 for 1 drinks or 36oz. Patron mega margaritas. We opted for the mega. Go big or go home, right? Margaritas were good, crowd was rowdy, an entertaining night indeed.
It was a different experience than Cabo Cantina but a welcomed change in scenery. Scoring seats in the lounge we ordered off the cocktail menu. Intrigued by the muddled grapes, I started with a Sun Goddess (Belvedere Vodka, Lillet, Lemon juice, Simple Syrup, Mint and Muddled Grapes). Determined to keep “sampling” the menu (a decision I’d regret in the morning) I ordered a Mediterra (Vodka, Honey Syrup and Fresh Fig Purée). Can’t say I was a big fan of the fig, but I definitely enjoyed the honey flavor. By round three, it was gin time and I just couldn’t say no to the Ginger Rogers (Gin, Apple Liqueur, Fresh Lemon & Orange Juice, muddled with ginger root and sugar). Fantastic. If allowed round four, I would’ve ordered another Ginger Rogers and once again toasted to Belushi.
Patrick Molloys & Hennesey’s Tavern
Stopped in Hermosa Beach on a beautiful sunny Saturday where we enjoyed hibiscus (cranberry and champagne) at Patrick Molloys and mimosas at Hennessey’s Tavern. It was Spyder’s Surf Fest so the bottomless mimosas came in handy as we sat Oceanside and listened to live bands all day. A lifestyle I could get used to.
The Beanery called for not one stop, but two. We headed into the WeHo location on a Saturday night. Dabbled in their enormous draft beer selection and hustled some new friends in basketball arcade. The hustling stopped when we played Ricardo. He works there. He plays blindfolded and still puts up scores in the 300’s. He holds the record for 600. Clearly, it’s Ricardo’s House:
The second Beanery stop was in Santa Monica. It was a Sunday afternoon and the giant TV’s were calling our name. Got prime seating at the bar. Not in a stool or a chair but a cushioned love seat. Which makes us think all bar seating should be lazy-boy inspired. I ordered a Blue Moon on draft but was given the bartenders “special version”, with a splash of Chambord. A raspberry Blue Moon more or less. I’ll never order it without the splash again.
Enjoyed more giant margaritas at Mariasol’s on the Santa Monica Pier. It was warming up and since the sun was beating down on our roofdeck seats, I opted for a frozen.
For you LA natives, I’m sure the above isn’t new news. But for those of you who aren’t local, I recommend you check these places out. Tell them DIA sent you. It won’t get you anywhere but it’d be cool that you gave us a mention. We’re shameless, we know.
Cheers.