Sunday, June 29, 2008

Late Night Bars

Ever been out to dinner and you want to go somewhere else for a drink, maybe some music or entertainment, but made no plans and have no ideas where?

Liquid Kitty is a small hole in the wall bar that is probably best known as the setting for numerous TV episodes. If you drink, their martinis are better than average, and if you don't drink, you can sip a soda as you listen to the DJ spin dance worthy tunes into the night. If you are lucky, you may find live music, karaoke, or if you go Wednesday night, bring your iPod and you could play DJ that night! This is definitely a 20-30's crowd, but if you're over 40 and cool, you will be comfortable with the slightly seedy vibe.

Plan B offers very decent food with bikini dancers until 2am, so if you skipped dinner and find yourself hungry at midnight this truly is a good Plan B to a 24 hour mediocre breakfast diner. I've gone with male friends and felt perfectly comfortable and welcome as a female customer in what could be described as a bikini bar (in the 60's it would have been called a go-go bar). Most of the dancers are college students from the nearby UCLA campus and because they are clothed, there is a sexy, not skanky, vibe to the place. I was also very surprised by both the service and the menu. I had a napoleon of wild mushrooms and a delicious jumbo shrimp cocktail that were both worthy of a restaurant here. If you haven't eaten dinner, you can have it here, whether you want a marinated swordfish with tomato aioli or a broiled filet mignon with spinach, green beans, potatoes gratin, and either sauteed mushrooms or a gorgonzola sauce. Their prices are very reasonable (like $28 for surf and turf); and they even have a decent wine list (but order a cocktail, it just isn't a wine bar kind of atmosphere here).

The night is young, go out after dinner!