Kristen

A new court ruling indicates the city and Target can turn this sad, blighty corner into a functioning Target

Could the half-built Hollywood Target finally be finished? A court ruling issued today sided with the city against neighborhood groups that sought to stop the project, and paves the way for the retail development to start construction again.

Judges for the Second Appellate District Court of Appeals today reversed an earlier ruling from the Los Angeles County Superior Court, which found that the city did not fully study the effects of new zoning rules created to make the 74-foot-tall Target allowable on a site where the height limit had previously been 35 feet.

In a hearing for the case on Tuesday, attorney Robert Silverstein argued something along those lines on behalf of the La Mirada Neighborhood Association.

Silverstein said the city’s new rules created “an opportunity” for more tall developments like the Target to be built in the neighborhood, and that the city was “actively pursuing” those types of projects. If that were true, the new zoning rules should have been subject to their own, additional environmental review, Silverstein said.

But in his written judgment on the case, Court of Appeals Judge Brian Hoffstadt found that the city complied with laws and regulations when it examined the effects the taller Target store would have on the neighborhood.

Hoffstadt noted there was “substantial evidence” supporting the city’s claim that the change to the zoning code that permitted the store to be taller than normally allowed “would not have any reasonably foreseeable environmental consequences” for the neighborhood beyond the Target itself.

The saga of the Target goes back to 2012, when the the La Mirada Neighborhood Association (again, represented by Silverstein) sued the city for building a 74-foot-tall Target on a site where heights were supposed to be capped at 35 feet tall. A judge agreed, causing construction to stop on the development, and creating the husk visible at the property today.

Then in 2016, the City Council decide to alter height limits for projects in a segment of the neighborhood that included the Target project site, a move that, in theory, made the building’s height permissible.

But then the La Mirada group disagreed and sued again—successfully. The ruling of the judge who found in favor of the association was reversed today.

Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell, whose district includes the Target site, said in a statement today that the ruling was a win for everyone, including local residents who would “soon have visual relief from the blight” of the incomplete project.

“With this path forward, we can complete the project and bring this long, unfortunate saga to a close,” O’ Farrell said.

Robert Silverstein and the city attorney’s offices have not been returned messages seeking comment.

• Future of Hollywood Target still uncertain after latest court ruling [Curbed LA]
• Work Will Start Again on the Half-Built Hollywood Target [Curbed LA]

As Jemaine Clement teased at the very beginning of the year, Flight Of The Conchords really is returning to HBO later this year for an hour-long special with him and Bret McKenzie. The duo confirmed the return in a predictably low-key and jokey teaser video, which features the two of them deciding which of them is…

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The Griffin in Atwater Village is under fire for how they handled things

Atwater Village bar The Griffin is under fire for an incident involving well-known far right men’s group the Proud Boys over the weekend. The Los Feliz Boulevard watering hole was reportedly the site of a local Proud Boys chapter meet-up on Saturday night, but things escalated quickly when protesters against the group arrived. Someone called the police when a verbal and physical fight broke out, and now The Griffin is dealing with the fallout from it all.

On Saturday night a group of just less than ten Proud Boys members showed up to The Griffin unannounced, and word of their presence quickly broke on social media. A counter-group soon gathered at the bar, with the intent of getting the Proud Boys kicked out entirely. Instead, bar employees at several points seemed to defend the presence of the “Make America Great Again”-hat wearing group, with one bouncer reportedly saying “the only color I see is green,” indicating that anyone was welcome as long as they spend money.

LA Taco has a thorough collection of details and social media posts along with video from the incident. They spoke with LAPD officer Rosario Herrera who confirmed that a scuffle took place at The Griffin, adding that the police didn’t arrest anyone.

Comedian Josh Androsky, who was at the bar during the incident, shared one particularly prominent video (below) that showed one of the Proud Boys in a heated argument outside. The unnamed man attempts to argue that white people — in this case, the Irish — have also been historically persecuted and subjected to slavery. This is a commonly debunked refrain among far-right groups.

For hours after the incident, The Griffin offered no comment on the Saturday night scuffle, even as users on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook lambasted the company and called for a total boycott. There is currently an “active cleanup alert” on the bar’s Yelp page after a deluge of one-star reviews flooded in. Eventually ownership posted a lengthy note to its own social media, saying in part:

I’m Jewish and finding out that my bar was overrun by a hate group has had a legitimate emotional impact on me and has made it hard for me to function. Neither I nor my business partner support any Nazi or white supremacist groups and this is not a Nazi bar. We didn’t have any advance notice that they would be showing up, this wasn’t a meeting that was supported or condoned.

The post goes on to apologize for not having a plan in place to deal with such incidents, while acknowledging that the Proud Boys were allowed to stay in the bar even after employees notified management of their presence:

Many still found fault with that statement, saying the well-known group should have been immediately barred from The Griffin because of their hateful rhetoric and penchant for violence. The Griffin then announced that they would be closed on Sunday because of the incident, and that they would be posting “no tolerance” signs at the front door to advise patrons that the company does not tolerate discrimination of any kind. Eater reached out to The Griffin to find out what further steps the bar may be taking, but so far has not heard back.

This isn’t the first time the Proud Boys have made their way to the heart of Los Angeles to stir up trouble. The group also held a meet-up last month at Highland Park Brewery, forcing co-owner Bob Kunz to disavow the group after LA Taco broke the news.

• Trump Officials Don’t Deserve Hospitality [E]

There’s a tasty (and crispy!) celebration happening at Disneyland Resort this weekend, and you won’t want to miss it! In honor of National Fried Chicken Day on July 6, come on out and chow down on some delicious fried chicken for the inaugural Fried Chicken Celebration, taking place July 6-8. Fried Chicken can be found in two locations at the Disneyland Resort: Plaza Inn at Disneyland park and Flo’s V8 Café in Disney California Adventure park. Both restaurants are fan-favorite dining experiences, serving their unique take on this all-American specialty!

So how do our chefs create these mouthwatering fried chicken dishes? Check out the video below to find out!

Join us throughout this summer—and especially July 6-8 in honor of National Fried Chicken Day—as we celebrate our favorite fried poultry dishes. What’s your favorite spot to enjoy fried chicken? Follow along and join the social media conversation using #FriedChickenCelebration.

In this post: Bahamian Mac and Cheese

Johnnycakes

Bahamian rum cake

I was excited when the random country generator picked the Bahamas, mainly because I misread it as THE BAHA MEN.

come on everybody, sing along, u know the words!

Difficult to pick fishes from this area. That was a genuine phone typo for “dishes,” but a happy accident, because everything in the effing Bahamas is seafood. So ladies and gentlemen, here is the vegetarian option from the Bahamen!

Bahamian mac and cheese is basically mac and cheese with some veggies chopped into it, and then cooked until you can slice it into bricks. I made the mistake of saying “WELL THIS DOESNT SEEM VERY CULTURALLY RELEVANT” and getting hit across the head by Rachel, who does all of the research on this stuff. Anyway, doubt it all you want: Bahamian macaroni and cheese isn’t just the title some schmo gave on a Cooks dot com recipe, but also something with a cultural tie to the Bahamas as evidenced by Tru Bahamian Food Tours Dot Com! English traditions filtering into the island nations etc etc.

I’m pleased to announce that it’s good as hell!

As a side dish, johnny cakes! Best known in America for that mention in one episode of the Simpsons, these are very simple, and very similar to biscuits in both ingredients and technique. Cold chopped butter, a little hand kneading, and baking. A bit sweeter than biscuits, and cooked as a big block (although certainly these could be portioned before baking).

Ugly by design, works for me

I could have baked these a little longer. I didn’t want them to get too dry, but the middle part had a thin band of doughy/gummy undercooked stuff in the middle. Still tasted great.

So this is the meal, you shits. Bahamian mac and cheese and Bahamian johnny cakes. Suggested wine pairing: Diet Mt. Dew.

For dessert, Bahamian rum cake! I don’t drink, so this recipe caused me to go into the liquor store and feel like a naughty little boy. I usually keep rum in the baking cabinet (I use, like, a tablespoon or two over the holidays every year in pies), but this cake calls for like two cups and a designated driver. Twenty dollars for a bottle of rum!!!! The extra large soda I grabbed at Sheetz while I was out was a buck twenty nine, and it had more liquid!

I’m going to steal a term from those creepy internet pizza blogger assholes: here is the “upskirt.” Gross!

Anyway, it’s a rum-flavored bundt cake with a strong butter rum glaze. It was real good. I took the rest into work but probably ate most of it myself anyway.

As you can see, my running headphones are pink and my counters need a wipedown.

In conclusion, the Bahamen is a country of something.

Rachel is really enjoying learning about all of the countries and making a traveling list. I’m really enjoying making and eating food. My kid is really enjoying Mickey Mouse these days.

Next up: another country I wouldn’t be able to find on a map. Thanks for stopping by, dickwads!

“Together Forever – A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular” is lighting up the evening skies above Disneyland park during the first-ever Pixar Fest.

Celebrating the heart of Pixar, this all-new nighttime spectacular takes guests on an emotional journey of friendship with their favorite Pixar pals. Dazzling pyrotechnics, immersive projections, colorful lasers and memorable music are part of the storytelling in this unique multimedia show.

One unique aspect is that you can experience “Together Forever” from different viewing areas throughout Disneyland park. Watch from Sleeping Beauty Castle, ‘it’s a small world,’ Rivers of America or Main Street, U.S.A. for a different perspective of the multimedia spectacular!

Join us as we celebrate Pixar Fest, from now through September 3 at the Disneyland Resort.

Hello, and welcome back to Vintage Cocktail Friday! Quite possibly the most requested and least posted blog posts on this blog! Sorry about that. This year has been kind of crazy and we just haven’t had time to post the cocktails we are drinking. Plus, it’s hard to take pictures of cocktails if you drink them too fast. But I am going to to better, promise.

In any case, back to the drinks.

This is Tom Girl!

This is another recipe from the very excellent 2 in 1 International Recipe Card Collection (affiliate link). Of all my cocktail recipe collections, this is one of my favorites. It not only has interesting and varied cocktails, but lots of fun vintage recipes to go with them.

But you can’t just run off and mix tomato juice and just any beer. And so it’s one of Tom’s favorites, PBR.

And a half a tablespoon of bitters.

Here we go. Half a tablespoon. For one drink. Here we go.

Here we go.

Fancy pinky.

“So, how is it?”

“That’s an…odd flavor.”

“Is it bad?”

“I…don’t think so. It’s hard to explain. Sort of meaty. Also, I think my mouth is getting numb. I’m not going to be able to taste anything for the rest of the night.”

The Verdict: Bitters

From The Tasting Notes –

This was an interesting one. It wasn’t bad, but the flavor was a little crazy. You could very much taste the bitters. The lemon was essential to the drink. Without the lemon, it would be undrinkable. If you are from Wisconsin, the taste of this was sort of like drinking your beer chaser at the same time as your bloody mary. If you are going to make this, make sure you use a light beer. If you are going to use a dark beer, you need to cut back on the bitters. Or leave them out entirely.

The Atwater Village favorite now keeps the lights on until 8 p.m. on weeknights now

After 25 years of servicing passersby along Glendale Boulevard in Atwater Village, Tacos Villa Corona is ready to switch things up, adding new evening hours for the first time in the restaurant’s history. The massively popular weekend burrito shop is now doing weeknight food in addition to its usual breakfast and lunch routine, running until 8 p.m.

The 200-square-foot takeaway restaurant first hinted at the possibility of expanding its hours for the first time since opening in 1993, dropping a tweet (yes, Tacos Villa Corona is on Twitter) to all of its 145 followers earlier this week. Passing by last night, Eater found co-owner David Flores, who runs the restaurant along with his mother Maria and sister Felicia, still working the front ordering window. He confirmed that Tacos Villa Corona has indeed been experimenting with longer hours, and that if anything it’s something he felt they should have been doing long ago.

Flores usually gets to the tiny storefront around 3 a.m. every day to do prep work, but had been switching things up and coming in around 5 a.m. instead, leaving prep work until after closing at 2 p.m. Eventually Flores decided that since he was still inside the restaurant anyway, he might as well serve customers who passed by and wanted some food, and the exploration into longer hours grew from there. Now Tacos Villa Corona is doing hours Tuesday through Friday until 8 p.m., but will still close at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday because they usually sell out anyway.

Farley Elliott

For those unfamiliar, Tacos Villa Corona is among the most well-known burrito restaurants in all of Los Angeles. Long lines queue up on weekend mornings for the cash-only spot’s famous breakfast burritos, though they also do brisk weekday business with their lunch (and now dinner) menu as well, which includes $5 burritos, nachos, and more. While Tacos Villa Corona has long been a staple for the greater Eastside, it really blew up seven years ago when Anthony Bourdain stopped in while filming an episode of his travel show The Layover.

Tacos Villa Corona
3185 Glendale Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA

• 20 Essential Breakfast Burritos in Los Angeles, Winter 2018 [ELA]

Built in 1911

This Pasadena Craftsman was built in 1911, but sports an airy interior that’s been carefully updated in recent years.

Sitting on a 7,810-square-foot lot, the house is fronted by a grassy lawn and a covered front porch. In the back is a sizable deck and adjoining patio, along with a landscaped yard and a detached garage that includes space for an office.

On the inside of the 1,786-square-foot residence are three bedrooms and one and a half bathrooms. Interior features include built-in shelving and bench seating, hardwood and tile floors, divided light windows, and a large stone fireplace in the living room. There’s also a formal dining room and a spacious kitchen equipped with an eight-burner gas stove.

As an added bonus, the home, which looks every bit the part of a classic Pasadena bungalow from the exterior, is eligible for preservation-related tax breaks under California’s Mills Act.

Asking price is $799,000.

• 1080 N Marengo Ave [Ted Clark, Heather Lillard | Pacific Union International]

Taking a screengrab of a section in a book and posting it on Twitter has become a common way to point out problematic sentences in literature. It’s what sparked the Ready Player One backlash. Now people—mainly women—are taking that criticism a step further by writing parodies of how a male author would describe them.

It all started last week when writer Gwen C. Katz tweeted a cringe-inducing passage from a male author. This is how he wrote from a woman’s perspective: “I sauntered over, certain he noticed me. I’m hard to miss, I’d like to think—a little tall (but not too tall), a nice set of curves if I do say so myself, pants so impossibly tight that if I had had a credit card in my back pocket you could read the expiration date. The rest of my outfit wasn’t that remarkable, just a few old things I had lying around. You know how it is.”

A male author is insisting that he is living proof that it's possible for a male author to write an authentic female protagonist.

Here's a quote from his first page. pic.twitter.com/f6d5bN2EHq

— Gwen C. Katz (@gwenckatz) March 30, 2018

That’s exactly how all women think, right?? Yeah, not even close. The man in question was apparently trying to prove that men can write from a woman’s perspective in fiction. Katz followed up with a tweet saying that she thinks men “can absolutely write realistic female narrators.” But, clearly, this author needed some feedback from actual women.

Personally, I think men can absolutely write realistic female narrators.

But if you dismiss out of hand the value of personal experience by proclaiming that your writing proves it isn't necessary, then you haven't done it.

— Gwen C. Katz (@gwenckatz) March 30, 2018

The author’s passage was mocked on Twitter over the weekend. And that’s when Whit Reynolds decided to come up with a Twitter challenge: “describe yourself like a male author would.”

new twitter challenge: describe yourself like a male author would

— Jonathan Franzia (@whitneyarner) April 1, 2018

The tweet went viral as many women wrote funny descriptions of themselves to mimic the way that the male author described his protagonist.

She was forty but could have passed for a year younger with soft lipstick and some gentle mascara. Her dress clung to the curves of her bosom which was cupped by her bra that was under it, but over the breasts that were naked inside her clothes. She had a personality and eyes. https://t.co/o9UJ5QcrQM

— Jane Casey (@JaneCaseyAuthor) April 1, 2018

I had big honking teeters, just enormous bosoms, and I thought about them constantly as I walked down the street, using my legs (thick, with big shapely calves), but never not thinking about my enormo honkers, https://t.co/UaCQBchchL

— Talia Lavin (@chick_in_kiev) April 1, 2018

No male author has ever written an attractive fat woman in her twenties who loves life so I wouldn’t even know where to start tbh. https://t.co/sCgNL6pCG1

— Bert (@bethanyrutter) April 2, 2018

She smiled, but I could see the sadness in her exotic almond-shaped eyes. Her scarf was made of light cotton, but the weight of oppression that came with it kept her head bowed in submission. I dreamed about ripping it off, letting her dark hair tumble free over her booby breasts https://t.co/gV4J3rfwXy

— Hanna Alkaf (@yesitshanna) April 1, 2018

“Ni hao!!” I yelled at the slight girl across the street; she whipped around, glaring at me with exotic almond eyes as I called to her in the unmistakable voice of her ancestors. https://t.co/8jVCl7mfon

— shing yin khor (@sawdustbear) April 2, 2018

As she moved her strong cocoa body gleamed as if calling to the country of Africa. Her chocolate waist moved like an alluring siren calling me to crash on the rocks of her brown buttocks. https://t.co/eY08cAprM1

— Kelechi Okafor (@kelechnekoff) April 2, 2018

Her breasts entered the room before her far less interesting face, decidedly maternal hips and rounded thighs. He found her voice unpleasantly audible. As his gaze dropped from her mouth (still talking!) to her cleavage, he wondered why feminists were so angry all the time. https://t.co/YtsZENYsgS

— Jennifer Weiner (@jenniferweiner) April 2, 2018

Her body was an hourglass meant for taking his time, but her mohawk concerned him. She had a lesbian look, & too many tattoos, in languages he couldn't pronounce. Still, she'd written a stack of books. It was time for him to weigh in with his high school knowledge of Beowulf. https://t.co/26HNfX7n6Q

— Maria DahvanaHeadley (@MARIADAHVANA) April 2, 2018

Hopefully, the man in question (and other authors) learned from this Twitter thread what not to do when describing a woman in fiction. As writer Kate Leth said in a tweet, don’t be scared about writing female characters, just “treat us like people.”

Every dude who has responded to this thread with “this makes me scared to write women” — stop it, cut it out, nobody cares, just treat us like people. https://t.co/zJyp8I7Lss

— Kate Leth (@kateleth) April 2, 2018

The post ‘Describe yourself like a male author would’ becomes a hilarious Twitter challenge appeared first on .

The two-story Electric Pussycat officially opens next month

There’s a funky new pop-up bar happening in Glendale, and it’s got the look and feel of a real-life recreation of all things Austin Powers. But unlike other high-density throwback theme bars found mostly in and around Hollywood, this new spot — called Electric Pussycat, naturally — is tucked away in a two-story bank building next to a men’s clothing store.

Los Angeles Magazine was the first to report on the new bar, which has been doing some small opening nights in anticipation of a grand reveal come April 14. Electric Pussycat is the work of the same team behind several of those come-and-go Hollywood nostalgia bar pop-ups, including Beetle House (Tim Burton themed, naturally) and the short-lived Anchorman bar called Stay Classy. As those slightly off-brand names might imply, none of these bars are actually sanctioned by the Hollywood rights-holders, but play on the fuzzy warmth of pop culture familiarity with costumes, fun drink names, some light food, and lots of kitsch.

In the case of Electric Pussycat, the former 103 Lounge on Broadway has been transformed into a mod cocktail bar with neon lighting, swinging clear plastic lounge chairs, hanging beads, and disco-style light-up flooring. The bar has also hired at least one Austin Powers impersonator and a slew of women to play Fembots, the sexualized robots from the films. The result is a drinks-fueled pop culture escapade buffeted by scantily-clad women dancing on stage and being paid to talk to people at the bar. Yes, there is also a dance pole in the middle of the room.

On the food and drink side, expect plays on the movie’s most popular names and tropes. There’s a cocktail called the Phat Bastard, plus bar staples like grilled cheese sandwiches. Electric Pussycat opens on April 14.

Electric Pussycat
103 E. Broadway
Glendale, CA

• Replica Restaurant Saved By the Max Surfs Into West Hollywood on May 1 [ELA]