Tapas and Wine Bar C
428 East 2nd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 628-8877
Hours: 6:00 PM-2:00AM

GOOGLE MAP

A little place that I never would have heard of, but would certainly have been interested in seeing at least once, but luckily two of my friends took me there one night. This strange little wine bar is located on the southeast of 2nd, in a little mall with parking, though it will likely be full up, but there are various places to park in Little Tokyo.

Now for what makes this place special. It does have food, though we didn't try it, but it is mostly a wine bar (though they have mixed drinks and beer) with a huge selection, including most that can be had by the glass, but what makes it really special, is that the Japanese waitresses all dress in French Maid outfits. Yes you heard that right, FRENCH MAID OUTFITS!

1858 N. Vermont Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 663-1178
Sun-Thu 11AM-11PM, Fri-Sat 11AM-1AM

GOOGLE MAP

An excellent family style Italian restaurant with decent food and incredibly good service. After 7 PM you get free slices of their excellent Italian style pizza, and if you have to wait in line you can get cups of house wine for $1.50. They know how to make waiting kind, and they have a little store with Wine and Italian Sundries. The decor is homy, with a great painting on the wall, though the neon does make it not quite like home.

K&L Wine Merchants
1400 Vine Street
Hollywood, CA 90028
(323) 464-WINE (9463)
Hours: Mon-Sat from 10am to 8pm, Sunday from 11am to 6pm.

GOOGLE MAP

My girlfriend and I had seen this place when they bought it, and that it was opening as we left the Arclight theaters each time, and had been excited to see it open, and even tried it on the first day. In fact I have been meaning to blog about it for sometime, but just never got around to it (though I did post about some of the wine I got there). This place is fantastic, with a knowledgeable staff, a huge selection, really good prices, and inexpensive wine tastings. Hollywood has really needed someplace like this for sometime, and I am so happy it is here now. Not only that, but the place was recently listed as one of the 10 best online retailers in Food and Wine magazine (June 2007), and is known for it's 2 excellent stores in Northern California, so you can't go wrong shopping here.

1915 N. Bronson Ave

Los Angeles, CA 90068-5601

(3230 464-0275

GOOGLE MAP

This place is at the corner of Franklin and Tamarind Ave, and has a liquor store that makes great (if expensive) sandwiches, and is also a restaurant next door with again delicious sandwiches, though the prices are way too high. You have to experience the food though, it is pretty damn good, and the sandwiches are huge (though they should be from $10 to $15).

Of late I have become a big fan of Sauvingon Blanc's, for the fruity flavors, and lack of wood flavor. I had read about this wine in FODD AND WINE magazine, so I wanted to give it a try. This is a dry wine, but still with some enjoyable fruity flavors.

The second bottle we picked up at our new wine store was an Austrian wine, since Kelly's sister Chelsea is a lover of Austrian wine from her trip to Europe. We were told this was similar to savignon blanc, which is a personal favorite, though I found it nothing of the sort. It seemed to have much more cabernet characteristics. I enjoyed it, but was hoping for more fruit flavor. Interestingly this comes in a 1 liter bottle.

A new wine store opened near my house, and as soon as we saw it open my girlfriend and I decided to check it out, and we were quite happy with it, and will be returning soon, so we got a few bottles. This was the first we tried. I have had the Sofia 2004 while in Napa at the Coppola winery and it was my favorite of his wines, so I thought we should try the 2005, and I was not at all disappointed. This is an excellent sparkling wine, and well worth tasting.

A delicious Champagne in a distinctive orange label, this is a label that has been around since 1772. Less expensive than some fine champagne's, this is still an excellent champagne, especially for the price. You will not be disappointed by the fine taste and excellent aroma.