Cheap Eats; or, My New Favorite Restaurant/Bars That I Would Still Go To No Matter The Cost

Santa Monica

• Anisette - great food, wine, cocktails, but I love it for the decor and the nice feeling of sipping a glass of wine at the bar. Cute waiters, too.
• Bodega - $20 bottle of wine Tuesdays, and they just added a beet salad to the menu that I LOVE. Relaxed, unpretentious.

Downtown

• Cole's - even though it's a little far from Malibu, my friend and I are now regulars at Varnish, the speakeasy in the back. Cole's, though, should not be overlooked as a bar in its own right. Yes, everyone knows about the French Dip, but did you know about their extensive collection of gins and lagers? Further, there is nothing better anywhere than the baked mac and cheese and it's super cheap... like $3. Usually good music playing, too. And none of that West Hollywood riff raff. (Except maybe on Saturday's... but I don't go out then anyway anymore)

Silver Lake

• Malo - $1 tacos on Mondays, fantastic margaritas (not so cheap), and the CHEWY CHIPS!!!! ahhhhhh! More of a hipster crowd, I guess, but nobody's keeping track.

Downtown? Check this out

MOCA's Dan Graham: Beyond is a great show worth checking out. It's Graham's first American retrospective and really quite expansive.

I attended the opening on Valentine's Day and it was a great turnout! Lots of people came out to see the art, see Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore perfom with Mirror/Dash and mingle with the beauties who came out to celebrate a break in the rain!

It was so packed that my friend and I want to go back to actually see more of the show. Graham's art placements in magazines were hilarious and I loved his translucent mirror pieces.

While you're downtown, snag a seat at Cole's for their famous French dip or else slide into a red leather booth at HMS Bounty - if only to play Lionel Ritchie's "All Night Long" on the jukebox.

-MOCA Grand Avenue-