The best (non-happy hour) drink special in Weho

Getting drinks on a Saturday night in Los Angeles can be expensive., especially if you're looking to get a decent amount of alcohol in your system. At the trendy joints in Hollywood or DTLA a dose of "mixology"" containing an array of different fruit juices, spices and only a measly bit of tequila can run well over 15 dollars.

If you are out on Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood however and see a vintage yellow or green trolley bus, hail it down (as I always do). The free municipal shuttle service (which runs from La Brea to Doheny) offers a shiny promotional card that includes three bargain drink deals.

Those on a tight shoestring can nick a generous "shot" of well whiskey or vodka at Fubar for just a dollar: the juice can certainly get you buzzed but is hardly better than the store-brand handles you once chugged at Tau Delta Frat parties.

 You get a far better bargain, in my view, with the half-price drink deals at Harlowe and the Formosa Cafe.

At the former bar, this means you can choose from a list of properly garnished craft cocktails curated by New York bartender Dushan Zaric, for a price range of 6 to 8 dollars, sans happy hour (Harlowe does an especially good job at classic whiskey drinks, like the Old Fashioned and Sazerac).

At the latter, you can enjoy one from a selection of surprisingly stiff classic cocktails, and a few tiki style drinks (in keeping with the bar's kitschy East Asian theme), for only $5.50 (11$ regular price). Formosa's Singapore Sling contains enough of the good stuff to knock you out for the night, if you are really looking to save.

For a discount pub crawl, hit up both Harlowe and Formosa or even add Fubar to the mix. You can down three cocktails for the price of one if you want to go crazy (though beware of consuming anything with the Singapore Sling) or alternate between a shot (at Fubar), cocktail (at Harlowe) and beer (Formosa has a great craft beer selection)--with similar savings--if you just want to relax.

As you use up discounts, the question will dawn: "where next?"

If you're visiting from out of town want to party big with the "industry" crowd (as well as the random D-List celebrity), you're within a mile of the Hollywood club scene. Harlowe does get some of the Hollywood club type later in the night as well--if you don't want to travel.

If you've had your share of alcohol and want to go crazy without the bombast (as I prefer), the New Orleans dance hall set-up at Sassafras (with its following of laid-back twenty-somethings) and the alt-rock performances at Harvard and Stone are each less than a 5-dollar uber journey away.

Finally, if you just had one mule at Formosa Cafe and are simply looking to relax, have some deep thoughts or engage in intimate conversation (potentially with someone of the opposite sex), a twenty-minute ride on the eastbound 4 bus (which stops at the corner of Santa Monica and Formosa) will take you to Silver Lake's cozy 4100 Bar, once cited by LA Weekly as one of the best bars for "hooking up".

Regardless of what you do, you've saved a lot on booze. The night is young, and in your pocketbook (and not that of some celebrity bar-owner).

Pupusas and more at Atlacatl

Tonight I fell in love...with a pupusa.

I could have hardly seen it coming. My previous encounter with pupusas, at a Salvadorean restaurant in Washington D.C.,  had been unnerving, with my palate disturbed by the pungency of the cheese and the soggy texture of the masa dough.

As a result I stayed away from Pupusas on subsequent visits to Salvadorean eateries (even ones with names like "Sarita's Pupuseria").

Tonight, however, with my stomach rumbling on my ride home from the office (I had a long day), I decided to make a pit stop at Atlacatl, a Goldster-approved  Salvadorean joint that lay a block from where I have to transfer (on my journey between work and home) from the Red Line to the 14 Bus. Before I entered, I perused the online reviews to find out exactly what I should order and lo and behold, almost everyone (Gold included) mentioned the Pupusa...

"When you're in Rome, do as the Romans do." With this adage in the back of my head as I read through the menu, I took the bold step of ordering one Pupusa de Frijol . I also ordered a platter of Plaintains con Crema (Plaintains with refried beans and sour cream) and a side of rice, as security for the stomach should the pupusa turn out for the worst.

First came the rice and Plaintains with Cream. The Plaintains were saccharine, starchy with a slight exterior crispness from the frying, just like good Plaintains should be. The refried beans (that come with the plaintains) were a bit dry on their own, but I remedied this by mixing them with the tangy crema.

I had expected the side of rice--which cost only $1.75-- to come plain or have just a dash of seasoning (like Spanish Rice). But instead the restaurant serves it mixed (and presumably fried) with veggies. The flavor, hinting of onion and butter, hit the spot.

Finally, the waiter slapped down a decently-sized pupusa.

I first felt the disk with my hands: it was warm and crisp, rather than soggy.

Encouraged, I took a bite.

The Masa layer--firm but not thick--melted in my mouth, but the filling of beans stole the show. Earthy, salty and slightly umami the beans satisfied my tastebuds and stomach and accentuated the hearty indulgence of the warm masa (especially when dipped in the bean-cream mixture).

Rice and Plaintain con Crema at Atlacatl. Unfortunately, the author fell so madly in love with the Pupusa that he devoured her before he got the chance to snap a photo. A photo of a pupusa may appear on this page in the near future. 

Other reviewers heap praise on Atlacatl's Revuelta or Queso y Frijol Pupusas but the beans need no cheese. I'm sure Atlacatl makes better Revuelta or con Queso varieties than I ate in my previous experiences anyway, but given that the Cotija-type cheese standard in Mexican and Central American cooking is a bit sharp for me, I suspect that incorporating cheese would temper the experience from my perspective.

 Either way, I now know that I enjoy Pupusas when they are done right, and that Atlacatl has some superb cooks.

I will return.

Ta-em Grill (Thursday, July 14)

This homey Israeli restaurant greeted me with a whirlwind display of line cooks chopping cucumbers, slicing bread and ladeling sauces, when I entered the line to order. As usual, I took it as a good sign that the restaurant displayed its kitchen to the public, for it means that the joint has no shortcomings to hide. My tastebuds proved me correct in this regard. Since I was super-hungry and coming near the end of a long (and productive) workweek, I decided to splurge on the 12-dollar falafel plate, rather than getting a sandwich (I had heard from third-party sources that the falafel was amazing, so I didn't even consider shawarma). 

The first thing I noticed when my dish arrived at the table was not the plate but the basket of pita that accompanied it. I reached in, tore off a piece and took a bite: it was warm and fluffy, fresh from the oven (I've eaten fresh pita in Isrsel so I know home-made pita when I see it). 

I then set my eyes (and fork) on the plate. I scooped up some hummus and fell into a trance: it was savory and garlicky, heavier on the chickpeas than on the Tahini (meaning that it lacked the unpleasant pungency of the store-bought stuff). Next, I broke open a Falafel: crisp on the outside, soft (and warm) on the inside, brimming with the flavor of spices and garlic. Finally, I turned my attention to the creamy, light-colored salad on the plate of condiments the waiter brought to accompany my meal: my taste buds identified a tangy, spicy baba ghanoush (perfect for a summer's day). I even enjoyed the pickled beets and carrots (slightly sweet with a kick of spice) that accompany the baba than ghanoush. 

The best part was the generous size of the "plate". Devouring 2 pita, 8 nice-sized falafel balls and a massive dollop of the hummus (along with the baba ghanoush, pickles and salad), I left satiated and satisfied.