FREE L.A.: Knitting Factory Concerts

Things must be slow at Hollywood's Knitting Factory: the venue is passing out free pairs of tickets to upcoming shows. The catch? You gotta come by the box office on Monday between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Each show has a limit of 10 free pairs of tix; first come, first served. The shows:

JAN 16th - 1969 Tour with Myka Nine / Sole / Ceschi Ramos / Factor
JAN 17th - Bad Manners, Chase Long Beach
JAN 18th - Dwarves, The Uprising
JAN 21st - Peachcake / MC Lars / Get Back Loretta
JAN 22nd - Angel City Outcasts / Duane Peters Gunfight / Danko Jones / Prima Donna
JAN 23rd - Adolescents / The Crowd / White Flag / Los Creepers
JAN 23rd - The Lives of Famous Men / Anarbor / Go Crash Audio / The Sequence
JAN 24th - Bluebeat Lounge 6th Anniversary with Joey Altruda's Classic Riddims / Viernes 13 / Chris Murray Combo / Raskahuele / The Ifficials
JAN 29th - The Reverend Peytons Big Damn Band
JAN 30th - Blood / GPKism / Vamp Star / DJ Sisen
FEB 5th - 16 / Intronaut / Giant Squid / Bastard Noise / Black Math Horsemen
FEB 6th - Mike Park / Jesse Michaels / Kevin Seconds / Andrew Jackson Jihad
FEB 7th - 3 Floors of Ska feat. Ska is Dead & Friends with Voodoo Glow Skulls / The Toasters / Buck-O-Nine / Deals Gone Bad + many more!
FEB 10th - Never Better Tour with P.O.S. and special Doomtree guests: Sims, Mictlan, & Lazerbeak (Hand Over Fist)
FEB 17th - Joey Cape (Lagwagon) / Chris Schifflet (Foo Fighters) / Jon Snodgrass (Drag the River) / Marko 72 (Sugarcult)
FEB 19th - A Wilhelm Scream / Chaser / Syncope Threshold
FEB 19th - Sound of the Blue Heart / Mene
FEB 24th - Dear and the Headlights / Miniature Tigers
FEB 25th - Damiera / The Urgency
FEB 27th - The Angry Samoans / Johnny Madcap & The Distractions / The Crazy Squeeze / Action 45
MAR 6th - Volto!
MAR 6th - Automatic Loveletter / A Cursive Memory / Tickle Me Pink / Kyle & Natalie
MAR 11th - Von Iva / Semi Precious Weapons / The Start / Roxy Epoxy & The Rebound / Killola / The Action Design
MAR 15th - Tim Barry (Avail) / Austin Lucas / Josh Small
MAR 26th - Craig Owens (Chiodos/Cinematic Sunrise) / Ace Enders / The Gay Blades / Versaemerge
APRIL 4th - Left Alone / Viernes 13 / Black Rose Phantoms / Gamblers Mark

More details here.

Los Angeles Ad Town: 6th Street Edition

Thanks to Franklin Avenue reader Donovan for passing along this Infiniti ad, which hits the Hancock Park streets around 6th. He writes:

The Infinity ad is on W 6th street, specifically exterior or Getty House. Kind of funny that the ad is about a guy that forget his anniversary. Also worth noting, the VO is done by Henry Rollins.

Here's a Google Maps image of where the ad was shot.

RATE-A-RESTAURANT 200: Join Us March 7 at Pacific Dining Car!

(Flickr photo by willonawoods.)

As we come upon Franklin Avenue's sixth anniversary next week, we're also hitting our big 200th restaurant review. (And by the way, there have probably been another 30 to 40 restaurants we never got a chance to review through the years... so yes, we enjoy going out to eat.)

That means we've got two reasons to celebrate... and we'd like you to come along with us. For our 100th Rate-A-Restaurant, we hit downtown's classic P.E. Cole's (a few years before its revamp). Now, for our 200th, we'd like to hit another classic Los Angeles eatery.

JOIN US AT THE PACIFIC DINING CAR ON SATURDAY, MARCH 7 at 1 PM!!

Now, as you know, the PDC is not cheap. But this is your opportunity to sample a range of PDC entrees... and a wine pairing to boot. Chef Michel Cornu has prepared a prix fixe menu for us for $40 each.

Please RSVP at franklin_avenue(at)yahoo(dot)com by Wednesday so we can get an accurate count! We hope to see you there!

1310 West 6th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90017
(213) 483-6000

Some background on the PDC, via the L.A. Times:

The restaurant is a replica of a railroad dining car that Fred and Lovey Cook had built in 1921 and installed at 7th Street and Westlake Avenue. Two years later it was moved to 6th and Witmer streets, its present location. Today, two robust faux-bronze steers draped with a banner boasting "80 years" are suspended above the 6th Street side of the white picket fence that surrounds the property. The restaurant has spread out with the years, adding a couple of dining rooms, a generously sized bar and, as wine became an essential part of fine dining, a wine room. But the ownership hasn't changed, it's just moved on to the third generation.

Pacific Dining Car downtown is an old-fashioned place. The decor plays up every possible reference to the past. Old suitcases that look as if they have traveled back and forth across the country sit on brass luggage racks. The original dining car is lined with narrow hardwood boards and fitted with high-backed booths for two. The place smells of wood smoke and coffee and the decades. You fully expect Georgian-era gentlemen to be sitting in the wingback armchairs in their slippers. (The Santa Monica branch is a mere 11 years old and doesn't have the same evocative atmosphere.)

The beef is all from the East and dry-aged on the premises, and the grill men here seem to never make a mistake, even though they're working over live mesquite rather than a broiler set to a precise heat. Order the richly marbled rib-eye medium rare with a char and that's exactly what you'll get. Even the baseball steak, which is top sirloin cut in the shape of a baseball three to four fingers thick, is perfectly rosy at the center. That and the massive cowboy steak, a rib-eye on the bone, are my picks for best flavor and texture. The pepper steak is one of the best around, especially if you order the Delmonico prepared that way. Basically a bone-in New York strip, it comes studded with cracked black peppercorns that pack a fierce heat.

Party Like It's 6/6/06

It only happens once a century. So how are you going to celebrate 6-6-06? Caroline on Crack has a roundup of ways to mark the occasion (edited for space):

A Movie: Who can forget that the remake of the classic film, The Omen, opens this day?

A Play: The Black Rider, William Burroughs’ Faustian play with music by Tom Waits, has a performance at the Ahmanson Theatre.

A Book Signing: Master of Horror Clive Barker will be signing copies of DemonicSex Vol. 2 at Meltdown Comics (7522 Sunset Blvd.) from 9pm to midnight. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will be on hand to bestow blessings on all attendees.

A High Mass: Anton LaVey’s Church of Satan is hosting a Satanic high mass at the Steve Allen Theater.

A Wedding: Anton LaVey’s grandson will be getting married in a public ceremony. From what I can tell it’s going to be at the Henry Fonda Theatre. Called “666: A Tribute to Evil,” the event offers appearances by Glenn Danzig, El Vez, Dolemite and some guys from the Alkaline Trio.

A Holiday Party: Radio Free Satan’s 6th anniversary party doesn’t actually fall on 6/6 but on 6/5, the eve of the unholy holiday, when they will countdown to midnight. Zen Sushi (2609 Hyperion Avenue)

Or if you just want to spend a regular Tuesday night somewhere with a sinister twist, grab a drink at Saints & Sinners, L’Scorpion or Velvet Margarita Cantina.

Caroline has all the details at her site. Check it out... I assume next year's 7/7/07 celebrations will be a little, well, different.

100 Years of Philippe's The Original

(Flickr pic by mseratt99.)

Mark Oct. 6 in your calendar -- it's time to celebrate the centennial of one of L.A.'s oldest restaurants, Philippe the Original.

For the day, prices will be rolled back to TEN CENTS for a sandwich.

It's gonna be a madhouse. But hey, you'll be able to say you were there. Here are the details:

The historic Los Angeles restaurant will celebrate their 100th anniversary and for one day only, on Monday, October 6th, 2008 from 4-8pm, Philippe’s will offer its renowned French Dip sandwiches, available in delicious roast beef, lean ham, tasty turkey, succulent leg of lamb and juicy roast pork at the original price of 10-cents. A cup of their famous 10-cent coffee will sell for five cents.

Three generations of family members who own Philippe’s, famed Los Angeles Dodger peanut vendor Roger Owens, the USC Marching Band, Harpo the Clown, comedian Howard Dover, and the Perfect Gentlemen Accapella Group will all be in attendance to entertain and celebrate.

They are located at 1001 North Alameda Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012.

Check out all of our posts on Philippe's -- including the debate over who invented the French Dip, Philippe's or P.E. Cole's -- here.

Rate-A-Restaurant, #100 in a series

Restaurant: Cole's P.E. Buffet

Location: 118 East 6th Street (Downtown)

Type of restaurant: French-Dipped Sandwiches

We stipulated: For our 100th Rate-A-Restaurant review, we wanted to make it special. Obviously it had to be a spot we'd never visited. But it also had to be some place special. An institution, perhaps. As the oldest continuously operating restaurant in Los Angeles (founded 1908), Cole's fit the bill. As did its part in the ongoing debate over which L.A. landmark -- Coles or Phillipe's -- created the french dip sandwich. So we invited all of you to come celebrate -- and we met up with several L.A. bloggers to break french-dipped bread.

They stipulated: You're on your own when it comes to parking. But otherwise, it's a pretty simple place: Just show up, get in line and pay at the cashier (credit cards are accepted -- a nice surprise. I find that many older eateries don't.) Then there's the unspoken stipulation: Get here now if you want to experience Cole's as it was meant to be -- tattered, dark and filled with character. Who knows what the new owners plan to do with the joint -- but the fear is they'll undergo a massive makeover that sucks out what makes Cole's a quirky L.A. classic.



What we ordered: Corned beef french dip sandwich (Maria; $5.59); Turkey french dip sandwich (Mike; $5.39); side of cole slaw ($1.39); side of mashed potatoes (for Evan; $2.19).

High point: In the debate over which french dip is better, Cole's or Phillipe's, it's a tight race. Cole's has Phillipe's beat when it comes to the actual dip. While Phillipe's simply dunks part of the sandwich in sauce after its done, Cole's takes the bread and sticks half (the side that touches the meat) in its pool of aus jus goodness. It makes for a juicier sandwich that gets better the longer the bread sucks the juice in. My turkey was fresh; the cole slaw (which I like to put on my sandwich) was decent -- although not as tasty as Philippe's.

Low point: Maria's corned beef was too fatty -- and not the good, tasty kind of fatty. It was the hard-to-chew kind of fatty. Also, the scary/weird guy who came in and started asking us about Evan, until he was shooed out by one of the Cole's workers. It's still downtown folks, and although the area is still dramatically changing (including the Pacific Electric building where Cole's is based), there's still a lot of unusual people on the streets.

Overall impression: As an Angelenophile, I'm embarrassed that I hadn't hit Cole's until now. And I'm glad I did. The place exudes old time character; the sandwiches are excellent (although I may still give a slight edge to Phillipe's); and the full bar, as Celia tells us, makes it an excellent downtown hang. How can you not like a place that's about to celebrate its 100th anniversary?

Chance we will go back: I would think so. Hopefully before the new owners make their changes.

(For a full roster of Franklin Avenue's restaurant reviews, check out our companion Rate-A-Restaurant site.)

Busy Weekend

I'll be obsessing over the Emmys most of this weekend, attending events tonight and covering the show from back stage on Sunday (followed by parties thrown by HBO, Showtime, Entertainment Tonight/People, 20th Century Fox and TV Guide... no, I won't hit all of 'em, but I'll try as many as I can).

But here's what else is cracking:

:: The LA Conservancy Modern Committee's 20th Anniversary Tour: "20|20|20: 20 years | 20 sites | 20 bucks"

Sez the org: Celebrate the 'greatest hits' of L.A. Modern architecture preserved in the past two decades. This two-day, self-driven tour spans L.A. County from the Pacific Palisades to Downey, highlighting 20 outstanding architectural sites.

Stops include Julius Shulman Home and Studio, Casa de Cadillac, the world's oldest McDonald's, the downtown Coca-Cola Bottling Company, and many others.

:: LobsterFest!

Sez the event's official website: The World's largest lobster festival, the Port of Los Angeles Lobster Festival features discount Maine lobster. Event also includes performances by goofy cover bands as well as something called "6th Annual Lobster Dog Pet Parade," as "Valentine's Performing Pigs."

:: KROQ's Inland Invasion.

Dude: Morrissey, Siouxsie (san Banshees), Death Cab for Cutie, Tears for Fears, Devo, Franz Ferdinand, Flock of Seagulls, The Killers, X, Billy Idol... not bad, especially since KROQ refuses to play most of the artists that made it "world famous" anymore.

:: And, of course, there are the Emmys, live Sunday night from the Shrine Auditorium. I'm pulling for an "Arrested Development" upset in the best comedy category -- and predict it just might happen. Meanwhile, expect a revolt -- these things write themselves -- if "The West Wing" manages to win yet another best drama trophy. And here's easy money: HBO will dominate. "Angels in America" will sweep.

I'll be backstage, furiously hammering out deadline copy for Variety. Check out our thorough Emmy coverage here.