Franklin Avenue Turns 14!

Hard to believe that so much time has passed, but Franklin Avenue hits its 14th blogiversary today! Of course, a lot has changed in those years, both for us and in the real world. (Remember when we lived in a democracy, for example? Oh, the good old days!) When Franklin Avenue launched, we still lived on Franklin Avenue... had been married just a few months... and kids were still just an idea. "Blogging," of course, has changed a lot, and in many ways has been replaced by social media. (My @franklinavenue Twitter handle is much more immediate and active than this blog these days, which is why I still appreciate every one who drops by to see our restaurant reviews, musings about life in LA, etc.) Now, in just two more years, this blog can drive!

New Blog Talks to LA Mag Editor Mary Melton

New L.A. blog Frying Pan News, from advocacy group LAANE and editor Steven Mikulan (formerly of the L.A. Weekly), has launched with a full variety of features, including an interview with our pal Mary Melton, the editor of Los Angeles magazine.

Among the things Mary talks about: How she and her team moved L.A. magazine away from the stereotype of being Westside-centric:

Through engagement. I have a responsibility to educate readers and take them into pockets of the city they wouldn’t see otherwise. This magazine was heavily identified with the Westside, and our goal was to change that. Even if our readers haven’t been to Fillmore or can’t find Bell on a map, they can have an understanding of these places. We have a lot of affluent readers but also people who just moved here and are living in apartments for $1200 a month. Information is really important. You can’t force someone who is not sympathetic to care, but you can present information that can motivate them to care. It’s vitally important to the life of the city to engage. I’m not sure that people don’t want to be engaged, I don’t think they know how.

The February issue of Los Angeles magazine just came in the mail, and I can't wait to dive in -- it deals with one of my favorite topics, "Classic L.A."

As for Frying Pan News, contributors to the new website include local journalist Erin Aubry Kaplan and LAANE communications director Danny Feingold.

Death By Hot Dog

The folks over at Metblogs L.A. are trying to kill you.

Clearly that's the goal behind the Hot Dog Deathmarch. The event, held June 13, will take you to three of L.A.'s gut-busting hot dog emporiums: Pink's, Oki-Dog and Skooby's.

Pink's, no problem. Pink's and Oki-Dog? Send in the Pepto. Pink's, Oki-Dog and Skooby's? Send in the medics.

They won't actually be marching from place to place -- although, I think that's not a bad idea. Perhaps we oughta merge this with the Great Los Angeles Walk.

Here are some details:

Who will win this weenie smackdown?! Certainly not YOU, after you’ve had three hot dogs in as many hours. But you’re all winners in our eyes, so it’s ok.

Our destinations are Pink’s, Oki-Dog, and Skooby’s. Yes, there are many other great wieners in Los Angeles (har har har). We think these three are enough for one afternoon.

No, we will not really be MARCHING. That’s crazy talk. We will all meet up at each successive location at a pre-determined time, flash-mob style.

Do you have the guts?! Do you want the glory?! Throw the Pepto in your holster, fling caution & your cholesterol to the wind, and join us! Once more into the bratwurst breach!

______________________________________________________
The date: Saturday June 13
The time: 3pm - time of death
The progression: Meet at Pink’s, then Oki-dog, Skooby’s, emergency room
The fun: contests, prizes, acid reflux
The why: WHY NOT? Don’t answer that.

You may recall, we visited Oki-Dog and lived to tell the tale of the infamous Pastrami Burrito during the 2007 Great Los Angeles Walk down Pico.

For those about to Hot Dog March, we salute you.

100 Things Dodger Fans Should Do: Number 1, Buy This Book

Just in time for baseball season, Dodger Thoughts maven Jon Weisman's book "100 Things Dodger Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die" is about to come out -- and available for pre-order now on Amazon (go here).

Here's how Jon describes it:

"100 Things Dodger Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die," published by Triumph Books in April, covers everyone from Jackie Robinson to Vin Scully, everything from Dodger Stadium to Dodger Adult Baseball Camp, every event from the team’s 19th-century roots to its 2008 Manny Ramirez-led pennant quest. It is comprehensive, enlightening and entertaining. It will satisfy all Dodger fans, from the most casual followers to those who live and die with the team.

Support your local blogger!

Rate-A-Restaurant #200: Pacific Dining Car

(Photo by Ellen Bloom.)

Restaurant: Pacific Dining Car

Location: 1310 West 6th Street (Downtown)

Type of restaurant: Steakhouse



We stipulated: For our sixth blogiversary and our 200th Rate-A-Restaurant review, we decided to keep up with the tradition we started with our 100th (when we threw a luncheon at Cole's) and hit another L.A. landmark. Like Cole's, which we'd never eaten at until our 100th, it had to be an instituion where we'd somehow never dined. Despite my 13 years in L.A. and Maria's 25 years here (hey wait a sec, that sounds like another good excuse to party), neither of us had ever set foot inside the Pacific Dining Car.

That was about to change. Coincidentally, a friend of mine, Todd Beck, hails from the fourth generation family that still owns and operates the PDC. I called up Todd -- and he got me in touch with PDC manager Nick Lerner and chef Michel Cornu, who put together a prix fixe menu just for the occasion.

As you know, we then put out the call for diners -- and got a great group of more than 20 bloggers and blog fans on Saturday to join us. My only stipulation to them? Write their own review, in our Rate-A-Restaurant style. We'll be adding links to their reviews at the bottom of this post in the coming days.



They stipulated: The prix fixe menu would come to $40 with tax -- but tipping and drinks were extra. PDC also comped our parking, which was a nice touch. The restaurant also set up a dining room and printed menus just for the event. Normally, the meal would have cost much more than that -- the PDC, as any of you who've dined there know, is not cheap. But the restaurant was able to absorb some of the cost thanks to the marketing opportunity of the event (after all, several bloggers are in the process of writing their own reviews!)


My favorite artwork in the place -- photo by Ellen Bloom.

What we ordered: As you may gather from the menu photo, the $40 prix fixe included: Appetizer -- Grilled Jumbo Shrimp with Spring Mix Salad & Mango Beet Dressing; Entree -- Petit Filet Mignon (I got mine medium rare) and Monkfish with Lobster Sauce with Vegetable Medley; and Dessert -- Strawberry and Vanilla Vacherin / Compote of Seasonal Berries



High point: The steak and the fish were both incredible. I'm not sure what possessed me to get the filet grilled medium rare (I usually go medium), but I'm glad I did. Tender, with a nice crispy crust. And I've never been a huge monkfish fan, but I'm now a convert. The salad was also nice and hearty, almost like an entree salad; and the vacherin, a nice mix of cold and crunch. Needless to say, my plates went away clean.

Low point: The entree's vegetable medley was surprisingly sweet, which was a bit too much after the sweetness of the salad and before the sweetness of dessert. And it pains me to pay $7 for a side order of fries... but it made the Blogger Preschooler happy. (Although, rather than eat them, he preferred dunking them in water. Ahh, four-year-olds!)



Overall impression: This was probably one of the more unusual events the PDC had to put on in a while -- a luncheon for bloggers?! But no need to worry: Everyone was on top of their game. The kitchen, the wait staff, the entire operation had a very, very good day. Here's what makes that even more impressive: Somehow we got our wires crossed, and it wasn't until Friday that the PDC realized that our event was the following day. The scramble to accommodate us meant having to tweak the menu -- and yet they pulled it off, no problem.

Now, as to the restaurant: Maria was definitely impressed with the environment; the place is even classier inside than expected, and it's pretty cool that a portion of the restaurant is still inside an old railway car. I love the fact that the PDC is open 24 hours a day -- in case you're in the mood for a classy steak dinner at 3 a.m.!



Chance we'll go back: The PDC will definitely be on our "special occasions" list. But more immediately, I keep hearing great things about their breakfast -- so we'll probably do that sometime soon!



Thanks to everyone who attended, including Scott and friend, Shannon and Mai, Sean and Pamela, Mika, Ellen and Larry, Chris and Kristin, Eric and Nicholle, Scott, Celia and Jim, Erin and Katie, and Todd. Special thanks to Shannon, who let me use her camera when ours died -- ack, the blogger's worst nightmare!

Here are other reviews from the day:

Ellen Bloom: "The meal was beautifully served and everything was completely delicious; the service was spot-on; the ambiance is clubby and classic; the company was amiable and amusing."

Tropico Station: "The medium-rare filet mignon was superb, which is certainly fitting from a restaurant with a giant steer mounted on their sign."

Meeko On Main: "The waitstaff was amazingly good! Highly efficient and attentive. The atmosphere of the place is high end but not pretentious."

More to come -- send your links to me!

For a complete list of our nearly 200 restaurant reviews, check out our companion Rate-A-Restaurant site.

Franklin Avenue Turns Six!

If Franklin Avenue were human, it would already be in elementary school. Six years later, we're still here, blogging away!

Help us celebrate our 6th blogiversary this Saturday, as we also throw our 200th Rate-A-Restaurant review at the Pacific Dining Car! If you haven't yet, please RSVP via franklin_avenue(at)yahoo(dot)com. We're expecting around 20 people, so it will be a nice, social gathering... see you there!

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.

One of L.A.'s First Bloggers Hits The Decade Mark

(Flickr pic by AAJA-LA).

That's Darleene Powells along with me, at the recent AAJA panel she organized on the intersection of journalism and blogging -- a subject Darleene (who now works at KCBS/KCAL on their web team) has quite a bit of personal experience with.

As noted by Blogging.la, Darleene has been a part of the blogosphere (not to mention the Blog-LA-Sphere) for ten years now. A decade of continuous blogging -- very few bloggers can claim that. (And here we felt so special at Franklin Avenue because we finally hit the 5 year mark last month!)

Here, she tells Blogging.la how she got started -- in an age when no one had ever even uttered the word "blog":

10 years ago, I was checking out the cool websites of all these other people and thinking to myself, I want one! So I literally began the blog as a way to learn HTML and how to build a website. I had no platform (Blogger debuted a year after I began blogging, I think I read on Wikipedia) — all I had was a free Geocities account and HTML Goodies, where I learned the basics. You should have seen the silly, animated gifs I employed…

Congrats, Darleene!

Action In The Blog-LA-Sphere: Racked LA Comes to Town, New Social Site, and Metblogs Revamps

Tasha from the Blackburn and Sweetzer blog has been tapped to run Racked LA, the Los Angeles outpost of the New York-based retail, shopping and fashion site.

Racked LA, which comes from the Curbed/Eater folks, launches in April.



Much like the Blog-LA-Sphere group on Facebook, the new LA Bloggers social network hopes to organize Angeleno bloggers all in one spot. (That typo in the banner is killing me, though.)



Metroblogging has shortened its name and unveiled a sleek makeover -- check out the L.A. site. As part of the change, they've officially retired the Blogging.la name, a holdover from the blog's late 2003 beginnings. It's now la.metblogs.com.



But they'll always be Blogging.la to me!

Party Like It's Super Tuesday

(Flickr pic by Chuck T.)

Thanks to LAist for throwing its first ever blogger party on Tuesday night. Turnout was great; not only did I get to meet some bloggers I only knew in print, but I finally got to check out downtown's Seven Grand whiskey bar.


(Flickr pic by Chuck T.)

Among those L.A. bloggers in attendance: LAist editor Zach Behrens; former LAist editor and Negro Please blogger Jason Toney; Sha in LA's Shannon Simonds; Sean and Pamela Rouse; LA Cowboy Brady Westwater; LA Times pressman Ed Padgett, and others.

Zach said he planned to throw other LAist bashes in the future, including an election night blow-out. Jason explained why he dropped out of the blogging world: Not only was he increasingly busy, but he was starting to get recognized in his every day life at spots like Target -- and it was quite freaky. Shannon's gearing up for her birthday walk this weekend down James M. Wood; Sean and Pamela just celebrated one year downtown and have become immersed in that world. I also got to meet both Brady and Ed for the first time; both had nice things to say about Franklin Avenue. I asked Ed about the photo new Tribune honcho Sam Zell sent to his blog: Apparently Ed and his colleagues recently introduced the ear tug as a new way of yelling out "f-you!" without actually saying it... Zell, a fan of salty language, caught wind of the new Pressmen lingo and sent the pic. Ed says he plans to meet Zell this week when the boss visits his plant.

As for Seven Grand itself... nice spot on the second floor of an older Los Angeles building, and it takes advantage of that old, urban feel. LAist was offering free cocktails to anyone with an "I Voted" sticker, and I ordered one from the specialty menu... only to discover those menu items weren't covered. But I had to try the "Los Angeles" -- how could I not? -- and wasn't disappointed. This delicious concoction consisted of Jim Beam Black Label bourbon, some vermouth, sugar syrup, nutmeg and more. I spread the word, and I think I convinced Shannon and fellow L.A. nut Eric Lynxwiler to try it out.

Were you there? Did I miss you?

What's Better Than Democracy? Democracy Plus Free Drink.

LAist is throwing a Super Tuesday party, and we're all invited.

Here's the key part: They're handing out free drinks to the first 75 people who show up with their "I Voted" sticker. So don't throw that thing away, wear it proudly, then hit downtown's Seven Grand between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Feb. 5 for a drink. It'll be nice to see the Blog-LA-Sphere, live and in person.

Seven Grand
515 W 7th St
Los Angeles, CA 90014

Maria's Thursday Three

1. Goldfish Love: When feeling sick and achy all over, Goldfish pretzels have a way of making me better. They're the equivalent of soda crackers, I suppose, but Goldfish pretzels are the better way to go. Combine them with cheddar cheese sticks (toddler food, I know).

2. Raul's Blog Love: Raul has been counting down his ten favorite songs for 2007. He's turned me on to the group the National (where have I been?)-- at #3 right now, I can't wait to see what his choice is for #1.

[Mike notes: Apparently Maria hasn't listened to my 2004 Choice Cuts compilation!]

3. iShuffle Love: Collectively, we have an iPod classic, a nano and a shuffle -- but my weapon of choice when going to the gym is the shuffle. I just clip this invention the size of a matchbook to my shirt while struggling on the elliptical machine, my very own mixed tape in a teeny tiny silver rectangle.

B-Side, Back in the Blog-LA-Sphere

Ben Mandelker helped launch the mighty TVgasm website (and popularized the term "Chenbot" -- which I just saw used in Entertainment Weekly -- to describe "Big Brother" host Julie Chen). Now, he's back in the Blog-LA-Sphere, this time with a new blog made up of his musings about living in L.A.

Ben's B-Side Blog, which launched last month, was also meant as a creative outlet to do some writing, now that the writers strike has put his scriptwriting on hold.

"I had abstained because after leaving TVgasm, I really wanted to focus on screenwriting," Ben emails. " I did that, and things started to heat up on that front, but with the strike, obviously, everything ground to a halt. Nevertheless, I've totally gotten sucked back into blogging, but it's definitely a new experience this time around."

He launched with several already-classic posts: Click here to read about the guy at the gym who decided to use B-side's towel.

And this one details his recent experience in the not-so-friendly skies.

The Bloggest Loser: Los Angeles

I jumped on a scale the other day. And quickly jumped off.

It was frightening. I'd reached a weight I'd never seen in my life.

When I moved to L.A. straight outta college in 1996, I was a svelte 155 (that's what it still says on my California drivers license, ha!). A few years later, all those business lunches and industry parties had taken their toll, and I moved into the low 160s range.

And there I remained. Until 2004, when Blogger Toddler was born -- and my gym-going days came to a halt. In more recent times, I've been in the 175 range, and accepting of my growing gut.

But now that I've smashed the 180 barrier (too many desserts, not enough exercise), I finally have the wakeup call I've needed. I finally rejoined the neighborhood Bally's (their latest "come back to us" plea offered $199 for two years, I figured I oughta) and now I'm gonna have to do some serious diet adjustment as well.

Well, that's the plan. Along with thousands of other resolution-minded folk in the New Year.

Will I succeed? Doubtful. But I figured I might at least try harder if I had to report my progress here at Franklin Avenue. Hence "The Bloggest Loser."

Any of you out there in the Blog-LA-Sphere interested in joining me? We'll report everyone's progress every Saturday. And don't worry, no embarrassing "before and after" pics. Email us at franklin_avenue@yahoo.com if you want to join in. Send in your current weight and your desired weight (I'd be happy to get back down to 165). We'll hold our first virtual weigh-in on Saturday, Jan. 12.

(Logo via BloggestLoser.Blogsome.com, which tried its own version in 2006.)

Holiday Shopping, Downtown Style

(Flickr pic by DaveofCali.)

Still have a lot of holiday shopping, but wanna avoid the mall? Angelenic puts together a list of downtown businesses you oughta check out.

Some recommendations:

Jewelry District: Unofficially framed by 5th , Olive, Broadway 8th, Downtown LA’s Jewelry District is the largest in the United States. With over 3,000 jewelry-related businesses making their homes in former movie palaces and department stores, the bustling neighborhood is a draw for all Southern Californians.

The most well-known jewelry mart in Downtown — as well as one of the largest in the world — is the St. Vincent Jewelry Center (7th between Hill and Broadway) in the former Bullock’s Department Store. This massive block-long complex alone houses over 500 merchants. If you’re buying her a diamond, you’ll find the best deals along these blocks.

Flower District: Thinking of adding some Christmas cheer to your loft? Wreaths and poinsettias abound in the Flower District. This growing sub-district is centered along Wall Street between 7th and 8th, but you’ll find that it has expanded to many of the surrounding blocks.

The larger markets have restricted hours for non-industry types and are closed on Sundays in December, however, smaller shops are generally open to the public. The Flower District’s massive wholesaler pavilion, the L.A. Flower Market — another “World’s Largest” for Downtown — has an admission price of $1 or $2 depending on the day.

Metropolis Books: A book is a gift that can last a lifetime. Though Downtown hasn’t had a major bookstore for a few years now, Metropolis Books (440 S. Main Street) offers a great selection of bestsellers and non-fiction titles.

El Maestro Bike Shop: El Maestro on Main Street is a great bike shop that’s been Downtown for over five years.

Right around now is the time I start seriously thinking about getting gift cards for everyone and just being done with it.

Help Pick Blogging.la's Grinch of the Year

So far, it looks like it will be a battle between the AMPTP's Nick Counter and the LAUSD (and Superintendent David Brewer). Any one you'd nominate? Go to Blogging.la right now to leave your suggestion.

The site lays down the groundwork:

Basically, we're looking for any individual or group who has impacted a cross section of Los Angeles, or the city as a whole, in any negative way. I don't think more explanation is necessary than that they define "Grinch" or "Scrooge."

Some early suggestions include: AMPTP President Nick Counter (representing the producers side of the WGA strike), the LAPD for its actions during the May Day protests in MacArthur Park, and Jon Kirk Muri, GM of the Dept. of Recreation and Parks, but not opening burned sections of Griffith Park up as fast as some residents would have liked.

Last year's winner, kind of strangely, was City Council critic Zuma Dogg.

A Round of Congrats in the Blog-LA-Sphere

Belated congrats, but congrats nonetheless to two titans of the Blog-LA-Sphere: LAist editor Tony Pierce, as I'm sure you've heard, moves on to head up the LA Times' blogs... and longtime LAist contributor Zach Berens takes over as the site's new editor. Blog on.

"Love" In An Elevator, Downtown

I somehow missed this earlier in the month: 5th and Spring's Celia recently came home to find her downtown apartment building front door broken... and as a result, the building's elevator in use:

I walk over to the elevator and saw the display, indicating it was still on the lobby level. I hit the button and the doors opened. The first thing I saw was a homeless man, his shirt pulled up to expose his big dirty belly, and his pants dropped around his ankles. I didn't see his genitals, because there was a woman on her knees in front of him, blocking the view with her mouth.

"Oh, f*ck no!" I yelled. Caught by surprise, she scrambles to her feet. He fastens his pants and pulls down his shirt, laughing to himself the entire time. I'm livid. I pull out my cell phone and dial my landlord's office. While I wait for it to connect, I'm ushering them out the door, "Get the f*ck out of here!"

Later, the door was finally fixed. Celia still has an uneasy feeling about it all:

What if it had been two men, not having sex in the elevator, but ready to rape and pillage whichever lucky resident called the elevator up?

Jim continued, "What if any of the other women in this building called the elevator up?"

I didn't want to think about it, didn't want to admit that we live on a dangerous street full of desperate people, that there was fresh gang graffiti on the building next door. I didn't want to think of any number of close calls I might've had, how badly things could've turned out.

Later that night, I looked out our windows at the quiet city below. A siren shattered the stillness of the night and I thanked my lucky stars that I wasn't riding in that ambulance, or waiting for it to arrive.

The Blog-LA-Sphere Is Talking About...

(Pic via Blogging.la.)

... the sudden disappearance of the LA City Nerd.

As of the other day, visitors to the LACN's site got this jarring announcement: "This blog is open to invited readers only... It doesn't look like you have been invited to read this blog. If you think this is a mistake, you might want to contact the blog author and request an invitation."

LA City Nerd? Say it ain't so! Have you been exposed at whatever city agency you work at, and told to stop blogging? There's a reason for all of this, I assume!

Blogging.la talks about the disappearance here, while Militant Angeleno -- another anonymous city fan -- shares his own theories here.

Around the Blog-LA-Sphere

Nosepicker in the Orange County Register newsroom. (L.A. Observed)

Can't Touch This? Love Big Butts and You Can Not Lie? This year's Nike Run Hit Remix -- I guess a variation on its "Run Hit Wonder" events -- takes place Sept. 15 and features Sir Mix-A-Lot, M.C. Hammer, the Sugarhill Gang and En Vogue's Dawn Robinson. Jog five miles with your L.A. face and Oakland booty. (LAist)

Behold, the Statue of Freedom. (Curbed L.A.)

Are you located near one of L.A.'s Ten Busiest Fire Departments? Also: watch a clip of LAFD Station 9, the busiest in town. (LAFD News & Information)