Rate-A-Restaurant #306: Westside Tavern

Restaurant: Westside Tavern

Location: 10850 West Pico Boulevard (Rancho Park)

Type of restaurant: American Pub




We stipulated: We're not on the Westside all that often, but we happened to be there one evening. Maria has met friends for drinks and flatbread at Westside Tavern in the past, and wanted me to try it as well.



They stipulated: Located at the Westside Pavilion next to the Landmark Theatres, the Westside Tavern attracts a lot of dinner-and-a-movie crowds. Also, no dinner reservations accepted -- and the wait for a table can be long over the weekend.



What we ordered: Ahi tuna poke ($14); chipotle chicken flatbread ($14); roasted mushroom and tomato flatbread ($14); burger ($14); side of mac & cheese ($7)



High point:  The ahi tuna appetizer was great, and we were given plenty of chips to enjoy it.

Low point: The wait for a table, even on a weeknight, was tough -- especially with kids.




Overall impression: The flatbread isn't the best I've ever had, but it's still fantastic and worth the visit. Overall, I like the menu (and the fact that it's constantly rotating), the casual vibe and what looks to be a great drink menu. A better alternative to similarly-priced chains.



Will we return: It's too far away for us to be regulars, and I prefer the even more loose brewpubs that have opened up on our side of town. But I'd definitely want to check out the Westside Tavern again.

KCRW Examines L.A.'s Eastside/Westside Smackdown

KCRW is wading into Los Angeles' Eastside/Westside battles. According to the station's Which Way LA? blog, the radio show will enter the fray and devote an hour-long episode to our divided city on February 6. Details:

Which is better? The Eastside or the Westside? We want to hear from you and get your comments on air!

Venice, Santa Monica and Malibu used to be synonymous with West Coast creativity, and free-spirited living (think Venice artists, Frank Gehry and the Santa Monica architects, beach-inspired artists/surfers/musicians). But pricey real estate has driven creative Angelenos east, first to Silverlake and Echo Park, then to downtown, Highland Park, Eagle Rock and beyond. This has given rise to strongly held opinions and prejudices among a subset of Angelenos about which side is superior — from the perspective of the arts, multicultural relations, urban living, essential LA-ness and hipster levels relative to New York.

On an hour-long broadcast of Which Way LA?, airing on February 6, we are going to explore this Eastside-Westside rivalry with a knockdown, drag-out fight between listeners and invited guests from both sides of the argument, as well as a few voices from parts of town that are neither Eastside nor Westside and don’t know what the fuss is all about.

You know where our loyalties lie, as we proudly live East of the Los Angeles River and spend much of our weekends in either Eagle Rock or Atwater Village (or, lately, Highland Park). Viva la Eastside! (Well, particularly, Viva la Northeast Side!)

Westside Pavilion Barnes & Noble To Shut Down

(Flickr pic by mirtai.)

This was a shocker. As LA Observed reports, the popular (and usually pretty busy) Barnes & Noble at the Westside Pavilion is shutting down. That will leave no major commercial book store between Santa Monica and The Grove. That's stunning news for westsiders -- and even UCLA students who ventured down Westwood to hang out there. LA Observed writes:

Quiet talk has been around for a few weeks, but now red clearance sale signs have gone up — 30 percent off on a lot of books — and store clerks acknowledged today that they have been given the word. The multi-story Barnes & Noble at Pico and Westwood boulevards will close around the end of the year. Word on the street is that the H&M store in Westside Pavilion will expand into the higher-profile corner location. There's no official confirmation from the mall or from Barnes & Noble.

Reaction on Twitter was swift and surprised. Writes Joni Yung: "what??!?!" Terry McCarty adds: "Damn. So the definition of the Westside brick-and-mortar bookstore has changed to mostly used booksellers."