Hipster Flavor of the Week

Ah, "hipsters." Don'tcha jus' hate 'um? Bashing "hipsters" (a term once analogous to "hepcat," now misapplied to shabby, coke-sniffing retro-'80s tokenists) was old news by 2003, and yet, as long as most of us are suspicious that someone out there is having more fun than we are, it'll be open season, at least until the next ridiculous youth subculture comes along. Many East Side bars have served their time as the hipster clubhouse of choice (Cha Cha, Short Stop, Gold Room…). And now, HYPErion seems to be taking the mantle. Once an S&M dive (the bathroom door still has a large, mysterious hole in it) and still possessed of a sinister speakeasy vibe, Hyperion has rapidly become the it party spot, without so much as a liquor selection. (Even the beer menu is no great shakes; overpriced Corona, anybody?) The upshot: If you can stomach the namedropping and pretension, some of the programming is quite interesting. At this stage, the Hyperion is still experimenting. Garage Comedy, exiled from El Cid, now runs Monday nights here. One recent Sunday night was "sad night," and I had no idea what a mindfuck it would be to hear non-stop Slowdive and Galaxie 500 all night, in a bar.

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Nightlife • Silver Lake / Echo Park / Atwater

Be All You Can Be

Yes, it's dingy and chaotic. Yes, you can get better deals on camping gear (though I doubt you'll get this kind of durability in your local big box). And yes, cammo pants look like shit on anyone. Still, rummaging this military surplus store can be revelatory. I was used to paying $100+ for a good pair of black boots--here, I found a similar pair for closer to $40, and they're still in decent shape, almost a year later. Aside from the armed-forces uniforms, there's a fine selection of jeans and jackets that won't make you look like a survivalist. There are a lot of accessories here that everyone should have but most of us rarely think about (e.g., First-Aid kits). And no one's ever said anything when I've taken a few swings at the conspicuous punching bag. Not a date spot, but not just for punks and creepy talk-radio fans, either.

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Shopping • Los Feliz

Small Town Eatin'

Green Leaves is the cheap, humble, crunchy, veggie-friendly alternative to… pretty much anything else in walking distance. The service? Preternaturally friendly. The level of pretension? I've seen bus-station grills with less thought-out interior design. The prices? Hovering around diner-level. A menu that's not branded, but rather expanded--everything from "Rock and Roll Noodles" (they're wide as a freeway) to previously undiscovered pancakes and other unique breakfast-for-whichever-time-you-come-through options. (I'm into the tropical pancakes.) If you have to spend over seven bones on lunch, you're bad at math. Green Leaves is young, and still finding its way. If you're a strict vegan, tell the waiter (and also the cook, if you can) before you order--as long as you're not an unapologetic assache, they'll keep the cheese off you. Whatever else it's got, it's got the drop on anyone else in Los Feliz who wants to play "recession-friendly." If you're from a small town, it's like a trip home without the stomach ache.

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Restaurants • Los Feliz

Back to the Future

Downtown Torrance, otherwise known as Old Torrance, is something of an enigma. At one point in the previous century it was the classic "American Graffiti" place for the youngsters to hang out. It's chock full of vintage signage and Eisenhower-era relics like Foster's Freeze, Fox's Drugs, and the Torrance Bakery. Now, despite revitalization attempts and a few well respected restaurants, its mostly diurnal population is anything but the hip crowd one would see strolling along Melrose. But many of the necessary raw ingredients for impending hipster takeover are present, and The Red Car Brewery deserves to be counted as one of them. It's independently owned; has old, atmospheric "reclaimed" architecture; serves its own satisfactory microbrews; and isn't located at the Del Amo Fashion Center. It's what would happen if you drained all of the PF Chang's out of BJ's. The food is fresh, flavorful, and simple--but certainly not braindead. Become a regular now, and in twenty years you'll be able to say "I was hanging out there before Old Torrance became cool."

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Restaurants • Torrance South

Treasure This Place

Spicy BBQ features great food in a low-key LA mini-mall setting. The northern-Thai dishes here are really off the hook. I can not recommend the Northern Thai Egg Noodles (Khao soi) enough! The other dishes I have tried so far from the northern-Thai section of the menu include the spicy jackfruit, the pork dip and the pork salad and they are all really good too. Jonathan Gold mentions the pork patties in his review and I will have to try those next time I eat there. There is no keeping me away from this place which I honestly consider a neighborhood treasure. The dining area is small; a lot of people come by to pick up their to-go orders too.

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Restaurants • Los Feliz