Matt Loewen works in Hollywood now (only ONE job these days---a departure from his usual 3-4 jobs at a time...he's really turning into a slacker...:-)) and because of this fun fact, and my constant desire to do things in H-wood, we decided to make it a somewhat regular thing to grab dinner or drinks when he gets out of work. Loewen (as I'll refer to him for the rest of this post---too many goddamn Matts in this world!!) met up with Matt (!) and I @ the intersection of Cherokee and Hollywood and walked down the boulevard for a bit, uncertain about our choice for dinner. We decided on Tekila, a mexican restaurant that used to be a DIFFERENT Mexican restaurant (oh Hollywood and your changeovers). It's right on Hollywood Blvd--connected to a little courtyard filled with other restaurants, bars, and I think a club--all future fodder for this blog.
The first winning element of Tekila: 4pm - 8pm happy hour! That's one hour more than most and a very appreciated hour. It can be hard to get to happy hour in LA, what with traffic and most people working til 7 at least. We all ordered the $5 margaritas, after being sat on the outdoor patio. I thought the drinks could have been better, but they were only $5, so I definitely wasn't complaining. We also all ordered dinner off the happy hour menu, another great deal. I got a carne asada quesadilla, again only $5!
While waiting for our food--Matt noticed possibly the BEST reason to come back to Tekila--a man sitting a few tables behind us, eating with a parrot. Literally. The parrot sat across from him on the table and happily pecked at tortilla chips. Only in Hollywood.
My quesadilla was fine, but a little dry. I definitely needed more guac, salsa and sour cream, but again--for the price, I'm not complaining. There's a pretty, nicely lit bar inside that reaches all the way up to the high ceiling. I'd come back for happy hour drinks but would probably skip the food unless I really needed a snack. Mostly I'd come back to see if Parrot man is a regular......
After bidding adieu to Loewen, Matt and I ambled on down to the Essex Public House (if we've paid $10 to park in Hollywood, we're gonna make it worth our while!). The description is in the name--with a Hollywood glamour touch. The black color scheme makes it seem more loung-y than your average public house (like say Public House in Los Feliz). We sat at the bar--which to my GREAT delight had stools with backs!! A unicorn in the bar world but always my greatest wish (I guess I don't have good enough posture to prevent the back pain caused by backless chairs). I ordered a Blue Moon (continuing the $5 trend of the night!) and mulled over the specials menu.
Tuesdays--$2 pizza with purchase of a pitcher, Wednesdays--$3 grilled cheese and $2 tomato soup, Thursdays---$5 mac and cheese. Yes please to all of those. I found myself wishing we'd eaten here instead. The menu was total Casey bait--yummy home cookin' syle food with some intersting twists (Figs in a blanket?? I have to come back and try those..).
My second beer was an Apricot Amber, also tasty. I'm determined to come back to Essex for the specials and the reasonably priced beers--you coudn't keep me away. Plus, it's right on the Blvd, which always equals good people watching. The stylish pub theme is an added bonus for me. You feel fancy, but there's no requirement to BE fancy. An excellent fusion of your neighborhood bar and a darkened lounge. And STOOLS WITH BACKS!!!
Matt's Notes: I have no idea what beer I drank at Essex House and I'm not really sophisticated enough to talk about it if I did, but I must have liked it because I ordered a second one. I liked Essex, which I knew about because a guy I used to tech for at Crown Bar did the initial menu consult or something of the sort. I know nothing about the restaurant industry.
The parrot guy was pretty awesome, actually - his parrot was bright, solid green, almost like a green-screen, and it was pretty well behaved for a bird. I've always been fascinated with parrots as pets, but never enough to really want to get one (isn't it illegal sometimes?). I didn't know you could feed it chips on the porch of a mexican joint on Hollywood Blvd., anyway.
