Eddie has mentioned
CLIFTON’S CAFETERIA before in a
previous post. I went there for the first time last week and it was pretty amazing. Three levels of faux woodland decor - trees, deer, rabbits, bears, moose; including a cave chapel with a “forest path” diorama. Push a button and listen to the voice of God, who unfortunately, was off-duty that day. I had oxtail stew and mashed potatoes but was too full to fit in any jello-desserts. (To think that Clifton’s used to be a
Polynesian Paradise…)
TIGEORGES CHICKEN. This little hole-in-the-wall Haitian restaurant has to be one of LA’s best kept secrets! My friend Wes and I got there early at 5.30pm (they shut at 7pm) and there was a live band playing afro-carribean jazz. The
Island Combo chicken and the aphrodisiac
Conch (which tastes like abalone/clam) were delicious, and the owner of the place entertained us with stories while he danced alongside our table. (Read a review
here)
The LOS ANGELES POLICE ACADEMY is up in the Elysian Park hills near Dodgers Stadium and believe it or not, their old-school museum-like diner is pretty cool. (open only on weekdays) We were here for breakfast and snapping photos of stuff on the walls. Photography was only permitted because there were no undercover cops around at the time. We also visited the Academy Gift Store which sells stuff like LAPD pins, german-shepherd plushes and
Locsters/Homies figurine sets.Unfortunately the shrine to “Dragnet” was no longer there because someone had stolen Jack Webb’s gun.
…the wall next to our booth – with a display of brass knuckles!
And as for some cool bars…
CHA CHA LOUNGE on Glendale Blvd, Silverlake has a groovy Tiki-Mexican theme. How can you go wrong with sombreros, marraccas and
dia de los muertos skeletons hanging from the ceiling, a straw-hut bar, black velvet paintings and big booths?
BAR 107 Downtown. Another interesting interior (more moose heads!) When I was here about 2 months ago, a “little person” (aka midget) street performer showed up and breakdanced for the crowd.
I think that might’ve been a one-time thing, though…
