Hyperion Public: A Solid Try at Something for Everyone

Outdoor seating is available on the sidewalk and also on the tiny annex patio at left

Silver Lake is changing fast, and the latest exhibit is Hyperion Public, a new bar and restaurant replacing the Flying Leap and Other Side piano bar. 
When Hyperion Public announced its opening as a “sports bar,” some locals feared it might not fit the neighborhood’s character. Here's the Ledger review:

When Hyperion Public announced its opening using the words "sports bar," some locals were afraid it might not fit the neighborhood's character. The upstairs bar does have TVs showing sports events, but with bingo, karaoke and live music nights, the owners are working hard to make sure the bar has something for everyone in the community.
The revamped space is neither a gastropub, a sports bar or a hipster haven -- instead it's a lively and stylish restaurant/pub with solid food that pairs well with drinks.
A stylish makeover gave the downstairs restaurant of-the-moment Edison bulbs and industrial stools, and a large communal table down the middle that's perfect for large parties. Up a few stairs, the bar is more classic with a pressed tin ceiling and large booths.
The menu has been freshened up a bit since Hyperion Public opened eight months ago, and the whole operation is starting to come into focus as a lively neighborhood spot with windows open to the street and a few tables on the sidewalk.
If drinking is the main plan, there's plenty of beer-friendly items like F Yeah fries ($10) with bacon and creamy dip and half a dozen variations of chicken wings.
The menu skews towards comfort food like three kinds of mac 'n cheese and burgers and several bacon-laced items. But lighter eaters will appreciate BBQ steak lettuce cups -- basically tender steak tacos with lettuce instead of tortillas -- or champagne kale or grilled chicken salad.
Vegetarian choices include the quinoa bean burger, Silver Lake grilled cheese with stone fruit, mango and avocado salad and mushroom farro gratin, a homey, satisfying side that would work as a main course paired with a vegetable. The burger ($14) has been praised by Serious Eats' reputable A Hamburger Today blog, and although pre-boning the buttermilk fried chicken makes it verge on nugget territory, it's juicy and well-spiced with a side of bacon-inflected coleslaw ($17). Grilled salmon is a good value at $16.
The bar menu wisely concentrates on four signature cocktails: longtime Silver Lakers should try the vodka, basil and lime juice Walking Man. Both the wine and draft beer selections are fairly brief for a pub; for more variety, try a bottled amber ale from San Francisco's Speakeasy or Shipwreck double IPA from San Diego's Mission Brewing.
Among the desserts, salted caramel pie has many fans, but Key Lime pudding served in a canning jar is also light and refreshing.
Brunch is served starting at 11 on weekends, and also in the works is an adjacent bakery and coffee operation called Foreshadow. Don't miss the very well-priced Happy Hour menu from 4-7 p.m.

Three forks

Hyperion Public
2538 Hyperion Ave.
(323)761-6440

Las Perlas: It's tequila and mescal time Downtown

Poblano Escobar mescal cocktail at Las Perlas

Downtown nightlife impresario Cedd Moses continues his run of single-liquor spots with Las Perlas, a faux-funky tequila and mescal bar just across from the cocktail mecca of Varnish, Cole's and the Association. I stopped by last night for a tequila tasting on the patio sponsored by Citysearch, where I tried some caramelly Anejo in a lovely French crystal bottle from new-to-the U.S. La Firma.
We proceeded to the bar to try some cocktails from Las Perlas' nuevo cocktailo-style menu. Most of the drinks seemed pretty elaborate, with ingredients like pinot noir and port reduction. I wanted to start with something simpler, something like a margarita with a twist, so the bartender concocted a spot-on blackberry margarita ($10). Served on the rocks with a blackberry floating at the bottom, it was utterly drinkable, with an ideal balance between tart and sweet. We also tried the Poblano Escobar, made with mescal, a poblano chile, cumin and pineapple juice. The Sombra Oaxacan mescal used for the cocktail dances on the edge of overly smoky -- it's a veritable taco in a glass. Mine didn't pack much heat, so Citysearch's Charlie Amter kindly provided me with a dried red chile from the bar, which eventually soaked in and spiced it up nicely.
Las Perlas is one of the only spots in town to get a selection of quality, worm-less mescals, and it's a lively, informal watering hole. And if it makes you wish you were drinking in a real Mexican dive complete with chips and tacos, instead of a $12-a-drink Downtown bar, well, then, the better to plan your vacation.
Las Perlas
107 E. Sixth St.
213-988-8355

Verdugo Bar: tasting some monster beers

We stopped by Verdugo Bar Friday, and Ryan introduced us to a couple of startingly different beers. Although Verdugo is a little off the beaten path in Glassell Park, the selection is excellent at the comfy bar, which also serves cocktails and wine, and there's plenty of tempting taco tables along the way if you need a snack first. I started with a San Marcos IPA -- those San Diegans really know how to make a hoppy, balanced beer. Then Ryan introduced us an cask IPA from Deans Bros. Brewing of Santa Ana. It was made in the British style, and though the warmish, yeasty brew was just a bit too reminiscent of raw bread dough for my taste, I was glad to hear about another local microbrewery. Deans Bros. have pretty good distribution so I'll look forward to trying their ESB or Irish Red Ale at the Village Idiot or Beechwood. Our last taste was a real treat -- Ryan had some hard-to-find Hitachino Nest ginger beer (I think the bottle was a little different from this picture, though). With an assertive ginger flavor, this beer would be amazing with some super-spicy Thai or Chinese food or just on its own with some Hawaiian-style popcorn. I don't think I ever wrote up the Verdugo when I went the first week they opened -- probably the Delerium Tremens made me forget all about blogging. So consider the situation remedied, and try some unusual brews at Verdugo.

Cafe con Leche, Caribbean Dreams on tap for Highland Park

EatingLA didn't do too much food-related stuff this weekend...mostly beer and photography exhibits instead. But on the way to Johnny's during the NELA art walk, we noticed the sign for Cafe de Leche, a new cafe coming to York Ave. FoodGPS has more info on the Latin-influenced coffee spot which will offer single-origin coffees and tasting classes.

Also, Billyboy emailed a while ago that Caribbean Dreams is opening on York and Hazelwood. The sign reads "5 - Star Chef Fausto -- Texas BBQ -- Caribbean Delights."

Also, finally got to the Little Cave. The music selection was about a million times better than Johnny's, and Matt enjoyed the large smoking patio. The on tap beer selection would have seemed amazing a few years ago, but now it seems standard to have half a dozen craft beers on tap, including Firestone and Stone IPA. The summer happy hour from 8:30 to 10:30 on Friday and Saturday is an excellent idea, since I'm kind of an early bird. Hard to beat those $3 import drafts! Also, don't miss the lady in front selling fat grilled hot dogs topped with savory sauteed onions, mayo and ketchup for $2.50.

El Prado pours heady brews in Echo Park

It seems like just a little while ago I was complaining that L.A. had a terrible beer selection, that Father's Office is all well and good for Westsiders but where can near-Eastsiders get a decent beer? Then the York opened and then Verdugo, not to mention Lucky Devils and Pure Luck. Now Echo Park has lucked out with El Prado. So far, due to a series of licensing mishaps that befell the old El Prado, it's beer only. Seriously. If you don't want beer, there's water. And apples. But it's darn good beer, dispensed from eight austere brass taps behind a long wooden bar by a few charming beermaids. If you like hops, there's San Diego's Green Flash IPA. If you're kind of a lightweight when it comes to heavy hops or strong ale, there's Affligem, which is lighter and fruity and yet nuanced and flavorful. Even nicer, there's a few snackies to help the beer go down, like quail eggs with dukkah seasoning and cured short ribs. When the license gets straightened out, there might be wine. For now, it's open Thursday-Sunday after 8 or so, with a fairly uniform clientele of heavily bearded guys and girls with cute haircuts, all under 32 or so. Rejoice, Eastside, your hops are finally here.
El Prado
1805 W. Sunset Blvd., Echo Park

Drinks report: Sgt. Recruiter

The cheerful young barman

It's starting to get a lot more Frenchy in these parts, what with Figaro Bistro, Mes Amis and the expansion of Cafe Stella. And now the Spanish-themed Cobras & Matadors has spawned a petit bar à vin with the curiously un-Gallic name of Sgt. Recruiter.

Nice fresh oysters of several varieties

It's a sweet little spot with a brief menu written on the mirrored wall behind the bar -- frites, moules, oysters, onion rings, socca. Some good French wines at reasonable prices. A few Belgian beers, but none on tap. Salud!

Drinks report: The Griffin

An obscure restaurant across from the Tam O'Shanter that I never heard of anyone eating at has been transformed into a gothy nightspot called The Griffin. It's a big place with two gas fireplace-equipped seating pits, numerous nooks, an outdoor patio and a whole other pub room that opens on weekends for the overflow crowd. Sorry, not a great photo, but you can see the clever cage-like patio that allows patrons to drink alongside the sidewalk of Los Feliz Blvd. while keeping them safely fenced off from riffraff, teenagers, etc. There's the requisite thrift shop art, plenty of air conditioning, and an arched ceiling that makes you think you could be in the basement of an old cathedral, if you weren't in a formerly cheesy restaurant in Atwater. They make a mean Manhattan, and I don't know why some blogger said it was $12, because we paid $12 for a pint of Newcastle and a Manhattan. Beer on tap selection is so-so -- what's the point of having Italy's Peroni on tap, does anyone like that stuff? The jukebox is pretty solid, if a little heavy on the alt-hits du jour (do we really need to hear the Arcade Fire once again?) -- still, hard to complain about Wire, the Pixies, the Sweet, the Jam. P.J. Harvey and plenty of other choices. Nice to see the kids have yet another place to hang, but I hope the Roost also survives for a while.
The Griffin
3000 Los Feliz Blvd.

The York rocks Highland Park

Eating L.A. was in Highland Park not once, but twice last week. The first time was for the preview night at The York, the new gastropub on, of course, York Blvd. where the Wild Hare used to be. They've opened up the space completely with big windows on the street, brick walls and imaginative light fixtures for a very New York feeling. There's a nice selection of beers on tap (we tried the Heavenly Hefweizen) and a good small wine list. Food seems very solid so far -- a super juicy, tasty burger; seared catfish had a clean taste with no doughy breading and a nice side of sauteed corn; fries a bit overdone like I like them and addictive fried garbanzo beans for snacking on with drinks. Only the Cuban sandwich seemed to need a little more work -- the pickle needs to go on the inside to add moisture, not on the side. I'm sure opinions will be divided over whether Highland Park wants/needs a $12 hamburger, but it seemed pretty fun to us.

Saturday night we checked out faithful reader Ellen Bloom's art opening featuring collages of historic L.A. neighborhoods, as well as the amazing pieces by Clare Graham at MorYork gallery and then stopped by Johnnie's Bar. I liked the people, the drinks and the ambiance, but I could have done without "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" playing on the large-screen TV (how about an artsy movie or something fun to look at?) and the incredibly loud music reverberating off the tiny room's vintage tin ceiling.

Taste test: Redwood Bar & Grill

I know L.A. Times staffers and other Downtown barflies were a little offended when nightlife impresarios took over the venerable Redwood Bar & Grill and outfitted it with a seagoing pirate vibe. But since I never hung there back in the day (Variety staffers, when they have time to drink, repair to Tom Bergin's), I can't say I was upset to check out the decently-priced menu of tasty bar food the new owners brought in. Kevin Roderick says the food was pretty basic back when he was at the Times, but while the new menu still covers the bar basics -- burgers, fish and chips, chicken wings -- it's all done with a good dose of flavor and care, plus more upscale items like mussels and fries or rock shrimp panini. Jeff's Kobe burger was huge, with a side of well-done sweet potato fries. Kathy and I shared the fish 'n chips -- not as crispy as the King's Head, but the fish was good and we loved the thick homemade potato chips that stood in for fries. I also liked the Redwood's modern take on a Waldorf salad, with frisee, apple slices, walnuts and roquefort and no Miracle Whip to be seen. The draft beer selection was merely adequate, so we split a hearty Arrogant Bastard ale -- there's a few good bottled beers, but the beer selection could be even better without much effort. The crowd was also far more to my liking than some of the other Downtown places we've tried. Chalk one up for the Redwood, even if it's not a dive anymore.
The Redwood Bar & Grill
316 W. 2nd St.
(213) 680-2600

Downtown is disappointing!

I feel like it's my duty to check out all the activity going on in Downtown L.A., but for now, color me underwhelmed. A few weeks ago we stopped by Royal Clayton's for a drink -- nice beer list, but the "urban gothic" interior is a little cold and cavernous -- not at all the cozy pub I had been hoping for. Friday night we tried J Restaurant, near the Staples Center. Even a good-quality burger and some tasty fries weren't enough to make me like this place. There are few seats in the bar upstairs, and you can't get draft beer upstairs -- only downstairs where the restaurant is. But wouldn't the bar patrons want draft beer more than the restaurant diners? The basketball game plays on endlessly as the Downtown functionaries drain their first weekend beers...I don't know, for some reason it all seemed grim and soulless, not to mention even more cavernous than Royal Clayton's. Someone mentioned they recently had a party for 700...so clearly, not really the intimate kind of place I'll return to. And don't even get me started on the fratboy traffic jam at the Broadway Bar. Next on my list: The Redwood Room.

Drinks digest: Sake House Miro

(I'm sure the Sake House won't mind if I borrow a photo from their website.)

I'm filing this one under drinks, because while Sake House Miro does have izakaya dishes, yakitori and sushi, they serve more as accompaniments to the sake, beer and soju cocktails. It's not really an eating destination, but it's a great option in this under-served neighborhood near La Brea and Wilshire. As the website points out, the Sake House is a lot like walking into a neighborhood pub in 1970s Tokyo with Godzilla posters on the wall, vintage Japanese pay phones and cozy settees. The sushi at Sake House is serviceable, but I haven't really gotten to the cooked dishes yet. I'm looking forward to trying out their house fried chicken, grilled yellowtail collar, black cod, tofu steak with bonito and chile skewers. The friendly server recommended the smooth Kaori sake. Most sakes are in the $8 range for an ample glass; the cloudy unfiltered sake is $12 a bottle. With 15 kinds of sake to choose from, 2 for 1 sake on Mondays and 2 for 1 beer and soju on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, this is a fun spot to stop in after work or before a movie for a drink and some small plates.
UPDATE: Sake House also makes a great bibimbap. See my review here.
Sake House Miro
809 S. La Brea
(323) 939-7075