Paradise Theatre

The Paradise Theatre - A festive sloe gin fizz.

What's better than happy hour? How about happy hour at LA's very first Styx themed speakeasy-- the one, the only, Paradise Theatre.

I know what you're thinking, there are a handful of places with craft cocktails served in vintage glasses that call themselves a "speakeasy" but Paradise Theatre is definitely different. It's a speakeasy in the most authentic sense of the term: entrance is by approved admittance, it's a secret location and it just might be open in the wee hours. It's also where the local bartenders hang out, during their off hours.

The Crystal Ball - Apple brandy, lemon juice, grenadine,
and a "crystal ball" of ice

I had the chance to visit Paradise Theater in June and quite frankly, I had no idea what to expect. After brushing up on my Styx music (aka Googling Styx music), I recruited my friends Victor and Mary from 2Sense-LA to join me on a late-night LA Adventure. "Late-night" since Paradise Theatre doesn't open till 11pm.

The Grand Illusion - A gimlet with mint, patterned after the
forest theme of the Grand Illusion cover.

Upon entering, your greeted by Bear. But don't worry, he's a security guard that's all bark and no bite. (Literally.) Get past this ball of fluff and you're good to go. We were then met with a welcome shot. A palate cleanser that was similar to a limoncello.

The group had a selection of cocktails - cleverly themed Styx cocktails that is. The ambiance is fun, welcoming and as midnight rolled around, more and more patrons began filling the room.

The Pieces of Eight - Their variation of the Ward 8 (Bourbon,
orange juice, lemon juice, grenadine, and mint)

This is truly a passion project... having a penchant for great craft cocktails and you guessed it, Styx. Overall, it's just a really fun place to hang out. Plus R&A are great hosts.  

The news is that Paradise Theatre will come to close on August 16th. But luckily for us they are offering a happy hour special until then! 

Here are the details: Paradise Theatre is only open on Fridays, doors open at 11pm. 

To get an invite and more details on happy hour visit their Instagram: ParadiseTheatre

Friends, take a trip to Silver Lake's one and only Styx themed speakeasy, while you still can! 

~~~~ Reviewed by Jenni ~~~~~~ 

Paradise Theatre 

Silver Lake

http://instagram.com/paradisetheatre

Cliff's Edge

Cliff's Edge is one of my favorite restaurants. It has amazing food, one of LA's most beautiful patios, and NOW great drink deals. Head back to the bar and you'll find "Nightly Specials" which include a $7 Bartender's Special, $6 wine, and $3 beer. The Bartender's Special is a wonderful hand-crafted cocktail which periodically changes. The best part is that the specials are EVERY night, ALL night!!!

The last night we were there, the Bartender's Special was a Hibiscus Whiskey Sour and it was delicious!

Bartender's Special - $6

Along with the Bartender's Special, we thought we'd try some drinks off the regular cocktail menu. We were very impressed. All the drinks were well balanced and superbly made.

Cocktail Menu

Glasgow Mule

Gold Rush

Bitter Pill

Cliff's Edge doesn't have food specials, but you gotta have dinner before you leave. Seriously! Chef Ben Bailly is now chef at Cliff's and the food is even better than it was before. I loved the Skate Wing (a type of ray fish). It was amazing. Our appetizers were great, too, but the Skate Wing stole the show. The foam surrounding it threw us off for a sec, but it all worked together nicely. Check out the pics below to see my favorite plates.

Skate Wing

Seared Scallops

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Albacore Ceviche

And dessert, of course!

So seriously... go to Cliff's Edge, grab a few of their nightly specials and then grab some dinner. You won't be disappointed.

Cliff's Edge
3626 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026
323.666.6116

www.cliffsedgecafe.com
twitter.com/cliffsedgela 
facebook.com/CliffsEdgeCafe

Thirsty Crow

Thirsty Crow opened in Silverlake in April of 2010 and until last weekend I hadn't been there. Why?? Well they didn't have happy hour. Duh! But they do now!!

Thirsty Crow's happy hour is daily... Monday-Saturday from 5-8pm and 2-7pm on Sundays. And Sunday is packed full of events! Not only do they have happy hour, but they also offer Whiskey Education from 9pm-close with live local bands. During their Whiskey Education, they offer $4 Buffalo Trace and $5 Sazerac Rye.

princessFrank

We went in last Sunday around 5pm so we didn't get a chance to experience the Whiskey Education, but there was this singer who was a one-man-band called princessFrank. He was great! He's there every Sunday afternoon, so you should check him out!











For happy hour, Thirsty Crow offers 8 drinks for just $5!  They were a bit on the small side, but for $5 I was happy.

Here's what we had...

 Old Fashioned

Buffalo Trace Bourbon, bitters, 

simple syrup, flamed orange zest

 Dark n' Stormy 

Kraken Dark rum, gingerbeer

 Moscow Mule

Stoli Vodka, fresh lime, spicy ginger beer

Sloe Gin Fizz

Sloe Gin, Citrus, and Fizz

I started with the Old Fashioned which was great. I normally will drink a variety of drinks off the menu but I love Old Fashioneds so I stuck to that. Friends had the other drinks, so I got to taste them and they were good too. 

If you'd like to see more of the bar, here is an article from LAWeekly from back when Thirsty Crow just opened. There are tons of great shots. 

Unfortunately Thirsty Crow doesn't serve food, so this is a great place for some drinks before going to happy hour somewhere else. That's what we did and will probably do again!

Happy Hour

$5 Cocktails: Mon-Sat 5-8pm & Sundays 2-7pm

Whiskey Education w/$4-5 Whiskey: Sundays 9p-close

Thirsty Crow

2939 W. Sunset Blvd.

Los Angeles, Ca 90026

323.661.6007

thirstycrowbar.com

facebook.com/ThirstyCrowBar

twitter.com/thirstycrowbar

Barbarella Bar

(Click Images for a Closer View)

I've been to Barbarella Bar a few times for happy hour, but on my last trip there I became very very sad. No more Ahi Tuna Tartar. I KNOW!!!! Shocking right?!?  (I was recently told it's back. Can't wait to go see!) Well, my sadness lightened a bit when the bartender, Jake, warmly greeted me. Yes, Jake is quite handsome but he sets a good example for what a bartender should be. He introduces himself to all the patrons when they sit down, he is quite friendly, and he gives honest feedback when asked his opinion on the food.  He definitely makes your time at the bar enjoyable.

So along with no more Tuna Tartar (Can someone please take the stake out of my heart?), the happy hour food menu is completely different... and a bit more expensive. I was happy to see that they still offer their 10 oz. martinis for just $6. They have a list to choose from but underneath that list, it says "and many, many more". So I let Jake surprise me. He made me a Kiwi Strawberry Martini. Mmmm, it was good. He even supplied a spoon so I could scoop out the large chucks of fresh kiwi at the end. Yum! That drink was followed up with a Ginger Cucumber Martini and a Manhattan Stag.  The Ginger Cucumber Martini had the perfect amount of ginger and the Manhattan was nice and strong. The man definitely serves up some strong drinks. Along with the martinis, Barbarella also offers all 25 drafts beers for just $4 (except Chimay and Delirium - $5) and mojitos for $6. They definitely have an awesome selection of beer.

Kiwi Strawberry Martini - $6

Ginger Cucumber Martini - $6

Manhattan Stag - $6

Now the new happy hour food menu is definitely pricey for happy hour but the servings are pretty large. I went with the Seared Tuna with marinated cucumbers. Sorry, but it didn't hold a candle to my once loved Ahi Tuna Tartar and I wouldn't order it again. I did have a bite of a friend's pizza and that was pretty good and it was a good size. I got glimpses of the Burger and the Lamb Skewer and both looked fabulous!

Seared Tuna - $10

Lamb Skewers - $8

Slice of the Pizza 

(the whole pizza is $8)

Although I wasn't a fond of my meal, I did enjoy the pizza and other things did look good. I'd definitely be willing to go back and try out some other dishes. Especially with the great service Jake, the bartender, provided. I'll just know that I won't be getting a superb deal.

Happy Hour:

Daily 4-7pm

Specials:

10 oz Martinis - $6
Mojitos - $6
Chimay and Delirium - $5
ALL other drafts - $4
Food - $6-10

www.thebungalowclub.com/barbarella