Lisa and I were on the Westside of L.A. a few days ago and decided to try Frida's Taqueria, which Lisa had been hearing a lot of good things about.
Frida's Taqueria is a kind of "taco stand" version of the much more upscale Frida's Restaurant chain that has three locations around Southern California. Lisa and I ate at the Glendale Frida's and I didn't really like it. Its located in a shopping mall which really doesn't help the food any. The food might have been good but I couldn't tell because it was so cold by the time it got to us. Plus the entire restaurant staff seemed like they really didn't want to be there. It was just before Christmas so maybe that's understandable, but I won't be going back.
Frida's Taqueria, on the other hand, was great. I had the chicken burrito and it was one of the best burritos I've had in my life. It was simple (and pretty cheap) but had great flavors. The hot sauce was really good too. Also, its located in the Brentwood Country Mart which brings back nice childhood memories of going there (way before Frida's ever existed) with my parents when I was a little kid. I'll definitely be going back.
FYI last time I went to Paco's Tacos and ordered Paco's Burrito it had tortilla chips inside! Horrible! I asked my waitress if it was a mistake and she said the cook told her it always comes like that. I've never encountered this before, and I've been going to Paco's for a long time. Has this happened to any of you out there? Or is it a cover-up?!
Lisa and I went to a great Vietnamese restaurant last night.
Lemongrass is in the Los Angeles suburb of Eagle Rock on Colorado Blvd. My good friend Erica took me there a few weeks ago and I've been wanting to go back ever since.
Last night I had Pho Tai and Lisa had a vermicelli dish with shrimp. The food is delicious and the prices are reasonable.
I'm a "Pho snob" (thanks to Erica) so when I find a good bowl of Pho it has to be good.
My good friend Nate is getting married in February and not only has he given me the honor of being one of his groomsmen, but he is also having my band Spain perform at it. On Friday afternoon I met with Nate, along with the conductor of the big band he's hiring and the wedding DJ, at the wedding venue, an old, historic building in Downtown L.A. called the Los Angeles Athletic Club (LAAC).
According to their website LAAC was established in 1880 as "a haven for up and coming members of the Los Angeles community". Originally it was a men-only club (Nate told me during prohibition they had secret rooms where alcohol was served), but with the modernization of humankind it became co-ed and smoking is prohibited.
I could still smell the cigar smoke in the air, history just oozed off the oak walls and original art deco furnishings.
The piano looked and sounded great.
Here is Nate deep in thought, his head full of guest-to-food ratios and square-footage statistics.
The LAAC website is great and everyone should check it out, its at http://www.laac.com
The Los Angeles Athletic Club is located at 431 West Seventh Street in Los Angeles, CA 90014. It's a members-only club but free tours are available by calling (213) 625-2211.
Later that night Lisa and I went to our favorite Mexican food restaurant, Paco's Taco's, for dinner. Paco's serves without a doubt the best Mexican food in Los Angeles and we eat there at least two or three times a month (it is a little bit of a drive from where we live). Make sure you try their homemade flour tortillas which are incredible (and don't forget to tip the nice lady who makes them). I almost exclusively stick to their chile rellenos, either in a combo with a taco or enchilada or in their signature Paco's Burrito, which is actually a chile relleno burrito (without meat, as they always remind me). I always get Paco's Burrito with their green sauce, which is incredibly tasty with overtones of cinnamon and goes great with the refried beans.
The atmosphere of Paco's Taco's is festive as you can see.
The happy couple enjoying a night out a Paco's Tacos!
On our way out I bumped into my old friend, former Los Abandoned guitarist Don Verde, who was standing outside waiting for a table (I forgot to say that on weekend nights the wait for a table could be up to 45 minutes). Don Verde is an amazing musician, check out his myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/donverde.
Paco's Tacos is located at 4141 S. Centinela Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90066. Their phone number is 310-391-9616, and their website is http://www.pacoscantina.com/.
Yesterday I went to rehearse with my dad and Mark Fain for the upcoming Haden Family CD. I won't spoil the surprise by telling you which songs I'm singing on but I will say my dad and Mark sounded great and it was really inspiring to me.
Mark is an incredible country bassist (although he plays in lots of other styles too), he has worked with Ricky Skaggs, Bruce Hornsby, Dolly Parton, and many, many others. Check out his myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/fainbass.
Here's a photo of Mark and I at the rehearsal.
Last but not least, the other day I uploaded a live video to youtube of footage from a concert my solo band played last April. Here it is for your viewing pleasure.
I play bass and sing in a band called Spain. I also play bass and sing in various other musical projects. Also, I'm an Aries, I like to cook, jog, and read.
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