Industry Cafe & Jazz...Ethiopian Culture meets American Culture

6039 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 202-6633
Sun-Thurs 11AM-Midnight
Fri-Sat 11AM-1:30AM

Being a musician, and more importantly a bassist, who plays both electric and upright, I find that it becomes an everyday occurence to see myself gravitating to people who share a love of the same things. Since upright bass is synonomous with Jazz, it's no coincidence that I've been to plenty of jazz clubs here in LA including all of the prominent ones that the big players get featured at.

In Culver City there's the blink-and-you'll-miss-it restaurant called Industry Cafe and Jazz that features great jazz, great Ethiopian food (as well as some soul food bites). The beauty of the place is that it's open pretty late. I find it to be a beautiful marriage of great cultures. It's been said that Jazz is the only true musical heritage we have. It was born here in America and is every bit American as the hard working people that it was birthed from.

I won't go into huge details here, but I'll tell you in a nutshell that the food is wonderful and is served by people who aim to please. The types of food are standard Ethiopian fare but don't let that fool you if you've never had Ethiopian. There's much to be said about their incredible culture and even more so their food! Rich in spices and textures, it's a foodie's delight!

Here's one of their standard but very well done meals all on injera (wouldn't really be Ethiopian without it). Shown are the collard greens on the left, salad on the right, lentils and chick peas on the top and bottom, and in the center are their lamb tibbs and chicken tibbs. The meats were super tender and mouth wateringly savory.

Just wanted to show you a little bit of a closer shot of the lamb tibbs. Why? Cause I wanted to give it an honorable mention amongst all the lamb tibbs I've had including in all of Little Ethiopia (where there happened to be a festival this past weekend...had to make a mention of it as it was an unexpected treat to walk through).

As for the jazz, you can't go wrong in LA and they get some great players popping in to throw it down. They also have poetry and some special events that support the community. Parking is street parking, and luckily if you go for dinner (after 6) all parking is free. Treat yourself to some culture soon...ours and theirs!

PS. I'll be back again soon to write up about the soul food if it's happenin'.

Free refills: No
Entree Price Range: $8-$11 for the Combos, $9 and below for everything else

Pizza Week on What's To Eat LA: Damiano's Mr. Pizza

412 N Fairfax Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323)658-7611
Daily 11am-6am

This week is all about pizza. Hope I don't lose any fans in the process.


Pizza. There's so much you can say about a bread crust covered in sauce and cheese. It's simple like a taco and yet very complex with how subtle things must be for it to be anything special. I've had lots of pizza in LA, and for what it's worth, I'm not trying to declare what you should or shouldn't like when it comes to pizza. My feelings on this particular subject are that it's all how we grew up. Some people will swear by Papa John's or Little Caesars or Pizza Hut. Some people define Pizzeria Mozza as the quintessential best in Los Angeles while some still have a special home in their hearts for California Pizza Kitchen (I shudder just writing that).

Damiano's Mr. Pizza on Fairfax in the thick of the Fairfax District holds a special place in my heart for more than one reason. Let me start by saying that according to Yelp, and a few choice others, that by me saying that, I will have made some enemies. I'm not going to argue and call the Yelpers liars or anything but I just have to disagree from my own experience in eating out...often.

Let me first remark on some of the obvious qwirks of Damiano's. If you decide to eat inside be aware that they haven't had the lights on in there for what seems like possibly a decade if they ever had them on at all. So if you plan on eating in, realize that you probably only want the first table closest to the door if it's night time and possibly the 3rd table in if you're eating in the daytime. The beer selection is extensive and I do mean 40+ different types extensive(some pricier, some cheaper). The wait staff changes a lot. This apparently according to Yelpers is something to complain about. It's pizza. You don't really have to have a degree to know the toppings on the pizza, the sizes you carry, the beverages and scribbling ability for the cook. That being said, every time I've gone has been great. I'm not going to define great by being the most amazing experience, but it's been consistently good, and no drama at all from the wait staff. I don't look anything special to naked eye, so it's not like they respected me more than anyone else. In fact, I look rather forgettable in a crowd of middle class 20 something Angelenos. One last thing before I get onto the actual pizza, they deliver... and deliver LATE (they close at 6 AM!) if need be! Not to mention, when I asked what there radius was they said wherever. There is a charge for getting that pizza wherever so always ask how much extra for delivery to Glendale ;)

Their pizza, in my mind(from growing up in the Bronx and Connecticut), tastes very similar to NY pizza. How do they do it? I don't know. BUT, there is one thing that all the NY pizza I ever had that was different... certain spices. Hard to put my finger on it but I know it's missing that one key element. If I may, let me go off on a tangent. What's the deal with it being like, "Ahhh...now that's a NY style pizza" or can you believe this Chicago-style deep-dish dough. Like those are what define amazing pizza. Pizza is good if you like it. Plain and simple. In my mind it's the whole wine mentality. Drink what tastes good to you not what someone tells you tastes good or by how expensive it is. The cheese is very well cheesy haha. Not a cheese soup and the dough is almost crunchy thin crust but inside it's fluffy.

(Does this look dried out and gross as according to some Yelpers?)

As mentioned before they do deliver ultra late and there's always a delivery charge. Now here is where I will possibly talk a little down. I've heard horror stories from lots of different places with pizza delivery. Sometimes you get a sucky driver who doesn't deliver your pizza. In such an instance when you don't trust the driver, pay with cash. If the pizza comes super late don't pay for it. Or if you're really evil and don't care about ordering from them again don't open your door. It sucks but business is business. You shouldn't have to pay for something you don't want or that didn't come to you in a timely manner. Bottomline is that if you're pissed off with a delivery then call the place of business and complain. Some people just let themselves be victims and never stand up for themselves and then piss and moan about it on a forum. That's not right. I say all this cause people have complained about having bad delivery stories from Damiano's (via Yelp). If we were to see all the times Pizza Hut screwed up a delivery they would be out of business from all the bad press. You just expect it to happen sometimes. What can you do?

Do I like Damiano's? Yup sure do (so does Pat at Eating LA who writes for Variety). It's a huge (big freaking NY style slices), tasty, cheesy pizza pie that reminds me of living in New York (notice I said it reminds ME) and they've consistently given me a great pizza pie that's hard to beat for the things that are on my intangible taste list for pizza. Oh and not everyone on Yelp says they've had a bad experience...some people would take a bullet for Damiano's and some even say it's the best pizza they've had in LA. But what do they know ;)

As a very odd PS., many people love to come here at one in the morning when they've been out drinking...a lot (particularly after a show at Largo). Something about being buzzed and good pizza.

Free Drink Refills: On normal soda yes on everything else no
Entree Price Range: To not quote dollar amounts I'll give a single $ instead.

(Hipster) Pho Cafe

2841 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA
90026
(213)413-0888
Everyday 11AM-Midnight

I love our girl JAX over at Rockinsider. She's a transplant from Utah who will decidedly live and die in Echo Park. She introduces me to lots on the east side... hence why I myself will be moving there this year sometime (hopefully sooner than later). She is all about sharing the love of why LA kicks so much butt and also dishes out why pretentious Angelenos can at least be enjoyed for their comedy effect. She brought me and Celeste here to Pho Cafe a while back. Thanks JAX for all the love.

Pho Cafe is hidden in plain sight like a where's waldo at the silverlake/echo park border. There's no sign and it's in a small strip mall that is mostly ghost town. I can't say I've ever seen the other businesses open except for maybe the liquor store (with the perpetually broken ATM). I speak of the ATM cause Pho Cafe is cash only and have gone at times only to remember that "shoot I need to go out and grab some cash". Silversun Liquor store where famed Silverlake band, Silversun Pickups would go for alcohol is right on the corner and in front of that is the Silverlake Lounge where you can catch some amazing music at night. A Silversun Pickups song for the moment:


Last night I attempted the theoretically possible that turned into the extremely impossible. I would show up at home load up my upright in my car (had to record on a cartoon after Brendan Hunt's "5 Years in Amsterdam), meet a friend for coffee and while out grab some cash for Pho and for the show I was going to at 8pm (5 Years...). Come to find out LA was basically on lock down mid-city thanks to the MacArthur Park incident. Sooo... no pre show pho. But the night was not yet thwarted (love that word...should use it more often). Caught Brendan Hunt who killed it. I'll miss that show. We went right after the show to record on the cartoon Papiroflexia (it'll be up soon and will be at the UCLA animation festival at UCLA on June 9th. Screenings at 5:30 and 8:45 but you have to RSVP at 310-825-5829) and that only took an hour for both of us so we headed over to Pho Cafe with time to spare.

Jax dubbed this place as Hipster Pho Cafe, as that's who primarily frequents the spot. The shop is cool with it's hanging bulbs in glass spheres. The food comes out quickly and for how much you get it's a pretty good deal. I will mention that their spring rolls(assembly required) are killer (sometimes we go for those alone as they are so filling) (sorry no pics this time for them). The pho is down home cooking pho. Slightly on the milder side but I think it's so that you can dress it up to your liking with all the herbs, lime and hot sauce that you like in it. Last night I grabbed the Pho Dac Diet (has tripe in it with raw meat and meatballs).

Here's something other bloggers won't tell you. The parking lot there is small so street parking is the special route. But we often get to park in the parking lot and lots of times so will you. I tell you this piece of insider info. Inside the parking lot you'll see this billboard spot:

I firmly believe that every bird who has the "runs" within a 2 mile radius comes to take a dump up at this billboard. If you park there you will come out and feel like they have some sort of evil vendetta against you. Be warned.

Pho cafe isn't as much of a hidden place as some would have you think but it seems to love the fact that they've gotten as popular as they are based only on word of mouth. It's the best advertising cause you figure unless there's a conspiracy going on it must be the truth on how good it is.

Below you can click on the menu to see the details for prices and what they have. I'd recommend downloading it then blowing that bad boy up:

Free Drink Refills: No but I will say my wife loves the tea there which is ample and the coffee is also pretty killer.
Entree Price Range: about $7.50 for HUGE bowl of Pho

Music Venue Food/ Breakfast: The Brite Spot

1918 Sunset Blvd.

Echo Park, CA 90026

(213) 484-9800

Everyday from 7AM-4AM

Since 1949, the Brite Spot has been there. Like anything old and reliable you can tend to take it for granted and yet if this place were gone there would be a great hole in LA. The food while not rated as the most amazing (though it does have some tasty dishes that you'll have to guess through their vast menu) it has a special quality about just being there. The place is located a couple of short blocks from The Echo in Echo Park where you can catch amazing shows by many of tomorrow's biggest names.

So why do I say eat hear? Cause everyone does. The food is pretty cheap especially if you catch a breafast special after a show (all breakfast specials cost $5.50 after 10PM) and it's like the "Cheers" of Echo Park. You just go there and grab food with friends because everyone does (can you say peer pressure...come on everyone's doing it). It's as simple as that. Can I tell you that you'll get the best food ever...nope. Can I tell you that everyone and there gramma goes there for a cheap meal that causes many a great conversation...I can.

I'd recommend the chilaquiles with chorizo or the amazing huevos rancheros. They have hearty pancakes that look like they came off a lumberjacks griddle. The staff is super cool (even to the point of causing some notorious stories themselves)! It really is our own version of Cheers just minus the bar, the bartenders, the steps that lead downstairs, the Boston weirdos, the fat guy who everyone knows his name, that wannabe nerdy mailman, blah, blah, blah. We're LA...everything is better here.

A small word on The Echo...go there. Especially on the HellYa nights. It's usually super cheap or free and you can catch many great acts that'll be huge tomorrow. Say Hi to the spunky shorter dj if you do.

Free Drink Refills: Yes

Entree Price Range: Cheap...such a varitable menu and yet I can say to anyone that the price range is just plain old cheap for anyone's pocket.

Venue Food: Leela Thai

1737 Silverlake Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90026

(323) 660-6100

Mon-Thurs 11:30AM-10PM

Fri-Sun 11:30-11PM

(Press play on the youtube above so you can get in the mood for this post.)

A new section for you lovers of music in LA...where to eat that's close to music venues. Last night I went to go see the gentleman up there on the youtube (that you're hopefully listening to) who's name is Ferraby Lionheart. He was playing in Silverlake at Spaceland for there second slot of the night. Great show and it was nice to hear some new songs from his next album due out later this year. With that being said, a great place to try when you want to eat before popping into Spaceland is literally steps from the place. And I mean steps. It couldn't have been more than 100 steps from the entrance of Spaceland to the restaurant entrace. Leela's Thai is beloved by many a "Silverlakian". Great "healthier" Thai at great prices. I say healthier cause they have vegetarian conscious plates for those who would rather murder plants then animals...I'm more of a strict carnivore though I'm learning to stab carrots and corn as of late. Just kidding but not really.

We had the Pad Thai (which was super yummy), the "Secret Spice" which had a sort of coconut based chili sauce, some soup and the appetizer sampler (the shrimp and spring rolls stood out above the rest of the appetizer items). If you enjoy Thai Iced Tea, there's is pretty tasty (of course there will always be those that argue that they taste like wind instrument reeds). The entire meal was perfect for a pre-show dinner. A small word of warning and it really is small...it's a cash only place. Also I'd like to share with you the unique fact that they have a one dollar per person corkage fee in case you'd like to bring your own wine...which we love doing! We'll be back...with a bottle of wine...or maybe even two.

Free Drink Refills: Only on Iced Tea and Lemonade (can you say Arnold Palmer?)

Entree Price Range: $6 to $8