hollywood

I'd like to reply but I'm too bloated with condescension and over-sized portions.

[sUPERIOR TONE OF VOICE]I'm sorry, but your entire line of reasoning is simply beneath me.[/sUPERIOR TONE OF VOICE] [CONDESCENDING TONE OF VOICE] Well, since you put it that way.... [/CONDESCENDING TONE OF VOICE]

In Los Angeles, we have Koreatown, Little Tokyo, China Town, Thai Town, Filipinotown, Little Armenia, the Byzantine-Latino Quarter, etc. Are there foreign cities that have Little Americas? I've never heard of one. What's the deal?

So the party of the first part agrees with the party of the second part... Oh, what the hell, let's party!

I wonder where Klink's having his batchelor party.

Cowboys, of course -all their equipment's for real. Sounds like you like a straight shooter.

Jeez, Monkey, you're just as at home hanging with hipsters and pornstars as you are with cowboys in Bakersfield! I wonder which you prefer.

And here's a link from a few years ago. Wool Grower's is supposed to be good for Basque and Dewar's Ice Cream Shop comes highly recommended. http://ww2.bakersfield.com/2001/bestof2001.../eat-drink.html

I think Monkey's right. Head for Buck Owens' Crystal Palace. http://www.buckowens.com/

If I'm not mistaken, you can't get White Cottage in stores. It's all bought by restaurants.

That's definitive!

This is the long way around, but I'd suggest meeting some lawyers who could clue you into good places to eat. The biggest firm in town is Borton Petrini & Conron and they look well fed. They also put on a very fancy business conference each year which is quite the affair. It's in October. Best of luck. People with money in Bakersfield drive to LA or SF on Friday nights and spend the weekend.

Witty stuff by J. Gold tracing the history of the last 25 years of LA cuisine. Ironically, this week's Weekly also contains an extensive piece on the Santa Monica Farmers' Market. http://www.laweekly.com/ink/03/35/dining-gold.php

I don't think you need parking reservations anymore, especially during the week and especially if you are from out of town. And there's a workaround: if there's no parking, you park at a nearby lot and take a private shuttle.

Where are you and how far are you willing to drive? Did you see the LA Provisions threads?

I don't see why the meat has to be tough to begin with. It can be be but why is tough a requirement?

As for tourist stuff, get downtown. See the new cathedral. Drive by the Disney Concert Hall (by Gehry). Check out MOCA. Go to Olvera Street. Have carnitas at La Luz Del Dia. Walk over to Union Station (scene of many a film). Check out the menu at Traxx there. Walk over to Philippe's. Line up for one of their French Dip sandwiches--I like lamb or turkey with blue cheese. You can get Silver Oak by the glass there or just lemonade.

You should go to the Getty in the day. On a clear day, the view is fabulous. Then you can eat lunch at the restaurant.

If you have the time, catch some jazz at Snug Harbor. The food's nothing special but the music is. Or, if you're into Dixieland, Preservation Hall.

While I have it in mind, here's a candidate: A.O.C. http://events.calendarlive.com/top/1,1419,...8-39188,00.html

One thing we've found is you can clean as you go. You can usually hire somebody for about $12 an hour or less to do this, serve some stuff, and do some (if not all) of the cleanup at the end. You get to enjoy the party a lot more and there's a lot less to clean at the end of the night. Plus you don't have to worry about running out of glasses, etc. if someone is washing and drying them as they are abandoned by guests.

Hint: don't wear black.

Thanks, guys. Sorry for the interruption.

Somewhere I have a tape of a band called 808 State, sort of techno as I recall. Do you have some insight on their name?