Reviews: Eats and Beats

Across the street from Canter's, longtime landmark and elder statesman of Los Angeles eateries, comes the edgy, scrappy new kid on the block--The Golden State. The creation of 20-somethings Jim and Jason (Jim is nephew to my friend Christine, hence the writing of this review), The Golden State boasts a spare and functional decor, and serves a small, specialized menu of typical American fare--hamburgers, ham and cheese sandwiches, selections of sausages and beer--but all with a subtle twist. The juicy, robust burger (BEST I've EVER had...) is offset with the sweetness of thick-cut brown sugar glazed bacon. Run-of-the-mill french fries are spiced up with a side of Hazelnut Romesco dip, and the ketchup is curried. Dessert features Scoops ice cream, the fairly new but now indispensible neighborhood ice creamery in Silverlake. Like the purveyors of The Golden State, the crowd is made up of 20-somethings looking to forgo the glitz and grime of Sunset Blvd. a few streets away for the quirkier feel of Fairfax Ave.

( a smorgasboard of Scoops! served up special just for us)

On a different NOTE, I've been listening to Raphael Saadiq non-stop and it makes my commute actually pretty tolerable...soothe the traffic jam with a jive. The New Yorker calls it "so retro it's avant."