With the orange Home Depot signs shining overhead, the southern edge of Figueroa Street in Cypress Park is better known for building supplies than boutiques. But at Figueroa and Avenue 28, the opening of Finster Studio, a vintage furniture and home accessories store, next to Footsies bar and across from Maintain skate shop has helped attract those searching for hipness instead of hardware. Cypress Park resident Sharon-Kate Sancer, a former photo producer and prop stylist, opened Finster, named after her Doxie Terrier mix, in December to pursue her longtime interest in vintage items and get out of a long commute.
Sancer said she was attracted to the location partly because Footsies “has a following of the same kind of customers we would draw.” Finster has also attracted customers patronizing other nearby businesses.
“I think [Maintain] customers have found us from spotting us across the street, and I hope vice-versa,” Sancer said in an email. “And I can’t neglect mentioning El Atacor #11. We’ve had many new customers walk in from being over here for their potato taco fix!”
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Hermon
Monday, January 30, 2012
Photo by Valentina Silva
By Valentina Silva
A decent donut is a fairly easy find, but a stellar one? That can be an enigma unless you’re willing to drive to Inglewood or Glendora, which is quite a commitment to quench one little donut craving. It’s not like there’s a shortage of donut shops on this side of town. They’re as ubiquitous in this corner as any other in Los Angeles—just pull into any strip mall, and you can probably emerge with a bearclaw or cruller in seconds. No sweat. But, let’s be honest: it will most likely be just so-so, all kinds of ho-hum, a little waxy, on the dry side, too dense, or just plain eh.
You deserve better.
That’s why I’m letting you in on the best kept donut secret in Hermon. If you passed by it, you wouldn’t even give it a second glance. There’s no gigantic, beacon-like donut sign to reel you in, no buzz to spark your curiosity… nothing.
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Workers have been gutting the interior of the former Alamar jewelry store, one of the many Cuban businesses that once thrived in Echo Park. Is there a new store or cafe coming to the 1800 block of Sunset Boulevard that is home to Masa restaurant and The Echo nightclub? Nope. The former Alamar store and an adjacent storefront will be filled by the social services agency El Centro Del Pueblo, which owns the building and is headquartered around the block on Lemoyne Street.
El Centro had already been using one of the Sunset Boulevard spaces and now looks to double the space. “We are renovating our office space for clinical mental health and family preservation services currently provided by El Centro,” said Executive Director Sandra Figueroa.
The once low-key strip of storefronts at the northeast corner of Sunset Boulevard and Micheltorena Street has in recent years attracted some upscale tenants, including Lark Bakery, The Hive Salon and Stark waxing studio. Now, the one-story building across from the Micheltorena Elementary playground is preparing for new and expanding businesses.
The former dry cleaner at the corner has been replaced with the new studio – and future store – for handbag designer Clare Vivier, who already shares a storefront around the corner with jewelry designer Kathryn Bentley. Meanwhile, the narrow storefront next door is being converted into what neighbors say will be restaurant. The restaurant owners could not be reached but apparently they plan to feature grilled cheese sandwiches on the menu.
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Toasted Lemon Chiffon Cake/Valentina Silva
By Valentina Silva
I’ve heard great things about Proof Bakery but never the pleasure, so when a friend suggested lunch there, I said “Oooh! Sure.” I don’t get to see Atwater Village on weekdays or by sunlight too often, but since I started working from home (no more east-to-west commute!), I’ve been trying to squeeze in local lunch spots.
Proof Bakery doesn’t bowl you over on first sight. The small, unassuming space is all clean lines, modern airiness and marble tables. The dessert case/counter doesn’t have Marie Antoinette-esque decadence of many bakeries these days, so there aren’t the stacks and piles of cakes and cobblers of, say, Huckleberry in Santa Monica. That said, the restrained set of offerings does hit the right sweet and savory notes—think chocolate chip cookies, cheese and chive biscuits, croissants, tarts and morning buns.
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Thursday, January 12, 2012
Photo by Valentina Silva
By Valentina Silva
I’ve had a three prevalent/overwhelming cravings throughout my pregnancy: peanut butter, shredded wheat cereal and wet burritos. Of the food-obsessed trinity, the wet burrito urge is my favorite as it plays right into my blogging schemes, allowing me to “research” various versions around town. My latest and greatest discovery is the adobada burrito at Highland Park’s El Huarache Azteca Restaurante.
El Huarache is one of the most prized restaurants on York Boulevard—it’s always packed, and it’s hard to find many who will deny its superiority. As the name implies, they’re most famous for their huarache, an oblong-shaped slab of fried masa covered with cojita cheese, meat (avocado in this case because we ordered it veggie), crema, lettuce and onions. And, yes, their huaraches are good, but to me, their adobada burrito shines even brighter.
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Chango Coffee is a scruffy Echo Park coffeehouse that has served as a magnet for neighborhood hipsters. Susina Bakery & Cafe is known for its high-end baked goods served out of a glossy Beverly Boulevard storefront. Now these two very different cafes have merged after the owner of Susina took over Chango at the first of the year, according to an employee working for Susina owner Jenna Turner. The cafe will soon stay open until 7 p.m. but it’s still too early to say whether the Chango name will remain and how the menu might change, said the employee.
“It’s definitely not going to be Susina II,” he said of the cafe at the corner of Echo Park and Delta avenues. “We are cleaning it up and keeping it funky.”
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Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Atwater Village Farm, a grocery featuring farm-fresh produce, opened last week after numerous delays, reports Squid Ink. In addition to produce, the Glendale Boulevard store will sell “pickles, jam, honey and olive oil; locally grown grains and nuts; and imports, such as beans and California cheeses.”
- Echo Park’s Mohawk Bend, which opened this summer, is preparing for its first New Year’s Eve Dinner special: a $65, per-person meal that includes a post-midnight beer toast and souvenir glasses. Reservations required.
- The new owner of Anatomy Fitness in Highland Park will hold a grand reopening ceremony in January, according to Patch. The name of fitness center and classes will remain the same but many prices will be lower.
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