It's Thursday, which means you have the latest food and entertainment news waiting for you. Read on!

-- Jesús Sanchez, Publisher

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Eastside Scene

RIP Vin Scully: A memorial to Vin Scully with flowers, candles and other items began taking shape outside of Dodger Stadium shortly after the death of legendary baseball broadcaster was announced on Tuesday. 

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Thank You Thursday

Financial support from readers like you is more important than ever as our traditional source of revenue -- from selling advertising -- has become harder to come by.

That's why I'm very appreciative of the recent financial contributions from Catherine Pegram and Doug Scott. They join the many other readers who are helping us provide you with the neighborhood news you can't find anyplace else.

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-- Jesús Sanchez

Cypress Park

Baristas unite

By  Jesús Sanchez

Workers at the Cypress Park Starbucks have voted to join a union, according to posts on social media.

The employees at the Figueroa Street and Cypress Avenue drive-thru join workers at a relatively small but growing number of Starbucks stores that have unionized in recent months.

The Cypress Park workers voted 21-2 in favor of union representation, SB Workers United California announced on Twitter Tuesday. The Cypress Park Starbucks is now the 13th California store to unionize, according to the union post.

The vote was praised by Eunisses Hernandez, who will represent Cypress Park after she is sworn into the City Council in December. 

"Congratulations to all the people who fought to unionize the Cypress Park Starbucks!!" Hernandez tweeted. "Great work and leadership."

The Eastsider has contacted Starbucks for a response.

The Cypress Park Starbucks opened in 2018, replacing a former Burger King, as the chain opened several Eastside locations.

ATWATER VILLAGE

Blu Jam – start with big, and make it bigger

By Merrill Shindler

You eat breakfast and lunch at Blu Jam Café, and it’s hard not to wonder what dinner would be like. Of course, all you can do is wonder, because they only serve breakfast and lunch. But each of those meals is packed with dishes so substantial -- and so crazy delicious -- that dinner may well be a non-necessity.

Just consider the Brunch Carbonara. For those who think of brunch as a couple of bagels, some cream cheese and lox, this is a crazy big meal. It’s a mix of risotto with pasta carbonara, a soul-satisfying pile of arborio rice, smoked bacon, green peas, mozzarella, poached eggs and a green herb sauce. It is, at once, breakfast, lunch and dinner – plus leftovers for the next day. It’s a lot of food. But then, that’s the essence of Blu Jam – start with big, and make it bigger.

Few dishes that haven’t been supersized. Consider the Brunch Burger, which could be a 4th of July Feast Centerpiece -- grilled ground beef, with a fine tasty char on it, smoked bacon, chipotle aioli, butter lettuce, sliced tomato, cheddar cheese, and a sunnyside up egg on a thick bun, with crunchy spuds on the side.

This is not a good place to worry about cholesterol or blood sugar. But then, the crowd tends to be lean, well exercised and well-tended; lots of bare midriffs on a weekend morning.

For a hyper-busy brunch hotspot on one of the busiest streets on the Eastside – traffic is relentless, parking is a challenge – Blu Jam is strikingly…relaxed. The wait for a table can be considerable. But the staff is well trained -- they never seem overwhelmed by the crowds or quirky diner requests.

Once you have a cup of the French Press Guatemalan in hand, it’s hard not to sit at an outdoor table, watching the world flow by. There’s no need to rush through the spicy vegan Tex Mex tofu hash or the Hangover Scramble. Blu Jam may be jammed. But “blue” is a soothing color. Just remember to put some money in the meter.

Blu Jam Café Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Beyond Sublime
• ⭐⭐⭐ Worth Every Penny
• ⭐⭐A Good Neighborhood Destination
• ⭐ Might As Well Stay At Home

Blu Jam Café

• 3224 Glendale Blvd.
• 213-270-1107
• Breakfast and lunch, every day.
• No reservations, but online “wait” list.
• Moderately priced

Merrill Shindler has spent his life eating for a living in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. His idea of psychotherapy is a seat at a bar, with a beer in hand, and a Dodger game on the big screen.

Eastside Bites

Silver Lake: Diablo Restaurant & Cantina on Sunset Boulevard closed after a 10-year run, and the large space is now up for lease at more than $21,000 a month.

Silver Lake: Another closure on Sunset Boulevard, pudu pudu shuttered after less than a year offering "next generation pudding."

Eastside Weekend

By Jennifer Rodriguez

Friday, Aug 5

Echo Park: Watch the documentary "The Internet's Own Boy" and catch a performance by Mas Guerrero from their forthcoming EP at Heavy Manners Library. 

Saturday, Aug 6

Echo Park: Rock band Camilo Séptimo will perform alongside American-Chilean singer, Francisca Valenzuela at the Echoplex. Bring your Latin-indie loving friends to watch the artists perform at their Galactica Tour. 

Sunday, Aug 7

Atwater Village: Catch the production of the Open Fist Theatre Company's A MidSummer Nights Dream at the Atwater Village Theatre.

Go here for details and more events

That's It!

Thanks for reading.

-- Jesús Sanchez

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