Los Angeles ~ California

2920 Lincoln Blvd. ~ Santa Monica , CA 90405 ~ 310-452-2970 ~ TACO Map

Pancho’s Tacos is apparently a legend for feeding some of the wild and strung out rockers who lived in Venice in the swinging 60′s. While the spirit of Jim Morrison might be in the house, our main concern is whether the tacos are too. I have a feeling Pancho’s is a sort of White Castle in the taco world, either a taste acquired or a taste loved from nostalgia. Each of my three tacos came doused with a very specific tasting red salsa, that wasn’t neccessarily that good; rather commercial and funky tasting.

The quality of the tacos were good, though the tortillas are store-bought, we ain’t mad at ‘cha Pancho’s. The carne asada and pastor were of great and tasty quality, a little greasy and completely scrumptious. But that damn hyper-colored, picante salsa kind of drowned out the true sabor. I was about to leave…unamazed by the Pancho’s experience when my stomach and tongue began a vast right-wing conspiracy (they are total Nazi dicks) to get me onto some carnitas…

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Windshield’s California Auto Glass & Rock Chip Repair

1515 Rosecrans Ave. @ 4200 Halldale Ave. ~ Gardena

Abbot Kinney ~ Venice 

We met the engineering geniuses behind these rides hanging at the Abbot Kinney festival on Sunday. These blued and greyed up boys detail the cruisers just for fun, but could make a mountain of money working for NASA wethinks, maybe putting a sub-woofer on the shuttle.

Los Angeles ~ CA

2126 Cesar Chavez Ave. ~ Boyle Heights, CA 90033 ~  323-262-3434 ~ TACO Map

We hold on tightly to our crystal meth, super glue, tequila, and crizz-onic addictions, while some people cannot control their consumption of Mariachi music. La Parilla is a true classic reaching back 27 years in East LA, as well as a damn good place to satisfy your accordion fix. Mariachis roll a million deep in this ‘hood and always pack reps at this family restaurant. The happy woman seated next to our table kept the songs coming for her kid’s birthday, abuela at the boy’s side, merrily clapping along for nearly two hours.

Our friend foreshadowed an unpredictable conclusion with the consultation, “You better be prepared to pay about $10-20 a song. White people are always trying to give them like $2 a song…”

A festive, three-roomed arcade between hand-painted walls dripping in tri-colored streamers intermingled with Christmas lights, plus tables full of hot-to-go couples and families out to blow cash on a good time, La Parilla is a neighborhood instituiton and definitely on the higher end of Cesar Chavez’ restaurants. The sweet older waitresses rock folklorico dresses but nothing comes off as a gimmick. Some people say the decorations are a little naco, but it really feels homey and celebratory. Not necessarily the cheapest eats though, especially when you throw the liquor in, but we survived.

But supersonics and effects aside, La Parilla is really about the star grilled meat and veggie entrees, created under the guard of owner Sergio Sanchez. The quality cuts come stewed or battered with spices before being charcoal-cooked. All of the meals are steaming upon arrival, with that fajita-plate effect you get at less authentic chains. The slightly blackened flavors accentuate the natural tastes of cactus, onion, and peppers, while the dishes themselves span the gamut from traditional burritos and chile rellenos to slabs of steak and the more unique experiences of Huarachito Tizoc and delicacy-filled Molcajete, dishes that reach back to the land and venerate Aztec origins.

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Melrose Ave. ~ West Hollywood

This is signage for Sherman Gallery and Frame Store.

Lincoln Blvd. & Washington Blvd., Marina Del Rey

Photo Credit: M. Peach Busch

Dodger Stadium

Los Angeles ~ California

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Reggae for Kids ~ www.icecreamsongs.com

They’ve got faux-hawks, baby Timberlands, and Dinosaur Jr. shirts, so what are you going to do next? Let your kids listen to a CD by that poontang Raffi 400 times before child services has to drag you away in a padded van? Naw, haffi throw that thing in the rubbish, seen? You don’t want your pickney indoctrinated into Babylon by way of Bob the Builder and his consumerist agenda. Cho! Dem toddlers dem need more fire than that seen?!

Anyone comfortable with the cooler characters of the Venice Boardwalk knows Lionel Jean Baptiste, who totes an old school red wagon that mashes out massive dancehall hits for children like a sound system truck straight outta Romper Room. With a hardcore vocal style somewhere between Burro Banton, Jr. Demus, and the cast of Sesame Street, backed by angelic female harmonies, one will have him tunes inna your head ALL DAY! We like to discreetly follow him around tuning into, (imagine a gravelly voice and reggae beat) “The itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again…” punctuating his rockstone style with our own “Lawdavmercys,” “Ribbits,” “Buh-da-bye-bye, buh-da-bye-bye-bye”, and scattered gunshot noises.

Really doe, if you or your friend has a little one in their lives, their child needs Lionel’s Ice Cream Songs to skank too, parents will be much relieved to toss out John Lithgow’s latest buffoonery for a children’s album that is actually cool for adults as well. Lionel must be Haitian with the last name Jean Baptiste, though we thought he was Jamaican, as only in Jamaica do we meet big brothers with British names like Aston, Lionel, and Everton. Wherever Lionel comes from, he and is kickass reggae for children are assets to the streets of LA and our city’s youth.

www.icecreamsongs.com

Hear samples at Jean’s Myspace Page