In Vino Veritas - Bodega Wine Bar

Bodega Wine Bar in Santa Monica hasn't been open as long as its successful sister location in Pasadena, but face it, who's gonna drive all the way out to Pasadena?

Thankfully, this little gem has blessed the westside with the Santa Monica location.

Clean and simple decor, reasonably priced bottles of wine ($20/bottle during happy hour, c'mon now!), good food (ask for the brie and fig grilled cheese YUM), this place is the perfect joint for a glass of vino after a hard day at work or casual get together with chums in the neighborhood.

BODEGA WINE BAR
814 Broadway @ Lincoln (next to Swingers)
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 394-3504

Bodega's Official Site

Wine, beer, sake and Soju cocktails - no hard liquor. Happy Hour is 5-7pm every frickin' day!

Not Exactly Air Conditioned...But Still Cool

With the recent heat wave in L.A. coinciding with my birthday, I decided to have my festivities at a local bar called Air Conditioned. I scoped it out with Miss Mara a few days before and we decided it was going to be the joint.

Cut to the birthday festivities on an abnormally hot July evening - my friends and I are sweating it out in Air Conditioned, sipping Scott-the-bartender's soju cocktail called the "Santucci", having a good time, but creating a lot of sweaty 'pits. Their air conditioning system was broken/hadn't been installed/not working or something...either way, a good time was had by all and I will be back. Actually, I've been back already.

Happy Hour is 5-7pm and is $2 off all glasses of wine...not the best Happy Hour, but a great place to have a glass of wine after a long day. Beer/Wine/Champagne/Soju Cocktails only, no hard liquor. Cheese plate offered and that's it for nibblies, so don't come hungry.

These people really know their wine...you won't spot any Two-Buck Chuck at this joint.

AIR CONDITIONED
2819 Pico Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 829-3700

The Fish Dump Happy Hour

The Fish Dump was christened a "dump" by my homey Buckley, but it isn't a dump at all. Sure, there are lots of salty dogs in there, and I saw Aaron Spelling at the bar just a month before he, um, went towards the light, but it's been a great standby for me and my underpaid co-workers because we a.) love to drink and b.) love to eat good food.

The Fish Dump has an amazing Happy Hour. I LOVE HAPPY HOUR, especially ones that start at 4pm. From 4pm-7pm, glasses of wine and well cocktails are $3.00, and beers range from $2.50 to $5.00. Fresh oyster are $1.00 (used to be 75 cents!), and calamari, crabcakes and Hawaiian poki are delish and cheap as well. You can be full and snockered by 7pm for less than $20. This has to be an all-time Poochie Favorite.

Click for the Fish Dump Happy Hour Menu

Keep in mind though, once Happy Hour is over, it ain't so cheap at the Fish Dump. Oh yeah, and the place is actually called Enterprise Fish Co.

ENTERPRISE FISH CO.
174 Kinney St. (off of Main St.)
Santa Monica, CA
T: (310) 392-8366

You Had Me At Crab Roll

I'm devoting my first post to Yoshi's Sushi, my new favorite sushi spot. It's in West Hollywood, which is a tad out of the way for me (and the rest of you westsiders), but trust when I say that this place rocks.

Yoshi's is on Santa Monica Blvd. in W. Hollywood, in the middle of Boyz Town. A green neon sign lights the entry way, and the decor is simple and clean, though a tad 80s. The atmosphere is unpretentious, the crowd is a mix of hipsters and sushi aficionados, and the sushi is simply divine. The quality of the fish can't be beat - Yoshi goes to the fish market every morning. The cuts are just right, not too large and not too small. The sh*t melts in your mouth...

Love the blue crab hand roll and spicy tuna on crispy rice. Been here a few times and had Toro and sweet shrimp (which are usually pretty pricey) along with load of sushi in my fat belly - the bill has always been right around $50 for two w/booze. Can't beat that in this town...

YOSHI'S SUSHI
8274 Santa Monica Blvd.
W. Hollywood, CA 90046
(323) 848-9105

The name Yoshi reminds me of the Super Mario character...

Pooch's Favorite Things

I love good food, good booze, good bargains and good sh*t overall. Here are some of my favorite things...I hope you enjoy.