Adventures in L.A., Food and Drinks, Places to Visit

Want an Inexpensive Tropical Cocktail? Head to Golden Dragon in Chinatown

Scorpion bowl at Golden Dragon in Chinatown 960 N. Broadway Los Angeles (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
Scorpion bowl at Golden Dragon

I have yet to drink my way through the cocktail menu at Golden Dragon in Chinatown. I’ve made enough of a dent in it, though, to tell you that the piña colada, with a kick of coconut in its frothy top, is my favorite. But, the mai tai, Singapore sling and scorpion bowls are all worthy dinner companions as well. Even better, all of the drinks mentioned here, and most of the cocktails on Golden Dragon’s menu, are $8.50*, which is a downright deal for a mixed drink in Los Angeles right now. In fact, it’s lower than what I’ve seen during happy hour at multiple places downtown. 

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Beatique Mix

There’s a New Beatique Mix Available for Your Listening Pleasure

Beatique Mix October 2023 by DJ Liz O. Art: Jeaux Janovsky

I finally had some time to make a new Beatique Mix. This one is shorter than usual, but the tunes cross genre from Italo disco to dub, so it’s a fun one. At least, it was a fun one to make. Listen here or head over to Mixcloud, where you can check out any of the 80 (!!!) sets that I’ve posted over the past few years. 

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Happening in L.A.

L.A. Music Events: Friday, September 29 – Thursday, October 5

Flyer for Girls to the Front at The Paramount on Friday, September 29 with Malvada, Soltera, Erleen Nada, Romy, I Speak Machine, Crow Jane

This is an updated post. Originally, I said that I wasn’t DJing this week. As it turns out, I’ll be at The Mermaid on Tuesday night for Dolce Vita, so scroll down for the details. Otherwise, here’s what’s on my list of L.A. music events for the next week. The list might be updated later if I find out about some more events happening during the week. 

One note about these event lists is that I try to make sure that they’re more-or-less affordable, so I’ve been using $30 as the cap on ticket prices and always try to include some free events. Three on this list have no cover.

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DJ Gigs, The Playlist

Here’s What I Played at The Mermaid for Dolce Vita on September 26

The Mermaid bar Little Tokyo Los Angeles (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)

I wasn’t planning to DJ this week, but a last minute opportunity came up to play at The Mermaid for Dolce Vita on Tuesday night. I really enjoy playing at The Mermaid, especially for Dolce Vita, so I dropped whatever Italo disco and Italo-adjacent folders I had on my hard drive into Rekordbox and played from 9 p.m. until around 11:15 or so. Here’s what you heard. I used the file names for artist and song title, just so you can find the tracks if you want. In the case of some of the edits, it’s definitely not the actual name of the artist or title, but you can probably figure that out. 

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Adventures in L.A., Places to Visit

Vidéothèque is Now Open in Highland Park. Go Rent a Movie.

Vidéothèque video store in Highland Park, Los Angeles. (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)

Vidéothèque is back! After moving from South Pasadena to Highland Park, the 20-year-old video store is open again for rentals from its catalog of 45,000+ releases. 

I stopped by on Saturday night to check out the new shop, which is located on Figueroa, near where Cypress Park and Highland Park meet, and was immediately impressed by how spacious it is. There’s a front room dedicated to movie posters and store merchandise. In the main room, you’ll find Xenon set up towards the front window and there’s now plenty of room for you and your crew to hang out and play a few rounds of pinball. Behind the maze of DVDs and Blu-Rays, you’ll find an alcove with a jukebox as well as the store’s record selection. 

If you already rent from Vidéothèque, you’ll enjoy the new space. If your reaction to this post is, “wait, video stores are still a thing?”, then you should make plans to visit and see what you miss when you stick with streamers. 

Continue reading Vidéothèque is Now Open in Highland Park. Go Rent a Movie. →
DJ Gigs, The Playlist

Here’s What I Played for Taleen Kali’s Shoegaze Night at Harvard and Stone

Taleen Kali Flower of Life vinyl at Harvard and Stone for shoegaze night of Taleen Kali residency September 20, 2023 (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
Taleen Kali’s latest album, Flower of Life, on vinyl. (pic: Liz O.)

While eating a 1 a.m. Del Taco dinner, I thought about how amazing an opportunity it is to be able to DJ in the L.A. music scenes in which I’ve played for so long. Getting to connect with fantastic bands, DJs and other people through this world is a constant source of inspiration. So, I’m incredibly grateful that Taleen Kali asked me to DJ on Wednesday night for the shoegaze installment of the band’s September residency at Harvard and Stone. 

Taleen Kali, Izzy Outerspace and Lux Lawless all played fantastic live sets. Given the theme of the night, I put together sets that included some classic and contemporary shoegaze, psychedelic and indie rock. Check out the set list here. 

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Adventures in L.A., Food and Drinks

Breakfast at Philippe’s Is an Affordable Way to Start the Day

breakfast at Philippe's with a cup of coffee and a donut. Photo: Liz Ohanesian
At Philippe’s, you can get a cup of coffee for 46 cents and a donut for $1. (Pic: Liz O.)

I grew up in a family full of staunch Angelenos who love to dispense advice on crucial subjects like rush hour short cuts and where to get a good meal. When it comes to the latter, one of the best pieces of advice I heard from multiple family members was, “Get breakfast at Philippe’s.” 

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DJ Gigs, Happening in L.A.

Disco Matinee Returns to Grand Star Jazz Club on Sunday, October 8

Disco Matinee October 8, 2023 at Grand Star Jazz Club in Chinatown Los Angeles with DJ Liz O., DJ Jus' B and DJ Mr. Michel

Disco Matinee returns to Grand Star Jazz Club on Sunday, October 8 from 3 to 7 p.m. Special guest DJ Mr. Michel (Dolce Vita, Playback Fantasy, Æomega Lab Moda L.A.) joins resident DJs Liz O. and Jus’ B for an afternoon of disco classics mixed with Italo disco, hiNRG, freestyle, nu-disco and lots more. Stop by if you’re game to dance to anything from Donna Summer to Taana Gardner to Lime to Daft Punk to Purple Disco Machine.

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DJ Gigs, Happening in L.A., Live Music

L.A. Music Events: September 15 – September 21, 2023

Taleen Kali Residency Harvard & Stone Los Angeles September 20, 2023 with DJ Liz O.

This coming week, I’ll be joining Taleen Kali’s residency at Harvard & Stone for a special DJ set before, after and in between the bands. More info on that below the jump. Plus, I’ve included a handful of other L.A. music events, including clubs, concerts and record fairs that are on my radar for the week. Keep reading and mark your calendars. 

Continue reading L.A. Music Events: September 15 – September 21, 2023 →

Indie music and alt culture blog from Los Angeles. By Liz O.