The Satellite Office

THE ESCONDITE (The Hideout) - www.theescondite.com

410 Boyd St. 

Los Angeles, CA 90013

If you go somewhere 3 times in 2 days it means you like it…

I've have never really thought to ask myself if a place would actually want publicity or not but today is that day...when you come across something special you want it to remain special. There's a new bar in downtown that is very special called the Escondite or "The Hideout"...

I had a meeting 1p and decided to have it there because I'd been craving a burger, had heard by word of mouth that they were great and had been told that the place would just suit me...well it did. Big wooden dimly lit booths with a nice long dark stained wooden bar. Simple...old school, clean. Brian, one of the owners was the first to say hello and took us out to the patio...I was immediately made to feel at home by his biker with a heart of gold disposition and I knew right away that I would be spending a fair amount of time here...The burger selections are creative and you can get any burger with beef, chicken or veggie patty...While I love burgers I really love veggie burgers too. Win win win...

Brian also owns Bar 107 and says never “planned to be in the bar business”…that he just enjoyed throwing big parties at his house every night several years back when he waited tables at the Palms. One thing led to another and now he has two of best establishments in the city. 107 doesn’t do food but Brian has been know to pull his truck up out front and grill burgers for the customers…

The Escondite has awesome burgers with perfect glazed buns. I didn't ask but I wonder if they were made in house. I recommend the Captain Kangaroo which is a burger with a fried egg and hash browns on it…I had that at lunch (we split it)…I had another meeting scheduled for 6P the same day so I naturally arranged to have it at 410 Boyd…on the patio at a picnic table with an awesome view of the downtown cityscape. Again…we split a burger…this time the “Slim Pickins” with cheddar cheese, bacon, red onion, BBQ sauce & Special Crunch. I like the idea of special crunch…sounds like crumbled onion rings or something. I had a great cocktail after and it was once again a success…

The next day same thing…another 1P meeting. The three of us sat at the bar. I had the “Joyce Brothers” with grilled chicken, she got the Gavin Macleod and he got  Italian Roast Beef Sando...delicious.  Lots of good conversation again with Brian and he brought us out a dessert tester…

fried peanut butter and chocolate wafers drizzled with pureed strawberries…Is it on the menu? I don’t know…tasty though…They creativity of the place and the good vibe put out by Brian and Erin makes you feel like you're at home...the patio is like a friends back yard. It's nice to go somewhere that is owned and run by people that actually care about the quality of the time you spend there...it's all done with heart from the music to the lights to the food to drinks...much love.

The food is just bad ass. The fries are fresh cut and the quality selection of beer is ice cold. Parking is easy. I've met awesome people every time I've been there...
As Brian puts it…when it gets too busy over there in OZ come down here to the field of Poppies…I’m in.

THE ESCONDITE (The Hideout) - www.theescondite.com

410 Boyd St. 

Los Angeles, CA 90013

COOK SOME PIZZA MAKE SOME LOVE...NOT NECESSARILY IN THAT ORDER...;)

COOK PIZZA ON YOUR WEBER....I'M JUST SAYIN'---CLICK HERE---http://kettlepizza.com/

I just had to put up a quick post about this...I came across it when I was googling about living in Joshua Tree...I just can't imagine why everyone wouldn't want one of these...

http://kettlepizza.com/

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THEIR BLOGS...

I WANT ONE...

The Blues is Alright...especially when it's blue cornbread...

I love to cook. I cooked my way through college and across the country in my twenties...My friend Will and I are working on a cooking show pilot. Last week we got together at my loft to do a camera/lighting test. Earlier in the day I had gone to Nature Mart in Los Feliz to get some dry goods and a smoothie. In my opinion it is THE place to go to get organic bulk grains and flours beans etc…The smoothie/juice bar/bulk item room is attached to a small grocery store that is way better than any whole foods…It’s a co-op to so you can join and get a regular discount. I was planning on making some spelt bread anyway so while Will was checking the lights, the room, messing with his camera-I just started baking. I had plans to make a loaf of spelt bread- Just to have around for sandwiches etc…Added some rice bran and mixed grains…I fed the yeast and mixed my dry goods together in a bowl…after I added the yeast I realized that I had gotten totally distracted and wasn’t using the spelt flower at all…I had dug into the blue cornmeal that I bought to make cornbread…I’ve never added yeast to cornbread so I started mixing in some spelt flower to see if I could fix it…Our friend Susan (an amazing painter www.susancarterhall.com) had stopped by on her way through downtown and she actually convinced me not to throw the whole mess out (was it the Prosseco talking?)…I kneaded the dough and set it aside to rise…It didn’t quite double in size like a good bread dough should but whatever…It was an experiment at this point. I shaped it into and oval loaf and baked it off…DELICIOUS…different…but really good…

I brushed a little butter on a piece then wrapped the rest and put it away…until the next day...

I've always been a big fan of breakfast for dinner…and love huevos rancheros…

The previous night I had whipped up some black bean burritos for a friend so...as I was contemplating what to make for dinner I realized I was perfectly positioned to make a bad ass 

Blue Cornbread Huevos…

I sliced some avocado, grated some cheese and pulled out a handful of spicy Daikon Radish Sprouts…put a couple of slices of the cornbread into the toaster then heated up some of the black beans and got a non-stick skillet ready to fry two eggs…

when the cornbread was warm I plated the two pieces like an X, topped that with the hot black beans. I call them Brazilian Black Beans-I think it’s simply because I pour orange juice in when they are cooking. What does OJ have to do with Brazil? I don’t know…anyway…Hot cornbread…hot black beans, top with two eggs over easy then a handful of grated cheddar cheese, or some tofu vegan non-chz…oh…I also added a handful of sautéed Morning Star Veggie sausage…It’s what I had. It's really good. I love real sausage too. After the chz and the avocado, drizzled some leftover homemade salsa and topped with some daikon sprouts…

Not shabby…not shabby in the least…

Check out Nature Mart for an awesome food selection and the best smoothies and juice bar around.  www.naturemart.com

Nature Mart

2080 Hillhurst Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90027

Off the beaten path - Downtown Thai Oasis

photo by Ashley McCue

This is my 12th year in Los Angeles. I've been living downtown for about a year now and I still thrive on the endless exploration that is at my finger tips daily. Saturday I got on my motorcycle around noon with no destination...the usual plan...and I ended up over the river taking some photos down by the tracks and by the LA river...It was and always is surreal the way that this city opens up to you if you let it.  I toured warehouses, had a photo shoot with a friend and an impromptu photo shoot with a gypsy post punk rocker chick that feels most at home in England and is from "nowhere"...

I sang Karaoke at a little Thai Oasis on Main street just past China town that is set up on the weekends only in the parking lot of a hidden but huge Chinese grocery market...a market where you can get amazing chinese food and have any and as many fresh fish of your choice fried up to perfection to take home with you...
The little Thai Oasis is called "Mae Ting's LA". The women there cook up amazing sticky rice and coconut cake that is to die for. "Nick " is on the grill serving Thai sausage and a choice of chicken or pork satay...We shared a mixed of 3 satay and one sticky rice and finished with two orders of the coconut cake. There are no restrooms so we had to go into the market across the lot to wash are hands. That deserves an entire write up of its own. I'll get to that another day. A perfect stop for a mid day nosh to fill up a little and be around some really happy people.
I have always found Thai people to be so incredibly friendly and happy. Once about 9 years ago, when I was in Thailand diving off Koh Tao...I stopped into a salon to get a straight razor hot shave. It was slightly unnerving but really relaxing...hot towels etc...when my girlfriend and I were leaving the woman asked if she could make us dinner later...she actually insisted...she said she wanted us to get "real Thai food"-not the tourist street vendor food...we politely declined but she was persistent and the next thing I knew it was 7 pm after we had gone back to our bungalow and napped and swam etc...we walked back to the little salon and she had set a small table outside for us.  she brought our food out and then went back in to finish her work...Tom Kha Gai (Chicken Coconut Soup) It was amazing...It was a beautiful night and such a gift...she would not let us pay her for the food but instead she asked what we wanted the next night...and she meant it...simply out of kindness...amazing. We thank her for the meal and for the offer and I was definitely tempted to just eat her food every day but we passed...
The people at Mae Ting's are just as wonderful...check it out and in between your satay and your coconut cake get entertained by the grill cook singing Karaoke or sing a little Tom Jones yourself...
Only open Sat. and Sunday...not sure the hours but I know they were open until 6...
1100 N Main St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
In the parking lot across the lot from 

LAX-C Market...

Short quick clip...

Just one more thought about the day... around Sunset I thought the light might be right so I went back to the tracks where I had been just hours before...one of my favorite things to photograph in Los Angeles are the bridges and the downtown skyline. It's a shady area but I saw a couple of cop cars about 100 yards away...so I thought...cool...I'm safe...I stepped onto the dirt by the tracks and started shooting. Not a minute later I was really startled by the sound of sirens and blinding blue lights...2 black SUV's and 2 LA County sheriff's cars...yep...

"what are you doing? Step over to the car...keep your hands where I can see them...turn off your bike...put your camera down...turn around and spread your legs...Wider...put your hands behind your back and lock your hands together." He starts to search me..."do you have any weapons that I need to know about...what's that?" 

My phone. 

"What are you taking pictures of?" 

the trains the bridges...I don't know...anything...

"Why?" 

I'm a photographer.

"Do you know it's an arrestable offense to be out on the tracks like that..."

I'm thinking...If I did....would have done it in front of a bunch of policemen?

and I was just on the dirt by the track...

"Where is your wallet. Don't reach for it."

"Ok pull it out slowly and hand me your ID."

"You can take pictures of what you want but I would not photograph the bridges. It's frowned upon by homeland security."

Noted...

"Have you ever been arrested...?"

Yes...In High School...

"Well that's been a while huh?"

No shit...

So then...while his buddy runs my ID...we actually make small talk...

"What year is your bike?"

82', Is there a lot of trouble down here?

"Yeah sometimes"

The other 4 guys were discussing how boring their night had been. 

His partners comes back..."He's good"

"You're free to go. Stay off the tracks...really you shouldn't be on this road at all."

It's a road...

Thanks guys...have a good night...

The GRAMMY Museum® :: Programs :: Upcoming Programs

The GRAMMY Museum® :: Programs :: Upcoming Programs

If you've never been to a musical event here you should. If you've never heard Dave Alvin you are in for a treat.
http://www.grammymuseum.org/interior.php?section=programs&page=publicprograms

AN EVENING WITH DAVE ALVIN
PRESENTED BY AMERICAN EXPRESS

Monday, September 19, 2011; 8:00pm

He's one of the seminal figures in California music and a global ambassador for the folk-blues-country amalgam known as roots rock. Join us as we welcome GRAMMY Award-winning artist Dave Alvin to the Clive Davis Theater for an intimate discussion and performance. Moderated by MusiCares Vice President Scott Goldman, Alvin will discuss his work as a band member of The Blasters, X, and The Knitters, his influential songwriting and guitar work and the creation of his latest album, Eleven Eleven (Yep Roc Records). According to Alvin, Eleven Eleven was the first record he's ever written entirely on the road and all of the songs are about "life, love, death, loss, money, justice, labor, faith, doubt, family and friendship. The usual stuff." After the interview, Alvin will take questions from the audience and perform a selection of songs.

Doors open at 7:30 pm. American Express presale tickets are $20 and can be purchased online by American Express Card members starting Friday, August 19, at noon. Public onsale is Friday, September 9, at noon. American Express is the exclusive payment method for presale tickets. All proceeds benefit the GRAMMY Museum. For more information, please call 213.765.6803.