Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
135
Tips
Hallelujah!: A Brunch Worth Singing About
Have mercy and say “Hallelujah!” for the Gospel Brunch at the
House of Blues
(8430 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood; www.hob.com). For more than a decade, it's
been a Sunday tradition at the HOB to feed both the body and soul with inspir-
ing gospel performances and heaping plates of all-you-can-eat Southern home
cookin'. Every week different gospel groups from around the region perform
uplifting and energetic music that invariably gets the crowd on its feet and rais-
ing the roof. Seatings are every Sunday at 10am and 1pm. Tickets are $40, includ-
ing tax and gratuity, and are available only through the HOB Sunset Strip box
office; call
&
323/848-5100.
enough for ev eryone to or der their o wn. Favorites ar e the house-made fennel sausage
with panna and red onion; plump clams and chili flake; and the rapini with black olives,
cherry tomatoes, and ancho vies. B ut the toppings ar e secondar y to N ancy's complex
crust—in tr ue I talian style each is wafer-thin in the middle, y et impossibly puffy ,
crunchy, and flav orful on the edges. F ittingly, the wines ar e all I talian, and moderately
priced between $25 and $50.
641 N. H ighland Ave. (at M elrose Ave.), Los Angeles.
&
323/297-0101.
www.mozza-la.com. Reserva-
tions recommended. Main courses $11-$20. AE, MC, V. Daily noon-midnight. Valet parking $8.
6
Saddle Ranch Chop House
AMERICAN Let's say y ou wake up one morning in
L.A. and you say to yourself, “Hey, I'm really in a mood to ride a mechanical bull today.”
Well, pardner, you're in luck. S mack-dab on the S unset Strip is this sor t of wild-w est
Hard Rock Cafe where everything is done Texas-style—the drinks are tall and stiff , the
platters of fried chicken and ribs are ginormous, and when a buxom cowgirl is riding the
bull like a r odeo pro, the fellers tend to get a bit loco . The huge pine wood building—
fashioned after an Old Western saloon—is impossible to miss. Yes, they lay on the cheesy
Western theme a bit thick, and no local would ever admit going to such a blatant tourist
trap, but after a couple of Texas Tea Party cocktails, you can't help but loosen up and get
into the hoedown spirit.
Note:
There's a second S addle Ranch location at the U niversal
Studio's CityWalk (
&
818/760-9680
), near the entrance to the par k.
8371 Sunset Blv d. (at La Cienega Blv d.), West Hollywood.
&
323/656-2007.
www.srrestaurants.com.
Reservations recommended for dinner. Main courses dinner $10-$35, lunch $6-$23, br eakfast $9-$16.
AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Daily 8am-2am. Valet parking free before 4pm, after 4pm $8 with validation.
Sofi
Finds
GREEK Look for the simple black awning o ver the narrow passage-
way that leads fr om the street to this hidden A egean treasure. Be sure to ask for a table
on the romantic patio amid twinkling lights, and immediately order a plate of their thick,
satisfying
tsatziki
(yogurt-cucumber-garlic spread) accompanied by a basket of warm pita
for dipping. O ther hear ty tav ern fav orites (r ecipes cour tesy of S ofi's old-world grand-
mother) include herbed rack of lamb with rice, fried calamari salad, and
saganaki
(kasseri
cheese flamed with ouz o). S ofi's odd, off-str eet setting, near the F armers M arket in a
popular part of town, has made it an insiders' secret.
8030
3
/
4
W. 3rd St. (btw. Fairfax Ave. and Crescent Heights Blvd.), Los Angeles.
&
323/651-0346.
Reserva-
tions recommended. Main courses $7-$14. AE, DC, MC, V. Mon-Sat 11:30am-2:30pm and 5:30-11pm;
Sun 5:30-11pm. Metered street parking or valet parking $5.
