Coming to Casitas Row: ATX Eatery

FARM-TO-TABLE restaurant coming to 3245 Casitas Avenue in Atwater Village, from the folks behind Atwater Crossing:

In early 2011, a new restaurant — the ATX Eatery — will warm the hearth of the complex with a menu built around the highest quality ingredients, a true passion for freshly prepared food, and a state-of-the-art Italian wood burning pizza oven.

Vegetables and herbs will be grown on an onsite linear farm, with meals served in a marvelous 4,000 square foot patio and a permeable indoor dining area.

In the evenings, this dining area will host an eclectic mix of live jazz and classical music, as well as curated film series and performances.

The Atwater Crossing complex already hosts creative spaces like Dark Dark Science Gallery and Blue Rooster Studios, all just a block down from Atwater Playhouse. As always, with interesting neighborhood news, email atwatervillagenewbie@gmail.com.

What Happened to Pounder Kone Gallery?

A READER by the tell-tale name of "CC from Pounder Kone" leaves this comment about what happened to Pounder Kone Art Space, the gallery run by actress CCH Pounder ("The Shield," "Avatar") and formerly located at 3407 Glendale Blvd. in Atwater Village:

"We moved to Hollywood, 5825 Sunset Blvd., Suite 1102. A head shop moved into the carpet store next door, the landlord services had changed and times were getting tough so we had to get tougher. But we miss Atwater, Canele, Black Maria, Catherine Dent and son, and the potted garden we created out back. In exchange we have an amazing view of the city and many of the same wonderful customers who followed us to Atwater and now are following us to Hollywood."

Pounder Kone's former space in Atwater Village is now occupied by Dance Garden LA.

This Week's Neighborhood Deals

FROM ONLINE coupon aggregator The Deal Map:

• 55 Degree Wine, 3111 Glendale Blvd. - $50 gift certificate for only $20 at Restaurant.com (Valid only at wine bar and tasting cellar, not wine and beer store; minimum purchase of $100, 18% gratuity added prior to discount)
• Indochine Vien, 3110 Glendale Blvd. - $25 gift certificate for only $10 at Restaurant.com (Dine-in food only, minimum purchase of $45, 18% gratuity added prior to discount)

Block Party! Thursday, Aug. 26

ONE OF THE top 10 reasons to live in and/or visit Atwater Village is happening again: Summer Nights on the Boulevard, Thursday, August 26, 6:00pm to 10:00pm in the 3100 block of Glendale Blvd., with fun stuff including:

• Community organization booths
• Businesses open late
• DJ and live music all along Glendale Blvd.
• Ice cream social at Hugo's Tacos, 3300 Glendale Blvd.
• Handwriting analysis at Revo Cafe, 3134 Glendale Blvd.
• Dog-treat bake sale at Woof Dog Boutique, 3172 Glendale Blvd.

Citysearch: Best Atwater Village Restaurants

ACCORDING TO a hyperlocal review at Citysearch (re-published on Huffington Post), these are best places to eat in Atwater Village:

• Atwater Grill, 3143 Glendale Blvd
• Tacos Villa Corona, 3185 Glendale Blvd
• Canele, 3219 Glendale Blvd
• Baracoa Cuban Cafe, 3175 Glendale Blvd
• Viet Noodle Bar, 3133 Glendale Blvd
• Sweets For The Soul, 3169 Glendale Blvd
• Village Bakery & Cafe, 3119 Los Feliz Blvd
• Kaldi Coffee & Tea, 3147 Glendale Blvd
• Tam O'Shanter Inn, 2980 Los Feliz Blvd

Summer of Food Trucks and Wine

BASED ON THE round-the-lot blockbuster success of a recent visit from the Grilled Cheese Truck, 55 Degree Wine announces a summer month's worth of gourmet food trucks coming to the parking lot at 3111 Glendale Blvd. above, with wine and beer pairings in the cool basement tasting room below.

• Crepe'n' Around: Wednesday June 30, 7:00pm to 10:00pm
• FrySmith: Saturday July 3, 1:00pm to 4:00pm
• Grilled Cheese Truck, Wednesday July 14, 7:00pm to 10:00pm
• Nom Nom Truck, Wednesday July 21, 7:00pm to 10:00pm
• Cupcakes a GoGo: Wednesday July 28, 7:00pm to 10:00pm
• LA FuXion: Wednesday August 4, 7:00pm to 10:00pm

Tick Tock, Food Truck

THE GOURMET FOOD truck Vizzi (menu, tweets) rolls into Atwater Village for pre-show dining before the Saturday night performance of "Tick Tock" at Atwater Playhouse, 3191 Casitas Ave. Truck's at 6:30pm, play's at 8:00pm (tickets $15).

All Worth the Wait

Grilled Cheese Truck, originally uploaded by Atwater Village Newbie.

THREE LINES tonight: one to order @grlldcheesetruk, two to pickup @grlldcheesetruk, three for table @55degreewine.

World Premiere of "Tick Tock" at Atwater Playhouse

OPENING THIS weekend: Atwater Playhouse, 3191 Casitas Ave., presents the world premiere of Tick Tock, written by Roland Allen and directed by Jamie Paolinetti, running Fridays and Saturdays, June 4 to July 10, 8:00pm. (Extra matinee Sunday, July 11, 3:00pm.) General admission tickets are $15 each, $10 each for seniors and students.

New Parenting Center on Glendale Blvd.

AN ATWATER VILLAGE resident is out to heed the needs of breeders with The Cradle Company at 3042 Glendale Blvd. Brandi Rouse, MSW, runs the baby boutique and parenting center, offering pediatric sleep consultations, doula and nanny placements, mommy and me groups, childbirth education, and more.

More Heartbeat, More House

THE ANTICIPATED studio expansion opens next week at Heartbeat House, 3141 Glendale Blvd. The neighborhood dance and exercise studio opens an expanded lobby and studio floor, adding 450 square feet where Black Maria Gallery once kept its Under the Table store. Heartbeat House improvements include a new bathroom and shower, and new sound-proof windows and doors. The studio will be closed April 29-30, with a grand re-opening Saturday, May 1. For the big event, Saturday classes will be $5 each. Expect raffles and heart-healthy snacks, too.

What's in a Name? Neighbor Disappointment

A READER OF my post about a new massage joint moving into the Silver Lake Video space in Atwater Village has a geographical grievance:

The Thai Massage place located at 3206 Glendale Blvd. has put up a sign that says Glendale Thai Massage. I'm really disappointed with the name chosen for this establishment. Although it is on Glendale Blvd., I find that the name of the place will confuse people who are not from Atwater Village, implying that they are in the city of Glendale. Atwater Village is actually part of Los Angeles, with its own rich history and thriving community.

On local TV news, I've heard reporters often call Atwater Village "Glendale." Not that I have anything against Glendale, but we have a really good chance at making Atwater a very special place in Los Angeles. A small town neighborhood in the big city of Los Angeles.

I feel a better name for the business might be Atwater Village Thai Massage. I know that the business owner has every right to call it whatever he/she wants, but if the name is bothersome to you, the way it is to me, why not mention it to them in a nice way. Maybe it will do some good.

Yes, Lots of Neighborhood Businesses Do It

IN REACTION to my post about Los Feliz Car Wash and its policy of demanding $8.99 minimums on credit-card transactions, here's a gentle bit of criticism on the AVNC Forum:

"Newbie conveniently didn't mention several other businesses in Atwater that have minimums for credit card charges. Whether or not their practices are legal, I won't mention them here by name because I like them and, from reading the posts on these forums, so does everybody else."

Yes, many businesses in Atwater Village and Southern California, especially non-chain, mom-and-pop shops, post credit-card minimums. And yes, I've mentioned others, like El Buen Gusto on Glendale Blvd. and Marlene's Beachcomber in Santa Monica, for enforcing them. Baracoa Cuban Cafe does it, and I love me some Baracoa. I bet the majority of retailers in Atwater Village, outside mega-chains like Best Buy and Starbucks, do it.

But no, credit-card minimums are not illegal. They send no one to jail. They simply violate merchant agreements with credit card issuers, like the agreement with Visa:

"Visa merchants are not permitted to establish minimum transaction amounts, even on sale items. They also are not permitted to charge you a fee when you want to use your Visa card."

(In 10 states, California included, a credit-card surcharge or card checkout fee is flat-out against the law, and should be reported. Los Feliz Car Wash at one time charged a $1 checkout fee. Word is Kailyn Nail Spa still does.)

It's our choice to patronize businesses that violate agreements and laws. If our desire for cheap tacos outweighs our need for consumer protection, then go for it. If we don't mind not knowing how much stuff we'll have to buy ($5? $10? $8.99?) before our credit cards become valid forms of payment, then keep supporting these bad business habits.

Otherwise, like I'm doing with my car washes, go elsewhere!

Or just pay cash.

Landlords Strike Again! Casket Store Moving

IN WHAT SEEMS to be a post-recession pattern, another Atwater Village retailer is relocating to avoid higher rent.

Last month the Violet Willow boutique left its space at 3127 Glendale Blvd., and the space was subsequently offered at $1,450, about $2.07 per square foot, per month.

Now, California Casket Company has wheeled its coffins a block away, from 3153 Glendale Blvd. to 3229 Glendale Blvd., to avoid an alleged rent hike to $4,500 a month.

Are retail landlords seeing signs of recovery that lead them to believe richer tenants are just around the corner? They may be right: Alias Books is a big get. But they may not: The old Violet Willow space has been discounted, and is now listed for $50 less per month.

UPDATE April 19: More about casket store move on AVNC forum.

Something Pink and Brown on the Sidewalk

PERHAPS PREPARING to be a tasty neighbor to that new indie bookstore coming soon to central Atwater Village, dessert shop Sweets for the Soul set up some sidewalk seating in front of its window at 3169 Glendale Blvd. "Our new pink and brown outdoor chairs and tables," the shop posted. "Aren't they so ... sweet?" Sweet as a $4 brownie.

UPDATE: Sweets for the Soul follows up: "We got those fabulous chairs and tables from Pot-ted, right here in our neighborhood on Los Feliz Boulevard."

Eat, Play, Sip at Atwater Playhouse

IT'S AN ITALIAN combo Friday night in Atwater Village, starting April 9, 6:30pm, at Atwater Playhouse, 3191 Casitas Ave.

• Vesuvio, LA's first and only Italian food truck, serving grandma's Southern Italian recipes like $3 arancini stuffed with smoked mozzarella and $7 sandwiches
• Two Rounds, the acclaimed Italian play brought to the US by Atwater Playhouse, tickets $15
• Trilussa Wine, importer from Northern California, with tastes of their Italian wines

Los Feliz Car Wash Has $8.99 Minimum Charge on Credit Cards; Don't Like It? No Wash for You!

THEY OFFER a $5.99 express service as Los Feliz Car Wash, 3013 Los Feliz Blvd. Exterior only, no vacuum, no dash, but they hand wash and dry. Seems like a deal. But this Atwater Village establishment insists on cash.

"Is the credit card machine down?" I ask yesterday. No, I'm told, Los Feliz Car Wash enforces a minimum charge of $8.99 for credit-card transactions. I tell the cashier his demand violates credit card merchant policies and would be reported. Then I relented, offered cash. (Hindsight? Should go elsewhere. But my car's in the queue.)

Car Wash Guy takes my $10 bill, gives me change, but then suffers an abrupt about face. He tells me Los Feliz Car Wash would not be honoring my transaction, even with cash. And recognizing the physical manifestations of a man becoming unhinged, I start shooting video. Mostly as protection and eyewitness, though I see how someone might be antagonized by the business end of a cell-phone lens.

He starts to explain:

Car Wash Guy: I just don't want your business, that's all.

Me: How come?

CWG: It's a free world and it's a free business.

Me: You don't want my business because of the credit card policy?

CWG: No sir, I just don't want your business. It's because I don't like your attitude.

Me: You don't like my attitude, you said?

CWG: Yes sir. I'm an entrepreneur. I've got that right.

Indeed he does have a right to refuse service. But it gets more personal. About me. And about my camera phone:

CWG: Get that thing off my head before I knock it off.

Me: Did you just threaten to damage some property of mine?

CWG: All right, so let me get your money back, sir. Go check your head.

Me: What do you mean, like with a psychiatrist or something?

CWG: I don't know, I'm not in psychiatry business. I'm in car wash business.

Debatable. He refunds me $6 on the $5.99 car wash. Then, personal gets weird:

Me: Thanks for the extra penny.

CWG: I know you need it. I can tell.

Me: You can tell?

CWG: Yes sir. Have your car out of here or I'll have it towed.

Me: Are you the owner?

CWG: No. I'm an illegal alien.

Me: Oh, you are?

CWG: Yes. Go report that to immigration.

On it goes, 3 or 4 minutes. CWG calls me a "f***ing son of a bitch." Without seeming to enter a phone number, he reports to his cell that there's a "disturbance" by someone with a "junky" car.

Then some beefy security guy shows up wearing a badge that looks like a toy. He's not employed by Los Feliz Car Wash, just wants to call me a "f***ing idiot." (And let me know my camera doesn't intimidate him; he's been on TMZ!)

Alas, I take my "junky" car a few blocks up to California Car Wash, 3940 San Fernando Road. Express service: $6.99. Credit card: accepted. No questions asked. No obscenities hurled.

ARCHIVE: Back in September 2008, Los Feliz Car Wash charged $1 to run credit-card transactions of $8.99 or less. A practice like that seems to violate merchant policies and possibly California law.

Retail Rumors Along Glendale Blvd.

IT'S NOT ALL about the indie bookstore, folks. From a tipster:

• Former home of This or Die Boutique, 3205 Glendale Blvd, looks like it's becoming is already re-opened as a salon (and is keeping the This or Die moniker, according to a commenter)
• Former home of Yoga Lab, black and white building at 3362 Glendale Blvd, may have new tenant; U-Haul spotted this weekend
• New signage at old Silver Lake Video location, 3206 Glendale Blvd., looks like a place to get an hour's worth of massage for $45

Club Tee Gee: As Seen on Tee Vee

RFSL & friends @ club tee gee - 3.15.09, originally uploaded by Radio Free Silver Lake.

ABOVE: The neon sign for Atwater Village's Club Tee Gee, 3210 Glendale Blvd.

BELOW: Club Tee Gee's facade with a new name, Latham's, for its appearance as a location on this week's episode of ABC TV's FlashForward. See it at the 2:20 mark on the "Blowback" episode.

(Pretty sure the interior is a different bar, though.)

What 2 Kids Dreamed Up for Charity Brunch Menu

CANELE SIGNAGE, originally uploaded by cathydanh.

AS PART OF its Friends Cook series, Canele Bistro, 3219 Glendale Blvd., turns the menu over to 2 young friends. A 6-year-old and an 8-year-old developed special dishes, drinks and menus, and will be on hand to meet, greet, serve, bus and cook for the one-time brunch, Saturday, Marcy 27, 10:00am to 3:00pm.

Sweets: $7.50

• Owen's berry bread pudding
• Housemade granola (add chocolate and bananas $2.50)
• Bowl of berries and banana

Savories: $10.50

• Violet's cheesy baked shells
• Eggs in a hole
• Soft scrambled eggs with herbed cream cheese
• Fried egg sandwich with braised leeks, bacon and romesco market soup

Sides: $4.50

• House cured or apple smoked bacon
• Pan roasted potatoes
• Market lettuces with crème frâiche
• Just eggs (soft scrambled, omelet, fried)
• Ginger scone

Toast: $2.50

• Toast and homemade jam (baguette, buckwheat or seeded pullman)

Sips:

• Owen's hot chocolate with whipped cream
• Violet's pink rhubarb lemonade
• Chado teas, LAMILL coffee, espresso, cappuccino, latte
• Mimosas
• Wine by the glass and bottle
• Tomato juice, orange juice
• San Pellegrino mineral water, limonata, aranciata

Saturday's brunch profits will be donated to the American Red Cross, as the 2 young chefs specified, to benefit relief efforts in Haiti. No reservations. First come, first served.