This week I took a couple of daytime walks on South Robertson Blvd between Cattaraugus and Cadillac, the borders our Reynier Village Neighborhood.
Eyes Peeled Coffee
Twice I stopped by Eyes Peeled Coffee, at 2839. The first time I spoke to owner Gavy, and promised to list their place in the Restaurant page of our Reynier Village Blog, the second time it was right after Hamilton High students had come out of school at 3.30pm and a bunch of girls were mobbing the counter asking for Acai bowls. They were not available yet, but they will be starting Friday October 22, so I plan to go back a third time to sample this novelty, never before available in Reynier Village.
Fred’s Bakery
I noticed the pastel colored wrought iron tables and chair outside at Fred’s Bakery at 2831.
Undergrind Cafe
I walked into Undergrind Cafe, at 2713, all decorated for Halloween, and saw that they are now selling T-shirts and sweatshirts.
Carvd barbershop
I peeked into Carvd barbershop, at 2515, owner Martin was busy with a customer so I did not bother him. But I did spend time at Ivan Gallery at 27o1 chatting with my friend Barbara Mendes, who is always busy drawing and painting, now working on a second Queen of Cosmos Comix book, this time in full color.
Barbara Mendes-Ivan Gallery
More shops are getting close to opening for business, so why don’t you take a walk and check out our wonderful Great Street?
Read a list of Robertson Businesses,New on Robertson and more posts on this blog.
After receiving in the mail a $15 off discount if you spent $30, I visited again the Santa Monica Coop at 8770 Washington Blvd and National. I had featured this place when it first opened in a post about Food Markets. I found it to be as good as always, minus the great salad bar, that is no longer allowed after Covid-19. They have many hot food choices like pizza and soups, cold dishes like sushi and sandwiches, and lovely areas with tables, so you may eat lunch right there.
Bianca Bakery
Parking is free or one and a half hour, no validation needed, so I walked one block west to the Platform, I found open for indoor and outdoor dining the new restaurants featured in this blog, like Roberta and Margot. Loqi is small, so only takeout is available, but their fabulous large tacos are worth it. I walked across the street and bought a tasty ham and cheese croissant at Bianca Bakery. This Italian restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch from 9am to 3pm, and for dinner from 5 to 9pm.
During one of my daily walks for exercise around the neighborhood, now that gyms and pools are closed, today I explored Robertson Blvd, South of Beverlywood Street. I noticed that the showroom of Merit-LA furniture at 2326 had greatly expanded, it was brightly lit by several doors and windows, it displayed a variety of beautiful items including a pool table
Across the street a showroom and workshop of motorcycles, motorized bicycles and accessories had just opened, Steel Buffalo Motors, at 2363.
A barbershop aptly called Carvd was setting up for business at 2515.
And Eloise Dog Grooming had moved from 2606 across the street, to 2517, nextdoor to Emil’s Hardware, and had a pretty lilac-colored planter in front.
Eloise Grooming, 2517 Robertson
You may check out the list of Robertson businesses on this page, and the eateries (in lower caps) under Restaurants.
Please support your neighborhood businesses in these difficult times.
P.S. On another walk on April 5, I stopped by Steel Buffalo Motor, took some photos of the awesome bikes inside, met the owner, Ben, welcomed him to the neighborhood.
Click on restaurant’s name for menus and more info
We ordered recently from BiiBiip (Mediterranean), Campos (Mexican), La Esquina (Mexican), Nathalie (Thai), Pasta Sisters (Italian), Simpang Asia (Indonesian), SuperPho (Vietnamese), Versailles (Cuban)
We enjoyed all the other places, when they were open for dine-in. Madre is the new name of El Nopal. Some of our favorite restaurants unfortunately are temporarily closed, like Si Laa, where they serve the very best Thai food, way above all the rest.
In these times of fear because of Coronavirus, we are still allowed to walk in our neighborhood, whether we have a dog or not. I did that today and checked which eateries are open on Robertson for take out and delivery, not for dine-in. I walked into Argentinian Empanadas at 2513, spoke with Christian, had a taste of coffee ice-cream at Edoughble Sweet Shop at 2625. Campos Tacos at 2639 was open as well, all the chairs turned over on top of the tables. Undergrind at 2713 is open every day from 8am to 2pm. Dolce Isola at 2869 is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 8.30am to 3pm. No tables set up outside, though. Fred’s Bakery at 2831 was closed, but only because it was Saturday. Every other day they open early, at 6am until 5pm, shorter hours on Sundays.
A lovely improvement, since I last time walked on Robertson a few days ago, is the walkaways painted orange, part of the Great Street project, after we have been enjoying the sidewalks extensions and the new street crossing with traffic light at Gibson
We hope you will all take a walk in our lovely Reynier Village, and support our local eateries.
Last night we were invited to an open house to introduce a new place to have a massage in Reynier Village, Obsidian at 2865 Robertson. We met the owner, Zvi Kraus, born in Israel, raised in Los Angeles, and his entire family, mother, father, sister, brother and wife. We tasted delicious food from local eateries, small empanadas from Argentinian Empanadas, rugalach from Fred’s Bakery, a white coconut cake from Dolce Isola, we chatted with neighbors. It was a truly inspiring community event. Today we went back to experience a therapeutic massage and it was great. Zvi (the name means deer in Hebrew) used to work at Massage Garage in Culver City, he chose this location on South Robertson to open a place of his own. A Reiki Master and Pranic Healer, Zvi does not simply offer massages, but spiritual healing and emotional wellness. He says: “We are here for you to create greater space for the body, soul, mind and emotions.” Obsidian takes its name from the mystical crystal. You may book a range of services online at this link. Give it a try!
Today Sunday June 2, we strolled to Robertson from our house, visited the many establishments that were open for the Art Walk, we said hello to friends and neighbors.
We learnt from residents posting on Nextdoor that a bookstore opened in our neighborhood, which is exciting news, so we went to check it out. Sideshow Books, a store of used and rare books that for 11 years was located on Idaho Ave, near the Nuart movie theater, has recently moved to 1639 S La Cienega Blvd just north of Airdrome St.
Sideshow Books
Owner Tony Jacobs told me that their previous place was too small, they had so many books that they needed more space for their large inventory. This new location is spacious and brightly lit by two big skylights. Tony is concerned that many people throw books away now, and they are not being reprinted, so they will disappear. Used bookstores are an essential part of the chain of life for books and they are dying out now because of the price of real estate. His mission is to preserve and promote book culture, the goal directed at younger people is to make books cool again, he hopes customers will come into his store and discover books they didn’t expect to find.
Tony Jacobs, Sideshow Books
It’s not just old books that Tony wishes to preserve, but also the appreciation for classic old movies. He teamed up with film scholar Tom Newth to show a series of Hollywood’s sleepers, like All Through the Night (1942) with Humphrey Bogart, and Italian suspense films (gialli) like Mario Bava’s The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963).
The movies are projected on the wall from a laptop in the funky back patio of the bookstore on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8.30pm. Call for program: 310-428-4631
If you love books, please support this local bookstore, and visit The Last Bookstore downtown, located at 433 S Spring St, in an amazing building from 1914 that used to be a bank.
Read Ray Bradbury’s 1953 classic novel Farenheit 451, about a future totalitarian society where books are outlawed and burnt. Francois Truffaut directed a film version in 1966, it was recently remade into a TV movie for HBO. Look up my article about Ray Bradbury in Cultural Weekly.
At the September 27 SORONC Townhall meeting about the Robertson Great Streets plans, I was impressed by the heartfelt speech of a young man, David, who introduced his handcrafted chocolate to the neighbors. They are open to the public on Saturdays from 11am to 4pm, and offer free samples. So yesterday I went to visit their factory, Letterpress Chocolate, at 2835 Robertson, the same storefront where Sue Leedom used to sell her Mollie’s Cookies, next to Fred’s Bakery, recently remodeled by new owner by Avi Kadmon.
David Menkes with a tray of cacao beans
Letterpress is a technique of relief printing from plates. David used to be a graphic artist, and does all the designs for his artisan chocolate packaging. The logo is inspired by an old US airmail stamp. It means that he comes from the mountains, flies all over the world and brings back chocolate beans.
His wife and daughter work at the family business, where they manufacture small batch, bean to bar, chocolate in different flavors, single sourced from small farms in Belize, Tanzania, Trinidad, Ecuador, etc.
David Menkes with wife Corey and their daughter
This reminds me of the Lavazza coffee that I have been drinking since moving to the US in 1972, to make sure that every morning as I wake up I smell and taste the same flavor I am used to, having grown up in Italy. I buy Lavazza at Bay Cities, World Market and Vons. It comes in cans and in 12oz bags in several flavors, plus 2 single origin coffees: Santa Marta, Columbia and Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. A couple of years ago I received a Nespresso machine as a birthday gift, but I load refillable pods with Lavazza. To me this Italian coffee beats the taste of the Swiss brand by far.
Stop by to meet David on Saturdays, taste the various samples, ask him to introduce you to his wife and daughter, who are busy in the back making and packaging the award-winning chocolate they ship all over the world. And if you wish to buy some bars of your favorite flavor, they cost $10 to $12 each.
Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli
For more blog posts on Robertson businesses click here
Sunday June 4, I walked 3 blocks from my home to South Robertson to experience the SORO Fest, a joyous community event in its 20th year, when this usually busy street between Cadillac and Cattaraugus is closed to traffic and SORO residents enjoy walking to the many restaurants and shops in our neighborhood.
I greeted my friends, at the booths for RVNA, SORONC, Hami Garden, and said hello to Barbara Mendes, who was teaching kids how to do chalk drawing on the sidewalk in from of Ivan Gallery.
Fred’s Bakery-Avi Kadmon.
I spoke with Avi, who bought Fred’s Bakery two years ago and recently completed a thorough remodel. This neighborhood favorite was opened in 1949 by Fred and Harriet; when Fred passed away in 1992, his children (Bob, Steve and Cecilia) ran it for 12 year, then sold it in 2005 when Cecilia (Cissy Klein) moved to Las Vegas.
Wonders Kids World. Julia, Natalie
I looked into the window of Wonders Kids World. They were closed today, but a couple of weeks ago I had met with Natalie, from Paris, France and Julia, from Yucatan, Mexico. They are devoted to teaching pre-school children French and Spanish in a fun way, through music and games.
Barbara Mendes painting Angel Wall. July 2012
You don’t have to wait another year to enjoy South Robertson, now dubbed the Great Emerald Blvd. These businesses are open most days of the week. Go have breakfast at Undergrind Cafe, lunch at Dolce Isola, dessert at Monaco Gelato, take home tasty Argentinian Empanadas or a heavenly green chile burrito from Campos. Check out the many programs the Relational Center has to offer. Enjoy art at the Ivan Gallery, decorated with the colorful and intricate murals painted by Barbara Mendes through the years. Explore all the places that she included in the map below.
For a list of our favorites click on the Robertson page of the RVNA website.
Many residents were disappointed two years ago when South Robertson Boulevard was NOT included among the 15 “Great Streets” chosen by Mayor Eric Garcetti for transformation. Last November SORONC (South Robertson Neighborhood Council) leaders applied for a $13,000 matching grant, with letters of support from RVNA (Reynier Village Neighborhood Association) and other community organizations, and on February 3, 2017 the Mayor confirmed that South Robertson (from Cadillac to Kincardine) is one of 7 additional Los Angeles Great Streets 2016.
2512 Robertson
I took a walk up and down Robertson a few days ago to see what’s new. I spoke with Ari Cohen, the new owner of Fred’s Bakery who took over the business 2 years ago, I checked out Tommy’s Express Car Wash, and I looked at the gated parking lot of 2512-2516 Robertson, a building left vacant for 30 years by an absentee landlady. We wish she and her son would sell it already and allow a restaurant to open there. It would be a great addition to the existing eateries: Dolce Isola, Argentinian Empanadas, Campos, Monaco Gelato, Undergrind Cafe.
Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli
P.S. For other posts about our “Great Street” click on Robertson under Categories
It was only a few days ago, while reading an article in Los Angeles Magazine about the 14 Best Mom and Pop bookstores in L.A., that I discovered The Ripped Bodice, A Romantic Bookstore, in downtown Culver City. It opened March 4, 2016, after a Kickstarter campaign that raised over $90,000. It’s the dream project of two sisters, Bea, 27, and Leah, 25, smart and accomplished young women. Leah graduated from USC in Visual and Performing Arts, Bea studied Fashion History at NYU, her master thesis was titled “Mending the Ripped Bodice.”
Bea (c) Elisa Leonelli
I was so intrigued that I immediately contacted the sisters. Bea graciously received me and answered my questions. “Bodice Rippers” is a term used for erotic romance novels of the 1970s and 80s. Bea said they wanted to poke fun at that popular perception, and immediately communicate to their fans, “This store is for you.” “Sex is not something that we should be ashamed or embarrassed about, we all come from sex. It’s completely insane to me the way sex is discussed in this country, and all these issues that women are facing right now. We’ve reverted into this dark age.”
Their store carries all sub-genres in the romance novels category, from paranormal to LGBTQ, and they host community events. “Thursday December 15, 8pm, is our monthly romantic comedy night, and this month we are collecting travel size toiletries to donate to women shelters in Los Angeles.”
The Ripped Bodice (c) Elisa Leonelli
The store is huge and bright, decorated like a comfortable home, with armchairs and couches for reading, books are piled up everywhere. Get over there, it’s well worth a visit.
The Ripped Bodice: 424-603 4776
3806 Main St. Culver City, CA 90232
I have been shopping at Sprouts for years, ever since they opened their first Los Angeles area store on Sepulveda at Jefferson in 2010. I was glad when they took over a location on Westwood Blvd, since that is closer to my regular routes. Recently I tried their new LaBrea store at Willoughby. So I was very excited today to finally shop at their latest store on Venice Blvd, so close to my neighborhood. It’s a place where I already go often, to shop at Trader Joe’s, or the sadly departed Office Max, to watch movies at the new Arclight Cinemas, to eat at my favorite restaurants in downtown Culver City, like EnjoyEat.
I did my regular shopping, I love their Strouds brand of gelato, their heirloom tomatoes, their nuts, lentils and beans in bulk, their salad bar, their home-made sausages. But this was a special day. The atmosphere was festive, with frequent buzzing sounds, just like at the slot machines in Las Vegas, when every 15th customer won a booklet of coupons. They were giving away green recyclable bags and passing out sushi tastings. You can also see the discounts on their website.
Sprouts. 8985 Venice Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90034 (424) 361-6611
We enjoy having Dolce Isola on Robertson, the bakery of the Ivy restaurant; they serve breakfast, sandwiches, salads and ice-cream. The downstairs space is way too small, but they do have a few more quiet tables upstairs. Ever since they opened in 2007 we sometimes order their pricey food for the summer park nights organized by our Reynier Village Neighborhood Association, where neighbors get together to eat, chat and have fun. This week I wanted to get cookies from Dolce Isola for the last park night of 2016, since we had bought them from Fred’s Bakery on Robertson and Grand Casino in Culver City for the other park nights. But I was unhappy that they only had one choice: chocolate chip cookies, so I bought Tiramisu instead. I adore this delicious Italian custard, that literally means “pick me up” and I make it myself with soft mascarpone cheese. The Dolce Isola version was so fabulous that many people attending the social evening asked for seconds. Only after I got home I noticed the green design on the paper bag. The Isola=island that is so sweet=dolce, is Capri, off the coast of Naples. The descriptions read in Italian: the island of Love, the island of Sun, Arrivederci a Capri=let’s meet again in Capri.
So if you can’t travel to the real place in Italy, you should go to our local Dolce Isola at 2869 Robertson and have a leisurely good time, Italian style.
Last week, after picking up the delicious Gazpacho soup from Smart Simple Gourmet at 3731 Robertson, I took a walk on Washington Blvd going East. This used to be a long stretch of road with no shops, mostly occupied by car dealerships, but recently a fancy shopping mall called Platform has been constructed and opened in March. A desirable location, especially now that the Expo Line has been extended to Santa Monica. The Culver City station is right across the street.
Aesop
Some of the shops have yet to open, but there are quite enough interesting places to warrant a visit. So I went back the following day to explore and take some pictures. I watched families with small children play in the numerous sitting areas bordered by drought tolerant landscaping, I saw customers with their laptops lounge on various terraces, I noticed an event organized by the LA Film Festival at the photo studio Lightbox, I walked into SoulCycle and thought I might like to try this type of exercise, I chatted with the salespeople at Aesop, skin care products, and they offered me a cup of tea.
Loqui
I had a tasty lunch at Loqui, Mexican tacos and quesadillas wrapped in their home-made flour tortillas.
Blue Bottle Coffee
I asked the girls at Blue Bottle Coffee if they could make me a cappuccino Italian style, all milk foam with espresso poured on top, and they did. I was pleased.
Juices Served Here
So I went back again the following day with a friend, we had dinner and drinks at Cannibal, ice cream at Van Leeuwen. We walked into some of the shops. At IDV (Ilan Dei Venice), we learnt that all the outdoor furniture at Platform is made by them.
Mural by Jen Stark
The Platform is in walking or bicycling distance from Reynier Village, but they also have a parking structure on Landmark Street, first 2 hours free. It’s in the building with the rainbow murals by artist Jen Stark, that also houses São Açaí, smoothies and bowls, and Cannibal, butcher shop and restaurant.
Yes, I was a bit hesitant to take the plunge, so to speak, since I had mixed feelings about this new establishment. You may recall that the old car wash closed quite some time ago and this one has been “under construction” for what seems like a very long time… and has been a source of friction to the neighborhood due to the amount of work and associated noise coming out of that corner of our neighborhood. During this car wash hiatus, I was really appreciating just how quiet my street (W 25th) could be. That is, when there is no car wash AND no school in session, but that’s another story.
In any case, I was pleasantly surprised about the whole experience. The noise, that I thought would thunder-through the neighborhood upon the opening of the new car wash, was really a non-issue as the whole thing is self-enclosed except for the vacuums. But, I do live in the middle of the block, away from most of the noise. I am interested to hear how the neighbors, living right next to it, feel about the whole thing.
This is a self-service car wash as opposed to the previous incarnation which was a hand wash type of business. So those jobs all just disappeared, sorry to say. But it does keep the cost of operating down and translates into a $7 basic car wash and free vacuuming, not a bad deal at all. In fact, I challenge anyone to find a better deal anywhere close by.
As far as the actual experience, it is a bit tricky to get your left front tire into the small track when pulling in. There is a mirror directly in front and above you to help with that. The other thing is that you need to have the car in neutral for it to engage properly. But after that “wonky” entrance, the rest was a breeze. Speaking of breezes, my only issue so far is the lackluster dryer. It leaves quite a bit of water on your car. I brought that up to the friendly attendant and she said “not to worry” they use spot-free additives to the soft water. The car should dry spotless, so she says.
Now, I am hoping that this does not cause any traffic issues during their busy time and all has been smooth, as far as I am concerned, these last 2 days. Hoping for the best.
After my first juice cleanse in June 2014, I started incorporating cold pressed vegetable juices into my daily diet, which I found an easy way to add nutrients. There are SO many places selling these juices all over town now, that I must not be the only one devoted to this kind of healthy eating.
The closest to Reynier Village is a small window at 3731 Robertson, south of Venice, across from FEDEX. Juices Served Here had their production facility there and I would stop by often. Then one day, a couple of months ago, I had to do a double-take, because the juice menu had changed. A new company had moved into this location, Renew Juicery. Shortly after that, I received an email from Linda, the chef-owner of Smart Simple Gourmet, that they started selling their healthy menu items out of this same window. I had discovered the delicious food cooked by Linda at the Culver City Farmers Market on Tuesdays, where she had stand for years, but for the past couple of years she only sells at the Mar Vista Farmers Market on Sundays. So now I can get juices and gourmet meals from the same place nearby. Very convenient. Check it out!
Living so close to Culver city, it seems a shame not to take advantage of some of the areas that practically border our neighborhood. One area that I like to frequent, and is well within walking distance, is The Helm’s Bakery District just south of Venice Blvd.
Once upon a time, it was an actual bakery. The family owned and operated Helms Bakery supplied local residents with its fresh-baked bread for over four decades. Now it is a local landmark and home to a variety of restaurants and businesses. From Father’s Office Gastro Pub, with its 36 beers on tap, to LA Dijonaise Cafe’, with it’s offerings of fresh baguettes, croissants and desserts…there is something here for everyone.
After a bite to eat, I like to make my way over to Arcana Bookstore, one of the world’s premier visual arts bookstores. It is unique in that its primary focus is Photography, Art, Fashion, Design, Architecture, Cinema and Music. It’s been in business since 1984. Originally in Santa Monica, it moved here in 2012.
Or perhaps you need to freshen up your decor? You can head-on over to a number of establishments that cater to home decor furnishings like HD Buttercup or Room & Board.
In any case, it is a nice way to spend an afternoon browsing or shopping…and it’s “right next door.”
Oh and be sure to catch the 6th annual free Helms Sunset Cinema series returning to Helms Walk – the pedestrian plaza on Helms Avenue. The Outdoor film screenings kick-off on September 5 with the Disney animated film “The Princess and the Frog”
This Sunday afternoon we visited a lovely Irish-Scottish Cafe and Pub (for Artists, Writers, Thinkers & Lovers), at the corner of Motor and Palms, named after Oscar Wilde, the national poet of Ireland, and the Thistle, the national flower of Scotland. Inside we found the most pleasant atmosphere (they also have an outdoor table), with a trio of musicians playing Irish music (two women on the fiddle, a man alternating between a flute and a concertina). Behind the bar a small TV was playing the FIFA World Cup football game between US and Japan.
It’s a family place run by Caite Wallace, daughter Ciara, sons Liam and Brennan. They have Happy Hour from 3 to 7pm from Tuesday to Sunday (closed Monday), with draft beers at $5, soup+grilled cheese at $5, a trio of sliders for $7. The art on the walls is by Steve O’Loughlin and it’s inspired by Celtic designs.
The Wilde Thistle Cafe: 310-730 6208
3456 Motor Ave, Los Angeles CA 90034
After running our of money in June, when they were planning to open their café on South Robertson, Ron and Rachel Sazon launched a successful crowd-funding campaign on Kickstarter and raised the additional $12,000 they needed. They finally opened their doors on October 25.
When we stopped by today, on a Sunday morning, the place was lively with customers and had been decorated with art, a table in the back, stools and high chairs in the front. WiFi is available. Various types of coffees and teas are served, also enticing breakfast and lunch daily specials. Undergrind Cafe: 323-868 1703, 2713 S Robertson Blvd
Welcome to Reynier Village!
During one of our exploratory walks along that stretch of Washington Blvd between National and La Cienega, that has been blossoming with new restaurants, shops and art galleries for the past few years, we discovered a gem: Bar and Garden, a unique liquor store that specializes in artisan products, AND offers wine tastings twice a week: Tuesdays from 5-8 and Sundays from 2-6
We checked it out today and found the atmosphere very pleasant. The girl at the bar was quite friendly, as she poured 3 samples of French wines from the Loire Valley. We enjoyed the delicious amuse-bouches: olives and cheeses with fresh bread. Bar and Garden: 310-876 0759
6142 Washington Blvd. Culver City 90232
We were delighted to find out that a new location of PEI WEI had opened in Culver City, close to our Reynier Village neighborhood, so we went to try it out.
We had liked their place in Beverly Hills, but this venue was even nicer, with windows that let in the daylight and outdoor tables on the terrace, in a new mini-mall at the corner of Sepulveda and Washington Blvd.
They serve Asian fast food: Thai, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese, their specialty are the lettuce cups (a favorite item of their parent restaurant P.F. Chang) and they come in 3 different versions. Definitely yummi. Check it out!
During one of my walks to greet new businesses opening up in our neighborhood, I discovered that a lovely photography studio recently opened at 2803 Robertson Blvd. It has the evocative name of Blue Buddha Studio.
So I walked in and spoke with photographer Kerem Hancy. He works with a partner, Jennifer Castle, and they specialize in portrait and wedding photography.
Check out Kerem’s website to take a look at his portfolio and see him in action.
The studio space is also available for rental. Give them a call: 424-835 0454
It’s November 2013, and almost 20 years have passed since the big (6.7) earthquake rocked Northridge on January 17, 1994. At that time, more than 40,000 buildings were damaged in Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange and San Bernardino Counties. Santa Monica and West Los Angeles had significant damage, and 9 houses on my block alone lost their chimneys. One mile away, the La Cienega Blvd. overpass of the I-10 freeway collapsed.
In 2008 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported: “California has more than a 99% chance of having a magnitude 6.7 or larger earthquake within the next 30 years” and “the likelihood of a major quake of magnitude 7.5 or greater in the next 30 years is 46%-and such a quake is most likely to occur in the southern half of the state.”
While I have always wanted foundation bolting, I wasn’t sure how much it would cost or whom to trust with the job. My new neighbors had their house bolted shortly after they moved in. I thought to myself: “How smart of them, I should do it too, but can I afford it?.” After much consideration, I finally asked them “Who did your bolting?” To my surprise, they hired a well-qualified local South Robertson business called Avalin Design Construction Co. www.boltusa.com. I called the owner, Fred Cohen, engineer/general contractor (lic. 613782), and he came over to inspect my house. Several days later, a reasonable proposal was sent to me by email.
After quite a bit of internet research on seismic retrofitting, it was easy for me to make the decision to hire Avalin. As I write this, I’m pleased to say that his team of installers are under my house, drilling and bolting. The job should take approx. 4 -5 hours.
While no retrofitting job can guarantee that my home won’t be displaced from its concrete foundation, it will bring me some peace of mind that it will be safer and less prone to major structural damage during an earthquake.
A few weeks ago, during one of my walks, I discovered that an elegant new shop had opened on Robertson at 2613. So I walked in and chatted with the proprietor, Shannon Colburn, and her son Conor, who created their lovely website www.ShannonColburn.com. They had recently moved to this store-front location and are now open to the public for a walk-in visit to their showroom of household decorative items from their extensive collection of accessories, African woodcarvings, paintings, furniture, lamps, pillows and more.
They will extend a 20% discount to Reynier Village residents, so be sure to visit this new shop that we welcome to our neighborhood.
We are lucky to have so many farmers markets nearby, and we already recommended the closest, on La Cienega at 18th Street within walking distance of Reynier Village, Thursdays from 2 to 7pm.
But our favorite is the Culver City Farwers MarketCulver City Farmers market, now on Main Street between Venice and Washington Blvd, Tuesdays from 3 to 7pm. They not only have a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables from local farms, but a real find. A lovely young woman cooks healthy and delicious dishes for you to take home. Check out her weekly menu at Smart Simple Gourmet, pick them up and get ready for a real treat. She has a stand at the Mar Vista Farmers Market as well, on Grand View at Venice Blvd, Sundays 9am to 2 pm.
On Sunday mornings we also like the little market on Melrose Place East of La Cienega, and the newest, the Motor Ave Farmers Market on National.
We had been waiting for months to see the new LYFE KITCHEN-Love Your Food Everyday, open in Culver City, after seeing their name on the boarded up storefront, and that event finally took place this week. I had read a LA Weekly review of WILDCRAFT, another new restaurant that opened on Monday February 25, and was anxious to try it, so I took a walk over there yesterday at lunchtime. There was a long line waiting to eat at Lyfe Kitchen, in fact all the restaurants were crowded with happy diners enjoying the warm weather at outdoors tables lined up along the wide sidewalks. So I decided to have the porchetta panino at Wildcraft and I was not disappointed; it did not resemble the suckling pig that is a popular street food in Rome, and it has become quite a fad in Los Angeles restaurants, but it was quite tasty. I can’t wait to go again with friends to try their pizzas cooked in a traditional brick oven made in Naples.
For a complete list check the Culver City restaurant page of our Reynier Village Neighborhood Association website, and kindly send us your comments.
Reynier Village was featured on Departures-KCET, an online exploration of Los Angeles neighborhoods.
See above the murals in the alley between Reynier Ave and Shenandoah Street.
South Robertson was also explored.
See below Barbara Mendes painting a wall of her gallery at 2701 Robertson Blvd.
Have fun with the interactive mural, watch photos and videos, read about the history of the Santa Monica Fwy, the Beverlywood Swim School, Hamilton High School, explore our nearby neighborhoods Beverlywood, Castle Heights and more…
As we were searching for plants to replace the old bamboo and create our new garden, we visited several nurseries. Here’s a list of some we liked.
Rolling Greens in Culver City, 9528 Jefferson Blvd, was the most amazing. Too expensive for us to buy anything there, but great for looking at gorgeous specimens and get ideas. You must check out their retail store at 7505 Beverly Blvd, they have beautiful items for your home and garden. Grow Native in Westwood, 100 Davis Ave, is the perfect place to find drought-tolerant plants native to California. Call for directions: 424-234 0481. Two Dog Organic Nursery, 914 Cloverdale, is the perfect place to visit if you wish to start a vegetable garden, and they will give you plenty of expert advice as well. Hashimoto Nursery, 1953 Sawtelle Blvd, is a traditional Japanese nursery with impeccable plants. YamaguchiBonsai Nursery, 1905 Sawtelle Blvd., has a section devoted to California Natives. Armstrong Garden Center, 3226 Wilshire in Santa Monica. They offer gardening classes, and a lifetime guarantee for their fruit trees.
We picked a selection of fruit trees, shrubs and flowers, with the help of Sammy Lyon, permaculture designer and garden educator.
We were glad to see that the remodeled space at 2803 S Robertson Blvd has been rented to Art Works Studio (310-202 1894).
Starting September 10, they offer art classes and workshops for all ages on drawing, painting and mixed media. They have camps for children Kindergarden to 12th grade during summer and school holidays.
They partnered with Hands-on 3rd, so they also offer classes in sewing, knitting, screen printing, jewelry making and more.
You may book your own private drawing party for women only with champagne, dinner and live male nude model, at their Hollywood location on Melrose and Larchmont. Call: 323-463 2562 or email: ladrawing party@gmail.com
We had blogged about this stretch of Washington Blvd, between La Cienega and National, in 2010 and 2011, when it comes alive for the annual Culver City Art Walk (this event was sadly canceled this year because of citywide budget cuts), and we’ve walked there often to try some of the new restaurants.
We loved BATCH (it replaced SUBLIME); their pizza crust stands up to the exacting standards of an Italian like myself. We are happy that the INDUSTRY CAFE offers live jazz, but the Ethiopian food could be better. It was a good idea to make Helms Avenue a pedestrian area, but we’re sorry that they found it necessary to evict the Jazz Bakery to make room for yet another furniture store. LUKSHON is too snooty for my taste, but one day, when I had a cold, their Shanghai matzo ball soup was just what the doctor ordered. We prefer places like PINCHES TACOS (yes, it’s named after a Mexican curse word), with its blue and pink building and their tasty sopes, or our latest find, E.K. Valley (Epy García’s Kitchen), serving Mexican food from Oaxaca.
It was exciting, even for a jaded adult like myself, to ride the Metro Expo Line on the opening day of the Culver City station at Venice and Robertson, and the kids seemed to love it. The atmosphere was festive, with a music trio playing and cheerful ladies handing out bus route schedules and reusable canvas bags. I hopped on for free and rode to USC, my Alma Mater. The tracks sloped gently up and down to climb the overpasses crossing La Cienega and la Brea, otherwise the train rode at street level stopping at various intersections and stations, running at a leisurely pace. I got off at Expo Park and took in the lively scene of kids playing in the large round fountain in the middle of the Rose Garden. Waiting for the next train on the return, it was heart-warming to see so many habitual commuters, not just first-day joy-riders. This type of public transportation, a long time coming in Los Angeles, does really help get people where they need to go, without a car.
Please send us comments about your experiences riding the Expo Line, along Exposition Blvd. It travels all the way to downtown L.A., where you may connect to the Red Line to Hollywood and North Hollywood, the Gold Line to Pasadena and East L.A., the Blue line to Long Beach.
The Annual SORO Community festival celebrated its 15th anniversary this year, on Sunday June 3, 2012. A new coordinator, Mark Fielder, and many volunteers worked really hard to organize this exciting event, that attracts throngs of neighbors to a Robertson Boulevard without cars, between Cattaraugus and Beverlywood, and is sponsored by SoRo Inc. and South Robertson Neighborhood Council.
Many local vendors and artisans display their wares, community organizations distribute information about their activities, dance and music groups perform on stage, gourmet food trucks serve lunch.
This year we checked out the booths of jewelry designer Phoebe Neil, who is President of our Reynier Village Neighborhood Association, and of artist Barbara Mendes, who owns a Gallery at 2701 Robertson and designed the blue SORO Fest tee-shirt that everyone was wearing.
Doug Fitzsimmons, President of SORONC, presented the Susan Bursk Community Service Award to Beth Ryan, President of the Crestview Neighborhood Association, and organizer of summer programs for kids at Stepping Forward LA and RAL (Robertson Activities League). Pico Cleaners received the Green Leadership award for their environment-friendly methods used in their business.
A few weeks ago, we blogged about our old time favorite nearby restaurants, see post.
Now we want to tell you about a few recent discoveries.
Earlier in the year, with my neighbor Deni, co-author of this blog, we tried CHEGO, the closest locations of the many restaurants opened by Roy Choi, the Korean chef who became famous for his Kogi BBQ food trucks. It was exciting food, but get there as soon they open at 5.30pm, and study their online menu, so you’ll know what to order. Chego means “thumbs up” in Korean. CHEGO (310) 287 0337 – 3300 Overland Ave, LA 90034
You may want to check out his more upscale restaurants, that also serve alcohol. A-Frame (310) 398 7700 – 12565 Washington Blvd, LA 90066 Alibi Room (310) 390 9300 – 12236 Washington Blvd, LA 90066 Sunny Spot (310) 448 8884 – 822 Washington Blvd, Venice 90292
Always a fan of Thai food, I went with my old friend Christopher to a new place that opened last October, because they serve noodle soups. Be careful of the spiciness, we ordered level 1, as the waitress recommended. Moo means pork, and Moo Moo is slang for “take it easy.”
MOO MOO Thai Cafe (310) 287 9999 – 11127 Venice Blvd, LA 90034
I had been eating at Tara’s Himalayan Cuisine since reading an LA Times review when it opened in 2008, because it reminded me of my dreamy trip to India and Nepal in 1984, but have gone back many more times in the past few months, because they serve tasty vegetarian dishes. TARA’S Himalayan Cuisine (310) 836 9696 – 10855 Venice Blvd, LA 90034
This Salvadoran place that also serves Mexican food has been open for 10 years, but I had never tried it, until I decided to assemble a list of nearby restaurants for the new website of our Reynier Village Neighborhood Association. We found satisfying food and a family atmosphere. GLORIA’S Cafe (310) 838 0963 – 10227 Venice Blvd, LA 90034
Many of you probably noticed that four storefronts are being remodeled on Robertson, painted in bright pastel colors to attract new tenants.
We can’t wait to find out which exciting new shops will open there.
One of them is already occupied by the same establishment that was there before, the hair salon Marshoni G at 2801 (310) 839 2400
You may want to get your hair styled there or try these other salons. Aveda–Knox Salon at 2823 (310) 837 5600
Studio 2356 at 2356 (310) 837 2356
For more blog posts about Robertson select the category at right.
For a list of businesses check the Robertson page on our NEW RVNA Reynier Village Neighborhood Association website.
Please tell us about YOUR discoveries in the comments box below.
Did you know that you could find so many learning opportunities for yourself and your family on our very own South Robertson Blvd?
If you have teenage children, they may attend Alexander Hamilton High School, and qualify for their excellent Music and Humanities magnets.
If you would like to grow vegetables in your own backyard, volunteer at the Hami Garden, take a 4-week class from Master Gardner George Pessin, Sundays starting April 29. Email him to register. Click here for more details, see our earlier post.
If you have pre-school children and would like to give them an early start in environmentally sound behaviors, consider enrolling them at Green Beginnings Pre-School (310) 841 6100
3047-3049 S Robertson Blvd (more info)
If you need your toddlers to get comfortable in the water to be safe around your pool, book lessons at Beverlywood Swim School (310) 838 4088
2610-2612 S Robertson Blvd (more info)
If you wish to learn about making art with ceramics, contact Echo Ceramics 2856 S Robertson Blvd
if you love gourmet cooking, walk into this delightful shop that also sells kitchen tools and get a list of their classes
There are so many useful places on Robertson, right next door to our homes, and we should support them, because we’d like to make our neighborhood more user-friendly.
For instance, I always have my car washed locally, bring my donations to Good Will, have my clothes dry-cleaned here; if I were in the market for a used car, I would certainly take a look on Robertson first, if I still owned a dog, I might bring it nearby for grooming.
See below a list of these places, please send us your favorites
A few weeks ago I walked to Robertson Blvd to review some of the new places that have opened recently, in order to update the RVNA website. I stopped inside the SoRo Art Center to chat with local artist BARBARA MENDES. She has been involved in our neighborhood activities for many years, in fact, she created the RVNA Reynier Village Neighborhood Association logo that you see on color signs in some of our streets. As always, I was very impressed with her paintings, so decided to buy one for myself, to enjoy its amazing colors and shapes every day in my own home.
Currently the gallery hosts a show of other artists work as well, NEW VIBRATIONS, and on Sunday February 19 at 3 pm they are having a party. You’re all invited!
For over 20 years, since moving to Reynier Village, I have been going out for meals with friends and family at my favorite nearby restaurants, a short drive away.
CAFE BRASIL, opened in 1991. They were the only place to enjoy a leisurely lunch in the outdoor patio the day after the 1992 LA riots, when every other place was closed. And we love their new location further West on Washington, next to their enchanting Villa Brasil Motel, opened in 2002.
HU’S SZECHUAN has been serving tasty and inexpensive Northern Chinese food at this location for over 30 year, and they also deliver. My friend Chris wrote a glowing restaurant review way back in 1979, so that’s how many years we have been coming to eat here.
VERSAILLES, opened in 1981, is a no-nonsense Cuban place always packed with customers. They have another location on La Cienega Blvd, just south of Pico.
Check the list below for addresses and websites, along with my favorite dish for each.
Please send us comments about YOUR local favorites.
There are not nearly enough good places to eat on Robertson as we would like, so we wouldn’t have to drive to downtown Culver City to find a proper restaurant, however we have some local favorites, like Campos, not a chain like Taco Bell across the street, but a family owned place that serves authentic Mexican food. We love the Argentinian Empanadas made by Adriano and Marcelo, and we’re very appreciative of the discounts they offer our Reynier Village Neighborhood Association, when we host our summer park nites.
You may want to enjoy a stroll, grab some food at these local eateries.
When I moved to Reynier Village from Hollywood 24 years ago, in 1988, my daughter was still a baby, but pretty soon I was taking her to swim at the Beverlywood Swim School on Robertson, a local institution that has been in business since 1951. Kids and parents splash away together inside the 2 warm pools, and patient teachers guide the toddlers’ first floats in this weightless environment.
The place is closed on Sundays to host birthday parties. You may want to book one for your kids. Check their website for more info. www.swimbss.com
BEVERLYWOOD SWIM SCHOOL
2610-2612 S Robertson Blvd
310-838 4088
I often take walks around the neighborhood, by myself or with a friend. Even now that our dog has passed away, I keep up this habit to get some exercise. Last Sunday I walked on Robertson Blvd, which I don’t usually do on weekdays to avoid the traffic, and I was pleasantly surprised to see the only remaining antique store open and displaying their wares on the sidewalk. Some new shops have opened recently, and a few storefronts are being remodeled to attract tenants.
Let’s support our local merchants, art galleries, schools and restaurants.
Please send us comments about your favorites.
See listed below our choices in the antiques, upholstery and furniture category.
Voltec Battery, Inc.
8664 Venice Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90034
310-733-4334 – Ask for Joe.
“Located near Reynier Village (Venice and Cattaraugus), Voltec will bring the new battery to you and install it, for no extra charge. My car battery died on Saturday afternoon (Christmas Eve day). I called Voltec at 8:30 Monday morning, and by 9:30 am, I had a brand new car battery installed and working, all for $91.32, total. Sweet. Pleasant, prompt, and professional with great prices, too.
“Ask Joe for the 5% discount for Reynier Village Home and Garden Blog readers.”
– – Recommended by Carol Fuchs, a Reynier Village resident
We’ve added a new category: Our Neighbors Recommend. . .
This is for all South Robertson residents to give us their personal recommendations of businesses or products they have already used.
When you find an awesome local business, a good tradesperson (painter, electrician, etc.) or just something cool you’d like to share with your neighbors (a garden product or even a delicious recipe), please email us at Reynier Village and we may post it.
If you are a SORO business owner, please consider joining the SORONC card program to become a preferred merchant and get on the SORO Neighborhood Council business directory. SORO residents can get a free SOROCard to get great discounts on goods and services from participating merchants.
We look forward to hearing about your personal experience with a local business or product. Whatever discovery you might blurt out to your neighbor or friend, we’d love to hear about it too!
We attended the Reynier Village solar workshop organized by Open Neighborhoods at PermaCity, and gathered lots useful info that we want to share.
It’s never been as affordable as now to install solar panels on your home.
You get rebates from DWP that favor early adopters, currently $ 2.20 per watt, plus a 30% direct write-off on your taxes.
Permacity is offering a 33% group discount (which simply means 3 homes within 1 square mile), and that brings your cost down to $4.40 per watt, before the rebates. Final cost $ 1.60 per watt, or about $ 9,600 and up for a 6 KiloWatt system, sufficient for a small 1,500 square feet home.
Check out their website for more info or email Herb Mendelsohn.
You should talk to your neighbors about doing the installation at the same time, then email us to tell us you are going ahead.
If you want NO upfront costs, you can lease your solar system and pay about half of your current monthly electric bill to Sun Power for 20 years.
If you’d like to attend another group workshop, register on the Open Neighborhood website
If you’re ready to get a free solar assessment about the costs and timing of installation on your home, call: 310-893 3100.
It makes economic sense to go solar at this time, you will save on your utility bill, and to switch to a clean and renewable energy source will also help reduce the use of dirty coal-generated electricity in our city.
We all know by now that locally grown fruits and vegetables are better for our health (more nutritious) and for the environment (less pollution).
So why don’t we make it a weekly ritual to visit the Farmers Market at 1801 S. La Cienega Blvd?
It’s very close to Reynier Village and easily reachable by walking or bicycling.
It takes place every Thursday afternoon from 2 to 7 pm.
You can buy organic or pesticide-free produce to prepare healthy meals.
You can buy cut flowers, also plants for your garden (from Ramos Nursery).
You can take home delicious meals, such as Salvadoran pupusas and Hawaiian BBQ chicken.
Replacing an old-fashioned water heater just got easier and cheaper. Noritz America recently introduced a new series of affordable, residential, energy efficient tankless water heaters (Model NR50) – for both outdoor and indoor installations. With the NR50-OD for outdoors, say goodbye to expensive 3/4″ gas lines, and hello standard 1/2″!
Old tank water heater, leaking and rusty
What is a tankless water heater?
Traditional storage tank water heaters are always “on”, and this means heating and reheating the tank of water even if you aren’t using it. Tankless types only heat the water when you turn on the hot water faucet. The water will heat up to the temperature that is set and remains that temperature until you turn off the faucet. NR50’s default is set to 120 degrees. With tankless, you never run out of hot water. You get a continuous supply until you turn off the faucet.
New Noritz NR50-OD tankless water heater
The Noritz NR 50-OD (outdoor) water heater is made in Japan with a durable steel casing and polyester coating. It has a limited 12- year heat exchanger warranty; a limited 5- year parts warranty, and a limited 1- year labor warranty. Because it only requires a 1/2″ gas line, you don’t need to have your plumber install an expensive 3/4″ gas line to the unit.
These compact heaters (13.8″ wide x 20.5″ high x 6.7″ deep) heat up to 5 gallons per minute and have an electronic ignition (so you need to have an electrical outlet nearby). The outdoor model (shown above) doesn’t need venting!
Get money back!
The Noritz NR 50 is eligible for a $150 mfgr. rebate and a federal tax credit of up to $300 for year 2011.
Hire an experienced plumber!
Ray from R&M Plumbing has installed over 20 tankless units (as of the date of this post), and all but the Noritz NR50 required running 3/4″ gas lines, and it pushed up the price. In addition, the base price of the 3/4″ units are more than the NR50. Ray was thrilled to install the above tankless heater for a Reynier Village homeowner . It cut installation time way down, and he hopes to install many more for Reynier Village, SORO, and other West L.A homeowners.
Give Ray a call to see if a tankless water heater is right for your home. R&M Plumbing
Tel. 310-475-5757
Calif. Contractors License C36-735022
Tankless vs tank storage ~ which would you rather have?
Introducing “Food & Dining” to our blog! Because toiling in the garden is not sufficient for a happy life, man (and woman) also has culinary needs, and darn it, who doesn’t like to talk about food?!?!???
Citrus Jicama Salad from Chichenitza
With our new Food & Dining category we invite you to comment and share your:
– family recipes, bbq marinades, backyard picnic ideas
– delicious finds at Trader Joe’s, Glatt’s, Elat or other local markets
– favorite vendor at a local farmers market
– methods for canning or drying fruits from your garden
– hot local restaurants . . .
. . . and much more! Please join in and let’s talk food!
Reynier Village (in SOuthRObertson) is a film-friendly neighborhood in Los Angeles. Just the other night (June 3, 2011) Showtime’s “Californication” shot some scenes at Miss Donuts on the n.e. corner of Robertson Blvd. & Beverlywood St.
David Duchovny at Miss Donuts during the filming of a Californication episode.
Each month we discover more art galleries, places to eat and shops popping up on the stretch of Washington Blvd, between La Cienega and National, that used to be quite deserted.
The best time to visit was yesterday, during the sixth annual Culver City Art Walk, when lots of people really did come out and walked around.
The event started at 2 pm on Helms Walk with Giggle and Pop!, a silly but sweet performance by the students of the Culver City High School Academy of Visual and Performing Arts, created by artist Gary Baseman. As late as 7 pm the opening of The Vault (6150 Washington) was still crowded, it felt just like at a private party.
Local musicians and artists came together for an impromptu jazz performance, the mural by D*Face titled “Going Nowehere Fast” loomed on the side wall of the Corey Helford Gallery (8522 Washington), visitors checked out the artwork featured in over 35 galleries, like the paintings of Peter Sims at Cardwell/Jimmerson (8568 Washington).
Hope you made it there on this special day, but if you didn’t, go any time, have a bite to eat at Pinches Tacos (8665 Washington, BYOB), listen to jazz at Industry Cafe (6039 Washington), work out at Sweat Pilates (8540 Washington).
Then send us a comment with your suggestions.
A brand new preschool has opened in our neighborhood!
Welcome news to those of us who remember the now defunct but wonderful Palms-Westminster Nursery School.
And this school is amazing!
playground
garden beds
The building is painted green, it’s called Green Beginning, and it follows green practices. They have 3 garden beds where they grow strawberries and tomatoes, they use 3 composting bins… something we should all be doing in our backyards. And these 2 to 5-year-old are learning these basic skills early in their lives.
If you have young children, please check them out. Their fall classes start September 9.
3047-3049 Robertson Blvd
310-841 6100 greenbeginningpreschool.com
For the thirteenth year the SORO festival took place on South Robertson on Sunday June 6.
It was a great way to discover local businesses and get reacquainted with old friends.
I spoke with our Reynier Village neighbor Huli, who was displaying her lovely handmade jewelry creations.
You may contact her at: stillsloane2@gmail.com
I chatted with local painter Barbara Mendes and she proudly showed me the newly painted facade of her gallery, after her recent move to 2709 Robertson Blvd.
Here’s her website: BarbaraMendes.org
I had meant to get a facial and I found a list of choices on a flyer from Massage Garage, plus a $10 discount coupon. I had never noticed their storefront on Main Street in Culver City, even though I have been going to the Tuesday afternoon farmers market on that street for years. I booked a glycemic peel and was very pleased with the treatment.
Here’s their website: themassagegarage.com
I created a list of local eateries and businesses on South Robertson, that you may consult on our neighborhood website: reyniervillage.com
Eat locally, talk to your neighbors, discover how many creative and interesting people live next door to you.
This annual event gets better and better.
This year we decided to explore the area of Washington Blvd between National and La Cienega, East of the more popular downtown Culver City, and found a flourishing neighborhood, full of art galleries, of course, like Thinkspace, Kinkead Contemporary, Susanne Vielmetter, etc; but also other shops, like an interior decorator, Peggy Braswell, and a nursery, Ezequiel, flanked by two excellent new restaurants: Sublime Food Lounge and Brunello Trattoria
Reynier Village Blog 