BlackBook

So, you’re in Vegas and it’s 10 AM and you’re standing in a cloud of second-hand smoke on the casino floor. All around you, Midwesterners in tank tops drag their bloated bodies back and forth from one flashing machine to another, and no one is winning. And no one is smiling. Upstairs, everyone’s hungover or broke. Outside, it’s the same Mandalay Bay-to-Bellagio parade. The possibilities for the day in Vegas seem tired, perverse, and well, shitty. And you have two more days of this?

Two years ago, actor Adam Goldberg sat around with his girlfriend brainstorming what the next new big social media thing would be. Already a man of Tumblr and Twitter (and hesitantly of Instagram), he thought he had it: “It’s sound. It’s got to be sound.”But unless you count the collective groans of boyfriends around the world when Pinterest caught fire, Goldberg was wrong. The next big thing, two years later, is video. More accurately, it’s Vine, an iOS app allowing you to capture six looping seconds with a stop-action camera, helmed by Twitter. Less than two weeks old, the app has seen a deluge of early adopters (and a lot of porn buzz), but what might be the most interesting thing about Vine is that it’s already been won.

Husband-wife duo Whitney Flood and Julie Retzlaff are taking a break from the underground dinner scene to open Muddy Leek, a seasonable and sustainable spot in Culver City where everything from the bread to the stock is made from scratch. Lunches here will be hearty and filling with a nice selection of sandwiches and salads, but the real draw here are the eclectic dinner options like the Spicy Chicken Jjigae Soup with kimchi and poached eggs, the Juniper-Venison with foraged mushrooms, and the Chicken Fried Bacon in a lettuce cup with tomato chutney. Opens Monday, Dec. 17th. 

Fatty's Public House, on the edge of West Hollywood is named after silent-film actor Fatty Arbuckle, who once lived at this exact address. Now, the home is an airy pub with a big old-school "Hollywoodland" mural overhead, and they're dishing out short-rib pizzas, Guinness bratwurst, burgers, and chicken and waffles. At brunch there's a DIY Bloody Mary cart rolling around, and after a couple of those - if you squint hard enough up and down the street from the outdoor patio - you can still see old Hollywood just as it once was. But that's just because you've accidentally internalized Instagram filters.

If you're one of those people who just won't shut the hell up about how much you love bacon, no one likes you. Also, no one will believe your bacon-loving words if you haven't already been pounding on the doors at Slater's 50/50 in Pasadena that opened his past Friday. The “50/50” means that half of their signature burger is made of ground beef, and the other half is actual ground bacon – sandwiched right on top of the patty. Yep, they go there. This sports pub offers over 100 beers and fried chicken and pancakes. Plus, if you make it to Slater’s on a football Saturday, there's an off-menu burger served on a donut. Pigs are flying.

Home is where the heart is supposed to be, but now in Beverly Hills, a place called H.O.M.E. (House of Music & Entertainment) is where the caviar-chive salmon, the sous vide berkshire pork chop with a pear brandy reduction, the live jazz, and your new favorite wine list is. This premiere live jazz/supper club spot just opened last week, giving those in the industry a new place to rub shoulders, sign on the dotted line, and lean back with some top-shelf scotch to enjoy the smooth stylings of musicians like Bill Cunliffe and Pet Escovedo.

Obama won. Weed won. Women won. Check and mate. Now, you're either ready to celebrate, or you're looking to inebriate. Might we suggest The Blind Donkey in Pasadena, the new whiskey haven, for either? From the guys behind The Surly Goat and The Little Bear (Animal fetish, anyone?), The Blind Donkey is a regal little place with brick, dark wood, and a chess board on every table. While you're there drowning your sorrows or toasting your victory, order the triple-fried fries and consider signing up for the chess league.

Is it really possible that west-siders will crawl through three congested highways to Studio City just for a pretty restaurant/lounge? Maybe. Possibly. Well, probably not. But... XEN Lounge, an inviting and versatile space put together by actor/producer Duane Martin, has everything you want in a West Hollywood or Santa Monica lounge. There's an elegant private dining room, a glitzy bar, flat screens dedicated to NFL Sunday, and three outdoor spaces that include an intimate rooftop lounge and a rustic backyard spot dominated by a giant Buddha statue. Even if the coast crowd may shy away (they shouldn't), the stars have already come out in full force. Will Smith, Stevie Wonder, and Lady Gaga have been by for the specialty cocktails and new American comfort food, like the mac and cheese muffins.

Judging by the weather in LA this morning, fall is officially here, and so hearty, comfort food is on our minds. (Aside from the general election and Honey Boo Boo and Danny Devito and Rhea Perlman getting divorced.) In Hollywood, a small neighborhood deli called Storefront just opened, headed by the teams behind Covell and Salt's Cure, and offering gourmet sandwiches and burgers replete with Salt's Cure's infamous bacon. You want a coffee? Great. They serve it black. You want any other coffee drink? Not an option.

One doesn't normally boast about Australian food; it's usually a boring blend of ‘80s American and British dishes that include a lot of 'chips,' and other overpriced menu items. But here's one thing about Oz: their coffee is twice as good as that organic swill you're French-pressing every morning. They always use espresso beans, and they use them well. At the new Coffee + Food over on Melrose, stop in for a flat white or a long black or just a cappuccino, and you'll really feel what the buzz is all about. As for the '+ Food' part, there's a nice selection of paninis, salads, pastries, and more.