TUESDAY: Fishing With Dynamite Opens In Manhattan Beach
There's an explosive way to catch and serve fish these days. Thank chef/owner David LeFevre, whose new, 36-seat seafood restaurant Fishing With Dynamite opens with a notable spark, blending old-school seafood dishes with "new-school" innovations. Think Miso Alaskan Black Cod with Gingered Eggplant and Thai Basil. Expect a rich, soulful menu in the confines of what one would consider a tiny, sun-drenched sea shack.
Psy is looking for a chef. As part of a major marketing campaign for a chain of Korean fast food restaurants called Bibigo (there are a couple of locations in LA) the YouTube king is casting a wide net for talent, posting a funny video asking for prospective chefs to create and upload videos of themselves demonstrating their "bibi" skills. Bibi, as the entire world will soon know, is the Korean word for "mixing," and apparently, it's the only skill required. As Psy states in his video, "Not a good cook? No problem! All you need to know is how to 'mix it up'."
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It can be hard to find catchy, unpretentious indie rock these days: so often it veers into self-seriousness or a conceptuality that comes at the expense of what simple charms it had to begin with. Let’s thank our lucky stars for The Babies, then—they seem to want nothing more than three-minute rushes of clean strum and jangle. Check out their newest video, for “Mess Me Around,” below.
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Landon Liboiron looks familiar, doesn't he? Perhaps you recognize him from Degrassi: the Next Generation, or Fox's short-lived sci-fi thriller Terra Nova, but this handsome young face will soon be all up in your Netflix as the star of the new Hemlock Grove, which debuts Friday, April 19. Based on the novel by Brian McGreevy, Hemlock Grove is an original horror series that uses the same Netflix-only format as the popular House of Cards. Expect tons of blood and gore, thanks to director Eli Roth, who likes to keep things a little messy (see Hostel, Hostel II). Playing Peter Rumancek, a gypsy kid who rolls into town to find things, well, a little off, it's clear from the start that Liboiron is going to have some crazy stuff happen to his character. "It's a bone-shaking experience," says the Canadian-born actor, who lives in Vancouver and shoots in Los Angeles. "The show is an interesting look at mythical, gothic creatures like werewolves and Frankenstein. It rips open the vampire genre happening now and makes it bloody and raw. But it's all about people. It shows how animal human beings can be." We caught up with Landon in LA, a beast in its own right, to find out where he finds sanctuary when he's not battling the undead. Click here to let Liboiron take you to some of his favorite escapes in the City of Angels.
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Los Angeles is no stranger to new health fads. In fact, the well-to-do areas of SoCal sprawl are like the Nevada Proving Grounds for fringe vitality treatments, bizarre diets, cosmetic surgeries, and creative workout regimens. Colonics (that’s where they put a hose up your butt and flush your colon and lower intestine with a blast of warm water) and Botox parties are almost as commonplace as haircuts and manicures, in some vainer circles. So Shape House, which calls itself an urban sweat lodge and is built into an unassuming craftsman home on the edge of the desirable neighborhood known as Larchmont just south of Hollywood, should fit right in.
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NOW: p.s. beverly hills Serving Girly Boy/Boyish Girl Cocktails
If you haven't heard, Beverly Hills just banged out a new boutique hotel last week: The Sirtaj. There's 32 stylish rooms, but a notable highlight is the 50-seat indoor/outdoor p.s. beverly hills restaurant and bar, now serving three meals a day. Wes Lieberher is behind the culinary program and inventing cool, gender-bending cocktails like Butcher's Daughter (girly yet masculine) and Tiger's Milk (masculine yet girly).
NOW: After 25 years on the cutting edge of men’s grooming, John Allan's has finally opened a Men's Club in Beverly Hills. Located at the Saks Men's Store, it's the type of place metrosexuals, homosexuals, and girlfriend's boyfriends crash for a manly makeover. Here, it’s all about the haircuts (John Allan trained under Jean Louis David back in the day), though the signature service package includes a shoe shine, scalp massage, manicure, and hot towel. Come early for your appointment: there's a lounge with a pool table, craft beer, and TVs to help you chill the eff out. No offense, buddy, but you could use it.
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TUESDAY: Paiche Opens In Marina Del Rey
No chef in LA knows gourmet Peruvian cuisine like Ricardo Zarate, the man behind hot spots like Mo-Chica and Picca. His newest venture Paiche, named after the tender whitefish that's headlining the menu, is a contemporary Peruvian izakaya, so expect some Japanese elements like small plates, plain-view fresh fish on the other side of the open kitchen, tons of booze, and a dash of zen.
I’m among thirty-odd Angelenos at The One-Eyed Gypsy—a lone bit of culture on the Eastern edge of a downtown Los Angeles section primarily populated by empty warehouses, cold city administration buildings and the odd pink neon tinged strip club—who are lucky enough to catch The Deer Tracks. Crammed onto the small stage, the self-described Northern Light Electronica duo has spent the past eight weeks on a crisscrossing van tour of the United, a welcome but exhausting reprieve from their snowy home of Sweden. While it’s a four-piece most nights, the only two constants in the group are lead singer Elin Lindfors—who looks like the dollish Daryl Hannah in Blade Runner and sounds like Bjork—and David Lehnberg, who’s got the effeminate goth of Trent Reznor and an awesome weirdness as he rarely wears shoes onstage and says little prayers while sitting cross-legged and tapping his fingertips against his thumb between songs.
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Now: BYOBurger Hits Downtown LA
Conceived by the guys who brought California-based The Counter, BUILT is giving guests the same premium burger with the luxury of creating their own in a new, fast-serve environment, which means cheaper burgers. Expect a college-age crowd (thanks to its location near USC) and, best of all, free on-site parking. Wait. Best of all: cheaper burgers.

