Before you start reading my blog entries and wondering who that crazy lady wandering around L.A. at all hours of the night is, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tricia Romano, and I've previously terrorized the shores of the East Coast where I wrote a column about nightlife called "Fly Life" for the Village Voice in New York. That five-year run ended in 2007; I packed up and moved to Los Angeles last spring and was living a quiet life by the beach, when BlackBook lulled me out of retirement. I'll be reviewing the latest in Los Angeles nightlife, dishing news and gossip about the city's parties, bars, clubs, restaurants, and even the occasional taco truck.

Speaking of trucks: The now-infamous Kogi Korean BBQ vehicle has managed to squeak into the top-4 slot of L.A. Taco's Taco Madness tournament. The Twittering upstarts are currently up against Yuca's, where they are losing to the more traditional family-owned chain, 61 percent to 39 percent. Voting in this round goes till manana, and the winners will be announced Monday. I've also been told that the owners are in New York all this month, where they have been hobnobbing with some heavyweight foodies, including Anthony Bourdain and LA Weekly's Jonathan Gold. Kogi's rep also hinted that there's going to be some major news in about a month. (Are they going to permanently set up shop in my kitchen? No? One can dream.)

You need something to wash down those delicious tacos, and if you're in the USC neighborhood, you can now stop at a gastropub instead of a corny frat bar. The newly opened The Lab looks just like you'd expect with a name like that -- all scientific and stuff. The minimalist and sleek design is pretty sophisticated for your average college student, but it seems that the Lab aspires to reach a crowd beyond the usual dorm room spillover. There's an extensive beer and wine list (ranging from a Blue Moon Belgian White to Moosehead to something called the Trojan Blonde), as well as a Lab sampler on offer at an economical $7. The food menu does have some gastronomic aspirations -- lamb shank, seared tuna, and risotto -- but Caroline on Crack wasn't terribly impressed by the grub. You'll have to judge for yourself.

Beer enthusiasts have yet another thing to look forward to: The city's first-ever beer festival. Hosted by the LA Cabal (the Los Angeles Craft and Artisanal Beer Appreciation League), The Craft Beer Fest on May 9 at the Echoplex will feature 26 handcrafted beers and free pub grub, all for $30 and seven hours of unending fun.

Email me tips at {encode="tricia@triciaromano.com" title="tricia@triciaromano.com"}