The Fairfax Circuit Part One

A strip of Fairfax Avenue is home to some of the premier watering holes in Los Angeles. Nothing fancy here, just a few establishments committed to the art of fine dranking. My friends and I like to start at Cantor's Deli Kibbitz Room. Admittedly, the full bar attached to the famous deli is pretty hick, but it still captures the spirit of Los Angeles. For example: a middle age man with a horn earring yelled at us "where yall from, no way, you guys are local." As it turns out, were all born and raised in L.A. and so was our friend embodying the forever young L.A. spirit. No fancy drinks, but their drinks always come with a stiff pour. Great pregame before heading across the street.

Across the street is venerable Dime. Somewhere between bar and lounge/club (no cover), this bar is usually packed, even on weekdays. Good drinks, but the stinger here is the music as there's always a creative DJ spinning; I once heard an electronic remix to Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire." Great atmosphere to, really a cool place.

A few doors down from Dime is Damiono's Mr. Pizza, open until 7 in the morning. Lets get one thing straight about Mr. Pizza. The best thing about it, is that its open late. Maybe the pizza is good if you get it during normal restaurant hours, but when we go (usually midnight at the earliest) it tends to be a bit crunchy (not to be confused with crispy) and littered with air bubbles. But when your drunk its fantastic. Cheap, great toppings, and fairly quick. Great beer selection. A full menu of other Italian food too (not that I've ever had any of it). And a really good house salad with tons of different Italian antipastas on it.

Continue down the street for more drinking and local fair . . .