Arts & Entertainment Oct 08

October 2008

[ EASTSIDE EYE ]

Los Feliz Art Walk:
First Fridays Walkabouts

By Kathy A. McDonald, Ledger Contributing Writer

     Modeled after downtown’s successful art walk, Los Feliz now hosts a monthly art walk the first Friday of the month, which welcomes visitors to open houses at local studios, galleries and shops.
More than 50 people visited the 11 destinations on Sept. 5th’s inaugural event that included unconventional spaces, like a studio garage on Catalina Ave. to La Luz de Jesus’ cutting edge exhibit of neo folk art by Anne Faith Nicholls. The Art Walk’s official start point and parking lot is Hollywood Lutheran Church where maps show the way to other locations, principally centered around the Hollywood Blvd./Vermont Ave. junction.
     “We’re encouraging public art spaces,” said Art Walk organizer Roberta Morris who could be found at Hollywood Lutheran Church’s Courtyard Studio and artspace. A bluegrass combo added a harmonic touch to the “perfect night,” according to Hollywood Lutheran’s Pastor Dan Hooper, who hoped the ongoing event would take advantage of “the creative energy of this neighborhood.”
     The Griffith Park Neighborhood Council, Skylight Books and Our Mother of Good Counsel Catholic Church were among the sponsors; the Art Walk is a project of a new umbrella arts organization that was formed to explore spirituality and arts as well as sponsor other arts-related ventures.
Local artists and studios are welcome to participate. Scheduled future Art Walk nights are Oct. 3rd, Nov. 7th and Dec. 5th. For more information and a map of galleries go to www.losfelizartwalk.org.

[ RESTAURANT REVIEW ]

Vegan Territory
By Pat Saperstein
Ledger Restaurant Critic

     Sunset Junction is ground zero for vegans. At Flore Vegan Cuisine, a well-rounded menu is served at a bustling café with sidewalk tables; Vegan Spot offers deli favorites with a veggie twist, while Bulan Thai brings a more refined style of cooking to the ubiquitous Thai vegan spot.
     At Bulan, corn cakes sub for tod mun fish cakes, with the same crispy appetizer appeal. Kow soi noodles swim in a thick coconut sauce; with so much flavor it’s impossible to tell that the chicken strips are faux. Bulan pumpkin marries hearty Kabocha squash with chunks of tofu in a garlic and basil-perfumed curry sauce to delicious effect. Everything from papaya salad to duck curry gets the vegan treatment here; diners squeamish about fake meats can find tofu or vegetable dishes aplenty.
     Vegan Spot, on Sunset Boulvard storefront, makes its own “roast beef” for the Philly cheese steak and roast beef sandwiches. The creamy sauce on the avocado-bacon-lettuce-tomato sandwich was good enough to make a carnivore forget that the bacon was of the tempeh variety. The piece de resistance – a vegan Twinkie – was on the heavy side, but hit the spot for those who find the Hostess variety objectionable.
     At Flore Vegan Cuisine try the club sandwich with battered tofu and tempeh bacon, or the enormous veggie burrito.

Bulan Thai, 4114 Santa Monica Blvd., (323) 913-1488

Flore Vegan Cuisine, 3818 W. Sunset Blvd.,(323) 953-0611

Vegan Spot, 3206 W. Sunset Blvd. (323) 667-0116

Pat Saperstein blogs about L.A. restaurants at EatingLA.com

[ THEATER REVIEW ]

A New Take on Old “Phantom”
By Marilyn Oliver, Ledger Theater Critic

Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit’s take on “The Phantom of the Opera,” called simply “Phantom,” is currently appearing at the Glendale Centre Theatre.
In the 1980s, the pair were seeking backing for their original musical based on the iconic silent film when the Weber production became an enormous hit in London. When the funding evaporated, they were forced to shelve their work for a few years. Believing their take on the story was unique, they eventually had it produced by Theater Under the Stars in Houston. In the years since, the musical has been produced over 1,000 times to critical acclaim.
Glendale Centre Theatre, 324 N. Orange Street, through October 18th, Tickets $20- $25.50. (818) 244-8481.