I want to make one thing clear. This has nothing to do with Valentine's Day. The timing is purely coincidental. I've been meaning to write this up since November and it just so happens that I'm getting around to it now. If you choose a romantic night out on the town on February 14th, that's just your own lack of imagination. I think it's a terrible idea - nothing worse than a bunch of saps walking around with expensive roses. Now don't get me wrong, I am seriously pro-Valentine's Day - just in an elementary school fashion. I love the inclusive, you-better-make-a-valentine-for-everybody sort of observation of the holiday. I highly recommend that you invite everyone you love over for this sort of celebration. Make valentines, eat party snacks, enjoy each other's company. But if you're looking for something to do on some other night, well then you might:
1. Meet at the Bonaventure Hotel in the late afternoon and enjoy a cocktail in the rotating lounge on the top floor. Sip your silly drink in its commemorative ceramic vessel and watch the city go by. If you're not the outdoorsy type, but still appreciate some beautiful scenery, this is the perfect place to spend one of those sparkly after-a-storm L.A. afternoons. And if the date is going really well, then go rent Midnight Madness and snuggle up on the couch at home.
2. There's a vegan potluck happy hour at the Short Stop in Echo Park. You could do that.
3. Or meet at the Hollywood Farmers' Market. Stroll the aisles shopping for organic produce, debate the merits of russian kale versus cavalo nero, listen to some music, watch a drum circle of toddlers, eat korean pancakes, or vegan soul food. Does it get any better? Only if you take the metro, and then go see a movie afterwards in the Cinerama Dome.
4. If I had a few hundred dollars to spend on a date to end all dates (but I guess that's a bit self-defeating, perhaps a date to remember?), I would book a Japanese-style room at the Kyoto Grand Hotel (formerly the New Otani) in Little Tokyo and spend the weekend pretending to be in Japan. Go have dinner at the soon to be opened vegan restaurant Shojin, visit MOCA at the Geffen Contemporary. If you go this weekend, you can still catch the Murakami exhibit before it closes on the 11th. If you're not quite ready to commit to an overnight - go to the museum, have dinner, and wander around the hotel garden.
5. Did you read the restaurant review in Wednesday's food section? Apparently if you call a day or two ahead the chef will prepare a vegan tasting menu for you at the new and surprisingly not that Japanese Omakase in Riverside. Alas I can't tell you about this from personal experience because I cannot currently afford vegan tasting menus. But you can let S. Irene Virbila tell you all about it here.
6. And on the topic of restaurants that I haven't actually been to and are a bit far afield, Au Lac in Fountain Valley is at the top of my own date night wish list.
7. On one of those nights when the Natural History Museum is open late, go pick up takeout from Vegisoul. Have a picnic in the rose garden, look at dinosaurs, and listen to music.
8. Meet at Flore for breakfast. Walk to the Vista for a movie.
9. Pure Luck and Scoops. You need no other entertainment.
10. This one's all you. What is there to do in your part of town?
(I'm popping back into this entry to add a link to the summer edition, 10 Hot Vegan Dates. I imagine some of those suggestions are probably still good too, except Good Karma was scheduled to move, does anyone have any news on that?)
(Oh, and by the way, all the images in this post came from the L.A. Library photo database. I could pretty much pass an evening perusing this collection on-line. I shouldn't... tell you that though... should I? Now who would possibly take my entertainment advice?)
