"Blue Dog Beer Tavern", Sherman Oaks

One sunny morning I woke up feeling a little sick after a night of munching on chocolate, cookies and cheese. I rolled the morning joint that was going to help my stomach feel a little better and then I received a text from one of my good friends who wanted to meet for lunch and since I hadn't seen her in a while I rolled another one and headed north to the forbidden valley.

We met at the "Blue Dog Tavern", a little restaurant right off the freeway at the intersection of the 405 and the 101. It has a nice outdoor patio with a beautiful view on the 405 and a gas station. It was a very warm day and I started getting dehydrated when I arrived so I ordered my beer before looking at the menu. After evaluating my options, glancing at the tables in the dining room and considering my sick yet starving stomach, I opted for a bacon cheeseburger with fries.

We sat outside in the burning heat of the valley and we started drinking.  The food came fast, \the burger was perfectly cooked and I had a hard time finishing my meal but I did....and I also finished my friend's salad.

After we left the restaurant we went for ice-cream in the nearby mall and I had a giant chocolate waffle cone filled with goodness. Needless to say I had to smoke another one to help my stomach recover from this indulging meal.

http://www.bluedogbeertavern.com/

"Laurel Tavern", Studio City

 

Lunch breaks can get expensive when you like food and beer, and right around the corner from my editing bay, "Laurel Tavern" serves both. They have a good menu with fresh produces and you can get unusual items such as roast marrowbones or a chorizo fondue and you can share plates such as the "prosciutto and burrata" or the mussels as an appetizer. They have fantastic burgers, the atmosphere is always casual and the crowd usually young. If you go on a Friday evening you might be able to spot a celebrity in the crowd.

Our drinks came fast and the gorgeous waitress was the perfect amount of nice: Nice enough that we don't have to look for her every time we want something but not too overly nice that it becomes obvious she's only being friendly for her tips and that we want her to get off our back.



The Racer 5 has become one of my favorite beers, but I'm not sure it's a goo choice with an actual meal. It's s full bodied beer that will give you a buzz in no time but it tends to overpower the tastes of  food, even though the chorizo sliders were quite strong and well seasoned. 


The second beer.....as a dessert....was probably not necessary but then again maybe the first one wasn't either. However, both beers contributed to the awesome culinary experience that is "Laurel Tavern".