Miss T's Barcade

For when you just have to play Ms. Pac-Man in a dive bar in Koreatown, Miss T's Barcade is your best bet.

We went to Barcade for a friend's birthday with no idea what to expect. Armed with nothing more than an address, we ventured from the familiarity of Hollywood down Western Ave into Koreatown. Watching the street numbers decrease the farther south we drove, we came across Barcade's address, or rather where it should have been. Barcade was there, but hard to spot. The small bar front was black: black paint, blacked out window and door. One lone sign aptly told us we were in the right place: a blue, neon, Pac-Man ghost.

Entering Barcade, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little sketched out, but the sketch factor added to Barcade's charm. The place was a tight cave with three rooms. I started the night off with a beer. The only choices were beer or wine, as Barcade didn't have a full liquor license. That didn't bother me though. A martini and Donkey Kong just don't go together like a Bud and Donkey Kong. Check out the bar top when you're ordering your can of PBR, it's lined with quarters.

Just over a dozen games from the '80s lined the walls. They had all the classics: Ms. Pac-Man, Paperboy, Donkey Kong, Galaga. Unfortunately, neither of the two pinball machines was working that night. We had a great time feeding the machines quarters, and I even made the high score list on Galaga. And I learned one very important lesson that night: I'm terrible at Donkey Kong.

To really cinch that aura of "WTF is this place really?" the DJ was spinning some post pre-modern, new old school, techno-esque music. But to his credit, the DJ was spinning actual vinyl.

The clientele was much more eclectic than I had expected. With arcade games and cheap beer; I expected the clientele to be mostly guys in their twenties or thirties that still acted like they're twelve. You know the kind. In sitcoms he always lives in his mom's basement. But to my surprise, there was a good mix of people. I even saw a few cute girls. Unbelievable.

With it's hidden location and offbeat vibe, Barcade feels like a secret that you've been let in on; a speakeasy for children of the '80s (and early '90s). It's not a hangout for the trendy or elite, unless off-beat is in right now. I never can keep track.


Miss T's Barcade
371 N. Western Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90189

www.myspace.com/miss_ts_barcade

TOI on Sunset

The story of my discovery of the wonders that are TOI, a Thai restaurant on Sunset, began last Friday night. A friend and I decided to grab dinner on Sunset for convenience sake, since I live only a few blocks away. It seemed to me that there was a Thai place, but I had never tried it, so we decided to be a bit adventurous. We walked down and peered through the front window of a Thai place and saw one single person eating by himself. Aside from him and the employees, the place was vacant. Not a good sign. I knew that there was a Thai restaurant there, but the store front of this place wasn't how I remembered it. That's when my friend chimed in, "hey, what about that place?" She pointed at TOI practically next door. That's the place I remembered.

We took the five extra steps to TOI and peered inside. This place was full. That's the stuff. A man in a Jack Daniels t-shirt and a black leather jacket lounged on a stool on the sidewalk. "Two?" He asked. Apparently he was the host.

I've never seen so much awesome crap squeezed into one room. Imagine an Applebee's half the size, with twice as much stuff on the walls, and it's all rocker themed. That begins to describe the decor of TOI. Our table was lit by the kind of light you would typically find in a garden. You know the kind, it's dim and has a stake to hold it in the ground. I'm pretty sure the other lamps were stolen from my Grandparents' den. The walls were plastered with posters, album covers, and a flaming cello. A full sized bicycle rickshaw sat in the front window and a steel dragon weaved across the ceiling. It's the most bad-ass Thai restaurant I've ever been to.

So you're probably wondering, "was the food any good?" I can't say. I decided to try something new, green curry chicken. And then I decided that I don't care for green curry. My friend had the Pad Thai and said it was good. The menu has a fantastic variety, especially vegetarian options. I'll have to go back to try some other food, and I definitely intend to.


TOI
7505 1/2 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 874-8062
http://www.toirockinthaifood.com/sunset/index.html

The prices are good and they deliver.