Martin is One of Us

Saturday night is all or nothing for me. If I am going out, I'm going big. Thus, last night started strong with dinner at Lou's on Vine with Olanna and Anthony. Then we moved on to La Descarga to kick it up Cuban style. Unfortunately, even with the Golden-Ticket-Olanna and our names on the guest list, the doorman, fearful of the fire marshall, informed us of a 2-hour wait. We were unwilling to let this spoil our night, so we joined forces with Steve Asbell and headed up the street to The Bar on Bronson. A comfortable hang, with no pretension and an oddball dj putting out 80's mod music. Anthony shared a piece of bar history too -- before The Bar was renovated from a gritty bar to a little bit less gritty bar, it used to be the writing place for Charles Bukowski. He wrote Barfly based on that very location.



Martinis down the hatch and back we went to La Descarga. The vibe was a Cuban speakeasy -- the hostess showed us the entrance by opening the door to a closet, pushing aside hanging clothes that revealed a secret door into the bar. Exceptionally cool spot, with well-dressed folks wearing Havana-esque outfits and dancing salsa. In the back is a cigar room (again with the Cuban theme), where we ran into the guest of honor, Martin, and his gorgeous girlfriend, Niki.



We were there celebrating Martin receiving his green card after working and living in the US for 11 years. Congratulations and I am so glad you are allowed to stay with us, Martin. The country is better with you in it!



Here's a cute one of Olanna and Anthony.



And another of Niki and me sipping on rum -- a La Decarga specialty.