Want to party at Ecco Lounge, the eco-friendly Hollywood club, while dancing drinking organic vodka cocktails with 200 other environmentalists? Then clear your Saturday night for the The Green Girls’ 1-year anniversary bash!

When: Sat., June 27 from 9:30 pm - 1:30 am
Where: Ecco Ultra Lounge, 1640 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles
Cost: $15 — an unspecified portion of which’ll benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. RSVP online!

Dress to impress! Rob Patterson from KORN will DJ — and you’ll get to meet the girls behind The Green Girls, a bloggy, vloggy website that’s self-described as being “all about finding the fun in living green.”

And one lucky green LA girl reader can win a pair of tickets to the party! Comment on this post by midnight TODAY; drawing happens tomorrow, Thurs., June 25.

Image via thegreengirls.tv

4 Comments

In Sunset Junction’s an eco-juice oasis: Naturemill — A juice bar plus bulk health food store, where you can sip on your your acai vegan ice cream smoothie while shopping for locally-grown dried fruits and grains.

Self-described as an “ecological, fair trade, organic bulk & wellness bar,” Naturemill supports local, organic farms and serves as a haven for raw foodie types. Step in, and you’ll be greeted with the strong smell of wheatgrass — and a huge menu of fruit juices and smoothies you can get pretty much any way you want. 16 oz. juice drinks range from $5 - $7; coffee and yerba mate drinks are available too. And in addition to the bulk grains and fruits, lots of healthy grab & go snacks and bars — many of them raw — can be had too.

The endless variety of concoctions customers are allowed to dream up, however, makes for very slow service. If you’re lucky, you’ll get there when the store is empty — but when I walked in, 3 people were already waiting. The first person’ order had been started when I got there, but I had to wait a full 12 minutes before I could spend $7 on my very tasty acai smoothie with vegan ice cream.

The wait makes for interesting social observations — the main one being that despite the westside’s snooty rep, my part of town has nothing on the eastside when it comes to painstakingly individualized food and drink orders. “What’s the soy ice cream MADE” of? “Can you make mine with almond milk, not rice milk?” “What was that strawberry thing you made last week?” Those were just some of the questions the girl behind the counter had to field — all very sweetly and informatively. I admire her patience –

Naturewell. 3824 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles. 323.570.0185.

0 Comments

Ecco Ultra Lounge has been throwing parties and fundraisers for a few months now, but last night Hollywood’s first eco-friendly nightclub finally officially opened its door to the public — after a private reception sponsored by 360 Vodka.

The club caters to a Prius preening crowd — who can get free valet for driving a hybrid. That said, most of the eco-aspects of the swanky club — eco-friendly cement, paperless drywall, low VOC paints, FSC-certified wood — are invisible to the naked eye, while the velvet rope, actor-waitresses in very mini LBDs plus well-heeled boots, and high priced menu plus efficient table service are not — so the eco-club looks and feels much like other high-end Hollywood clubs.

An organic menu features everything from a locally-grown bean salad to organic Lucid absinthe, but at the reception, all the appetizers were fried and heavy (egg rolls, shrimp tempura, etc.) and everyone was drinking 360 Vodka cocktails, which had the benefit of being free while other drinks were not.

A few drinks later, the smallish dance floor got crowded with partygoers dancing to the music from an energy-efficient Turbosound system beneath flashing, energy-efficient LED lights.

The least eco aspect of the evening? FIJI bottled water, which is automatically handed to you when you ask for water. I’d like Ecco to take back the tap, even if that means losing FIJI’s sponsorship –

For less craptastic pictures, see Elise Thompson’s post in LAist. Her review of Ecco’s much more dour, possibly because the event she went to featured neither free food nor vodka.

Ecco Ultra Lounge. 1640 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles. 323.464.2065.

0 Comments

Thanks to Hannah’s being in an improv show in Hollywood last night, I got to dine at the newish Kitchen 24.

This modernized diner — complete with a full bar! — makes this claim on its website: “We strive to prepare everything in-house with fresh organic ingredients. We offer a variety of healthy choices including vegetarian and vegan dishes.”

Unfortunately, the menu is short on the organic details. The food was tasty though — even if I don’t plan to order the super heavy Hash Brown Salmon Florentine again. It’ll be a buncha bike rides before I burn that off.

I liked Summer’s vegetarian chili better — The menu has good vegetarian and vegan options, BTW — which was flavorful and yummy, though I found the cornbread a tad too sweet. Eric (right) had a burger he seemed to enjoy; everyone liked the salted and peppered sweet potato fries.

The part of the menu that I COULD tell was really eco-supportive: The specialty cocktails page! The organic Square One Vodka and the enviro-conscious Veev were featured prominently!

Hannah liked her Key Lime Margarita (left) and some milkshake-like concoction with a kick. I stuck to wine — which may or may not’ve been organic –

Afterwards we walked back to the car we carpooled in to find it had been towed! The one silver lining: Hollywood Tow, like Kitchen 24, is open 24 hours, so we took a cab over and got it back right away. More pictures of the shenanigans here.

Kitchen 24. 1608 N. Cahuenga Blvd. Los Angeles. 323.465.2424. Open 24-7.

2 Comments

Why KULA Sushi Bistro isn’t more crowded at happy hour is a bit of a mystery to me. Not only is the sleek and elegantly decorated place conveniently located for the Century City after-work crowd, KULA’s prices are really, really reasonable. Plus, their sushi’s made with organic rice!

Of course, KULA just opened in November — and it does already have some fans. The bar at this bar-restaurant was about half full when I stopped by with a friend for happy hour last Friday.

A business-y crowd sipped drinks (specials on house wine and sake) — which automatically got them a complimentary “small plate.” Each day of the week features a different plate, from edamame on Mondays to crispy chicken on Fridays (my slightly blurry pic of the full happy hour menu here).

You can turn happy hour here into a v. inexpensive early dinner. I especially liked the lightly battered calamari ($3 at happy hour, right). 4-piece sushi roll plates ranged from $2.50 for avocado to $6 for eel California — made with real crab.

KULA also notes its commitment to organic, local food on the front of its menu, which states that the restaurant uses “natural, organic ingredients whenever possible” and avoids preservatives and additives. Stop by for a meal, and eco-vores can dine on Chicken Teriyaki made with free range chicken ($18), followed by a dessert of organic chocolate mousse.

That said, many of the eco-claims at KULA are quite vague — and the people who work there aren’t knowledgeable about the food items. While the menu assures the would-be eco-diner that “In the Japanese tradition, relationships are built with the fisherman and farmer, ensuring the freshest delivery of product from ocean and farm to table,” one is hard-pressed to find out where exactly the fish came from, or how it was harvested.

This is a bit of a quandary if you’re trying to stick to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Guide, which really requires rather in-depth info about the fish. All salmon isn’t created equal, for example. Alaska wild salmon’s among the “best choices,” while wild salmon from Calif., Oregon, and Wash. are just “good alternatives” and farmed salmon should be avoided altogether. To keep things as simple as possible, I just tried asking a couple different employees at KULA whether the salmon was wild. No one knew — or offered to find out for me.

Of course, other LA-area sushi places might give me the same response — but then those places aren’t the ones bragging about its ethical seafood procurement. In general, waiters at most white tablecloth restaurants will know — or will find out for you upon inquiry — where their salmon comes from.

I’m hoping the salmon was wild because the sushi’s already been eaten. For those more assiduous about sticking to the Seafood Watch than I was, read Lucinda Michele Knapp’s guide to LA’s best spots for sustainable seafood in Whole Life Times. You may also be interested to know that Bon Appetit Management, which operates 400 eco-friendly eateries nationwide including the restaurant at the Getty, plans to “stop serving air-freighted fish by April 2009 and to adopt new procurement standards that prefer “regionally procured or frozen-at-sea” wild seafood.” Apparently, “shipping seafood by air generates 10 times as much greenhouse gas as transferring it by container ship and five times as much as shipping by truck.”

As for KULA: If the organic rice entices you, get there now. While KULA’s owners apparently operate many successful restaurants in Japan, this Century City restaurant — supposed to be the American flagship, according to Gayot — may not be around too much longer. According to Eater LA, KULA’s owners are looking to sell.

KULA Sushi Bistro. 10351 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles. 310.282.8870. Lunch: Mon - Fri, 11:30 am - 2 pm; Happy Hour: Mon - Fri, 5 pm - 7 pm; Dinner: Mon - Thu, 6 pm-10 pm, Fri - Sat, 6 pm - 11 pm.

1 Comments

A new green mag called Positively Green just launched — and threw a party last night at the Falcon in Hollywood to celebrate.

Highlight of the evening: Bill Nye the Science Guy (left, avec moi) came wearing a pretty bow tie — via folding bike and Metro rail! He had his subway ticket to prove it.

Apparently Bill lives just a few doors down from Ed Begley Jr. and Rachelle Begley — who were also in attendance, Rachelle being on the cover of the first issue and all. There were other celebs too, but because I don’t watch TV, I couldn’t identify them….

Positively Green’s self-described as a “new national women’s magazine fulll of style, substance & good simple solutions.” I’d describe it as a greener version of Lucky — meaning that most of the features push you to buy buy buy shoes, clothes, gadgets, and lotions — albeit more eco versions of said products.

Of course, smart eco-shoppers can still use the product reviews just to research the few things they do need to buy –

The mag’s also very celebrity focused — and even has an official tie-in with green celeb blog Ecorazzi. In addition to dedicating the main feature to Rachelle Begley, Ed Begley, Jr. gets the back “Eco Boy” page. Natalie Portman and Celine Dion get mentions too — for their shoe-related habits. (below: Rachelle Begley)

Positively Green does also have some interesting eco tips, like an illustrated guide to insulating your water heater and many eco-adaptable recipes I’d like to try.

A 1-year subscription to the quarterly mag costs $14, with $2 of each subscription going to one of three charities you can pick from: Climate Project, National Arbor Day Foundation, Ocean Conservatory.

Summer liked the organic beer. I wasn’t so keen on the organic Frey wine — It’s just not as tasty as some other organic wines.

I drank it though –

6 Comments

The Standard Downtown cracks me up sometimes. That’s a sign I saw on the way to the rooftop bar –

which I still contend is the best place to read a book early afternoon, while nibbling on an organic salad and sipping a glass of wine.

I also always get the hummus plate there, but I have to say it’s just not the tastiest of hummus plates. We’re talking rather dry pieces of store-bought pita bread with a big blob of what seems like store-bought hummus. The toasty yumminess at Bodega Wine Bar’s much better –

But Bodega’s not on a sunny rooftop….

1 Comments

To the kind readers who emailed to say you’re looking forward to hearing me speak at Green Drinks on Saturday: You are v. kind, but I will not be speaking.

To Hannah and other people who thought I’d be standing at a podium doing a Q&A for an hour: No, I will not be forcing would-be drinkers to listen to an hour-long Q&A on a Saturday night.

Here’s what’s actually happening. In celebration of the upcoming Earth Day, LA Green Drinks is having a special Saturday event at the Whole Life Times office downtown. You’re all invited, BTW:

When: Saturday, April 19, 7 pm - midnight
Where: Whole Life Times, 1200 S. Hope St., Ste. 300, Los Angeles.
Cost: $10 donation, which gets you organic beer, wine, and snacks. There’ll be live DJs too :)

Barent, the organizer, asked me if I’d come early and, during that first slow hour while people are trickling in, hang out behind a lil “ask green LA girl!” sign in the corner, so people with eco-related questions could ask them. Sure, I said. Can you make the sign? he said. Sure, I said.

Somehow, that was written up thusly in the Green Drinks email that went out:

Share in organic wine, beer, and munchies (and, yes, they are yummy!) along with DJs, Green LA Girl - Siel, and guest speaker Jonathan Parfrey, Director of Green L.A. (as well as other speakers)

This is when I started getting emails from people about how they look forward to my speech. I asked for a revision — and this is what went out in the second email:

Green LA Girl, Siel, will start the night informally answering your eco questions and Jonathan Parfrey, Director of Green L.A., as well as other speakers will bring us up to date on the efforts to Green LA.

7 pm Green LA Girl - Siel, informally answering your environmental questions
8 pm Green LA Director - Jonathon Parfrey followed by other speakers

This is when people started wondering why I was doing an hour-long Q&A.

Before that email went out, I pointed out this might happen — but it’s v. hard to convince people who think something is already clear that it only seems clear to them because they already know what the event is about. Try explaining the difference between the above with my suggestion — “the night will begin with some informal mingling over drinks and snacks, with Siel available to answer any eco-related questions and conundrums you may have” — without coming across as a nitpicky bitch….

Luckily all the people involved with Green Drinks are nice and, even though I still think the text is confusing, did try to mollify my concerns…. My main concern was that people would think, from the description, that this event would be a boring, hour-long Q&A, followed by one speaker after another — and decide not to come.

Please come — It’ll be fun, and you’re all invited.

Back to the nitpicky bitch thing — Yesterday I met a couple friends for happy hour at Bodega Wine Bar in Santa Monica. They’d changed the menu a bit — and I found typos! There were wines from both Fance and Framce; a nice reisling was being offered as well.

I pointed it out to our waitress. Oddly, she got really psyched about it, laughed, and went to show someone the typos right away. Maybe Bodega’ll get its money back from the printer? I dunno —

So you might wonder why this blog has so many typos and confusing sentences, despite my constant editing of other people’s work. Suffice to say most people find it hard to edit their own writing –

Photo by Don LaVange

1 Comments

The PSFK panel I was on ended up being an unprepared fizzle — but luckily, right after the conference we went around the corner to The Abbey Food and Bar.

And along with wine I had a Hawaiian Ahi Salad (left). All of The Abbey’s salads are made with organic greens! Meat eaters can also get a grilled organic chicken breast. Check out the menu here. (PDF)

The Abbey seems to’ve gotten a lot bigger since the last time I dropped in about 5 years ago. Apparently it’s now about 16,000 square feet — and still quite busy and popular with the West Hollywood crowd.

We sat in the spacious outdoor area as the bar got more and more crowded. People kept ordering mojitos, which came in big glasses decorated with sugar cane sticks –

The Abbey Food and Bar. 692 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood. 310.289.8410.

2 Comments

Well, the restaurant’s called Rustic Canyon Winebar, so of course I went for the wine. But the food was pretty damn good too.

Rustic Canyon’s a somewhat higher-end restaurant — and very very popular with the Santa Monica lunch crowd, which makes the place a bit loud. Still, the space is beautiful — big windows for natural lighting, bamboo flooring, and communal tables.

Hannah and I ordered from a healthy menu of “Farmers’ Market-inspired dishes with ingredients that come from local farmers, ranchers, and fishermen who practice sustainable agriculture.”

Luckily, we got there before noon to order Seared Rare Ahi Tuna with Herb Aioli and Wild Arugula on Toasted Multi Grain and Rustic Homemade Falafel on Grilled Flatbread with Hummus, Roasted Pepper and Tomato Spread — which we split. The pics were taken post-splitting, which is why both plates have falafel AND tuna on them.

And we cleaned our plates — then ordered dessert! Warm Apple Buckwheat Cake with Huckleberry Compote and Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream, to be exact.

The one thing I didn’t like: The salad that came with my ahi tuna sandwich was way too heavy, topped with spindly potato chip sticks. Of course, it’s a little odd to complain about a salad being too heavy after voluntarily ordering buckwheat cake and practically licking the plate –

Rustic Canyon Winebar. 1119 Wilshire Blvd. Santa Monica. 310.393.7050.

2 Comments