Driving up and down the length of Melrose Avenue, you’ll find an abundance of restaurants for a midday brunch or early evening dinner. So which do you choose? Just between Martel and Fuller Avenues, there’s Blu Jam Cafe. Years ago, it was an underground jazz and blues club, and patrons would have to enter secretly to hear musicians play. Hence the name: Blu Jam. There is plenty of outdoor seating for those who like to watch the crowds go by on the weekend, but for those who prefer the coverage of four walls, there are just enough tables inside to make it feel cozy but not claustrophobic.

Having a dinner party or brunch? Ask for the private table behind the curtain for a little seclusion. The cafe’s art deco feel adds to its atmosphere. Fanastical paintings (some for sale) cover the half-brickface walls, providing a little extra conversation piece during your stay. High-backed wooden chairs flank intimately close square tables, which draw your eye to the front counter stocked with a few of the day’s sweet treats.

Morning, noon, and night, there are so many choices for a meal that you can’t help but spend at least five minutes grappling with your decision. Stuffed French toast, crepes with nutella or fruit, various egg scrambles and fruit dishes make up the majority of the breakfast selection. Lunch is an impressive selection of homemade soups, hearty burgers, grilled sandwiches, hefty meat and veggie wraps and fresh salads. If you’re looking for heavier fare, try the pasta, seafood and steak selections for dinner. Their offerings for the vegetarians out there don’t fall short either. Tofu scrambles, portobello and veggie burgers, vegetarian wraps and sandwiches and a variety of salads should appease those who would rather not eat meat. And health nuts need not worry either. Seasonal fruit and organic greens are offered with just about every meal, egg whites come in a variety of the breakfast plates and there are no french fries to be found here–just rustic cooked poatoes. Top off your meal with one of their special blend coffees or teas, and your meal is pretty complete.

Although parking is a beast, your trip into town should feel worth the trouble. It’s hard to complain when you eat for a king on a peasant’s pay. The prices at Blu Jam should be right down the alley for anyone, especially for those who are living the life of a struggling artist in LA. With breakfast and lunch selections ranging from $6-$12 and main courses between $11 and $17, it’s easy to get your fill on a budget. Plus, if you’re someone who can make it up and out during the early morning hours, you can take your pick of their breakfast menu for just $6.95. Any and everything for breakfast for only $7! Just make sure you place your order between 8:00 am and 10:00 am because by mid-morning, the special is over.

Make your way to Blu Jam sooner than later. It’s only open from 9:00 am-6:00 pm Sunday through Thursday, but the spot is open until 10:00 pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Whether you’re going with a group of friends for lunch or solo to grab dinner and a coffee, Blu Jam Cafe probably has just want you want to satisfy your craving for comfort food.

Blu Jam Cafe
7371 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323-951-9191
ww.blujamcafe.com

Come celebrate lovebscott.com’s one year anniversary with me, B. Scott, on New Year’s Eve at New Year’s Nation @ Social Hollywood! New Year’s Nation is the only event of its kind, connecting thousands of young professionals on the biggest night of the year.

World-class restaurater Jeffrey Chodorow’s hotspot, Social, exists in the Hollywood epicenter of Los Angeles’ burgeoning nightlife scene. This sexy restaurant and lounge is the masterful culmination of a 15-million dollar reclamation of the historic landmark, the Hollywood Athletic Club. Once known as the “Playground to the Stars,” this private club attracted the biggest names of the Golden Era, including its founders Cecil B. De Mille, Charlie Chaplin, Lon Chaney and Rudolph Valentino. Its fusion of retro and contemporary design draws today’s young Hollywood, inspiring the same spirit, class and elegance.

Come play with me, B. Scott, on New Year’s Eve as we celebrate the new year and one year anniversary of LBS inside ultra-posh surroundings as premium cocktails are poured, impeccable food is served and hot DJs spin Los Angeles into 2008. Make history at Social Hollywood!

CLICK HERE to purchase tickets! It’s going to be so much fun!

There’s a glowing beacon of fun that rests in the crook of the treacherous 405 highway and Sunset Boulevard. It’s called the Angeleno Hotel. Inside that hotel, on the 17th floor penthouse, is West Restaurant and Lounge.

It’s floors above the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles, and with the floor to ceiling windows that surround the entire restaurant, you can get a glimpse of most of the underlying area while you wine and dine. Go for breakfast, lunch, brunch or dinner, and you’ll have your choice of a menu designed by Executive Chef, Mark Mittleman, who used to be the Chef de Cuisine for Republic Restaurant and Lounge. Chef Mittleman brings his Italian heritage along with his Californian experience to each dish.

The main influence of the food is Italian with the everpresent Californian accents. We’d recommend the toasted three cheese ravioli or the Italian charcuterie and cheese plate for an appetizer. Shoot for the Kobe flat iron steak if you’re looking for something on the heavier side or the tuna tartare if you’re in the mood for something lighter. You can never go wrong with dessert. If you’re looking for something to hit the spot, try the molten chocolate cake filled with caramel. With its pleasant selection of pastas, salads, meats and seafood, there’s a little bit of something for everyone with a distinct palate.

What’s the one thing we definitely think you should remember? Well, West offers what they call a “Rush Hour Relief” happy hour from 4:00 pm-7:00 p.m. with half off all drinks under $20. Unless you plan on taking shots of gold flecked Patron, we think this applies to just about everything. If you’re stuck on the 405 on your way home, just swerve off the exit and stop off at West. Sip your drink and relax while the rest of the world grumbles away the evening in traffic!

In case you haven’t been introduced to the smooth and sexy sounds of dj, singer, songwriter & instrumentalist Vikter Duplaix, let me have the honors. Something about this man’s music puts me in a trance and makes me want to either take off my clothes, or tell my nearest friend to hold my purse so I can hit the dance floor! Originally from Philadelphia, his futuristic, neo-soul groove has opened doors for him to work with such artists as Jamiroquai, Jazza Nova, and Me’Shell Ndegeocello along with a host of others. Give his music a listen today and learn the true definition of electric relaxation.

VD also can rock the turntables and consistently delivers a bona fide groove. From old school jams to white label remixes he always keeps your body moving. His latest gig brings him to L.A. about once a month when he dj’s downtown in an art gallery’s basement. Hollywood’s A-listers including Prince have been spotted partying there and your’s truly will be in the spot this Friday as I start my weekend with a little kiss and a whole lot of grind!
(B. Scott tingles with anticipation)

Checkout the Kiss-N-Grind flyer below created by my friend – the splendiferous photographer, Kawai Matthews!

The Standard is over love muffins! Never again will you need to stand poolside when you can travel 21 floors up and over look LA—from the Valley to South Bay—at Elevate Lounge. This is THE place to be for anyone who wants to dip their toe into Downtown’s newest piece of nightlife. Last night, we got a taste of this hot spot at Flaunt’s August issue launch party featuring a performance by Midnight Movies, fall fashion preview by Orthodox and, our favorite, an open by from Skyy Vodka.

The space is amazing. Take the elevator up 21 flights and step off the elevator. If you want dinner, walk into Takami Sushi next door. If you want drinks and the dance floor, slide into the doors for Elevate. We’ll get to dinner in a bit.

With two large bars on either end of the lounge, a spacious dance floor, more than several lounging chairs and open-air windows lining the walls, there are plenty of things to admire about Elevate. Take your glass from the bar and wind your way through the half of the penthouse suite with a DJ serving up some of the most innovative mashes you’ve ever heard. With the summer breeze flowing through all sides of the building’s windows, it can never get too hot no matter how many bodies fill up Elevate’s half of the 14,000 square foot floor location. Feel free to check out this space because it opens to the public tonight! If you’re afraid of the weekend crowds, don’t worry. The lounge will be open every night of the week from then on.

The servers floating through the crowd carried trays from the restaurant next door: Takami Sushi & Robata Restaurant. The restaurant occupies the second half of the penthouse suite floor with a gorgeous, sparkling night time view of everything around (and below) you. You can even look to your left and catch a glimpse of everyone watching you as they chill at the Standard. Splendiferous.

Co-owner Emil Eyvazoff and General Manager Leonard Matsumoto gave us the private tour. It’s apparent that the $4 million renovation that went into this place paid off. From the kimono fabric lined walls and glass wine cellar to red balau wood slats on the ceiling and imported Italian leather floor tiling, this place has been designed to impressed thanks to the amazing Tag Front group. They’re responsible for what you see when you enter the Geisha House, BOA and Katana. There’s a sushi bar, a robata bar, lounge seating, standard tables for sit down lunch or dinner and a private dining area for parties. The menu has your standard sushi fare along with their own take on Japanese with a flair. Check out the illustrated sketches below for an idea of what we mean. And yes, those sketches are not rough, conceptualized starting points. That’s what it really looks like!

Downtown LA does not have the reputation that it should, but there are a few hidden gems. Elevate your nightlife, love muffins. Don’t be the last one to check out the spot that has completely redefined downtown LA!

Elevate Lounge
811 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA
P: 213-236-9600
www.elevatelounge.com

Over the weekend, a few of us here at Lovebscott.com decided to test out one of LA’s newest spots. It’s called Ritual Supper Club. If you remember where White Lotus used to be, then you can find Ritual. (That’s right. White Lotus is no more for those of you who didn’t know.) Located on Cahuenga Blvd., just north of Hollywood Blvd., it’s a burgundy, red and gold classy spot where you can grab dinner or hit the dance floor.

The restaurant is located on the outdoor, open air patio with glossy tables and bamboo bucket seats and plush booths. The food is a Pacific Rim menu designed by Andrew Pastore who already has Sunset Room, Cabana Club and Pig ‘n Whistle on his resume. The down side? The food is very expensive, with entrées averaging $25. And don’t try to just get a salad to save money because there’s a one entrée minimum for each guest. The up side? The food is really, really good. Try the roasted Jidori chicken or vegetarian open-faced ravioli. There are also great appetizers such as the shrimp ceviche or the Ritual Roll—a daily special sushi selection. You will have dropped a lot of coins by the end of the night, but at least you can say your meal was good.

Head to the patio’s bar and order a few cocktails. We suggest the pomegranate martini, which is one of the best pomegranate martinis we’ve had in a while. The outdoor bar area gets crowded quickly with your usual Hollywood types. It can feel a bit claustrophic to have so many people fluttering by your table while you eat, which is why we suggest getting your cocktail and heading right to the club.

The actual club is really nice. It’s spacious, which is oh so important when it comes to that oppressive heat factor that comes up with most clubs. The floor is big, and if you’re feeling rambunctious enough, you can get right up onto the stage. There are the prerequisite VIP booths and stocked marbled bars along with flat screens for video mixing. The music is an interesting mix—hip hop, pop, mashes, techno and rock. Maybe we went on a bad night because the DJ wasn’t the best. In fact, he was a little wack, but from the tracks he did play, we know he had potential to do better!

Ritual Supper Club is one of Hollywood’s freshest faces. It has potential to be one of the better places to hang out because it has a cute look and a nice flair, but it will most likely appeal to a certain crowd—the kind that likes to be seen. Not people who really want to have a crunk Friday night. We definitely suggest it for a fabulous dinner, so save your coins love muffins! Treat yourself to a taste of Hollywood.

Ritual Supper Club
1743 N Cahuenga Blvd
Hollywood, CA 90028
www.ritualsupperclub.com

[Photos courtesy of Randall Michelson]