I had my first encounter with Life on Wilshire last night at a party at the restuarant a close friend of mine had there. As an Orange County gal, I get up to LA about once a month or so and was happy to find parking so easy at this place (in the bank parking lot free on Sat. night or valet if you so choose). We were warmly greeted by Mike the owner and bellied up to the bar where he fixed us the most refreshing Blueberry Collins (blueberry vodka, collins mix and fresh blueberries). The venue is comfortable and can be configured for dining, dancing, live performance or all of the above.
On the positive side, the food was delicious and reasonably priced. Service was a bit spotty but the wait staff was friendly and pleasant. Try the Jalapeno Mac and Cheese or any of the burgers...really good! The bar was busy all night and bartender Frankie from New Jersey is efficient, friendly, and accomodating. We really enjoyed him.
You can eat, drink, dance and if you so choose, smoke on the patio outside. The party guests filled about two thirds of the place, but there were not a lot of other patrons. I don't live or work in the area, but if I did, I'd check out their happy hour, lunch, and some of their musical nights.
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