Foxfire Room

12516 Magnolia Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 9160
(Corner of Magnolia & Whitsett)

This place is bar-none (pun intended) my favorite watering hole in all the land.  It is a dive bar in every sense of the term; a true hidden gem.  It is my contention, that any place where one must access the entrance from a back alley parking lot, is the place I want to be.  Tucked away in the North Hollywood district, the Foxfire Room harbors a refreshing mix of guests: old, young, trendy, washed up, local, foreign, and a perfect guy to girl ratio to boot.  Many of the people you’ll find sitting at the bar are true “regulars” that show up every night and have probably been doing so for decades.  I like to imagine they have the luxury of owning a running tab and that warm hospitable feeling that comes when they cue the barkeep for “the usual”.  I’ve even witnessed a young woman from Australia who sat at the bar immersed in her school textbooks, sipping on Jack and Coke.  Which brings me to my next favorite part of the Foxfire Room: very cheap, very stiff drinks.  They don’t mess around.  Those of you who are like me, fed up with the obtrusively loud, poorly lit, overpriced bars of Hollywood, then Foxfire is exactly what you need.  It will become your Cheers, your Moe’s Tavern, your Central Perk (but with booze).  Additionally, the bar boasts two of my “must-haves” any saloon ought to require: Darts and a Juke Box.  There’s something so cathartic about throwing tiny aerial weapons while listening to Frank Stallone.  If you’re lucky, you’ll get to meet Arturo, the greasy Mexican, moustache wearing, dart champion from 1983.  I made that last part up but I wouldn’t be surprised if I was right.  This gentle soul strikes the triple-twenty spot every time, without fail.  During the days of my scotch binge-drinking, he was my hero for a good month and a half.  As your evening here continues to progress in good spirit(s), you begin to notice all the little idiosyncrasies that give the Foxfire Room a distinct blue collar charm.  Whether its the “naked photo hunt” machine in the corner booth, the televisions projecting painful extreme sports wipeouts, the saloon doors that are no longer functional, the free deli meat/cheese spread platter Friday afternoons, or the smoking tents with ashtrays meticulously constructed by pouring sand into a horse trough, the Foxfire Room promises nights of frivolity you will usually forget but always try to replicate.

Tipsy’s Recommendation: Less than five minutes away is the smaller but similarly comfortable dive, Starlite Room, on the corner of Tujunga and Moorpark.  Billiard table available.

Music Hall of Williamsburg

66 North 6th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211-3009
(718) 486-5400

Located on the western edge of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, the Music Hall  is one of the rare and historic venues for music enthusiasts seeking an intimate and unrestricted evening of live music and affordable cocktails.  Don’t let the surrounding neighborhood deter you from walking through the doors though, my friends.  Williamsburg has experienced a rapid surge in proliferation, thriving on constant reconstruction, the omnipresence of quaint local delis, trendy speakeasies, and the endless supply of trust-fund money from uppity hipster white folk.  Upon first arrival, the Music Hall of Williamsburg presents itself almost like a  “choose your own adventure”, a journey through a prototypical M.C. Escher sketch.  A long and winding corridor leading you to an un-marked three-way crossroads. I, for one, am always down for a three-way, so I chose to go down…the staircase.  Underneath the establishment you’ll find a very spacious lounge, furnished with plenty of couches and booths for “kicking it” and “chillaxing” before showtime.  The horseshoe shaped bar offers happy hour specials ($3 draught) until 9:00pm and the cocktail service is more than satisfactory.  Directly above the lounge is the stage area.  A smaller, but equally sufficient alcohol distributor welcomes its patrons.  There is plenty of standing room overlooking the performers, a slightly elevated fringe on the outskirts of the floor level, and a mezzanine level perched high above for all those rich, ass clowns that think they’re sooooo cool.  Needless to say, there’s not a bad seat in the house and the variety of performers that visit the Music Hall range from The Black Keys to Blackalicious.

Tipsy’s Recommendation: Afterwards, stumble on down to Spike Hill (Bedford Ave. & N. 7th St) for more liquid courage and free live music.