Isaac Simpson

Credit: Photo by Richard Ha via Flickr

USC Lost Its One and Only MFA Candidate — Now What?

Isaac Simpson
Against her better judgment, HaeAhn Kwon came from South Korea to Los Angeles to attend the embattled MFA program at USC Roski School of Art and Design. “I was already suspicious of the administration for alienating an entire year of MFA students,” Kwon wrote in a letter to the school’s......
Interior of the new Civil Coffee in Highland Park; Credit: David Maziarz

Civil Coffee Is Opening Tomorrow in Highland Park

Isaac Simpson
Whether as a mobile coffee bar in Chinatown, in a stall at the food court of the Melrose Trading Post or under a tent at Coachella, Alex and Alan Morales' Civil Coffee has been popping up around L.A. in one form or another for nearly three years. The Morales' dream of......
Credit: Isaac Simpson

L.A.'s Newest Improv School Isn't Going for Laughs

Isaac Simpson
From a tiny black box theater on Sunset, right next door to the nerd mecca Meltdown Comics, Ptolemy Slocum is plotting improv’s return to its freer roots.   Slocum, a character actor who’s appeared in a number of films and in HBO series including The Wire, Veep and The Sopranos, is the lead teacher......
Credit: Isaac Simpson

Best Street Quesadillas

Isaac Simpson
Alejandra's Quesadillas are colorful delicacies that stand out like bright purple flowers among the competition of hot dogs and tacos. She takes hunks of purple masa and pounds them into tortillas on her flat-top grill, makes sure it's sizzling just right, then piles it with one of six delicious fillings:......
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Best Georgian Food

Isaac Simpson
As a microcosm of Southeastern Europe, Glendale is perhaps unsurprisingly home to a restaurant specializing in the cuisine of Georgia. The tiny Caucasus country is squeezed between Russia and the Middle East, and its food reflects its location. The staple is the khinkali, Georgian dumplings formed from much thicker skin......
Credit: Isaac Simpson

Best Discount Swap Meet

Isaac Simpson
A staple of South Central Los Angeles shopping for nearly 30 years, Slauson Super Mall started as nine or 10 small kiosks in a strip mall with a giant parking lot. Today, it occupies a massive warehouse with more than 100 stalls. From socks to quinceañera dresses, Jordans to custom......
Credit: Isaac Simpson

Best High-End Community Grocery

Isaac Simpson
Pasture-raised local eggs with brown and green speckles. Homemade sausage. Baskets of colorful farm-to-store sweet peppers. Raisins on the vine. Urban Radish is every foodie's dream grocery store. Owner and passionate food enthusiast Keri Johnson envisioned it as an extension of her own pantry at home, with the added mission......
Credit: Isaac Simpson

Best Low-Cost Bike Shop

Isaac Simpson
What started as an all-purpose variety store has evolved into L.A.'s go-to spot for reasonably priced used bikes. Coco's Variety Store doesn't just flip bikes, it rebuilds them from scratch and sells them with a warranty. Owner Peter Vermeren has 25 years of experience as a garage-sale picker, which he......
Credit: Kelly Rose

Best New Comedy Show

Isaac Simpson
Good Heroin is a refreshing oasis for Angelenos accustomed to comedy shows with two-drink minimums at crowded venues that look like nightclubs. The BYOB gathering occurs on Saturday nights on the back patio of Stories, a bookstore and coffee shop in Echo Park with a warm, comfortable atmosphere. The coffee......
Credit: Todd Zuniga

Best Storytelling Competition

Isaac Simpson
At Literary Death Match, you don't have to choose between great writing and great improv. The live show pits three sets of budding writers against one another in front of a panel of three celebrity judges, usually prominent comedians. The writers perform head-to-head, seven-minute readings of their work, then face......