Food & Lib: The Fat Dog, NoHo

I'm always looking out for new and exciting places to open up near our apartment, and in the NoHo Arts District, that's becoming an ever-common occurrence! Most recently, a second location for The Fat Dog, which first popped up 4 years ago in Hollywood, has launched with a soft opening last week in North Hollywood - an opening 2 years in the making.

Located on Magnolia Blvd, wedged between other new eateries of varying faire (a few doors west is the delicious Bow & Truss, which I reviewed last year), this gastropub offers an expansive bar, refreshing summer cocktails, and of course, a coveted and shady outdoor space perfect for a large group or pup-friendly brunches. It is reminiscent of some of my favorite restaurants on the West Side (think Father's Office in Culver City or Plan Check on Sawtelle), but even better, because it's but a short walk from my apartment.









I got a group of friends together to scope it out, and naturally, we all ordered different things to test out their [for a short time] limited, soft opening menu. But don't let that fool you! There is something, many things, for everyone to enjoy! Eater LA may have posted gorgeous pictures of the new location (worth checking out), but for me? It was all about the food & libations!

First up? Specialty cocktails!





All of the cocktails of, you guessed it!, doggy-themed names. I went immediately for the Off the Leash (the lovely pink one): the Fat Dog's take on a Whiskey Sour, with agave and aperol thrown in for good measure. Another popular choice for the table was the Well Groomed (the gilded up one above), with bubbly ginger beer mixed with Pimm's, lemonade and cucumber. Not pictured? The Tootsie Roll Over with a cacao rum - delicious, and an easy replacement for dessert - as well as one of my favorites, a gin concoction muddled with arugula! Sounds strange, but it's such a fragrant, refreshing "green juice"-like cocktail, perfect for summer afternoons.

Of course, some of us went the hoppy route and paired beer with their pub food.

I couldn't wait any longer, I had to order from the appetizer / small bites menu! Jalapeno Mac & Cheese was a no-brainer! Within seconds, the cast-iron skillet had been cleared as we all scrambled to claim a spoonful.




A beautiful Kale Caesar Salad made an appearance too, complete with a fried egg!




For me, though, it was the Fried Pickles with Ranch yogurt dip that stood out on the menu!





I love everything about this presentation. And the pickles? The best I've ever had! These weren't your standard pickle chips - we're talking crunchy, dill spears fried to perfection! I dream about these... I'm even salivating right now thinking about them. Not surprisingly, I had a hard time sharing!

Next up came the entrees. The menu is more limited now than it will be in the coming weeks, but we certainly didn't have a problem finding something that sounded incredible. In fact, we got five different things! The star, of course, is the signature Fat Dog - a massive grilled hot dog on a poppy seed bun, with sport peppers, tomatoes, onions, and potato chips. Think of it like a Chicago Dog on steroids!






Whenever I go to a new place, my instinct is to go for their signature hamburger first. If they can't do that right, why even bother, amiright?!

And you guys? It was spectacular! The least fussy, but most satisfying Burger I've had in a long time, with a little punch from the shaved Manchego cheese.






Just... just take a second to look at that. You can almost smell it, the perfect medium rare. And the best part? You can get The Flight burger sliders as an alternative, or to share with the table!




And there's something about fries right out of a paper bag that makes them taste 100 times better, huh?

Finally, the crispiest Fish & Chips, with wedge cut fries.




This is easily my new favorite place to spend an afternoon in the Valley. The outdoor space, with long picnic tables, is a lovely place to bring your puppy, order a drink and some appetizers, and enjoy the hustle and bustle of the neighborhood. I mean, how relaxing does that look?



Definitely don't wait, it's worth hurrying to try this place out before it gets too crowded! Considering they've been open for less than a week (at the time of this posting), their service was wonderful, their atmosphere calm and quiet, and the menu expansive. They even have an Alternative Burger for their Vegetarian or Vegan customers! I have a feeling they're going to do incredibly well in this location. Every Saturday & Sunday, they serve brunch until 3 PM, featuring a half-dozen $5 cocktails to choose from. That is going to be our next mission at The Fat Dog: Weekend Brunch.

Go check it out! You won't regret it!

Place:  The Fat Dog
Neighborhood:  NoHo Arts District (North Hollywood)
Food:  Yes
Full Bar:  Yes

Food & Lib: The One Up

I'm noticing a trend of adult nostalgia restaurants opening along Ventura Blvd. Perhaps this is a response to the hipster locales growing in popularity, but regardless of the reason, the prospect of going out for dinner or to get a drink becomes evermore exciting when there is something offered that seems catered just to you.

That's how The One Up in Sherman Oaks feels to me. For different reasons, probably, than other fans of this new restaurant & arcade, which has created a hybrid rustic, adult haven and 80's throwback nostalgia. The colorful and quirky interior houses a massive bar to the left of the entrance, with shelves and drawers of books, trinkets, and pop art teetering above a counter lined with turquoise blue cassette tapes.

John and I hopped over during lunch on this recent holiday weekend right when the place opened at 12-noon. The tables and seating are purposefully slapdash and mis-matched, big leather couches and curved sofas lined beneath the side windows. Neon lighting beams cult favorite quotes from popular '80s movies and songs, too, which admittedly, made me feel all the feels.

The menu is pretty expansive, ranging from Americana to Vietnamese and fusion of everything in between. I debated about getting an appetizer of Cap'n Crunch Chicken Wings, just to give them a try, but I decided to leave it for another time and order my main dish instead.

Let me just say right now, if you love burgers, you've gotta try one from this menu. They have slider options so you can try all of them if you inevitably can't decide (John and I did that when we came by for Happy Hour a few months ago), but this time, I knew exactly what I wanted: the Jalapeno Whiz Burger. Fried jalapenos w/ a drippy, gooey provolone "cheese whiz" sauce... it is positively to die for. Just scroll down and tell me that's not the yummiest burger you've seen in a long time?

Like I said, it is messy. I learned really quickly that the more sauce I could get to drip out onto my plate, the more sauce I'd have to dip my hand-cut garlic potato fries in. It was a win-win!

John decided on the Neapolitan Burger (pictured immediately above), which is just as ooey-gooey with its burrata topping as mine was with the whiz sauce. The fries are also a must have side.

The best thing about this place is that you can grab a beer, order your food, and then hop over to one of the couches (if they're available!) to check out the movies that they show in constant rotation around the restaurant. Different flicks screen on every television (there are currently three), and they play on repeat every two-ish hours. When we were there, they were showing Back to the Future, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and The Goonies. (When we were there a few months ago, they were screening Big Trouble in Little China and Weird Science, so the '80s movie love runs strong with the One Up crowd.

Then... there's the game room. Just through to the back section of the restaurant, you pass through the bar (order your drink first and they'll bring it to you wherever you are in the back) and you'll come to a line of perfectly retro-fitted arcade consoles. Vertical, horizontal, and Street Fight Plus options... each arcade housing hundreds of classic 8-bit games, ranging from Donkey Kong Jr. to Dig Dug to Gun Smoke. So just like I was in heaven with the '80s movies playing out front, the boyfriend found his mecca standing in front of a console in the back.

The best part? The games are FREE. No quarter slots, so worries... just you, the game(s), and - if you're like me - dying over and over and over again. Click here to check out the lists of games they have right now. The only time you have to give up your spot at the controls is if there's a line to play... then you have to be a good sport and step away if it's GAME OVER. For me, that would be every 60 seconds! But if you go during an off-hour, mid-day or at Happy Hour, you won't have any trouble wasting away an hour reminiscing over all the old classics.

The One Up's space is not only fun, it's beautiful. The staff is nice and accommodating, and it struck me that this would be the perfect place to hold a birthday celebration or get-together. They even mentioned to me that the entire back room can be rented out, so I'm already planning something that could bring all my friends together to enjoy a good drink, crazy-amazing and messy food, and a couple (or a lot) of games.

Place: The One Up
Neighborhood: Sherman Oaks (Ventura Blvd)