* BEST PLACE FOR BEER PONG * Who doesn’t love a good game of Beer Pong? And just in case you’ve never heard of it: Plastic cups of beer—usually ten per team—are set up in a billiards-style triangle formation on each end of a table. Opposing teams attempt to lob Ping-Pong balls into the suds. The team with the least success drinks the beers—after, (we hope!) removing the balls. The Hollywood location Big Wangs has the dim lights, sticky floors, garlicky Buffalo wings, and $13 pitchers of beer that make for an ambiance as sophisticated as the game. Dedication to the sport is demonstrated by the two shiny beer pong tables in the center of the room (although nearly two dozen TVs also vie for the players attention.)* BEST PLACE TO ROCK OUT * Every kind of guitar that can cry the blues, blast rock, or croon a country tune makes it onstage at some point during Guitarology. The brainchild of Stephen Patt, a Santa Monica physician who was a founding member of the late ‘60’s group the Chambers Brothers, the Wednesday night jamfest at the Melody Bar and Grill features a different guest artist each week playing with Patt’s house band. You never know who’s going to materialize in the audience and be wooed onstage. Neil Young bassist Rick Rosas has held court, as has Pete Anderson from Dwight Yokam’s band. The service is attentive and the food is fresher than the trapped-in-the-70s look.
* BEST PLACE TO PRETEND YOUR ON SPRING BREAK * Tequila Tequila! Among the more than 100 tequilas and mescals is the entire line of Del Maguey “single village” mescals, artisanal creations of small Mexican communities. General manager Raul Yrastorza infuses other smoky distillations with loose-leaf teas from the Grand Central Market. He collaborated
with River’s Julian Cox to fashion fanciful cocktails that taste like a taco or a Manhattan or both.
* BEST PICKUP LINES * Try out a contemporary line like “I’d like to know you in a more Facebook kind of way.” HAH! There are quirky ones that demonstrate knowledge of indie films “Lets sneak up on some ribs.” But the best pickup line may be surprisingly simple, “Are you foreign?” It implies that the target is different from and more exotic than the rest of the crowd. It can start as a guessing game, “Where do you think I’m from?” It allows both parties to name drop countries that they have visited. Best of all-it shows your interest!
