A new venue for us! Again, in an area well-stocked with public transportation options, Sidewalk Grill Mediterranean Kitchen, anchoring a strip mall just behind a big Bank of America branch at 1727 N. Vermont Ave, in an area known as the Los Feliz district. Here's their mission statement:
Sidewalk Grill was created to expose Los Feliz to the delicacies and tradition of a rich Mediterranean culture. Time-honored methods of food preparation, coupled with the highest quality ingredients, and a heavy handed dose of experience places Sidewalk Grill as the perfect fusion of contemporary eating.
And so it did!
I think 20 of us showed up, and the mechanics (like PitFirePizza, you order in the open kitchen and pay for your own meal) combined with the logistics of arrival meant not everyone was present at the same time, so a PARTIAL group picture. Incidentally, two new Kossacks (since mid-November) and five people attending their first meetup. We're making progress!
Left side of table: gmats, Roman Smith, recoveringConservative, Brecht, Shockwave Chiwere, Moody Loner. Right side: Gay CA Democrat, 714Day, joemarkowitz, Floja Roja, your diarist, and the hair beyond me belongs to susans.
As traditional, the food pr0n first.
Filet Mignon kabob
Boneless chicken kabob with grilled vegetables and dolmas
Filet Mignon kabob with greek salad
And the people:
714Day and susans.
Roman Smith, one of the brand new Kossacks (he activated a screen name because of the welcome he received at PitFire Pizza last month).
mommyp00ka and (not so) Little Loner
joemarkowitz, Floja Roja, your diarist and jakedog42
recoveringConservative (the other new Kossack, as of November 25), Brecht, Shockwave, your diarist and Floja Roja. A pensive crew.
714Day, Gay CA Democrat and Zwenkau
Mrs. Zwenkau, Roman Smith, gmats, and SanFernandoValleyMom.
recoveringConservative, Ducktape (standing) Brecht and Floja Roja.
It was complicated. If we dine there again I think I'll ask them not to put the tables together so we can do more circulating, or at least put them together so there are no more than six people at each. We had the same issue at The Luggage Room, but this will be easier to fix.
Thank you, SanFernandoValleyMom, for your fine photography. As for the next event, we have the opportunity to roll out the carpet for shanikka next month. She'll be up here for an event Friday night March 14th, and she has graciously made herself available for an early lunch March 15 somewhere between Century City and LAX. That could mean Culver City; it could also mean Santa Monica or Venice. Suggestions are welcome, with the caveat, that whatever it is has to be near transit (and people can also carpool). I'd like to announce this before March 1.
I'm going to publish this while I'm teaching, and I probably won't get to it for three or four hours after it publishes. Enjoy, fellow Kossacks!