Happy Monday, everyone. This weekend I saw Materialists (didn’t love, didn’t hate), had a blast at the Good Boy & Friends wine tasting in the Arts District, and trekked all the way to Santa Monica for Eeeeeatscon (five Es, I checked). My favorite thing at the former was a bottle of pet-nat from San Francisco-based Buddy Buddy, and at the latter, a taco from El Sereno’s Evil Cooks. I also loved the How Long Gone boys’ chat with Kate Berlant, who blessed the west side crowd with a lot of east side-specific jokes (and looked phenomenal doing so). An audience member asked Kate how she felt about Goop Kitchen’s “Silver Lake” location actually being in Echo Park (Jason called it “Goop-washing”), and I’d like to buy that person a drink.
Introducing…..EAST SIDE SINGLES.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the status of east side dating recently. The apps have taken a hit since their heyday a few years back, and it’s hard (though not impossible!) to meet a ten in person. Run club’s an increasingly popular option, but what if you’re a heavy sweater? Though hot people abound, there’s no reliable way to meet cool, interesting, and devastatingly attractive singles on the east side.
With that in mind, let me introduce East Side Singles. More than a few readers have asked for a matchmaking element in the Rag, and I actually think we can do it in a very fun, frictionless way.
Here’s how it’s going to work: next week, I’m going to send a special singles issue of the Rag.
It’ll include a roundup of the most eligible singles on the east side (straight, gay, and otherwise), with a photo, answers to two east side-centric questions, and an Instagram link for each person. Readers will be able to reach out to any and all singles they’re into directly.
You’ll be able to take comfort in the fact that each person is a) actually single, b) looking for dates, and c) vouched for by someone who submitted them.
If you’d like to be featured in the first East Side Singles roundup, or you want to nominate an east side single who’d be perfect, message me using the button below or DM me on Instagram. I’ll reach out to everyone who’s been submitted to get their buy-in. No one will know who submitted them, so this is your opportunity to secretly nominate all your crushes. The more submissions we get, the more comprehensive the list will be, so think long and hard, and send this to all your friends.
Don’t miss your chance to make an east side single east side settled down <3
🍽️ And now for some table scraps…
From the tip line — the Silver Lake outpost of Maison Kitsuné and the adjacent Cafe Kitsuné abruptly shut down this week. This was always a tough sell for the east side — I don’t know anyone here who wears Maison Kitsuné. The brand hasn’t addressed the closures, and both stores still show up on the website, but the Maison Kitsuné era in Silver Lake is officially over.
Hacks creators Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello paid nearly $9mm for a house in the Los Feliz Oaks. This deal went down nearly two years ago(!), but North Hillcrest just uncovered the identity of the buyers. I loved this house when it was on the market — it’s an airy Spanish-style on a flat lot, fully restored by the talented team at Nickey Kehoe. Paul and Lucia successfully scrubbed all the photos from the internet, but this YouTube video remains.
TikTok and Instagram are planning TV apps. Netflix’s biggest competitor is already a nontraditional TV provider (YouTube). Will longer-form, TV-oriented content from TikTok threaten the top tier? Will social media companies get buttons on the Roku remote?
El Sereno is home to Evil Cooks, and also an underrated hiking trail. You should go hike Elephant Hill this weekend (and read about its history, near loss, and ongoing restoration efforts in this LAist piece).
The Silver Lake Trader Joe’s painted over a memorial mural. The grocery store unceremoniously removed a mural honoring its former manager, Mely Corado, who was mistakenly shot and killed by the LAPD. This is…sad.
If you’re looking for a field trip, the Getty Villa reopened to visitors last week. LA’s best place to playact 20th-century oil baron is welcoming guests for the first time since the Palisades fire. The grounds were significantly damaged, but the art remains pristine.
If you’re stressed about the length of your shorts this summer, GQ has inspo from Paris Fashion Week.
LA now has two restaurants with three Michelin stars. Hollywood’s Providence and West Hollywood’s Somni both received the rare honor. Little Tokyo’s Restaurant Ki scored the Michelin Young Chef award.
Want to buy a Historic Filipinotown studio lot? The under-the-radar Occidental Studios, where Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks once made silent films, features four soundstages and a set of charming writers’ bungalows on three acres near the Echo Park border. It’s asking $45mm, which seems aggressive given the current state of LA production, but I know lots of creatives who’d kill to work this close to home.
Happy about the maison kitsune close tbh. Never went and never saw ppl in there… time for new! Maybe seco will expand???