Happy Thursday, everyone. I’m back in town after a very fun, very quick trip east — it was great to see a bunch of you. Last night I went to the Beef premiere at the Egyptian Theatre, where I saw Charles and Eli and Charlene and two of my former bosses. I sat right behind Los Feliz royalty Finneas and Claudia Sulewski and across from the east side-coded (but Beverly Hills-based) Benny Blanco. The afterparty was DJed by The Dare — an admittedly great choice that felt a little lost on the executive types in the room (among certain contingents, “the DJ needs to turn it down” was heard multiple times). In other news, I’m reading A Little Life about a decade late in honor of Hanya Yanagihara’s upcoming departure from T Magazine. Wish me luck.
In today’s issue: Chloe East on being a teenager in Silver Lake, a new saké bar in Echo Park, Rachel Kushner’s recs for restaurants with “atmosphere,” the next Bruce pop-up, Kanye West at Noma LA, the downtown vintage scene, Soft Services’ hyper-local ad, Blackbird goes live on the east side, and two phenomenal houses.
Chloe East on growing up in Silver Lake.
One of my favorite parts — if not the best part — of writing the Rag is meeting all the many east siders (and Angelenos in general) it brings me into contact with. It’s wild to think how many creative people — writers, actors, designers, “creative directors” — I’ve met through this letter. Many have become good friends.
The people I get most excited to talk to, though, are those who grew up on the east side. It’s rare, but the people who’ve been here for decades have the kind of hyper-specific, emotionally rooted, and nostalgia-tinged references that highlight the history and enduring spirit of the neighborhood. One of those lucky long-timers is actress Chloe East, who spent her formative years in the Silver Lake hills, worked the desk of a spin studio on Hyperion as a teen, and learned to drive in Sunset Junction.
After breaking out in Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans and the horror hit Heretic, Chloe enters the world of college comedies with Roommates, directed by Chandler Levack, produced by Adam Sandler, and coming out on Netflix next Friday, 4/17.
A few days ago, I called Chloe to chat all things Roommates, her favorite east side spots, and the magic of being a teenager in Silver Lake.
Congratulations on the movie! It’s a hard comedy after a strong run of dramas — what drew you to this project and the role of Celeste?
My agent got so excited about this script last summer because she loves the writers, Jimmy [Fowlie] and Ceara [O’Sullivan], who write for SNL. I didn’t originally know who I was reading for, but I was immediately like, I hope it’s for Celeste, because that girl seems fun. I kind of fantasized about this bizarre, bedazzled, fake tanner, beach town trashy girl. I had never played that character before, and I was kind of able to take this fantasy of mine — of this person I felt like I knew — and turn it into Celeste.
Was there something about playing an agent of chaos, about going against type, that felt like an escape?
It was so fun. So fun. It was perfect, in that we were in New Jersey and having a real Jersey summer. I just wanted to commit and make her batshit. I wanted to go batshit crazy and, like, do the worm or unexpectedly drop the splits. It was not stressful at all.
Were there any real-life personalities you pulled inspiration from?
Yeah, there were. A lot of it was different influencers and also just regular people on Instagram. I don’t want to name names, though….
Roommates isn’t a Lorne Michaels movie, but it’s very SNL-adjacent. It was written by SNL writers, and there are a bunch of SNL actors in the cast. What was it like being immersed in that world?
This movie might’ve been a curse for me because it’s hard to work on something as fun as Roommates and then want to do anything else. I mean, comedy is stressful — you fall on your face, it’s embarrassing. But when you’re in an environment where that’s kind of expected, you fall on your face and that’s funny, too. There’s just so much freedom to try things. It also gave me a lot of confidence being around people like Jimmy, Ceara, and Adam. They’re comedic geniuses, and I loved getting notes from them.
What are you looking to do next? Is continuing to challenge yourself and try new things part of the process?
I mean, I think I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie. I’m shooting an erotic thriller right now, and I never saw myself diving into that genre. When I first got the script, I was like, No, I don’t want to do that. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing — you find it as you go. I like to taste all the flavors, you know?
You grew up in Silver Lake — what inspires you about the east side, and LA in general?
People say LA’s not a walkable city, but who cares? It’s so multifaceted, there are so many different cultures and foods — and we also have the Metro! When I lived in Koreatown, I took the Metro to my boyfriend’s place in North Hollywood all the time. Like, I’ll do it.
Your top three spots on the east side are…
Ok, so some of these go hand-in-hand. I love to go to a movie at the Vista or the Los Feliz 3 and then go to Astro Diner. I love to go to Zebulon, then go to Astro Diner. It’s not like the food is the best, but what do you expect? It’s a diner. The vibes are impeccable. I want to say Alimento, but it closed, which is devastating. That foie gras paté was so good.
Where’s the first place you take a visitor?
I like the vibe of Casita del Campo, especially for a big group. Or the Win~Dow.
Who’s the coolest east sider?
Honestly, my parents. They’re pretty legendary because they’re not hipsters, but they love Silver Lake and they choose to live there. They try every fucking restaurant — every restaurant there, they have tried. You should interview them…
And finally, do you have any core memories of growing up in Silver Lake you want to share?
Oh, yeah. After I got my driver’s license, my closest friend Lucy and I would just drive all around in this old Volvo 240. We would always go to Jewel after school. We’d go to American Vintage in the Volvo, take a look around Go Get ’Em Tiger, which had just opened, and catch a movie at the Los Feliz 3. We’d drive over to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery and hand-crank the windows down, and then go to By Chloe by the 365. It was always with Lucy specifically, and we’d be listening to Joni Mitchell on a cassette tape. I remember the exact building we planned to move into together. It was a brick building right by Jewel. We were going to live there and be the happiest vegan roommates, and she was going to dance and I was going to act. That was everything.
📅 Mark your calendar…
Tonight, 4/9: The LA Festival of Movies is hosting its opening night party at the perennial favorite Grand Star Jazz Club (943 Sun Mun Way) in Chinatown from 9pm-late. The party’s sponsored by local journalism upstart LA Material and will feature DJ sets by Spencer Product and YACHT. It’s free, though a $10 donation is suggested. The LAFM team is cool, you should go to this if you can.
Saturday, 4/11: East side sculptor Henry Erdman is presenting his debut solo exhibition, Semblance, at Faun (546 N. Western Avenue). If you need pre-dinner plans, there’s a reception from 5-8pm. You can RSVP here.
Sunday, 4/19: LA’s most legendary host Rob Aquino is hosting a one-off Spring Fling next Sunday from 3pm-1am. Expect a killer list of performers, DJs, vendors, and food offerings, with all proceeds benefitting the Trans Defense Fund and the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights. It’s going to be a big day, RSVP here.
🍽️ And now for some table scraps…
From the tip line — there’s a new saké bar coming to the Echo Park / Historic Filipinotown border. Jōdo Saké Bar is set to open soon at 2126 W. Temple Street and offer a selection of saké, beer, and small bites. The space looks great, and the location feels prime for something like this. Taking a number of favorable factors into account (convenience to other neighborhoods, markedly lower rents than on the other side of the 101), I wouldn’t be surprised if this stretch of Temple becomes one of LA’s newest culinary hotspots over the next couple years.
Here are Rachel Kushner’s recs for eateries with “warmth” and “atmosphere” following the Taix closure. This might just be a perfect post.
Bruce is popping up once again, this time at Little Fish in Melrose Hill. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — you should seriously consider going if you haven’t been already. I’m very curious to see where Bruce will land permanently.
Skincare brand Soft Services featured east side woodworker Kyle Richard in the latest edition of its Hand Craft series. It’s not often that an Instagram ad actually piques my interest in a brand, but this one did. It’s great marketing, and it serves as a reminder that the most effective campaigns feel human-scale (and somewhat niche). With obvious exceptions, people care more about a photo of a guy in their neighborhood than they do about a pop star’s latest brand collab. Someone should start an agency specializing solely in this kind of hyper-targeted, high impact, and lower-cost content (if you’re already doing this, DM me). And most importantly, you can sign up for Kyle’s woodworking classes here.
There’s a new vintage showroom in downtown LA. Eveready has been an if-you-know-you-know hit for a while, and now it’s debuting a new space near Skid Row. (I don’t think the off-the-beaten-path location actually matters that much, given that vintage shoppers will happily travel for the right selection.) Owner Steven Vega has great taste, and the prices are fairly reasonable, especially compared to a lot of vintage upstarts in the city.
Speaking of vintage in DTLA, GQ ran a profile of Artem Emilianov and World Vintage. Artem’s been outfitting everyone from Austin Butler to Shaboozey to Sombr to Kendrick Lamar from his downtown studio.
From the tip line — Jamie Bridgers, the listing agent for Canyon Coffee owners Ally Walsh and Casey Wojtalewicz’s Altadena home, happens to be….the mother of pop star Phoebe Bridgers. This is the kind of niche intel that keeps me going. In addition to Ally and Casey’s house (already in contract), Jamie’s current listings include this condo in DTLA and this Airbnb-esque getaway in Rancho Mirage.
This is the definitive article on LACMA’s long-awaited $724mm expansion.
Restaurant rewards platform Blackbird is officially live on the east side. The New York-based startup from Resy co-founder Ben Leventhal debuted on the west side several months ago, and at long last it’s coming east. The app’s initial slate of participating restaurants includes Bar Étoile, Botanica, Café Tropical, Ètra, Mirate, Pijja Palace, and Pine & Crane.
I really enjoyed this piece about how Brooks Reitz and his wife, Erin, share clothes. They both have phenomenal taste, and every item featured looks great on both of them. I’m curious how many people can do this and just don’t admit it.
According to Emily Sundberg’s sources, Kanye West has been spotted dining at Noma LA multiple times. I mean…is anyone surprised? I’d be curious to know if he was with Dov Charney on any of those occasions.
I’m kind of convinced that Morton Avenue is the best street in Elysian Heights (far enough from Sunset to be quiet but close enough to be walkable), and this might be the best cottage on the street. Asking $1.24mm, it has a two-bedroom, one-bathroom main house plus a permitted bonus space with a bathroom. The light is phenomenal, the original charm has been perfectly preserved, and there’s a great front porch. If I can’t live here, I really hope one of you does.
And if you have $4mm burning a hole in your pocket, you could buy this truly gorgeous property with a pool in Mount Washington. There’s a main house and a two-story ADU, which combine to feature a total of four bedrooms and seven bathrooms. Both structures have been completely renovated, but it’s the grounds that really sell this one — this kind of flat property with a pool is rare in Mount Washington. The price is high for the neighborhood, but it’s going to go quickly.
The Morton house is cute, but I kind of disagree about it being the best street in Echo Park. Too close to Dodger stadium, too congested, too much park traffic. I would say Princeton and Valentine are probably the nicest streets in Echo Park, quiet with a few really nice houses.