Rivera - Downtown LA

Located a block east of Staples Center, I loosely describe Rivera as a fancy/upscale Mexican food restaurant with amazing cocktails. Not even sure if a margarita is on the drink list, but what they do have are some of the most creative and tasty drinks I ever experienced. They don’t have bartenders, they have mixologists… yes, it’s one of those places. Try the barbacoa cocktail with mezcal (there’s no worm in the bottle, you're not in TJ, so don’t ask) or the blood, sugar, sex, magic. And one of these days I’ll actually get around to trying the food.

CorkBar - Downtown LA

This relatively new wine bar in downtown Los Angeles has been on my list of regular visits for a few months now. I try to go on Tuesday nights when they have a “chef’s special” menu item for just $2… it’s different every week, and no one knows what it will be until the morning of when the chef arrives. Pork tenderloin and skirt steak salad are a few of these items I’ve had and they all have been consistently excellent, as are the rest of the predominately small plate food items they serve. Sit at the bar and you will quickly befriend one of the knowledgeable bartenders to guide you through your wine selection for the evening. The bar features mostly California wines, which keeps the confusion level to a minimum.