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My dad’s ex-girlfriend has hair like Billy Idol. If Billy Idol were a really hot art gallery director that knows everything about anything.
When she and my father split up, everyone thought it was a little weird that we stayed friends. But how could we not? I mean, seriously, who else could have talked me through my Art History and Architecture finals while sampling all the pralines at Leonidas? (By the way, the White Chocolate “Louise” is the best one).
 Man Ray and Ruscha aside, the real reason Marie and I are friends is because we’re both snackers. In fact, I’m not sure the word “meal” is even in her lexicon at all. As far as she’s concerned there are really only four food groups—French fries, Vodka martinis, chocolate and shrimp cocktails (no offense to those of you in AA, who only have 3 food groups).
So, as a rule, we eat only in places where “french fries and martinis” is an acceptable thing to eat for dinner. When I was in school in Berkeley, we’d sip mojitos at the bar at Cesar, the always delicious tapas bar in North Berkeley, where you can’t even believe the thin, round, crispy, sea-salted french fries were at any point just boring old potatoes and specials like rabbit stew keep starved students full for days.
We frequent Nic’s for their fresh shrimp cocktails and their honey vodka mojitos that taste like if John’s Garden’s Lemon Honey Juice could knock you off your feet. The smoked chicken quesadilla is also a must. And if you don’t like your drinks too sweet, Nic’s has an extensive vodka list, including the almost impossible to find Polish bison-grass vodka, Dubrowska (if you’re really brave). They even have a VodBox in the back!
Another favorite is the no-nonsense Melrose Bar & Grill (where it’s getting increasingly hard to score a table). They have an entire section of the menu dedicated to snacks and the bill always turns out significantly less than you think it’s going to. Plus, if you ask really nicely they just might make their famous Panko-breaded chicken fingers for you.
John’s Garden
3835 Cross Creek Road # 1 (in the Malibu Country Mart)
Malibu, CA 90265
(310) 456-8377
(The watermelon juice is also pretty amazing. And while you’re there, you really should get a tuna melt at the Malibu Kitchen and Gourmet Country Mart across the street—it’s only the best tuna melt you’ll ever eat in your life.)
 http://www.leonidas.com for store locations.
(For fellow Angelenos--There is a Leonidas Chocolate Café (with rich, creamy mochas) on Santa Monica and 4th and a Leonidas Chocolate store (sans coffee) at 201 N. Larchmont)
 Nic’s Martini Lounge
453 North Canon Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 550-5707
Hours: Mon-Thurs 6pm-10pm; Fri, Sat 6pm-11pm
 César
1515 Shattuck Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94709
(510) 883-0222
Hours: Sun-Thurs 12pm-11pm; Fri, Sat 12pm-11:30pm
Melrose Bar & Grill
8826 Melrose Ave.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 278-3684
Hours: Mon-Sat 12pm-10pm (later on weekends)
Maia Harari is a writer and choreographer. Her most recent credits
include It's All in Your Head, 2003 and Danse Macabre, 2000, and she is
currently working on Confetti, an episodic internet series chronicling
the lives of twenty-somethings running wild in LA. She works at
Spyglass Entertainment and lives in Los Angeles.
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