There was a time when any mention of Ventura Boulevard in Studio City became a paean to the joys of what’s been referred to as “Sushi Row” – a street with seemingly more sushi bars than the dueling Little Tokyos of both Downtown Los Angeles and Sawtelle Boulevard.
Off the top of my noggin, the names that come to mind are Katsu-ya, Kazu, Iroha, Ohana, Daichan, Kiwami Jinya, Sushi Dan, The Sushi House, Yume and, more recently, Sugarfish. Long gone is Kazunori Nozawa’s mini-mall destination, where you’d be told to leave if you dared to ask for a California roll, or poured soy sauce on a creation that was supposed to be soyless – where a sign declared: “Today’s special: Trust me!”
Sushi still abounds. But over the years, the options have diversified to destinations like Joan’s on Third, Lala’s, Laurel Tavern, Firefly, Stout Burger, Sattdown Jamaican, The Bollywood Café – and a pair of sports bars specializing in casual Mexican chow with lotsa beer and overflowing margaritas.
During football season, they both became fine destinations with many games showing on many big screens, with a howling mob of partisans on hand to cheer on their faves. And with basketball still around – to be followed by a whole spring and summer and fall of baseball – sports fans will be eating a lot of guac…and drinking a lot of brew.
In the case of Jalapeño Pete’s (11618 Ventura Blvd., Studio City; 818-579-4264, www.jalapenopetesla.com), the team of choice last fall was the Kansas City Chiefs. The joint is a virtual outpost of KC, with a Patrick Mahomes jersey on just about every fan in the house. (I’d fear for my well-being if I showed up wearing gear from an opposing team!) You can probably hear the cheers at the Hollywood Bowl when KC scores one – for the true Chiefs believer, Pete’s is a well-quenched, well-fed bit of football heaven.
The crowds sprawl from outside in the street, from room to room, space to space, making this one of the rowdiest…
Read the full article here
