Uncle Darrows Closes, the Death of the $1 Taco, and More A.M. Intel

Uncle Darrow's has closed in Venice

The Cajun-inspired longtime Lincoln Boulevard restaurant has been open since 1994, but has decided to vacate its location in favor of something presumably less expensive in Carson. Details are still forthcoming on that new location, but they're plotting a comeback pretty quickly.

Church & State is throwing it back to 2008

Beginning next week, Church & State will run a throwback menu to celebrate their 7th anniversary in the Arts District. That means a return to the opening menu as cooked now by chef Tony Esnault, with matching prices from the 2008 days.

In praise of the $3 taco

LA Weekly writer Sarah Bennett discusses the middle class $3 taco, which is more refined (and better for workers) than the ubiquitous $1 options, without being quite as full of itself (and stuffed with high-end ingredients) as those $6 tacos found around town. The compelling argument is worth a read, but could be summed up basically by saying: you should pay (slightly) more for your tacos. When you do, everybody wins.

The best casual cocktail bar in America

Is apparently The Normandie Club, according to Playboy. Koreatown's boozy haunt comes by way of the 213 Nightlife and Proprietors LLC folks, and has already been gaining steam, but this latest push could make it the coolest place to drink in the city.

@TheNormandieClub is named "Best Casual Cocktail Bar" in America by @Playboy! #thenormandieclub #Koreatown #playboy

A photo posted by Proprietors LLC (@proprietorsllc) on Oct 28, 2015 at 5:44pm PDT

The greatest pizza deal in town

Mozza's famous bar deal — that’s the one where, for $20, you get a pizza, a glass of wine, and a dessert — is running all day on Saturday, in celebration of (apparently) Halloween. Add this to Olio’s $5 margheritas that have been running all month, and you could die of pizza overload in one day only. Spooky.

Also, hot dogs

Still feeling the cheap eats need? Hot Dog on a Stick will sell you anything on a stick for $1 if you say the phrase "stick-or-treat" when ordering. Will the shame be too much, forcing you to pay full price?

Tasting menus at Terrine

Terrine will begin offering tasting menus  on Sunday and Monday nights, allowing chef Kris Morningstar the opportunity to try out other, more unique dishes. The first iteration (menu below) is a soft-open of sorts and runs this Sunday and Monday, featuring six courses for $65. The official launch starts the following week, and will contain a different menu.