the BEAT of the week: Taste of the Eastside.

L.A.'s 'eastside' neighborhoods -- including that of Silver Lake, Los Feliz, Atwater Village, Eagle Rock, among others -- have become well-known for their 'hip,' young populations, a sort of nerve center thriving with those who care about all things culture: art, music, fashion.

And you can add food to that list. Among the classic eastside standards like Intelligentsia, Little Dom's and Cliff's Edge have come a slew of new restaurants and eateries in the past few years, enticing foodies and locals alike to dine on some of the best and creative foods coming out of this city.

Need to catch up? Get your forks out. This weekend is the second edition of the Taste of the Eastside, a full-on food and drink fest celebrating all that is cuisine on the Eastside. Participants this year include Elf Cafe, Good Girl Dinette, Hugo's Tacos, L&E Oyster Bar, Malo, Pazzo Gelato, Proof Bakery, Xoia Vietnamese Eats, Eagle Rock Brewery, Golden Road Brewery and Silver Lake Wine. A simple $35 gets you unlimited tastings from all the restaurants, another $10 will also buy you a flight of wines or beer. There'll also be cooking demonstrations, and the proceeds will help to benefit the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, Barnsdall Park, Rose Scharlin Nursery School and SEE Los Angeles.

Time to get hip, and be well-fed while at it.

Taste of the Eastside takes place from 1pm-5pm this Sunday, May 6 at Barnsdall Park, located at 4800 Hollywood Blvd. in Los Feliz. Get tickets here (price goes up the day of the event, so purchase now!).

-- Chau Tu

The Monthly BEAT: Venice. Coffee shops.

I found out just how seriously Intelligentsia takes coffee when I wrote an Archetype piece for Los Angeles Magazine on Intelligentsia (Silver Lake) barista Rachelle Tews.

One of the Chicago-based company's west coast locations is on the very cool Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice, an area that's home to plenty of good beans.

Intelligentsia's Venice Coffeebar is worth checking out for the impressive modern industrial space alone, but you'll surely want to grab an espresso drink, and maybe a pastry, while there.

Other notable Venice-area coffee spots:

Abbot's Habit - a very neighborhood-y sort of hippie-style cafe that serves great coffee. An early morning favorite of mine during my LMU (Birkenstock-wearing) days.

Rose Cafe - reliable coffee, delicious fresh food, and a cute gift shop.

Urth Caffé - you cannot go wrong at Urth. Coffee, tea, breakfast, salad, soup, panini, chocolate cake, it's all spot-on. Technically this is in Santa Monica, not Venice, but it is on Main Street, which is just around the corner from Abbot Kinney.

Bring a newspaper to Venice this weekend and stop by one of these places for a relaxing morning and a stroll down Abbot Kinney and/or Main Street!

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: LA Weekly

Drink It. Intelligentsia Pasadena [Guest Post].

Three years and one summer after breaking bean in Silver Lake and Venice, Intelligentsia, the couture coffee clubhouse hailing from Chicago, flew into Old Town Pasadena on its famous brewshtick with a shoulder-bumping grand opening party earlier this month.

The 73-seat lofty-aired space, with alley and sidewalk entrance, houses communal tables, church pews, wide open street side windows and electric blue walls perfect for a quick java fix or a sit-down lunch with small plates served up via chef Matthew Poley of Heirloom LA. The double bar is manned with primly trimmed and ‘stached baristas who’ll soon be slinging a different kind of brew in addition to the house blend: Los Feliz's Covell Bar GM Matthew Kaner will offer up a selection of wines and beers for the tap happy. Nummy pastries a la Bottega Louie and Cake Monkey Bakery are served daily, in addition to talks of Poley filtering in grilled cheese nights and a whole pig roast.

Beyond the bustling G.O. party (which had a line wrapped around the back alley), it’s been a quiet stream of laptop laden studs, modelesque espresso sippers, a woman dictating a script to the mysterious caller and the occasional hipster in for a routine inspection. All in all, just your average cuppa joes.

*A sweet treat must-try: Chocolate Locket Cookies Chocolate sable cookies (courtesy of Cake Monkey Bakery) are filled with house made caramel and sprinkled with Fleur de Sel. Life changing.

-- Nairi Najarian

Photo credit: Intelligentsia

Eat Out. Intelligentsia.

Overheard on a busy Saturday afternoon, in line at Intelligentsia Silverlake:
Boy 1: "So what's the big deal about this Intelligentsia place anyway? Why is everyone so crazy about it?"
Girl: "Oh, you'll see."
Boy 2: "Yeah, it's basically like crack."

That's one way to put it. The popular coffeehouse opened here just a mere three years ago, but quickly became a hip mainstay, later expanding to Venice on the Westside, and in the near future--the north in Pasadena.

So what's the big deal, right? I wouldn't quite liken it to an addictive substance, but the coffee here is excellent. The baristas here certainly know their coffee and tea, and are willing to spew off a billion different adjectives for any chosen variety. I tend to opt for the mocha or the cappuccino, simply because I can't resist the creaminess of their froths. They're also never too sweet (the mocha obviously being made from real chocolate) and are pretty decently priced, in terms of artisan coffee. And this time, I splurged ($2.75) on an irresistible caramel shortbread cookie with chocolate filling...do I even need to say it was worth it? Because it totally was. Leslie got the chai, pictured at top above.

The Sunset Junction was especially buzzing this afternoon, and Intelligentsia was no exception. It can be difficult at times to find a seat, but the outside seating space is still strangely nice and cozy, perfect for a day out catching up with friends. And who wants to go to Starbucks again, right? Pretend you're a coffee connoisseur and impress your friends with your hip taste--maybe you'll even get a little addicted.

Intelligentsia in Silverlake is located at 3922 W. Sunset Blvd.

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: theBEAT