Eat Out. Pupusas at Central Market.

For a quick but tasty lunch in Downtown, nothing satisfies the cheesy-yet-spicy combination that are pupusas served up at the Salvadorian-specialty stand at the Grand Central Market in Downtown LA.

Now most Angelenos have definitely had their share of Mexican cuisine, but El Salvadorian food? Although they are close(ish) neighbors, their food couldn't be more different. These little pancakes can be filled with a variety of meat, beans, cheese, or just cheese with a side of spicy salvadoreño-style sauerkraut.

Theses tasty little filled pancakes are made right in front of you at the stand, and the people are always super nice, giving away tons of hot sauce and pickled, shredded cabbage.

Although it's probably quicker than sitting to eat lunch, they still take a minute to make, so I wouldn't go there on a 15 minute break.

Now I've had my share of pupusas, and these are probably the best I've ever had. Definitely worth a try for any Angel City dweller.

-- Lauren Williams

Photo credit: Courtesy of Foodtruthand beauty and Dog Eat Cat.

Do It. Bid in the Crafts For a Cause auction.

In just pure devotion and stamina alone, the relief efforts for Haiti have been truly awe-inspiring. The country still needs help in rebuilding, though, so here's another creative fundraiser coming your way, which--even if you've already donated--should easily convince you to continue.

For Crafts For a Cause, Binki Shapiro--member of Little Joy, an indie-rock band headed by her boyfriend and Strokes drummer Fab Moretti--rounded up a few of her famous and artsy friends to create one-of-a-kind creations for an unbeatable kind of auction, with all proceeds going to filmmaker Paul Haggis' charity Artists for Peace and Justice.

The line-up of contributors range from the famous to the more-famous, and the items being auctioned are quite, well, priceless. Natalie Portman is offering a signed pair of ballet slippers she wore in the to-be-released film Black Swan, Spike Jonze has an original drawing to sell, Daft Punk (!) is giving away limited-edition and autographed “Daft Punk 1000% Kubricks” toy robots, Mark Ronson is offering his personal production services on an original song (!!). And that's just naming a few items, with more coming in, it seems.

Surely once-in-a-lifetime opportunities are at hand, and it all goes to a good cause! So get out your wallets and get bidding: the auction officially begins today and ends on Mar. 27 at 3pm PST. And if you win that Mark Ronson-produced song, we'd love to hear it! (and join you in the studio?? Ronson's a stud!)

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: Drew Barrymore decorating a camera for auction, courtesy of Crafts for a Cause

Do It. BevMo!'s five cent wine sale.

As a young person still learning about wine, I usually opt for Merlot, most of which I like. This weekend I gained a new appreciation for Pinot Noir while at a friend's house for the Pacquiao-Clottey fight (what I assumed would be a purely pizza and beer kind of night). Two bottles of 2007 Monterey Pinot Noir appeared, and I had a glass of Pessagno. It had a sweetness to it, "impressive for the way the cherry fruit explodes in the mouth", according to Wine Enthusiast via BevMo!, that I wasn't expecting from a Pinot Noir.

On Sunday I went to BevMo! to find a bottle, and the five cent wine sale was going on. While the Pessagno wasn't part of it, Irony (the other bottle present at the party) was. One bottle for $15.99, and the second for $0.05, averaging to be quite a deal for two good bottles. I tried it later that evening, and it was just as delicious, fruit-filled and smooth as the Pessagno.

Check out the sale before it ends.

BevMo! is located at 7100 Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: www.bevmo.com

Eat In. An Italian breakfast.

I remember, as a kid, living across the street from an Italian family and for breakfast some Saturdays, they'd eat yesterday's leftovers scrambled in a pan with an egg over a bed of noodles with some parmesan.

Later, exploring my culinary adulthood, I'd remember trying this dish and making my own modifications. Instead of using last night's leftovers, I would sautee various vegetables in a pan with some olive oil or butter, scrambled with an egg and parmesan.

It's an easy breakfast, but still fancier than a weekday morning meal. Almost any vegetable will do, but broccoli, bell peppers, spinach, tomato, and onion lend themselves to this dish nicely. Also, other cheeses work well if you're short on fresh parmesan.

Basically, this dish works well with just about anything over noodles; it's hard to screw up. I top mine with avocado, which is just icing on an already tasty cake.

But if you're not in a cooking mood, Hugo's Pasta Mama or Pasta Emilia has an excellent rendition of this classic Italian dish.

Hugo's even has a handy video to recreate this amazing dish, as well as a recipe for those of you who want more carefully outlined parameters.

Hugo's is located at 8401 Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood OR 12851 Riverside Drive in Studio City.

-- Lauren Williams

Do It. 'Parks and Recreation' at Largo.

I didn't like Parks and Recreation when it first premiered on TV. Everything felt stunted and it seemed like too much of a rehash of The Office, from (the hot) Rashida Jones character to Amy Poehler's Michael Scott-like demeanor.

So I gave up on for a bit, until I was convinced enough by the end of its first season by loyalists that it had finally found its place. They were right, and now in its second season, Parks and Rec has totally hit its stride. There's just a great chemistry among all the cast members, and they all play off each other really well and connect on hilarious levels. (Go Andy and April!)

Which is why this live show at Largo at the Coronet tomorrow night is sure to be an entertaining time. The cast of the show is set to hit the live stage with Tig Notaro, whom admittedly I don't know much about, but is apparently a comedian who's appeared on the Sarah Silverman Show. There'll be a Q&A with the cast, and basically everyone, including Poehler, Jones, (the always spot-on) Aziz Ansari and Aubrey Plaza, is expected to appear. Don't forget to put on your nice suit--gotta look fly!

Largo at the Coronet is located at 366 N. La Cienega Blvd. The show on Saturday starts at 8pm and is $25.

-- Chau Tu

Do It. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Amoeba In-Store tonight.

Update: tonight's BRMC Amoeba in-store has been cancelled. Check back for rescheduling information, here and on our new Twitter page -- @BEATofyoungLA.

L.A. band Black Rebel Motorcyle Club will be performing live at Hollywood's Amoeba Music tonight, March 12, at 6:00 p.m. As always, the in-store is free! Their latest album, Beat the Devil's Tattoo, was released March 9.

They've just sold out three shows (March 11, 12 and 14) at Echoplex, so arrive early if you want to see and hear them at Amoeba. If you can't make it, or are too tired to face a big crowd tonight, the performance will be live online on amoeba.com.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: eqmag.com

Check It. 'House' at the New Beverly [Guest Post].

As someone who frequented the New Beverly Cinema during the six years I lived in L.A., I was surprised to learn that the theatre nearly closed late last decade. Luckily for movie lovers, Quentin Tarantino came to the rescue of the ailing revival house. So why not show Tarantino some gratitude by catching a showings of Nobuhiko Obayashi’s classic 1977 Japanese “horror” film House (or Hausu, as the cool kids are wont to call it) this weekend?

I put “horror” in quotes, because House isn’t a particularly scary movie. It’s definitely spooky, eerie and unsettling at times, but the film’s more surreal than anything else. That’s what happened when Obayashi, who made his name directing Charles Bronson-starring deodorant commercials, chose to base the film on a story concocted by his eleven-year-old daughter.

Six school girls (with names like Gorgeous, Fantasy and Kung-Fu) journey to the country for a quick vacation, but instead happen upon a haunted house that has no intention of letting them escape alive. Not exactly anyone’s idea of a relaxing time, but it is a perfect example of how strange Japanese pop culture can be. You’d be hard pressed to find an American film that features a bloodthirsty piano, a demonic (but still kind of cute) cat, and random but hilarious bits of nudity.

It sounds weird—and it definitely is—but the film is more than just another crazy Japanese genre flick. House is a truly beautiful film, each frame a perfectly designed and lushly colored sight to behold. The whole thing brings to mind the work of Michel Gondry, a short form auteur who also successfully made the transition to feature length director. It’s not that the work of the two is that similar, but there is a shared sensibility to it. Like the Frenchman, Obayashi is a director determined to put his imagination to celluloid, no matter how odd it may turn out. And as with Gondry, the result is exuberant film making at its best.

Despite being over 30 years old, and having developed quite the cult following, House has never made it to the United States until now. So seize the opportunity and see it this weekend.

House will be showing at the New Beverly Cinema from March 12-17.

-- Bryan Hood

Bryan Hood is a graduate journalism student who traded in the gold-soaked highways of Los Angeles for the frigid hellhole that is Syracuse, NY. He likes his mustache, misses good Mexican food, and is internationally known for being awesome. He also writes for the blog, Yo Stevie Hawksylvania.

Photo credit: Janus Films

Eat Out. The Arsenal [Thirsty Thursdays!].

After a long day at work, finishing that studied-too-much-for exam or maybe just for meeting up with friends, everyone needs that go-to spot for happy hour. For the Westside, that spot should be The Arsenal.

Located on Pico right off the 10, this dark bar is a little confusing at first--the unexpectedly large red-lit space is split up into three random rooms, there are rifles and guns lined up against the walls alongside flat-screen TVs showing the game, a DJ booth sits across from the bar, and the sign on the door just thanked you for not wearing jerseys or baggy clothes. Identity crisis? Maybe, but somehow things stay pretty unpretentious and chill, and after you take a seat in a booth, you'll find the place charmingly cozy.

Plus you'll probably be too distracted by the great happy hour deals you'll be getting. From 5pm-7pm Mon.-Fri. and 6pm-8pm on Sat., The Arsenal offers beers on tap for $3, well cocktails and wines by the glass for $4, and appetizers like skewers for $4-$5. A nice basket of fries (even of the sweet potato variety, if you so wish!) comes for a whopping $2. There are also daily specials, like $1 sliders on Tuesdays and a full burger-fries-beer meal for $10 on another day (Thursdays, I believe).

There's a full-blown kitchen offering burgers and sandwiches, and the bar has a cocktail menu, but I honestly wouldn't bother. Stick to the plan of a nice cold beer, greasy snacks and a cozy corner for relaxing, and The Arsenal will indeed deliver a happy hour.

The Arsenal is located at 12012 W. Pico Blvd. in West L.A.

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: theBEAT

Tweet theBEAT!

We've given in. Keep to the beat and follow us on Twitter @BEATofyoungLA--we'll keep you updated on our latest posts and everything else going on in L.A., and now you can tweet us back with your tips on what's happening too. Happy tweeting!

-- the BEAT of young los angeles

Check It. Manny Pacquiao gear at Niketown.

The pound-for-pound champion has created a clothing line for Nike, and it's selling like hotcakes!

Niketown in Beverly Hills has a wide selection of T-Shirts, athletic shorts, track pants, hoodies, and now this week, the Manny Pacquiao n98 jacket and SC2010 trainers. All of the clothing items have the "MP" logo, in addition to Nike's famous swoosh, and the color scheme (white, red, blue, and yellow) is based on the flag of the Philippines, Pacquiao's home country. Getting a piece of the exclusive line will get you ready for the Saturday March 13 Pacquiao vs. Clottey fight at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas (and broadcast live on HBO Pay-Per-View).

The current issue of Los Angeles Magazine includes a feature on Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, "L.A.'s Lord of the Ring".

Niketown Los Angeles is located at 9560 Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: www.nikeblog.com