Visitors are welcomed by the neighborhood mainstay Gary Bric’s Ramp.

Right around whereHollywood Waymeets the 5 freeway, you’ll find an unassuming little building – wood slats aged by fifty summers, bleached yellow sign, and small adjoining parking lot. Inside, you’ll find some of the best food in the city.

Gary Bric’s Ramp, owned eponymously since April of 1993, has built a reputation over the years as a no-nonsense neighborhood eatery, satisfying a fiercely dedicated customer base. Indeed, sometimes the place is so overwhelmed by its fans that Bric himself has to go outside to park cars. The attention is well deserved.

The summer can be a sweltering month inBurbank, and I decided to seek out Gary Bric’s for an air conditioned escape from the heat and, I hoped, a lunch that would live up to the numerous accolades posted on its website. Among its many awards, the restaurant has earned the distinction of serving the best cheeseburger in the area, according to the Burbank Times.

Many readers will understand that although a cheeseburger may seem like simple fare, a good one is deceptively difficult to make. An essential alchemy must take place between the quality of the meat, its seasoning, the tenderness of the bun, and the texture and grade of the cheese. Any fixings served alongside must be fresh and crisp (anyone who’s had a burger spoiled by a mealy tomato understands this well).

A Gary Bric cheeseburger is a work of art. All details are meticulously attended to, even the size of the patty relative to the bun is considered – you won’t finish with an unsightly, ketchup-soggy rind of bread on your plate. While many if not most restaurants skimp on the quality of the meat, all of Gary Bric’s are of the ideal 88/12 ratio, leaving just enough fat for marbling (compared to fast food restaurants, known to use a 70/30 blend). Additionally, the 8 oz. hand-made patties are fresh, not frozen, a difference you can taste immediately.

The food is a reflection of the restaurant’s owner. Bric, a former Mayor of Burbank and sitting Councilmember, is a stolid and forthright man, honest and practical. One gets the sense in speaking with him that he is unwaveringly fair in his dealings with staff and vendors alike, and that his character is symbiotically linked with the success of his business. While I was his guest, Bric was a consummate host, allowing me to tour his kitchen (spotless), and freely offering candid insights about the daily management of a restaurant.

Menu highlights include the broiled Western Australian coldwater lobster tail, the prime steaks, and of course, the burgers. If you enjoy good food in a family-owned establishment, value for your dollar, and a policy discouraging cell phone use in the restaurant (something I hope will proliferate elsewhere), you’ll be well at home here.

When Gary Bric says “We’re just basically a neighborhood place, [but] I’ll put my food up against anybody,” you can rest assured that if anything, his claim is an understatement.

Meals Served: Lunch & Dinner

Cost: $$

Value: Great

Credit Cards Accepted: Amex, Visa, Discover, MasterCard

Parking: Yes

Gary Bric’s Ramp is located at 7730 North Hollywood Way,
Burbank, CA 91505-1039. They can be reached at (818) 768-6499.

Visitors are welcomed by the neighborhood mainstay Gary Bric’s Ramp.

Right around where Hollywood Way meets the 5 freeway, you’ll find an unassuming little building – wood slats aged by fifty summers, bleached yellow sign, and small adjoining parking lot. Inside, you’ll find some of the best food in the city.

Gary Bric’s Ramp, owned eponymously since April of 1993, has built a reputation over the years as a no-nonsense neighborhood eatery, satisfying a fiercely dedicated customer base. Indeed, sometimes the place is so overwhelmed by its fans that Bric himself has to go outside to park cars. The attention is well deserved.

July can be a sweltering month in Burbank, and I decided to seek out Gary Bric’s for an air conditioned escape from the heat and, I hoped, a lunch that would live up to the numerous accolades posted on its website. Among its many awards, the restaurant has earned the distinction of serving the best cheeseburger in the area, according to the Burbank Times.

Many readers will understand that although a cheeseburger may seem like simple fare, a good one is deceptively difficult to make. An essential alchemy must take place between the quality of the meat, its seasoning, the tenderness of the bun, and the texture and grade of the cheese. Any fixings served alongside must be fresh and crisp (anyone who’s had a burger spoiled by a mealy tomato understands this well).

A Gary Bric cheeseburger is a work of art. All details are meticulously attended to, even the size of the patty relative to the bun is considered – you won’t finish with an unsightly, ketchup-soggy rind of bread on your plate. While many if not most restaurants skimp on the quality of the meat, all of Gary Bric’s are of the ideal 88/12 ratio, leaving just enough fat for marbling (compare to fast food restaurants, known to use a 70/30 blend). Additionally, the patties are fresh, not frozen, a difference you can taste immediately.

The food is a reflection of the restaurant’s owner. Bric, a former Mayor of Burbank and sitting Councilmember, is a stolid and forthright man, honest and practical. One gets the sense in speaking with him that he is unwaveringly fair in his dealings with staff and vendors alike, and that his character is symbiotically linked with the success of his business. While I was his guest, Bric was a consummate host, allowing me to tour his kitchen (spotless), and freely offering candid insights about the daily management of a restaurant.

Menu highlights include the broiled Western Australian coldwater lobster tail, the prime steaks, and of course, the burgers. If you enjoy good food in a family-owned establishment, value for your dollar, and a policy discouraging cell phone use in the restaurant (something I hope will proliferate elsewhere), you’ll be well at home here.

When Gary Bric says “We’re just basically a neighborhood place, [but] I’ll put my food up against anybody,” you can rest assured that if anything, his claim is an understatement.

 Meals Served: Lunch & Dinner
Cost: $$
Value: Great
Credit Cards Accepted: Amex, Visa, Discover, MasterCard
Parking: Yes 

Gary Bric’s Ramp is located at 7730 North Hollywood Way, Burbank, CA 91505-1039. They can be reached at (818) 768-6499.

James Moseley, also known as “The Bone Man.”

One’s taste in music can be a divisive issue – advocates of death metal may find little common ground with aficionados of Perry Como, and even mutually devoted fans of a genre will disagree on minutiae. But there may be a larger division across the spectra of musical preference, with two distinct camps: those who like easy listening and those who don’t.

James Moseley’s album, James Moseley with Roger Williams and members of the London Symphony Orchestra, will certainly impress fans of easy listening.

“The concept was to give people beautiful music that they already enjoy in a beautifully rich way that only an orchestra of this quality can deliver and then collaborate with great soloists with whom I respect and others love listening to,” Moseley said.

Indeed, some of the tracks are renditions of my personal favorites, including John Barry’s theme from Somewhere In Time. I have always considered it a perfect piece, expressing the most delicate feelings of love and loss, and I was surprised that it was Moseley’s trombone, instead of a wind or string, that carried the melody. Other notable selections include a “south-of-the-border” arrangement of the ‘70s pop hit “Alone Again, Naturally,” and an arpeggio-dominated cover of “The Rose.”

Moseley’s talents are widely known; he was even a finalist in the submission process for a Grammy nomination.

“Jim’s sharp technical skill is balanced and accented by his wonderfully gifted tone,” Bob Hope once said of the musician. “I have shared audiences with both Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey, and Jim is certainly in their league.”

Moseley credits most of his stylistic influences to his mentor Carl Fontana, a former band mate of such luminaries as Elvis, Paul Anka and Frank Sinatra.

James Moseley with Roger Williams and members of the London Symphony Orchestra will be a most welcome addition to the libraries of those looking for softer interpretations of classic melo-dies. The album will be available for purchase September through all major retail and online vendors.

For more information, visit the Boneman Music label at www.bonemanmusic.com.

An aesthetically-pleasing corrugated metal exterior steps up into a frameless glass lobby area entrance.

The motel is singularly American – a symbol of progress and postwar optimism. Beginning in the mid 1940s and continuing into the ‘60s, virtually every middle-class family could afford a car. Newly constructed interstate highways made vacationing as easy as loading up the Plymouth Fury, tossing in the kids, and pointing the chrome grille down the blacktop. Motels provided simple, clean rooms, convenient car parks, and reasonable rates. But as franchising took hold, places like the Wigwam, Aztec, and Route 66 Motel were quickly outnumbered by the likes of Days Inn, Best Western, and Motel 6. Glorious neon signs and wonderfully gaudy individuality gave way to typical corporate blandness. Classic motels have now been absorbed into the same ranks as drive-in theaters and soda fountains – the few, far between, and fading relics of our cultural consciousness.

At least that’s what I thought until I visited the Tangerine Hotel. What was until recently the noble but decaying Holiday Lodge, built in 1962 in the classic California style, now represents a gleaming rebirth of the motel model. While the essential bones of the Holiday Lodge have been preserved, it has otherwise been completely renovated to serve contemporary needs without sacrificing aesthetic sensibility. The Tangerine Hotel is no less a knockout than any of its classic brethren – rich orange trim accentuates natural wood paneling, the pool shimmers behind a stylish glass partition; even the parking lot, composed of interlocking rows of stone, catches the eye. And although it’s located on a chic and bustling stretch of Riverside, the Tangerine is quiet and insulated; the architecture, colors, and amenities creating an atmosphere of serenity and relaxation.

Each room contains 15 different mural designs with a unique look and feel.

An operation of this kind can only be accomplished with slavish attention to detail. The credit belongs to attorney Amitesh Damudar, who decided to revitalize his family’s business, with customer service being of their utmost priority. Dedicated to his vision of creating a new kind of motel, he assembled a team of first rate artists, technicians, and designers. The result is an establishment that blends elegance and practicality.

The rooms are designed in accordance with Japanese-influenced minimalism — uncluttered, spacious, and perfectly clean. However, each boasts a unique mural of vibrant photographic art, stretching from floor to ceiling in a poetry of sweeping swirls, magnified water droplets, and flowing geometric patterns. The original tables have been refinished, their tops now matching each room’s respective palette. Further artistic touches include Caesarstone counters, Grohe fixtures, and tissue box holders made of compressed sunflower seeds. Customers have a choice between polished concrete or carpeted floors, and the towels and linens are of the highest quality.

Damudar explains, “When you step into [each] room you get a different feel. We want to make things as comfortable as possible for our guests, but also visually appealing.” Indeed, Damudar’s work is an encouraging sign – that a new generation of Americans are breaking away from homogeneity, dusting out the corners of our collective history, and bringing love and personality back to our landscape.

The interior of Summer Canteen at night.

Los Angeles has long had a love affair with Thai cuisine. Hollywood’s Thai Town supports blocks of restaurants, each of which are nearly full to capacity during dinner service. The Valley boasts dozens of wonderful establishments, and many of our readers will surely have had the “who makes the best curry” debate. In recent years, the large variety of choices has increased competition for the attention of our palettes.

One four-week-old restaurant perhaps may be the most exciting addition to North Hollywood’s restaurant scene in years. The brainchild of restaurateur Eric Sansangasakun, Summer Canteen features a menu at once exotic, familiar, and wholly delicious.

Upon entering, one first notices the interior design – bold modern lines, large windows, and high ceilings set the stage for an inviting dining experience. Elegant gray stucco walls are smartly accentuated by vibrant Thai pop art, and a service area up front allows customers to see their food being prepared (a mark of only very confident restaurants). The tables and chairs, darkly varnished wood and stainless steel, respectively, compliment the total picture in a balance of warm and cool colors. The result is an atmosphere that’s young and hip without being aloof.

And then, of course, the food. The first item to arrive at my table was one of Eric Sansangasakun’s signature dishes, the miang kham – “leaf-wrapped savory nibbles.” Six perfect spinach leaves, green and robust, cradled a delect-able mixture of ginger, lemon zest, coconut, shallot, tama-rind caramel, chili, and pea-nuts, each topped with a plump shrimp.

Next up was another house specialty, the Burmese Tea Leaf Salad (featured on the cover of this issue), a dish that could delight even the most complacent taste buds. Homemade pickled tea leaves, romaine, whole cashews, peanuts, dried shrimp, tomatoes, fried garlic, and pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower seeds are mixed tableside to create a culinary wonder.

Summer Canteen’s special Orange Chicken.

For my entree, I couldn’t resist the Pad Thai. I was curious to see how Summer Canteen would handle such a traditional dish, and they didn’t disappoint. The thin, flat rice noodles were al-dente, the chicken tender and juicy, and the accompanying egg roll crisp and light. To wash it down, I had the homemade lemon ginger soda.

I noticed the menu featured two desserts, the Thai staple “mango sticky rice,” which I always enjoy, and something I hadn’t before tried, “fried banana with coconut flakes.” I received the latter, and it will be long remembered – lightly battered, deep-fried chunks of banana served alongside honey and chocolate dipping sauce.

What makes Summer Canteen so special is its seamless fusion of Thai and other Southeast Asian cooking traditions – all using authentic spices – resulting in surprising flavor combinations. Fans of chicken satay, Vietnamese pho noodle, panang curry, and orange chicken will all find their beloved dishes presented in exciting new ways a must.

Summer Canteen
4444 Lankershim Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA
(818) 985-6611
Hours: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. Daily
www.summercanteen.com

• cost: $$
• value: great
• meals served: lunch, dinner
• parking: yes
• credit cards: yes

Visitors are welcomed by the neighborhood mainstay Gary Bric’s Ramp.

Right around where Hollywood Way meets the 5 freeway, you’ll find an unassuming little building – wood slats aged by fifty summers, bleached yellow sign, and small adjoining parking lot. Inside, you’ll find some of the best food in the city.

Gary Bric’s Ramp, owned eponymously since April of 1993, has built a reputation over the years as a no-nonsense neighborhood eatery, satisfying a fiercely dedicated customer base. Indeed, sometimes the place is so overwhelmed by its fans that Bric himself has to go outside to park cars. The attention is well deserved.

July can be a sweltering month in Burbank, and I decided to seek out Gary Bric’s for an air conditioned escape from the heat and, I hoped, a lunch that would live up to the numerous accolades posted on its website. Among its many awards, the restaurant has earned the distinction of serving the best cheeseburger in the area, according to the Burbank Times.

Many readers will understand that although a cheeseburger may seem like simple fare, a good one is deceptively difficult to make. An essential alchemy must take place between the quality of the meat, its seasoning, the tenderness of the bun, and the texture and grade of the cheese. Any fixings served alongside must be fresh and crisp (anyone who’s had a burger spoiled by a mealy tomato understands this well).

A Gary Bric cheeseburger is a work of art. All details are meticulously attended to, even the size of the patty relative to the bun is considered – you won’t finish with an unsightly, ketchup-soggy rind of bread on your plate. While many if not most restaurants skimp on the quality of the meat, all of Gary Bric’s are of the ideal 88/12 ratio, leaving just enough fat for marbling (compare to fast food restaurants, known to use a 70/30 blend). Additionally, the patties are fresh, not frozen, a difference you can taste immediately.

The food is a reflection of the restaurant’s owner. Bric, a former Mayor of Burbank and sitting Councilmember, is a stolid and forthright man, honest and practical. One gets the sense in speaking with him that he is unwaveringly fair in his dealings with staff and vendors alike, and that his character is symbiotically linked with the success of his business. While I was his guest, Bric was a consummate host, allowing me to tour his kitchen (spotless), and freely offering candid insights about the daily management of a restaurant.

Menu highlights include the broiled Western Australian coldwater lobster tail, the prime steaks, and of course, the burgers. If you enjoy good food in a family-owned establishment, value for your dollar, and a policy discouraging cell phone use in the restaurant (something I hope will proliferate elsewhere), you’ll be well at home here.

When Gary Bric says “We’re just basically a neighborhood place, [but] I’ll put my food up against anybody,” you can rest assured that if anything, his claim is an understatement.

Meals Served: Lunch & Dinner
Cost: $$
Value: Great
Credit Cards Accepted: Amex, Visa, Discover, MasterCard
Parking: Yes

Gary Bric’s Ramp is located at 7730 North Hollywood Way, Burbank, CA 91505-1039. They can be reached at (818) 768-6499.

Troy Blendell (right) and Joe Egender search for lost loved ones after 9/11 in Theatre of NOTE’s “Shake” by Jonathan Fardon.

Whether we like it or not, the events of September 11th, 2001, are a permanent part of our cultural consciousness. That date, unlike any other in recent history, represents the sharpest division in our timeline – the way things were before, and the way they’ve been since. Indeed, the subject is so charged with inchoate emotion and unutterable loss that few attempts to quantify it artistically have succeeded. Hollywood’s Theater of NOTE, however, has again proven itself a major force in urban storytelling with what may stand among the most impressive theatrical responses to 9/11. Shake, the new play from scribe Joshua Fardon, offers that most elusive and precious balm – human truth.

In August of 2002, Bill (Joe Egender) encounters his erstwhile lover Peggy (Alina Phelan) on a street in Manhattan. Their tentative reunion soon reveals that Peggy’s life is in tatters – after planting a cherry bomb in her acting coach’s mailbox and getting evicted from her apartment, she now lives homeless in the park. Bill, exhausted and jittery, is looking for his former AA buddy who has recently vanished. From there the play moves backward, gradually revealing in twelve mini acts (one for each month) the events that lead up to the first scene. The final act, titled “September 10, 2001,” is the most poignant of all, as we already know where the characters will be a year later.

Shake doesn’t tell the story of 9/11 through the eyes of selfless heroes. The men and women we follow are deeply flawed, troubled, and self-destructive. But their humanity, with all its concomitant warts and missteps, is the very thing we need to make sense of our own pain. Masterful direction and an extraordinary cast further propel the production into a wholly rewarding theater-going experience. An essential addition to this summer’s calendar.

Shake, by Joshua Fardon; dir: Kiff Scholl, with Troy Blendell, Hiwa Bourne, Alina Phelan. Runs from July 30 – Sept. 5, Fri/Sat 8:00 p.m.; Sun 7:00 p.m. Admission: $18 students/seniors; $22 adults. Theater of NOTE is located at 1517 N. Cahuenga, Hollywood 90028 and can be reached at (323) 856-8611 or by visiting. www.theaterofnote.com.

J.T. Horenstein’s piece at the Edge Performing Arts Center.

Dance is perhaps the most fragile mode of performance – at its highest levels impossible without years of total immersion, and even then at the mercy of bodily changes, injury, nerves, even the texture of the floor. It is rare and humbling to see dance, the living art, manifested so exquisitely through such young artists.

The Edge Performing Arts Center, the West Coast’s premier academy of dance, awards scholarships each year to twenty talented teenagers. The program is grueling, with the students dancing up to sixty hours a week. Over the course of their study, they are exposed to the traditional foundation of ballet, tap, and jazz, and then styles as diverse as hip-hop, hula, and gymnastics. The resulting graduate is a kind of über-dancer, a hyper-sensitive, beautifully physical being – unparalleled in ability to transpose the most sophisticated emotional states into movement. As a result, the program has a 100% success rate in placing Edge alumni in professional careers.

The students’ graduation is marked by a closing dance program, an extraordinary display of explosive choreography and technical prowess. Industry professionals religiously attend the event, as it presents an opportunity to view the latest available talent in the dance world.

This year’s show, entitled Snapshot (for the clever use of still photography to introduce a piece’s theme), played from July 22-24 at the glorious Nate Holden Theater. Audiences were treated to a jaw-dropping showcase worthy of Broadway – vibrant, moving, and comedic dance numbers dealing with themes as primal as lust, desire, love, longing, and pain.

Producer Bill Prudich and his staff have again demonstrated that the Edge Performing Arts Center sets the standard of excellence in dance instruction and performance.

Kazumi Zatkin.

(Note: Last week, we published a review of this collection of plays. We are reviewing it again to reflect the new cast.)

Noh is one of Japan’s great cultural treasures – an ancient, highly codified theatrical style blending ritual, song, comedy, and drama. Children of Noh actors would begin their apprenticeships early and dedicate their lives solely to their craft. Even today, true mastery of Noh requires years of study and discipline.

Yukio Mishima, the troubled nationalist and preeminent author of disaffected postwar fiction, wrote several modern reboots of classic Noh plays. While they dispense with codified gestures and masks and incorporate contemporary subject matter, the standards and respect afforded authentic Noh are ostensibly still upheld. The Luna Playhouse production of Mishima’s work, previously lauded, has fallen prey to a problematic cast change.

Luna’s program features two Mishima plays, Hanjo and The Lady Aoi, bookending two smaller pieces, Oboro-Zukiyo (a fan dance and song), and Hana-Ko, a Kyogen (traditional light comedy). Oboro-Zukiyo, performed as a solo by Alpha Takahashi, represents the best of the four pieces, showcasing Takahashi’s considerable talents in fan manipulation.

Hanjo, about a suitor trying to pry a former Geisha away from a jealous woman, manifests as a patchwork of flubbed lines, affectation, and staginess. Stepanian’s static direction has actors standing stock-still for minutes at a time, reciting their lines, and then moving mechanically to their next bit of blocking.

The remaining acts offer no reprieve – Hana-Ko is embarrassing in its total lack of humor and The Lady Aoi filled with histrionics and stilted line deliveries. Perhaps the alternate cast, still advertised on the playbill, offers a different experience.

Luna Playhouse Presents: Two Plays By Yukio Mishima. Dir. Aramazd Stepanian; Toshi Toda. With: Ed Refuerzo, Grace Li, Irene Park. July 18 – Aug 1; Thurs, Fri, Sat 8:00 p.m.; Sun 3:00 & 7:00 p.m. 3706 San Fernando Rd., Glendale 91204 For tickets call (818) 500-7200 or visit www.itsmyseat.com.

Hustler’s 10th anniversary party.

Larry Flynt, multimedia tycoon and vocal champion of the First Amendment, unveiled the Hustler Casino in the summer of 2000, providing Southern California with a conveniently located gaming center in the heart of Los Angeles. That the casino was able to open at all seemed unlikely to some observers, considering Flynt’s history of agitating the authorities, and there was concern that he might be denied a license on principle. But true to form, Flynt surprised the naysayers, and last weekend Hustler Casino held its 10th birthday party. The event featured photo ops with the Hustler Girls, an appearance by Flynt himself, and a widely attended celebrity poker tournament.

Among the attendees were Baywatch alum Donna D’Errico, FOX L.A.‘s Mark Thompson, actors Corey Feldman and Tom Everett Scott, and other industry professionals. While the tournament was open to the public and anyone was eligible to win the $10,000 jackpot, the celebrities were playing for their favorite charities. Omarosa, of Apprentice fame, told us that she was competing for Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum. “It takes kids from Compton and teaches them a skill…helps them learn how to fly,” said the entrepreneur and star of the new Donald Trump-helmed series, The Ultimate Merger. “It’s a safe haven for them – keeps them from getting involved with gangs or drugs.”

The casino itself might not be what one would expect from the man considered to be perhaps the most influential figure in the porn industry. The décor is fairly sober – rich wood paneling, chandeliers dripping amber crystals, and cream-colored columns. Save for the gift shop touting some Hustler paraphernalia and the requisite presence of suggestively clad cocktail waitresses, there is no overt presence of the source of Flynt’s vast wealth. The focus at the Hustler Casino is definitely on the gaming. Serious card players will enjoy plenty of excitement at the tables, and even those just starting out will find a welcoming atmosphere, with low buy-ins and complimentary instructional games. Those who dislike the constant din of ululating slot machines and rowdy tourists will be grateful for the quieter, upscale game rooms.

Aside from poker, the casino offers blackjack, pai gow, Carribean Stud, and California Baccarat. But perhaps the most obvious appeal to Angelenos with a gambling itch is the location. Instead of the seemingly endless trek on the barren I-15 out to Vegas, hotel room hassles, and stifling crowds, a ten minute drive down the Harbor freeway from downtown will get you to Gardena and the Hustler Casino. And just like Vegas, it’s open all day, every day.