Keeping it all about good friends, good food
AFTER acting on TV since 2003 on the CW’s “One Tree Hill,” now on Wednesdays, Sophia Bush craves a little audience reaction. Her plan? “I don’t always see my movies in theaters, but I’ll be there for ‘The Hitcher,’ ” said the L.A. resident, who stars with Zachary Knighton and Sean Bean in the remake of the 1986 scare-fest opening Friday. “I want to see the audience jump.”
TiVo and tacos
If I got a Friday off, I’d spend the afternoon with my boyfriend, Jon Foster, check in with the parents and then wait for my girlfriends to get off work. We’re all pretty exhausted by the end of the week, so we’d probably spend the night sprawled out on my best friend Morgan’s couch in our sweatpants, loving the TiVo and sharing takeout fish tacos from Wahoo’s and a bottle of wine.
Or if we found the energy, we might go out for Argentine food at Lala’s on Melrose -- wonderful food and really good sangria. It has amazing steaks, and you can order a meat platter with steak, chicken and -- if you’re brave -- the sweetbreads. Lala’s also has a delicious dipping sauce that’s almost like chimichurri. Not to be foul, but it’s so good I could lick the container clean.
Woman’s best friend
On Saturday morning we all get together for breakfast, which would be at Doughboys if we want to brave the crowds, or maybe at one of the little hole-in-the-wall cafes we have stashed around the city. No matter where we go, I generally spend my mornings around a plate of French toast and eggs and a good cup of coffee.
Then I’ll take my dogs to Runyon Canyon. I have a one-eyed pit bull rescue named Patch and a 150-pound blond French mastiff named Ozzie. Just the look on their happy, droolly faces when we get there says it all. There’s something that happens to them when they get out of the car at Runyon. They get so excited that they start to kind of vibrate, first their back end and then their whole body. I love them to the end of the Earth; they’re like my kids. I’ve seen little Pomeranians stick their heads into Ozzie’s mouth to look around, and he’s such a love that he’ll just keep it open until they’re finished. Then I’d go home and spend some quiet time. I don’t feel complete unless I’m reading a lot, so I’d sit on the day bed and read and take in the view.
Later, my girlfriends and I might go out to Starbucks, another of my weaknesses, and get an iced green tea. In the evening, the boys might come over and we’ll all go out for a good dinner at Ago. They have an incredible mushroom risotto, and the Italian kid in me loves it and the carpaccio and pastas, and the great selection of wine.
We’ll also go to this tiny boutique bar, the Dime on Fairfax. It used to be our little secret place to socialize without having to deal with the club crowd, but now it’s packed on weekends.
At the end of the night, right down the street is the best pizza in L.A., Damiano on Fairfax. Nothing makes me happier than going there around 2 in the morning and getting some pizza before I go home.
Sushi Sunday
On Sunday morning I’ll go out for breakfast with my guy in Venice. The Rose Cafe is fantastic, a really light, clean atmosphere with healthy food and a great crowd. You can just wander up Main from there and spend a lazy day popping in at the art galleries and antique shops.
In the evening I’m a big fan of Sushi Mon on 3rd Street. Great specialty rolls. Wabi-Sabi in Venice is also great. Then I’d try to squeeze in a movie. That would be a perfect weekend.
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-- Mark Sachs
