Here's my Ranking of the Swank for the evening
The Digs: The El Cid in Silverlake
The Gig: The Ditty Bops Wednesday August 3, 2005
The Scene: Old school Hollywood, the El Cid occupies one of D.W. Griffiths’ soundstages used in the filming of the notorious Birth of a Nation. The place itself has been converted into a Spanish style villa complete with a patio bar and dinning area. The restaurant itself rests below Sunset, so your entrance requires a slow amble down sagging paths and skewed staircases that afford a teaser view of the patio below. Come early, and you’ll find performances of Flamenco or Belly Dancing on the small dining room stage. There’ a small balcony with three booths upstairs, but this seating is usually reserved for special guests and early dinners.
The Patio
You can wait out for the late evening performances with a full meal, some tapas, or a cocktail on the two tiered patio. The musical selection is eclectic ranging from Arabic belly dancing beats to French pop a la Gainsbourg. The crowd comes late for the music, a collection of LA hipsters, Silverlake creatives, and even a celeb or two though this writer is clueless to both show and star.
The Ditty Bops were the reason for this adventure. They went on at 11:30, perhaps later than expected and pushed through a couple sound problems with their opening number. Despite the dodgy start, the Ditty Bops humor and enthusiasm carried through the set of mostly new material and exceptional performances. Amanda Barrett’s vaudeville background was obvious with her switching from mandolin, to washboard, to slide whistle, to helium filled balloon. All in all enjoyable show, perfect for the intimate stage of this venue
The Ditty Bops - from the darkness of the balcony
The Cocktail: Sangria, of course, is the specialty for this Spanish lounge, though I opted for a New World Margarita instead
The Low Down: Hip Hollywood Eclectic
The Rank:
(out of a possible 5 umbrella drinks)
El Cid -
Ditty Bops -