Smog Cutter

Totally tops. This is one of my favorite dive bars in the city of Los Angeles (pssh, forget dive bars - it's one of my favorite bars PERIOD), and it's right around the corner from my apartment, which makes it even better. Come here on a weeknight if you really want to get in on the karaoke action. The bar stays mostly empty during the middle of the week, and so it's pretty easy to mostly monopolize the mic, and to get some one-on-one time with the crazy Thai bartenders. Be sure to tip them, though, or else they will get extra rowdy. On weekends, come to enjoy the divey atmosphere, friendly crowd, and the old Asian men who inevitably croon on the karaoke machine for most of the night. Watching them is sometimes even more fun than singing yourself. Their drinks are fairly priced, and they mix 'em STRONG. Also, don't forget to hit up the ATM before dropping by, because this place is cash-only.

Let's face it: most cool, eclectic bars can maintain their anonymity for only so long before people catch wind of their charm and they wind up with more drunk USC students than regulars. Smog Cutter has managed to escape this fate for wonderfully weird and awful reasons. Once rumored to be a watering hole/brothel, the "headmaster" so to speak is "Mama" a stout, over-the-hill Asian woman with absolutely no flare for customer service. And she would never care to. If she notices patrons coming in and doing karaoke (which is free) without visiting the bar, she will have no qualms about yelling over an entire crowd, demanding they order some drinks. Mind you, there's no actual stage for crooning - you just sing into a mike in the middle of the bar, which I find much less intimidating. Mama's sidekick for a while was a slight Thai girl whose name escapes me, but her antics don't. She tended to drink more than she actually served, and she would recklessly take the mike from someone's hand if she didn't like their singing. But if she liked the tune, she'd dance the night away with you. She was...simply amazing. (She disappeared from the joint, to which Mama responded "she on vacation!" We assume vacation means rehab.) But the drinks are cheap and above all, everyone comes there to have a good time. The mood is joyous, spontaneous. If you get in Mama's good graces you're set for life. I have such a fondness for Smog Cutter. And the best part is, things like Mama, her 50-something nerdy karaoke host and her drunken sidekick will protect the place from any "coolness" take-over. It truly defines the term "hidden gem".

The Echo was way too packed last Friday night, so my friends and I rolled over here to check this place out. A few of my friends had already been, but this was my first time. Didn't know what to expect at first. It's not exactly the swankiest place in the neighborhood. But I gotta say, this ended up as one of the more memorable nights I've had in LA in a long time. The crowd was cool, the drinks were (relatively) cheap, and the karaoke was HILARIOUS. I'm pretty much opposed to the idea of non-professional singers trying to sing in public, but after three or four glasses of wine, I was suddenly all in. I got almost half-way through Prince's 'Purple Rain' album before the odd little man running the whole thing pulled me off stage. We stayed till closing, then hung out on the sidewalk out front chatting with a few of the regulars (look for Gary and his insane rendition of "New York, New York" every weekend. That guy's the best!). Only downside is parking is pretty scarce, and the area can get a kinda' sketchy late at night. Other than that, I'd definitely recommend. Low-key, fun, and doesn't break the bank!