Eastside(ish) Edit: Emily Fiffer's July Favorites
This month, we asked Botanica's Emily Fiffer to give us her hot tips on local gems, from secret saunas to vintage shopping to tasty treats and more.
Community is everything to us. SLRC wouldn't be what it is today without support from local restaurants, shops, and organizations. This monthly round-up is our way of sending love right back to the people and places that make Silver Lake, Los Feliz, and East L.A. so special.
Emily Fiffer is the co-owner of Botanica, a former editor, book lover, and the writer behind the Substack read, eat, repeat. She always has her finger on the pulse of what’s happening around town, so we asked her to guest-curate Eastside(ish) for July. Here are her can’t-miss picks.
Dinner With...Julia Sherman at Botanica
Shameless plug! I love our Dinner With ... series, where we collab with our favorite chefs and creatives. On July 20, Julia Sherman (a.k.a. Salad for President) will be joining us for a delicious dinner. We’ll be serving our regular menu, plus a slew of specials from Julia. Reservations can be made via Resy.
Botanica, 1620 Silver Lake Blvd., botanicarestaurant.com
Doubting Thomas espresso con panna (and egg white frittata)
I try to hit Doubting Thomas on off hours because their lines can snake around the block—with good reason. So much more than a coffee shop, they have one of the best pastry cases in town and my favorite coffee drink ever: espresso con panna (espresso with whipped fig-leaf cream). Get it iced, you won’t be sorry. Bonus points if you can grab a slice of their egg-white frittata before they 86 it for the day.
Doubting Thomas, 2510 W. Temple Street, doubtingthomas.la
Infrared sauna at The Raven
I spent years getting massages at The Raven Spa before realizing they have a sneaky infrared sauna you can sit in for $45/hour! It’s one of the best ways to treat yourself after running your muscles ragged (my specialty).
The Raven Spa, 2910 Rowena Ave., theravenspa.com
LA Grocery + Cafe
I have to shout out my favorite local grocer. Funnily enough, L.A. is lacking in grocers that actually sell farmers’ market produce, but LA Grocery not only fills that hole, they also have a cafe serving locally sourced dishes (don’t sleep on the gochujang marinated tofu!), weekend Little Fish pop-ups for your seafood needs, and they’re just about the nicest, friendliest people on the planet.
LA Grocery + Cafe, 5059 Melrose Ave., lagroceryandcafe.com
Vidiots
Why live in L.A. if you don’t love going to see movies?! As films grow more and more Marvel-coded, it’s super important to support independent cinema. Vidiots is a nonprofit that shows some of the best films around. Marking my calendar for Tombstone on July 26!
Vidiots, 4884 Eagle Rock Blvd., vidiotsfoundation.org
Porch Sessions
I was introduced to this amazing music series via our famous barista-server-bartender Scott, who is also a musician that performs under the name Giantfellow. I went to see him at Porch Sessions and was in awe of this amazing event. Each month, the founders curate a tiny concert on their Pasadena porch. The show runs just over an hour and you’ll discover musicians you might not have heard of (but are so good they should be famous). The next one is on July 27.
Porch Sessions, wonderandaweproductions.com/porch-sessions.html
Staklena Kuca
Smack in the middle of my neighborhood (dangerous), Staklena Kuca is an incredible vintage shop that quietly opened last year. They have a great combo of designer and non-designer-but-cool clothing, as well as homewares. I can never resist popping in on my daily walks.
Staklena Kuca, 865 N. Virgil Ave., staklenakuca.com
L.A. Sparks
If you haven’t gone to a WNBA game in L.A. yet, what are you waiting for? There’s more excitement than ever around women’s sports. The Sparks are SO fun to watch, the tickets are cheap, and the fans are rabid. Whether they win or lose, you’ll leave happy.
Coconut soft serve at Erewhon
I know, I know: Erewhon doesn’t need any more press. But as someone who loves soft serve and feels like there’s a dearth of good options on the east side (especially for non-dairy folks), the coconut soft serve at Erewhon is sheer bliss. I get it plain and top it with salty peanut butter granola that I make at home.
Erewhon, 4121 Silver Lake Blvd., erewhon.com
Los Angeles State Historic Park
You might not be familiar with this public green space tucked into Chinatown, but once you discover it you won’t be able to stay away. L.A. sadly lacks the number of public parks it deserves (we prefer golf courses, I guess?), but the State Historic Park is a gem. It’s excellent for picnics and walks, plus they host a kite festival every May that’s pretty incredible. They also have regular Wellness Yoga and Art in the Park events.
Los Angeles State Historic Park, 1245 N. Spring Street, lastatehistoricpark.org