 Fred 62
File this under "alternative greasy spoon" in whatever improbable filing cabinet you are keeping your Loud Bassoon Dining Guide reviews in. Fred 62 is a 24-hour dive in the hip Los Feliz area of LA … actually I have a theory that nothing in LA is authentically hip, but that many things in LA are inadvertently cool, if you can follow the distinction. It's like, the ways in which LA tries are inevitably not hip, yet many aspects of it just end up being cool simply for all the LA-ness. Like, the swing dancing revival started in LA, but that wasn't and still isn't hip … but it is fun to swing dance, and gives anyone a sense of being cool. Ah, but I don't know anymore, considering my definition of hip is someone who fills a whole room with pillows to achieve the perfect nap.
Anyway, the menu here is pretty much diner fare – the same sort of stuff you'd find at Denny's, but with a southern California presentation and a hipster attitude. Menu items include "Punk Tart" (basically a pop tart), "Hippie Style Pot Pie," "Fairfax High" and "Jew French Toast," so there's something for everyone … a good place for Veg. and flesh gnawers alike. I dined there with Companion 888, who had a bowl called Rice Deli (basically tofu and rice with veggies), and I couldn't resist ordering the Tofu 2000 (a/k/a Tokyo Tofu) which was essentially the same thing, but no rice and more tofu. I also had a lemonade, which has been my drink of choice for my whole stay in LA – the preponderance and accessibility of good lemonade has been a thing of good boding. The meal was good, the atmosphere is intentionally scuzzy (they did have a sandwich called the Bukowski, which explains what they're aiming for), and the service is good, with a somewhat forced edginess that isn't off-putting. Parking was fine and prices were reasonable to high (the whole meal was about $18). The walls were lined with celebrity photos, but old-school celebrities, none of this Penelope Ann Miller crap. (?) The floorplan hinged around a typical lunch counter island surrounded by barstools, with booths lining the walls. Overall a good "cool" place with decent menu options for all dietary persuasions. "Eat now dine later" is their motto, another slogan reading "We make the food you have always had, like you have never had before." Your mainstream friends will probably be very confused at the whole approach, but anyone who likes their cynical side catered too every once in awhile will get a kick out of it. The food is damn filling too.
Review by La Fée, September 1999 |