ONODAWARE: Bodega Bar and Arsenal - My New Favorite Combo

Friday, August 1, 2008

Bodega Bar and Arsenal - My New Favorite Combo

To die for sandwich: Fig Challah and Brie Grilled Cheese

Very Spicy Chicken Pizza

Hey, someone left all their crusts!

Last weekend before my friend Gina moved to New York, we went to Bodega Bar in Santa Monica for dinner and wine, then headed to the Arsenal for drinks and dancing. This weekend, the same thing occured, with different girls. My sister Angie, Daniella, Jessica, and Julie and I stopped off at Bodega for some dinner and wine. Bodega is one of my favorite places to go to after work for some no frills wine and food. Julie and I shared a carafe of the Malbec red, then another one of the Grenache. The 5 of us shared a Chopped Salad with some spring greens, zucchini, jicama, mushroom, and chickpeas all tossed with a light balsamic vinagrette. On came the Grilled Cheese...my favorite dish the whole menu. Bodega orders this special fig challah from some bakery, place slices of brie cheese and grill it up to melt the cheese. Mmm....I love it and luckily we ordered two of them. Next we had the Margherita Pizza...nothing too spectacular, yet just goes well with the wine. Later on we ordered another pizza...the Spicy Chicken...which was exactly what the menu said, very spicy. Not sure what the spice was that made it so hot. We also had the PLT (Portobello, Lettuce, and Tomato) sandwich. Also very good with a light spread of pesto and goat cheese.

After a filling meal at Bodega which included a few glasses of wine, I was nice and toasty. We trekked over to the Arsenal. This bar/lounge is my new Lounge 217. For those of you who ever went to Lounge 217 with me, knows what I am talking about. The Arsenal is just one of those places that you can have a drink, dance, talk to the friendly bartender (Paul), and just always have a good time there. It is reliable and I love it. I love it so much I was there last week, this week, and going there again next week! But that's just me. They play good hip hop/top 40s which you can dance to. Or you can sit in the two side rooms. One of the room is an outdoor lounge with a modern feel. The other room feels like a pub with a bunch of guns/ammo (hence the Arsenal) on the wall. The latter is my favorite, because my beloved Paul the bartender is in this room.

If you are ever in town and want a good time.....visit both of these places!!!