Jean P's 99-cent Soul Food Express

[Update: Jean P's was closed, sadly, sometime in early 2009. Alas.]

After seeing Big City Poz's photo of the blue-plate special he whipped up for himself, I was inspired to share this fabulous meal that has a similar combination of protein, starch, and green:


The meal is from Jean P's Soul Food Express, which is on the corner of Adams and Figueroa, tucked into a plaza that is dominated by 7-Eleven and Popeye's Chicken. I had ridden my bike past it numerous times, and was always intrigued by the rusting barbecue grill that they keep in the parking lot. I was skeptical, though, of a place that advertised 99-cent food, so I assuaged my fears first by reading reviews of the place on Yelp.com (oh Yelp, where would we be without ye?).

I walked in at about one in the afternoon and the place was nearly empty. The place is very small, with room for approximately 10 people in the dining area. The buffet was piled with southern food: collard greens, macaroni and cheese, hot links, and many other things that I can't recall at the moment. There was one other person ahead of me, and when I went to order, the woman behind the counter said "Wait a minute, baby." Something about Southern women allows them to get away with calling anyone "baby," I love it.

The meal came to about $8.00 and was actually enough for both a satisfying lunch and dinner for me. The collard greens were some of the best I've had 'round these parts, and the macaroni and cheese was fantastic, creamy and cheesy but still not overwhelmingly rich. The fried chicken was not the most spectacular I've had (which was at Babe's & Ricky's Inn on a Monday night), but it was good, especially with the Louisiana-style hot sauce.

Next time I go, I'll have to actually try some of that barbecue that comes from their parking lot grill!

Jean P's Soul Food Express
2540 S. Figueroa St.
90007

The Metro Ticket Machines Lied To Me

None of the three machines I went to on Sunday evening actually accepted my credit or debit cards. That was frustrating. I'm sure that the non-dedit-card-accepting status of the machines was well-known to folks who are less naive than I.

Tonight: Aratani Courtyard is the place to be

If you can't make it to Little Tokyo, fear not, you can watch the live stream at TNKat.org.

Why Bike?

It's easy to stop and look around for a while.

Vermont & 101 Freeway. Sunset.

El Sereno Loses Antigua

In the short months that I spent living in El Sereno, I found a warm, happy home at Antigua Cultural Coffeehouse. It was a place that was vibrant with community, with a commitment to social justice and to good, fair trade, beautifully roasted coffee. I was drawn to the bright yellow and green interior from the first time I drove by, and when I finally entered, I was amazed by quality of the coffee there. Antigua was where I performed spoken word for the very first time in Los Angeles in November, during a benefit for AB540 students that was organized by the Coalition for Latino Advancement. Months after seeing him perform at UC Irvine, I ran into Quese IMC while he was taking advantage of the Wi-Fi in the cafe. Antigua was always filled with good people and good energy.

I am extremely disappointed that the property owners have deigned not to extend a lease renewal to Antigua. El Sereno will be no longer be home to one of LA's best coffeehouses and a three-year-old community hub. The bright side: another location will be opening in Cypress Park.

Antigua Cultural Coffee House
4386 Huntington Drive South
90032

Announcement: Zero-Point Space

Posted on behalf of friends at Zero-Point Space.

Now accepting submissions:
The Zero-Point Art Collective
Working studio space now available in common room
3000 sq. ft./ high ceilings / east-facing windows / wood floors / second story

You choose your weekly schedule

Month-to-month agreements / workshop / salon environment

Also available for photography & filming, one day art gallery showcases.

Gallery hours forthcoming.

We are open to hosting workshops / classes / social / art-based meetings and groups

We also have a professional sound engineer & can record your work live or in a studio environment, and do vegan treats catering as well

For submissions / inquiries / volunteering / internships:

zeropointspace@gmail.com

Zeropoint.org
1049 E. 32nd St.
90011

Zero-Point on Myspace

I found out about Zero-Point from Mark Ferem, whom I met when I was haunting Lost Souls Cafe on a near-daily basis. In March, Zero-Point an event called the Dream Time which included an exhibit from Mark's book, Bathroom Graffiti.

At the moment Zero-Point will not be able to host any music or extremely loud events due to noise complaints, but I hope that the space can stay open and eventually get soundproofing.

Art is alive in So(uth)Do(owntown).