Firestone Tire Building - Americana Revisited

[TheCookie]

After years of fits, starts and a painstaking restoration the new iteration of the Firestone Tire Building on La Brea is reborn as a Mid-City gathering space for beers, tacos & friends. We decided it was time to check it out.

So far there are two spots…

All Season Brewing

Old-fashioned & Vodka Pineapple Collins

Haven’t had a beer but our cocktails were very good.

Chicas Tacos

Chicas sells your basic bar food - nachos, tacos, burritos, wings, pizza, fries, couple of vegan options, soft drinks.

I make a lot of guacamole. Do you know how much salt you have to add to end up with salty guacamole?

Buffalo Wings

Salt, salt, buffalo sauce, salt, plump tender wings.

Plain House Wings

Thanks for giving our taste buds & blood pressure a rest - nice, plump, tender on the inside, crispy on the outside. I would order these again.

Korean BBQ & Ranch Dipping Sauces

Korean BQ sauce had the flavors but again with the sodium, ranch dressing was the slimy bottled stuff. I judge these kind of places by the type of ranch they serve the way some might judge a sushi-ya by the knife work on the fish. It’s gotta be powdered Hidden Valley Ranch mixed w/buttermilk or sour cream à la Islands. I mean, how hard is that?

Slow Braised Steak Taco

I didn’t try it but husband said it was just okay. $4.50+

They use the oldest bar trick in the book… serve them salty food and they’ll buy more drinks.

The space is ginormous with a big indoor area w/a few tables, big enclosed eating section & wrap around outdoor patio. It’s obviously a restore, not brand new, shiny, faux-retro fittings. Impressive.

Vibe: Music is 80s & 90s punk, new wave, alternative, no R&B or hip hop. The crowd skews young and the youngers seemed to be enjoying themselves on the patio, letting their hair down after work on a nice, early, balmy eve.

Observation: as with a lot of places decorated in the style of vintage Americana - old photos, cartoons, comic strips, Life magazine covers - the message (probably unconsciously) is the American dream of the 30s & 40s was not one enjoyed by the elders of the current demographic of patrons & employees of today.

Conclusion: the cocktails are good and the beer menu is to be explored, but we’ll probably wait to see what else goes in the space before returning.

On the way home we stopped at a spot representing the Mid-City of today…

Hubs’ beloved El Chato truck is back in full form!

Tacos al Pastor

$1.65 per taco and “the bomb!”

[Hungrydrunk]

I cant wait to check this place out. once we move in, its maybe a mile walk for me and that would be perfect on a weekend. i drove vy the other day and it was packed! i’ll wait until I’m fully vaccinated to go.

[TheCookie]

Welcome to the neighborhood!!!

[BHAppeal]

Yes - I drove by last weekend, and the outdoor space was packed. It did not look like the table distancing requirements were being closely followed. Definitely waiting for full vaccination, plus, given TheCookie’s tepid experience, not somewhere I would rush to go, even though it is in my neighborhood.

[BlurA14]

Earlier hours for El Chato?

[rlw]

@TheCookie

I didn’t try it but husband said it was just okay. $4.50+

@TheCookie

$1.65 per taco and “the bomb!”

Looks like maybe the wrong tacos made it into the space as the food partner.

Which is a bummer because I quite liked Chicas when they opened up in that adorable space downtown, but I haven’t had them since they moved out.

@TheCookie

Observation: as with a lot of places decorated in the style of vintage Americana - old photos, cartoons, comic strips, Life magazine covers - the message (probably unconsciously) is the American dream of the 30s & 40s was not one enjoyed by the elders of the current demographic of patrons & employees of today.

More of this in reports please! It’s interesting to look at the spaces and ways in which we dine through a cultural lens. The faux vintage finishings give me a bit of a Disneyland impression (not necessarily a bad thing) but where whitewashing could be a potential pitfall if we’re just putting a shiny coat of paint over something. Updates and restorations like this don’t really raise that red flag for me, but it’s just something I’ve been thinking about in general when it comes to creating a specific experience for patrons where themes/time periods are being recreated.

[TheCookie]

@BHAppeal

plus, given TheCookie’s tepid experience, not somewhere I would rush to go,

YMMV, but we weren’t impressed. Cocktails were good and it does look like a beer lover’s spot.

For distancing there were a lot of empty tables where we sat in the enclosed area inside, because most want to be outside. Just make sure you wear sunglasses if you go at sunset - the light coming thru the glass was quite warm and the sun was in our eyes.

[Srsly]

Honestly this sounds in line with the other spaces operated by the same owners - Arts District Brewing and Imperial Western, at least.

Solid beer, solid cocktails, ok food, but much more emphasis on the style and the scene. Those other two serve a purpose, but aren’t exactly destination worthy IMO.

[Hungrydrunk]

I’m in it for the beer and cocktails, Yay to day drinking and walking home.
I understand that the food wasn’t great and I’m ok with that. Most breweries usually don’t have food or wont have great food. I’m not expecting much.

[Helper_Monkey]

@Hungrydrunk

Yay to day drinking and walking home.

No truer words have ever been spoken. Can’t wait for this to become a part of normal life again.

[hppzz]

is you’re new back yard finally getting done?

[Hungrydrunk]

nope not yet, we’re redoing the foundation of the house since the house is almost 100 years old and that needs to get done first. Hopefully everything will come together and the house will be ready in October. **fingers crossed

[hppzz]

maybe you can still make plans for the dome.

[TheCookie]

Hi @rlw -

I wasn’t sure if I should expound on a food board. But I think living in L.A., in particular this area - which racially has the most equal mix of people in all of Los Angeles County - the observations are worth noting.

The new Firestone being a restoration of the original property is impressive, expensive and commendable from a historical perspective, but didn’t make me feel anything either way. The observation that did was this - 95% of the employees were POC and the patrons looked like an ad for the United Colors of Benetton, but the music - all songs we know and love - was solidly rock not roll and the people on their wall art of old photos, magazine covers & vintage illustrations were all white folks. So when describing the asthetics it came to mind that the designers’ idea of what the good ol’ days looked like did not include the parents and grandparents of most of their patrons & employees today. But! It was only an observation. I’m not going to start picketing outside the place or anything.

[TheCookie]

@Hungrydrunk

I’m in it for the beer and cocktails, Yay to day drinking and walking home.

Get hammered at Firestone and pickup tacos from El Chato on the way home! Welcome to the neighborhood!

[rlw]

I totally agree the observations are worth noting (and see the hesitancy to go further into politics), but I’m glad you brought it up! IMHO even recognizing that there’s a disconnect like the one you’ve pointed out is a valuable contribution because it makes us stop and think about how we as Angelenos can create a more inclusive community

[Luluthemagnificent]

@BlurA14

Earlier hours for El Chato?

Yes, they start at 7pm now. Praise God.

[robert]

Beer is very good, at least the amber lager and saison are. So far I’ve seen no images of mid-century Caucasians.

Quesadilla from Chicas was good and a lot of food, though scalding hot and stacked like that, hard to eat without utensils. Salsa was excellent and surprisingly spicy. WTF does “Michelin award-winning flour tortilla” mean?

Menu - Chicas Tacos

[Emglow101]

Well said

[TheCookie]

In case anyone’s wondering, yes, there were POC on the cover of Life in the 1950s.