Cooking Channel’s ‘Tripping Out’ stars name 5 favorite L.A. spots

Alie Ward and Georgia Hardstark star in the new Cooking Channel show “Tripping Out with Alie and Georgia.” The show, which premieres Friday, follows two vintage-dress-wearing best friends, who happen to be L.A. residents and mixologists, on their adventures across the country.

The two met through mutual friends about seven years ago, and after a Myspace message and a first friend date, they were inseparable. On their “Tripping Out” trips, they find hidden gems along the way and end each episode with a party at home in tribute to their most recent travel conquest. And, of course, there are plenty of cocktails.

PHOTOS: 23 cool summer cocktails

The girls chatted with Daily Dish and revealed their absolute favorite spots to hang in L.A.

1. Whimsical and always great: Eveleigh

Alie: Whenever we think about hanging out with a cocktail, I always think about Eveleigh. Even though it’s the Sunset Strip and that’s an area I avoid like a war zone. There is a beautiful back patio. Rustic ambiance. Our friend, Dave Kupchinsky, does the drinks there. The cocktails are always a little whimsical, and always great. His Sunday menu is great. It’s a farmers market menu. I love looking up at the cocktail specials. Had a couple drinks up there inspired by us. The Eveleigh lemonade is really good too.

Georgia: I think setting for us is a really big thing. I love the ambiance. I love people watching and great cocktails. What’s really great is that the menu is always changing. He’s always coming up with really interesting cocktails. I like going there and trying what’s on the menu that day. He’s always doing something interesting with infusions with different farmers market flavors.

Eveleigh, 8752 W. Sunset Blvd. West Hollywood (424) 239-1630

2. Favorite place for brunch: Cliff’s Edge

Georgia: Our favorite place for brunch is Cliffs Edge in Silver Lake. Huge trees; canopies of trees; really, really delicious brunch, morning brunch cocktails, and whenever we have like a girlfriend who needs brunch to talk about a breakup or anything, we sit there for hours. We both kind of loathe both mimosas and bloody Marys, and they have really great options other than that. There’s a really good blood orange margarita that’s so refreshing and so bright. It’s a really great alternative to mimosa.

Alie: I’m the only person in L.A. who doesn’t like sitting outside. I require SPF 95 and I love Cliff’s Edge because it’s under such a thick canopy of trees.

8752 W Sunset Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90069
Cliff’s Edge, 3626 W. Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles (323) 666-6116

3. Groundbreaking dishes: Allumette

Alie: We both used to live there (Echo Park). Miles Thompson is the chef. The plates are small but really meticulously prepared. Everything is delicious and interesting and totally hand-crafted. The drinks there are really, really good as well. Serena Herrick did the bar menu. It’s crazy to go there because Miles is such a young kid and he’s already doing these groundbreaking dishes. Everything is beautifully presented. He marries Asian flavors with classic American stuff so everything is really fresh and the way he gets his produce and sources his meat, everything is so carefully selected. You know everything you’re eating is top notch and high quality.

Our favorite dish is the fried oyster. It’s this little thing. One thing that’s always on the menu with a kimchee ranch dressing. He really does marry a lot of great Asian flavors in his food but the fried oyster is perfectly done. One of the smallest, cheapest dishes on the menu. You’ll want to order a few because you’re not going to want to split it. Our favorite drink is called ‘You Only Live Twice’ with sake, gin, Velvet Falernum, citrus and Szechuan peppercorn.

4. Perfect hangout: L&E Oyster Bar

Georgia: It’s a place we just went to for the first time. We went to the bar upstairs. It was bright, open, airy. We sat at the bar and had great glasses of wine and small plates of perfectly done fish and all these different kinds of plates, and we also had oysters and it was this perfect hangout. It would be such a good date place. Have a feeling I’m just going to become a regular there.

L&E Oyster Bar, 1637 Silver Lake Blvd, Silver Lake, (323) 660-2255

5. L.A. tradition feels like home: El Coyote

Georgia: Being from L.A., it’s a tradition for my family. One of the things I love about L.A. that I can’t find anywhere else is our Mexican restaurants. Margaritas, chips and salsa, great food. El Coyote, it’s not really about the food, but the atmosphere and the people who work there and it’s this L.A. tradition. I feel like I’m at home there. Any time anyone in my family has a birthday, it’s there.

El Coyote, 7312 Beverly Blvd. Los Angeles (323) 939-2255

5. So worth the wait: Daikokuya

Alie: I never ever say it right, and I can’t spell it. I know there is always a line, but the bowl on the other end of the line is so worth it. I love getting it spicy and sitting at the bar. You get almost like a pork steam facial. Especially when we’re not filming, we can get as bloated as we want. I usually just go for a bowl of pork fat and salt, and belly up. It’s the best reward after traveling.

Daikokuya, 327 E. 1st St. Los Angeles (213) 626-1680

“Tripping Out with Alie and Georgia” airs Fridays on the Cooking Channel.

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