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The Village Idiot may have to be my new “local.”

When I was just out of college, I went to live in London on a work permit for a little while. One of the things I really loved about England, was how you always had a local. Every neighborhood had a pub or two or three or four within stumbling distance of where you lived and this pub would be your local, where you hang out all the time.

You could also adopt a local, if you had a place you liked to go where you felt at home, even if itwasn’t the closest pub to you. I had two locals in London - my physical local and my spiritual local. The physical local was just up the road and I was thrilled to discover that there was a local even in my far northern neighorhood populated mostly by Orthodox Jews, Eastern Europeans and North Africans. My roommate and I would go there on a weekend night and get the highest-alcohol content cider we could find, a basket of scampi and chips and put some songs on the video jukebox and unwind from our working week. Our spiritual local was a few stops down the Northern line in Camden Town. It was called the Good Mixer and we met there with other Anglophile ex-pats and fading Brit-pop stars.

Well, that was a long time ago and wherever I’ve lived since then, I’ve always looked out for a place like that–a place I could call my own, a “Cheers,” if you will–where people know who you are and know what you like and treat you more like a friend than a customer. So when I moved back to L.A. for the second time, I started my search once more. First, it was Max’s, where every drink was $6 and delicious (especially the Max’s “Cream Soda”) and the food was good and you could talk with your friends relatively unannoyed. Well now Max’s is the Dime and has a bouncer and loud music and expensive drinks and … it’s just not local material anymore.

So then it was the bar at the dearly departed Authentic Cafe. Here I found the best bartender in town. His name is Josh and he has since evolved into the world of high fashion, and the restaurant is in restaurant heaven, but while it lasted I knew I could belly up to the bar any time and have good company, great drinks, and a magically discounted bill at the end of the night.

Since Josh left and Authentic Cafe died a slow and lingering death, I have been on the search for a new local. The Snake Pit is not quite right (although the bartender makes a mean gimlet). Whisper Lounge is … well it’s in the middle of the Grove. El Guapo is … gross.

But recently a new restaurant/pub opened in the old Chianti space on Melrose. The place is called the Village Idiot and it’s a kind of modernized, fancified pub. On draft, they feature a nice selection of beers that should satisfy any beer lover as it includes three California smaller brewery beers, a Belgian, Pilsner Urquell, Boddington’s and Guiness for those who want the authentic pub experience (yes, they have Newcastle too–by the bottle) and some ciders. Beers are all $5. They also have a wine list for those who, like my prosecco-craving self, want something a little less malty.

The food is glamourized pub food, including gourmet bangers and mash, fish and chips, meat (and no-meat) pies, and a pub burger. They also have salads and chicken, steak, fish and pork dishes. Main dishes range from $11 to $23 (for a rib-eye steak). Most are between $11-15.

And the food is good. Fish and chips are definitely more gourmet than what I’m used to, but light, fluffy and with a little lemon and malt vinegar do hit the right spot. The pub burger comes with a balsalmic onion relish and your choice of fancy cheeses? Was it good?

Look how quickly it disappeared! It was all a blur to me.

The main thing about the Village Idiot though, is the vibe it sets up. Reservations are not taken, no one is given preference in seating order despite what they are pulling at the box office these days. The owners want this place to be everyone’s local. They want it to be a place where people feel like coming after a heard day, or feel like hanging out with their friends.

Of course, it’s a bit weird eating such a nice dinner in a loud, raucous place with people three-deep at the bar, but that’s part of the fun. The tables are artfully arranged so that many of them are out of the way of the bar area. In particular, the raised booths near the window are a choice spot. Comfortable and a little removed, no wonder people seem to linger in those seats for hours.

I don’t know that the Village Idiot is somewhere I would travel far out of my way to get to. It really is just a slightly upjumped pub. But if I was in the neighborhood, I would definitely stop here for at least a beer, if not a plate of something as well.

The Village Idiot
7383 Melrose Avenue (Between Martel & Fuller)
323-655-3331

Who else is talking about the Village Idiot?

• The Knife
• Chowhound
• Rate-a-Restaurant
• Caroline on Crack
• Dig Lounge

By KT (see more of her posts). You can find more of KT's writing at her own website Gastronomy 101.