Rats in Retrograde 🪐
September 1-14
Welcome back to Ratplay, a seriously unserious newsletter about things to do, people to know, and communities to join in LA.
Hello to the 300+ new rats that have joined since the first newsletter! I recently found out that a community of rats is called a “mischief”. No, I did not make this up. Kismet baby! Welcome to the Mischief. 😎.
First, a bit of nestkeeping: Following some (flattering) feedback, I’ve decided to publish 2x a month (instead of 1x as planned). You’re welcome!
Each newsletter will have upcoming events as well as a blend of restaurants/pop-ups, businesses, creatives, and community features.
Okay. Let’s talk about where the rats are crawling.
Rat Traps 🪤
(Events/Experiences)
9/2-9/3, @ 9am-12pm (add to cal)
Pre-order here ($65)
I grew up in a working-class family where flowers were seen as a waste of money, so I knew I entered my deluxe era when I could buy them weekly without being [too] burdened by guilt 😪. I’m still a bullish Trader Joe’s florist, but the Puni.Petals x Courage Bagels bouquet pop-up is an exception. As far as I can tell, the flowers have nothing to do with the bagels, but it’s an opportunity to get both our bagel and flower fixes in one go, domestic goddesses! Plus, all proceeds will be donated to Maui fire relief funds.
Sunday, 9/3 12-9pm (add to cal)
Free w/ rsvp
I’ll scuttle west for very few things, but a day in West Adams is one of them. The neighborhood shines as a beacon of black creativity in LA, and the West Adams Block Party is the place to experience it all through music, food, vendors and pop-ups. Headlined by legends Arrested Development (!!) and D Smoke, the all day lineup includes artists like DJ Battlecat and Soulection. The meeting point is a restaurant called “Delicious Pizza”…pizza rats, assemble! This is our moment…
9/4 @ 6-10pm (add to cal)
DM @aguitadinnerclub to rsvp
From the kitchen of Diego Argoti (Estrano, Poltergeist) comes Abel Vista, yet another chef diving into LA’s pop-up scene. His dinner club Aguita promises “an experience composed of taste, color, and conversation” curated by artists and chefs, with food inspired by his Mexican roots in Jalisco and Michoacan. Guests will receive a 4 course meal (including drinks) for $15 (or even free if you help out with the dinner), and let’s just take a moment because we know we’ll never read those words about an LA pop-up again :) We can assume they’re keeping prices low while they work out the early days kinks, so jump on this if you’re down to be a culinary guinea pig (dream job tbh).
Monday, 9/4 @ 6pm (add to cal)
$65, tickets here
It’s virgo season so we’re obviously going to feature HOBBIES (capped for joyous iPhone slam effect), and there’s nothing we Virgos love better than handicrafts that are both enjoyable and mildly taxing on our spirit!! @yaya.made is doing her first ever sewing workshop with Sunset Shop, and the project is tote bags. Yes, I know you have 13 tote bags shoved inside of each other in the corner of your closet, but this one…she’s going to be special.
Voodoo Vin x Ha’s Dac Biet Pop-up
Tuesday - Sunday, 9/12-9/17, @ 5-10pm
Reservations here
Virgil Village haunt Voodoo Vin is hosting Vietnamese pop-up Ha’s Dac Biet, a pop-up I hadn’t heard of but that every chef I admire seems to love. If you consider yourself a pop-up piggie like me but aren’t familiar either, don’t worry, our identities are intact. The 5 day residency marks the first time Ha’s chefs have cooked on the west coast, and judging from my NYC foodie friends’ jarringly thirsty comments on Ha’s Instagram, this is gonna be good.
Reserve on Resy– there’s a good amount of availability now, but I wouldn’t wait til the last minute on this one.
Evening of Ethereal Harp, Tabla, and Synth
Tuesday, September 12, @ 7-10pm
Reservations here
The way in which I need an evening of Ethereal Harp, Table, and Synth rn lmaooo 🤡 😭. You’ve probably heard of Tea at Shiloh at this point in one of the many TikToks or IG vids circulating about the (not so) mysterious downtown late night teahouse, but if you haven’t, allow yourself to be whisked away by this! And this (pastries in this one made by @bbybakeshop featured in last month’s newsletter)!
I’m actually cracking up at the way this event reeled me in…but to be completely earnest I will be attending and paying 35 American Dollars to do so! If you see me weeping/journaling at this event, no you didn’t!
You can find more Tea At Shiloh events on their event calendar here (the Altered States of Consciousness Workshop is calling 😌)!
Rat Food 🍕
(Restaurant Openings)
At Ratplay, you won’t get a full restaurant review–if you’re looking for that, go to the LA Times. We just talk vibes + tips.
Vibe is everything in the LA food scene, and Baby’s got it, with a checker-floored barber shop, 6-8 tables, and IG DM reservations.
Drink the wine, but get it by the bottle, not the glass (bottles are sold basically at cost. For the love of G*D go the omakase route if you can (literally just means “I leave it up to you [chef]” in Japanese). It’s meant to feed two people perfectly, and transforms the experience from dinner to art. It’s not a communal environment, so you won’t meet or interact with other diners, but in exchange, you’ll get an intimate experience with the warm and inviting staff (s/o my server Sam!).
Talk to Miles (chef) and Andy (the Somm)–they bring out the food alongside the servers, so they’re around the whole eve and down for a chat about the stories behind the menu.
Don’t skip:
tomato bread (I’d sacrifice 5 readers for the recipe xx)
rabbit stuffed cabbage. thank you for your service thumper 🇺🇸
The bad news? Tonight (9/1) is Baby’s last night as a pop-up (I know I’m sick, sorry.) The good news though!! They’re moving to a permanent brick and mortar in Echo Park soon where it’ll (hopefully) be easier to get a table–will keep y’all updated.
AristocRATs 🐀
(Interesting neighbors)
Meet Francis River, an Echo Park based maker of clothing, ceramics, and gardens. I met Francis after falling in love with the aptly labeled “Francis River pants” at a small shop on my street. Each batch is sewn by hand by Francis himself, and sure enough, a few days after reaching out to him on IG, Francis showed up at my door (during hurriquake, no less) to get measurements. After talking to him for a bit, it quickly became clear that the only thing better than Francis River Pants is Francis River himself.
How did you get into making clothing?
I’ve always been interested in how things are made and over many years working on farms, I would think of garment improvements about the clothes I was wearing. “I wish there was a pocket here”, or “I wish this was reinforced”. So about 4 years ago I started adding pockets to jackets, and repairing rips in pants until I started learning how to make my own garments from patterns and eventually making my own designs. It’s been a difficult process but so rewarding. I love making clothes for myself and friends as a way to step back from the environmental impact of fast fashion and the exploitation of factory workers.
What about farming?
I started becoming interested in where my food was coming from in my senior year of high school. I wanted to learn how to grow my own food, so I started volunteering at local farms. I really enjoyed the work and started farming full time during summer breaks from college, and continued after graduating. Everything from large 12 acre organic CSA farms, to small-scale organic market farms, to urban farms growing food and offering programs for homeless shelters. I also became an environmental educator for K5-12th grade teaching gardening classes. I just love working with my hands and supporting my community and farming is one of many avenues through which I can.
If you had all the resources and time to make whatever you wanted, what would it be?
My goal is to open up a community resource and environmental resilience center in LA. I’m currently preparing a pitch to the city with a proposal to use the Grace E. Simmons lodge in Elysian Park. The project would aim to provide 2 functions: one, doing research for ecological restoration and soil restoration to create healthy souls, and two, education and community resilience, such as gardening classes, water management classes and resources, outdoor recreation, community building and employment opportunities. There’s so much to share on this but maybe I stop here for brevity haha [reach out to Francis if you’re interested in discussing the center!]
What keeps you in LA?
The community. I’ve met so many amazing people in Los Angeles. It’s inspiring and motivating. For instance, I met my friend Mason while volunteering at a urban farm and now two years later we’re working on the pitch for this community ecology center together. It’s the people and community for me!
Who’s a creative in the city you’re currently inspired by?
This is a tough question, but I would say Claudia Solorzano, an extremely talented ceramic artist in LA. I’m lucky to see them work every so often in the studio and they make it look effortless. Their recent work is amazing and they’ve been generating well deserved attention in the art community so I’m excited to see what’s next for them. Definitely someone to follow.
What's something you wish was socially acceptable?
Skipping. It’s faster than walking and so joyful, haha. But really, I wish people could take mental health days off of work.
How should the rats get in touch?
I’m on Instagram at @francis_river. I’m super friendly and a pretty good responder, so feel free to reach out.
Rat Records
(3 songs, genre-agnostic audio kisses. You can find the playlist here.)
Vampire Empire by Big Thief
Shown to me by my friend Penny (you may know her as your friendly/hot Irish server at Greekman’s, or as being the consecutive 5 year winner of “Gayest hands in Los Angeles”). If you’ve ever been sucked dry by a hot/cold situationship, lose your voice to this belter. You’ve earned it.
gospel? By NoName (Ft. $ilkMoney, billy woods, & STOUT)
Consistently taken aback by noname’s music, and how much more daring it is (at least lyrically) than any other rapper with a platform right now. She simply does not give a fuck while somehow giving all of the fucks.
fix by Speakers Corner Quartet ft. Tirzah
Saw these guys at their release show in London and still can’t stop thinking about it. Kind of music that fills and vibrates within your hollow spaces. I like this tune because of how spacious it is, and how eerie and haunting Tirzah sounds. Listen to the whole album, lights off with good headphones, all the way through.
Rats in the Wild
Enjoy this rat in red boots, courtesy of Darlene. Submit your rat spottings at ratplayla@gmail.com or DM.
That’s it for now! This rat is going to Beyonce tonight and needs to go scavenge around for silver clothing xxxx.
Go play,
CK
*edited by Jocelyn Florence