New student-friendly bar hits Brentwood

With the shutting down of Duets (a once popular night/dance club
in Westwood) in 1999, as well as a strict neighborhood ordinance
preventing live music and/or dancing in Westwood, it is impossible
for UCLA students to find a local place where these simple partying
pastimes are offered, or are even legal.

Though students still venture to the small selection of campus
bars in Westwood, such as Maloney’s, Madison’s,
Westwood Brewing Company and Acapulco, many remain unsatisfied.
Just slightly west of the Village, another bar is looking to
capitalize on what many students feel Westwood lacks.

Starting tonight at 10 p.m., El Dorado Cantina in Brentwood will
launch its first ever student night, offering a drink and appetizer
special titled “Threesome Tuesday” (tacos for two
dollars, tamales for two dollars, and a two-for-one drink special)
in addition to a live performance by the rising hip-hop group the
Rap Bastardz.

The distance, though only 2 1/2 miles, could be a major
deterrent to students who don’t want to deal with driving or
taking a cab to and from a bar. But many students, like third-year
education student Ean Plotkin can’t wait to get away from the
Village bar scene.

“The bars in Westwood are a mix between a savagely
disgusting restaurant and a feebly unsociable pub,” Plotkin
said. “There needs to be more entertainment, such as a live
music act that we can enjoy rather than tracks of loud popular
hip-hop or ’80s hair-band ballads that we have to talk
over.”

James Wildman, a fifth-year history student, expressed a similar
viewpoint.

“The bars are a decent substitute when you run out of
drinks at your own place,” he said.

Featured nights at the Westwood bars include Margarita Monday at
Acapulco, a half-off pint night at Maloney’s on Sunday, a $1
pint night at Madison’s on Tuesday, and several other
specials offered throughout the week at the Westwood Brewing
Company.

But the drink specials still just aren’t enough for some
students, such as Ellen Kamoe, a fourth-year anthropology
student.

“The number one reason why the bars suck is because there
is no dance floor,” she said. “Plus there aren’t
enough drink specials. And when there are, the bars are filled with
drunk, flaccid freshmen.”

El Dorado features a main-stage act, as well as a separate live
performing DJ in its lounge, and plays a mix of hip-hop and
house.

“There is a dance floor right by the main stage and with
the drink special it is like happy hour here all night long,”
said Stefan Fernandez, manager of El Dorado.

The live performance by Rap Bastardz will be the group’s
first performance of the month before it plays with hip-hop artist
Too Short at the Key Club on the Sunset Strip.

“We’re a parody of hardcore rap,” said Jesus
H. Christ of the Rap Bastardz. “The titles of our songs are
pretty inflammatory, but it’s all fun. We have modern rap
tracks, heavy beats and high-end keyboards. We bring along the
good-time party vibe.”

El Dorado Cantina is located at 11777 San Vicente Blvd. For more
information, call (310) 207-0150.