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Bent Mondays at the Bar

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When:: Mondays : 10 p.m. - 2 a.m.

BENTmondays@gmail.com

The Bar

Neighborhood: Hollywood

5851 W. Sunset Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90028

323-468-9154

Update/correct this listing

(Credit: fingers crossed)

It's possible you've never been to the Bar. It's easy to miss. Hiding in plain site on Sunset Blvd. in East Hollywood, its tiny façade and proximity to a gas station ensure that the crowd inside did not simply stumble in off the street. For Sean Patrick (the man behind Temporary Spaces) and David Schneider (Fridays at Teddy's), this is decidedly a good thing.

Patrick’s goal for the party, he says, is to evoke "the Lower East Side, back in the day." On the whole, he and Schneider have succeeded. The bar is cozy and dimly lit; the crowd is a mixed bag of Hollywood types and Eastsiders; and the music skews more East Coast dance-rock than the electro that suffuses most of the L.A. party scene. But more than that, Bent Mondays caters to an oft-neglected segment of the hipster population. The stylish partygoers packed inside are a surprising oasis in the dance-party desert. There's not a fake ID in sight, and no one could possibly care less if their face ends up on Cobrasnake on Tuesday (it won't).

On a recent Monday, the Maroon 5 guys were hovering around the bar alongside a small enclave of what must have been models—or girls who were just unreasonably tall, with complexions that we mere mortals dare not even dream of. Around midnight, after everyone had shaken off the workday, the tiny dance floor filled up thanks to DJs Chris Holmes and Adam-12 (She Wants Revenge), who spun party jams and deep cuts from records you wish you owned. Even the coolest of the über-cool in all black couldn’t resist moving their feet.

As the club started to heat up, the smoking area—the term "patio" may be too generous for a shoulder-width corridor smashed between buildings behind the venue—offered a chance to catch some air and converse away from the throbbing speakers.

We returned to find Bent Mondays in full swing and were struck by how much fun they managed to pack into this unassuming little venue. It's hard to imagine that this gem will stay hidden forever, but, for now, this weekly party is not to be missed.

—Andy Gillette