Everything is local, or so says the old chestnut, including the popularity of certain libations.
For example, we do not seek out steaming hot cocoa during a Southern California August -- oh no we do not -- but lemonade? That's way up there in popularity, obviously, come a SoCal summer.
Still, though: National Lemonade Day, which is August 20 year in and year out, just happened to land on one of the June Gloomier days of a June-Gloomy August. We're not asking the overseers of the National Food Day Calendar to change that August 20th date, but we feel like past Augusts have been far more lemonade-ready than the one we're currently in.
That is neither here nor there. There is lemonade to enjoy, and, in at least one case, for free: 7-Eleven stores are giving away free Snapple Lemon Dazes via the 7-Eleven app on Aug. 20. Good? Refreshing? Easy? Yes, all three of those things.
But where does one look for an old-fashioned version of the tartest beverage ever invented? If there are no stands set up in your neighborhood, you might make for...
lemonade: It would be very post-modern for a restaurant to be named "lemonade" and not serve the stuff. Good news, though: This boutique chainery is nicely not post-modern and does in fact whip up a range of lemonades, from watermelon rosemary to cucumber mint. They do a bev that is straight-up old-school, too, so fear not, old-school-ists among us.
Grub: This breakfast-and-lunch-a-terium is snug in Hollywood's residential flats, it has the funkiest patio, and it's blueberry lemonade is still the one to beat. But why would any other place try? It's really good and the serving is generous. Like, you better want a lot of blueberry lemonade.
The Scene
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Gill's: The ice cream shop on the west side of Farmers Market has made lemonade and limeade for decades upon decades. The setting for sipping your sweet stuff could not be better -- hello, people-watching -- and you get to purchase your lemonade from a stripe-y stand which is about as Norman Rockwell as ice cream stands get around these parts.
And if all beverages were paintings, wouldn't lemonade be a Norman Rockwell? We believe so.
