The Formosa Cafe...ahh, tradition

Formosa Cafe
7156 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323.850.9050
http://formosacafe.com/index.html

Happy Hour: 4:00-7:00, M-F

Food - 5
Prices - 8
Service - 9
Bonus points - 3 - one hour free parking in West Hollywood Gateway, and atmosphere out the wazoo.
Total: 25

Yes, this is THE Formosa Cafe - the one in Countless Hollywood scandals and stories, including a cameo in L.A. Confidential (a film that will never get its due for the masterpiece that it is.)

I've been to this Happy Hour twice now and I have to say, the first time, I was so pleasantly surprised by the food not sucking (as it has at Formosa in the past) that I viewed it with rosier memories than it merited. That said, the food doesn't suck. It's tasty and very cheap. All appetizers are $4 during Happy Hour, except the shrimp tempura, which is $5. Both times I've had the sesame fries and the ribs and both have been very good, although the sesame oil in the fries tends to give them a bitter aftertaste.

On the most recent trip, we also has the chicken satay and chicken shu-mai. These were not good. The peanut sauce on the overcooked satay was bland and the shu-mai was like a processed chicken meatball. Gratefully, our very good waitress told us that the shrimp tempura and veggie eggrolls tended to be VERY greasy, so we didn't order those.. However, the $5 mai-tai was great. My companion just drank water, and the glass never went empty, so that's nice.

Two of us ate well, one drank, and we got out of there for $28 (after tax and big tip). For Happy Hour, this is serviceable, but not compelling. Still, if you have folks in from out of town, and want them to get a true Hollywood experience, why not. It's a cheap thrill.