Man about town? Nah, just the neighborhood

Kal PENN left New Jersey and showed up at UCLA eight years ago with a lot of dramatic training, big ambitions -- but no car.

In the intervening years, he studied film and sociology, and launched his TV and movie career. He got a car too, but he still hates to drive, except maybe to Tijuana. So he enjoys his West Hollywood neighborhood on foot.

Penn’s comic abilities were first on wide display in the 2002 comedy “Van Wilder” and again last year in “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.” His latest film, “Son of the Mask,” opens Friday, and he’s in “A Lot Like Love” and “Man About Town,” slated for later this year.

TJ, here we come

My friend and I will drive down to Tijuana just for lunch -- it’s a 2 1/2-hour drive if you leave early. We go over the border and get these great tacos. There’s no sign on the place, so we don’t even know the name of it. Behind the shops where all the tourists go, there are these two alleys, and it’s there. Half of the appeal, honestly, is that we’re going to Mexico for tacos. We’re here in Southern California and it’s so close to another country, it’s awesome that we can just go down there for lunch.

Toast on 3rd Street? They have a really good brunch. It’s one of those hybrid places, so if you’re a health-conscious eater, or not, you can get whatever you want. They have all the meat substitutes -- but if you want greasy things, or eggs and pancakes, they have those too. You can go with all your friends and not worry about who eats what. It’s also not expensive. I often go there by myself, grab the paper and sit outside. They have a bunch of really good egg and tofu scrambles and incredible split pea soup.

Some spice in his life

There’s two places if I crave Indian food. I’ll drive down to Cerritos -- though there’s always traffic. The Little India section is around there, and there’s a bunch of really good restaurants. And on Venice Boulevard, just west of Robertson, there’s India Sweets and Spices. It’s $3.20 for this enormous plate of food. And it’s always fresh. The buffet is in the back of a store -- a typical hole-in-the-wall place.

If I have to run an errand around Melrose, I always grab pizza at Albano’s Brooklyn. You can go shopping and walk around and continue to do your stuff. I’m not a big trendy kind of guy, and a lot of the shops on Melrose are full of overpriced T-shirts from 1981. But there are some interesting shoe stores.

Music, music, music

I’m a huge music fan. I have a few friends in bands. My buddy John Cho is in the band Left of Zed, and they perform all over the place. Goldspot -- they’re really good. And the Matches, from the Bay Area, I’ll see them whenever they’re here.

And there are some hip-hop/spoken-word artists, like Dilated Peoples, that I like. This group Alan Smithee -- a friend of mine from college started that -- I’ve seen them a few times at the Westwood Brewing Co., which is a hybrid between a college bar and Westwood pub. Upstairs they have a bar with a tiny, tiny stage where I’ve seen them and Maroon5 before they got all big.

There’s a thing called Flypoet -- it’s the first Wednesday of every month -- at the Conga Room. It’s pretty much urban spoken word and poetry and art and music. It’s amazing.

Within walking distance

I live near Sunset and Laurel Canyon, so I go to Greenblatt’s Deli across the street. That’s one reason I moved there: I hate driving; I wanted a place that was walkable. I’m near the Virgin Megastore, shopping, the post office. And there’s the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf near the Directors Guild. There are a lot of writers and actors. We all have the same idea: Come with a small backpack and a stack of scripts.

-- Robin Rauzi