THE ENABLER

The Enabler keeps waiting for Footsies in Highland Park to be colonized by the same collar-popping troglodytes who made the downtown bar scene practically untraversable. If Highland Park is the New Downtown (which the existence of Cinnamon Vegetarian might indicate), then it should be time to start writing obituaries for places like Footsies, where you can fall in a beery pit that you won’t emerge from for days.

But like Michael Myers or the Rolling Stones, the darn place just won’t die. Perhaps because it’s in the shadow of two freeways, or that its block of Figueroa is still a bit Blade Runner-y, but the dank and mercifully under-lit Footsies is still largely off the grid even for intrepid Echo Park newbies. Yes, PBR and the neighboring taco stand are the gruel of choice (cocktails are inexplicably north of $6) and there’s a smattering of dance-punk and art-metal on the jukebox.

But everyone there seems to recognize Footsies’ isolation and lets their freak flag fly higher. The pool table sports a make-out count second only to Wilt Chamberlain, and the wall decor is borderline porn. The day will come when the $2 PBR happy hour triples in price or gets replaced by Chimay. But that day isn’t here yet.

2640 N. Figueroa St., L.A. (323) 221-6900

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-- theguide@latimes.com