Cliff's Edge

Cliff’s Edge

3626 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026 (Silverlake)

This week’s Bar Fly Review covers  a place with such a unique blend of characteristics – characteristics that cater to literally every aspect of one's psyche (the inner child, the hopeless romantic, the French sophisticant, the 30-something bar fly, etc.) – it’s nearly impossible to accurately describe (in a way that doesn’t seem nuts).  But here goes…

Imagine George of the Jungle relocated to Paris, graduated from the French Culinary Institute, uprooted his treehouse, moved to the city, planted it inside an abandoned building and turned it into an upscale restaurant and bar.  A literal urban jungle.  Cliff’s Edge is something like that.  But even better.

Based on my requirements for a restaurant, Cliff’s Edge scores a 100% on ambience alone.

First, the place is hidden. Legitimately hidden – in a dark grey, unmarked, windowless, unlit building adjacent to an empty parking lot, on the "other" Sunset Blvd. in Silver Lake, east of Sunset Junction.  Trust me, even with your iPhone or GPS, you'll drive past it.  You won't even be certain you found the place until you enter through a tall bamboo archway (which looks like something Indiana Jones would lead you through, right before you die) around the side of the building in the back of the parking lot.

Second, the restaurant is essentially in a treehouse, within a building.  The place is structured as a multi-tiered collection of bamboo booths and wooden tables encircling a giant fig tree which branches out amongst the tables and booths as it grows high above the outside walls, providing a natural canopy over the roofless building.  The “walls” (if they exist at all?) are completely engulfed in lush vegetation, giant palms overhang the nooks and corners, and the small lights strung conservatively within the tree’s branches make it truly appear as though you’ve been whisked away to an exotic jungle oasis.  (Los Angeles Magazine describes the place as having “a romantic (but not too romantic)…sprawling hillside patio…[that]…lights up at night like the Swiss Family Robinson’s cafeteria.”  Being from Generation X, I prefer the George of the Jungle imagery.  But you get the idea.)

Third, the restaurant is lit by fire pits.  FIRE PITS!  (LA has a dearth of open-air fire pits.)  Fire pits alone make a good place great.  But fire pits in a treehouse restaurant hidden within a concrete building?  That takes a great place somewhere past epic.

Fourth, the place also has a bar.  But not just any bar – a bar hidden through the restaurant, past a large wall made of repurposed wooden pallets.  And not just a hidden bar – a rustic/modern enclave with exposed wooden structural beams, bordello chandeliers, and a mosaic of large French mirrors.  And if the atmosphere wasn’t good enough, the bar has a host of signature cocktails, beer (bottle and draft), wine, and amazing happy hour deals ($3 beers). 

Lastly, the food is incredible, in both price and taste – so much so that Cliff’s Edge was recently named “Best of LA Winner” by Los Angeles Magazine, after bringing on James Beard-nominated chef Benjamin Bailly.  The menu is extensive, eclectic, and delicious, offering something for everyone.

So whether you’re looking for a romantic candlelit grotto to spend the night with someone special, a glass of wine in a modern-ish French-themed bar, a great place for happy hour, or you just want to follow Dr. Jones to the treetop Ewok village and share a meal with your Jane, Cliff’s Edge won’t disappoint. [Yes, that was a hybrid Indiana Jones-Star Wars-Tarzan reference.]  Cliff’s Edge truly is one of the best spots in LA.  Make sure to go.  If you can find it.

Step 8 - Insurance Requirements

10 Steps to Starting a Business

STAGE THREE – HIRING EMPLOYEES

Complying with Employer Requirements

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Step 8 – Insurance Requirements

As previously discussed, the moment a business hires even one employee, it is subjected to an overwhelming barrage of government regulations and requirements.  Stage Three of starting a business covers all the steps necessary (Steps 4 through 9) for complying with these employer requirements.  The previous newsletter discussed Step 7 – withholding employee taxes.  This newsletter continues the discussion of the 10 Steps to Starting a Business, moving on to Step 8 – Employer Insurance Requirements.

8.  Insurance Requirements

In addition to withholding taxes from your employees’ wages, employers must also maintain various types of insurance for their employees.  Basically, employers must provide their employees with three types of insurance:  1) disability insurance, 2) unemployment insurance, and 3) workers’ compensation insurance.

1)  Disability Insurance

California imposes a State Disability Insurance (SDI) tax on employers, and California employers are responsible for deducting these SDI taxes from their employees’ wages and reporting them to the State.  Revenue from the SDI tax is then pooled in the California Disability Insurance Fund, which allows the State to provide Disability Insurance and Paid Family Leave benefits to eligible employees.  The Disability Insurance Branch of the EDD administers three types of disability insurance plans:  a) State Plan, b) Voluntary Plan, and c) Elective Coverage.  To learn more about State required disability insurance, check out the EDD’s website.

2)  Unemployment Insurance

Unemployment Insurance (UI) is a nationwide program created to provide partial wage replacement to unemployed workers while they conduct an active search for new work.  Unemployment insurance is a Federal-State program, based on Federal law, but executed through State law.  Like disability insurance, California employers are required to finance the UI program by paying taxes on their employees’ wages.  To learn more about unemployment insurance, check out the EDD’s website.

3)  Workers’ Compensation Insurance

California also requires employers to carry workers’ compensation insurance coverage for their employees.  Workers’ compensation is a form of insurance providing wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee’s right to sue his employer for the tort of negligence.  Employers can obtain workers’ compensation insurance in three ways:  a) through a commercial carrier, b) on a self-insured basis, or c) through the State Workers’ Compensation Insurance Fund.  The Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) monitors the administration of workers’ compensation claims and provides administrative and judicial services to assist in resolving disputes that arise in connection with claims for workers’ compensation benefits.

Similar to withholding taxes, a business owner should think of using an attorney, a payroll service provider, or other professional to handle the employer insurance requirements.  To this end, I’ve begun working some great financial and wealth management professionals at Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, who recommend using a professional services company like CBIZ, who offer a variety of compliance services for businesses of all size.  But regardless of whether you spend the time to learn all the laws yourself or simply outsource this task to a professional services company, make sure to establish procedures for complying with your employer insurance requirements.

Assuming you have established protocols and systems to ensure compliance with these insurance requirements (i.e. you have systems to maintain all three types of insurance for all your employees), you are ready to proceed to the last (and easiest) step in Stage 3 – complying with the workplace poster requirements.