This week’s Friday 5 reminds us sex does indeed sell and buy, and paying big bucks for little bites can cost more than a meal.
Photo | Realtor1. Sex Still Sells — and the Guy Who Proved It Is Listing His Hollywood Hills Estate for $14.99 Million.
Joel Simkhai launched Grindr back in 2009, one of the first location-based apps ever built. The company is still headquartered at the PDC in West Hollywood. He’s long lived in the Hollywood Hills above the city. Now he’s listing a five-bedroom, 8,771-square-foot investment estate at 8366 Sunset View Drive for $14.99 million. He bought it in 2020 for around $13 million, never moved in, and kept it as an investment.
The home was built in 2017 with interiors by the late Tim Campbell, known for midcentury-modern restoration work. There’s an infinity-edge pool, home theater, wine cellar, sauna, and views Simkhai described as running unobstructed from Hollywood to Malibu, across downtown, south to Long Beach, and out to Catalina on a clear day. The neighbor next door is Edwin Castro — the infamous Powerball billionaire. “Fortunately, we’re right next to the Powerball winner, who has 24-hour security, so the whole enclave benefits,” Simkhai said. Brad Pitt owns his former Hollywood Hills home. The listing brokers are Josh and Matt Altman of The Altman Brothers at Douglas Elliman. You’ve probably seen them on Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing. Apparently sex still sells and buys you a multimillion dollar house you don’t even sleep in.
2. West Hollywood Is Hosting a Free Juneteenth Celebration Tomorrow at WeHo Park.
The City of West Hollywood and its Social Justice Advisory Board are hosting a free Juneteenth Celebration tomorrow, Saturday June 20, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at West Hollywood Park, 647 N. San Vicente Blvd. The event will host the usual fair: vendor booths, a speaker stage, live entertainment, and spotlights on local Black-owned and BIPOC-owned businesses and nonprofit organizations. Attendees are encouraged to RSVP via Eventbrite. It’s free. It’s family-friendly. And it’s happening right in the park.
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865 — the date some of the last enslaved people in the Confederacy were notified of their freedom. West Hollywood established it as an observed City holiday in June 2020, two years before President Biden signed it into federal law.
3. A Developer Wants to Build Higher Than Zoning Allows on Sweetzer. West Hollywood Is Taking a Look.
Property owner Dariush Lamy has submitted plans for a four-story, nine-unit apartment building at 1280 N. Sweetzer Ave., a vacant lot just south of Fountain Avenue. The catch: zoning only allows three stories. Imagine that. Really? In West Hollywood? Say it isn’t so. Lamy is seeking to build the extra floor in exchange for providing one on-site affordable unit under state density bonus law. The project came before the West Hollywood Planning Commission’s Design Review Subcommittee earlier this month. Design is by Mobius Arch, Inc. On the plus side: they will be providing parking by way of an 11-car subterranean garage. The lot is across the street from a similar complex recently opened at 1257 N. Sweetzer. Per The Real Deal and Urbanize LA.
4. Q Con Returns to Plummer Park Tomorrow. Southern California’s Only LGBTQ+ Comic-Con Is Free.
Q Con 2026 lands at Fiesta Hall in Plummer Park, 7377 Santa Monica Blvd., tomorrow, Saturday June 20, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. It’s the fifth year for Southern California’s only LGBTQIA+ comic-con, and admission is free. The event is part of WeHo Pride Month programming and open to all ages. You’ll find comics creators, autograph sessions, panels, and a returning all-ages costume contest. New this year: aspiring creators can bring their portfolios for reviews by comic industry professionals.
Special guests include Richard Fairgray, Maia Kobabe, Lee Knox Ostertag, Joe Phillips, ND Stevenson, and Jen Wang. Sponsors include Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, Oni Press, Modern Fanatic, Los Angeles Film School, and IDW Publishing. The City has backed Q Con with an arts grant since its debut. Full story at WEHOonline. Free advance tickets at qconprism.org. Day-of entry also available.
5. WeHo’s Buzziest New Rooftop Restaurant Just Got Called Out — $457 Before Tip and the Food Was “Criminal.”
SushiSamba opened in March on top of 639 N. La Peer Drive in West Hollywood’s Design District — 11,000 square feet of rooftop, a drained pool repurposed as a dining room, sweeping Hollywood Hills views, and the kind of maximalist Japanese-Peruvian-Brazilian fusion concept that makes people want to be seen. It’s been one of LA’s buzziest new dining rooms since day one.
Then Instagram food critic Rick Lox — 185,000 followers — posted his receipt and his verdict. The bill came to $457.47 before tax and tip, roughly $560 all in. He called it “one of the worst meals I’ve had in a long time.” The pão de queijo was gummy. The crispy tuna rice was underwhelming. The A5 Wagyu gyoza was overly sauced. The $48 Samba LA roll — the signature item — he called “criminal,” saying it was drowned in what he described as “crappy sauce.” The one bright spot was the crispy yellowtail taquito. That’s it. One good bite out of a $560 dinner.
The receipt in his post matches the one circulating this week — June 11 at 5 p.m., Table 33. The post is getting traction. SushiSamba has not responded publicly.
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