How much do you love chocolate? Do you love it soo much that you can spend all day eating it, smelling it, learning about it…eating it? If you answered yes, best buy your tickets now to TasteTV’s 2nd Annual Los Angeles Luxury Chocolate Salon going off this Sunday.
There, you’ll be able to sample the premium goods from some of the best SoCal chocolatiers and wineries: Mignon Chocolate, Malibu Toffee, Guittard Chocolate Company, Marti Chocolatt, The Chocolate Traveler, Poco Dolce, San Francisco Toffee Company, Choclatique, Chuao Chocolatier, Rushburn Toffee Company, Downey’s Chocolates, Christopher Michael Artisan Chocolates, DOVE Chocolate Discoveries, Calcareous Vineyards, Vermeer Dutch Chocolate Cream Liqueur, and more.
The $17.50 (discounted advanced entry fee thru October 3; $20 at the door) entitles you to all the chocolate and wine tastings, chef and author talks, and demonstrations. Pretty good, especially if you can consume chocolate nonstop! I’m thinking, eat a nice light non-sweet breakfast beforehand and then head on over.
EVENT: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5 from 11am to 5pm
The Pasadena Conference Center
300 E Green Street
Pasadena, California 91101 (map)
I decided to try my hand at mixing a cocktail when I was sent a bottle of Ventura Limoncello Originale ($14.99 for 375 ml) which is the first limoncello to be produced in Ventura County from locally grown fruit and is only available in Southern California.
My new housemates and I were throwing a housewarming party and I wanted to make something special so I adapted the lemon liqueur company’s own limoncello vanilla martini recipe so that it would make enough for a bunch of peeps. The result is a cocktail punch that tastes wonderfully like lemon cream pie with an extra sumthin sumthin.
Ingredients:
1 bottle of vanilla vodka (750 ml)
1 bottle of limoncello (375 ml)
1/2 bottle of lemon-lime soda or to taste
1 can of lemonade concentrate
Ice cubes
Blueberries for garnish
Pour the bottle of limoncello into a punch bowl followed by the lemonade concentrate and stir. Next add the vanilla vodka and the blueberries. Each serving should be poured over ice and topped with lemon-lime soda to taste.
I kept the mixture in the fridge until it was ready to serve and then poured a ladel of the concoction into a glass of ice and topped it with a bit of the lemon-lime soda. The girls in my party LOVED it, calling it Caroline in a glass, whatever that means. Heh. But the boys, my friend John of Social Domain and my bf, thought it was too sweet and they ended up cutting it with some water. John suggested I substitute club soda for the lemon-lime soda. I’ll have to try that next time.
Anyway, give it a try and let me know what you think. Salut!
If you were big into dinosaurs when you were a kid, or even as an adult, I’m guessing you’ll get a kick out of the Walking With Dinosaurs show playing at the Staples Center this weekend. Even though I’m not exactly a dinophile, I checked out the show last night after having watched the making of it on TV. Seventeen man-made dinosaurs, all “life-size” and walking around on stage, interacting with one another. That part was pretty cool. The narrator/paleontologist took us through the different dino periods (Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous), explaining which animal was what, etc.
Now, although I can appreciate the stage interpretation of these massive creatures and their environment and the great amount of work that went into making everything, I was meh about the show while watching it. I blame that on Jurassic Park and even the TV series of Walking With Dinosaurs. After seeing what can be done with computer graphics to replicate what these animals must have looked like and sounded like and even killed like, the live action was kinda, well, not boring, but only mildly amusing. There were a couple of dinosaur battles but of course no clashes which could end in a bloody mess. These were very expensive animatronic dinosaurs and couldn’t be damaged.
But I imagined if this show was around when I was a kid, I definitely would have pee’d in my pants seeing these dinosaurs in action. They moved and roared; yes, the animals roared themselves, it didn’t come from the sound system speakers. The eyes blinked and were expressive, like when the giant 36-foot-high brachiosaurus cuddled with its baby and closed its eyes in contentment. Awww. Flowers and foliage popped up from the ground and it “rained” in the Staples Center as well as “flamed” up during the many fires of those early days. We even took to the skies with the ornithocheirus.
The star of the show, well at least judging by the screams and cheers it drew, was of course the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Funnily enough, David Markland of LA Metblogs and Creepyla.com told me that the T Rex was played by Creepyla.com writer and apparently “badass Sarah Palin impersonator,” Jessica Chisum. When the T Rex started snapping at the other dinosaurs, I couldn’t help but giggle and think, “That’s a good Palin impression. Heh.”
Anyway, yeah, I’d suggest going to this if you know some kids who are dinosaur fanatics or if you are just THAT into dinosaurs. Tickets range from $26-$79.50 but as a special through September 28 you can save $3 per ticket when you get a group of friends of 10 or more together and purchase tickets.
EVENT: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 to SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
Staples Center
1111 S. Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, California 90015 (map)
If you can’t make it to the big Fred Segal sale or the American Wine & Food Festival this weekend, maybe I’ll see you at one of the following instead.
Thursday, September 25
World’s Largest Ice Cream Social and Free Coldstone Ice Cream
In celebration of the 7th Annual World’s Largest Ice Cream Social participating Cold Stone Creamery locations nationwide will be giving out free 3-ounce servings of special Make-A-Wish Foundation flavors. The Jack’s Creation is marshmallow ice cream with Oreo cookies, chocolate chips and fudge while Emily’s Creation is Nutter Butter ice cream with white chocolate chips, Kit Kat and yellow cake. All donations will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Found Footage Festival at the M Bar
Ever wonder what happens to those old family movies your dad sold at the garage sale or that your grandparents threw out? You may find out at the Found Footage Festival which is a screening of all those forsaken family gems which were discovered in thrift stores, dumpsters and yard sales throughout the country. Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher (The Onion, The Late Show with David Letterman) will curate the evening with hilarious commentary. After you book your tickets online, you still have to call to make reservations, which are required. Call (323) 856-0036.
10pm and 11:59pm. $16.37 (with service fee). M Bar, 1253 Vine Street, Los Angeles (map).
Saturday, September 27
Shepard Fairey Booksigning at La Luz de Jesus Gallery
Hot contemporary artist Shepard Fairey will be signing copies of his new, politically charged monograph book, E Pluribus Venom ($29.95) at La Luz de Jesus Gallery. The book’s title means “Out of many, poison is derived” and the works featured question the symbols and methods of the American machine and American Dream. Fairey is also the same guy who created that cool Hope Obama sticker.
4-6pm. La Luz de Jesus Gallery, 4633 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood (map). (323) 666-7667.
Bruce McCullough at Steve Allen Theater
OK, to be frank Brucio was my least favorite Kid in the Hall, but he has a lot of funny friends! He’ll be performing for four nights with rotating special guests like Sarah Silverman, Janeane Garofalo, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Bob Odenkirk AND my fave Kids Scott Thompson and Kevin MacDonald! All that funny for only 10 bucks!
Saturdays at 9pm. $10. Steve Allen Theater, 4773 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles (map). (323) 666-9797.
Sunday, September 28
2008 Abbot Kinney Festival
Enjoy a lovely green Sunday in the artsy section of Venice during the Abbot Kinney Festival. There will be three stages with live music, 350 arts and crafts booths and a green lifestyle area. Check out the gourmet green food court and beer garden, make stuff in one of the sustainable art workshops and test drive an alt-fuel car.
10am-6:30pm. Free. Abbot Kinney Boulevard between Venice to Main Street, Venice (map).
Grand Avenue Festival
For those who don’t feel like trekking all the way to the beach for some good clean fun, stop by the downtown festival which will feature music performances by the LA Phil in Disney Hall and wine tastings at the Dorothy Chandler (tickets required for both free events) as well as art workshops, museum guided tours and of course food galore.
11am-5pm. Free. Grand Avenue between Temple and 5th Street, Downtown (map).
Tis the season of grand eating as we have food festivals going off everywhere in L.A. But one of the biggest ones is the American Wine & Food Festival which is celebrating its 25th year and will take place at the Universal Studios back lot this Saturday.
However, if you’re thinking $300 is a pretty penny to pay for gorging yourself on the tasty treats and cocktails from the top chefs and wine/spirits purveyors from around the world you can always check out the AWFF’s more affordable kick-off party, Red Hot @ Red Seven, at the Pacific Design Center this Friday the 26th from 7-11pm.
For $150, you can enjoy some of the best restaurants in a setting more intimate than that huge back lot. Plus proceeds benefit Meals on Wheels programs in Los Angeles.
Restaurants in the house include Wolfgang Puck’s Red Seven, CUT and Sidebar Beverly Hills, CUT Las Vegas, Lawry’s The Prime Rib, La Brea Bakery, Montage Beverly Hills, Craft Los Angeles and 8 oz. Burger Bar. Plus there will be plenty o’ booze to drink.
EVENT: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 from 7 to 11pm
Red Hot @ Red Seven
Pacific Design Center
700 N. San Vicente Boulevard
West Hollywood, California 90069 (map) Tickets: $150
So you know how Fred Segal’s big 50% off sale is kicking off this Friday? Wellll, my friend David over at Fred Segal Eyes in Santa Monica has invited me and my crackheads to check out the sale a day earlier at the private presale party on Thursday the 25th!”Is it open to the public or something?” I asked him. “Only people who are VIPs or ‘friends’ are told about this ‘private’ event. So, yes your readers can get in. Your readers are an extension of you and you are definitely a friend of ours!” Aw!
That’s right, you get to shop all the goodies before the public picks through them. Ha! Apparently they have “some of the most amazing merchandise” for this sale — men’s and women’s clothing, hats, handbags, jewelry, shoes, all at 50% off.
At David’s sunglasses shop, he has a selection from Oliver Peoples, Paul Smith, Tom Ford, Balenciaga, Gucci and more. Most of these frames are overstock from designers and are still full price in most stores across the country, but you can get ‘em for half off. Which is perfect cuz I was looking to update my look for fall actually. Heh.
Also kids from the nonprofit Heart of LA (HOLA) will be there to sell their original artwork and you can buy HOLA t-shirts to benefit the organization. So warm fuzzies all around.
That’s my friend Shelley who had put a winning bid on a downtown pub crawl at Savor the Season’s silent auction Sunday night. Shelley thought it would be funny if she won the auction and dragged me along. “Funny” because the company sponsoring the pub crawl is the same one that had banned me from their bars. “They can’t kick you out if you go cuz we won this auction,” Shelley said.
In all honesty, I just don’t care to go but then again, what kind of person would I be if I turned down a free drink? I’m torn. In any case, she thought her winning bid of $110 was a good deal considering the prize’s value was $140 for four drinks (wine, beer or well cocktail) at four different bars (that’s four drinks a bar) as well as a gift basket of two beers, a bottle of wine, appetizer picks and plates.
In any case that was the piece de resistance of our night at Savor the Season, a food festival to benefit the charity Break the Cycle. Shelley and I enjoyed the food and drink from some of the top restaurants and food purveyors in L.A. The portions were appetizer size but there were many and the lines were nonexistent so it was easy to go back for seconds, thirds and fourths as the case may be. Plus they had passed appetizers on top of it all!
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