Caroline on Crack | April 2009

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Monthly Archives: April 2009

April 16, 2009

This Weekend: Zombies, Open Bar, Ultimate Wine Fest

This lady made me cry.

Coachella schmochella. It’s going to be a warm, beautiful weekend in L.A. I’m going to take my Vespa out and check out the following.

Thursday, April 16

Charles David Semi Annual Warehouse Sale
Pretty Charles David shoes, boots, heels, slingbacks and even handbags are 50%-80% off at this annual warehouse sale. Think $35 shoes, $50 handbags and $100 boots. Apparently parking is hard to come by at the warehouse so best carpool.

Thursday and Friday 9am-6pm, Saturday 9am-5pm. 5731 Buckingham Parkway, Culver City (map). (310) 348-5050.

Saturday, April 18

SoCal Zombie Walk at Fangoria Convention
Join the living dead Angelenos in their attempt to break the world record for zombie walkers at the Fangoria Convention on Saturday. The more, the macabre! But don’t be a heartless zombie, contribute to their charitable food drive benefitting the LA Regional Food Bank. The walk is part of the Fangoria weekend where there will also be a vampire ball, a prop auction and horrific celebs like Clive Barker, Sam Raimi and Shannon Elizabeth (wuut?).

9am. General admission $20-$22, preferred $40-$45. Concourse Foyer of Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 S. Figueroa Street, Downtown (map).

Bacaro LA 1st Anniversary Celebration
Has it already been a year since this wine bar opened up in the old Le Porcini Ristorante space? Celebrate its bday with all you can imbibe as well as passed hors d’oeuvres all night. No reservations required.

6pm. $15. Bacaro LA, 2308 S Union Avenue, Los Angeles (map). (213) 748-7205

Save Equator Bookstore Fundraiser
It’s been almost a year since we’ve lost Duttons, A Different Light Bookstore in WeHo is closing (closed?) and the beloved Cook’s Library will be closing its doors on April 30. We can’t let this happen to yet another independent bookstore. Help save Venice’s Equator Books, a bookstore and art gallery specializing in rare and out-of-print books. You can either donate at the site and/or attend the fundraiser party. It’s only $10 and you get live music, an open bar and the opportunity to support a fantastic indie bookstore.

7:30pm. $10. 1103 Abbot Kinney Boulevard, Venice (map). (310) 399-5544.

Sunday, April 19

6th Annual Charity Ultimate Wine Festival
At $125 for this wine tasting, yes, it’s a pretty penny for some vino. But not only will proceeds be donated to the Manhattan Beach Middle School but the wine fest brags that it stands out from other wine fests because it hosts “the winery owners, winemakers and/or recognizable figures from California’s best wineries.” H’well! With the likes of Acacia Vineyard, Domaine Chandon, and La Crema they may be right.

6-9pm. $125. The Shade Hotel, 1221 N Valley Drive, Manhattan Beach (map).

Categories: Beauty & Fashion, Los Angeles, Nightlife, Recreation, Shopping & Sales

Discount Tickets for LA Weekly’s LA Weekend

Neato! Thanks to Happy Go Marni for this heads-up. LA Weekly is having its own weekend festival celebrating all that’s great about L.A. as well as its 30 fabulous years in publication. There will be must-see events like Henry Rollins djing, Wil Wheaton reading and signing books, a matinee performance of Point Break Live! and a meat lovers panel moderated by Jonathan Gold and including Campanile’s Mark Peel and Palate Food + Wine’s Octavio Becerra. Bonus is that Belvedere Vodka is providing the free drinks! Haaay!

Judging by the huuuge success from the Gold Standard event last month, this one may be just as crazy.

Here’s the weekend’s tentative schedule:

Friday, April 24th

7-11pm – Kevin Scanlon Art Opening featuring Portraits from LA Weekly’s Best Of People Issues
7-11pm – Guest DJ Sets by Henry Rollins and Keith Morris
7:30pm – Wil Wheaton reading and book signing
9pm – An exclusive dance piece by Ryan Heffington
9:30 – Music and Video by The Human Ear Collective: featuring a performance by Geneva Jacuzzi

Saturday, April 25th

Noon – Carnivore meat lovers panel moderated by Jonathan Gold including Mark Peel of Campanile and Octavio Becerra of Palate Food + Wine
2pm – matinee performance from the cast of Point Break Live
3pm – David Weidman book signing
3pm – Authors Panel featuring Jerry Stahl, Richard Lang and Patrick Dewitt
6pm – Life on Planet Rock Book Signing by Lonn Friend
7pm – Unbearable Lightness of Being – Taylor Negron
8pm – Special screening of The Heart Is a Drum Machine
9:30pm – Performance by Matt Sorum and Friends

You can get all that for $30 (regular price) or, even better, for $18 (plus service fee) on Goldstar.

EVENT: FRIDAY, APRIL 24 7-11pm to SATURDAY, APRIL 25 12-11pm

Ricardo Montalban Theatre
1615 Vine Street
Los Angeles, California 90028 (map)

Categories: Dining, Los Angeles, Music

1 Comment

April 14, 2009

Seed Kitchen: Yummy Faux Meat, Fer Real

Those who know me know that I am not into healthy food but at all. But Dan Cox, PR guy, kept saying I should check out Venice’s Seed Kitchen, the newish Japanese-American fusion vegan macrobiotic restaurant brought to you by Sanae Suzuki and her husband Eric Lechasseur (formerly of M Cafe de Chaya). I don’t know why he thought I’d like it but since he was hosting a lunch there, I figured why not. BTW this is a review by a non-veggie. If you’d like a true vegan’s perspective, check out this review on Quarrygirl.com.

My friend/co-worker Erin and I visited the restaurant on a weekday. Erin’s more into the healthy food than I am, she being a regular Whole Foods and farmers’ market shopper, so I figured she’d be able to lend a more knowledgeable perspective on whether the non-meat tastes good or not.

I ordered the Thai coconut red curry ($13.95) with seitan (say-tan) which is a wheat meat substitute. I figured the spicy savoriness of the coconut red curry would be enough to mask the flavorlessness of non-meat. I even had the shakers of spices like shisho powder and sesame salt at the ready. But turns out I didn’t have to worry as this seitan stuff was pretty damn good. It wasn’t rubbery or spongy or even bland like tofu. And it actually made me salivate.

Categories: Dining, Los Angeles

7 Comments

April 13, 2009

Casa Downtown: All-Day Grand Opening Patio Party

Courtesy of Casa Downtown

Photo courtesy of Casa Downtown

In downtown LA this Thursday, Casa‘s outdoor bar and patio are officially finished and up and running and they’re debuting with an all-day celebration from 11am to 2am.

Drink specials include $7 Cazadores margaritas all day (yum!), 2-for-1 cocktails when you drop off your business card 2:30-5pm and $4 shot specials.

There’s also a new spring cocktail menu with the following:

Margarita Picante, $10: Jalapeño puree, fresh cilantro, Herradura Silver tequila, agave nectar and fresh lime juice
Mojito Pepino, $10: Ron Matusalem Platino rum, cucumber juice, lemon lime and fresh mint
Paloma, $12: Cazadores tequila, St Germaine, fresh grapefruit, soda and pomegranate grenadine
Limonada, $11: lemon, lime, fresh mint, agave nectar, cucumber juice, Grey Goose Vodka and soda
Spa Agua Fresca (nonalcoholic), $6: Fresh steeped hibiscus tea, cucumber juice, agave nectar, fresh mint, cilantro, and soda water

The new outdoor space features large rounded casitas where you can booze it up with your co-workers during happy hour or at night with your pals.

During the party, there will be live music by Grand Performances, a nonprofit arts institution. BTW, $1 from every margarita and $3 from every pitcher of margaritas sold will be donated to Grand Performances. Aww!

Too bad this isn’t on Saturday or Sunday. I wonder who’s going to do this all day on a week day?

EVENT: THURSDAY, APRIL 16 from 11am to 2am

Casa
350 S Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90013 (map)
(213) 621-2249

Categories: Cocktails, Dining, Los Angeles, Nightlife

2 Comments

April 12, 2009

Wanna Go for a Run: Upcoming Fun Runs

Ever since the marathon last year I haven’t been running as much as I used to and it shows! But lately I’ve been trying to get back on that horse. My current goal is to run a 10K and maybe by the end of the year I can do that City of Angels Half Marathon.

Anyway, I’m optimistic that I’ll get over this stupid cold/cough whatever soon enough to be in shape for these upcoming runs. Anyone wanna join me?

Santa Monica Classic 2009 – May 3
This 5K/10K event benefits Heal the Bay. You get to run through Santa Monica and finish at the Santa Monica Pier where there’s a post-race expo, including a Whole Foods recovery lounge. Registration is $35 for either the 5K or 10K til April 15 and $40 after. You get a nifty Nike Dri-Fit t-shirt and if you want there are Nike training runs available in Venice, at the Grove in Midcity and Niketown LA in Beverly Hills.

XTERRA Malibu Creek Trail Run – May 9
Something different, kickass and hard-core, this 6K (4-mile) trail run takes you through Malibu Creek State Park on single track and fire roads with elevation changes. Might be the perfect course for newbie trail runners. Registration is $40 til May 6 and $45 after. You’ll get a race t-shirt, a finisher medal and entry into a raffle for swag.

Brentwood Run 5K/10K – June 7
If I don’t make it for the 10K at the Santa Monica Classic hopefully I would be in good shape by the time this run came around. The course is basically the coral tree-lined San Vicente Boulevard toward the ocean and back. They say it’s flat but there is a bit of an incline there on that way back. The date for this was originally May 25 and was changed due to the new date for the L.A. Marathon so registration is kinda screwy, I think. The site says $30 before June 1 but when I went to register it said $35. ::shrugs:: Proceeds benefit Westside Family YMCA and New Basin Blues Running Club. All participants get a cotton t-shirt and a goodie bag.

Culver City Run/Walk – June 21
My running group, Team Turbo, is doing this race hosted by women’s athletic store, sporteve. The course is flat and fast through Main Street in Culver City and ends at an expo where you can enjoy some post-race refreshments. My team did this run last year without me and actually won a trophy! I was reluctant to join them this year for fear of messing up their chances of winning again but fortunately the race only counts the two fastest times of your group. Of course you can also register as an individual. It’s $25 to register before June 1, $30 til June 18 and $35 after. Proceeds go to the Wellness Community West LA.

Categories: Los Angeles, Recreation

Carnival Cruise: If I Could Turn Back Time

I used to think cruise ships were for old folks. My parents are always going on them. And remember An Affair to Remember? The Love Boat? Cruising was big back in the day, not so much now.

But then one of my bro’s friends wanted to celebrate his 50th birthday on a cruise to Ensenada. Since the party organizer, Walt Hawkins, is also a travel agent, he took care of everything, booking our party of 40+ on a Carnival Paradise weekend cruise.

Each person paid about $400 and since we had booked our tickets wayyy in advance last year, we were rewarded with a cabin upgrade and a $50 credit! Right now there’s actually a summer special going on through August 31 with this same deal. Go on a Bahama cruise for $279 or a Baja one for $299, both with cash back.

It’s a bargain considering the accommodations for three nights, all the food you can eat (more on that later) and even shows! Plus you’re on the ocean which wasn’t as sickening as I thought.

So the only things you really pay for are extras like cocktails, espresso drinks and exercise classes in the gym. But you can get your breakfast and lunch in this cafeteria-type setting which has a buffet station, a salad bar, drink fountain and even a 24/7 soft serve ice cream dispenser. It’s almost like a Vegas buffet.

Categories: Los Angeles, Other, Quick Getaways

1 Comment

April 9, 2009

This Weekend: So Lame It’s Cool

The Colbert Report

Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Colbert’s Easter Parade

colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

NASA Name Contest

Wow, I forgot about the holiday this weekend. Well, if you, too, aren’t big into all those brunches out there or egg hunting, there’s still plenty for you to do, which involve rock gods, circus parties and Burt Reynolds’ sweet ‘stache.

Friday, April 10

Rachel Pally Sample Sale
Oooh, soft, pretty dresses for 50-80% off! Can’t really go wrong with a Rachel Pally sample sale. Fortunately, if you miss it this weekend, you can also catch it next weekend. Discounts will be on holiday and fall ’08 and pre-spring ’09 in dresses, tops, bottoms in both the Cashmere and White Label lines. Cash and credit cards only.

Friday 10am-7pm, Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 11am-5pm. 2301 E. 7th St., #C100, Downtown (map). (818) 512-9675.

Anvil! The Story of Anvil Opens in LA
This movie speaks to me on so many levels. A couple of childhood friends turned “demi-gods of Canadian metal” and their dream that they just can’t let go of. This not-a-mockumentary will be opening and screening at the Nuart with director Sacha Gervasi and Anvil members Steve Lips Kudlow, Robb Reiner and G5 in attendance.

Friday and Saturday, 7:30 and 9:45pm. Nuart Theatre, 11272 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles (map).

Cirque du So Lame at Royal/T
OK, talk of marionettes and a giant Easter bunny at this carnival-inspired event scare me. But I’d be into having my handwriting analyzed by a gypsy ($10 for one/$15 for two peeps) and taking pictures in the photobooth with vintage props from HBO’s Carnivale set. And maybe I can nosh on the gourmet cotton candy and cupcakes while I hide from the Easter bunny. BTW circus-inspired attire is encouraged at this crazy event. RSVP [at] royal-t.org with “Circus” in subject line.

$5. Royal-T, 8910 Washington Boulevard, Culver City (map). (310) 559-6300.

Sunday, April 12

The Burt Reynolds Dodgeball Tourney & Mustache Expo
This event is so surreal that it’s fabulous. Mustaches of all sizes, dodgeball and bunnies, what better way to celebrate Easter? If you want to join in the fun and play it’s $10 or $75 a team if you sign up before Friday ($100 after). There will be prizes for dodgeball winners as well as to those who win best stache, team concept and Burt’s doppelganger. BTW after party at the Silverlake Lounge!

12pm. Bellevue Rec Center, 826 Lucile Avenue, Silver Lake (map).

Categories: Beauty & Fashion, Los Angeles, Movies, Nightlife, Recreation