I had a chance to meet up with Dan Dunn, aka The Imbiber and Playboy bad boy booze columnist based out of Marina del rey, over several, several ounces of Playmate-inspired wines at the Pourtal Wine Tasting Bar in Santa Monica. If you’ve read his adventures-in-drinking tome Nobody Likes a Quitter, you know that it was an evening of hilarity, jaw-dropping storytelling and boozing. OK, maybe we didn’t drink as much as you’d think two people who write about drinking would but it was still a good time.
On the recommendation of my bf, I read Dan’s book over my flight to and from New York last week and have instantly become starstruck. Hey, he writes about booze for a living! He’s my hero for being able to pull an all-nighter and still meet his deadlines…somewhat. And he’s working on his second book, called Living Loaded: A Life-Affirming Journey to the Depths of Humanity With Cocktails, due to come out late next year. It was good timing that he created a special tasting at Pourtal where he paired wines to famous Playmates because then I got to meet him.
If you’re a big fan of beer pairing dinners and want to celebrate LA Beer Week, you are gonna want to dance a little jig right about now because there are two upcoming events doing just that.
Maui Brewing Company at the Hudson House
Maui Brewing Company, one of Hawaii’s only microbreweries, has teamed up with chefs Brooke Williamson and Nick Roberts of the Hudson Houseto create a special dinner menu pairing hand-crafted brews with four yum-tastic island-inspired courses. And it’s all for only $45 a person!
Beer pairing dinner menu:
Coriander Crusted Albacore Tuna with Sesame Slaw and Lager Steamed Clams with Lemon and Thai Basil paired with Bikini Blonde Lager
Jerk Spiced Fried Green Tomatoes with Burrata and Herb Vinaigrette and Chicken Meatballs with Spicy Red Sauce, Shaved Parmesan and Grilled Bread paired with Big Swell IPA
Coconut-Brown Sugar Pork Ribs with Crispy Shallots and Grilled Mahi-Mahi with Smoked Paprika, Grilled Red Onion and Cashew Butter paired with Coconut Porter
Housemade Mini Ice Cream Sandwiches – Macadamia Cookie filled with Coffee Ice Cream paired with Kona Coffee & Macadamia Porter
To make a reservation call (310) 798-9183.
EVENT: MONDAY, OCTOBER 19 at 6pm
Hudson House
514 North Pacific Coast Highway
Redondo Beach, California 90277 (map)
(310) 798-9183
Twitter: @HudsonHouseBar
Akasha Restaurant in Culver City is no stranger to beer dinners. Their last one with Unibrou was a sold-out success and this upcoming one next week is sure to be just as popular as it will pair Allagash beers with hearty Southern fare. Allagash beer maker Rob Tod and chef Akasha Richmond have created a delightful-sounding three-course menu ($45 a person).
Beer pairing dinner menu:
First: Cajun Shrimp with Allagash BBQ sauce, late season creamed corn, fried okra, buttermilk biscuits and cornbread paired withAllagash Curieux Barrel Aged Beer
Main: Fried Chicken with sour cream mashed potatoes, pan gravy, Mud Creek Ranch spicy and chunky apple sauce paired withAllagash White Wheat Beer
On the Table for Sharing: Macaroni & Cheese, Beer Braised Mustard & Collard Greens, Coleslaw with Celery Seed Dressing, Housemade Pickles
Dessert: Chocolate – Pecan Pie and Sweet Cream Ice Creampaired with Allagash Black Belgian Style Stout
Reservations required. Call (310) 845-1700.
BTW, if you’d like to try your own Allagash beer dinner, the brewery’s site has some pairing suggestions.
EVENT: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22 at 7:30pm
Akasha
9543 Culver Boulevard
Culver City, California 90232 (map)
(310) 845-1700
Twitter: @AkashaRichmond
Forget about dietary do-gooding and sinless sipping; when I’m in New York, hell’s yeah all bets are off. Especially when it involves deep-fried bacon-wrapped hot dog slathered with kimchi and cocktails made by famed mixologists in New York City.
AtDeath & Company, a speakeasy-esque bar in the East Village, we were able to score a table for our crew of six by getting there in the early evening. Another bonus was that famed mixologists Joaquin Simo and Alex Day (who did one of the Edison’s Radio Roomsearlier this year) were manning the bar. According to Lindsey, you can’t ask for a better combination at Death & Co. Sweet! We were in good hands.
I can’t sleep. I blame it on Paranormal Activity. Now, I love a good scary movie like the next person, OK, more so than the next person, but this creepy fest took hold of me long after I left the ArcLight. Not cool! But at the same time…that’s what I loved about it!
Unlike the bazillion horror movies Hollywood has been churning out in recent years, you know the ones I’m talking about, those formulaic horror shows with cheap scares and splatter kills that only serve to make you jump out of your seat and hide behind your hair, this low-budget film with no-name actors and little-to-no special effects relies on a slow buildup and only a handful of terrifying key images that end up popping up in your brain even when you’re back safely in your bed about to fall asleep. It’s the ultimate mind fuck.
Fans of instant gratification and gore won’t like this movie. And those who hated The Blair Witch Project, which is similar in that it seems to be filmed by the actors and there is no visible antagonist, will definitely not like Paranormal Activity.
But for those who relish real fear — the kind that gives you goosebumps, makes the hair at the back of your neck stand up and scares you into the fetal position — well, you’ll love love love this movie!
I’m still in NYC but was thinking about you guys and your weekend plans. I’ve got some ideas. BTW, I’ll be back in LA in time for Taste of Abbot Kinney. You going?
Thursday, October 8
826LA’s Young Hollywood Party 2009
Fete it up with industry folk, tastemakers and celebs at the 7th Annual Young Hollywood Party which will benefit 826LA. There will be an open bar from 8 to 10pm featuring sponsors Jett Vodka and Bud Light and one of the sponsors is Famous Cupcakes. BTW, for every ticket sold, a notebook will be donated to a student involved in 826LA programs. Yay!
8pm-2am. $65 general, $135 VIP. Playhouse, 6506 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood (map).
Saturday, October 10
LA Opera Halloween Costume Sale
Forget those lame Leg Avenue costumes this Halloween. You always end up running into someone else in the same exact outfit. Embarrassing. But if you shop the LA Opera Costume Sale, you’ll for sure be an original. For the first time, LA Opera’s costume shop is making over 2,500 gowns, hats, gloves, shoes, capes, coats, bodices, and complete ensembles available to the public. Prices range from $20-$250 and have been featured in La Traviata, Carmen, Don Giovanni, The Fly, and more. Divalicious!
10am-6pm. LA Opera Costume Shop, 330 S. Alameda Street, Los Angeles (map).
Halloween Swap-O-Rama-Rama
I’ve gone to one of these swap-o-ramas before and they are so much fun! It features sewing and silk screening stations so you can customize your finds. Also a great way to clean out your closet while refilling it again with new used stuff! Take home as much clothing as you can carry. Admission is $5 with a bag of your unwanted clothes/Halloween costumes, $10 without clothes donation. Remainders go to Out of the Closet.
12-5pm. Venice Center for Peace and Justice, 2210 Lincoln Boulevard, Venice (map). (310) 391-2314.
LA Oktoberfest
Who here loves beer? Pull on your Lederhosen and head to the LA Oktoberfest downtown where you can sample traditional German food and booze all day. This boozy fest features beer maidens serving Bavarian brews; Bavarian bands playing lively tunes and leading sing-along’s of old time drinking songs. The general admission tix are sold out but they just released 100 more $100 VIP tickets which allows you early entry, eating and drinking all day and you get a 1-liter boot from which to drink.
1-6pm (12pm VIP entry). $100 VIP. LA Mart, 1933 S. Broadway, Los Angeles (map).
Sunday, October 11
Ghostbusters Screening at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Already miss those cemetery screenings this past summer? Fortunately you can catch funny/scary movie Ghostbusters at Hollywood Forever this Sunday. Can you believe it’s celebrating its 25th anniversary? This special event is in answer to the dangerously low levels of supplies at LA food banks so admission is five cans of food. Enjoy a favorite LA pastime while supporting a good cause. BTW, here are the do’s and don’ts of cemetery screenings for the uninitiated.
Gates open at 6, movie starts 7:30pm. Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles (map).
Savor the Season
This food and wine extravaganza is one of the top food fests in Southern California and this year features the most buzzed-about chefs like Gloria Felix from Reservoir and Stefan Richter of Stefan’s at L.A. Farm. VIPs get to imbibe with Beer Chick Christina Perozzi and sample treats from the Saltistry ladies. Proceeds from the event benefit Break the Cycle, a nonprofit that works to end domestic violence among teens.
6-9pm. $100 general admission, $250 VIP. Lot Studios, 1041 N. Formosa Avenue, West Hollywood (map).
Thanks to my bro’s purchase of the Wifi plan ($12.95) on the Virgin America flight to NYC, I’m able to blog from 34,992 feet in the air. Woo! Anyway, just had to write about the airlines’ banh mi sandwich which is part of its new fall menu. A chicken pesto handroll and veggies with chatpata chana and raita dip are also available to order.
The banh mi sandwich is $10 and comes with Asian-marinated sliced flat iron steak, shaved cucumbers, lettuce, baby frisee, cilantro and Vietnamese slaw of carrots, daikon radish, red onion and “a touch of jalapeno” served with sesame ginger dressing and an eeny piece of Toblerone chocolate.
First off, I was disappointed that the sandwich was cold, making the meat difficult to pull from the sandwich and not as savory as its heated counterparts tend to be. I ended up using the dressing to inject some flavor to the sandwich as there also wasn’t a hint of the jalapeno that was listed in the ingredients. The juice from the meat made the bread a little blood-red soggy, but I pushed past this unappealing texture because I was famished.
All in all a mediocre lunch with the highlight being the tiny Toblerone at the end. If this street-vendor-inspired sandwich was priced as it is and sold on terra firma, Yelp reviews would be scathing. But as it is, you’re stuck on a plane so what are you going to do?
But a definite gold star to Virgin America for offering something that might actually appeal to foodies just by description alone. Just unfortunate it wasn’t as good as it sounded like it was going to be. Thought this would be the game changer in airline food. Ah well.
This sandwich is only available on eastbound flights.
Now, I rarely, if ever, do this but I’ve asked my brother, G, to do up a review of the Thom Yorke concert at the Orpheum in Downtown L.A. last night. G’s a huuuge Radiohead/TY fan so I know he’d do an awesome job of covering it.
Thom performed some of his old solo songs and several new ones often accompanied by his new band which consists of Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, Beck/Elliott Smith drummer Joey Waronker, Brazilian multi-instrumentalist Mauro Refosco and even Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea.
On the recommendation of my bf, I read Dan’s book over my flight to and from New York last week and have instantly become starstruck. Hey, he writes about booze for a living! He’s my hero for being able to pull an all-nighter and still meet his deadlines…somewhat. And he’s working on his second book, called Living Loaded: A Life-Affirming Journey to the Depths of Humanity With Cocktails, due to come out late next year. It was good timing that he created a special tasting at Pourtal where he paired wines to famous Playmates because then I got to meet him.
