If you haven

Still don’t know what to get that special foodist in your life? How about the gift that keeps on giving, like entree into one of the best beer clubs ever or a delicious cupcake a month, all delivered to their door?

Wine Clubs

Colorado Wine Company’s Wine Club — $50 – $80/month
This is the perfect gift for someone who is geographically challenged and is therefore missing out on this fab Eagle Rock wine store. Here, they have three types of memberships. The Yummiest Trio is two outstanding reds and a mind-blowing white. Me and CoWineCo – Best Friends Forever is CoWineCo’s favorite picks of red, white, bubbly and dessert. While the Seeing Red Club is their favorite reds.

Domaine LA’s Gastronomist Wine Club — $50/month
For $50 you get one to three bottles totaling the $50. And if you want to buy additional bottles you get 10% off as well as 2-for-1 bonus coupons for in-store tastings (one for every three months of the club you sign up for). The Gastronomist wine club wines are ones that you’ll find on the best restaurant lists in L.A. as well as Europe and the States. Occasionally there will be a recipe by a local chef for the ideal pairing.

Silverlake Wine’s Wine Club — $25 – $75/month
If your giftee is a fan of this Silver Lake wine shop’s Sunday tastings then this is the perfect gift for them. The wine clubs here ar available in three price tiers to suit any budget. For $25 to $75 a month (plus shipping), you get two hand-picked bottles. And you have the option to upgrade the selection where they have a higher-grade one bottle instead of the two.

Other Beverages

This gift will make any beer lover giddy.

The Bruery Reserve Society — $295
I can’t believe that there are still slots available for this club considering memberships usually sell out every year. Fortunately, the Bruery opened up some spots so you still have a chance to sign up, or get one for your friend, you generous so and so! This gift will make any beer geek weep tears of joy openly. It’s not a beer-of-the-month club but for $295 you get about 9 bottles of special edition Bruery beers including Chocolate Rain and Black Tuesday as well as special growler fills and access to that Reserve Society Initiation Celebration, among many other goodies.

Intelligentsia at Home — Depends
One of the best gifts for any coffee lover, the gift of not having to stand in a long, slow-moving line for a great cup of coffee. With this home subscription, your giftee will get a fresh bag of beans dropped off at their doorstep. You can customize the order to suit your wallet. Choose type of coffee, amount (12 ounces to 5 pounds!), grind and quantity. And when you order at least two 12-ounce bags you’ll get half off shipping.

Sunset Beer Company’s Beer Club — $30 to $60/month
The Echo Park beer store just kicked off this club today (12/22)! Take your pick of the $30/month or $60/month membership. The higher level gets twice the beer and one free pour at the bar each month. Beer club members will also get first dibs on special releases!

Treats

Imagine having these dropped off at your door once a month.

The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills’ Cheese Club– $120+
One of the best cheese shops in town has a cheese club where you can get gourmet cheeses delivered once a month for three, six or 12 months! And none of the cheeses will repeat in the entire cycle.

Magnolia Bakery Cupcake Club– $220 (3 months to $880 (12 months)
For the ultimate cupcake fiend — yes, they still exist (raises hand). The membership includes a tin, tote, Magnolia cookbook and a $25 gift card. And we can’t forget the cupcake a month which includes favorites like the Hummingbird, caramel and truffle chocolate.

Mel & Rose Chocolate of the Month Club — $250 (6 months)
Give the gift of gourmet chocolate every month. This West Hollywood specialty food store’s chocolate selection spans from the Amedei Porcelana to Vosges Dark Bacon Bar. In other words, it’s allll good.

Bartender Justin Winter teaches Soho members how to make cocktails for their fancy friends.

Not many Average Joes and Janes make it past the model-gorgeous front desk girls of the Soho House in West Hollywood. This international clubhouse (there are 16 clubs around the world) is strictly members only. And even then you have to be a certain caliber of celebrity and cha-ching to make it onto their roster. Knowing this I was a bit nervous checking out the private club’s Cookhouse holiday entertaining seminar which featured the likes of Grey Goose and Crumbs Cupcakes.

Soho House truffles you can make at home.

I figured for sure all the employees at the club would look down their noses at me with that you-don’t-belong-here disdain but fortunately I was completely wrong. Everyone was so accommodating, even after I answered their “Are you a member?” in the negatory. The question seemed like more of a way for them to gauge whether I’ve been there before and needed some guidance, not an opening for condescension. Pfew!

They simply directed me to take an express elevator up past many floors to the club and then I had to check in with another desk on the main floor. I was then instructed to walk down a hallway. No one hovered over me to make sure that I wouldn’t wander off and explore. Heh. There’s also a bigger room with a bar which I had accidently-on-purpose walked into and a screening room. I’m sure there were more rooms but I was too much of a scaredy-cat to go exploring.

The Cookhouse seminars occur twice a month and teach Soho members how to do food-related things like make cocktails, prepare poultry and bake mince pies. For WeHo members, there are classes on pizza-making and shucking oysters which take place off campus at Soho’s sister restaurant, Cecconi’s. Fortunately, these are open to the public; the next one takes place on December 28.

But this night’s seminar, “Honing Your Hosting,” focused on how to do up an easy and affordable holiday party with simple Grey Goose La Poire cocktails, wallet-friendly wines, Crumbs holiday cupcakes and DIY chocolate truffles. Yup, surprisingly the rich and famous don’t just throw money at their party planning, like I had thought. So everything was set up like one-stop shopping with stations for the cocktails, cupcakes, etc.

Crumbs holiday cupcakes.

Naturally, I gravitated to where Grey Goose’s mixologist Justin Winter* was demonstrating how to make a couple of cocktails. Now, I usually steer clear of flavored vodka drinks, which tend to be made too sweet for me, but was curious to see what the vodka brand’s idea of simple but festive cocktails was.

The drinks showcased here were pretty straightforward with no sign of DeKuyper. Instead they were made with simple ingredients that you can just pick up anywhere and they still tasted well-crafted and not syrupy sweet.

The first drink up was the Grey Goose La Poire Ginger Joy, which tasted crisp and refreshing enough to be enjoyed during warmer weather. If you want to switch things up, bartender Justin said that the other Grey Goose flavors (Citron or Orange) could be subbed in this recipe. The Citron version would be especially nice poolside.

Grey Goose La Poire Ginger Joy

2 parts Grey Goose La Poire
1/2 part Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
1 part simple syrup
1 part lemon juice

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a martini glass. Present with a pear slice or crystallized ginger.

The second cocktail, although served sans eggs, had an eggnog holiday feel to it what with its brandy and nutmeg. If you want it extra frothy, Justin suggested dry shaking the almond milk first before adding in all the other ingredients.

Grey Goose La Poire Almond Froth.

Grey Goose La Poire Almond Froth

1 1/2 parts Grey Goose La Poire
1/2 part brandy
1 part unsweetened almond milk
3/4 part agave nectar

In a cocktail shaker fill with ice, add all ingredients and shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is frosted and beaded with sweat. Strain into a glass and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

Unfortunately these cocktail recipes are basically single serving since they have to be shaken. So depending on how many guests you have, you might be stuck making drinks all night. But I’m thinking that maybe for the Ginger Joy you could probably substitute lemonade for the simple syrup and lemon juice and make a punch so people can serve themselves while you mingle. Another nice tip from Justin: If you want to fancify your drinks, you can pick up edible flowers for your cocktails at Bristol Farms.

As for the other stations in the room, Crumbs displayed its special holiday cupcakes like a Christmas-y chocolate one topped with crushed candy canes and Hanukkah ones with blue sprinkles. Wine lifestyle company Girl Meets Grape brought six wines which ranged in price from $6 for a Red Diamond Merlot to $14 for a Nino Franco Prosecco. And Soho House’s Michael (proxy for chef Nicky) was demo-ing how to make your own truffles.

Melt 72% cocoa in your double boiler. Add in regular cream (half & half) and fold together until you get a soft, sturdy base. Make your balls the size of a quarter. Then dip it in the melted chocolate (again — melted 72% cocoa) and roll them in toppings like pistachios, crushed graham crackers and edible gold dusting (“for extra fabulousness”), which can be found at Surfas in Culver City by the way. Afterward set them aside to dry for a bit.

More photos after the jump.

* Soho House does have its own mixologist, Chris Ojeda, who used to work at Comme Ca and the Varnish, and now is the West Hollywood clubhouse’s group creative bar director. You can drool over his cocktail menu here.

Lemon shortbread buttermilk ice cream sandwich & chocolate cupcake with stout frosting

As soon as I heard that Father’s Office was debuting a brand-new dessert menu by Lukshon‘s pastry chef John Park at the Los Angeles location, my evening’s plans were promptly put aside so I could go check it out. Enticed with promises of chocolate cupcakes with Rasputin Imperial Stout frosting and unique beer floats made with the same “no substitutions” seriousness as the burgers, I headed straight to the gastropub in the Helms Bakery building in Culver City right after work.

The dessert menu was already prominently displayed on the board over the bar, taking its place beside the food menu and new beer listings. I skipped over the hazelnut-foie gras ice cream sandwiched between two oatmeal raisin cookies (since I’m still on my veggie kick) and went for the chocolate cupcake with the stout frosting ($4) as well as the ice cream sandwich with lemon shortbread, blackberry-cassis sorbet and buttermilk ice cream ($4.50).

A La Mode Beer Float

Alas there was only one beer float being offered and it was a bit too cha-ching for just me and my bf to split — $18 for a 22-ounce bottle of Ballast Point Sculpin IPA and $3 for a scoop of grapefruit sorbet — plus we weren’t THAT hungry. The idea behind the a la mode beer float program is that you can share the specified bottle with a friend/friends and pay for as many scoops as you want.

From Eater LA:

A la cart scoops of ice cream/sorbet are NOT available. No ‘cross-pollination.’ Each float is paired to complement flavor profiles so no mixing and matching.

Kinda bummed they didn’t have more beer float options. And I get the whole not wanting to let diners mix and match beers willy nilly but why not at least do a float from a beer that’s available on tap so that solo diners (or those who don’t want that much dessert) can enjoy it, too? Hopefully that will change with time.

Cupcake and Ice Cream Sandwich

Can't taste the beer in that frosting.

Anyway, on to the desserts I did have. Oddly enough I actually preferred the shortbread ice cream sandwich to the chocolate cupcake. Sure, the cupcake’s cake was moist and rich but its frosting was like whipped air. I couldn’t taste the stout which Grubstreet LA had described in its review as making “the frosting taste just a little bit bitter, with a very light and creamy body at the same time.”

Hm, somehow I missed that. Nope, here I could only taste the peanuts that garnished the cupcake. I was tempted to scrape off the frosting altogether, something I NEVER do. Fortunately that cake was perfection.

The shortbread cookie ice cream sandwich was a bit of a struggle to eat initially because of the hard ice cream and harder shortbread but after letting it thaw in its brown wrapper a bit it was easy to enjoy the summery flavors of the lemon cookie, berry sorbet and creamy ice cream. Definitely my favorite…over the chocolate cupcake! What gives?

Apparently the dessert menu is currently only available at the Los Angeles restaurant but will some day also show up at the Santa Monica location.

Delightful and delicious shortbread ice cream sandwich.

Father’s Office 2.0
3229 Helms Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90034 (map)
(310) 736-2224
Twitter: @FathersOffice

Squee! So many fun things to do this weekend, that is, unless of course, the Rapture foils all plans.

Thursday, May 19

Free Cupcakes and Wine: SimonLA – Taste of the Nation LA Event
And why wouldn’t you want free wine and cupcakes? At this event benefitting Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation, which is dedicated to ending childhood hunger in America, there will also be bites from Chef Simon as well as cocktails. And when you purchase a TOTNLA ticket, discounted $15 off, at the event you’re entered to win a 2-night stay at the Sofitel! Just RSVP LACRSVP[at]nichemedia.com. The TOTNLA event June 11 features food from the likes of Comme Ca, Osteria Mozza and The Bazaar and normally costs $100 a ticket.

• 6-9pm. Simon LA at the Sofitel, 8555 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles (map). RSVP: RSVP LACRSVP[at]nichemedia.com.

Friday, May 20

The Market in Santa Monica Place Opens
Even though the remodeled Santa Monica Place opened last summer, food enthusiasts anxiously awaited for the day the Market finally opened its doors. And that day has finally arrived. Doors open to the public Friday. Peruse organic, locally sourced ice cream from Beachy Cream, organic coffee and tea from Groundwork and freshly baked bread at Rockenwagner. The first 500 customers get goody bags!

• 10am. Santa Monica Place, Level 3, 395 Santa Monica Place, Santa Monica (map).

Saturday, May 21

Pirate Festival: Celebration of Beer & Bacon
Kind of a random event with pirates, a bacon buffet, microbrewed beer and, naturally, rum but that’s what makes it a good time! Presale tickets for $30 end soon, it’s $50 at the door, so snatch ‘em up while you can. Ticket price covers a souvenir glass mug and all you can eat and drink!

• 1-5pm. $30 presale, $50 door. Olympic Collection, 11301 Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles (map).

The Shining Screens at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Next to a screening at the Overlook Hotel, a cemetery is the best place to watch this Stanley Kubrick classic featuring that scoundrel Jack Nicholson. Man, I’ve memorized all his lines. “You’ve had your whole FUCKING LIFE to think things over, what good’s a few minutes more gonna do you now?” Ha! Get a group of friends together, break out the Red Rum and have yourself a blanket party. You and your bff can be extra creepy by dressing up like the twins.

• Gates open 7pm, movie starts 8:30pm. $10 tickets online or at door. Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles (map).

Sunday, May 22

Beverly Hills’ Beer Festival
Who says that drinking beer can’t be fancy? At this rooftop beer fest, you can enjoy 360-views of the city while lounging poolside and sipping on brews from Lagunitas and Samuel Adams. General admission $25 gets you three beer samplings while $50 VIP is unlimited beering. There will also be food and live music.

• 2-7pm. Thompson Beverly Hills, 9360 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills (map).

Monday, May 23

Outdoor Screening of Back to the Future + Cocktails
Watching the Oscars on the outdoor patio of Big Bar was fun, can’t wait to check out one of my favorite ’80s movies here. Enjoy Back to the Future on a 12-foot-high screen along with Zaya Rum and Fernet cocktails. Those who go so far as to show up dressing up like Marty or Doc have a chance of winning a prize!

• 8pm. Big Bar, 1927 Hillhurst Avenue, Los Angeles (map). (323) 644-0100.

Beer Chicks Christina & Halle Meet Deschutes Chicks Veronica & Angela

Guess what? Women enjoy drinking great beers! Last week Deschutes Brewery from Bend, Oregon, teamed up with the Beer Chicks Christina Perozzi and Halle Beaune to throw an intimate beer and beauty party for local women bloggers as part of the brewery’s Base Camp Week promotion. Food, lifestyle and drink bloggers were lured to the Benefit store in Santa Monica with the promise of beer cupcakes, beauty treatments, goody bags and Deschutes beer, which included the limited Jubel 2010.

Perozzi wanted to introduce dark beers like the Jubel 2010 and Black Butte Porter to women to clear up misconceptions that specifically American women have about it, thinking that they’re heavy and bitter. “[They] don’t get that dark beers can be very light, crisp and clean. Like this Black Butte Porter is so balanced,” said Perozzi.

As for the Jubel 2010, it’s the “super” once-in-decade version of Deschutes winter seasonal Jubelale. “It’s a much more concentrated, bigger, stronger version of Jubelale. Usually it’s just on tap but this is the second year ever and the first time in a decade that it’s been in bottles so you can get it at specialty stores.” The Super Jubel was aged in Pinot Noir barrels for 13 months and tastes of chocolate and toffee, pairing perfectly with the moist and delicious Hotcakes Bakes Black Butte Porter cupcakes served at the party.

In addition to the beer and cupcakes, party goers indulged in brow tinting, lash tinting and makeup application by the Benefit makeup artists. Even Deschutes’ only female brewer Veronica Vega was on hand to join in on the fun by getting her makeup done.

So was a beauty, beer and cupcake party an effective way to introduce beer to women? Definitely better than Coors’ “And Twins” campaign. “I wanted to help [Deschutes] reach out to a different crowd because beer brewers go, ‘This is how you do it. You go to the sports bars, get a couple of boobie girls bouncing around,” Perozzi said. “If you were an intelligent, modern woman would you want to be associated with those kinds of images?”

More photos of Deschutes Beauty Night after the jump…

Posted on LAist.