OK, soFirst & Hope Supper Club didn’t open last night as planned and will instead open up toward the end of this month. That’s OK, though, because Aidan Demarest and Marcos Tello of Tello/Demarest Liquid Assets cocktail consultation want to kick things off with a bang. And their new bar night, Red Rover, Red Rover on March 29 brings over guest mixologists from all over the country who will “create hand-crafted cocktails for your drinking pleasure.” Yup, just like the Edison’s Radio Room bar night.
For this event, guests will enjoy libations from Erick Castro of San Francisco’s Rickhouse, Misty Kalkofen of Boston’s Drink, John Lermayer of Miami’s Delano Hotel and Juan Sevilla of LA’s exclusive Soho House.
There will be complimentary appetizers, a cash bar, and above all, red, hot jazz.
And cocktail author/mixologist, Tony Abou-Ganim, will be at the bar signing copies of his new book, The Modern Mixologist.
Best part is that there’s no cover!
EVENT: MONDAY, MARCH 29 at 7pm
First & Hope Supper Club
710 W. 1st Street
Los Angeles, California 90012 (map)
(213) 617-8555
Bored and alone, I found myself having dinner at the bar in the Tavern in Brentwood. No biggie if I were able to drink cocktails but since I’m liquor free for Lent-ish this made keeping my own company a boring prospect.
Fortunately the Tavern has a nice cocktail menu comprised of fresh juices. Unfortunately, they don’t have ginger beer. I’d have to get creative.
Looking over their drink menu I tried to figure out which cocktail could easily be a born-again virgin.
The Taverine made with vodka, Grand Marnier, grapefruit juice and tangerine vanilla syrup seemed like a good candidate. I could just sub orange juice for the booze, right?
The resulting mocktail poured over ice in a tall glass simply tasted like tangerine juice with the grapefruit’s subtle tartness. It was ok. Makes me wonder if the booze version tastes like a tarty Screwdriver.
Anyway it was a nice change from the usual ginger beer.
Tavern
11648 West San Vicente Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90049 (map)
(310) 806-6464
I did something the other night that I swore to myself I’d never ever do. I took a pole dancing lesson. Yup. Rush Street has an ’80s ladies’ night on Wednesdays on its second floor where ladies can take a free pole dancing lesson courtesy of Studio City’s pole dancing/fitness studio, Polistic. And I was invited to this girls-only media dinner which showcased this as well as the Culver City barestaurant’s new spring cocktail menu.
I told my friends who pooh-poohed the bar night that I was just going to take pictures and maybe some video of other bloggers taking on the pole but that I would never deign touch it myself. I’m not a big party girl and definitely not the type to sexy it up for some random male attention at a bar.
But then after our dinner of yummy portabello mushroom fries, miso and sake marinated salmon, crab ravioli and grilled shrimp and some tasty mocktails, our group of gals took the party upstairs. A couple of the instructors showed us around the pole, starting off with a basic spin around it. “The only thing I require is that we all cheer as loud as we can for everyone,” the instructor said. Little did I know how much this would help.
It also helped that most every girl had taken a turn on the pole and that the move was so easy I really had no excuse not to give it a try. Oh, except one. “I ate too much,” I warned the instructor when she tried to get me on the pole. But even then I already had one hand on it and the girls were already shouting words of encouragement from the sidelines. “Alll riiight, I’ll be a good sport,” I told myself while listening to the instructor’s instructions to put my left hand over my right hand on the bar overhead and then wrap my left leg around the bar. She then pushed me so I fell to the left and twirled around the bar in a not very graceful way.
The girls cheered loudly anyway, “Woooooooooh!” I know my style was a far cry from pro but it was kinda fun. Took me back to when I was a kid and loved playing on the monkey bars. I even got the friction burn on my hands like I did in the old days.
Now, I did this stone sober because I’m in the midst of a booze fast but this would probably have been a lot more fun and swirly if I had had a couple of cocktails beforehand. Fortunately Rush Street knows that and has some liquid courage specials on this ladies’ night: $6 X-Rated vodka cocktails, $9 Pretty in Pink Cosmo (X-Rated, vodka, pineapple, cranberry) and Pink-a-licious Martini (X-Rated, Sprite, cranberry, vodka). Yes, they’re made from X-Rated Fusion Liqueur, a very sweet and fruity drink ingredient. However, I suspect that those who love the pole won’t mind the girly drinks.
If, however, you’d prefer to imbibe something other than a melon/berry/mango-y drink, the bar has a new spring cocktail menu that’s heavy in the flavored vodka department and seems girl-drink-intensive but has some interesting concoctions:
Some of the drinks on the Spring Fling Cocktail Menu ($12 each):
I was able to try the mocktail versions of El Diablo and Strawberry Fields. Both were pretty tasty even without the booze. Although I have to say that just by reading the ingredients for El Diablo, it sounded like it had too much going on what with the grapefruit, watermelon, jalapenos and cranberry. Eesh! But the Flavorpill editor sitting next to me ordered it and loved it.
Anyhoo, if you’d like to give Rush Street’s ’80s Ladies’ Night a shot, it goes off every Wednesday night starting at 9pm. The pole dancing lessons are FREE. If you’re into this sorta thing, it could be a fun girls’ night out.
Rush Street
9546 Washington Boulevard
Culver City, California 90232 (map)
(310) 837-9546
Sure, there’s that nerdy-awesome Star Warz Burlesque show on Saturday and Morton’s Steakhouse’s even nerdier celebration of Pi Day on Sunday with $3.14 slices of key lime pie but if you were looking for non-nerd things to fill out your weekend (not that there’s anything wrong with being a nerd) I present to you the following.
Friday, March 12
Macallan Tasting Note Project
This project will be launched to coincide with the kickoff of SXSW in Austin tomorrow but thanks to Twitter, scotch drinkers and Macallan lovers can still participate for their chance to win a private tasting with a Macallan ambassador and up to 10 of their closest friends Through Tuesday, March 16, tweet what you taste about #Macallan12 and #Macallan15. Just apply those hashtags and you’re good
Saturday, March 13
Free Brow Threading at Fred Segal Santa Monica code.ai will be offering free eyebrow threading to beauty mavens via celebrity brow threader Marco Ochoa. He did my brows at a previous code.ai event and really does beautiful albeit pain-free work. Pick up some free samples and code.ai brow booster applications while you’re there.
12-5pm. Fred Segal Santa Monica, 500 Broadway, Santa Monica (map).
Sunday, March 14
14th Annual Susan G. Komen LA County Race for the Cure 5K
Have a fun run around Dodger Stadium while raising money for an important cause: to support breast cancer research. You can just do the run or you can do the run and work to raise money for the cause as well. Create your own team of friends. Hooray for boobies!
8am. Dodger Stadium, 1000 Elysian Park, Avenue, Los Angeles (map).
St. Patrick’s Day Festival 2010
Celebrate the biggest alcoholiday early before all the crazies are let loose next Wednesday. Looks like this Hollywood festival benefitting Children’s Tumor Foundation is the way to go what with a huge selection of not very Irish craft beer, spirits and food — New Belgium Brewing Company, Ventura Limoncello Company, Pig N’ Whistle.
2-7pm. $100. Taglyan Complex, 1201 Vine Street, Hollywood (map).
Free Drinks & Food at Hudson House’s One-Year Anniversary Party
Toast my fave Redondo Beach bar’s one year of existence with free Hudson Ales, Blood Orange Chinaco tequila cocktails and bar bites! A local DJ will be spinning and guests will get a chance to win Hudson House apparel. Ooh! I can add it to my bar t-shirt collection!
For Lent, I decided to give up booze. Now, I’m not religious or anything, I just figured it would be cool to see if I can actually give up my most favorite thing (next to gummy bears, salted caramel, dark chocolate and bacon) for 40 days. That, and I felt like my liver could use the break.
It’s only 40-something days, right?
I started on February 17 and since this isn’t really for Lent, my booze fast will end on April 1 (see countdown clock on the right) when I’m considering doing up a happy hour somewhere to celebrate cuz I’m going to want to. Perhaps Copa d’Oro? Maybe Bar Food? I’ll keep you posted.
So 21 days into it and I’ve managed to survive Radio Room, post-race celebration (my Lemons team’s third victory) and an absinthe party at First & Hope with nary a drink. I’ve had dreams of drinking and have suffered bouts of dry mouth but I will stick to this fast dammit!
In the meantime, I’m compiling a list of things I like to drink as soon as it’s April 1. Sigh. I’m so thirsty.
This list will no doubt continue to grow as the days progress.
And if you think this blog will be booze free, you’re wrong. I’ll still post drinking events and such but I won’t review cocktails unless I can get a taste tester to do it in my place. And I’ll definitely review options for those who don’t drink, like tasty mocktails. FYI, ginger beer is definitely the most satisfying way to go. It’s heartier and more flavorful than cola or gingerale. Anyway, at least my friends are happy cuz now they have a designated driver.
UPDATE: I moved my end-of-booze-fast date to March 28 since I got invited to a scotch lunch that I just can’t turn down. I don’t feel too guilty about it since 1) this was supposed to be Lent lite where I was going to allow myself some alcohol anyway and 2) I had originally said I’d end this on the 29th (actual 40 days) and then pushed it to April to round it out.
I’m outtie again this weekend. Yet another 24 Hours of Lemons race I gotta go to. This one up in Sonoma. Sucks considering there are all these fun things going on in L.A. Anyway, have fun.
Friday, March 5
CorkBar 1-Year Anniversary
Downtown wine bar celebrates its one-year anniversary with a special Founder’s Flight ($18) — a selection of five wines that helped inspire the owner to create Corkbar. Includes Brander Sauvignon Blanc, Keenan Chardonnay, Melville Syrah, Terra Valentine Cabernet Sauvignon & Frank Family Zinfandel. They’ll also be pouring some by-the-bottle-only wines by the glass!
Royal/T’s Alice in Wonderland High Tea
Seems L.A. is going mad as a hatter for Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland as evidence by all the high tea events. But Royal/T’s is sure to stand out, not only for its Japanese cosplay servers but the $25 high tea of playing cards tea sandwiches, a vanilla “Eat Me” cupcake, kobe beef slider, a cup of “Drink Me” Royal/T Green Milk Tea blend, blue mushroom-shaped meringues and Cheshire Cat macaroons with Earl Grey tea filling (both by BakeLab). Be sure to swing by on Saturday for the Wonderland-themed fashion show and to check out the newest exhibit, “The Never Ending Story: Fairytale, Fantasy and Obsession.”
Royal/T, 8910 Washington Boulevard, Culver City (map). (310) 559-6300
Provence Wine Council Tasting Event
Explore the wines from the Provence Region of France at this delicious wine event which is held in conjunction with the Provence Wine Council, a gathering of the largest selection of winemakers from Provence ever assembled on the West Coast. Oenophiles can enjoy 35 not-yet-available labels, winemaker discussions and Provincial French food.
6pm-1am. $55 (plus $4.02 transaction fee). Vinoteque on Melrose, 7469 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles (map).
Friday Night Spirits — Bourbon
What better way to kick off the weekend than with a series of bourbons? The Wine House in West L.A. hosts a bourbon tasting where guests will get to sample all types and styles of my fave booze at a variety of price ranges. Find out which bourbon is your new favorite.
7:30pm. $50. The Wine House, 2311 Cotner Avenue, Los Angeles (map). Reservations: 310-479-3731, Ext. 0.
Saturday, March 6
LACMA’s Young Directors’ Night
Celebrate L.A.’s new talent at LACMA’s Young Directors Night. Six short films will be screened and there will be a panel discussion with the directors afterward. But, definitely stay for the after-party across the street at A+D Museum where you can peruse the galleries and video installations and partake of the open bar featuring Maker’s Mark and Malibu Family Wines as well as Sprinkles Cupcakes! If you want to go to the OK Go release party on Friday, you canpurchase ticketsto that event plus this one for only $40 and save $10.
8pm-12am. $30. LACMA’s Bing Theater and A+D Museum, 5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles (map).
Sunday, March 7
Beefsteak Sundays at Bacaro LA
Apparently these Beefsteak Sundays are uber popular and there are only 32 seats so chances are it’s already booked up but give it a shot. Sorry! I just found out about this yesterday. If you are SOL, just make your ressies for next month’s event where it’s all-you-can-consume-beer/wine-and steak for only $25! There are two seatings, 5:30pm and 8pm, every first Sunday of the month.
5:30pm and 8pm. $25. Bacaro LA, 2308 S Union Avenue, Los Angeles (map). RSVP: Call (213) 748-7205 or email bacaro_la [at] yahoo.com.
Rustic Canyon’s Spring Beer Bash Dinner with the Beer Chick
But I will give you the heads-up to this tasty event on March 23 at the Santa Monica restaurant where, for $75, you get to enjoy five courses of fresh spring fare paired with five beers provided by Beer Chick, Christina Perozzi and featuring local breweries, The Bruery, Craftsman and Skyscraper Brewing Co.
Event date: Tuesday, March 23. $75 (includes beer). Rustic Canyon, 1119 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica (map). Reservations: (310) 393-7050.
I was scarred by Tokyo Delve’s so admittedly wasn’t all that thrilled about doing sake and sushi at a Hollywood Japanese chain restaurant. Little did I know that it wasn’t to be an evening of sake bombs, too-sweet teriyaki and the chicken dance. Rather, an upscale evening with great quality food and the only master sake sommelier in North America, Yuji Matsumoto.
Yup, blogger H.C. and I were given our very own private lesson on the finer points of sake at Kabuki Hollywood, a sushi restaurant located next door to Ivan Kane’s Cafe Was on Vine Street. There, Yuji Matsumoto guided us through different types of sake and how to pair them with food, ranging from tempura vegetables to specialty rolls.
Here are just some of the things I learned from this very knowledgeable boozer.
1. Sake, like wine, can be paired with food, thanks to Yuji-san’s handy-dandy patented sake food pairing chart. He actually had to taste over 800 sake to develop this chart. I know, violins.
Spring type: Citrus-floral flavors and light to medium body that pairs with lighter fare like white fish, oyster and shell fish
Summer type: Floral-fruity flavors and more medium to full body that pairs with tempura, sashimi and grilled fish
Fall type: Fruity-sour flavors and medium to more full body that pairs with chicken, stew and marinated fish
Winter type: Sour-aged flavors and full body that pairs with rich foods like beef, cheese, lamb and pork
2. At Kabuki, they have an array of sake-based cocktails. I assumed that the sake sommelier would look upon this with disdain but he said that sake cocktails are a great way to introduce the uninitiated to sake and that the cocktails were actually created to showcase the sake flavors. The Tokyo Mojito, made with both shochu (“Asian vodka”) and sake and available in a variety of flavors, is his favorite.
4. Drinking sake warm is not only better for your health but a great way to get instantly drunk.
5. It’s a misconception to serve bad sake hot to mask the flavor. Yuji-san says you should chill it.
6. Despite what teetotalers say, sake has many health benefits, including preventing cancer and cirrhosis because of its amino acids, preventing senility because of peptide which is effective in preventing forgetfulness and preventing osteoprosis in women as sake is found to increase hormones in women when drunk in moderation (three to six glasses a week).
7. Opt to enjoy sake in a wine glass as it allows its fragrance to blossom fully.
8. Best places to buy good sake in Los Angeles are Marukai Supermarket and Mitsuwa Market Place as they know how to store sake. Yuji-san also lists Whole Foods, Bristol Farms and Trader Joe’s as options but didn’t seem as enthused about them as the first two.
9. Always buy sake chilled.
10. And since I’m not a big sake drinker, I had no idea it had about as much alcohol as wine. I know, I know duh.
BTW, Kabuki Hollywood has a specialty cocktail menu that basically consists of saketinis and chu-his (shochu with fruit flavors) as well as tropical “classic cocktails” like Mai Tai and Chi Chi. Yeah. Eh. But the night H.C. and I went, Yuji-san had to leave our table to meet up with none other than cocktail consultants Steve Livigni and Daniel Nelsonof Top Notch Beverage Consulting. Could that mean Kabuki will get a cocktail revamping? Fingers crossed!
Kabuki Hollywood
1545 Vine Street
Los Angeles, California 90028 (map)
(323) 464-6003
Yuji’s Twitter: @SakeRonin
