Lots of eating to be done this weekend. But enough about me, what are you up to?
Thursday, March 31
Mixtape Thursdays
Big Bar will be mixing it up for tonight’s Mixtape Mixology when guest bartender Eric Castro steps behind the stick to work his San Francisco magic on some Plymouth Gin cocktails. You know the cocktail enthusiasts will be out in full force and grooving to Big Bar resident DJ Eugene Lee’s LA/SF music mixes.
7pm-1am. Big Bar, 1927 Hillhurst Avenue, Los Feliz (map).
Friday, April 1
Street’s $11 Lunch Special for April Launches
Blah! Tax time is here. Susan Feniger’s Street feels your pain and is offering $11 lunch specials for the entire month of April. All lunch items will be under $11. On April 18, there will be an “Unhappy Hour” all day and night featuring $5 and under bar food.
Street, 742 N. Highland Avenue, Los Angeles (map).
Free Grilled Cheese Melts by The Grilled Cheese Truck
This will probably be a mob scene but how badly do you want FREE cheesy goodness? To kick off National Grilled Cheese Month the Grilled Cheese Truck will be giving away Tillamook “Loaf Love” grilled cheese melt which will be available as a special on the truck for April.
L.A. Mega Fundraiser Bakesale for Japan
Buy and eat yummy treats for a good cause: to help Japan with earthquake/tsunami relief. Throughout the city, bakeries will pop up selling thousands of unique goodies from amateur and pro bakers. Visit Black Cat Bakery, BLD, Forage, Akasha and Angeli Caffe, to name a few of the participating locations. If you want to donate your own baked goods, email LosAngelesBakesale [at] gmail.com.
Woot! Holiday weekend! A good thing considering there’s so much to do that you’ll need your Monday to recover. By the way, tomorrow morning I’m going to be on Carson Daly’s morning show, AMP Mornings, on AMP Radio 97.1 talking about weekend to-dos so please listen in! UPDATE: If you missed it this morning, you can listen to my chat with Carson right here.
Thursday, October 7
LA Beer Week Kicks Off Today!
Beer, beer, beer! All things beer kicks off today with several beery events like the cask tapping from Stone Brewing in Library Alehouse, Rocktoberfest at El Segundo’s Rocks & Brew and Lucky Baldwin’s 14th Anniversary. Check the LA Beer Week calendar for more upcoming events, some of my faves are included in this here roundup.
Friday, October 8
LA Beer Week: Grilled Cheese and Craft Beer at Eagle Rock Brewery
Man, you can’t go wrong with grilled cheese sandwiches and craft beer. Mmm! The Grilled Cheese Truck will be selling its tasty melty wares which you can enjoy at local brewery, Eagle Rock Brewery. The tap room opens at 4 and the truck gets there at 7. Trying to figure out which sandwich would go with which beer will be fun. The Cheesy Mac & Rib with Eagle Rock’s Solidarity? The Manifesto with the Brie Melt?
7-10pm. Eagle Rock Brewery, 3056 Roswell Street, Los Angeles (map)
Saturday, October 9
Zocalo Public Square and Jonathan Gold’s 2nd Annual Cocktail Party at Union Station
What does Jonathan Gold, celebrated and award-winning LA Weekly food reviewer, have to do with cocktails you say? Apparently enough to wield his power and gather LA’s popular bartenders under one roof at the Union Station for this very fancy must-do cocktail party. Tipple from the best like Comme Ca, Providence and Rivera! If you’re 30 years old and under (but over 21 obviously) you qualify to get the Young Professional discount, $125! (Regular price is $185). So line up your designated driver and dust off your cocktail attire. Hope to see you there!
7pm. $125-$185. Union Station, 800 N. Alameda Street, Los Angeles (map).
2010 Pasadena Wine Festival
Want a low-key, chill night of sipping your choice of 125 wines while listening to jazz, blues and funk bands? Haul your blankets and beach chairs to the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanical Garden for the 2010 Pasadena Wine Festival. You can play bocce ball or jump on a tram tour of the gardens as well as enjoy unlimited wine tastings. Featured food trucks include The Grilled Cheese Truck, World Fare Bustaurant and Sprinkles Cupcakes. If you spring for the VIP pass you get to mingle with the live music artists backstage as well as partake of the private VIP food samplings. Regular ticket prices range from $28-$85 (online sales end at midnight on Friday) or you can get them from $17-$51 on Goldstar.
2-10pm. Tickets: $28-$85. Los Angeles Arboretum, 301 N. Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia (map).
Sunday, October 10
CicLAvia
I’ve always fantasized what LA would be like if we removed the cars. If you have, too, you’ll love this car-free event, CicLAvia, which takes over 7 miles aka 45 acres of downtown streets where Angelenos can bike, run, stroll, skate, boogie, walk dogs, etc. without fear of the four-wheeled beasties. Pedestrians can explore the city streets and check out local shops, restaurants, food trucks and more while enjoying live music and the Indian Summer night, which I hear will be nice and balmy.
10am-3pm. Free. From Heliotrope and Rosewood to Boyle and 4th (map of events).
LA Beer Week: Beer Float Showdown II
Food GPS’s tasty annual event is back and it’s bigger than ever. This time instead of just two beer bars facing off, you’ve got four! Yup, Boneyard Bistro, Ladyface Alehouse, Simmzy’s and Tony’s Darts Away are all competing for the title of Best Beer Float in LA. Each team will make a single float while all attendees (that would be you) get to taste each one and then vote on their faves! Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door with 50% of proceeds going to Share Our Strength, a charity that works to end childhood hunger in the U.S. and Canada.
5:30pm. $25-$30. Verdugo Bar, 3408 Verdugo Road, Los Angeles (map).
Whist at The Viceroy Santa Monica Kicks Off its Savor Sundays
Savor Sundays at Whist are back. The family-style menu by Executive Chef Tony DiSalvo is available for nine weeks with three courses going for $35. An Oktoberfest-inspired menu starts things off this Sunday with cheddar and beer soup, housemade sausages like every wurst you can think of and apple strudel or German chocolate. There will also be housemade beers available for purchase.
5:30-9pm. $35, $15 for kids 12 and under. Whist at The Viceroy, 1819 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica (map).
Second Week of dineLA Restaurant Week: October 10-15
If you missed the first week of dineLA’s Restaurant Week, you still have one more chance at it. From October 10 through the 15th, diners get to indulge at certain LA restaurants for affordable-ish prices. If anything I always figured this was a great way to try that restaurant I’ve always been meaning to go to. The dineLA meals are available in three price categories: Deluxe Dining is $16 for lunch and $26 for dinner; Premier Dining is $22 for lunch and $34 for dinner, and Fine Dining is $28 for lunch and $44 for dinner. Check the dineLA site for participating restaurants and to make your reservations!
Yay! I’m so happy I’m in town this weekend. And it’s a good thing, too, because there are LOTS going on.
Saturday, May 15
CitySip LA Home Brewing Class
Times are tough. Maybe you don’t have the money to go out for a night of drinking. So why not learn how to make your own booze at home? Beer guru Alex Macy will be taking you through the steps on how to brew your own beer starting with a basic extract brew. The event is $45 and gets you tastes of 6-8 commercial beers, Two Boots pizza and the know-how to make your own beer. But dress to get wet and dirty. Home brewing apparently gets messy.
1-4pm. $45. 2150 W. Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles (map). Reservations: (213) 483-9463.
The Vendy Awards LA
The Vendys are here! And six of the best LA street vendors are up for the award of the bestest vendor in all SoCal. This Saturday they’ll be judged by a prestigious foodie panel consisting of the Glutster, those Animal guys, Street Gourmet LA and KCRW’s Evan Kleiman. Entry fee to witness this spectacle is $50 which gets you the cook-off food and an open bar of wine and beer. Proceeds from this event will go to protect vendors’ rights.
4-7pm. $50 online, $60 at the door. MacArthur Park, S. Park View and W. 7th Street, Los Angeles (map).
Connect 4 Tournament at West 4th/Jane
Spend an entire afternoon drinking beer and playing an intense round of Connect 4. Get a team of five friends together for West 4th/Jane’s second seasonal Connect 4 tournament where the top three winning teams will get prizes! If you’re not in it to win it, at least the $20 entry fee includes unlimited tap beer for all four hours of the event. Email steven [at] west4thjane.com to confirm your team.
4-8pm. West 4th/Jane, 1432 4th Street, Santa Monica (map). (310) 395-6765.
Gates 7pm, movie 8pm. $10. Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles (map).
Sunday, May 16
Santa Monica Classic 5K/10K
It’s going to be such a gorgeous weekend why not run a 5K or 10K through the streets of Santa Monica to best enjoy the weather? This annual fun run is a point-to-point course through SaMo that finishes at the Santa Monica Pier. Proceeds from the event go to benefit Heal the Bay. Online registration is closed but you can still register on race day.
Margerum M5 + In-N-Out at Wallys Wine
Don’t be a wine snob. You know you want to check out this wine pairing of In N Out burgers and wine. In fact it’s already been done with great success. This event at Wally’s Wine is $20 per person and includes a glass of the Margerum M5, a burger and a full tasting. There will also be newly released vintages to taste.
1-4pm. $20. Wally’s Wines, 2107 Westwood Boulevard, Los Angeles (map).
Monday, May 17
Hudson House Hosts the Grilled Cheese Truck
Everyone’s favorite food truck, the Grilled Cheese Truck will be making an appearance at the Hudson House. The Redondo Beach gastropub will close its kitchen for the event but you can grab some cheesy melts and enjoy them in the bar along with libations from Hudson House’s beer, wine and cocktail menu. Newly revealed cocktails include the Imperia Pickled Blue ($10) with Imperia vodka, pickled vegetables and blue cheese stuffed olives and a cava cocktail available in blueberry, pear or blood orange ($8). New beer on tap is the chipotle-coffee stout, Black Phoenix.
