Dig Lounge

Dig LA Weekend Guide – Sept 3-6

Matt Mitchell — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:03:19 +0000

Welcome to the weekend. It’s Labor Day weekend, so celebrate the fruits of your labor by eating all weekend long at the Taste of Beverly Hills and the LA Times Celebration of Food and Wine. Gorge on fried foods at the opening of the LA County Fair, celebrate LA’s bday in the historic pueblo, learn about wine & scotch whiskey, enjoy free BBQ at a Little Cave Luau, learn how to bake bread, or check out So Cal’s largest arts & crafts festival in Hermosa Beach. Then finish of your weekend with a gourmet meal of crab and shellfish at Palate F + W.

Friday, Sept 3

Taste of Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills
Food & Wine magazine has announced a new four-day food event. The “Taste of Beverly Hills,” will be held September 2, 2010 through September 5, 2010 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Taste of Beverly Hills is a four-day festival that will celebrate all things epicurean in ALL of Los Angeles. The festival will consist of everything from local restaurant tastings and live cooking demonstrations from world renown chefs, to a series of wine seminars from top vintners and live musical performances from award winning artists. Tickets for the daily events run $125-$150, all the way up to $500 for a 5 day pass.

Saturday, Sept 4

LA County Fair
Pomona (times vary)
Time for the LA County Fair and copious amounts of deep fried foods, gadgets galore, musical performances by yesterday’s favorite bands, edge of your seat horse racing, rides and carnival games, and of course, the wine and beer gardens. Once your done getting your fill of heart clogging goodness, clean your heart out with a little wine! The Ralphs Wine and Spirits Marketplace features wine tasting and education classes. The award winning wines from the LA International Wine and Spirits competition will be on hand. Tickets start at just $17 for adults and $12 for kids. Buy em here.

City of Los Angeles Birthday Celebration
Downtown Los Angeles (6am-3pm)
The early morning “Los Pobladores – Walk to Los Angeles” is an annual re-enactment of the nine-mile walk from the San Gabriel Mission (428 @. Mission Ave., San Gabriel) to found El Pueblo de Los Angeles at the current Olvera Street. Walkers can also join the procession at Lincioln Park (3401 Valley Blvd., LA) for a shorter 3-mile walk. At Olvera Street, walkers and others will find live music, food and artists booths at El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Site.

Scotch Whiskey School
Downtown Los Angeles (8pm-10pm)
LearnAboutWine presents Scotch Whiskey School. Learn about the history of Scotch Whiskey, the production and how it influences flavor, how to serve and taste, how to describe – improve your Scotch vernacular. This is a great event and fun for both the novice and advanced scotch collector. Sample 8-10 different Scotch. Purchase your tickets for $59 here.

Artisanal Bread Baking with Jerry Maybrook
Culver City (10am-1pm)
Jerry Maybrook is one of the hidden jewels of the Los Angeles food world. An artisanal baker, Jerry produces truly transcendent loaves of bread in his home oven. Spend an afternoon in the Test Kitchen with Jerry as he shares from his years of research and trial and error and leads the class through the process of making the perfect French Country loaf in a home oven. The class takes place from 10am-1pm at Surfas in Culver City and costs $25. Reservations are required. Click here for more info.

Fiesta Hermosa
Hermosa Beach (10am-6pm)
The “largest arts & crafts fair in Southern California” takes places this weekend (Saturday, Sunday and Monday) in downtown Hermosa Beach. Over 270 artists and crafters are featured, including painters, photographers, ceramicists, jewelers, sculptors, and handicrafters. With the ocean as a backdrop, Hermosa Beach is an ideal place for a summer festival with temperatures of 80 degrees and balmy sea breezes. Admission is free.

Sunday, Sept 5

Wine Camp – An Introduction to Wine
Downtown Los Angeles (3pm-5:15pm)
LearnAboutWine presents Wine Camp – An Introduction to Wine. Learn the wine basics from A – Z and taste seven types of wine and acquire the skills to evaluate what you smell and taste. Wine Camp covers information that is good for everyone from the beginner to the frequent wine shopper. Understanding how wine is made helps you describe what your tasting! Learn how to pair wines, the do’s and dont’s of wine service, and how to purchase and store wine. Get your tickets for $59 here.

Labor Day Luau at Little Cave
Highland Park (3-9pm)
Celebrate the 3-day weekend at Little Cave in Highland Park with a special BBQ and Luau. The free event features DJ’s playing a mix of Rockabilly, 80′s New Wave/ Rock, R&B, Rock N Roll, Ska, Classic Rock, Rock En Español, and Soul, drink specials, free BBQ, hot rods, motorcycles, and grass skirts galore. Hawaiian attire is a must.

Los Angeles Times Celebration of Food and Wine
Los Angeles (12-8pm)
The First Los Angeles Times Celebration of Food and Wine is on Sunday Sept 5 from noon to 8pm at the Paramount Studios Back Lot. The one-day food and wine event will feature the best of the best from the culinary and beverage worlds. The Celebration will include the most popular local, national and international food personalities from print, radio, television and cable, as well as the best food from little “mom & pop” kitchens throughout Los Angeles. Throughout the day leading mixologists will create unique and artistic cocktail creations in addition to providing everyone with a taste from the finest microbeers and wines to rum, tequila, vodka and whiskey. Tickets are only $65, $150 for VIP.

Monday, Sept 6

palate food + wine labor day crab feed
Glendale (4-8pm)
Celebrate Labor Day by working your way through freshly steamed Dungeness Crab. The crab feed’s featured crustacean, the Dungeness Crab, are the sweet + plump varietal from the village of Dungeness, Washington. The crab will be served with coleslaw and sweet corn and costs $15 for 1/2 and $30 for a whole crab. Other specials include mussels with frites, or a build your own seafood platter with oysters, prawns and thai snapper ceviche. Pair it with their Austrian Riesling, Jäger Riesling Federspiel Steinriegl at only $40 a bottle. Reservations recommended 818.662.9463

Continuing:

Culver City Summer Block Parties
Culver City (5-9pm)
On the third Wednesday of each month from 5-9 p.m., celebrate summer in beautiful downtown Culver City. Downtown Culver City Summer Block Parties are among LA’s best events this summer for people watching, grazing, sampling drinks and soaking in live entertainment. Angelenos will be able to taste food from the area’s award-winning restaurants, sip wine and cocktails as the sun goes down, enjoy live music under the stars, shop and sample from one-of-a-kind boutiques and view art at gallery openings. The Summer Block Parties will feature special offers and free goodies from over 25 participating businesses throughout the downtown area, as well as outdoor entertainment and activities ranging from wine and food tastings to free pole dancing lessons. Valet and free two-hour parking are available. Dates: July 21, Aug. 18, Sept. 15 and Oct. 20.

KCRW “Summer Nights”
Los Angeles (7:30-9:30)
KCRW (89.9FM and KCRW.com) is launching “Summer Nights,” a series of free, all ages music shows across Los Angeles. This summer, KCRW is bringing compelling artists and KCRW DJs directly to music fans all over town — Pasadena, Downtown, Westwood, Chinatown and more. Upcoming events around town include Everest, Saint Motel + Kitten, Admiral Radley + The Happy Hollows, Caravan Palace and more. Full listing here.

Weekend Flights at Rosso Wine Shop
Glendale (5-8pm)
A new wine theme each week. Whether it is their Old World favorites or Pinot Noir from Russian River, they mix it up and keep the price reasonable. Visit www.rossowineshop.com for more details. They also have wines by the glass available at the bar, along with some select beer picks by the bottle, if the wine flight doesn’t work for you. Cost is around $10.

Maxwell DeMille’s Cicada Club
Downtown Los Angeles (6-11pm)
Travel back in time to the glamorous days of Hollywood’s golden age of nightclubs every Sunday at the Cicada Club in Downtown. Featuring the finest vintage dance orchestras and entertainment, Maxwell DeMille’s Cicada Club is unlike any night on the town you have ever experienced. Vintage or evening attire encouraged. A dinner reservation will guarantee your table for the entire evening. To see who’s playing each week and for more info check out their web site.

palate food + wine Sunday Session and Supper
Glendale (12-5pm & 5-9pm)
Every Sunday at palate food + wine try the featured “Single Dish” at Sunday Session for $12. Or do the full Sunday supper for $35 which includes an appetizer, a main course, and dessert. Wine flights available for $12.

Little Dom’s Monday Night Supper
Los Feliz (6pm-11pm)
On Monday nights Little Dom’s if offering a $15 prix-fixe supper featuring seasonal dishes like Shrimp & Whitebean Brushetta , Grilled Albacore w/ Roasted Peppers & Oregano,
Cranberry & Chocolate Chunk Rice Pudding. Bottles of Dago Red or White are $10, and Peroni beer is $2. Sounds like the perfect recession buster to us.

Wine Pairing Wednesday at Upstairs2
West LA (7:30pm)
Upstairs 2, located above the massive Wine House, offers a four-course dinner prepared by chef Todd Barrie every Wednesday, paired with four wines from around the world selected by sommelier Marilyn Snee. Each week will showcase a different wine region, and there will be a brief discussion of each wine and its pairing. The cost is only $55 per person. Make your rezzy here.

Friday Night Sessions
Downtown Los Angeles (7pm)
Free concerts return to California Plaza in Downtown Los Angeles on the 2nd Friday of every month. The program includes performances by local emerging indie bands. The Friday Night Sessions concert series is a collaborative effort by lafreebee, Isgoodmusic, SideCho Records, Heart Music Group, Casa Downtown, Grand Performances and the artists themselves. This Friday’s performers include Under the Asbury, Garland, Lady Katherine, and Bright Million.

Upcoming:

Sept 10-12 – The Original Long Beach Lobster Festival will take place September 10-12 at the Rainbow Lagoon in Long Beach. Bristol Farms will serve Maine Lobster feasts steamed in the world’s largest lobster steamers. Plates include lobster, melted butter, fresh cut lemons, coleslaw, a dinner roll and watermelon. All lobster is flown in nightly from Maine. The festival also features live music, an international food court, arts & crafts booths, desserts, beer & wine gardens, and special themed cocktails. Prices range from $13 general admission to $50 for the jumbo lobster feast.

Sept 11 – The Case Study House program, a landmark American architectural experiment was created in 1945 by John Entenza. The impetus of the program was to build homes, which would serve as model environments for post-war living using pre-fabricated, industrial and other materials developed during World War II. Tour these homes with photographer Andrew Edelstein, docent for the Eames Foundation. With Andrew as your guide, you will delve into the fascinating stories of living in a Case Study House as well as hearing about the history of the Case Study House Program. Entry fee is $99, space is limited so make your reservation now.

Sept 12 – San Antonio Winery: Wine 102, Exploring California’s Grape Growing Regions with host Michael Papalia at San Antonio Winery. $60.00 per person – 4 Course Luncheon included. Get your tickets here.

Sept 14 – Are Celebrity Chefs Good for Food? Chefs have always had a knack for fame — from Julia Child to Napoleon’s personal chef, who published lucrative cookbooks and invented the tall white chef’s hat. But today, thanks in part to the Food Network, several seasons of “Top Chef” and “Hell’s Kitchen,” and a burgeoning foodie culture, chefs are full-fledged celebrities. Besides running top restaurants across the country, they publish enough books to overwhelm the shelves — and abilities — of most any home cook. They host TV shows that rely on outsized personality as much as inventive recipes. And they lend their names and talents to chain eateries and bottled grocery-store sauces. Are celebrity chefs over exposed and over extended, and how have they transformed food? Pulitzer Prize winning LA Weekly food critic Jonathan Gold visits Zócalo with a panel of star chefs — including Nancy Silverton of Mozza and “Top Chef Masters” star Susan Feniger of Street — to find out how famous foodies shape what we cook, how we eat, and the future of high cuisine. Admission is free, reserve your seat now.

Sept 17 – Help eliminate Alzheimer’s disease and “Remember the Music” with Betty’s Foundation on September 17th at The Mint. Be a part of a special night of music featuring, Keaton Simons, The Smart Brothers, Jake Newton, Vanish Valley and Kelly McGrath. Advance tickets for $15 at TheMintLA.com or at the door for $18. It’s a cheap price to pay for a night of great music and for a good cause. The Betty’s Foundation for the Elimination of Alzheimer’s Disease is a family operated non-profit organization inspired by personal adversity. Their goal is to provide awareness, education, and support research for the cure of this heartbreaking disease. Please join the fight and “Remember the Music!”

Sept 21 – Indulge in 30 of Old Pasadena’s most popular restaurants during the 19th annual Taste of Old Pasadena. From 5:30pm to 9:00pm, event attendees will have the opportunity to savor tastes from a variety of exciting cuisines for a $25 donation, with all proceeds going to local charities and scholarships for students heading to college. From authentic Tibet cuisine at Tibet Nepal House to French culinary delights at Café Bizou, and Argentinean flavors at 1810 Argentinean Restaurant, A Taste of Old Pasadena is a perfect opportunity to experience a myriad of culinary treasures from Old Pasadena’s award winning restaurants. Tickets can be purchased online.

Oct 2 – The Santa Monica Food and Wine Festival features all you can drink wine, food and music. Taking place at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, tickets are only $40.

Oct 24 – On Sunday, October 24 from 1-4 p.m., 30 of Los Angeles’ top restaurants and 30 top wineries will get together for a day of relaxation and “foodie” entertainment in Malibu. Los Angeles Magazine welcomes you to spend an afternoon discovering the vineyards of Saddlerock Ranch and taste the best that culinary giants from California have to offer in both food and wine. Master sommeliers will give lessons in the art of pouring and palate-pleasing, celebrity chefs will perform demonstrations and a diverse group of wineries will pour their best selections. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to benefit the Kids Courage. Tickets are $95 and can be purchased here.

Nov 7 – Join Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, hosts Suzanne Goin, David Lentz, Caroline Styne, and more than 20 of the country’s top chefs for an exclusive culinary event on Sunday, November 7, 2010. The lawn at the mansion of Culver Studios (9336 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA) provides the perfect backdrop for this decadent chefs’ cook-out. The Chefs will create their signature dishes right in front of you, providing a chance for you to witness their culinary talents firsthand. In addition, to award winning food and great drinks, the event will have an exciting live auction, featuring one of a kind items and experiences. And of course, it is all for a great cause! Tickets start at $150. Get em here.

Remember The Music with Betty’s Foundation

Matt Mitchell — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:59:57 +0000

Help eliminate Alzheimer’s disease and “Remember the Music” with Betty’s Foundation on September 17th at The Mint. Be a part of a special night of music featuring, Keaton Simons, The Smart Brothers, Jake Newton, Vanish Valley and Kelly McGrath.

Advance tickets for $15 at TheMintLA.com or at the door for $18. It’s a cheap price to pay for a night of great music and for a good cause. The Betty’s Foundation for the Elimination of Alzheimer’s Disease is a family operated non-profit organization inspired by personal adversity. Their goal is to provide awareness, education, and support research for the cure of this heartbreaking disease. Please join the fight and “Remember the Music!”

Wine and dine at the LA County Fair

Matt Mitchell — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:57:43 +0000

It’s almost time. Time for the LA County Fair and copious amounts of deep fried foods, gadgets galore, musical performances by yesterday’s favorite bands, edge of your seat horse racing, rides and carnival games, and of course, the wine and beer gardens. We’re especially excited to try one of this years newest fair foods, the deep fried Klondike bar. Other new foodie concoctions include a deep friend PB&J and chocolate covered bacon wrapped Oreo cookies.

Once your done getting your fill of heart clogging goodness, clean your heart out with a little wine! The Ralphs Wine and Spirits Marketplace features wine tasting and education classes. The award winning wines from the LA International Wine and Spirits competition will be on hand, wines we got to preview a couple of months ago, and there are some great wines to be had.

The LA County Fair starts this weekend and runs through Oct 3. Dig Lounge has two tickets to the fair, plus wine tasting tickets to give away*. Simply retweet this story, or like us on Facebook, then post on our wall and tell us what you’re looking forward to most at the fair.

*You have until September 1st at midnight to enter. Each person may enter once on Twitter and once on Facebook. One winner will be drawn at random from all eligible entries.

Congrats to twitter user @alannajoy11. She won the tickets! Thanks for the entries.

LA Magazine – The Food Event

Matt Mitchell — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:20:27 +0000

This past year certainly hasn’t been void of wonderful food events to spend your hard earned money on. Some of them have gotten pretty pricey, charging upwards of $300 plus for tickets. Exclusive and as fabulous as they are, it’s just too much to spend when sampling small dishes from various chefs. In comes Learn About Wine and LA Magazine to the rescue. Save the date for October 24th, when LA Mag presents The Food Event 2010 – From The Vine. For 3 hours, 30 of Los Angeles’ top restaurants and 30 wineries will get together for a day of relaxation and “foodie” entertainment in Malibu at the beautiful Saddlerock Ranch. Tickets go on sale today at Learn About Wine for just $65.

Laze around in the vineyards, as you taste wine from local wineries and nosh on food from some culinary giants (participating chefs not announced at the time of this post.) Master sommeliers will give lessons in the art of pouring and palate-pleasing, celebrity chefs will perform demonstrations and a diverse group of wineries will pour their best selections. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to benefit the Kids Courage.

Participating Wineries include Adelaida, Alma Rosa, Cantara, Cielo Malibu Estate Wineyards, Coquelicot, Ecluse, Farella Park, Herzog, J&J Cellars, Malibu Family Wines, Millesime Cellars, The Paring, Solsticio, Sweeney Canyon, Tercero, and more to be added later.

Dig LA Weekend Guide – Aug 27-29

Matt Mitchell — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:48:11 +0000

Welcome to the weekend. On Friday night, sip on French wine in Hollywood or kick off the weekend at the Grape Harvest Festival. Make the most out of your Saturday with movie screenings paired with wine and food, head down to OC for a Foodie Fest, or party in Chinatown. Then on Sunday pair food and pinot noir or hit up a back to school beer tasting. Have a good one!

Friday, Aug 27

French Decadence Soiree
Hollywood (7-9pm)
Let yourself be guided by the romance and mystery of the Hollywood Tower Apartments built in 1929 with LA Wine Tasting’s French Decadence Soiree. Explore the French wine regions, vineyards and terroirs from the Loire Valley in the North down to the Languedoc region and the French Riviera. Wines will be picked from Colorado Wine Company’s unique selection. Indulge in the highest-quality delicacies with artisan cheeses from the four corners of France by Nicole’s Gourmet Food served with Parisian-style bread by La Maison Du Pain. Tantalize your senses with Yvan Valentin’s chocolate truffles. Tickets are just $68 per person or $108 a couple.

Grape Harvest Festival
Rancho Cucamonga (Fri 5-11pm, Sat 10am-11pm, Sun 10am-6pm)
The Spirit of the Grape Harvest Festival dates back over 200 years to the planting of the first Mission grapes at the Mission San Gabriel Archangel. As Rancho Cucamonga grew throughout the late 19th and 20th centuries, each of the individual wineries and the various Catholic churches in the area held their own version of a grape harvest festival, celebrating the end of the harvest season and the comparing the fruits of their labor. Enjoy a day of wine tasting, shopping for crafts or unique one of a kind items. Enjoy a snack or stop for a full meal while watching live entertainment on the main stage. Of course you’ll also be able to stomp grapes. Admission is just $3.

Saturday, Aug 28

Special Paella and Wines with Vinos Unico
Glendale (4-8pm)
Portuguese (and maybe Spanish) wines from importer Vinos Unico. Luis Moya will be at Rosso Wine shop in Glendale making his famed Paella. Along with that there will be Spanish tortilla and other small bites by Saltbutterpork catering. Some of the wines featured will be: 2009 Muralhas Vinho Verde Rosé, 2009 Trajarinho Vinho Verde and Capote Velho Vinho de Mesa.

LearnAboutWine – Wine Games and Movie
Downtown Los Angeles (7:30-10pm)
It’s an educational wine tasting – with a free showing of the movie MONDOVINO. Taste ten unique terroir wines of France – blind and win prizes for matching the wines correctly. Its fun and complimented perfectly by Mondovino. Your $29 ticket includes tasting, popcorn and free showing of the movie Mondovino. *Cheese plates sold separately. Get your tickets here.

OC Foodie Fest
Anaheim (11:30am-7pm)
Orange County’s first gourmet food truck event taking place Saturday, August 28th at the Honda Center in Anaheim. The one-day event will be the ultimate foodie destination, featuring the best in popular mobile eats combined with a unique forum to showcase local entertainment & shopping to help support local charities. 50 food trucks in all, check out the list here. Admission is $12 bucks +food prices, or VIP for $50 +food prices. VIP does not seem worth it for just 30 minute early entry and a grab bag of crappy vendor swag. You’re still gonna spend all day standing in line.

Outdoor Cinema Food Fest
Beverly Hills (6-11pm)
Experience the Outdoor Cinema Food Fest featuring some of the best food trucks in Los Angeles along with outdoor movies on a huge 40 foot screen. It’s the ultimate picnic in the park – no basket required! Kick back and enjoy your gourmet street food in a beautiful park under the stars. This week’s screening of Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue takes place at La Cienega Park at 8400 Gregory Way in Beverly Hills. Advance free VIP seating available for first come first serve on their web site.

Chinatown Summer Nights
Downtown (5pm-12am)
Part food event, part summer party, Chinatown Summer Nights presents an exciting hot spot for Angelenos this August. Taste the many culinary offerings of Chinatown and LA’s gourmet food trucks, sample the neighborhood’s wares, experience large-scale public art, sip on Chinese beer, dance in Central Plaza with KCRW DJ’s and take part in hands-on, Chinese cultural workshops presented by local organizations and museums! Hill St at Gin Ling Way.

ChocolateBox Café screening “The Arena: North Shore”
Malibu (7:30pm)
In the spirit of the upcoming Malibu Surf Invitation, ChocolateBox Café at the Malibu Lumber Yard will host a FREE movie screening of “The Arena: North Shore“. Snack on goodies from ChocolateBox Café or Cafe Cubana (reserved seating for those who do), while you watch the action-packed surfing documentary. Admission is free and includes some great giveaways during the screening.

Sunday, Aug 29

The “Best of Pinot Noir” 5-Course Wine Dinner
Pasadena (6:30-9pm)
At Noir Food and Wine in Pasadena taste 8 of the finest California Pinot Noir paired with plates by Chef Claud Beltran. Start with seared scallops, then monkfish kabobs, five spice duck breast, veal loin, and dessert. Cost is $125 per person. Click here for more info.

Back to School Beer Tasting
Glendale (3-5pm)
The Back to School Beer Tasting will be held at Red Carpet Wine with headmaster Larry James of Wine Warehouse. Celebrate the last days of a glorious Summer and the school system taking over the supervision of your children again with BBQ by RCW’s Pat. $30 per person, call to RSVP: 800.339.0609.

Continuing:

Upcoming:

Sept 2-5 – Food & Wine magazine has announced a new four-day food event. The “Taste of Beverly Hills,” will be held September 2, 2010 through September 5, 2010 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Taste of Beverly Hills is a four-day festival that will celebrate all things epicurean in ALL of Los Angeles. The festival will consist of everything from local restaurant tastings and live cooking demonstrations from world renown chefs, to a series of wine seminars from top vintners and live musical performances from award winning artists. Tickets for the daily events run $125-$150, all the way up to $500 for a 5 day pass.

Sept 4 – Artisanal Bread Baking with Jerry Maybrook – Jerry Maybrook is one of the hidden jewels of the Los Angeles food world. An artisanal baker, Jerry produces truly transcendent loaves of bread in his home oven. Spend an afternoon in the Test Kitchen with Jerry as he shares from his years of research and trial and error and leads the class through the process of making the perfect French Country loaf in a home oven. The class takes place from 10am-1pm at Surfas in Culver City and costs $25. Reservations are required. Click here for more info.

Sept 4-Oct 3 – The LA County Fair returns to Pomona for one month, featuring a plethora of deep fried foods, turkey legs, corn dogs, live music, farm exhibits, horse racing, carnival rides, buildings full of vendors selling stuff you never knew you needed, and of course our favorite, the award winning wine garden. The most fun you’ll have this summer for only 10 bills.

Sept 5 – The First Los Angeles Times Celebration of Food and Wine is on Sunday Sept 5 from noon to 8pm at the Paramount Studios Back Lot. The one-day food and wine event will feature the best of the best from the culinary and beverage worlds. The Celebration will include the most popular local, national and international food personalities from print, radio, television and cable, as well as the best food from little “mom & pop” kitchens throughout Los Angeles. Throughout the day leading mixologists will create unique and artistic cocktail creations in addition to providing everyone with a taste from the finest microbeers and wines to rum, tequila, vodka and whiskey. Tickets are only $65, $150 for VIP.

Oct 2 – The Santa Monica Food and Wine Festival features all you can drink wine, food and music. Taking place at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, tickets are only $40.

New bourbon centric cocktail menu @ Bigfoot Lodge

Matt Mitchell — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:00:04 +0000

If you’re looking for a cocktail, whiskey, or scotch on the west side, look no further than Bigfoot Lodge West. It’s a place where your more eastern friends wont mind making the trip to visit. Bigfoot is more than mountain cabin kitsch. It’s a serious whiskey bar, for serious drinkers. Manager Brandon Ristaino, also known as the Bourbon Baron, has relocated to Bigfoot West and created a new menu worth drinking into. With over 80 hand selected whiskeys and a brand new craft cocktail menu designed by the Baron himself. The craft cocktail menu has an emphasis of properly made classic cocktails, with a fusion of pre-prohibition sensibility and contemporary mixology. The Ice ball-pressing machine designed ‘In-House’ by the 1933 Group engineer, can press 3 balls per minute for whiskey consumption.

Our favorites from the evening; the Bourberry, a mix of muddle strawberries, mint, lime, ginger beer and Buffalo Trace Bourban.; and the Blackberry Pepper Bramble, a unique pepper infused gin coupled with blackberry liqueur, lemon juice and soda water. Each cocktail is priced at $12 with champagne cocktails at $10. Of course you can’t go wrong with just a 16 year High West or a Willett 19 year either, neat of course. If you’re feeling particularly lucky, ask for the Horny Goat Elixir. It’s the house “performance enhancing” herbal liquor, created by senior herbalist Borna Ilic. It should improve your endurance and libido to keep the night going all night long.

The Bourberry

The Toasted Marshmallow

Click to download the cocktail menu.

Click to download the whiskey menu.

Munch LA – food, shopping, & music

Matt Mitchell — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 21:53:59 +0000

If you haven’t had your fill of food truck events (we know we haven’t), then head on over to Fairfax High on Saturday September 18th from 11am-5pm. Munch LA is an event that will feature over 30 food trucks, while shopping from some of LA’s top designers and grooving to tunes provided by DJs. Admission to the event is just $7 (or $10 at the door) and proceeds benefit Fairfax High. Your entry includes a drink from Hansen’s Natural Sodas to wash it all down.

Food trucks for the day include Ahn Joo, Baby Bad Ass Burgers, Big Swirl, Calbi BBQ, Crepe n Around, Del’s Lemonade, Dim Sum Truck, Don Chow Tacos, Dosa Truck, Dumpling Station, Eat Phamish, Fish Lips, Flying Pig, Frysmith, Greenz on Wheelz, Greasy Weiner, India Jones, Kabob N Roll, Komodo, Lake Street Creamery, Let’s Be Frank, LudoTruck, Nana Queens, Slice, South Philly, Sweet Truck, Tropical Shave Ice, Vizzi and more. Shop Young Fabulous & Broke, Hudson Jeans, Wendy Glez Lingerie, T Bags, Dylan George, Paige Denim, Boheme Jewelry and much, much more.

Food Coma Aftermath: Plate by Plate

Lien Ta — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:22:26 +0000

Dig Lounge would like to welcome writer Lien Ta to the site. Her work has appeared in everything from E! Online to Glamour to UrbanDaddy LA (plus, her two blogs, Taking Notes and FAQ-LA). Her new challenge is surviving an externship in the kitchen at Lucques. Follow her on Twitter @FAQ_LA

I arrive at the Plate by Plate event taking place at the California Science Center with an appetite (just slightly stuffed with sausage and pancakes from the Salt’s Cure soft opening). The first booth to greet guests is Jitlada, and naturally, there’s a swarm of well-clad animals around Jazz’s curry.

So, I march on toward the back, reaching signage that reads: BALLS. This is Nguyen Tran’s doing, of course, and he’s dishing out Starry Kitchen’s infamous crispy tofu balls. Because I am not the owner of a big important camera, I can’t help but take a Hipstamatic print:

Starry Kitchen

To the left of SK is Mo-Chica — what! No Seco de Cordova lamb shank for each of us?! — and chef Ricardo Zarate is serving up kind-of-amazing beef hearts on skewers. I put one in my mouth. I’m excited by it.

Mo-Chica's Beef Hearts

The soft-spoken Zarate is a big deal, always, but especially of late. He is the mastermind behind Test Kitchen LA, wherein talented chefs/mixologists pop into his nondescript Pico Boulevard space and “test” menus. After Red Medicine’s Jordan Kahn wraps up his stint this week, expect Zarate himself to whip up a little Peruvian variety a night here and there.

Me and Chef Z — we chatted. He equated Test Kitchen LA as “just something to do” while he orchestrates his next big venture. I suspect it might have something to do with the current Wabi Sabi spot on Abbot Kinney …

OK, power rankings. The top five snacks I snacked on:

Panna Cotta in Watermelon Soup -- Fraiche

5. Panna Cotta in Watermelon Soup — Fraiche
So, so velvety. And a little pool of agua fresca. And handsome/pretty cooks in red bandanas. As if we were at Fraiche right now!

Char Siu Pork Croissant -- Jar

4. Char Siu Pork Croissant — Jar
How does Chef Suzanne Tracht keep her eternal tan up? And her SoCal-tousseled bob JUST right? And why is her char siu meat this good? And please, anything in a croissant. Regarding her upcoming LAX eatery, Suzanne said, “It’s coming along.”

Green Curry Chicken, Mitaki Vegetable With Tofu, Crying Tiger Beef

3. Green Curry Chicken, Mitaki Vegetable With Tofu, Crying Tiger Beef — Jitlada
A few weeks ago, I ate at Jitlada for the first time — it was a revelation, truly. Everyone is sweating — the food’s got that much kick. This Thai medley was tame, spice-wise (Chef Jazz didn’t want to scare the benefactors). First, a little green curry was ladled into a bowl, then it was topped with the mango stuff and the crying tiger meat. I text-sent this image, and jealousy ensued.

Pomegranate-Glazed Duck Meatball, Parsnip Puree and Orange Essence -- Charlie Palmer

2. Pomegranate-Glazed Duck Meatball, Parsnip Puree and Orange Essence — Charlie Palmer
Palmer is the guy with the careful mustache in that one Top Chef episode. He’s got a Costa Mesa spot in the Bloomingdale’s of South Coast Plaza — and the man can make a meatball. Might I add there was foam.

Crispy Tofu Ball -- Starry Kitchen

1. Crispy Tofu Ball — Starry Kitchen
I’m a carnivore, through and through, but balls, was this good. It’s easily the best thing I’ve eaten out of Starry Kitchen, and I’m happy to report it was my favorite snack at this year’s Plate by Plate.

Plate by Plate is a tasting benefit, and this particular night, it honors the Health Justice Network, a leader in advocating quality health services and eliminating health disparities among the Asian and Pacific Islander population. Other participants included: Bistro LQ, The Blvd, Cafe Pinot, Craft, The Foundry, Hot Stuff Cafe, Jamaica’s Cakes, La Cachette, La Grande Orange, Maison Akira, Musha, Nobu, One World, Plush Puffs, Roy’s, Susina Bakery, Thompson, Wokcano and Yogurtland.

Dig LA Weekend Guide – Aug 20-22

Matt Mitchell — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 19:16:38 +0000

Welcome to the weekend. Pair In-N-Out burger with 20 different red Zins or drink wine at Barnsdall Art Park in Los Feliz. Hit up the ever popular Sunset Junction for live music and good eats, get a preview of the OC Foodie Fest, or imbibe on cocktails at a “Speakeasy”. The Outdoor Cinema Food Fest lands in Beverly Hills, Chinatown Summer Nights continues, or taste wine and sumptuous cuisine in Long Beach. Then on Sunday sample bubble in Venice Beach. It’s gonna be a good one.

Friday, Aug 20

LearnAboutWine: Blind Date Zin + The Funk + Blends and Burgers
Downtown Los Angeles (8-10pm)
Get together and taste 20 really interesting wines and see which one you like best. This is a small 1 ounce pour but you will taste an entire bottle by the end of the tasting! All wines are pre-poured, but we will not tell you which one is which until you have tasted them and noted your favorites. Then we will unveil the wines, one at a time. Who is the best in this line up? Taste-date them all and see which one you like the best. Burgers and fries from In-N-Out are included. $69 pp. Get your tickets here.

Barnsdall Fridays Wine Tasting
Los Angeles (5:30pm)
Unwind and enjoy the beautiful Barnsdall Art Park as the sun is setting, from the gated gardens in the West Lawn of the historic Hollyhock House. Silverlake Wine will present four selections of boutique, small production, artisanal wines from around the globe. As featured in LA Weekly, LA Times, Urban Daddy, and FoodGPS. Wine tastings are $20, tours of the Hollyhock house available for an additional $15. Tours start at 5:45pm, 6:15pm, and 7:00pm. Space per tour slot is limited, and often sell out, so buy your tickets in advance.

Saturday, Aug 21

Sunset Junction
Silverlake
Sunset Junction is rolling-out a special 30th anniversary soiree in celebration of Silverlake’s popular end-of-summer event – the Sunset Junction Fair – widely regarded as the eastside’s biggest block party, with five music stages featuring a highly eclectic mix of both national and local acts, carnival rides, food booths, beer gardens, arts & crafts, a circus, DJ’s, street performers and people watching on. In honor of this milestone, a fifth “Locals Only” stage has been added, presented by The Fold, and featuring a wide cross-section of local buzz-bands. This year, a Miles Davis tribute entitled “Bitches Brew 40th re-mix” will take place in celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Davis’s jazz-rock-funk-fusion masterpiece, featuring his musical alumni with acclaimed eastside DJ’s, in bridging the classic with the contemporary. A special laser light show will also be presented during the performance of Saturday’s Bates Stage headliner – Ghostland Observatory and this year also features a strong Latin/Alternative line-up on Sunday’s Bates Stage with Girl In A Coma, Insite, Division Minuscala, Aurum and Rolling Radio. Tickets are $15 in advance here, or $20 at the door.

OC Foodie Fest Pub & Grup #2
Costa Mesa (9pm-1am)
It’s time for round two of OC Foodie Fest presents Pub & Grub! Stop by Goat Hill Tavern in Costa Mesa for food truck grub and drinks from the pub, plus get a sneak peak at some of Orange County’s gourmet food trucks, including Taco Dawg, Calbi Truck, Longboard’s Ice Cream and Piaggio on Wheels. Hop into the bar to try some Azunia Tequila and enjoy your favorite drinks.

DrinkEatPlay – Speakeasy
Undisclosed (7-10:30pm)
“Speakeasy” will take you back to a period where jazz, dance, and a free spiritedness defined the Roaring 20′s. The event (location will only be disclosed to pre-purchased ticket holders) will bring you back to the 20′s, complete with jazz bands, mixologists, and over 100 top brands of gin, bourbon, and scotch to sample from. Admission ($40) includes unlimited tastes from top of the line suppliers and an opportunity to try creations from LA’s top mixologists.

Outdoor Cinema Food Fest
Beverly Hills (6-11pm)
Experience the Outdoor Cinema Food Fest featuring some of the best food trucks in Los Angeles along with outdoor movies on a huge 40 foot screen. It’s the ultimate picnic in the park – no basket required! Kick back and enjoy your gourmet street food in a beautiful park under the stars. This week’s screening of Princess Bride takes place at La Cienega Park at 8400 Gregory Way in Beverly Hills. Advance VIP seating available for $8 per person.

Long Beach Grand Cru
Long Beach (5:30-9:30pm)
The results of the Long Beach Grand Cru Wine Competition are announced during the Long Beach Grand Cru Awards & Tasting event. Guests are feted with sumptuous cuisine donated by the Southland’s finest restaurants, and medal winning wines are served. Music and a silent auction featuring one-of-a-kind items are also among the entertainment offerings. Tickets are $180 a person and can be purchased here.

Sunday, Aug 22

Serata Spumeggiante – A Bubbly Evening
Venice Beach (5-8pm)
Taking place at the Big Blue House @ Venice Beach Wines, Serata Spumeggiante – A Bubbly Evening is led by Fourth Level ISA (AIS) Certified Sommelier Diego Meraviglia. The Seminar will entail four bubbly wines to describe the various vinification processes and their unique results. Also the origins, characteristics and methods behind each production will be discussed. Following the sit-down Tasting Seminar you will be invited to relax in the private garden and enjoy live music. Bottles of wine will be available for purchase. Food may be ordered and delivered from Venice Beach Wines. Cost is $45 a person, more info on their events page here.

Continuing:

Upcoming:

August 28 – Portuguese (and maybe Spanish) wines from importer Vinos Unico. Luis Moya will be at Rosso Wine shop in Glendale making his famed Paella. Along with that there will be Spanish tortilla and other small bites by Saltbutterpork catering. Some of the wines featured will be: 2009 Muralhas Vinho Verde Rosé, 2009 Trajarinho Vinho Verde and Capote Velho Vinho de Mesa.

August 28 – The Santa Monica Food and Wine Festival features all you can drink wine, food and music. Taking place at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, tickets are only $40.

August 28 – Orange County’s first gourmet food truck event taking place Saturday, August 28th at the Honda Center in Anaheim. The one-day event will be the ultimate foodie destination, featuring the best in popular mobile eats combined with a unique forum to showcase local entertainment & shopping to help support local charities. 50 food trucks in all, check out the list here. Admission is $12 bucks +food prices, or VIP for $50 +food prices. VIP does not seem worth it for just 30 minute early entry and a grab bag of crappy vendor swag. You’re still gonna spend all day standing in line.

September 2-5 – Food & Wine magazine has announced a new four-day food event. The “Taste of Beverly Hills,” will be held September 2, 2010 through September 5, 2010 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Taste of Beverly Hills is a four-day festival that will celebrate all things epicurean in ALL of Los Angeles. The festival will consist of everything from local restaurant tastings and live cooking demonstrations from world renown chefs, to a series of wine seminars from top vintners and live musical performances from award winning artists. Tickets for the daily events run $125-$150, all the way up to $500 for a 5 day pass.

September 4 – Artisanal Bread Baking with Jerry Maybrook – Jerry Maybrook is one of the hidden jewels of the Los Angeles food world. An artisanal baker, Jerry produces truly transcendent loaves of bread in his home oven. Spend an afternoon in the Test Kitchen with Jerry as he shares from his years of research and trial and error and leads the class through the process of making the perfect French Country loaf in a home oven. The class takes place from 10am-1pm at Surfas in Culver City and costs $25. Reservations are required. Click here for more info.

September 5 – The First Los Angeles Times Celebration of Food and Wine is on Sunday Sept 5 from noon to 8pm at the Paramount Studios Back Lot. The one-day food and wine event will feature the best of the best from the culinary and beverage worlds. The Celebration will include the most popular local, national and international food personalities from print, radio, television and cable, as well as the best food from little “mom & pop” kitchens throughout Los Angeles. Throughout the day leading mixologists will create unique and artistic cocktail creations in addition to providing everyone with a taste from the finest microbeers and wines to rum, tequila, vodka and whiskey. Tickets are only $65, $150 for VIP.

September 12 – San Antonio Winery: Wine 102, Exploring California’s Grape Growing Regions with host Michael Papalia at San Antonio Winery. $60.00 per person – 4 Course Luncheon included. Get your tickets here.

September 14 – Are Celebrity Chefs Good for Food? Chefs have always had a knack for fame — from Julia Child to Napoleon’s personal chef, who published lucrative cookbooks and invented the tall white chef’s hat. But today, thanks in part to the Food Network, several seasons of “Top Chef” and “Hell’s Kitchen,” and a burgeoning foodie culture, chefs are full-fledged celebrities. Besides running top restaurants across the country, they publish enough books to overwhelm the shelves — and abilities — of most any home cook. They host TV shows that rely on outsized personality as much as inventive recipes. And they lend their names and talents to chain eateries and bottled grocery-store sauces. Are celebrity chefs over exposed and over extended, and how have they transformed food? Pulitzer Prize winning LA Weekly food critic Jonathan Gold visits Zócalo with a panel of star chefs — including Nancy Silverton of Mozza and “Top Chef Masters” star Susan Feniger of Street — to find out how famous foodies shape what we cook, how we eat, and the future of high cuisine. Admission is free, reserve your seat now.

Morton’s and Mondavi: Celebrating the Legendary Blend

Matt Mitchell — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 14:24:30 +0000

Save for the date: On October 7th at 5pm, The Mondavi Families, including members of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th generations, will host Morton’s guests across the country for an unforgettable wine dinner benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation. This is the first time I’ve ever seen a “pairing” that included technology in the mix.

The event will be broadcast live from the Carriage House at Charles Krug Winery, straight into the private dining rooms at various Morton’s locations. By utilizing Velocity technology available in Morton’s private dining rooms, guests in 53 Morton’s locations will be served the exact same menu and wine as guests at the Charles Krug Carriage House in Napa Valley.

Each private dining room is equipped with 1080i high-definition programming, a nine-foot screen and theater-quality surround sound. This technology will allow guests around the country to feel as if they are in Napa Valley, making it possible for almost 2,400 people to enjoy this groundbreaking event.

Local participating restaurant locations include Morton’s The Steakhouse in Beverly Hills, downtown Los Angeles, and Woodland Hills.

For $175 per person (make a reservation here), enjoy wines from Charles Krug Winery, Continuum Estate and Folio Fine Wine Partners paired with four courses. At the reception enjoy starters like Smoked Salmon Wedges, Tenderloin Crostinis, and Miniature Crabcakes paired with Sauvignon Blanc. Then sip on Isabel Mondavi Chardonnay paired with Harvest Green Salad topped with Sea Bass. For the entree, what else besides a New York Strip Sirloin? It’s paired with three different red wines including Continuum, M by Michael Mondavi, and Charles Krug VS Cabernet Sauvignon. And dessert? Of course, cappuccino cream paired with Charles Krug Zinfandel Port, Lot XIII.