Welcome to the weekend. On Friday take in a Mixology Demo at Surfas, sushi and sake trio at Takami, or wine in Barnsdall park. Then on Saturday let the beer flow at Salute!, shop frugal in the valley, meet chef Lulu Powers, or take in a wine and art dinner at Checkers in downtown. Then on Sunday hang out with dear old dad at the Standard, Chaya, or the beautiful West Restaurant and Lounge.
Friday, June 18
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.
Mixology Demo with Mitch Harris at Surfas
Culver City (6-7pm)
Mitch Harris, an 18-year veteran of the food and beverage industry has done it all from the General Manager of a multi-million dollar restaurant chain to the owner/operator of a popular restaurant in Los Angeles. His passion for the Art of the Bar led to the creation of Paradise Bar and Beverage Services (www.ParadiseBar.net) in 2003 where he has been creating modern cutting edge cocktails using fresh and seasonal ingredients, events and menus for LA celebrities as Chaz Dean, Sam Worthington and Dustin Hoffman. Class size is limited and reservations are required. Please call 310-559-4770 x223 or email johnp@surfaslosangeles.com to secure your seat. More info here.
Sushi & Sake Flight Trio
Downtown Los Angeles
In honor of International Sushi Day, Takami will offer a Sushi & Sake Flight Trio for $18 which include three sakes – Ginban, Yuki No Bosha, and Katsumi Tsuru, three pieces of nigiri sushi – Peppered Tuna, Albacore, and Ono and three pieces of Spicy Yellowtail Roll. This specialty sushi and sake pairing and pricing, courtesy of Executive Chef Takashi Ota, is only available on Friday, June 18 for lunch and dinner. The three sakes, nigiri and sushi roll represent Takami Sushi’s 3-year anniversary this year – one pairing for each year Takami has been open.
Saturday, June 19
Salute! A Festival to Celebrate Finely Crafted Beer & Food
Ventura (1-5pm)
Beer from the nation’s finest craft brewers and cuisine from the Gold Coast’s finest chefs will converge on the beautiful San Buenaventura State Beach in Ventura. Celebrate the first annual Salute! A Festival to Celebrate Finely Crafted Beer & Food with dear old dad. This beer and food lifestyle event includes live music, with a special limited-ticket VIP Tastemaker reception from 11am – 1pm where VIP guests will meet with brewers and have exclusive access to limited edition brews and a special VIP Tastemaker lounge area. Tickets start at $60.
Book signing with Chef Lulu Powers
Farmer’s Market (10am-12pm)
Join Monsieur Marcel Gourmet Market, stall #150, for a special book signing event with celebrity chef, Lulu Powers. Lulu will be sharing her secrets for throwing an amazing party including her favorite recipes, and will be signing copies of her new book, Food to Flowers. Books will be available for sale at Monsieur Marcel Gourmet Market. For more information please call 323-935-9451. More info here.
2010 Frugal Festival
North Hollywood (1-3pm)
Green is the new black, and swapping is the new shopping! The Swapaholics know best, having been recently featured for their “swappertise” by USA Today, The Boston Globe, US News & World Report and all the network TV stations. And they’re coming to LA to host their first West Coast clothing swap with Julia Scott of BargainBabe.com at the North Hollywood Performing Arts Center. Tickets start at just $5 at Goldstar.
Clos Pegase Wine Dinner at Checkers
Downtown Los Angeles (7pm)
In keeping with the heritage of the vineyard’s namesake Clos Pegase founder and owner Jam Schrem will lead a rousing pictorial presentation entitled “Bacchus the Rascal, A Bacchanalian History of Wine Seen Through 4,000 Years of Art” throughout a 5-course menu designed by Executive Chef Todd Allison, with wine pairings from the Clos Pegase collection. This truly is a unique and special opportunity to come to a closer understanding and enjoyment of the complimentary worlds of art and wine. The five course meal includes 5 tastings along with 5 courses that are sure to please any palate. Cost is $100 a person. Hotel room discount for those attending the dinner. Call 213.891.0526 for reservations.
Sunday, June 20
Celebrate Dad at the Standard Hotel
Downtown Los Angeles (5-10pm)
Celebrate dad at the Standard Hotel in downtown LA. They are offering a family style prix fixe menu for $30 per person. Come and enjoy a manly feast of Meyers Ranch Strip Loin, Duck Fat Fried Fingerlings and Chocolate Cake, topped off with a complimentary glass of scotch for the dads (which can be enjoyed fireside). Call 213-892-8080 to make a reservation.
Free dessert at WEST, Fuego and Zimzala
Brentwood, Long Beach, Huntington Beach
Take dad to dinner and get a free dessert. Through the end of June, bring in your friends and family and receive a complimentary dessert with the purchase of an entrée. Valid at West Restaurant & Lounge (Hotel Angeleno in Brentwood), Fuego (Hotel Maya in Long Beach) and Zimzala Restaurant & Bar (Shorebreak Hotel in Huntington Beach). Minimum party of 4 is required. Each person in the party must order one entrée to
receive one dessert. Offer valid through June 30, 2010. Mention “Anniversary” to your server to receive this offer.
Chaya’s Father’s Day Brunch
Venice, Beverly Hills, Downtown (11am-3pm)
Take dad for a with a three-course prix-fixe and bottomless beer brunch at any of LA’s three Chaya Restaurants. $38 for adults ($18 for 12 and under). Start with a white corn soup or a albacore carpaccio. Then for dinner, try the sliced NY steak with a poached egg and fries or pancetta wrapped gulf shrimp. For dessert, a chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream. Check out the full menu here.
Continuing:
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 @ California Plaza
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:
June 26-27 – Known simply as “The Show” to the make-up world, the International Make-Up Artist Trade Show (IMATS) is the only show of its kind. Thousands of make-up artists, vendors, manufacturers and enthusiasts convene for the make-up world’s biggest gathering to discuss, display, discover and collect the best the industry has to offer. Highlights include samples and discounted shopping opportunities, seminars by the industry’s top professionals, fashion shows, body painting and a student competition. Every year, IMATS gets bigger and better, and 2010 promises to be a blockbuster! The artists who created the fantastical world of characters for Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, including department head Valli O’Reilly, Joel Harlow, Lindsay MacGowan and Shane Mahan, will be on hand to share their on-set experiences. Tickets start at $15.
July 9 – AltaMed’s Fifth Annual East LA Meets Napa celebration returns better than ever. The diversity of Los Angeles’ Latin cuisine and fine wine from Latino-owned/operated Napa Wineries is featured through 60 wine and food pairing stations. In honor of Mexico’s Bicentennial, the event will showcase wines from Baja’s Valle de Guadalupe region. Proceeds support AltaMed’s mission to increase access to quality and culturally relevant health and human services in underserved Southern California communities. Presale tickets at $125 till June 25. After that, $150.
July 24 – The LA Street Food Fest is back and bigger (and hopefully better) than ever! For $45 Enjoy unlimited eats from close to 60 vendors including hot gourmet food trucks, old school carts and stands, celeb chefs and street inspired dishes from LA’s best restaurants – all serving from beautiful tents on the field of the world famous Rose Bowl! Plus stay hydrated ‘n happy with our hosted (er, meaning free) beer gardens and delicious cocktails, juices and cold beverages. To top it all off, you’ll rock out with live performances from two of LA’s coolest new bands, all on the grassy green field of the Rose Bowl for one affordable, all-inclusive ticket price benefiting St Vincent Meals on Wheels & Woolly School Gardens! $65 VIP tickets available and get you in an hour early.
August 5 – International Beer Day is a celebration of beer’s greatness. Every August 5th we take a break from our everyday lives and take part in this beertastic elevation of the human spirit, through the drinking and appreciation of beer. On this day we celebrate the men, women, and organizations that being us the beers we love. Celebrate the Brewers and Breweries – who produce an enormous variety of delicious beers for us to enjoy, and celebrate the Bars and Bartenders – who serve us our beers and provide us a place to enjoy them. Events are expected to include: bar crawls, homebrew tours, barbeques, beer specials, and special beers.
So raise your glass on August 5th to celebrate these heroes behind each tasty brew. Cheers, and Happy International Beer Day!
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.
Thu, Jun 17, 2010
Weekend Guide