Welcome to the weekend. Enjoy special Memorial Day wine picks at Rosso Wine Shop, learn more than you ever needed to know about Scotch at Rivera, have a wonderland experience in the arts district, buy vintage items while you nosh on truck food, or head out to Simi Valley for a little Cajun action (or to Northridge for some Greek shenanigans). Then on Sunday and Monday celebrate Memorial Day at a Campanile BBQ, the first ever City of Angels Wine Fest, a carnival at MacArthur Park, or with a picnic at the aquarium. Have a nice, LONG, weekend! Most of all, don’t forget what this weekend is all about.
*Photo of the Marine color guard on board the USS Los Angeles, October 1959 . Photo courtesy of uss-la-ca135.org
Friday, May 28
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.
The Alice Project
Downtown Los Angeles (Fri & Sat 8pm)
Wonderland will come to life in a 1940′s warehouse located in The Arts District in Downtown Los Angeles just north of the 1st Street Bridge. Come out and share in this World Premiere presentation by The Vesper Theatre Company of The Alice Project. Be sure to get to the space early in order to fully take in the Wonderland experience. Use code “AliceFriend” for $5 off.
Saturday, May 29
Scotch Whiskey School
Downtown Los Angeles (5pm & 9pm)
Learn about the history of Scotch Whiskey, the production and how it influences flavor, how to serve and taste, and how to describe – improve your Scotch vernacular. Fun for both the novice and advanced scotch collector. Sample 8-10 different Scotch. Served with a few small bites from Rivera. Cost is $59 pp in advance. There are two sessions, one at 5pm and one at 9pm. Get your tickets here.
Silverlake Art* Craft & Vintage + Food Truck Block Party
Silverlake (10am)
Silverlake Art* Craft & Vintage continues the last weekend of every month from 10am-4pm in the heart of Silverlake. Located at the Micheltorena Street Elementary School (1511 Micheltorena St. The cross street is Sunset Los Angeles, CA 90026). This flea market has the coolest local vendors selling their hand-made items, vintage gems, and all the of the antiques and collectibles that you are looking for at great recession proof prices. Food trucks galore will be on hand as well. Admission is free.
Simi Valley Cajun Festival
Simi Valley (10:30am-8pm)
The Simi Valley Cajun Festival is an annual event hosted by the Simi Sunrise Rotary Club to benefit both Cajun heritage and the people of Simi Valley and surrounding areas. Enjoy authentic Cajun-Creole food such as jambalaya and crawfish. Stroll through rows of craft vendors and be surprised by the treasures you will find! From clothes, purses, crafts and pottery, to jewelry, toys, posters and hats. Homemade salsas, salt water taffy, and unique crafts. There is something for everyone! Admission is $18, more info and line-up on their web site.
36th Annual Valley Greek Festival
Northridge (Sat-Mon 1-9pm)
St. Nicholas Church and its 500 volunteers invite you to enjoy a cultural experience for the entire family with live music, dancing, gourmet food, homemade pastries, cooking demonstrations, children’s activities, a Greek market, and a variety of shopping boutiques. Boasting a three-day average of 50,000 guests, the admission-free fundraiser is the largest festival of its kind in the area. So make the most of your Memorial Day weekend and immerse yourself in the cultural vision that is the 36th Annual Valley Greek Festival. Admission is free.
Sunday, May 30
Memorial Day Weekend Festival
MacArthur Park (10am)
At Wilshire Boulevard and Alvarado Street, the Memorial Day Weekend brings a street festival with flavors of Mexico, and some 20 Latin nations in all. Enjoy carnival rides and games, live music performances, loads of food and merchandise for sale on Saturday, May 29 and Sunday, May 30. Take the Red Line to Westlake/MacArthur Park stop to avoid parking issues and traffic. Call (818) 734-2744 for more information.
Monday, May 31
City of Angels Wine Fest
Downtown Los Angeles (12-5pm)
The first annual City of Angels Wine Fest taking place on Memorial Day, Monday, May 31 from 12 noon to 5:00pm at the Music Center Plaza in Downtown Los Angeles. Featuring wines from thirty premiere California wineries and food prepared by several Patina Restaurant Group’s downtown restaurants, the event, hosted by the Rotary Club of Los Angeles will benefit the Volunteers of America Los Angeles downtown homeless service center. It’s a great opportunity to sample wonderful wines, eat delicious food and support a fabulous local organization. Center Plaza in Downtown Los Angeles. Tickets are $65.00 in advance and $75.00 at the door. Tickets include nine (9) wine tickets and two (2) food tickets, with additional food and wine tickets available for sale. Tickets will be available for sale on March 15.
Memorial Day BBQ at Campanile
Los Angeles (5:30-8:30pm)
Celebrate Memorial Day at the venerable Campanile restaurant. Enjoy a selection of BBQ goodness like pulled pork, beef ribs, chicken wings, grilled corn on the cob, potato salad, coleslaw and strawberry shortcake for desert. Cost is $45 a person.
Memorial Picnic at the Aquarium of the Pacific
Long Beach (11:30am)
Start your summer fun at the Aquarium. After a delicious picnic on the Aquarium’s front lawn, you and your family and friends can enjoy the Aquarium for the rest of the day. Menu items include garden salad, potato salad with roasted poblanos, country cole slaw, roasted corn on the cobb, herbed seared tri-tip, honey BBQ chicken, Hot Dogs, and more. Tickets are $17-$34
Continuing:
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 11 – July 11 – Watch the FIFA World Cup at Loteria Grill. Special soccer breakfast and lunch specials all month long at the Hollywood and Studio City locations. More info here.
June 19 – 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, California during Father’s Day Weekend on Saturday, June 19th 2010, to celebrate the first annual Salute! A Festival to Celebrate Finely Crafted Beer & Food. This beer and food lifestyle event will include live music and take place from 1pm – 5pm, 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.
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.
Thu, May 27, 2010
Weekend Guide