This week, dineLA threw a party in Beverly Hills introducing the upcoming 2013 dineLA restaurant week (July 15-July 26) to some media folks. And, damn, they sure know how to impress those who’ve already seen it all. At first I figured we’d sample some eats at the featured restaurants — Scarpetta, Bouchon Beverly Hills and…
For the 4th Annual LA Street Food Fest, which takes place this coming Saturday the 29th at Pasadena’s Rose Bowl, I’m proud to announce a new feature: “Caroline on Crack”-approved bars! What does that even mean? It means that you can be assured that you’re getting the best cocktails from some of the best bars…
Zane Lamprey (“Drinking Made Easy”) and Dan Dunn (Playboy’s The Imbiber) working together on new podcast “Happy Hour with Zane and Dunn” is a match made in boozer heaven. I’m a huge fan of both; both ruggedly handsome, hilarious and, boy, can they throw ’em back. Truly men after my own heart. Amazingly the universe…
San Francisco’s Savoy Stomp blogger, Erik Ellestad, is a cocktail geek like no other. For six years he’s chronicled his adventures with 1930s drink tome, The Savoy Cocktail Book, painstakinly re-creating every recipe in there for a loyal audience. And he would probably hate the comparison, but think Erik & Harry (Craddock) versus Julie &…
If you, like me, are absolutely stumped on what to get your dad for Father’s Day, check out the Father’s Day Collabrewtive brunch by Firestone Walker and Food GPS this Sunday. Yup, it’s a brunch that combines the best of both coffee and beer worlds with six brewers and six coffee roasters teaming up to…
It would be dumb to compare Bill Chait’s new 150-seat restaurant Petty Cash Taqueria to Playa, the Sedlar restaurant it’s replacing in that space on Beverly Boulevard. The two are completely and obviously different from food to decor to ambience. There are now picnic tables, street art and shuffleboard! But when looking at it from…
Last night, the members-only L.A. Athletic Club finally debuted its new third floor bar, Invention. For a century it was just a nameless bar that served booze to the LAAC members but as the cocktail scene emerged and grew in downtown L.A. that bar seemed more and more inadequate. People wanted to drink something good…
I had heard about Brittini Rae Peterson’s cocktails at Goldie’s LA in Mid-City West since before the restaurant opened in March. Goldie’s is the newish restaurant by the guys behind The Eveleigh so it wasn’t a coincidence that The Eveleigh barman’s Dave Kupchinsky could not stop talking about them. Ran into him at Short Order…
There comes a moment in a drinker’s life when happy hour loses its appeal, when you’d rather pay full price for a well-made cocktail than $5 for a joyless one. That’s where I am. But recently it seems lots of high-end joints are coming to the dark discounted side, offering their fancy, quality drinks and…
Yes, the onslaught of spring continues. But it’s the best kind with more spring cocktails debuting. This time from Comme Ca on Melrose Avenue. The new spring cocktail menu, a collaboration of the bartenders (Jeff Knudsen, Tim Loden, Johnny Wactor and Brent Henry), showcases a Provencal theme with light, refreshing concoctions and seasonal ingredients like…
