Annual food event Pebble Beach Food & Wine is a haven for any well-to-do foodist (and the occasional lucky blogger). It’s where celebrity chefs from around the country show off their best dishes and acclaimed winemakers their best vino via the various dinners, parties and seminars. Since this was my first time at PBFW, I…
It’s no secret that I never really liked the cocktails at Freddy Smalls in West L.A. Overly fussy concoctions which tried too hard without really succeeding in tasting good. Thank goodness for the new bar guy. Johan Stein replaced Dave Fleisher back in February and has stripped down the drink list from a “what the…
The brunch is back! Roy Choi’s Sunny Spot in Venice stopped its weekend brunch during the cold seasons because apparently people wimp out when the marine layer swoops in. (Raises hand.) But now Chef Choi and crew relaunched everyone’s favorite day drinking opportunity. Your favorite brunch dishes have returned, like the Two-Fisted Cheeseburger and the…
Every smart man knows that one of the many things you NEVER ask a woman, along with how much she weighs or how old she is, is if it’s THAT time of the month. Unless, of course, you’re talking about this hot lady bartender shindig tonight, in which case, ask away. Yes, it IS that…
I felt like I was movin’ on up when I got the invite to the four-day 6th Annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine food festival (April 4-7). I mean, that’s fancy pants, right? Pebble Beach, a picturesque seaside enclave, is known for events like the high-falutin car show, Concours d’Elegance, for chrissakes. The affluent residents’…
West L.A.’s Sotto restaurant just debuted its new spring cocktail menu by bartenders Julian Cox and Nick Meyer this past Wednesday and the stars of the list are the trio of bottled carbonated cocktails aka the “Sotto Pops.” How cute is that? Carbonated and bottled craft cocktails, a cocktail trend first introduced by Portland’s Jeffrey…
The iconic Chateau Marmont on Sunset Boulevard always feels as if it’s out of my league. Just like Ryan Gosling, the beautiful Chateau could never be my regular hang. And last year when word got out that the hotel had a new bar that only those in the know could get into, it made sense…
If you missed last night’s Food & Wine/Food GPS Best New Chefs dinner at hot, new Marina Del Rey restaurant Paiche, not to worry. There’s another one tonight. And where cocktail geeks went crazy over last night‘s crafty cocktails by mixmasters Steve Livigni and Pablo Moix (La Descarga, Pour Vous), tonight they’ll be thrilled by…
With regards to Miracle Mile Bitters Co. Clusterfuck Bitters, there IS such a thing as a happy accident. Miracle Mile Bitters owner Louis Anderman was doing up batches of his Toasted Pecan Bitters and his Orange Bitters when he accidentally poured half a finished batch of the orange bitters into the just strained Toasted Pecan…
If you’re like me and detest green-tinged beer or frat drinks named after a terrorist act (yeah, I’m old), then perhaps you’ll appreciate this roundup of where to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day for some quality boozing. I’m talking craft cocktails, craft beer and beer floats. Just because it’s an alcoholiday doesn’t mean you gotta drink…
