For those who absolutely cannot wait til Christmas — eff Thanksgiving, you say — Melrose Umbrella Co. is already all decked out for the holidays. And I mean, ALL. DECKED. OUT. The Miracle on Melrose Avenue bar is only one of about 100 of the Miracle Pop-Up Bars around the world: 94 in the U.S….
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I refuse to put up Christmas decorations when Thanksgiving hasn’t even come and gone yet. But one thing I will allow in anticipation of the holidays are the cocktails. Beautiful, rich, cozy, festive-inspired holiday cocktails. And Big Bar in Los Feliz just kicked off their new holiday menu, which includes three hot cocktails and a…
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Quick, what’s your favorite L.A. movie and which cocktail would you pair with it? If it’s Amy Heckerling’s Clueless then you’re in luck! On August 19, as part of its summer pop-up series, ArcLight Hollywood is hosting swank West Hollywood cocktail bar, Bibo Ergo Sum, in its Balcony Bar. And the talented bar crew crafted…
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Nowadays, a cocktail bar has to do more than simply follow a classic cocktail template to turn heads. Housemade ingredients and a strong garnish game aren’t going to cut it anymore. Besides, there are so many great bars with new ones practically opening every day, not to mention the breadth of talented bartenders in L.A….
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Looking for something fun and different — with a touch of nerdiness — to serve at your holiday party? Lucky for you barman Christopher Day (Bar Tribute, Redbird) created this recipe for a boozy butterbeer. Your Harry Potter-loving guests will squeal. It’s no coincidence that this recipe uses a butter-washed Black Cow Vodka as Chris…
Continue Reading »When I first heard about Ivan Kane’s Café Wa s, the piano lounge/French bistro that opened up in Hollywood several months ago, I shrugged it off. Apparently Dave Navarro and Zoe Kravitz are already regulars. Sounded too fancy; so not my style. What was it? A supper club? A hoity-toity lounge? Do you have to…
Flickr Shot by dotsara With the holidays just around the corner, it’s understandable if you’re starting to feel a little stressed. The best way to fall in love with this time of year all over again? Join the “Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice” holiday pastry and cocktail class at Viceroy’s Whist in Santa Monica. Resident…
This weekend I’m going to try and be a part of that nationwide No on 8 protest at L.A. City Hall and then somehow fit in another visit to Galco’s as well as do some or all of the following. Oh, and my friend Shelley is going to take me to authentic Korean BBQ in…
Like most people, I don’t like going to parties by myself. And I especially don’t like going to hoity-toity parties hosted by Paris Hilton by myself. But such was the case this past weekend. LAist Entertainment Editor Elise Thompson invited me to be her plus 1 at a GenLux magazine release party thrown at the…
Thanks to this blog, I’ve been able to get in places that not many folks may have access to. And out of all these places I have to say that the “secret beef” restaurant in West L.A. not only had the most interesting name (it also goes by Totoraku) but was where I had the…
I’ve heard about Galco’s Soda Pop Stop, an awesome soda shop in Pasadena Highland Park that carries vintage pop and more, for years but never made it over. It’s all the way in Pasadena Highland Park after all. But then I fell in love with the spicy ginger ale that Osteria Mozza’s bar used to…
Photo by xybermatthew on Flickr With Thanksgiving just around the corner, chances are you’re already thinking about what you want to do. Should you tackle a turkey dinner all by your lonesome or save yourself the mess and stress by dining out? If the latter, Zagat has created a nifty list of Turkey Day options…
Now that we’re all feeling good and optimistic, time for shopping! YAY! Anyway, with the confusion in weather — is it fall? is it summer? — it’s a good idea to broaden your fashion choices. Thus it’s a good thing there are a bunch of big sales this weekend. And afterward, I threw in a…
Photo by Alen Lin, 7/08 via Eater LA on Flickr OpenTable.com wants you to stop being afraid of spending money and has got 150 of the best LA restaurants to join its appetite stimulus plan to entice you. From Monday, November 17 through Friday, November 21, you’ll be able to enjoy three-course $24 lunches and…
Tomorrow night is going to be a special night, a historical night, fingers crossed! I’m thinkin’ you’ll want to be around a bunch of folks to celebrate. Election Night at The Abbey I love the way the Abbey is celebrating the election: an Uncle Sam impersonator and then drink specials will be announced with every…
