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 »During my lonnnng road trip to Seattle, I had hoped to stop off at various bars, restaurants, and even events along the way to see how the Northwestern towns do it. But turns out traveling 2,300 miles in six days means you don’t really have much time to do anything, especially when visiting family. However,…
I know, I’m still on my road trip (we’re in Eugene, Oregon, and heading to Sacramento, California, today) but I wanted to post this awesome event asap. For Bastille Day next Monday, some of L.A.’s best in the food and cocktail community are coming together to help one of their own. The party will go…
Flickr Shot by dotsara Hey folks, I’m going out of town for about a week on a lonnnnng holiday/birthday road trip to Seattle (about 2,300 round trip). That’s right, I’m driving. So I probably won’t be blogging too much, if at all. However, if I do come across a cool bar along the way, say…
Photo by James Weir Last week I was fortunate enough to be a judge for a gin & tonic competition sponsored by Martin Miller’s Gin at the Edison downtown. I know! The competing bartenders were from some of L.A.’s finest establishments like Comme Ca, Hungry Cat, Gordon Ramsay at the London and the Edison. Their…
That sound you hear is foodies and winos everywhere in SoCal breaking open their piggy banks as tickets for the 26th American Wine and Food Festival (which benefits Meals on Wheels) go on sale today.* It’s the ultimate in food festivals. At $300 a pop, the golden ticket gains you access to the Universal Studios…
It probably wouldn’t surprise you to know that I have a small collection of bar t-shirts. There’s that raunchy Irish pub in San Luis Obispo, that lazy mai tai bar in Maui and that meh martini bar in West L.A. OK, it’s a very small collection but I just realized that I had it. And…
Last night I decided to have a low-key intimate celebration for my fake birthday (my real birthday is next Saturday) at uWink in Hollywood & Highland. I had had such a great time at the new restaurant’s grand opening media party a couple of weeks ago that it seemed perfect for my small party of…
A swap meet, bikinied girls in gorilla masks and horchata martinis, sounds like it’s going to be an interesting weekend. Saturday, June 28 2008 Summer Swap-O-Rama-Rama I’ve never been to a swap meet before but this one in Venice sounds so fun, and it happens to coincide with the Venice Eco-Fest as you do a…
Last night I judged a Martin Miller’s Gin & tonic competition at The Edison (fun!), more on that in a future post, but I ran into Marcos Tello and Michel Dozois, old friends/fave bartenders, after having not seen them since “the incident.” Anyhow they caught me up on what they’re up to and more importantly…
You know where you can find me on Monday nights from now on? At Citizen Smith for its Friends and Family Mondays where you can get 50% off ALL food. Yup, my friend Shelley and I went there last night to check it out. It sounded like a deal too good to be true but…
