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 »Flickr Shot by Malingering Baseball games bore me, especially the ones on TV. I don’t care if those guys do wear tight pants. But I’m always down for having beer and hot dogs with a bunch of friends while a live game goes on in the background. And to attend a Los Angeles Dodger game is one of those must-dos every…
Flickr shot by Illegal Ninja Moves My group of running fiends, Team Turbo, is reuniting for another fun run: the five-mile Nike Run Hit Remix, formerly known as Nike Run Hit Wonder, where you get to run and watch/listen to ’90s one-hit wonder bands perform live at every mile mark. De La Soul with Digital…
I can’t believe it but it’s officially the year anniversary of Caroline on Crack! And I wanted to thank you for reading this here blog and for telling your friends about it, too. Hope it inspired many crazy, fun nights out in L.A. And I’m grateful to LA Times, Gridskipper, LAist, blogging.la, LA.COMfidential and the many others for…
When I first heard about country line dancing at Oil Can Harry’s, a gay club in Studio City, I knew I had to go for the following reasons: 1) Even though I’m not a fan of country music (hate it), square dancing was one of my favorite classes during high school physical education, and 2)…
My sister Sizzler, a former Angeleno, and her husband David are visiting us from New York this week for only a week so I’ve taken it upon myself to think of places to take ’em in L.A. Of course, it’s an L.A. specific to their tastes (read: no tourist traps). So far, I’ve come up…
Back in the ’90s, I used to be a tiramisu reviewer. Not for any special publication or anything. Rather, my friend Bernadette and I would go from Italian restaurant to Italian restaurant just to sample this Tuscan trifle. It was our own unofficial quest for the best one out there. Having not found it yet,…
Steve is a 20-something, tall, lanky guy with blonde hair and an easy, friendly smile who tends bar at Ford’s Filling Station in Culver City. He kinda reminds me of some actor in a romantic comedy I’ve seen before. Hmm, Josh Lucas? I walked up to the bar and asked for the cocktail list and…
There are some foods I’m not crazy about, i.e. pickles, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, deli sandwiches. So when my friend recommended that we go to Italian deli, La Bottega Marino, for lunch, I was like, “Eh.” But Julie has a way of selling me on almost any food because she speaks with such enthusiasm that it…
Yay! It’s back! Another one of my favorite summer pastimes: Santa Monica Drive-In at the Pier. What’s summer without a night out at a “drive-in” movie theater? You’ve got your warm summer evening under the stars with your friends, a classic movie, and of course popcorn. But, here, instead of “drive in” you actually just “walk up,” instead of…
Flickr Shot by Today is a good day What: Sly and the Family Stone’s “Hot Fun in the Summertime” Who: Those dying from the heat who have access to a grassy lawn and sprinklers. When/Where: The Valley, the Inland Empire, suburbia front lawns everywhere or city streets with an open fire hydrant during this scorcher…
