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 »Those first 30 minutes at LA Weekly‘s Gold Standard 2011 yesterday was an eating spree. Yes, I only had half an hour — afforded to me by a media pass — to take pictures and eat and drink as much as I could of the 40 or so food vendors at Jonathan Gold’s annual food…
Lots of drinking to be done this weekend! More so than usual. Thursday, March 3 Meat! An Art Show Opening Party Featuring Alie and Georgia and Cocktails It’s all about meat at this unusual art show which features the meat-focused works of Carlos Ramos, Myke Chilian and Richard Lee, to name but a few. But…
Aidan Demarest’s mark on the L.A. cocktail scene is as the ringmaster. He’s run some of the hottest bars in Los Angeles like Schmeven Schmand and The Edison, helped build the cocktail programs of Pasadena’s 1886 and Hollywood’s Spare Room, thrown together must-do cocktail events like guest mixologist bar nights — Radio Room and Red…
Pork, Frysmith fries and beer. Loosen your belt or wear your fat pants to this National Pig Day celebration with Cast Iron Gourmet and Frysmith at The Black Boar in Eagle Rock. Cast Iron Gourmet chef/owner Rashida Purifoy, whom I first met at Artisanal LA where I fell in love with her Couch Mix, gave…
For cocktail enthusiasts, it’s all about the back bar action at new East Hollywood bar Harvard & Stone where there’s a fresh new cocktail menu every night. “The point to the back is R&D [research & development], to have fun and push the limit,” said H&S mixologist Pablo Moix. And every month a new spirit…
Not everyone is into watching the Oscars so a sure way to make it fun for EVERYone at your awards show viewing party is naturally to turn it into a drinking game. Inspired by Brand X and Rundown LA‘s Oscars Drinking Games, I came up with more rules. Thanks to my Tweeps for the suggestions….
Doing anything special during the Oscars? Saturday, February 26 Sunset Starlets Burlesque at The Libertine Enjoy the fantasy of seeing your favorite Old Hollywood starlets performing a striptease at New Noir. Marilyn Monroe, Natalie Wood, Rita Hayworth and Elizabeth Taylor — or at least their burlesque doubles — will be shaking their moneymakers while you…
I am the mayor of Harvard & Stone in East Hollywood. How did that happen considering last night was the new bar’s opening night? My blogger friends wondered, skeptical. Ha! I was able to score an interview for LA Weekly‘s Squid Ink with its general manager Steve Livigni, also of La Descarga, weeks before the…
Another burger joint opens in L.A., no big deal, I thought. But when it involves adult milkshakes it’s a huuge deal. At least to me. Spiked shakes are all that is good and right with the world, combining my favorites of creamy ice cream and booze. I’ve had 8 oz.’s off-the-menu cocktail shake, Kitchen 24’s…
The first time I heard of Chego‘s Sriracha candy bar was when I was in line at the West LA restaurant. It was listed on the menu with a “Sold Out” Post-It next to it. Yes, that would be a candy bar made with a chocolate crisped rice bottom, caramel, Sriracha ganache, spiced candied peanuts…
