Archive for the ‘Wine & Dine’ Category
Modernism Week returns to Palm Springs! Join architecture aficionados from around the world this February 16-26, 2023 for eleven days of all things mid-century modern. Read on for the special events, home tours, live music, and more hip happenings you won’t want to miss.
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. For many restaurants, the holiday is one of their most important days of the year, especially after the pandemic. The holiday falls on a Tuesday this year and though you’ll find plenty of restaurants with à la carte menus, I’ve curated a list of the best Valentine’s Day dinner options in the city that still have reservation availability. From romantic hideaways to a handful of the city’s best restaurants, old favorites and newcomers alike, plus a heart-shaped pizza to-go if you plan to celebrate at home. These excellent Los Angeles restaurants have your V-Day plans covered in terms of ambience and food alike—and if you find that your first choice is booked, you’re almost guaranteed to find another just-as-great spot on this list.
Lady Byrd Cafe in Echo Park will be having an exclusive New Year’s Eve Dinner featuring a specially crafted menu from Chef Gabriel Cappelli from New Haven, Connecticut, and a graduate of The French Culinary Institute in New York. It may just be the best deal for a New Year’s Eve dinner here in Los Angeles, coming in at just under $100 a head. And best of all? There are still a few tables available, so make your reservations ASAP.
Photo Courtesy of Akasha
Skip the grocery store lines and let your favorite restaurant do the cooking for you this Thanksgiving. Many of Los Angeles’s finest restaurants are offering full spreads for pickup on Wednesday, 11/23. Order ahead for a stress free holiday so that you can enjoy more time with friends, family, and a bottle (or two) of wine. Enjoy! And Happy Holidays from The Hollywood Home!
Another year, another incredible Los Angeles Times Food Bowl. A fantastic month-long series of nights celebrating local restaurants, innovative chefs, and fine wine in locations all over town. The finale of every Food Bowl? A weekend of Night Markets on the legendary Paramount Pictures Studios backlot. We were there on Saturday evening for their delectable Dumpling Crawl and again on Sunday afternoon for their hearty Backlot Brunch. While we had to skip night one, we’re told the “Smoked Soiree” was a rollicking good time with many of the same restaurants and chefs from Saturday and Sunday. That night was a classic celebration of the cities renowned food scene, highlighting top chefs, pitmasters, burger barons and grilling experts who gave patrons tasty food options to see first-hand what makes them so special.
We opted for the more vegetarian-friendly nights two and three, but all three days absolutely had something for everyone no matter your tastes or dietary restrictions. The Dumpling Crawl included celebrity guests such as Megan Mullaly and Nick Offerman who enjoyed the Live Demo hosted by Chef Matty Matheson and Culinary Producer Courtney Storer of the hit television series The Bear on FX. We also enjoyed bites from chefs such as Kevin Bludso of Bludso’s BBQ and Eric Greenspan of Mr. Beast Burger. Night 2 Saturday we celebrated the city’s renowned food scene by highlighting the diverse flavors of L.A. We sampled a smorgasbord of global cuisines for an experience that is quintessentially L.A. The Crawl was curated by L.A. Times food columnist Jenn Harris, inspired by her new series “The Bucket List: Dumplings!” with dumplings from CHD Mandu, Go Go Gyoza, Hui Tou Xiang, Lunasia Dim Sum House, Paradise Dynasty (VIP Only), Monta Factory, and more!
On Sunday we celebrated with the Backlot Brunch by feasting upon L.A.’s greatest brunches from west side surf to old school Hollywood glamour. The highlight of the afternoon was Duff Goldman, who is best known for the hit Food Network show Ace of Cakes, where his team of pastry chefs and artists at Charm City Cakes create spectacular custom cakes. Duff let us into the wonderful world of baking with his delicious baking demonstration.
This weekend The Los Angeles Times Food Bowl brings back Night Market to the Paramount Pictures Studios backlot for three days of exclusive gastronomic adventures and experiences that will highlight distinct aspects of food culture in Southern California. On September 23-25, Night Market will feature all-inclusive food and drink tastings, cooking and mixology demonstrations, wine seminars, and more from the world-class culinary artists behind 50 of the city’s top restaurants. Feel the heat at Friday night’s Smoked Soirée, celebrate L.A.’s diverse restaurant scene at Saturday Night Flavor and eat your way through L.A. at the coveted Backlot Brunch on Sunday. Don’t miss these one-of-a-kind events! Tickets are available here. We’ll be there on Saturday and Sunday and can’t wait to see you! Read on for event details, demonstration details, and to find out if your favorite restaurants and chefs will be in attendance this weekend!
The Los Angeles Times Food Bowl is back and bigger, better, and brighter than ever! The monthlong festival celebrates our great city’s top culinary talent, at both swanky and free and open to the public events, including special dining series in honor of the Los Angeles Times’s Restaurant of the Year and Gold Award winners and an awesome and an exclusive launch party at Grandmaster Recorders to kick off 30 nights of divine food, wine, and fun.
The Gold Award was, of course, created by and named after former L.A. Times Food critic, editor and Pulitzer Prize winner, Jonathan Gold. The Los Angeles Times Food Bowl and I go way back, to the very beginning I was lucky enough to meet Mr. Gold at a delectable tasting and wine-filled evening at Paramount Pictures Studios in 2017.
The Los Angeles Times Food Bowl Launch Party will kick off the 30 nights of festivities at Hollywood’s Grandmaster Recorders on Thursday, September 1. Ticket prices start at $150, which isn’t cheap, but you’ll be sure to get your money’s worth with a night that will feature special tastings from exciting guest chefs, live DJs, as well as cocktails, beer and wine all included. Plus, the L.A. Times Food team General Manager Laurie Ochoa will honor this years’ recipients of the Restaurant of the Year and Gold Award with a live presentation of the awards. Tickets are going fast so be sure to get yours here and read on below for the exceptional list of chefs and restaurants attending this year’s opening night bash. Celebrate The Times’ Restaurant of the Year, Anajak Thai, and Gold Award honoree, Meals by Genet.
The annual festival is presented by City National Bank and will combine the best of local eateries and world-renowned chefs in a series of over 30 pop-up dining events across the expanse of Los Angeles, while also highlighting issues of food access, sustainability and waste reduction. This year’s lineup will also feature The Times’ return to Paramount Pictures Studios’s backlot with Food Bowl’s Night Market tasting events Sept. 23, 24 and 25. Tickets are available now at lafoodbowl.com, with discounted early bird pricing for a limited time.
Plus, you can feel good about a night of imbibing as the Food Bowl supports the The L.A. Times Community Fund, where you can give back to nonprofits working in the community addressing hunger and food insecurity. Donations to the L.A. Times Community Fund’s Food Insecurity project enable Food Bowl to make substantial contributions to non-profit organizations like Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, Project Angel Food, World Central Kitchen, No Us Without You, and more. Just $50 provides the equivalent of 200 meals. The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, as just one example, has been fighting hunger in LA County for almost 50 years and has provided more than 1.5 billion meals to those in need. Yes, that’s billion with a B. Food and nutrition insecurity continues to challenge many of our community’s children, seniors, families and individuals. As a nonprofit organization, the LA Regional Food Bank relies on the generosity of organizations like the LA Times and its annual culinary festival.
Nothing says “I love you Mom” like a fantastic Sunday brunch where the champagne flows and the dishes, and laughs, are aplenty. Are you making last minute Mother’s Day plans? You’ll want to take a look at this list of eight amazing spots for Mother’s Day brunch that, against all odds, still have a table or two open. While we celebrate Mom every day in our own way, here’s where to take Mom for a brunch to remember this Sunday in Los Angeles.
Photo courtesy of Bianca.
Follow The Hollywood Home