It's Almost Here! Jonathan Gold's Union Station Cocktail Party is This Saturday!

Photo by Shawn Henning via Flickr

Rarely has an event caused as much buzz as the upcoming benefit for Zócalo. And who could resist? The restaurants are hand-picked by Jonathan Gold, LA's patron saint of good eats. Just check out a few of the participants -- Rivera! Perrier Jouet! Church & State! Providence! All this in one of the most beautiful event locations in Los Angeles, art deco landmark Union Station. It definitely makes for a night to remember. How much would you pay? But wait!

You also get signature cocktails by downtown cocktail kingpin Cedd Moses. According to the website, "Jonathan Gold's Union Station Cocktail Party will explore L.A.'s new "cocktail moment" with food and drink tastings and discussion."

With all the glitz and excitement, it might be easy to overlook the fact that this is the first benefit for Zócalo Public Square, "a non-profit organization that builds community by broadening access to civic discourse. Zócalo presents lectures, panels, screenings, and conferences, and publishes original reviews, interviews, and other online features to spur conversation on and action around the most important and compelling ideas of our time." LAist caught up with Jonathan Gold to ask him about Zócalo.

What is your favorite program Zócalo had presented?
There have been so many great Zócalo lectures, from Deyan Sudjic on the utility of objects to Paul Krugman on the economic collapse, all of Meghan Daum's panels on 21st century feminism, Michael Kinsley and Steve Coll on the future of newspapers, Wangari Maathai on empowerment in Africa. In just a few years, it's become an indispensable part of the civic culture here. And all the events - this is, believe it or not, the organization's first fundraiser - are free.