We were finally able to try out the Medicina Latina ($13) at Malo's during the LAist foodie meetup earlier this week and it is awesome. Made with 4 Copas Reposado, fresh ginger juice, agave and lime with a Del Maguey Mezcal Mist, it certainly has a kick. It's that ginger juice that makes it an unusual tequila cocktail. But unfortunately since it's so drinkable, we were done with it before we knew it. Malo Taqueria... [continue]

SusieCakes is now offering its mini cupcakes to the general public. Before, you could only pre-order the bite-size treats with a minimum order of five dozen. Eesh! Now you can just purchase three for $5 at the store, like how it's done at Vanilla Bake Shop in Santa Monica. The mini cute cakes will only be available on Mondays at all locations -- Brentwood, Newport Beach and Calabasas.... [continue]

Wokcano in Santa Monica (the fifth L.A. Wokcano restaurant) celebrated it's grand opening with a huge party of complimentary specialty cocktails and passed appetizers. And of course we were there to check out the scene. Free drinks! Woo hoo! The new restaurant, located in the space formerly occupied by Akwa, is huge with two and a half levels of dark wood and modern, Japanese-inspired decor. Downstairs is the sushi bar, upstairs is the bar and... [continue]

Inspired by the popular Big Apple BBQ Block Party in New York, the L.A. BBQ Festival will take place at the Santa Monica Beach North Parking Lot on September 13-14. Enjoy the grilled meats from some of the top pitmasters around the country. Tickets are $10 a day or $50 for a two-day fast pass that gets you admission on both days, shorter lines for food and beer, and more (food/drink not included though). But... [continue]

We think we found our new favorite Manhattan cocktail: It's the Blood Orange Bitters Manhattan at the new Culver City restaurant/bar, Rush Street. Most versions of this drinking man's cocktail come on kick-ass strong but here at one of the busiest bar in the heart of Screenland, this one is tempered with the blood orange bitters making it lighter and dangerously drinkable. Our new favorite drink is just one of the many yummy libations on... [continue]

Wonder where all your favorite bartenders from Seven Grand, the downtown whiskey bar, have gone? Well, Aidan Demarest (formerly 7G and the Doheny's GM) is now director of beverages and spirits at Edison in downtown, Damian Windsor will be starting his stint at Gordon Ramsay at the London on July 2, Marcos Tellos is bartending at West Hollywood's Comme Ca and running For Medicinal Purposes -- a cocktail consulting company -- with Damian, Patrick... [continue]

The new 7,300-square-foot Hollywood & Highland location of uWink (its first location is in Woodland Hills) opens to the general public tonight at 5pm. But last night we were able to take a sneak peek of the high-tech interactive restaurant at the media party where we had free reign over the food menu and extensive cocktail list and could order directly through a touchscreen at our tables instead of going through a waiter. Dangerous for... [continue]

Four years after the last episode of HBO's Sex and the City, the new movie felt like a long time coming for its many fans. So it was understandable that at the 21+ screening party in the ArcLight Sherman Oaks, the legions of women who showed up to celebrate the film were dressed to the nines. They sported flirty frocks and their best party heels in homage to The Girls: Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha.... [continue]

When you think Lawry's the Prime Rib in Beverly Hills, we'd bet good money that you don't think "cocktails!" But with the debut of the restaurant's 1930s cocktail menu, created to celebrate Lawry's 70th anniversary, that may change. The cocktail tasting we attended was to present the so-old-it's-new list, with its collection of post-Prohibition libations (no vodka-based ones, thank you very much). In the small tasting room in the back of the restaurant with us... [continue]

It's 6:30pm and you wanna hit the last bit of happy hour before it's over, but you still have a ton of emails you need to send out. What's a drink-happy working stiff to do? Or what if you wanted to use your iPhone to look up the next bar on your barhopping itinerary? Or liveblog while tying one on? Fortunately, we've got plenty of bars in Los Angeles that offer free wireless Internet... [continue]

by Caroline on Crack (web) from LAist What do you do when you're a gearhead with lightning-quick MacGyver fixes, $500 to spare and the need for speed? Most likely you're racing a junker you rebuilt with zip-ties and duct-tape at the 24 Hours of LeMons in Altamont Motorsports Park located between Livermore and Tracy in Northern California. That's where I spent this past weekend, tagging along with one of the LeMons veteran teams, Eyesore Pimpin... [continue]

What do you do when you're a gearhead with lightning-quick MacGyver fixes, $500 to spare and the need for speed? Most likely you're racing a junker you rebuilt with zip-ties and duct-tape at the 24 Hours of LeMons in Altamont Motorsports Park located between Livermore and Tracy in Northern California. That's where I spent this past weekend, tagging along with one of the LeMons veteran teams, Eyesore Pimpin (formerly known as Eyesore Racing) from... [continue]

Last night we hit downtown L.A. for the Edison's weekly event, Incandescence, where vaudeville circus/dance troupe Lucent Dossier was performing from the stage, from the rafters, from the floor amid the audience. We sampled the absinthe cocktails which were served to us in vintage-looking glass bottles that we were allowed to take home. And even some of the liquor shots were handed to us in corked glass bottles that resembled those miracle elixirs con men... [continue]

Tonight the circus is in town...at the Edison. Every Wednesday night, Lucent Dossier, vaudeville circus/dance troupe, will be hanging from the rafters and performing on stage for the well-dressed Edison patrons in the upscale downtown bar's weekly happening, Incandescence. (Get it? Like the lightbulb.). To get a sense of what Lucent Dossier is like, check out an early LAist photo gallery. And if the night isn't crazy enough, maybe a little absinthe will do... [continue]

Ben & Jerry's 30th Annual Free Cone Day is in full swing with 1 million cones expected to be given away today. But what's this? When we stopped by our local B&J's on Main Street in Santa Monica, there was hardly a line. We waited barely a minute in a quick-moving line of five people to get our free scoop of the new flavor, Seven Layer Bar. What helped, we think, is that there were... [continue]

Last night Father's Office II in Culver City* Los Angeles finally opened to the thirsty and hungry, but mostly thirsty, masses. It was supposed to be a soft opening but word got out and the bar/restaurant filled up right quick. A line formed outside the front door but patrons who finally made it in said the wait wasn't too bad, just about 15 minutes.... [continue]

Hey, there, beer fans! The word is out on the street, Father's Office II in Culver City finally opens its doors tonight! You heard me. Rumors say 5pm. Our coverage of the preview party probably left you wanting more but starting tonight you get to see it for yourself, taste the gastropub fare goodness for yourself, choose from what looks to be a gazillion beers on tap and guzzle, I mean, savor, for yourself.... [continue]

Tranquility Base, downtown's newest restaurant/bar, celebrated its grand opening with a "first annual" springtime cocktail party last night. There were some passed hors d'oeuvres, a cocktail tasting to choose the restaurant's featured cocktail and lots of dressed-up 30-something revelers enjoying the warm evening by the outdoor firepit.... [continue]

Update: The Doheny sent over some fun facts regarding items mentioned in this piece. You can read about the biometric fingerprint reader, Sheperd Fairey's artwork and other information here. For the record: In the original story below, it was said that the initiation fee is $4,950. To clarify, $2,750 is a one-time initiation fee. When combined with the annual $2,200 membership fee, the total for the first year only is $4,950. I did it!... [continue]

Went to Finn McCool's in Santa Monica this afternoon for a "business meeting" and suddenly found myself surrounded by people dressed in green and drinking green beer and slamming Irish car bombs. I guess everyone's getting in their St. Patrick's Day celebration early to avoid the crazy bar crowds on Monday. Smart idea! Step-by-step of Irish car bombing after the jump.... [continue]