Results tagged “beer”

                                   

Last Sunday the backlot of CBS Radford Studios in Studio City was filled with some of the biggest names...in food. The 23rd Annual Great Chefs of LA was indeed the promised food and drink filled afternoon of music, swag bags, and auctions, all to benefit the National Kidney Foundation of Southern California. Hosted by comedian and TV star George Lopez, the event drew some celebs (so we hear!) from entertainment and lots of food talent (so we ate!).

      

It's summertime (shhh, don't tell the calendar) and the livin' can still be easy when you grub on burgers and beer. The Golden State on Fairfax is one of the newest burgers on the map (and, yes, it also happens to have made it onto this map of some of the city's Essential eats) and after LAist Lifestyle Editor Julie Wolfson got a taste of the place, it wasn't going to be long before the rest of us got on board.

As the summer winds down, it’s important to remember that there’s still a lot of good reasons -and even better causes - to get outside. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to kick back and just enjoy a beer either, does it? Well, if you’d like to give back, get out, and grab a drink while you’re at it, then consider Tuesday’s Bike MS at the Library Ale House on Main Street in Santa Monica.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presents “Infinite Animation: The Work of Adam Beckett” tonight at 8 pm at the Linwood Dunn Theater. Beckett (1950-1979) was an animator and visual effects artist whose career straddled the line between art film and the special effects industry. He worked on big budget films like Star Wars and Piranha, but he’s more remembered for his experimental art films.

Lately, at iO West on Tuesday nights, a strange thing has been happening: they’ve been stacking the deck. With Monday nights as their cream-of-the-crop Armando shows and Saturdays reserved for Beer Shark Mice or some other formidable team, it would be entirely possible for iO to experience a bit of the mid-week improv doldrums. But instead, with the last three Harold Competition champion teams running back-to-back-to-back, Tuesdays at iO are becoming a great go-to for improv in Los Angeles.

       

The second annual Brew Haw Haw last Saturday attracted a medium-sized but lively (not rowdy) crowd 'Drinking for a Good Cause' to benefit of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. It was nice to not have to wait in big lines for the food or beverages as the weather wasn't as blisteringly hot as last last year or days just prior.

Certainly everyone has their favorite gastropub, maybe because it's their neighborhood hang or because they like the burger a lot, let's say from Father's Office. But let's face it, sometimes these gastropubs are out of control busy, packed and with a line out the door. That's why we love York on York (Blvd.) in Highland Park. How can you beat a chillax environment with $5 Craftsman beers and some of the best skin-on fries in the city on a weekday night? Not to mention the popular cheddar/harissa burgers (or the grilled tofu sandwich for veggies).

Now this is a recession buster: The Glendale Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department is holding a one-day "penny carnival" today until 5 pm at Montrose Park (3529 Clifton Place). The carnival includes games, face painting, balloons, popcorn and snow cones for 5 to 25 cents.

          

Can you say - "Over 100 Beers." How about - "Bacon Crusted French Toast?" High School buddies from New York, Steve Lieberman and Keith O'Brien opened West 4th/Jane at the beginning of June on 4th Street in Santa Monica as a place where pretensions are left at the door. The guys are self described "blue collar" and say that West 4th/Jane caters to everyone. I agree. Want a Duvel? Done. A nice red wine? Done. How about a Beast red can? Also, done. Almost every bit of work (except electrical) put into the place was done by the guys, their gals, and friends. To put it bluntly, it's the kind of place you wish that you owned.

Here in the Golden State we perfected the art of the fast food burger, but at the eatery The Golden State they may have perfected the art of the Lamb burger. LAist's Lifestyle Editor Julie Wolfson happened to hit up the restaurant on a day when their special was the Lamb Burger and a Greek Salad. Before she could dig in she paused to take this Eye Nosh snap of the plate, and when she was done, there wasn't much to say except "It rocks!" (She also stopped by recently to chat with Golden State's owners; read her delicious interview to learn more about the duo behind the burgers and beer.)

LA has a diverse cast of characters. Whether it's the characters with stirring stories or interesting occupations or the people who are just simply characters, this town has them all. In an effort to get to know some of those characters a little better, we've created "Seven Questions with..." If you have a suggestion for a future Seven Questions subject send us an email.

              

I grew up in Toronto, so while I'm used to the concept of seemingly endless networks of retail shops and restaurants hiding beneath the downtown skyscrapers, I'm not attuned to that way of life here in Los Angeles, where even the word "basement" is cause for a quizzical eyebrow raise. But underground is where you'll find Rowdy Red, a wine and burger bar beneath the high rises of the City National Plaza at the corner of 5th and Flower.

We may have just wrapped up a Craft Beer Festival and learned we're "ready for craft beer culture," but the brew enthusiasts at HalogenLife aren't totally sold on Los Angeles as being beer-friendly. In fact, in their story spotlighting the nation's 10 best "must try" local beers they preface their L.A. pick by pointing out we aren't "exactly a beer drinkers kind of town."

         

While we can debate over the burritos in LA vs. SF to no end, it is hard to argue over which city has a more prevalent beer culture. Perhaps this is because no one has ever really pushed such a culture here in LA. That is, until now.

You (hopefully) heard it here first: The Fresh & Easy Hollywood store will begin to stock beer and wine starting Monday.

With the economy in the dumps, two Fullerton college students have joined forces to save a buck or ten when it comes to beer. David Echanique (Cal State Fullerton) and Brandon McKenney (Orange Coast Community College) last week announced ThriftyBeer.com, a website where you input your city or neighborhood and it outputs the top ten locations that have cheap beer (with a Google Map, too). In Hollywood, for example, you can 30 Bud Lights for $16.99 at CVS. In Van Nuys, it's a dollar cheaper at Smart & Final. Originally, they thought of doing it just for Fullerton. “I saw the bigger picture,” Echanique told the OC Register. “We should do all of Southern California." However, they now hope to expand listings into Northern California and Arizona by summer’s end. Give it a whirl and see if it's truly the cheapest around your neighborhood (and let us know by commenting below)

If Budweiser and MGD are your two favorite beers in the world, then you might as well stop reading this post now.

Springtime can mean a renewal of the earth, and for the Thai people, it means their traditional New Year celebration called Songkran. The festival is about celebrating community, and visiting with friends, relatives, and elders. Luckily, Los Angeles boasts a significant population of residents with Thai heritage, and we can take part in the colorful and spirited celebration, no matter our background, so long as we can get ourselves over to Thai Town on Sunday to catch the fun. (There is a website, but it's all in Thai!)

iO West, formerly of the ‘ImprovOlympic’ namesake, has been a true comedy institution in Los Angeles for more than a decade, and it’s heritage with the original Chicago outlet goes back much further. From Chris Farley to Bill Murray and every Tim (Meadows), (Andy) Dick, and Del (Close) in between, iO has been an instructional springboard for many famous names and thousands more who just want to learn the art of improv.

       

If you're ever in the mood for great European street food, head to Little Tokyo. Yup, Spitz, "home of the Doner kebab" recently opened up its second location on 2nd Street amid kawaii boutiques and sushi restaurants. (It's original location is in Eagle Rock.)

Remember when Nova Express closed? That wasn't a good sign for Fairfax Village, especially after news came that neighbor Largo was also leaving the street. Luckily, it seems a great new restaurant/bar will take over--The Golden State is looking like it will open soon. It has "a locally sourced, simple menu designed by Samir Mohajer (formerly of Rustic Canyon)," writes Blackburn and Sweetzer. "Think five (homemade) sausage options, five sandwiches, a killer burger, six beers on tap, six wines, Scoops gelato and sodas, including tasty local root beer from Virgil’s." Now some of the city's best gelato can be found more westward.

     

Last fall, Will Shamlian of 4100 Bar/The Chalet/Library Bar fame, opened the Laurel Tavern--a contemporary American pub as he calls it--in place of his previous popular bar, The Sapphire. As much as it was sad to see the popular (and extremely dark) Valley bar go, the new space is much more cozy and useful than ever before.

                

Downstairs in the sportsbook of the Flamingo, casual fans and degenerates alike are placing their bets on Thursday's BCS Championship game between Florida and Oklahoma, two teams that aren't meeting because they knocked off foes in a playoff system to reach the championship round. Upstairs on the conference room level of the Las Vegas hotel and casino, more than 400 teams from across North America are competing in tournament for a championship.

         

The Cost Plus store at The Grove has filled their shelves with items to help you celebrate the holidays. Amid the tins of Christmas cookies, oodles of decorations, and abundance of candy, we found some items that will make your holiday a little bit sillier.

Day two of the Tarfest takes place at the La Brea Tar Pits and the Miracle Mile. Today is the film and music festival portion of this artsy affair. Music videos and short films will be shown at the Korean Cultural Center for free at 1 p.m., while you can listen to some great bands, including a DJ set by artist Shepard Fairey, over at the El Rey Theatre at 7p.m.

For the past seven years, Good Microbrew & Grill on Sunset Blvd. has made their own beer garden during the Sunset Junction Street Festival. And even though that this year if you go south of Sanborn St. there is no festival (yet the street is still closed off and you still have to pay to get in), the beer garden goes on.

The presidents of Occidental, Pomona and Whittier colleges were among the California representatives who signed a petition that called for "an informed and dispassionate public debate over the effects of the 21-year-old drinking age," according to the LA Times. Around 100 schools around the country signed the document.

                 

For beer lovers tired of all these wine tasting events, your time has finally come! A couple weekends ago, the Pine Meadows Lawn of the Autry National Center was the site of the first annual Brew Haw Haw. A few dozen microbreweries and brewpubs represented at the beer tasting festival, and some great catering was provided to soak up all the beer. Live entertainment was provided by Bill Dwyer, who you may know from watching VH1's "I love the whatever decade" specials (and if you don't, then maybe it's time to buy a TV). There was live music by Blackstone Heist, Lilly Carrico and Mark Radcliffe. If that's not enough for you, the event was a fundraiser benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to which taken many of our friends before their time. Bob Flanagan, this Bud's for you.

It's almost football season! Players are returning to camp, refusing to return to camp, and negotiating contracts as sports bars order extra supplies of wings and beer and hire hotter waitresses.

Saturday afternoon on the Pine Meadows Lawn of the Autry National Center in Griffith Park will turn into the site of the "Brew Haw Haw" beer tasting festival to raise money ($50/tix) for the SoCal chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. There will be microbrews, food, comedy and bands. And in case you missed it, yesterday's weekly PhiLAnthropist post featured the Skid Row Neighborhood Watch Walk, a Venice Beach clean-up and an event with High School Musical at Hollywood & Highland.