Results tagged “cocktails”

                                   

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!).

              

If you overdid it last night, head over to Rush Street in Culver City for their new brunch menu. If you are looking for the hair of the dog, they have you covered with a bottomless mimosa, a make-your-own Bloody Mary bar and anything else you can imagine. The sunny patio is perfect for early risers, and the cool dim interior is perfect for those looking to escape the heat or a hangover. High ceilings and a loft area make the room both spacious and cozy.

              

On Saturday October 3rd, celebrated chefs and vintners/spirit-makers from all over the nation gathered on the backlot of Universal Studios here in Los Angeles to showcase their best bites and sips as part of the popular 27th annual American Wine and Food Festival (AWFF), hosted by Wolfgang Puck and Barbara Lazaroff. The event is a big draw for food and wine lovers of all calibers, and offers an astonishing quantity of quality eats and drinks for the ticket price; although the pricetag is hefty ($300 advance, $350 at the door), the event is not merely a showcase for food and wine, but rather a wildly successful fundraiser for Meals on Wheels.

         

So, a coupla chicks walk into Ivan Kane's Cafe Wa s to check out their dineLA dinner...

      

It's always a little curious when you arrive at one of the many eateries participating in dineLA's popular restaurant week and they don't hand you the dineLA menu. As a diner there to check out a spot you've maybe never been to before this means things can get off to a rocky start when right out of the gate you have to wonder if you were mistaken, or if the dineLA crowd is really all that welcome where you are. (Baffling, right? After all, restaurants choose to participate, so why not pimp it?) You know that "new kid" feeling? Yeah, that's the one.

Grand Performances at California Plaza features Adaawe, a six-member international group of women - from Kenya, Morocco, Brazil and the United States - who blend drums, percussion and voices with high-octane funk, Gospel-infused lyrics and pure joy. The event is free.

   

Post by John Brooks/Special to LAist

Have a great Memorial Day weekend everyone! If you're sticking around town tonight, here are our a few of the more interesting picks: PERFORMANCE ART* You know you’re in for an interesting evening when the Museum of Jurassic Technology’s involved. So tonight, in collaboration with Automata, the museum presents the premiere of The Reptile Under the Flowers: A peepshow/diorama performance.

The Hungry Cat in Hollywood has always been a great spot to sidle up to the bar and order a plate full of oysters and a delicious specialty cocktail (and the restaurant's signature blue cheese burger & fries, if you're really hungry). But the deals are getting better by the day at their Hollywood location: they've extended their happy hour so that you can booze it up on half-price cocktails and draft beers from 12p-6p.

For a fun, swank and, more importantly, cheap way to kick off the summer, hit up the new happy hour "Summer Fridays" poolside at the Cameo Bar in the Viceroy Santa Monica. Starting tomorrow from 2 to 6 p.m., boozers on a budget can enjoy drink specials dictated by the time of day. Get there early at 2 p.m. to snag a glass of wine, well drink and beer for only two bucks each. If you wait until 5:59, your drinks will be $5 each, still not too shabby a deal.

Downtown LA’s Poketo Studio is hosting an evening of art and music in the show “Bang! Bang! Draw!” tonight at 7 pm. Her Space Holiday will kick the night off with a live performance followed by a moderated Q&A session with the pop outfit and Tokyo-based illustrator-designer Heisuke "PCP" Kitazawa. The official art show and party follows right after until 10 pm. Admission is free and desserts and drinks will be provided.

       

You had an awesome night of barhopping but one cocktail too many, you mixed your spirits and you didn't drink a drop of water before you went to bed. Next morning? Raging headache, and the last thing you want to have for brunch is some buttery pancakes drenched in sweet syrup. Blech!

              

Who says there are no good female mixologists in Los Angeles? Because there were plenty of them at the Gran Centenario Rosangel launch party and competition last night at Silver Lake's Malo. In the Mexican restaurant's gorgeous new upstairs space, cocktail enthusiasts and industry-folk gathered to partake of the delicious free food as well as the complimentary creative cocktails concocted by L.A.'s finest women mixologists, i.e. Natalie Bovis-Nelsen of The Liquid Muse and Liquid Chef Kim Haasarud to name a few. This was all to launch the newish hibiscus-infused tequila, Gran Centenario Rosangel.

Join the Art Deco Society for Cocktails in Historic Places™ -- a learning session and happy hour all wrapped in history. Tonight’s adventure will be held from 6-8 pm at The Kress on Hollywood Boulevard. “Built in 1934 by architect Stephen Burrell as the S.H. Kress Department Store, Angelenos are more likely to remember this soaring Art Deco beauty from its more lurid incarnation as the flaming purple flagship Frederick's of Hollywood boutique.” Deco attire is welcome, but not necessary. If you arrive promptly at 6 pm, there will be a brief tour of the location.

      

What better way for a Los Angeles bar to celebrate our city than with astrology cocktails? Yup, X Bar in Century City, has perhaps the funnest theme cocktail menu idea we've seen in a long time. They have created 12 cocktails ($12 each) to represent the zodiac signs and will only serve each sign's cocktail during the dates of that particular sign. Not clear? Well, right now since we're in Pisces, so you can try the Pisces cocktail through March 21, followed up by the Aries cocktail.

New Santa Monica bar, Copa d'Oro, has kicked off its new happy hour featuring a "happy depression menu." So now you can enjoy some of their fabulous market-fresh cocktails for only $5! And we're not talking the sort of drinks you usually find at happy hours around the city. No apple martinis or mixed well cocktails, but actual vintage favorites.

Are you subscribed to Lesley Balla's new foodie newsletter, Tasting Table? Well, you better be, because this former EaterLA editor is proving to be the fastest finger on the foodie trigger. To wit: the latest message in our inbox, regarding a fantastic new deal at one of the city's most expensive restaurants. Craft LA, brainchild of Top Chef's Tom Colicchio, has just unveiled a downright economical new menu featuring small plates, with nothing over $9.

Because you need an excuse to imbibe: Today is National Margarita Day! Woo hoo! Drink up! Now, if you want to be a know-it-all drinker, though, you can wow your fellow fiesta-ers with these margarita facts, passed on to us by the nice people at Tequila Herradura:

Groovy! Bartender Damian Windsor (The Edison, Gordon Ramsay at the London, Copa d'Oro) will now be manning the back bar of Bar Lubitsch. Yes, starting Monday, February 23rd, you can enjoy Damian's cocktail wizardry during BL's new bar night, Mod Mondays. Owner Jared Meisler hopes to make Monday your new favorite day of the week with his collection of DJs who will spin '60s underground soul and rock and roll -- a genre of music woefully overlooked in 'Merica.

              

One way to get people chatting about your new restaurant is to bring in the bloggers, which is just what Downtown's CASA did recently. The eatery served signature cocktails and a sampling of their menu, which was inspired by an old family recipe book, to an eager crowd of self-proclaimed foodies. We mingled with the owners and watched Chef Kris Morningstar in action--alas we learned a few days later Morningstar is moving on soon, as planned, to embark on another food adventure. He's got a project set for Hollywood, and we will keep our eyes--and tastebuds--on alert.

      

Love is in the air, suddenly hearts and roses seem to populate the world and the movie theaters are showing nothing but romantic comedies. It's enough to drive anyone to drink, singles and couples alike. Fortunately, there are bars in L.A. that feel ya and have created many Valentine cocktails that you can either toast your love with or use to drink this red-and-pink day away.

    

When I first checked out Ivan Kane's Café Wa s in Hollywood last year, I couldn't help but think that the only thing missing from this beautiful Bohemian restaurant was a specialty cocktail list. Amazingly it didn't have one. Sure it has a full bar, an upstairs absinthe bar and a couple of absinthe cocktails but no list of special drinks to speak of.

First the Edison's Radio Room, aka speakeasy night, was held on Sundays. And then it was changed to Tuesdays. And then it disappeared. But tonight, it's back! That's right, you can once again enjoy crafted cocktails brought to you by Los Angeles' top mixologists while taking in a saucy cabaret show in this underground room of the Edison. And... for no cover!

       

New downtown Mexican restaurant Casa Cocina y Cantina had a press release boasting a menu "unlike any other Mexican restaurant menu in Los Angeles." But we couldn't help but wonder if that held true to its cocktail list as well. So we stopped by on a very chill Wednesday night and met with Billy Fanning, the restaurant's mixologist.

Well, that's what Casa's public relations folk are saying. But we'll let the public (and Yelp) decide its uniqueness starting tomorrow when Casa finally opens in downtown's California Plaza next door to MOCA on Grand Avenue (we've penned the area as Performance Row).

Why should drinkers have all the fun this holiday season? And poor designated drivers, sitting there with their sad little sodas and chewed-on straws. Fortunately this month, Natalie Bovis-Nelsen (aka the Liquid Muse) -- L.A. cocktail blogger extraordinaire and a certified mixologist -- has come out with her first cocktail book for -- wait for it -- pregnant women. But the thing is if you're not expecting, Preggatinis: Mixology for the Mom-To-Be ($16.95) with its 75 virgin cocktails is actually also a great recipe book when you want to whip up something for non-drinkers and designated drivers at your holiday parties. Hey, they should have something fun to drink, too.

Remember when the manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcohol was illegal? Yeah, neither do we, and thankfully so.

The Edendale Grill may fall in and out of favor, but its bar has never wavered as a solid local watering hole.

Everyone knows: When you can't think of what to get someone for Christmas -- whether the host of a holiday house party or the man or woman who has everything -- a safe bet is always booze. The following are some of our favorite liquor-related places and gifts to make it a very merry Christmas indeed.