Bourbon: you keep hearing about it, reading about it, watching Don Draper slug it back like it’s the Four Loko of the 1960’s. But where to start? Fortunately, when it comes to bourbons, there’s a great one out there for every budget - both for at-home sipping and an evening out.
Be a Patriot, Drink American: Small-batch Bourbons for Your Budget
Tasting Notes: August Briggs & Romililly Wine Dinner @The Foundry
The motto of Russian River Valley winemakers and brothers Jesse and Aaron Inman of Romililly is "Live. Laugh. Love." which is precisely what an evening of smart pairings of their wine, along with the wines of their uncle Joe Briggs of August Briggs Wines, is all about. On a recent trip to Los Angeles, the winemakers held a dinner at The Foundry on Melrose, to introduce diners and oenophiles to their small-batch selections as served alongside Chef Eric Greenspan's food.
Deacon Booze: LAist Happy Hour
Dudes, it's become clear to me that just by walking about whatever fine neighborhood you happen to reside in (NoHo, WeHo, SilLake, DnTn, SanMo, KTown, HanPark, CulCity, etc), you're bound to happen upon a great little bar with great happy hour deals. Fer instance: this week I was walking around Downtown and ran into some friends, who happily guided me to the Redwood Bar & Grill, a fun and surprisingly classy little pirate bar near Disney Hall. Do they have an awesome happy hour? You betcha.
Wine Novice: Bubbly Bounty
For many years, I was a Veuve girl. As in, Veuve Clicquot. But that's so obvious now and it's expensive. Then I became a Heidsieck (Charles or Piper) girl. Much nicer, less obvious, but still pricey for the good stuff. With the holidays mere seconds away (and with all my "wine novice" locations shutting down their wine tastings until next year) I thought it would make sense to tap into the one area of the wine industry I do know something about - bubbly! The challenge? Finding good bubbly at a very good price. At a price so good, I'd buy cases. Here's what I found:
Foodblogger Triplecreme: When Westsiders Eat East
Top Reasons Why a Dyed-in-the-Wool Westsider Sometimes Wishes She Lived East of the 405
Nunchux VI: Get Your Wine On!
If you like wine (or you think you do) Sunday night is your chance to unwind with a glass (or two, or five). Nunchux VI is holding their monthly party at 5:00pm and will be focusing on some nice Spanish imports ($4-$12 per glass) and tapas ($1-$5). If you're into the local wine scene, you may recognize the host. Santos Uy has been laying down his vino-know-how at AOC (West Hollywood) and Silver Lake...
Events: Wine, Readings, Peruvian Food
It’s Blue Monday at Silver Lake Wine from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. No RSVPs required for tonight’s triptych wine tasting with cheese from the Cheese Store of Silver Lake.
Stars fall on Alabama Saturday
Xmas shopping procrastinators rejoice: Amoeba Records opens early (10am) and doesn't close until 8:30pm tonight.
Keeping Up With the Katrina Benefit Events
We're still waiting for the Dine for America site to launch with the details of their nationwide event to benefit Hurricane Katrina survivors through local restaurants' generous participation. Meanwhile, we've got our eye on a couple of the many local happenings that promise good eats and drink with proceeds going to help this extremely worthy cause. Our friend at Eating L.A. tipped us off to the Silver Lake Wine hurricane benefit, which is this Sunday, September 11th from 12:00 to 6:00 p.m. to be held at their store. Admission is $20 per person, with each person receiving 4 tickets for trade to sample things like Abita Amber and Turbo Dog beer, wines by the glass, and food from hot restaurants like AOC, Literati Cafe, and many others. No reservations are needed, and there is no limit on how many people may attend.
Feeling Wine-y
If the beginning of the work week gets you down, Silverlake Wine is ready to ease your pain. Their Blue Tuesday wine tastings require no reservation, feature snacks provided by the Cheese Store of Silverlake, and deliver three distinct wines to take the edge off the old grind.

