The Brief

Happy (upcoming) Valentine's Day, Los Angeles! Feb. 14 is just around the corner. And whether you're tethered to another human on this Hallmark holiday, overpaying on a day to celebrate the purity of love is just plain heartless. (Call me unromantic, but I stand my ground).

Why not say I love you for less this year and save some money for the rest of your relationship?

Everything you'll find here is $100 per person or less, (with some being $100 total!)

The Exchange at The Freehand Hotel (Downtown Los Angeles)

If you're looking for a meal that really has heart, consider one where 15% of your romantic night out will go to benefit those affected by the L.A. wildfires. The Exchange at Freehand L.A. is doing an I Heart LA Coast-to-Coast menu in downtown Los Angeles along with their partner restaurant in New York by "marrying" the menus of their head chefs Narita Santos (L.A.) and Felipe Donnelly (NYC).

The Exchange Dining Room

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Courtesy The Exchange

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The three-course prix fixe includes items like oysters with hibiscus leche de tigre, kampachi aquachile with pan-seared black Coho salmon, and chocolate tres leches for dessert.

Written Hand (The Kimpton Everly Hollywood)

Complimentary oysters, shucked table side at The Written Hand in Hollywood.

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It's Bivalve-ntine’s Day at Written Hand, where they're toasting the day of love with a prix fixe that's all about the aphrodisiac.

The meal begins with complimentary oysters, shucked tableside for your enjoyment that can be paired with briny freezer martinis. There's also bread from Bub & Grandmas, Ama Ebi Kauai prawns, squash blossoms, and a shared entree with either a ribeye cap blue-fin tuna collar or ike jime rockfish.

Barra Santos (Cypress Park)

An intimate dinning corner dining area at Barra Santos in Cypress Park.

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Allison Zaucha

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Courtesy Barra Santos

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Barra Santos hosts "a party every night," and Valentine's Day should be no exception. This neighborhood gem from co-owner Mike Santos and chef Melissa López offers Portuguese snacks to pair with pours of Madeira wine alongside larger dishes like piri piri chicken ($22). The specials for V-Day are still forthcoming, but you can pair a bottle of Barra Santos vinho ($40) with the Lisbon special ($31) trio of snack plates and have yourself an enjoyable and wallet-friendly kind of nite.

Bar Lis (Hollywood-Thompson Hotel)

Bar Lis at Thompson Hollywood

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Michael Mundy

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Courtesy Thompson Hollywood

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Hollywood's rooftop French Riviera, Bar Lis, has two options that will take your breath away.

The Sunset Hour Prix Fixe Dinner includes cauliflower panna cotta with caviar and oyster leaves, beet gnocchi, and a choice of New York steak or duck breast for $78 a person. The Bar Lis Canapé Package features a bottle of GH Mumm brut champagne and a canapé platter with tuna and radish tartare and duck yuzu kosho tacos. The price is $150 per couple, and that includes hypnotic music and views for days.

Pasta Sisters (Culver City)

Tortellini from L.A.'s Pasta Sisters

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Courtesy Pasta Sisters

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Keep it a bit more casual at Pasta Sisters, where you can enjoy glasses of wine ($12) while nibbling heart-shaped ravioli either in the restaurant or in your own home.

The ravioli are filled with porcini mushroom and ricotta cheese and are available for dine-in ($21) or as a ravioli pasta kit to go, which feeds two and includes edible flowers ($40). The restaurant will also be offering 10% off select bottles of Italian Pinot Noir if you're purchasing the kit.

Redbird (Little Tokyo)

Lobster Chawanmushi at Redbird

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Courtesy Redbird

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Enjoy Valentine's Day in the church of love at a fraction of the cost when you dine in the Garden Bar area of Redbird by chef Neal Frasier. Redbird is located in the former Cathedral of St. Vibiana, specifically the Cardinal's house (hence the red bird), and for Valentine's Day, they are serving a special three-course prix fixe menu for $150 a person in the main dining room. While that might sound enticing, you can keep the costs down and still enjoy a selection from the prix fixe menu when you choose à la carte pricing in the Redbird Garden Bar.

A perfect night out for two might include Humboldt Fog on griddled sourdough ($16), profiteroles with chicken liver parfait ($16), chawanmushi with kaluga caviar and uni ($38), and two glasses of Domaine des Ronces Bubbles ($17 each).

SOCALO (Santa Monica Gateway Hotel)

Amor de Los Angeles Cocktail at SOCALO

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Courtesy SOCALO

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SOCALO, from chef duo Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, is putting some SOCAL into your LOve life with fresh, modern Mexican cuisine in a uniquely Los Angeles environment steps away from the Santa Monica Pier.

The Valentine's Day prix fixe kicks off with a sparkling wine toast for two. Next, you'll enjoy a ceviche trio with such delicacies as tuna with peanut matcha salsa and ono with passion fruit habanero. The main course features a 16oz bone-in rib eye and yuzu glazed seared shrimp with broccolini and romesco. Dessert is a red velvet cake with strawberry crema and spumoni ice cream.

The specialty cocktail for the night is an Amor de Los Angeles, made with tequila, pama liqueur, and topped off with pomegranate seeds and a black salt rim ($16).

The Velvet Martini Lounge (Studio City)

The Velvet Martini Lounge

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Courtesy Eat Drink LA

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If you love crooners and cozy corners, The Velvet Martini Lounge is about to become your new favorite secret speakeasy. It's located above the Italian restaurant Vitellos and features live music, dim lighting, and no windows — kinda like Las Vegas.

The food menu is minimal, with throwback items like a TV Dinner Tray, but I recommend focusing on cocktails and conversation instead. Try a Jazzerac made with Hennessey, Luxardo Amaretto, bitters, and finished with an absinthe mist.

Vincenzo's Pizza of NoHo (North Hollywood)

Heart-shaped pizza at Vincenzo's of Noho

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Courtesy EatDrinkLA

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Eat your heart out when you order this special heart-shaped pizza from Vincenzo's Pizza of Noho. The small size measures 14" and is made for two people to share. Complete the meal with a chocolate vin-yay, which are beignets with powdered sugar and a Nutella drizzle ($6).

Malibu Wines + Beer Garden (West Hills)

Malibu Wines and Beer Garden

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Pixabay

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Love shouldn't be limited to just one day, and Malibu Wines & Beer Garden wants you to celebrate all week. Visit anytime from Feb. 10 to 17 for a two-flight wine tasting of Saddlerock wines and a curated cheese board.

Catch more of Caroline's suggestions at EatDrinkLA

A big thank you to all the service members who’ve served our country this Veterans Day. There’s lots going on to honor them, including a ceremony on the beach in Santa Monica, a celebration at the VA and more.

Elsewhere on LAist, you can learn about one couple who chose the LAUSD coffee cake for their wedding, come hang out with us at CicLAvia in Pasadena and grab tickets for FilmWeek’s screening of Sideways.

Music

Licorice Pizza has your music picks for the week ahead — it is Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction time, after all — including:

Wednesday 

• Bonobo begin their two-night run at the Wiltern
• Australian EDM star Ninajirachi begins her four-night run at the Fonda Theatre 

Thursday 

• The Smashing Pumpkins performing ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness’ in full at the Forum
• Sparta at Sid The Cat

Friday 

• Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds at the Wiltern
• E-40 with Too $hort, Mack 10 & more at the YouTube Theater
• Band of Horses at Pacific Electric

Saturday 

• Darker Waves Festival in Huntington Beach with Morrissey, Simple Minds and many more
• Kate Nash at Sid The Cat
• Sugarhill Gang at Stage Red

Sunday 

• Milk Carton Kids at the Fonda
• Ghostface Killah with Raekwon and GZA at The Novo
• Lissie at Venice West

Monday

• Gary Numan at the Fonda
• The Aces with Gatlin at Pacific Electric

Tuesday

• The Damned at the Wiltern 
• First Ever Hologram Teen Concert (with Fred Armisen on Drums) at Zebulon

Events

International Churro Day

Wednesday, Nov. 11
El Moro 
Multiple locations (Echo Park, Costa Mesa, La Habra)
COST: $1; MORE INFO 

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Foodie Flavours

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What better way to get through the rest of the week than with $1 churros to celebrate International Churro Day? Mexico City institution El Moro now has three L.A. area locations where you can score a deal on the fried treat all day long, plus get a complimentary 12th churro when you purchase 11.

James Cahill: The Beverly Hills Housewife: Hockney’s Californian Muse and the World Beyond the Pool

Tuesday, Nov. 17, 7:15 p.m.
Book Soup
8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood
COST: FREE; MORE INFO 

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Courtesy EJS Media

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We lost the great Brit-turned-Angeleno artist David Hockney this year, but his legacy in L.A. is remembered in author James Cahill’s new book, The Beverly Hills Housewife: Hockney’s Californian Muse and the World Beyond the Pool. The book tells the story of David Hockney’s pivotal early years in Los Angeles, his unlikely friendship with a Beverly Hills collector named Betty Freeman, and the city itself — all through the lens of a single painting, Beverly Hills Housewife (1966-67). Cahill will be in conversation with writer David Ulin.

Cj Hendry: Flower Shop

Through Saturday, Nov. 21
6 Rose Ave., Venice
COST: FREE; MORE INFO 

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Kirsten Cox

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Maximus Communications

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Australian artist Cj Hendry has taken over churches, swimming pools and more around the world with her bright creations. Her latest installation, Flower Shop, takes over the Rose Room in Venice, where you can purchase one of her felt flowers starting at $10 — the perfect headstart on unique holiday gifts.

The Who’s Tommy

Through Sunday, Nov. 15
Pantages Theatre
6233 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood 
COST: FROM $45; MORE INFO 

Fun fact: The Who’s Tommy was the first show I saw on Broadway in 1995 (starring the great Michael Cerveris), and now I’m dating myself by saying the revival is on tour at the Pantages. The Who’s timeless 1969 soundtrack follows the story of Tommy, a child struck by tragedy who wins hearts with his pinball prowess. Pete Townshend and director Des McAnuff reunite to tell the story again for a new generation. Tommy, you’re a sensation.

National Theatre Live: The Importance of Being Earnest

Saturday, Nov. 14, 7 p.m.
The Wallis
9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills
COST: FROM $27.50; MORE INFO 

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Courtesy The Wallis

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I saw the live National Theatre production of The Importance of Being Earnest in London last year, and it’s laugh-out-loud funny, with great performances from Doctor Who himself (Ncuti Gatwa) and Sharon D. Clarke as Lady Bracknell. Directed by Max Webster, the Oscar Wilde classic mistaken-identity comedy took the West End by storm, so don’t miss a chance to catch the filmed-live version at the Wallis. If you just can’t get enough "Earnest" this week, the Bardfly Theatre Co. has their last live performance of the sendup of Victorian England at the L.A. Arboretum the same night.

Sheryl Crow at Live on Sunset

Saturday, Nov. 14, 4 p.m.
Sunset Strip
Sunset Blvd. between San Vicente Blvd./Clark Ave. and North Doheny Drive, West Hollywood
COST: FREE, RSVP REQUIRED; MORE INFO

Sheryl Crow will play a free show on Sunset.

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Erika Goldring

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Sheryl Crow will play 'til the sun comes up on Santa Monica Boulevard (well, more likely 'til just after it goes down) at the free concert on the Sunset Strip, Live on Sunset. The nine-time GRAMMY Award winner and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee joins a host of other performers, including Local Natives and Empress Of, at the block party show.

Meow Wolf: Desert Hearts and Justin Martin All Night Long

Saturday, Nov. 14, 10 p.m.
Academy L.A.
6021 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood 
COST: $39.95; MORE INFO 

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Courtesy Meow Wolf

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Art collective Meow Wolf is opening soon in L.A., but you can catch the vibe early with this DJ set at Academy L.A. The music takeover will feature some of Meow Wolf's favorite characters and oddities from their unique multiverse, alongside DJ performances from Desert Hearts and house producer Justin Martin.

Second Saturday Art Walk and Film Festival

Saturday, Nov. 14, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Downtown San Pedro
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

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Courtesy San Pedro Film Festival

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The Second Saturday Art Walk takes over downtown San Pedro this weekend, with galleries, record stores and more opening their doors to celebrate independent artists in the harbor town. Plus, the San Pedro International Film Fest will present two ocean-themed documentary short series at the John Olguin Auditorium at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium.

Hello Again public exhibit opening 

Thursday, Nov. 12, tour at 11:30 a.m.
UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art
Segerstrom Center for the Arts
3333 Avenue of the Arts, Costa Mesa
COST: FREE; MORE INFO 

Henrietta Shore, Mount Wilson, 1927.

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Courtesy UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art

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The O.C. Museum of Art opens its fall exhibit, Hello Again, with a public celebration on Thursday featuring a tour with curators. The show leans on “thematic fluidity” in the curation rather than chronology, with a focus on California art of the 1960s and '70s as well as more contemporary work. The first exhibit from newly-appointed director Kathryn Kanjo, it “reveals how regional landscapes, domestic spaces, and urban culture remain fertile territory for material and conceptual experimentation.” The exhibition includes work from many artists you’ll be familiar with and some to discover, including Glenn Ligon, Suzanne Lacy, Robert Rauschenberg, Betye Saar, Ed Ruscha, Narsiso Martinez and more.

25th Annual Tree Lighting Celebration 

Monday, Nov. 16, 7 p.m. 
The Grove
189 The Grove Drive, Fairfax District 
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

The Grove's Christmas Tree in 2024.

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Jay L Clendenin

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Getty Images

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It’s that time of year again. The annual Christmas Tree lighting at the Grove happens next Monday — just 39 days till Santa gets here, folks. This year’s party features performances from Nicole Scherzinger, Jason Mraz, Mark Ambor, Jamie Miller, “O” by Cirque du Soleil, American Authors, Kenedi Anderson, JYT and more.

Dan Shimell, an attorney and a new face in local politics, is Santa Ana’s next mayor after a shocking win against incumbent Valerie Amezcua. His win has become one of the most surprising upsets in Orange County’s general election and marks a shift for a city that previously elected its first Latina mayor.

Amezcua congratulated Shimell on social media late Monday night after the last round of election results nearly doubled Shimell’s lead. As of Tuesday night, Shimell held a 5-point lead over Amezcua. Amezcua did not respond to LAist’s requests for comment.

“It has been the honor of my life to serve the people of Santa Ana,” Amezcua said in a post. “Together, we have accomplished great things. We invested in our neighborhoods, expanded opportunity for families, and strengthened the services that make Santa Ana home. Our work was never about one person. It was about all of us moving this community forward.”

Aside from Shimell, progressives Sandra de Anda and Isuri S. Ramos are also projected to win City Council seats, deepening the Santa Ana City Council’s progressive bench.

A flashpoint in Amezcua’s re-election campaign was during the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids that rattled much of Southern California, including Santa Ana, Orange County’s only sanctuary city. The raids sparked protests that drew a heavy law enforcement response from Santa Ana police, including rubber bullets and tear gas.

In Amezcua’s first public response, she accused protesters of inciting chaos and violence. She later walked back her comments in a city statement, saying most protesters were demonstrating peacefully and that she did not support the raids.

Shimell told LAist he thinks Santa Ana voters, especially young and first-time voters, went to the polls to vote for those who can't.

“Those who have been or might in the future be impacted by immigration policy and enforcement,” Shimell added. “Taking a bold stance on immigration and police accountability seemed to resonate with voters I spoke with, and stood in stark contrast to the [police]-backed candidates who remained largely silent on those issues.”

What does this say about Santa Ana politics? 

Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento served as mayor of the city from 2020 to 2022, and his current district includes Santa Ana. Sarmiento told LAist that the results were surprising but reflected the change voters want to see in their elected officials.

“I think the underlying message is that money and establishment conventional politics no longer is the formula to success in a campaign in the city,” Sarmiento said. “It's really the influence of people and voters over money. That's really the theme here.”

Santa Ana City Councilmember Thai Viet Phan told LAist that the race results were somewhat surprising — but spoke to a larger trend.

“[In] the election results throughout the country … you saw a very leftward shift, with not just candidates but also just how voters voted,” Phan said. “I think that was reflected here in Santa Ana on the council.”

Amezcua outspent Shimell — by a lot

Shimell raised about $28,500 in his campaign for mayor. Amezcua raised more than $75,000 and received more than $200,000 in outside support — more than half of that came from the Santa Ana Police Officers Association.

Mike Moodian, a public policy professor at Chapman University, told LAist that in many ways, the races capture the zeitgeist of Santa Ana.

“Here we saw that there was a police union-backed group, and there was a resistance to that,” Moodian said. “People might have seen the incumbent mayor as part of a police union-backed establishment."

He explained that voters may have looked at Shimell as a fresh face who can represent more people and that the city is experiencing a deeper progressive shift.

“I find the residents of Santa Ana tend to be much more involved and engaged in local politics than most other cities in Orange County. So you also have a well-informed, engaged citizenry that showed up, and the voices were heard in Santa Ana,” Moodian said.

Moodian said Amezcua may have lost support from some voters because they were unsatisfied with her response to immigration enforcement.

What’s next?

Ballots are still being counted. The OC Registrar of Voters posts updates every day, except Sundays, at 5 p.m. Election results will be certified by Dec. 3. You can find updates on key measures and other races here.

For seven years, Nazmul Chaudhry has been trying to get the city of Los Angeles to fix a broken sidewalk in front of his store.

Chaudhry owns Deshi Food, a restaurant and grocery store in Little Bangladesh. Before I could even begin our interview, he led me to the front of his store to show me the sidewalk that pedestrians sidestep and electric scooter riders slow down around.

He said he’s tried to get the attention of city officials, but nothing has been done.

The broken sidewalk in front of Nazmul Chaudhry's shop in Little Bangladesh.

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Yusra Farzan

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LAist

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He’s hoping that will soon change. He said then-candidate Nithya Raman spent time in the historic enclave just north of Koreatown this fall, talking with community members about their problems. For the first time since he moved to the United States in 1989, Chaudhry is excited about a mayoral election.

“Everybody's happy because we've never seen anyone [come] like that directly to us,” Chaudhry said.

Mayor-elect Raman is of Indian descent and an immigrant. When she takes office, she will be the first South Asian mayor of Los Angeles. Chaudhry is proud of that distinction. But what means more to him is that Raman spent time walking the streets of Little Bangladesh, visiting businesses and speaking to community members about their concerns. Chaudhry said that, because of that, he asked all his customers and family members to vote for Raman. At dinner parties, Chaudhry said, Bengalis would share how they were excited to vote for Raman in this election.

Nazmul Chaudhry and one of his customers, Mohamed Hassen. They both voted for Nithya Raman for mayor.

In the Little Bangladesh area, vote returns to date show Raman with a 2-to-1 margin over Mayor Karen Bass.

 "Hopefully she's gonna take care of the city," Chaudhry said.

His business has been hit hard after federal immigration raids ramped up in Southern California. People are afraid to leave their homes for fear of being taken by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. And for those who do come to his store, he said, they are met with increased prices because of tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump's administration on imported goods.

Nazmul Chaudry offers a lunch buffet at his restaurant but he has seen a drop in foot traffic after ICE raids ramped up.

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Yusra Farzan

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LAist

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"Everybody's suffering actually these days," Chaudhry said. “If you see, Nov. 3 is a huge change because people [are] fed up."

Chaudhry also said city services don’t do a good job keeping the streets clean. So he takes it upon himself to pick up trash in front of his shop.

A few weeks before Election Day, Raman posted a social media video from Little Bangladesh addressing the trash along the street.

His relatives in New York told Chaudhry that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, also of Indian descent, has “changed the whole city.” He’s hoping for some of that change in Los Angeles when Raman takes office in December.

Shift away from identity politics

While Raman’s Indian background was a feature of her campaign, it was “not the central thesis,” said Sara Sadhwani,  an associate professor of politics at Pomona College and a senior researcher with AAPI Data.

In 2020, when Kamala Harris, also of Indian descent, was running for vice president, Sadhwani said, she conducted research on Indian Americans who wanted to see more representation in politics. In 2024, some of them turned away from Harris.

“When the economy is bad, identity slips away as the top issue on someone's mind,” she said.

Identity politics, Sadhwani said, was important in 2008 when the nation elected the first Black president, Barack Obama.

Los Angeles mayor-elect Nithya Raman poses for a photograph with family members after casting her vote on Election Day during the midterm elections at the Silverlake Community Church.

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Frederic J. Brown

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“ We're ushering in a new political generation of millennials and Gen Z; diversity is just expected at this point amongst a vast majority of Americans,” she said, highlighting how at the last census more people identified as multiracial.

Nationally too, Sadhwani said, thec ountry is seeing a shift. South Asians have gone from “model minority” to “governing minority.”

”The old script was that for Indian Americans, for South Asians, that being that quiet professional is what success meant,” she said. “When we look at Raman and also Mamdani, they're fighting for executive power in very visible, very messy city politics, and they won not by following the rules, but they won by challenging the status quo.”

South Asians as a political force

That idea resonates with Faizah Malik, managing attorney for housing justice at Public Counsel and a former L.A. City Council candidate.

“When we were growing up, our parents said, ‘Just keep your head down, go to school, get educated, make a nice life for your family, and that's it,’” she said. “Politics was not really part of the conversation, but I think what we're seeing is that we can run for office, we can win by being our full selves.”

This is an exciting time, she said, for “South Asian political empowerment,” with Raman set to join Mamdani in leading the country’s two largest cities.

Malik said that, as a housing advocate, she cares about Raman’s fight “to build more housing around the city that people can afford, her fight to keep renters in their homes, to prevent homelessness, her fight to try and really solve our homelessness crisis but also be efficient with our public dollars.”

Nikita Chaudhry, an actor and political organizer, wants to see Raman revitalize L.A.’s film industry, “to call the city the home of Hollywood again.”

“Having that kind of representation and knowing that it exists is really exciting because I think and hope it will activate South Asian Americans of all ages to get more involved in their communities,” Chaudhry said.

Raman's and Mamdani’s victories were years in the making, Chaudhry said: from organizing in their communities to holding other elected positions to engaging voters who are otherwise ignored by elected officials. And she hopes that it will inspire other South Asians to become more involved in their communities.

“If you're feeling activated, if you're feeling excited, that's great," she said. "Take that energy and the time and the skills and the specificity of what fires you up towards your local organization, towards your neighborhood, towards your community.”