Chew On This: It's Holiday Cocktail Time, Veggie Grill's 5th Could Mean $500 For You, Cochon 555 in LA & More

What's going on lately in the L.A food scene? Chew on this:

Holiday Cocktails at Allston Yacht Club
Not too far from the shore of Echo Park Lake is Allston Yacht Club, who are ready to get us in the mood for the holidays with their new Holiday Cocktails, which are now available. Our favorites from a weekend test drive were the Accursed Fruitcake (Applejack, Apple Cider, Inebriated Fruits & Ginger Beer), Hot Spiced Cider! (Light & Dark Rum, Canton Liquer) and the Figgy Pudding (Fig Infused Bourbon, Egg White, Egg Nog, Cinnamon Simple Syrup, Nutmeg; pictured). They've also debuted new fall regular and Happy Hour menus, as well as a Sunday "unbrunch" menu.

The Six Restaurant Opens in Studio City
This is the second location of The Six Restaurant, which began with an outpost last year in West L.A. It's a "rustic American eatery" that is inspired by the "Society of Six"--which was "a sextet of Northern Californian artists, who often met at their Oakland-based “Chow House,” to engage in heartfelt discussions about California impressionism while enjoying homemade meals and bootlegged wines and brews during 1920s Prohibition." On the menu: Comfort classics, like pot pie, and pizzas, steaks, and mac and cheese.

Chaya Venice's "Venison Fair" Has Serious Game
Coming up after the Thanksgiving holiday is Chaya Venice's "Venison Fair," a four-day limited engagement dinner menu showcasing venison. Preparations include a burger, meat balls, roasted, and in a chile con carne. Monday, November 28 - Sunday, December 11, 2011.

Après Skate Cocktails at the Mixing Room
So you've checked out what outdoor rinks are open in Los Angeles, and you've decided to try the rink at L.A. Live. After your workout on ice, how about a cocktail? The Mixing Room Cocktail Lounge to the rescue; they will offer a festive Après Skate holiday cocktail menu beginning November 26. Most intriguing: The Roasted Chestnut Martini (Oxley gin infused with roasted chestnuts and honey syrup, garnished with a cinnamon stick). Drinks will be available 4 p.m. - 1 a.m. daily from November 26, 2011 - January 5, 2012.

Veggie Grill's secret menu chili cheese fries (Photo by Maya Meinert of ShopEatSleep/Special to LAist)
Veggie Grill Turns 5, You Can Score a $500 Gift Card
This month, the Veggie Grill is celebrating their 5th anniversary with an online giveaway on Facebook. Fans who submit a Veggie Grill-inspired video are entered to win one of five, $500 gift cards. $500 can get you a ton of orders of their "secret menu" items!Here Piggy, Piggy: Cochon 555 Returns to LA in 2012
While we thought it was worth the trek to Vegas for Cochon All Stars, that's no reason to miss Cochon 555 when it stops in L.A. What's Cochon 55? It's a10-city tasting tour and culinary competition promoting heritage breed pigs and breed diversity. In 2012, for their fourth annual tour event, Chochon 55 is returning to L.A. on May 6. General admission tickets start at $125 per person and are on sale now online.

Downtown Is Getting a New Restaurant: Artisan House
Situated on the ground floor of L.A.’s historic Pacific Electric Building, Artisan House is set to open the first week of December. They will have an "upscale California Mediterranean menu" as well as serve weekday lunch and weekend brunch, operate a deli, and be home to a bar.

A Few Extra Nibbles:

• In case you were dying to know, Squid Ink tells us what food was served at the premier of "Twilight: Breaking Dawn."
• Attention, shoppers: Fresh & Easy announced they will open 20+ stores in the region (psst: a handful in the L.A. area) next year.
• KCRW's Good Food blog revisits the eternal question: What do you eat when you've got Jury Duty in DTLA.
• Grubstreet LA fills us in on what to expect from Govind Armstrong's Post & Beam, which is due to open next month.

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