Weekend Eats: Anti-Muffin Tops, Eat Well Week, and Oyster Sliders

The weekend is so close you can practically taste it. Here are the edible events going on in the next few days to keep you occupied -- and sated, for that matter.

Eat Well Week Begins: Just because you're trying to trim your waistline for the new year doesn't mean you have to hide from restaurants. Starting this Sunday through Saturday, January 13th, Santa Monica's top restaurants will offer discounted pre-fixe menus and new healthy menu options that satisfy both the wallet and your diet. For more information on who is participating, visiit www.santamonica.com/eatwell.

Little Fork opens: Chef Jason Travi will be celebrating the flavors of the Atlantic Northeast at his new Hollywood restaurant, whose name references the small cocktail fork used for the omnipresent shellfish on dining tables throughout the region. Dishes on the menu include fried oyster sliders, Portuguese mussels with chickpeas and beer, applewood smoked brisket, and smoked sturgeon with johnny cakes. They'll also be serving cocktails with house-made tonics and syrups, bar bites, and a special late-night menu. You can visit their site here.

Anti-Muffin Tops at Auntie Em's: Chef and Owner Terri Wahl’s Eagle Rock establishment kicks off the battle the bulge with weekly detox brunch items starting tomorrow. The rotating items feature a heavy helping of spinach, a known ingredient for enhancing digestion and curbing over-eating. Dishes will range from $9.95- $12.95, and include items like the brown rice breakfast bowl with peas, grilled onions, baby spinach, roasted fennel and eggs or a crab, black kale, and egg white scramble. For updates on what's fresh, visit their site.

And of course, don't forget the onigiri competition at the Japanese American National Museum on Sunday.