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National Grilling Month: Special Events to Get Your Meat On
Independence Day may be long gone, but don't put the grill away quite yet. July is National Grilling Month and when the weather is this good, there's no reason to heat up the house with your energy-sucking oven. While you don't need any excuse to enjoy a sausage and a beer at Wurstkuche, maybe it's time you finally made it to Lindy & Grundy, LA's hottest butcher shop. If the summer's got you feeling lazy and you don't want to stand over the BBQ in the heat, here are a few grilling events worth checking out:
Chaya Downtown's Japanese Beer Garden
Chaya Downtown's second annual weekly Japanese beer garden is an essential destination for fans of grilled meats and Japanese cuisine. Chaya's spacious outdoor patio has been transformed into a festive beer garden replete with Japanese red lanterns solid tunes, and an authentic Yakitori grill. This well-priced spot begs for a large gathering of friends or a fun date.
Begin the meal with a sake flight ($12), a cocktail, or simply a pitcher of Kirin Beer ($15). Then skip the sushi menu and dive right in to the Yakitori and Kushiyaki Skewers ($2 each). You can't go wrong with any of them, but be sure to order the tender beef tongue. Mix it up with an order of spicy tuna & shishito pepper tempura, and some grilled white corn with feta cheese. I just returned from a two week trip of eating my way across Japan, and I didn't come across a single dish at a Yakitori restaurant that bested Chef de Cuisine Kazuya Matsuoka’s coffee BBQ pork. As you sip sake and stuff your face with skewers on this lovely patio, you'll slowly forget that you're in downtown LA.
CHAYA Downtown
Monday through Friday, 4 pm - close; Through September 2, 2011
Katana's Patio Decked Out for Red Sun BBQ (Nick Wilson/LAist)
Katana's Red Sun BBQ
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If you're looking to celebrate all things grilled in style, Katana's got you covered. Every Sunday evening until Labor Day, Katana will be offering food and drink specials on its patio, and since this is the Sunset Strip, expect a DJ to provide the background music.
Take a seat on the lovely patio and enjoy a glass of Champagne St. Germain ($6) or a Watermelon Margarita ($8) while taking in the sights and sounds of the Sunset Strip. Keep the evening simple by ordering the Red Sun BBQ Tasting Menu ($40) or Shichirin Grill ($39 for two). A la carte options are also available, including Tuna “Poke” Tartare ($10), Yellowtail Sashimi ($12), Taniguchi Roll with Kobe Beef Wrapped Avocado ($18), and Yellowtail or Spicy Tuna Hanabi ($13). Sake Sangria ($6) is also available to chase down the BBQ and sashimi.
Katana
Every Sunday on Katana’s patio through September 4, 2011; 5 pm-11:30 pm
Big Daddy's Sunday BBQ at Ford's Filling Station
Chef Ben Ford has built quite the reputation with his nose-to-tail cooking at his popular Culver City gastropub Ford's Filling Station. If you've had a hard time getting a group together big enough to try his whole pig feast, Big Daddy's Sunday BBQ is the next best option. Starting at 1 pm on July 31, August 28, and September 5, diners can order a plate of two meats and two sides for $28. Meat options include whole roasted hog,
beef brisket, grilled chicken, beer braised Mattinata sausage, and pork ribs. Side options include: Southern-style Tuscan greens, marinated heirloom tomatoes, mac and cheese with ham hock and fresno chile, and BBQ baked beans. Go ahead and add a beer for only $3.
Ford's Filling Station
July 31, August 28, and September 5 from 1 pm until they run out
Nick & Stef’s Girl and a Grill, Beer & Sausage Event
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Every Thursday from 5-9 pm, Nick and Stef's Steakhouse will be offering an interactive grilling event. Executive Chef Megan Logan will be leaving the kitchen to offer grilled favorites "straight from the flames to her guest’s plates." Menu items range from $8-$14 and include tri-tip, skirt steak, ribs, chicken breast, barbeque shrimp, grilled oysters, and flat iron steak. Side dishes such as spicy coleslaw and vegetable skewers are an addition $5 each.
If you can't get enough of LA's current sausage craze, Nick and Stef's Sausage & Beer Pairing is for you. Every Monday through Friday from 3 pm-close, enjoy house-made sausages paired with craft brews. The menu includes: spicy Italian pork with pickled sweet peppers paired with Moretti La Rossa ($17), pork, apple, and sage with grilled onions paired with Napa Smith Pilsner ($17), and duck and orange with fennel confit paired with Anderson Valley Boont Ale ($19).
Nick and Stef's Steakhouse
Girl and a Grill: Thursdays from 5:00-9:00 pm
Beer and Sausage Event: Monday through Friday from 3 pm-close
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
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