Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Sunday, July 14, 2013
July 21: Angeleno Mag's Live and Dine LA (+ 2012 recap)
Live and Dine LA is Angeleno Magazine's celebration of their Restaurant Issue, and it's always one of my favorite events, featuring LA's best restaurants at the beautiful Fairmont Miramar Hotel and Bungalows. This year's event will start at 4:30 pm on Sunday, July 21. Tickets are $95 and can be purchased on http://2013liveanddinela.eventbrite.com/. This year, the VIP ticket gets you two nights of extravaganza. The $250 VIP ticket (can be purchased here) gets you a four-course dinner made by Chefs Ray Garcia, Michael Voltaggio, and Ricardo Zarate with wine and cocktail pairing, and also admission to the main tasting event on July 21.
Live and Dine LA is more about quality rather than quantity, but there are still way more than enough food. Here are some my favorite bites from last year:
Blue Cow Kitchen and Bar served Mendocino's pork belly banh mi atop a banh xeo (Vietnamese "crepes")
Posted by gourmetpigs at 8:33 AM 0 comments
Labels: angeleno magazine, fairmont miramar, food event, food festival, live and dine la, restaurant issue, santa monica, summer event
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Sneak Peek of LA Street Food Fest, June 29 2013
LA Street Food Fest is returning to the Rose Bowl on June 29. While I recently did a recap of last year's Food Fest, I previewed some of this year's vendors and there are some new ones you should be excited about!
Despite being white meat this was an awesome piece of fried chicken!
2. Donut Snob.
Donut Snob has no retail store and you can usually only get them by pre-order, so the Food Fest is the perfect time to try these amazing donuts! No, really, they are some of the best in LA.
4. El Coraloense had all kinds of ceviche tostada during the preview. I tried the crab ceviche
Posted by gourmetpigs at 1:44 AM 1 comments
Labels: Dante fried chicken, donut snob, events, food event, food festival, la street food fest, pasadena, rose bowl, street food, taco
Friday, June 7, 2013
Giveaway! Sunset & Dine: Food, Drinks, Movie
Posted by gourmetpigs at 10:35 PM 13 comments
Labels: beer event, blue palms, food event, giveaway, hollywood, outdoor movie screening, Stella Barra, sunset boulevard, sunset dine
Thursday, April 18, 2013
LA Turns Into Tacolandia on June 23
If there's one guy who knows his tacos in LA that would be Bill Esparza, also known as Street Gourmet LA. While you and I whine about how hard it is to get from the east to westside, he's been known to scour the county for new gems, trying out places in Sun Valley and beyond.
Lucky for you, though, he's bringing them to Hollywood in June. That's 30 restaurants from all over LA, OC, and even Baja. And thanks to tacos being cheap, this all you can eat dealio is only $20! It's not just cheap taco stands participating though, even famed Chef Laurent Quenioux is set to participate. And if you want all you can drink tequila on top of that, then it's $40.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 6:37 PM 0 comments
Labels: bill esparza, event, food event, hollywood, la weekly, streetgourmetla, taco, Tacolandia
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Celebrate Summer Italian-Style: Sorprendente at Oliverio on April 25
Cooking station, a truffle tasting station (the awesome, aromatic kind), an al fresco bar, wine tasting, learn to make pasta from scratch, sample Italian spirits and dishes from their new Osteria. All this for $55 when you buy pre-sale tickets to Sorprendente at Oliverio, the Italian restaurant inside Avalon Hotel.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 9:10 AM 0 comments
Labels: avalon hotel, event, food event, oliverio, sorprendente, upcoming event
Sunday, September 2, 2012
LA Loves Alex's Lemonade Returns Sept 29
There are plenty of food charity events in LA, but LA Loves Alex's Lemonade is still one of the best out there with famous chefs arriving from all over the US to raise funds to fight childhood cancer.
Michael Cimarusti from Providence was previewing his new casual restaurant, Connie and Ted's, with the best clam chowder I've ever had. I'm still waiting for this place to open so I can have this again!
Posted by gourmetpigs at 9:08 AM 0 comments
Labels: charity event, childhood cancer, culver city, food event, food festival, fundraising, la loves alexs lemonade
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Looking Back at Food Noir, My Fave 2011 The Taste Event at OrpheumTheatre
The Taste events, put on by LA Times, take place over labor day weekend. Last year's was pretty spectacular with them taking over Rodeo Drive and other locations. My favorite, though, was Food Noir which took place at downtown's Orpheum Theatre and the street in front.
It was my first time visiting the beautiful Orpheum Theatre, and I fell in love:
Posted by gourmetpigs at 9:17 AM 2 comments
Labels: 2011, cocktail, food event, food festival, la times, labor day weekend, los angeles event, orpheum theatre, the taste, the taste la
Thursday, July 26, 2012
The 4-Day LA Food and Wine Festival Returns Aug 9-12, Recap of 2011 Lexus Grand Tasting
The LA Food and Wine Festival is a four-day extravaganza with various lunches and dinners around town featuring celebrity chefs, with two days of a grand tasting event on Saturday and Sunday. This year's events include an Italian fiesta with Giada, an Asian Night Market with Bizarre Foods host Andrew Zimmern, a champagne and caviar night, and dinners with Graham Elliott, Ming Tsai, the Voltaggio brothers, Michael Chiarello, etc.The full event listing can be seen here, and you can buy tickets for each event separately.
Oh, let's not forget the most important part. These events benefit St. Vincent's Meals on Wheels. They provide about 3000 meals a day for seniors!
Last year, thanks to Lexus, I was lucky enough to attend a lunch featuring the Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto at WP24, and one of the Lexus Grand Tasting Event. While most of the food festivals in LA features LA's best chefs and restaurants, the Lexus Grand Tasting Event brings some from out of town, so we get to try food from some of the best in the country. This year's out-of-town list includes Gale Gand from Tru (Chicago), Francois Payard, and Stephan Pyles.
Here are some photos from last year's Lexus Grand Tasting:
Duroc Pork Tenderloin, corn pudding, gremolata or bacon and corn, blackberry cipollini by Bradley Ogden's root 246.
Foie gras lollipops, almonds, cocoa nibs, banana cotton candy
Posted by gourmetpigs at 11:03 AM 0 comments
Labels: 2012, food event, food festival, La food and wine, la live, lexus grand tasting, st vincent's meals on wheels
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Food (and Booze) Events to Look Forward to in October!
Saturday, October 1
Taste of Italy
This annual Italian feast benefits the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles and rightly features all things Italian, including restaurant sponsors such as Il Pastaio, Locanda del Lago, Paciugo Gelato while the beverage sponsors include Fernet-Branca (!) and San Antonio Winery.
$45 pre-sale, $50 at the door (includes 6 food tickets and 6 drink tickets)
424 N Main St., Historic Little Italy, Los Angeles 90012
Saturday, October 8
Baja Culinary Fest
General Admission: $15
Interactive Museum El Trompo and World Trade Center Tijuana
Sunday, October 9
Cooking for Love: Savor the Season 2011
Savor the Season returns to benefit Break the Cycle, an organization to end domestic violence. The restaurant lineup includes Jar, M Cafe de Chaya, Oyster Gourmet, Morton's Steakhouse, and Beachy Cream. Here's a recap of their past event.
$100 for general admission (or $150 for two), $250 for VIP ticket.
Global Cuisine by Gary Arabia at The Lot Studios. 1041 N. Formosa Ave - West Hollywood, CA
Saturday, October 15
LA Beer Float Showdown
The LA Beer Float Showdown returns for its third year. This time 5 chefs are pairing up with 5 breweries to compete for the title, including Chef Ilan Hall (The Gorbals) with Tustin Brewery, Chef Laurent Quenioux (Vertical Wine Bistro) with Beachwood BBQ, chef CJ Jacobson (The Yard) with Firestone Walker, Chef Andre Guerrero (The Oinkster) with Eagle Rock Brewery, and Chef Thi Tran (Starry Kitchen) with Ladyface Ale Company.
$35pp. 25% of the proceeds benefit Share Our Strength
1-4pm. Eagle Rock Brewery. 3056 Roswell St, Eagle Rock, CA.
Friday, October 21
Dionicess IX
Dionicess returns with craft beer cocktails to Steingarten LA. This time, they have recruited bartender Matt Biancaniello to craft some beer cocktails. Each of the 5 cocktails will come with 5 vegetarian dishes served by Randy Clemens (author of The Sriracha Cookbook).
$65pp
Steingarten LA, 10543 W Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90064
Sunday, October 23
Los Angeles Mag's The Food Event
One of my favorite annual food events returns to Saddlerock Ranch in Malibu featuring Farmshop, Eva Restaurant, Stella Rossa, Lukshon, MB Post, The Royce, Rivera, Nancy Silverton and Amy Pressman's new burger joint, Short Order, and so, so much more.
To see posts from previous years, click here and here.
$95pp.
Saddlerock Ranch. 31727 Mulholland Highway Malibu, CA 90265
Sunday, October 23
The 3rd Annual LA Beer Week Festival
It's THE beer event of the year! The Festival will feature over 70 breweries pouring a wide selection of their beers including rare beers and some special beer week-only beers. There will also be a selection of food trucks and local artisans.
$45 pre-sale, includes unlimited 4 oz pours of beers.
Union Station, 800 N Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Posted by gourmetpigs at 8:35 AM 1 comments
Labels: calendar, food event, food festivals, mexico, savor the season, upcoming event
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Save the Date: Beer and Booze Pairings at Dionicess IX
On October 21, Dionicess returns with craft beer cocktails to Steingarten LA. Public health professor Gev Kazanchyan is teaming up with Dave Watrous from Beachwood BBQ Steingarten LA for a one night fundraising event. This time, they have recruited bartender Matt Biancaniello to craft some beer cocktails.
Each of the 5 cocktails will come with 5 vegetarian dishes served by Randy Clemens (author of The Sriracha Cookbook).
Dionicess IX
Friday October 21, 2011. 7:00 PM
Steingarten LA, 10543 W Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90064 USA
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Giveaway: VIP Tickets to GLAAD Hancock Park: Top Chef Invasion
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is celebrating their 14th year with a Top Chef extravaganza this Sunday, July 24.
There will be tasting stations from LA restaurants including Border Grill, Comme Ca, Dominick's, Firenze Osteria, Little Next Door, Michael's Restaurant/Calivirgin, Paul's Kitchen, Ray's and Stark Bar, and Simon L.A., and a food and wine-themed auction.
Tickets to this event are $100 for general admission and $150 for VIP, but YOU and a guest can go for free!
GLAAD is giving away 2 VIP tickets for one lucky reader. Here's how you can enter:
1. Leave a comment with your name and email address below
2. To gain extra entry, tweet the following: "I want to win VIP tickets to #glaadtopchef! Pick me, @gourmetpigs and @glaad! http://bit.ly/pUMwJG"
3. Get another extra entry by posting a link to this giveaway on Facebook. Make sure you tag my Facebook page, Gourmet Pigs so I will know you posted it!
You have until midnight this Thursday, July 21 (end of the night). I will then draw a random winner. If you don't respond to the email by Friday morning, I will draw another winner. I will need to give GLAAD the name of the winner Friday morning, so do check your email!
Event Details:
Sunday, July 24, 2011. 4:00pm to 7:00pm
Home of Dean Hansell, 667 S. June, Los Angeles, CA 90005
Attire: Summer Chic
Posted by gourmetpigs at 12:12 AM 20 comments
Labels: bravo, food event, giveaway, glaad, hancock park, top chef
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
July Food Events. Go Wild!
There are A LOT of food events going on in July. Are you ready?
Friday, July 8
East LA Meets Napa
This annual event is the marriage between Mexican food in LA and Latino-owned wineries in California. Set in the beautiful courtyard of downtown's Union Station, the event benefits AltaMed, which provides quality healthcare to underserved communities.
6pm, Union Station. Admission: $200.
Saturday, July 9
ColLAboration Craft Beer Garden
12-9 pm, 8950 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood. Admission: $10 (includes membership glass, good for future events. Beers are $5-6 each)
July 16 and 17 may be Carmageddon, but with events in every neighborhood, you can still party it up while avoiding the freeway!
Saturday, July 16
LA Street Food Fest
For the eastsiders, head to the Rose Bowl for the 2nd Annual LA Street Food Fest Summer Tasting Event. This year they're splitting it into three events with different themes, to minimize crowd, but each event will feature the same great line up of LA's street food and restaurants, and some guest chefs from Mexico! Each event will feature Ice Cream Social, tequila, gin, beer, and all that good stuff. The evening event is 21+ only.
Time varies by event. Rose Bowl, Pasadena. Admission: $60
Extravaganza for the Senses
If you're in Hollywood, head to the Extravaganza for the Senses. This annual event benefits the Saban Free Clinic and features over 40 restaurants including Chaya, Public Kitchen and Bar, Oliverio, and more. There will be silent auction going on too, if you feel like "shopping."
6pm (VIP), 7-10pm (general). Sunset Gower Studios, Hollywood. Admission: $225 VIP, $100 general.
ColLAboration Craft Beer Garden
12-9 pm, 8950 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood. Admission: $10 (includes membership glass, good for future events. Beers are $5-6 each)
Saturday-Sunday, July 16-17
Eat Real Fest
Westsiders, fear not, you can also avoid the 405 closure at Eat Real Fest. This festival features all manners of food things that are local and sustainable. Street food vendors, marketplace, local small-batch brews, hands-on workshop for making bitters and sauerkraut, jamming and pickling contests, demos. Entrance is free and you pay as you go, so there should be no reason not to drop by.
Saturday 10:30am-9pm, Sunday 10:30am-5pm. Helms Bakery, Culver City. Admission: FREE.
Saturday, July 23
ColLAboration Craft Beer Garden - Belgian Independence Day Celebration
12-9 pm, 8950 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood. Admission: $15 (includes collector's goblets. Beers are $6 each)
Sunday, July 24
Angeleno Magazine's Live and Dine LA
Join Angeleno Magazine as they announce and honor the best in Los Angeles dining, partake in food created by LA's best chefs and restaurants including Ray Garcia (FIG), Roy Choi (A-Frame), David Feau (The Royce), and many more.
4:30pm (VIP reception), 5:30-9pm (grand tasting). Fairmont Miramar Hotel and Bungalows, 101 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica. Admission: $150 VIP, $95 grand tasting
Galco's Soda Pop Stop's first ever Summer Soda Tasting Event
Yep, Galco's first ever soda tasting is coming to benefit The Southwest Museum. There will be soda pops (obviously), "poptails", live music and auction.
5-8pm. Galco's Soda Pop Stop, 5702 York Blvd, Los Angeles. Admission: $15 ($12 advance)
Wednesday, July 27
Farm-to-Table Dinner at The Terrace at The Langham
5 course menu featuring fresh, seasonal produce from local farms, with "perfectly paired" wines.
6:30pm cocktail reception, 7pm dinner. The Langham, Huntington Hotel, Pasadena. $95pp (wine pairing included)
Call (626) 585-6218 for reservations.
Thursday, July 28
An Evening On The Beach
This stylish event benefits St. Vincent's Meals on Wheels, which helps feed seniors around the city. Ten great LA chefs including Celestino Drago (Drago, Drago Centro), Mark Gold (Eva), Tim Guiltinan (The Raymond), and Sherry Yard (Spago) will prepare your meals, while you eat them on the sands of Santa Monica beach. There will be cocktails crafted by the 1886 Bar at The Raymond (my favorite bar in Pasadena), and they promise oysters on the half shell all night long.
6-10 pm. Jonathan Beach Club, 850 Palisades Beach Rd, Santa Monica. Admission: $150 (VIP is sold out)
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Posted by gourmetpigs at 9:19 AM 2 comments
Labels: 2011, angeleno magazine, events, food event, july, la food fest
Friday, October 1, 2010
October Food Events
October is going to be a pretty crazy month filled with not only Restaurant Week but all kinds of food and wine events. That's not even counting all the Oktoberfest goings-on. Hope you're ready!
Saturday, Oct 2. Santa Monica Food and Wine Festival
Sample food from various Santa Monica restaurants all in one place accompanied by some wine. The website is not too clear on how the "food vouchers" work but if it's anything like Taste of Santa Monica I visited 2 years ago, it is technically all you can eat but you have to get stamps from all the restaurants before you can go back for more from a particular vendor.
11:30 AM-7 PM. Barker Hangar. 3021 Airport Avenue #203, Santa Monica, CA.
Tickets are $40 or $65 for VIP.
Sunday, Oct 3 marks the start of DineLA Restaurant Week, which goes on from Oct3-8, and Oct 10-15. The restaurants are divided into three tiers where three course lunches will run $16/$22/$28 and dinners run for $26/$34/$44.
Check out their site for a list of restaurants and don't forget to register your American Express card so you can get $20 cashback when you dine out 3x.
Wednesday, Oct 6. Choctoberfest
LearnAboutWine bring together chocolates from Valrhona and Marche Noir Foods with wines from Spain, Paso Robles to Malibu and beer from The Bruery and more.
7-9 PM. The Grove.
Tickets are $80 at the door or $39 advance purchase (or get it for $35 from Goldstar).
Thursday, Oct 7. Macy's Culinary Council with Takashi Yagihashi
Watch a cooking demo by Chef Takashi Yagihashi, who won the James Beard Award for Best Chef in 2003. Chef Yagihashi opened Okada at the Wynn Las Vegas and now has his namesake restaurant, Takashi, in Chicago.
6:30 PM. Macy's Pasadena (Furniture Dept). 401 S Lake Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101.
Suggested $5 donation to benefit the LA Regional Food Bank. Seating limited to first 200.
Saturday, Oct 9.
History of the Green Fairy, Absinthe
Culinary Historians of SoCal will present Ted Breaux speaking about the history of absinthe. Ted Breaux is Founder and President of Jade Liqueurs, LLC.
10:30 AM. Mark Taper Auditorium, Downtown Central Library. 630 W 5th St.
Free. Reception with themed refreshments will follow at 11:30 AM.
Pasadena Wine Festival
General admission tickets get you inside the Arboretum plus a tram tour where you can sample food from food trucks or buy food from purchase, taste wine for $1, and listen to music. A Deluxe Pass includes tastings of all the wines in the main tasting area.
2-10 PM. Los Angeles County Arboretum. 301 N Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007.
General admission tickets are $28 and Deluxe Passes are $55.
Riboli Family's Winemaker Dinner
This four-course wine-paired dinner is offered once a year and hosted by Anthony Riboli. The menu lists marinated albacore salad with avocado and ginger, grilled five spice marinated quail and bacon fried rice with orange hoi sin sauce, and herb roasted veal strip loin with sautéed porcini mushrooms and baby turnips. Eight wines from the Riboli Family Library will be tasted throughout dinner.
6-9 PM. San Antonio Winery. 737 Lamar St., Los Angeles, CA.
$78 per person. Call (323) 330- 8771 or reserve online.
Sunday, Oct 10.
L. A. Beer Float Showdown
This year the LA Beer Float Showdown returns twice as big. Four teams (Boneyard Bistro, Simmzy's, Tony's Darts Away, and Ladyface Alehouse) will battle their beer floats to benefit Share Our Strength. The Manila Machine and Mandoline Grill trucks will be in attendance to serve your savories.
5:30 PM. Verdugo Bar. 3408 Verdugo Road, Los Angeles 90065.
$25 in advance or $30 at the door.
L. A. Chocolate Salon
This is the event that would put your love of chocolate to the test, with over 35 chocolatiers, confectioners, wineries. How much chocolate can you eat in a few hours? Even when it leaves you feeling chocolated out by the end, you'd want to come back year after year for Amano Artisan Chocolate, Essential Chocolate Desserts, Ococoa Chocoveda, Moonstruck Chocolate and much much more. Here's last year's report.
11am-5pm. The Pasadena Center. 300 Green St, Pasadena, CA
$20 advance purchase, $25 at the door.
Dionicess VII
Gev Kavanchyan and Randy Clemens bring you the 7th Dionicess where food and beer come together. This time, beer from Dogfish Head will be paired with food from Chef Eric Greenspand at The Foundry.
1 PM. The Foundry on Melrose. 7465 Melrose Ave Los Angeles CA 90046
$79 all inclusive.
Savor the Season
This annual event benefits Break the Cycle, a national organization to end teen dating violence. With food and wine to sample all around, the event will feature NINETHIRTY, RH Restaurant+Bar, Reservoir, STREET, Jer-ne, Saltistry, VeeV, DRY Soda. Here's a post from the 2008 event.
6:30-9:30 PM. Global Cuisine by Gary Arabia at The Lot Studios. 1041 N Formosa Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90046.
Tickets are $100 and can be purchased online or by calling (310) 286-3383.
Saturday, Oct 16. 2nd Annual Taste of Italy
Taste of Italy benefits the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles and features Angeleno's
Italian restaurants like Claro's, Il Fornaio, and Porta Via, Ventura Limoncello, Gelato Bar, and Italian wines sponsored by San Antonio Winery,
4-9 PM. 424 N Main St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. General admission ticket is $35 (8 tastes of food, 8 tastes of beverage) and VIP is $75 (unlimited tastes). Contact (213)485-8432 or marianna@italianhall.org
Sunday, Oct 17. 2nd Annual LA Beer Week Beer Festival
This festival will cap off LA Beer Week with a bang. Admission will get you unlimited 4oz tasting from over 70 breweries. To soak it all up, there will be food trucks, Mignon Chocolates and Portola Coffee Roaster to keep you awake.
12-4 PM. Union Station.
Tickets are $40 and limited, so get it early.
Saturday-Sunday, Oct 23-24. Artisanal LA
The ladies who brought you the LA Street Food Fest now bring you Artisanal LA, where over 100 local artisans will exhibit their sustainable, handmade edibles. There will also be demos from some great chefs including Chef Ben Bailly of Petrossian Caviar and Chef James Overbaugh from the Peninsula. Attend workshops all the way from pickling to how to deal with a whole hog. There's also a Craft Beer Panel on Sunday and craft beer and spirit tastings are included in your admission ticket.
11am-6pm. The Cooper Design Space Penthouse. 860 S Los Angeles St, Los Angeles, CA. $10 advance purchase or $15 at the door. Partial proceeds benefit LAUSD Edible School Garden Programs.
Sunday, Oct 24. Los Angeles Magazine's The Food Event
This annual event at the beautiful 1000-acre Saddlerock Ranch is always one of my favorites. Sample food from some of the best restaurants in LA like Eva Restaurant, Mo-Chica, Palate, The Foundry, gelato from Bulgarini, and cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery. Taste some wine from Malibu, Paso Robles, and beyond. Watch cooking demos and competitions from celebrity chefs. This year's chef lineup includes Marcel Vigneron from Bar210, Laurent Quenioux from Bistro LQ, Mark Gold from Eva Restaurant, and Susan Feniger from STREET. Here's my coverage from last year's event.
1-4 PM. Saddlerock Ranch. 31727 Mulholland Highway Malibu, CA 90265. Tickets are $95 ($100 if including subscription to LA Mag) advance or $110 at the door.
Disclosure: As thanks for posting about the cooking demo with Takashi Yagahashi, Macy's and Everywhere is sending me a $25 Macy's gift card.
Monday, July 26, 2010
East LA Meets Napa Returns Big
East LA Meets Napa, the annual fundraiser benefiting AltaMed, is a special event for Los Angeles. Not only does it raise money for free quality healthcare for those who need it the most, it is the only event of its caliber that gathers Latin restaurants around town and Latino-owned or operated wineries of California under the same roof.
Well, technically there's no roof.
East LA Meets Napa is held at the courtyards of Union Station
There are two connected courtyards at Union Station and while last year's event occupied only one of them, this year they expanded to both and even filling up the adjoining hallway.
There's even a mariachi band making its way around the event.
As wine kept flowing, people started to salsa on and in front of the stage.
The evening started with a VIP reception at Traxx, which had more wine tasting - some of which were also available at the main event. This year's event is also special since in accordance with Mexico's bicentennial anniversary, they also had wineries from Baja's Valle de Guadalupe participating, along with guest chef Patricia Quintana from restaurant Izote in Mexico City.
There were plenty of Napa cabs, but at the VIP reception we also got to try a sweet blend of late harvest grapes from Ceja.
I had my first tastes of Cook's Tortas. It's not the full experience but a great teaser, using the same bread they use in their regular tortas. I'll be making it out there soon.
It would be impossible to go through everything, but here are some highlights:
These weren't as good as Guelaguetza's chapulines but it was fun having my friends try them for the first time.
Golden gazpacho with poached shrimp and Israeli couscous from Setá
Various desserts from Porto's Bakery
Posted by gourmetpigs at 8:54 AM 1 comments
Labels: charity, east LA meets Napa, food event, union station
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Save the Date: Plate by Plate on August 14!
Plate by Plate is an annual "tasting benefit" by Project by Project (such clever names). The 8th annual event is coming up on Saturday, August 14, 2010, partnering with Health Justice Network.
I'm pretty excited about the lineup because some of these I rarely see at these types of events, including Mo Chica, Bistro LQ, The Foundry, and include restaurants from celebrated names like Nobu, Craft, all the way to San Gabriel's Hot Stuff Cafe and blogger-celebrated downtown luncheonette Starry Kitchen.
Wines, limoncello, sake and beer from Stone Brewing Co. will flow freely along with POM, DRY soda, Naja tea and more. Finish with Yogurtland, desserts from Susina Bakery and Valerie Confections.
Since Health Justice Network acts as a collaborative voice for the API community for the right to quality health services, Plate by Plate will also have special API celeb attendees, Aziz Ansari included.
Advance purchase tickets are $125 or $200 for VIP and can be purchased here.
But act fast and get the regular tickets here on Goldstar for just $68!
Plate by Plate
Saturday, August 14, 2010
6:00PM–7:00PM · VIP Reception
7:00PM–10:00PM · Main Event
700 State Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90037
Posted by gourmetpigs at 8:23 AM 4 comments
Labels: charity, food event, fundraising, plate by plate, project by project, upcoming events
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Summer Tasting Event on July 24 + LA Street Food Fest Recap
The widely popular LA Street Food Fest will be back with a Summer Tasting Event on July 24th at The Rose Bowl!
This time it's not just street food though, it will also have popular restaurants like Mo Chica, Starry Kitchen, Malo and Pal Cabron participating, along with dozens and dozens of street food vendors.
Instead of a nominal entrance fee and pay-as-you-go format like last time, the upcoming Tasting Event will have a $45 entrance fee ($65 VIP) with unlimited food from over 60 vendors and drinks (yep, beer, cocktails, tequila and mezcal included - I'm talking major tequila/mezcal tasting here with 13 different brands!).
To get you even more interested, the event will also have live performances by two of our best local bans, The Deadly Syndrome and Warpaint (catch some of their music videos). There will also be photo booths for that photogenic you and a cook-off judged by Top Chef Master Susan Feniger and more.
Get the full detail here: http://lastreetfoodfest.com/info/
Now, the last event did meet with a lot of complaints because of the lines and crowd (it was really popular, what can you do?) but the $45 entrance fee and limit on ticket sales this time may mean smaller crowd, and instead of waiting for you to order, the vendors will just crank out the food they're serving that day, which should mean faster lines.
The first Street Food Fest back in February also marked the first appearance of the Ludo Fried Chicken truck, which will soon actually hit the streets.
Ludo's fried chicken, now affectionately known as "Ludo's Balls" probably gathered the longest line of people waiting for both food and photo+signature ops. At $5 per order, it was indeed the best and cheapest opportunity for these piping hot babies.
Will he be back this time? No official word on that yet, one can only hope.
We won't lack celebrity chefs though, as Susan Feniger will be on location leading a panel of judges for the cook-off competition.
Other vendors whose food I enjoyed last time and will be back for more this time around:
mini ice cream sammies from Coolhaus.
Kimchi and foie gras fries from Frysmith.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 9:00 AM 3 comments
Labels: food event, pasadena, rose bowl, street food fest, summer tasting event, upcoming events
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
The Food Event 2009. Another Year, Another Blast
Last year's The Food Event, hosted by Los Angeles magazine, was at the top of my favorite food events in 2008. This year, The Food Event was a huge success yet again.
I was excited to see the Petrossian booth as soon as I came in and enjoyed their offerings, including this tartar topped with caviar.
There were plenty of notable bites that day, including a slider from Dakota, pear and burrata salad from a new tapas place in Pasadena called Noir, desserts from Essential Chocolate, and various offerings from Gordon Ramsay, Gaylord's, Dominick's, and more.
Lemonade LA offers something different with their mint lemonade and cold deli items such as the couscous and the poke.
Naturally there were tons of wines to sip and sample. The ones I got to try some Syrah Rose from Eagle Castle, a blend called RED from Vina Robles, and of course some Semler wines from Malibu's very own vines.
And then there were the cooking demonstrations! Famous Los Angeles chefs standing 5 feet away from you showing you how to cook?
First up was Chef Andrew Kirschner from the Wilshire restaurant demonstrating his Steamed Mussels in Curry Broth (here's the recipe).
Chef David Myers from Sona and Comme Ca showed us how to make Pumpkin Creme Brulee, just in time for the holidays.
In case you missed the video I posted on Monday, Chef Ludo Lefebvre of Ludobites showed us how to make his Spicy Chocolate Mousse with Orange Olive Oil puree all the while making jokes and bantering with the audience.
For those of you who missed it, here's the video, sans subtitle.
Chef Suzanne Tracht couldn't make it but the chefs from Jar came and whipped up a simple but amazing salad.
Last but not least, Chef John Sedlar of Rivera and his chef de cuisine talks about tortilla and the history of guacamole and his tortillas florales.
Chef Sedlar also talks about his recent trip to Tijuana with some of us foodbloggers and hitting 22 restaurants/taco stands in 48 hours (oh yeah, that's how we roll) and some of the implications of the surge of foodbloggers.
Read estarla's coverage here
Posted by gourmetpigs at 9:00 AM 9 comments
Labels: cooking demonstration, food event, la mag, los angeles magazine, malibu, saddlerock ranch
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