Ticket Giveaway! LA Weekly The Essentials, Feb 20
Lucky you, though, LA Weekly is generous enough to give away a pair of tickets through my blog!
Posted by gourmetpigs at 2:15 PM 9 comments
Labels: contest, food festival, giveaway, la weekly, los angeles, the essentials, ticket giveaway
by guest blogger @iam_robot
The Taste of Italy will be back for its seventh year, and this year’s food and beverage participants include food-scene mainstays like Drago Centro, Valentino, Rao’s, Locanda Del Lago, Pedroncelli Winery, and Peroni, among others. Benefitting The Italian American Museum of Los Angeles, these restaurants will feature finest Italian cuisine and wines on October 10th in Little Italy’s iconic 1869 Pico House, right across from the Union Station. And let’s not forget about cooking demos from some of the most revered Italian Chefs such as Chef Peppe Barone (director of the Mediterranean School of Food and Wine in Italy) and Chef Gianfranco Minuz (Locanda Del Lago).
Slated to open later on in 2015, the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles will showcase the history and ongoing contributions of Italian-Americans to Southern California and the U.S. In addition to historical exhibitions, the museum will host film screenings, language classes, and a variety of cultural public programming.
Last week I had a chance to sample many of the wonderful bites and wines to be featured at this premier food event. There were many memorable bites but my favorite was the Baked Little Neck Clams with Italian Breadcrumb Stuffing from Rao’s.
This dish is the ultimate comfort food – It reminds me of Thanksgiving. Maybe in a better way! Clams were pleasantly supple yet the stuffing didn’t mask the inherent brininess of the shellfish. Stuffing was equally delightful - breadcrumbs were warm, moist, and crunchy. I could eat a tub of these!
My other highlight was Rao’s Fiocchi Ravioli Filled with Ricotta Cheese and Bartlett Pears.
Initially I was quite thrilled with the buttery flavor of brown butter but as I chewed through I loved the creaminess of the ricotta cheese and the sweet finish of the pear and dried cranberries. All the flavors meshed beautifully in right proportion.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 9:09 AM 0 comments
Labels: event preview, food event, food festival, iamla, italian american museum of los angeles, italian food, italian hall, los angeles, taste of italy
by guest blogger Cue the Critic
My relationship with food festivals is an interesting one; mainly because I hate to love them. In the moment, the experience is tiring, a bit stressful, and take the deepest toll on your body and stomach, all while offering you a feeling of fulfillment, excitement, and heavenly delight; that is if you do it correctly. I attend food festivals with one goal in mind: eat as much as humanly possible within the time allotted. Tacolandia was not exempt from this food festival showdown: Cue v. Food.
Elote cup with tortilla chips |
Posted by gourmetpigs at 8:14 AM 0 comments
Labels: all flavor no grease, border grill, elote, food festival, guest blog, la weekly, taco, taco festival, Tacolandia
Taste of Cambridge returns on July 14, bringing the best restaurants in Cambridge for a great evening at University Park. There will be plenty of restaurants and bars serving up bites and drinks, and lucky for us, Cambridge has some of the best restaurants in Boston. There will be over 100 booths there! Among the restaurants coming are Summer Shack, Russell House Tavern, Flour Bakery and Cafe, Art Bar, and Puritan & Co.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 2:16 PM 0 comments
Labels: boston, cambridge, food event, food festival, summer in boston, taste of cambridge, university park
Posted by gourmetpigs at 12:29 PM 0 comments
Labels: beer, beer festival, festival, food festival, la vegan beer fest, the rose bowl, vegan, vegan food festival
by: guest blogger @iam_robot
The Food + Wine Festival Palm Desert is back for its fifth year, and this year’s celebrity chef and culinary master includes Iron Chef Cat Cora, Award- winning pastry chef Gale Gand, Broke Williamson, Ari Taymor, Zack Bruell, and Brian Malarkey, among others.
Aiming to benefit The Friends of James Beard Foundation, these chefs will educate attendees with cooking demos, unique exhibits, and various industry panels on March 27 – 29 in Palm Desert’s famed El Paseo shopping district. And let’s not forget about the Grand Tasting event – sip, nosh, and party your way through the heat with more than 70 premium spirits/wines/ beers and 50 premier Palm Desert-area restaurants.
Last week I had a chance to sample of the wonderful bites and wines to be featured at this desert food festival. There were many memorable dishes but my favorite was the English muffin with burrata, caviar & licorice herbs by Ari Taymor of Alma (named “Best Restaurant in America” by Bon Appetit).
Brooke Williamson demonstrating her gougere recipe |
Posted by gourmetpigs at 8:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: alma, ari taymor, brooke williamson, burrata, food and wine festival, food festival, march event, palm desert, palm spring, preview, tasting event, uni
LA Weekly's Tacolandia returns for its third year on Saturday, June 6! While regular ticket sales will open on March 9, you can get a head start for some presale tickets starting today when you go to this link and use the code TACOPIGS.
Now, the event is getting bigger and bigger. While last year's event boasts 45 taquerieas for $25, this year's $35 admission promises 80 vendors curated by Bill Esparza! 55 have been confirmed so far including Amor y Tacos, Taco Maria, Aqui es Texcoco, along with Tacolandia veterans. The VIP admission is $55 which includes a separate entrance, a gift bag, and a VIP area with its own bar.
Not convinced you should spend the day feasting on as many tacos as you physically can? Read below for last year's recap by @iam_robot:
Being a Los Angeles transplant the last 14 years of my life, I’d think I have bragging rights on where to find great tacos this world has to offer. But after attending Tacolandia and devouring 25 different Taco variations, I have a feeling I could be looking for the perfect taco the rest of my life – And this is what makes Taco so fascinating…the variations are infinite and in the world of Yelp & Instagram, greatest taqueros/ taqueras are investing insane amount of thought, craftsmanship and labor hours to create the world’s most interesting taco.
In the end, I have to admit Tacolandia is probably the best food event to attend in terms of fun and bang for your buck. Two thumbs up to Bill Esparza (world’s 1st tacorazzo) for carefully selecting 45 super star taqueros and chefs from Southern California/ Mexico who performed admirably, and many times, exceeding imaginations. I can’t be happier how interesting ingredients (smelt, sprinkles, tongue, etc) and weird food (dickhead, offals, grasshopper, etc) were served up to satiate adventurous eaters like me. Below are some of the tacos served that day:
Cochinita Pibil by Chef Tim Hollingsworth (former Chef of the French Laundry) made the most visually stunning and delicious taco for the day.
Cochinita Pibil (Slow Roasted Pork) Taco is made with Oaxacan Corn Tortilla, Masa, Guacamole and crispy potato mole. Loved the interchanging flavors of heat and savory here.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 10:00 AM 2 comments
Labels: bill esparza, food event, food festival, la taco, la weekly, los angeles, mexican food, taco, taco festival, Tacolandia
There are a ton of food events and festivals in Los Angeles, but the All Star Chef Classic plays it a bit different? Ever wanted to watch a cooking show or competition in real life? You can with their events at the Restaurant Stadium, built just for this 4-day affair.
Last year's cabbage with crispy chicken skin from Paul Qui |
Posted by gourmetpigs at 8:23 AM 0 comments
Labels: all star chef classic, cooking competition, food event, food festival, inaki aizpitarte, los angeles, ludo lefebvre, restaurant stadium
LA Loves Alex's Lemonade is one of the favorite events of the year. This year, it will be held at a different location. They are bringing it to Wilson Plaza at UCLA on September 20 (from 12-4pm). This festival gathers some of the best chefs, restaurants, and mixologists, not only from LA but beyond - and they bring their A-game, all to fight childhood cancer.
Last year, Adam Perry Lang, author of Serious BBQ, was serving up some sort of BBQ sandwiches. I was avoiding the long line, but got there too late and they had run out of the sandwiches! It may have actually been a lucky strike, as I got this giant piece of rib as consolation.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 9:16 AM 0 comments
Labels: charity event, childhood cancer, food event, food festival, fundraising, la loves alex's lemonade, neil patrick harris
Saturday, August 2
Plate by Plate
This is Project by Project's Annual Tasting which benefits the Pacific Asian Counseling Services. This year's 50 participating vendors including hot new restaurants Republique, Faith and Flower, Superba Food and Bread, and many more great restaurants like b.o.s., Bistro LQ, etc (check out the full list).
Tickets are $150 for general admission and $250 for VIP, which can be purchased here.
Time: 6:30pm (VIP), 7:30pm (GA)
The Vibiana
6060 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Thursday, August 7
LUCKYRICE Feast
Lukshon's Sang Yoon hosts the third annual LUCKYRICE Feast, this time overtaking a club in Hollywood. Participants include LA's Chef Jet Tila, Starry Kitchen, Lukshon (of course), Hamasaku, and more, along with Portland's famed Nong's Khao Man Gai. To keep you hydrated, bartenders from Pour Vous, Harlowe, Hinoki and the Bird, La Descarga, and more will be on hand, pairing each dish with a Bombay Sapphire East cocktail. Check out the full menu here.
Tickets are $150 for VIP early admission and $88 for general admission. Tickets can be purchased here.
Time: 7pm (VIP), 8pm(GA)-10pm
Create
6021 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Saturday, August 9
LA Scotch Club Peatin' Meetin' VI
Posted by gourmetpigs at 9:07 AM 0 comments
Labels: food event, food festival, La food and wine, la scotch club, la weekly, luckyrice, pancake breakfast, peatin meetin, scotch, upcoming events
Summer is coming, and that means so is LA Street Food Fest! Can you believe this is their 5th year? On June 28, the 5th LA Street Food Fest returns to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, and you can already buy your tickets.
This time, the festival starts at 4pm for VIP ticket holders and 6pm for general admission, so at least it won't be that hot! The ticket price includes free parking, all the food you can stomach, cocktails from six bars with LA's top mixologists, Ice Cream Social, craft beer from Eagle Rock Brewery and more, and this year also brings in an Iced Coffee Experience featuring a dozen coffee brands. Keep an eye out on http://lastreetfoodfest.com/ for the full list of participants.
If you've never been, check out last year's recap below from One More Bite Blog, who attended the event as my guest blogger:
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Posted by gourmetpigs at 9:15 AM 0 comments
Labels: food event, food festival, june event, la street food fest, pasadena, rose bowl, street food, summer events
A $25 all-you-can-eat taco festival curated by Street Gourmet LA? Yep, Tacolandia returns this summer on June 28. Tacolandia is probably the most affordable food festival out there, and the food is great!
Among the favorites last year making a return this year Mariscos Jalisco and their famed fried shrimp tacos
Posted by gourmetpigs at 9:07 AM 0 comments
Labels: downtown, dtla, food festival, los angeles, streetgourmetla, summer, taco, taco festival, Tacolandia
Posted by gourmetpigs at 2:19 PM 16 comments
Labels: contest, event, food festival, giveaway, march food event, planned parenthood, ppla food fare
We all know how great Italian food and wines are, and we have some great restaurants in Los Angeles, so a Taste of Italy festival in Los Angeles certainly sounds good! The 5th Annual Taste of Italy will be held on October 12, 2013, at beautiful, historic Pico House in downtown LA. The event benefits the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles, which is planned to open in early 2014.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 12:46 PM 0 comments
Labels: food event, food festival, iamla, italian american museum of los angeles, little italy, pico house, taste of italy, wine event
Summer isn't over yet and there are still more great food events coming up! One of my favorites is LA Loves Alex's Lemonade (see my recap from the 2011 event) which raises funds to fight childhood cancer and it all started from a little girl called Alex and her lemonade stand ... The LA event last year raised half a million dollars!
This year's event will take place on September 28 and is hosted by Chef Suzanne Goin and business partner Caroline Styne (AOC, Lucques, Tavern), and Chef David Lentz (The Hungry Cat) and brings in LA's superstars like Providence, Bestia, Animal, Trois Mec, Rustic Canyon and more. Mixologists, sommeliers, and wineries will also be there including Eric Alperin from Varnish, Silverlake Wine, Hitching Post and many more.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 8:39 AM 0 comments
Labels: alex's lemonade, charity, childhood cancer, culver city, food event, food festival, fundraiser, la loves alex's lemonade
In my opinion, one of the best charities to support is St. Vincent Meals on Wheels, which provides hot meals to homebound seniors, and they do a lot of great fundraisers. St. Vincent MoW delivers over 4000 meals a day and only receive about $1 per meal in donation, which costs them $7 to deliver with current gas prices. That's why the fundraisers are so important!
This year, they're doing their first LA Picnic on Saturday, September 7. The event is presented by Lexus and co-hosted by LA Kitchen. Starting at 10:30 am, guest chefs will join attendees at the table for a picnic style brunch on the grass lawn of a historic hacienda at the Original Farmers Market.
Michael Voltaggio Photo courtesy of StVMoW |
Posted by gourmetpigs at 9:02 AM 8 comments
Labels: charity, contest, food festival, fundraiser, giveaway, la picnic, st vincent's meals on wheels, tickets
The Los Angeles Times once again takes over labor day weekend with The Taste with 5 different food and drinks events throughout the weekend. It's not just going around tasting food and drinking, though. The Taste has cooking demos and various panels (last year I got to taste pinot noir while listening go a guy rap about wine). Tickets for each event are $65 (or $85 after August 29), with the exception of the $125 opening night. Here are the schedule of events and what to expect:
LA Times' Noelle Carter served up brisket sliders at the preview |
Sucka Punch from Sunny Spot at last year's Cocktail Confidential |
Posted by gourmetpigs at 9:05 AM 0 comments
Labels: cocktail confidential, food event, food festival, la times, Labor Day, labor day weekend, taste la, the taste
The LA Food and Wine Festival brings back a series of food events over four days on August 22-25, from Italian festival with Giada De Laurentiis, Asian Night Market with Iron Chef Morimoto, lunches at restaurants around town, to the Lexus Grand Tasting on the last day.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 3:06 PM 1 comments
Labels: cake decorating, charm city cakes, DIY cake, duff Goldman, duff's cake mix, food event, food festival, La food and wine
Posted by gourmetpigs at 9:43 AM 0 comments
Labels: food event, food festival, la guelaguetza, mexican food, pablo moix, steve livigni, taste of mexico
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
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