Giveaway: Oktoberfest at Fairplex in Pomona

It's Oktoberfest time and time for another giveaway! I'm a bit late to this since the Oktoberfest at Fairplex in Pomona had already started on October 10, but it's still going on until the 27th so you still have time! The events are happening Thursday-Saturday 6pm to midnight and Sundays from 12-6pm.

There will be domestic and local beers, bratwurst, burgers, pretzels, and King Taco. Various cover bands are ready to entertain you with songs from traditional German "Oom-pah" to Journey and Queen. Tickets are normally $5 each with beer and food for purchase, but you can enter this giveaway for a prize package!

The prize package includes: two admission tickets to Oktoberfest, two 16oz beers, two meal tickets, and a souvenir hat.

To enter, just leave a comment below with your contact/email info.
Get an extra entry by tweeting: "Win a prize package to #Oktoberfest @Fairplex from @gourmetpigs! http://bit.ly/1alTZ2C"

I want to give you enough time to get to Pomona, so the giveaway will end at midnight this Thursday, Oct 17!

Giveaway! Tickets to LA County Fair

As you may know from my post last week, the LA County Fair in Pomona is going on until September 30. Fun fried food, Star Trek exhibit, circus performers, beer and wine tasting ...

Because I attended the preview they gave me 4 admission tickets and a parking pass. Unfortunately for me, this month is crazy busy and I can't go so instead I'm giving away the tickets to you guys! I'll be splitting the prize into two so each winner will get two tickets and one will also get a parking pass :) Just follow the instructions on the entry form below and good luck!

Entry-Form

LA Picnic on Sept 7, Benefiting St. Vincent Meals on Wheels + GIVEAWAY!

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

The guest chefs include Michael Voltaggio (ink), Ray Garcia (FIG), Tim Guiltinan (The Raymond), Josef Centeno (Bar Ama), Vartan Abgaryan (Cliff's Edge), Neal Fraser (BLD, Redbird, Fritzi Dog), Sal Marino (Il Grano), Kris Morningstar (Ray's and Stark Bar), Christian Page (Short Order), Erik Sun (Pursuit of Food).

Tickets are $95 each or $150 for VIP tickets and can be purchased here. The VIP tickets get you the same thing as the general admission tickets, but the difference goes to feeding more seniors (20!). It's more about the good deed!

Now, to spread the word about this wonderful event, St. Vincent's Meals on Wheels has offered up a pair of tickets to one of lucky readers! To enter the event, just use the entry form below and help us spread the word!

Entry-Form

Giveaway! Tickets to California Beer Festival in San Dimas

So California Beer Festival is hitting up three different cities this year and they will be in San Dimas on Saturday, September 7 at the Frank G. Bonelli park. The brew lineup of over 60 beers on tap includes California favorites like Stone, Hangar 24, Lagunitas, Firestone Walker, Ballast Point, along with out-of-towners you can't miss including Deschutes and Goose Island.

Now. They've generously offered two pairs of general admission tickets ("Craft Beer Heaven ticket", $45 value per ticket) to give away to my readers. That could be you! And it's easy to enter. You can enter using the form below and following the instructions, and I will be drawing two winners on Sunday!

The general admission ticket ($45 online or $55 at the door) will get you admission with souvenir cup and all the beer samples, live music, and (apparently) bikini bocce ball.
Food is not included but will be available for purchase. The $70 VIP tickets will allow you to go in an hour early with a souvenir pint glass and access to reserve and specialty beers, along with a taco bar from 11:30am-1pm.

Proceeds will benefit the Gen Giammanco Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides financial support to student athletes to assist in their pursuit of both scholastic and athletic success in the city of San Dimas.

Good luck!

Entry-Form

Win 2 Tickets to Plate By Plate (Saturday, August 3)!

Plate by Plate is the annual fundraiser for Project by Project, which chooses a different nonprofit cause in the Asian American community each year. This year's event, which benefits East West Players, promises to be quite amazing with restaurants such as Bestia, Allumette, Alma, Petty Cash, Stella Barra, Park's Finest BBQ, Rivera, and so many more participating (and Drunken Udder for dessert)! For a complete list of the restaurants and beverage sponsors, check out this page.

There will also be tons of beverage sponsors including The Bruery, Rebel Winery, and various sake.

The event will take place this Saturday, August 3 at The Vibiana Cathedral in downtown and it's not too late to get tickets!
The tickets are $150 for general admission which starts at 7pm, and $250 for VIP admission which starts at 6pm and gets you access to the VIP lounge (with my favorite bar, 1886, along with Kali Dining and other exclusives).

Or ... you can try and win 2 General Admission tickets to the event by entering below!
The contest will end at 11pm on Thursday, August 1, and I will inform the winner on Friday morning. Be sure to check your emails and confirm immediately so I can tell the event coordinators. Good luck!

Entry-Form

Giveaway! Sunset & Dine: Food, Drinks, Movie

On June 13th the 2nd annual Sunset and Dine kicks off! It's the summer movie screening program at Academy Hollywood, the outdoor amphitheatre on the campus of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 

From 6-10pm you can watch a great classic while partaking in food, beer, and wine samples from local establishments and all proceeds from the $30 ticket will go to local charities.

The food: some of the best pizza in town from the new Stella Barra, followed by old favorites like Los Balcones del Peru and El Floridita along with promising new stars I haven't tried like Urban Masala, The Waffle and more.

The drinks: beer from Hollywood favorite Blue Palms Brewhouse, K&L Wines and more.

The movie: a wonderful classic and one of my favorites film noir, Sunset Boulevard, starring Gloria Swanson. 

So. I have two pairs of tickets to give away to two lucky readers (valued at $30 per ticket)!

To enter, leave a comment below with your email contact.

Get extra entries by tweeting: "Food, beer, Sunset Blvd film under the stars. Win tix to Sunset&Dine via @gourmetpigs http://bit.ly/128up2h "

Since the event is coming up soon this is going to be a quick one and you have until midnight of Monday June 10 to enter! I'll be drawing the winners on Tuesday. Good luck!

Academy Hollywood is located at 6322 DeLongpre Ave. in Hollywood.  Tickets are on sale now at www.sunsetanddine.org

Giveaway! Tickets to LA Wine Fest (June 8-9)

It's time for another giveaway! LA Wine Fest is returning to Raleigh Studios on June 8-9 and they have offered two pairs of tickets to give away to my readers. 

You can taste over 500 wines, spirits, and beers from all over the world here, and nibble on samples from vendors (if you need more food, there will be food trucks with food for purchase). Last year I tasted lots of wines, limoncello, chocolate bourbon, Korean rice wines, and much more. They also have seminars like wine and cheese pairing with Barrie Lynn,The Cheese Impresario (seminars cost extra).

One of my favorites from last year: Martian from Santa Ynez

Event details: 
Saturday, June 8th 2pm-6pm and Sunday, June 9th 12pm-5pm
Hollywood's Historic Raleigh Studios
5300 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90038
@LAWineFest

If you don't win, you can also purchase tickets to the wine fest here. The VIP ticket gets you in early and a VIP swag bag.
You can also check out the seminar schedule there (and the cost). Your ticket purchase benefits Food Foward.

The contest will end at midnight Friday, May 31 and I will be choosing two winners over that weekend. Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

GIVEAWAY: Dinner With GrubWithUs

If you ever have a hard time finding people to dine out with, or want to meet new people over a meal, Grub With Us is now there for you. Dinners are organized at partner restaurants, sometimes for a specific group ("travel enthusiasts", "entrepeneurs", "young Republicans" - no, really), sometimes just a "social meal". The menu is set beforehand for the whole group and when you sign up for dinner you pay the website in advance (all inclusive of tax and tip). If no dinner strikes your fancy, you can set up your own, but it has to be with a participating restaurant.

I haven't actually tried joining one of these dinners before but I will be this coming Saturday, October 28, and Grub With Us has offered to give away a free spot to one of you too! So join me for dinner with them (the dinner will be open to regular Grub With Us users to sign up per usual)! The place? Starry Kitchen pop up at Tiara Cafe in downtown LA!

If you're not already familiar with it, the menu at this husband and wife run restaurant changes pretty regularly, but the predominantly Southeast Asian dishes are crowd-pleasers. The awesome Singaporean Chili Crab may not be on the group dinner menu, but I'm looking forward to their other stuff.

UPDATE: Change of plans! Since the dinner on Saturday was apparently not set, the giveaway is now changed to credit to any future dinner on Grub With Us. Once you've won you can sign up for an account and browse for upcoming dinners.

To enter to win, leave a comment below with your email contact and answer the following: what type of people (or person) would you want to meet at a dinner like this? 
Oh, and of course, make sure you are free for dinner on Saturday!

The giveaway ends at midnight on Thursday, October 26. Good luck and looking forward to meeting one of you on Saturday!
Because of the changes in the giveaway, I'm extending the deadline to midnight on Saturday, October 27!

GIVEAWAY: A Box of King's Hawaiian Bakery Awesomeness!

In yesterday's post I talked about touring King's Hawaiian Bakery, tasting many many things made using their products, and about the box of goodies I got as a parting gift. The giant box had bread enough for months, coffee cake, coffee, cookies, apron, gift card, etc ... and we bloggers loved it so much King's Hawaiian decided they wanted to share the aloha with you guys!

So ... we will be giving away a similar box (the contents won't be exactly the same but I'm sure they will be just as generous!) to one of my readers!

Here's how to enter:

1. Leave your name and email contact in the comments below and answer the following: Have you had King's Hawaiian Bakery products before, and if so, which one is your favorite?

And then get extra entries by doing the following:

2. Share this giveaway on Facebook, and make sure you tag my page @Gourmet Pigs so I know you actually did it!

3. Tweet "Win a box of @KingsHawaiian goodies from @gourmetpigs! #KHspreadsAloha http://bit.ly/SXCMmY" 

You have until midnight of Tuesday, October 23rd. Good luck!

GIVEAWAY: Tickets and Parking to Oktoberfest at the Fairplex Pomona

October can only mean .. Oktoberfests! Beer! German sausages! There are quite a few Oktoberfests around Los Angeles, including one at the Fairplex in Pomona which takes place on Fridays to Sundays this month.

At the Fairplex Oktoberfest, there will be a German food buffet with Bratwursts (of course), Weisswurst (sweet sausage), Schweinehaxe (hock ham), Schweinebraten, and Apfelstrudel. There's an "Oom-Pah" band, games, and of course tons of German beers.

They'e offered to give away two admission tickets and a free parking pass to one of my readers (food and drink not included, sorry). 
To enter to win, just leave your name and email contact in the comments below!

You can also get extra entries by tweeting: "Enter to win tickets and parking to the Fairplex Oktoberfest via @gourmetpigs! http://bit.ly/RpDQBb"

The giveaway will end at midnight on Wednesday, October 17 so that you will have two weekends to use your tickets!

LA Beer Week and Ticket GIVEAWAY!

The 4th Annual LA Beer Week is coming very soon on September 20-30 and there are many great events for you to look forward to, culminating in the LA Beer Week Festival at the Union Station! You can check the complete event listing here, but here are some of the great events they're having (and don't miss the ticket giveaway at the end of the post!):

  Thursday, Sept 20

• Stone Total Town Takeover: Pasadena | Stone Brewing Co. previews its soon-to-open Stone Company Store – Pasadena location. Co-Founders Steve Wagner & Greg Koch will be on hand, sharing special beers and nibbles from Stone Catering, with live music. Tickets are $25; all proceeds will benefit a local charity. (7-9:30p) Other events with the Stone Brewing Co. team will also be taking place in Pasadena throughout the day. (Details)
• Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Invades Little Tokyo | Far Bar will be pouring 12 of this famed Delaware brewery’s beers, including some very rare and hard-to-get selections. In addition, an extra special treat will be running through the “organoleptic hop transducer module”... better known to Dogfish Head fans as Randall the Enamel Animal. (6p)

Friday, Sept 21

• Poutine Paradise | Five courses of gourmet poutines will be paired with five Schneider-Weisse beers, along with a special dessert pairing at P’tit Soleil Westwood. (Two seatings: 6:30p &8:30p)

Read more »

GIVEAWAY: Jamaican Coconut Water

Coconut water is not new, many countries including Jamaica have had them in retail stores for years, but it has only recently taken off in the US when US companies started marketing their electrolyte-packed, hydrating qualities (and overpricing them at Whole Foods ...). Coconut water's been said to be a great hangover cure, too! How about you try one of the OG : Grace Coconut Water from Jamaica, where the company has been in business since 1922? They also have a version with pulp, for those of you who (like me) also like their OJ better with pulp.

They are giving out a six-pack consisting their three different coconut water products to one of my readers. Here's how to enter:

1. Leave a comment below with your email address so we can contact you if you win.

2. Get an extra entry by tweeting "Try Jamaican Grace coconut water with this giveaway from @gourmetpigs: http://bit.ly/RZP9Vx"

Enter by the end of Saturday, September 8. Good luck!

Giveaway: Robert Mondavi Wants to Give You FREE GAS!

Robert Mondavi Private Selection Wines wants you to explore the beauties of the California Central Coast, where their Private Selection wines are made. You can take a virtual tour of the Central Coast by following their Facebook page, where they will showcase the best of Central Coast - food, views, and everything else. But why not take a trip and discover the region (or a place like the Central Coast closer to you) on your own? 

Robert Mondavi  wants you to! So, they want to give you a $25 gas card, which you can use to take a road trip to you nearest wine country. If you live in Southern California, that would be the Central Coast, but if you live in another state, just use to visit the equivalent of the Central Coast!


Oh, and I'm trying out this new widget for you to enter giveaways, so try it out below and let me know how that works out! Good luck!


*UPDATE: I realize that with the Punchtab giveaway widget, a lot of people were getting comment entries without actually commenting on the post. If your comment entry is picked but you didn't actually comment, I will redraw the winner. And I probably won't be using the punchtab widget again ..

Giveaway! Toasting Package from I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!

I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! has asked me to host a giveaway for this lovely gift package - good for all your classy party needs! This was the gift I was supposed to receive at their recent Red Carpet Viewing party but I wasn't able to make it.

In the package are a set of four Crate and Barrel champagne glasses, a metal Ralph Lauren serving tray,

cute ICBINB-related glass charms

a beautiful decorated spreader

and a set of four toast-shaped coasters!

There is also a coupon for I Can't Believe It's Not butter and a set of recipes included in your package.

Pretty good package, if I may say so myself! Want them to send you one? Just enter my giveaway:

1. Leave a comment below with your email address by midnight of Tuesday, March 20.
2. Get an extra entry by tweeting: "Win a gift package w champagne glasses, serving tray and more from @ICBINOTButter on @gourmetpigs! http://bit.ly/zsenoQ"
3. For new "fans", get an extra entry by liking my facebook page.

New Chef at Roy's Downtown, and a $20 Giveaway!

Roy's Restaurant in downtown LA recently brought in a new chef. Blaine Villasin is a Hawaiian-born Filipino who started his career as a line cook at Roy's in La Jolla after training at the Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena.

We were invited to try out the new chef's own creations (instead of Chef Roy Yamaguchi's signature dishes) with a tasting menu, which started with a plate of Striped Bass Sashimi, tamari chimichurri, black lava salt

The fish was fresh and I certainly liked the intense flavors from the tamari and the black salt, but the chimichurri might be a little overwhelming for the delicate sashimi. The dish was paired with a glass of Le Colture Fagher Prosecco, Veneto, NV. A nice glass of bubbly to start off the night.

5 Spice Seared Scallop Salad with tangerine, baby mache, kumquat, orange vanilla vinaigrette

The scallops were tender though they could be fresher, and I liked the addition of kumquats here.
This was paired with a semi-sweet wine, a 2009 Pfeffingen Riesling, Pfalz.

Read more »

Giveaway! Tickets to THE TASTE Desserts After Dark

LA Times and Food and Wine's weekend-long extravaganza, The Taste, is happening this weekend!
Spanning 4 days over 3 locations and 9 events, there are plenty to choose from. Now, we know most of you can't afford to go to ALL of them, which why they've offered to give away A PAIR OF TICKETS (up to $300 value) to one of the events!

Now, since I love desserts, I'm going to give away tickets to the Desserts after Dark, taking place on Sunday evening. The event features Food Network star Duff Goldman, desserts from Craft Restaurant, Waylynn Lucas's fōnuts, Compartes chocolates, Sweet Rose Creamery, and much more. Wash them down with some Qream Liqueur, Dow’s Port and a little Villa Massa Limoncello.

You can enter in two ways (or get two entries if you do both):
1. Comment below with your email address and tell us what your favorite dessert is.
2. Comment on my Facebook Page with your favorite dessert.

Easy, right?
They need the name of the winner by the end of the day tomorrow, which means this contest will end at NOON tomorrow! Then if I don't hear back from the winner by 3pm with their full names, I will draw another name - so be checking that mailbox.

PS. If you want to attend the other events, you can get tickets at 40% off from Bloomspot or OpenTable.

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.

The event, GLAAD Hancock Park, is sponsored by Bravo and ROKK and features a Bravo Top Chef Challenge with Top Chef stars Fabio Viviani and Antonia Lofaso, hosted by Top Chef: Masters alum Susan Feniger with celebrity judges and special guests including: Dustin Lance Black (Milk, 8: The Mormon Proposition), Jamie Lauren (Top Chef), Shonda Rimes (Grey's Anatomy) and Jessica Collins.

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

DVD Giveaway! Vanishing of the Bees

Colony Collapse Disorder. That's what they are calling the mysterious disappearance of honey bees all over. No one know why this is happening for sure, but the consequences are quite clear. It's not just about the honey. Honeybees are needed to pollinate vegetable and fruit plants around the world. No honeybees= no apples and peaches. The documentary Vanishing of the Bees, scheduled to release on June 7th, attempts to delve into this mystery and how we can all help protect the bees.

The documentary is directed by George Langworthy and Maryam Henein, and narrated by Ellen Page (the star of JUNO). They interview beekeepers, scientists, and food and environmental experts. It was much more informative than I had expected, explaining precisely what Colony Collapse Disorder is and what scientists and others think might be the cause.

In CCD, the bees do not die but disappear from the hives. No one knows where they went. In the US it started to gain attention in 2006, but apparently a similar phenomenon had happened in France in 1994. While we have yet to have direct evidence of the cause, the beekeepers seem to have a pretty good idea. France banned the use of systemic pesticides since then, but the EPA in the US need a more concrete evidence to follow suit. Holistic beekeepers and Michael Pollan suggest what we need to do to help.

They had sent me two copies to give away, so here's your chance! To win a copy, just comment below with your email address by Thursday, June 2nd.

You can also get extra entries by doing one or more of the following:
1. Tweet: "Learn more about why honeybees r disappearing n how u can help. Win a DVD of Vanishing of the Bees from @gourmetpigs! http://bit.ly/lOnDXk"
2. "Like" the link to this post on Gourmet Pigs' Facebook page.

Giveaway: MAVEA Premium Water Filtration Pitcher

Everyone should have a water filter instead of buying bottled waters. And while you're at it, why not get one that looks good, too? MAVEA, the US branch of BRITA, launched a premium water filtration pitcher series called Elemaris.

MAVEA's Elemaris water pitchers are made with BPA-free plastic, dishwasher safe, and definitely looks more stylish than many others. The filters are silver treated and supposed to discourage bacteria growth (and it's recyclable). The lid has a pour-through hole that swings open with water pressure, making refilling easy and cleaner. Last but not least, if you ever wonder when you need to change your filter, with this you need to wonder no more. The Elemaris pitchers are built in with Smart Meter indicator which measures water hardness, volume, and time in use and lets you know when you need to change it. For more info on MAVEA products and water-related tips, you can visit their blog.

They're supposed to reduce the buildup of limescale in water heating equipments too. I have to start using filtered instead of tap water in my Zojirushi water kettle, which definitely already started scaling. I've been using this for a week and while this may be a placebo effect, I think the water tastes better than the one filtered using my roommate's old Brita!

If you need a water filter, or want to upgrade yours, this is your chance! MAVEA is giving away one Elemaris XL water pitcher (listed at $39.99 on Amazon.com, with a 4.5 star rating). The Elemaris XL pitcher holds 9 glasses worth of water.
To win one, just do comment below with your email address.

You can also get extra entries by doing one or more of the following:
1. Tweet: "I want to win a @MaveaWater filter pitcher from @gourmetpigs! http://bit.ly/mgH1CY"
2. "Like" the link to this post on Gourmet Pigs' Facebook page.

You have until midnight of Friday, May 27th to enter. I will then choose a random winner. Good luck!

New York Giveaway! A Pair of Tickets to A Taste of Home

Hey New York readers! Here's a chance for you to win a pair of tickets to A Taste of Home: A Chef Tasting and Benefit Party hosted by Alex Guarnaschelli.

A Taste of Home is a benefit put on by Housing Works Bookstore Café and hosted by Alex Guarnaschelli, Executive Chef of Butter Restaurant and The Darby, and host of Food Network’s Alex’s Day Off.
All proceeds from the event goes to the Housing Works Mission of fighting AIDS and homelessness.

The event will also feature food by:
* Brad Farmerie, Executive Chef of PUBLIC, The Monday Room, Double Crown and Madam Geneva
* Colleen Grapes, Pastry Chef, The Red Cat and The Harrison
* Luis Nieto, Executive Chef, The Palm Tribeca
* And our own Tessa Liebman, Executive Chef of The Works Catering.

To ensure good times, there will also be Hendrick’s Gin cocktails, wine by Broadbent Selections, beer by Whole Foods, and Intelligentsia Coffee.

The deets: 
Tuesday, March 29, 2011 at 7:00 PM
Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, 126 Crosby Street, New York, NY 10012
(212)334-3324

Tickets are usually $65 or $100 VIP ticket which includes a private hour (6–7pm) to mingle with the chefs over wine and cheese. But all you have to do is leave a comment below with your email to win a pair of tickets! Tweet about the giveaway (and let me know via a comment) for an extra entry.

The giveaway closes 11:59 PM next Tuesday, March 22nd.

If you don't win but want to attend, you can always buy tickets here.