Showing posts with label the edison. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the edison. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

The Edison Brings the Deals Back to Downtown

35 cent cocktails are back at The Edison, quite possibly the best happy hour deal in town! Better yet, they're now available on both Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5-7 PM, while you can get a $1 Millenium Cocktail on Fridays at the same times.

The 35¢ cocktail changes all the time, but expect competently prepared classics like this gin martini we had last week.

Five bar snacks are available for $5 each from 5-7 pm also and each comes with either Edison or Tesla (sweet potato) fries.

Kobe Beef Slider

Singapore Wings, with a sweet glaze.
My favorite bite of the night


Beer drinkers should watch out for the "Dog Days of Summer" deal, where you can get (kosher) hot dog, onion rings, and a draft beer for $10. If you get a glass of Chimay cing cent like I did, consider that that usually runs $9 a glass here. That means your hot dog + onion rings come out to $1.

If one cocktail isn't enough (when is it ever?), be happy to know that everything else on the menu is 40% off during happy hour, so you can give my favorite the Brown Derby, a concoction of bourbon, honey, and grapefruit juice, a try.

PS. Radio Room is returning to The Edison on Tuesday July 13. This time they're featuring bartenders from Ward III in New York: Michael Neff, Kenneth McCoy, and Abdul Tabini.
Event starts at 8 PM with a $10 cover. Check out www.edisondowntown.com for pre-sale tickets so you don't have to wait in line!



The Edison
108 W 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 613-0000

www.edisondowntown.com
The Edison in Los Angeles on Fooddigger

Disclaimer: I was hosted by The Edison during this happy hour.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Balblair: Tasting The World's Only Vintage Single Malt Scotch

Balblair scotch distillery has been around since 1790 but the name is fairly new to the American audience. Two of their products have finally made their way into the American market.

They claim to be the only distillery which bottles their scotch in vintages, just like wine.

Balblair 1991 ($129.99) and Balblair 1997 ($64.99) are the first two vintages that are available for purchase in the U.S. Distillery Manager John MacDonald handpicks the casks that he deems to have reached the peak of maturation each year and releases them as the single malt vintages.
To introduce these two vintages, Balblair recently invited some media and scotch lovers to a tasting party at The Edison (the ambiance there is a perfect fit with the bottle's design), where I sipped scotch and ate bruschetta with other bloggers and members of the LA Scotch club. I started the night out big with the 1991.

Balblair 1991 just received a rating of “Excellent Highly Recommend” in the Ultimate Spirits Challenge. Reminds me a bit of butterscotch and has a smooth and long finish.

The Balblair 1997, on the other hand, is spicier, has more bite but not as smooth and the finish isn't as long. I personally prefer the smoother 1991, but the characteristics of the two bottles are quite distinct and worth separate considerations.


By the way, the gorgeous picture on the gift box is supposed to be a hill behind the distillery. Makes you want to go visit, doesn't it?

At the tasting, a bowl of chocolates was prepared for us to pair our scotch with, starting from milk chocolate to 55% to 61% to 73% dark. Of course, I stuck with 61% and above :)
Dark chocolate and scotch? Yes, please. I will definitely keep that in mind next time I pop open my bottle of scotch.

*Photos courtesy of Balblair, bcs they look so much nicer than the ones I took.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Sneak Preview of Radio Room #2: Tonight at The Edison!

Radio Room at The Edison is back on tonight (Tuesday, March 30).

Last night we got a sneak preview of the drinks, seafood, and talk to the bartender (the night wasn't just for Radio Room, it was also for The Edison to announce that they are opening another Edison - in New York City!)

Before you head over there at 8 PM, here's what you can look forward to:

1. Cocktails from some of the best bartenders.

"Wild Orchid" - Giuseppe Gonzalez
(gin, almond, elderflower, red wine)

"Infante" - Giuseppe Gonzalez
(tequila, lime, orgeat, orange blossom water, nutmeg)
I think this was my favorite

Don Lee (Momofuku, NY) & Zane Harris (Rob Roy, Seattle)

Giuseppe Gonzalez (Dutch Kills/Painkiller, NY)


Simon Ford of Pernod Ricard (London/NY)

2. Fruity absinthe shots and "martinis" from the Green Fairy.

Mini "potion" bottles of absinthe-pineapple and absinthe-pom shots.
(Yes, I kept the bottle. She said I can and it was so cute!)


3. And last but not least, treats fresh from the sea from Maitre Ecailler, Chef Christophe Happillon. Last Radio Room had oysters, this time he's also adding crab claws!
Crab Claws

Fanny Bay Oysters from British Columbia
(with an awesome cocktail sauce!)


Radio Room at The Edison
Tuesday, March 30
8 PM
108 W 2nd St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
www.edisondowntown.com

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

A Tuesday Night Debauchery. Radio Room at The Edison.

Once a month on a Tuesday, The Edison brings in talented bartenders from around the nation for a one-night mayhem called The Radio Room.
Set in LA's first power plant, the speakeasy feel of The Edison comes naturally. I had been to their Tuesday "speakeasy" nights a long time ago, when it was small and only held in one of the rooms.

Now Radio Room goes big. Last month Radio Room returned to The Edison and featuring their new Director of Spirits Joe Brooke (formerly from Copa D'Oro), Brian Miller from Death & Co in New York, and Erick Castro from Rickhouse bar in San Francisco.

Probably thanks to the Tasting Table coverage of the event that morning, the place got packed as the night goes on, so for the next one either come early or come really late to avoid the lines!
We got there somewhat early and managed to score a side room to ourselves along with fellow bloggers I bumped into there.

Each of the three bartenders featured three special drinks each. I hit up Brian Miller's from Death & Co station first.

The first drink I had that night became my favorite: Hispaniola from Brian Miller featured rum, Summer Royale tea, lime, ginger, and syrup.
Not that I tried every single special drink that night. They did have 3x3=9 drinks to try!

I also enjoyed Sancho's Lady from Erick Castro.
The wait to order a drink did get really long later that night, what with people going up to these guest bartenders and asking for a gin and tonic and all.
Not to worry for next time, though, The Edison promises to bring even more bartenders and also "satellite bars" where their regular employees will man for those of you who want to just order a hi-ball, a beer or whatnot. That will certainly free up more of the time and hands of the renowned guest bartenders to make their own special, complicated drinks.

Joe Brooke from Copa D'Oro, new Director of Spirits at The Edison

They also had live music from The Vagabond Opera. I didn't pay much attention the them until I hear Scott Walker's Amsterdam playing (at which point I immediately rushed close to the stage).
All is great if I can hear some Scott Walker!

Somewhat hidden in the back are gems from the sea. Christophe Happillon was shucking away some Fanny Bay oysters. I tasted one and - wow - amazing oysters. I do hear they will be back for the next Radio Room and I'll definitely be on the lookout for them.
The next Radio Room promises to be crowded too but with more bartenders and satellite bars, the wait should be much less painful. March 4th Marching Band will be there to keep the beat up throughout the night, and perhaps Happillon's amazing oysters will make a show too, so mark Tuesday March 30th on your calendar!

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Your Perfect Downtown Thursday

I got my Thursdays down. If I can get out in time, that is.

Here's the not-so-secret plan: get to downtown at around 6, or earlier. First order of business: The Edison Bar for $0.35 vintage cocktail (ends at 7 PM). The cocktail changes every week, but always well done. Strong tasty drinks.

Depending on how fast you can finish your drink, you can either make it to Pitfire Pizza's happy hour right next door for 50% off food (ends at 7 PM). Or if you want to sip your cocktail slowly, you can also go to Pitfire armed with a Restaurant.com gift certificate.
$10 certificate for $3, or $25 for $10. But wait, don't buy it then! They almost always have a sale or coupon discount for 60%-80% off! That's $25 for a mere $2 or so!


From now May 31st 09 they're having a 80% off sale with code: SPECIAL.

So I came with a girlfriend armed with my $10 gift certificate and walked into Pitfire Pizza at 7:05 PM. As I handed the girl at the register the certificate she said that it's happy hour til 7 PM and so everything's half off anyway! Well it was past 7 PM I almost pointed out ... but I didn't and took her offer. Luckily the gift certificate is good for a year anyway, so i'm saving it for a later time. Double sweetness!

We each got Pitfire's individual-sized pizza and split em.

The burrata pie (burrata, tomato sauce, caramelized onions, arugula, hazelnut pesto drizzle - $9.95).
I really love the texture play that the tiny hazelnut bits added to this. I liked Pitfire's thin crust although I do wish it was crispier so I would eat the edges too ... The pizza is pretty light, as it is not overwhelmed by the cheese and tomato sauce. Overall I liked the combination of this pizza a lot. Chunks of burrata and fresh arugula, topped with crunchy hazelnuts! Plus, pesto ... I loove pesto.

Sweet Fennel Sausage (fontina, creme fraiche, crushed tomato, red onion, mozzarella - $9.95)
This was also good, although may seem a bit 'boring' compared to the burrata pizza. The sausages were good and I liked the use of crushed tomato chunks as opposed to just plain old tomato sauce. More cheesy than the first and was more familiar as a pizza. (Oh, yeah there's an iphone in the background so you can use it for a size comparison ;> )

$0.35 cocktail + $5 pizza. We made out like a couple of stuffed and buzzed bandits.

Pitfire Pizza Company
108 W 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 808-1200
http://www.pitfirepizza.com/
Pitfire Pizza Company on Urbanspoon

Read LA Pizza Man's review here and Sinosoul's review here.



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Thursday, October 9, 2008

Meet Me at The Edison

A few weeks ago we LA-based bloggers had a nice little get together organized by CarolineOnCrack. The setting was The Edison Bar in downtown, during one of their Tuesday Speakeasy nights. Everyone else was already there by the time I got there, and were sitting on a long table. The people I managed to talk to on my end of the table included LA&OC Foodie, Joz, travalex, javajunkee, and estarla.

I saw their menu online and decided to eat dinner there, but since they are not normally open on Tuesdays they had a limited menu. Fortunately though, they still had enough for a real dinner.

While waiting for the food I started with their Golden Lillet Martini, a strong, yellow, buttery concoction. Their cocktails are served in these gorgeous vintage glasses. They're so pretty that I want to put them in my purse, but luckily I was sober enough not to.

We started with some heirloom tomato salad.
A simple dish that focuses on the nice, fresh tomatoes. Nice flavor combination with the burrata, baby arugula, and olive oil.

We also had the 20th Century sliders: Kobe beef, arugula, onion marmalade, and blue cheese.
There are two sliders in each order. I really liked them - juicy, flavorful patties between delicious buns. They use good ingredients here and it really shows.

Also, we all had an order of sweet potato fries to share.

I can't remember what else they had food-wise, everyone seemed to order the same things.

So. Speakeasy Night. I had heard that there would be cabaret, and the entertainment we got was a pleasant surprise. First there was a lady strutting around in tight leather outfit singing and making jokes in a Russian accent.

She also went UP ON our table and danced there!

(I tried cropping the photo so as not to show us bloggers' faces)

Then they also had a Japanese belly dancer who did a couple of great acts. I thought she was pretty good, and it was quite unique from other belly dancings I've seen (in Moroccan restaurants).
There was also a magician who performed some fun tricks involving an audience.


Towards the end of the night, I scored a sip of the Pisco Punch from a FoodDigger.

This drink contains Pisco, pineapple juice, and a bit of the green fairy (absinthe).
Amazing drink. I wish I had ordered this earlier on. Not overly sweet but goes smoothly and was just delicioussss.

Drinks were $14 so not cheap, but I was really happy with my experience there. I am scared of the weekend crowd, but I will definitely be back for some food and drinks, and perhaps even some unique entertainment!

The Edison
108 W 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 613-0000

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Savor the Season and the End of Summer

Savor the Season this past Sunday marks the end of summer for me and it was a great ending although I stuffed myself silly!
A charity event benefiting Break The Cycle - to end domestic violence - Savor the Season features a great lineup of restaurants+more, silent and live auctions throughout the night!

It was held at the Vibiana cathedral in downtown LA, a charming little place and a nice garden.The arches were also beautiful as the night progresses, especially with the lighting that they've set up.
Our only problem with it is that it wasn't air conditioned. Although it didn't get stifling hot, we definitely did not wear the sweaters/jackets we had brought along.

I got there pretty early so I was able to start grabbing food without a long line. First thing I grabbed was the raw lobster salad in Filo cups from Geoffrey's.
I had 2 pounds of lobster the day before but lobster is still good for me anyday!


Cocktails for the night were provided by The Edison. They were offering two ginger beer-based drinks: English Afterthought (below) and Dark and Stormy.
Muddled fresh blueberries+ginger - not too sweet but deliciously refreshing!

They also had this gorgeous green fairy pushing the absinthe cart around (partly to promote their Lucent Dossier on Wednesdays).
They were giving miniature bottles of absinthe and also some absinthe chocolate made by Madame Chocolat (more on her later).

Both Jer-ne from the Ritz in Marina and Brix@1601 were offering trufflepops and both were offering a spicy flavor as part of it.
Below are the ones from Brix@1601. They had a mango-chili flavor that was nicely spiced.
On the other hand Jer-ne had flavors like spicy peanut, caramel fleur de sel, and mayan chocolate that was very cinnamony :)

Bacon-wrapped stuffed shrimp and Brant Beef from Salt Creek Grille.
Pretty nice and flavorful although the beef is cold by this point.



The avocado bisque and chicken tandoori croquette from Catering by Field.

I thought this catering company did a great job - the presentation of these two items were probably the best of the night (besides the green fairy cart!) What cute little plastic dishes.

Other dishes that I really liked were the Fried Mac n' Cheese Fritters from Boneyard Bistro.
Fried cheesy goodness! Mmm . I thought it would be too fatty and overbearing but it was not so. Liked it a lot. It would be a very addicting snack.

They also had lemongrass and lavender soda from Dry Soda, a fairly new soda company. Their sodas are not that sweet so it's really nice and refreshing!

The VIP Section has, of course, even more goodness to offer (I was there with a press pass and so was able to get into the VIP area. Yes!)

Right when you walk in you will see Saltistry's booth, featuring a nice variety of flavored salts and fruits/veggies to dip into it. My favorite is this one, and I'm sure you can imagine why!
The truffle salt was amazing! The truffle aroma was definitely there and makes me drool so .... They also had other nice and interesting ones like Six Peppers, etc. I'm gonna have to work my way through their offerings ...
Beverly Hills Caviar were serving these 4 types of caviar:
They were very busy replenishing the tray and couldn't tell us what each individual piece was, but in the end I still like the salmon roe the best.

Also in the VIP section was a great cheese booth from Andrew's Cheese Company who were giving out cards about the different cheeses.

Besides champagne, they of course had to have chocolates! Madame Chocolat was giving out dark/milk chocolate malt balls, chocolate covered cornflakes. She had other things that apparently had run out by the time we got there.
Tutti Gelati had a gelato booth and had a nice combination of dark chocolate, strawberries, and balsamic vinegar.

They also had a very nice limoncello made with venutra lemons from Ventura Limoncello Company. Stronger than other limoncellos I had, but very delicious!

These are all little tastes but *sigh* it really added up and after a while I couldn't remain standing. I had to sit down and rest my stomach for a bit. Other bloggers including LA&OC Foodie, CarolineOnCrack, and EatingLA were there and I think I can safely say we all stuffed ourselves!

Luckily for us we managed to go into the VIP section where they had tables and chairs - the main dining room did not which was rather a bummer for people in high heels like I was! But it was such a great event, and benefiting a great cause too! I would definitely keep this event in mind for next year also!
I tried bidding on the silent auction, although I didn't win anything. We all had fun and great food and drinks.

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