V-Day? Pfft. Go to Big Bar's Bollywood Prom Instead!

They got me with the promise of a 30-ft elephant. I don't know how Big Bar (which is really not big) is going to fit a 30-ft elephant and a whole party underneath it, but this I have got to see. Everything else sounds much better than an overpriced prix fixe dinner somewhere, anyway.

So, on February 14, head over to Big Bar in Los Feliz for: Henna, eye ball reader (what?), photobooth, and a custom gin and tonic bar.

They will also be offering bites like samosas, kabobs, and a special "far east" inspired cocktail menu ($10 each):

• Rosie Loves Andy (Bombay Sapphire East, lime, cucumber, rose)
• Mango Lassi Fizz (Bacardi 1909, Galliano, mango, lassi)
• Star of India( Bacardi Oakheart, Grey Goose Pear, Martini Rossi Bianco, bubbles)
• Kashmir Old Fashioned (Masala Chai infused Dewars, date syrup, Miracle Mile orange bitters)

There's no cover charge, just show up and have fun!

Littlefork, Hollywood's New Food and Cocktail Gem

The new Littlefork in Hollywood brings Chef Jason Travi back on the dining scene after Fraiche, with a bar program helmed by Brian Butler (Sunny Spot) and Dino Balocchi, formerly of Longman and Eagle in Chicago. With my fond memories of Longman and Eagle's cocktails, I was pretty excited about Dino moving here! The exterior of Littlefork was a bit out of place - a white corner building with a small "littlefork" painted on the wall - but the inside is a beautiful bar and a spacious, elegant dining room.

Chef Travi makes his own pickles here, and he really goes all out. As you walk in to the restaurant, take a look to your right, behind the hostess stand. There's a whole wall of pickle jars.

From pickled beets to brussels sprouts (my favorite!), he pickles them all.

The cocktail menu here features house-made bitters, house-made tonic and ginger beer (cocktails are $11 each). The El Perdido is made with tequila, lime, chartreuse, cocchi americano, and the house-made strawberry chile bitters.

The house-made ginger beer makes an appearance in the Thai Town Mule (gin, lime, thai basil, peppercorn, house ginger beer). The “Gin and Tonic”'s flavor profile moves away from the classic with the addition of ginger and bonal.

A fun appetizer for the table is the Maple eggs with crispy bacon

A little taste of breakfast in egg-shaped cups. No, they're not real egg shells. Yes, I had two of these.

Our multi-course tasting meal continues with the Chowder: clams, bacon, oyster crackers

served with a mini bottle of tabasco!

Read more »

Falling In Love with Longman & Eagle (Chicago, IL)

It was our third meal of the night, but a Michelin-starred gastropub wasn't something we wanted to pass up. In the end, we're so glad we went, because we fell in love with Longman and Eagle.

The cocktails here are excellent and they're only $8 each. I love Chicago! We drank quite a bit that night. There were $2 special Evan Williams shots around the table and conbon found her ultimate Old Fashioned.
 
That's my excuse for not really remembering what cocktails I had, but I am guessing this was the La Perla with tequila, Cocchi Americano, grapefruit, and habanero shrub.

We decided to just share a few plates since we were already full, and started healthy with the roasted cauliflower with beluga lentil and yogurt curry sauce

Steak and edamame with lobster tater tots. Lobster tater tots!

The desserts sound particularly enticing here. The first was a lightly savory dessert: warm gruyere donuts, fig jam, hazelnut mascarpone, wild flower honey ($9)

Read more »