Results tagged “wine”

                                   

Last Sunday the backlot of CBS Radford Studios in Studio City was filled with some of the biggest names...in food. The 23rd Annual Great Chefs of LA was indeed the promised food and drink filled afternoon of music, swag bags, and auctions, all to benefit the National Kidney Foundation of Southern California. Hosted by comedian and TV star George Lopez, the event drew some celebs (so we hear!) from entertainment and lots of food talent (so we ate!).

Two interesting sales going on today: Flutter in Pasadena hosts a Minnie Rose, Christopher Fischer, Eze Sur Mer and Tag Jeans Trunk Show today from 11 am-5 pm. And various showrooms at the California Market Center Downtown are opening their doors to the public today for pre-holiday sample sale shopping.

                            

This past Sunday, Los Angeles Magazine hosted their 3rd Annual Food Event, held on a hot and blustery afternoon at Saddlerock Ranch, a winery tucked into the hills of Mulholland Hwy in Malibu. The rustic landscape was criss-crossed by narrow, bumpy roads that heightened the excitement as we drove onto the property, with slivers of dappled hillsides, vineyards, and pens holding exotic--and less exotic--animals came into view on the way to the clearing where the tents and tables were set up.

              

On Saturday October 3rd, celebrated chefs and vintners/spirit-makers from all over the nation gathered on the backlot of Universal Studios here in Los Angeles to showcase their best bites and sips as part of the popular 27th annual American Wine and Food Festival (AWFF), hosted by Wolfgang Puck and Barbara Lazaroff. The event is a big draw for food and wine lovers of all calibers, and offers an astonishing quantity of quality eats and drinks for the ticket price; although the pricetag is hefty ($300 advance, $350 at the door), the event is not merely a showcase for food and wine, but rather a wildly successful fundraiser for Meals on Wheels.

Pourtal wine bar kicks off The Imbiber’s Ultimate Playmate Fantasy Wine Tour tonight from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. It’s a flight of eight wines inspired by eight of history’s most iconic Playmates, from Marilyn Monroe to Anna Nicole Smith. Join “The Imbiber” Dan Dunn, booze writer and Playboy.com’s nightlife columnist, with a few of his friends: Featured Playmate Lisa Semler (Miss September 1980), whom Dunn paired with a selection from her family’s winery in Malibu, will make a special appearance to autograph special-edition bottles of the 2001 Semler Cabernet. Playboy model Andrea Lowell, host of the Playboy Radio Morning Show on Sirius/XM, will also be on hand to pour a special tasting of Waterbrook Melange 2005.

It was a beautiful day and a great turnout for the San Antonio Winery's "A Taste of the Americas" Festival Sunday. The 200 plus people in attendance seemed pleased with the quality of these reasonably priced New World wines. Let's look at the wines in greater detail. We'll start with our host winery and our home state.

Today’s the last day for Hannah Beth’s “Things I Love” pop-up shop at Royal/T in Culver City. Her collection features reconstructed vintage fashions, art, jewelry, sunglasses and accessories of Laeken, Lily L, Esther Kim, Danny Roberts, Ivy Ensley, Adri Law, Lauren Ishii, Lulu Christine and Cinderella.

FOOD* Palate Food + Wine in Glendale presents “Le Cirque du Fromage” tonight at the Wine Bar tonight (and every Tuesday night) at 7 pm. The Truffle Brothers drop in with pounds of black summer truffles from the Molise region of Italy. In addition to this week's Cirque menu (three cheeses + one wine = $12). Fresh table-side shavings for a $6 supplemental. Little nuggets will be available for retail @ $30 per ounce. Cheeses on the menu are stilton, bleu des causses and gorgonzola piccante. No reservations are necessary.

Rogue Theater presents Shorts & Sweets tonight at 10:30 pm. It’s an evening of four world premiere one-act plays with three servings of sweets (cookies, cupcakes etc.) that keep to the plays’ themes. On the program are: Keeping Pace by Robin Rothstein, Weedwhaker Tuesday by Amanda Mauer, Free by Craig Pospisil and I Hate L.A. by John Pollono. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 10:30 pm until Aug. 22. Tickets are $15.

The Protege Basketball Block Party stops at the Kmart in Torrance (19330 Hawthorne Blvd.) today from noon to 6 pm with free on- and off-court interactive activities (shooting contests, b-ball tips, etc.) for all ages. It’s an 18-wheel, 53-foot show truck that transforms into a 4,500-square-foot basketball playground. And best part of all? Former Laker-turned-commentator James Worthy stops by from 5-6 pm today.

Kat Odell just started her new gig as Editor of Eater LA a couple weeks ago, a nice change of pace for readers since Lesley Balla left the position in December. Then yesterday, she got some high exposure along with a downtown restaurant that became the focus of a post based on an anonymous tip. The Must Bar was using generic foods and charging high prices, the tipster asserted, adding possible health code violations. The LA Times' Daily Dish blog quickly jumped on to the story, interviewing the owners and finding that their thinking about legal action. But Ben Sheffner at Copyrights & Campaigns notes that the law is on Odell's side for the most part. For us, really, all this does is make us want to go support and check out The Must at least once to decide for ourselves. Time for a drink?

Post by Greg Thompson/Special to LAist (Photo by Greg Thompson)

       

I am the first to jokingly admit that my personal knowledge of wine more often than not limits me to two single tasting notes: "I like it" or "I don't like it." This handicap is perhaps what compels me to accept invitations to wine tasting events, so that I can not only enjoy carefully selected wines with thoughtful food pairings, but that I can also (hopefully) soak up a little bit more savvy from industry professionals.

Who wouldn't want to live in a Sonoma wine country house for six months getting paid $10,000 a month to eat, drink, schmooze, party and then blog all about it? In a stroke of viral marketing genius, Murphy-Goode Winery is holding a contest to win that job and the voting ends this Friday.

When the new Whole Foods that opened in Venice, I figured it would be like the other Whole Foods. Cramped. Packed. Expensive. Sometimes worth going to but an endurance. This Whole Foods is different in that it is gigantic (see the photo below) and even has clothing. That is all fine and good, but you can buy food and clothes many places.

         

Santa Monican's don't have to drive to Culver City anymore to experience enomatic wine machines pouring fresh, unique wines. Say hello to - Pourtal.

                     

Post by Greg Thompson/Special to LAist

              

I grew up in Toronto, so while I'm used to the concept of seemingly endless networks of retail shops and restaurants hiding beneath the downtown skyscrapers, I'm not attuned to that way of life here in Los Angeles, where even the word "basement" is cause for a quizzical eyebrow raise. But underground is where you'll find Rowdy Red, a wine and burger bar beneath the high rises of the City National Plaza at the corner of 5th and Flower.

Starting next Wednesday, June 17th, 26 restaurants in Pasadena will be participating in BYOW Wednesdays, where patrons can bring their own bottle of wine to enjoy with their meal, and enjoy no corkage fee.

Sometimes it just takes a little savvy to go from kitchen zero to hero, and if this is the summer you've pledged to get the know-how that will make your dining home nights a little more delicious, you might be interested in the upcoming classes offered as "Culinary College."

The LA Convention Center opened its doors about an hour ago for the official start of the E3 Expo, the huge gaming trade show. It runs today until 6 pm and continues tomorrow and Thursday. Game debuts include Shaun White: World Stage, Halo: Reach and The Beatles: Rock Band. Search for #e3 on Twitter if you need the play-by-play.

You (hopefully) heard it here first: The Fresh & Easy Hollywood store will begin to stock beer and wine starting Monday.

Times are tough, and if you've found yourself scrimping and pinching from the former bounty in your entertainment budget, you might have also found yourself spending more time at home (unless you're out heeding the wisdom of our own Recession Obsession, that is). But being at home doesn't mean you can't enjoy yourself, right?

By Greg Thompson, Exclusive to LAist

Los Angelenos love their dogs. And even more love wine. Much Love Animal Rescue has teamed up with LearnAboutWine to bring both together for a good cause. Tomorrow the “Much Love for Dogs & Wine” event will take place at The Lofty Dog’s indoor dog park in downtown LA from 2-5 pm.

Tonight’s the opening night of John Gabriel Borkman, by Henrik Ibsen at CalArts in Valencia, directed by MFA directing candidate Maureen Huskey. The play’s story is still so familar: A turn-of-the-century family tries to forge a new path through the their past failures. “The clash between generations and the tenuous grip of family loyalty provide the backdrop for a beautifully grotesque dance between the forces of death and destruction and the life-giving impulse to move forward.” The play runs at 8 pm through March 14 (except for March 8) at the Walt Disney Modular Theatre at CalArts. Tickets are free, but reservations are required.

Remember when Nova Express closed? That wasn't a good sign for Fairfax Village, especially after news came that neighbor Largo was also leaving the street. Luckily, it seems a great new restaurant/bar will take over--The Golden State is looking like it will open soon. It has "a locally sourced, simple menu designed by Samir Mohajer (formerly of Rustic Canyon)," writes Blackburn and Sweetzer. "Think five (homemade) sausage options, five sandwiches, a killer burger, six beers on tap, six wines, Scoops gelato and sodas, including tasty local root beer from Virgil’s." Now some of the city's best gelato can be found more westward.

Here's a very strange incident that took place at a house in the Compton area during the Fall of 1976.

The Getty's Sounds of L.A. free weekend concert series is on tonight featuring the groundbreaking work of clarinet and mandolin master Andy Statman, an artist who has been skillfully integrating klezmer, bluegrass, and jazz for over 30 years. Head up the hill this evening to enjoy the Getty's grounds and collections, and then plan to stay for the show, which starts at 7:30 and will take place in the Harold M. Williams Auditorium. As usual, admission to the Getty is free but reservations are required--you can reserve by phone at 310-440-7300 or do it online.

PhiLAnthropist's last minute picks for gifts that give more...check out the first PhiLAnthropist Gift Guide for more ideas.