March
Common Grains Film Screenings and Soba Bar at Atwater Crossing
February 3-4: Soba bar opens at 5pm, lecture to follow
Guests will enjoy screenings of films featuring an unsung player in Japanese cinema - rice. The award-winning films by Japanese filmmakers, Branded to Kill, an entertaining 1960’s gangster movie and A Japanese Village - Furuyashikimura, a classic 1982 in-depth rice documentary, will be accompanied by an informal lecture by Anne McKnight, member of the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at UCLA. A soba bar featuring artisanal soba and grilled onigiri, and a variety of sake will be offered at the indoor and outdoor screenings.
No cost to attend the screenings, food and drinks available for purchase. Atwater Crossing and RSVP to commongrains@wagstaffworldwide.com.
Common Grains Charity Panel Discussion and Lunch at Atwater Crossing
Sunday, February 5 from 11am-1:30pm
Common Grains will host a panel discussion featuring expert grain miller and farmer, Glenn Roberts of Anson Mills in South Carolina and Monica Spiller from The Whole Grain Connection, a non-profit organization aiming to enhance the desirability of organic and sustainable grains. Other grain experts will also speak on the panel and a rice exhibition highlighting ancient varieties of grain will be on display. A special three-course prix fixe soba lunch will be available following the lecture highlighting Anson Mills and Japanese grains. Proceeds from the event will benefit The Whole Grain Connection.
$45 per person. Signup Link and RSVP to commongrains@wagstaffworldwide.com.
Pacific Standard Time's Art as an Appetizer - Secret Menu at Playa & Rivera
February 7 - March 31
Art as an Appetizer is a partnership with top chef John Sedlar, artist Ron Cooper, and mixologist Julian Cox who worked together to create a one-of-a-kind menu inspired by Pacific Standard Time works of art. The Secret Menu will be available at both the Playa and Rivera restaurants to customers who show Pacific Standard Time museum proof of admission or ask for the "Pacific Standard Time Secret Menu". One cocktail offered is the Ball Drop - single village mezcal, London dry gin, fresh lime yuzu tincture, velvet falernum, and cayenne cayenne - inspired by Ron Cooper's 1969 piece "Ball Drop" featured at the Collection of the University Art Museum Art Video Archive at Cal State Long Beach University. Diners can choose from a three-course menu featuring dishes such as Los Angeles County Museum of Art on Fire - fire-grilled breast of chicken with cobb salad quemado, goat cheese, incendiary salsa - inspired by Ed Ruscha's 1965-1968 "Los Angeles Country Museum of Art on Fire" featured in the Crosscurrents in LA Painting and Scultpure 1950-1970 exhibition at The Getty Center.
Playa and Rivera.
Healthy Living Day Common Grains Rice Workshop at Japanese American National Museum
Saturday, February 11 from 11am-12:30pm
Common Grains will host a grains workshop featuring rice and miso soup as part of the Japanese American National Museum’s Healthy Living Day. Healthy Living Day features a variety of activities and events for families and individuals geared toward healthy living.
No cost to attend and the event is open to the public. Japanese American National Museum.
2nd Anniversary Specials at LA Market Restaurant by Kerry Simon
February 15-22
To celebrate two years of sustained success that has both literally and symbolically changed the skyline of downtown LA, the food and beverage outlets in both The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angles and JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE are offering celebratory specials during their 2nd anniversary week. A two-course menu will be offered featuring the restaurant’s signature Market Salad and choice of entrée: Flat Iron Steak with brussel sprouts, wild mushrooms and red wine sauce or Roasted Half Chicken with wilted spinach, quinoa, chicken jus and preserved lemon.
$22 per person. LA Market or 213.765.8630.
2nd Anniversary Specials at The Mixing Room Cocktail Lounge and gLAnce Wine Bar
February 15-22
The two casual dining establishments located on the lobby level of the JW Marriott, will offer a “Pints and Pizza” promotion - made for two. Guests will receive their choice of two draft beers and one gourmet pizza to share. The Mixing Room offers an upscale yet relaxed atmosphere with lounge seating and wall of plasma TVs, while gLAnce provides a lively atmosphere and a place to grab a quick bite or drink before heading over to all the action within L.A. LIVE.
$22. The Mixing Room and gLAnce Wine Bar or 213.765.8600.
2nd Anniversary Specials at WP24 Lounge by Wolfgang Puck
February 15-22 from 5pm
This award-winning fine-dining Chinese restaurant by renowned Chef Wolfgang Puck, offers a "Double Happiness" dessert special made to serve two people. "Double Happiness" features two double fortune cookie desserts: chocolate with coffee mousse and green tea with citrus mousse; and is accompanies by two green teas.
$22. WP24 Lounge or 213.743.8824.
6th Anniversary Party and Culver City Block Party at Ford's Filling Station
Wednesday, February 15
Come shake off your Valentine's Day blues. Chef Ford is bringing round the smoker to BBQ a Whole Hog while dancin's to live music by a LA jam band, Skull & Roses. Happy Hour in the Bar and Beer Garden all night! Roasted Corn Salad, Fried Plaintains, and Mini Key Lime Pie Cupcakes will also be served. Ford's knows how to throw a party, so don't miss it!
Ford's Filling Station or 310.202.1470.
Common Grains Soba and Rice Workshops at Tortoise General Store
February 18-19 from 10am-12pm
Common Grains will host soba and rice workshops showcasing different preparations of rice and soba for guests to learn how to cook healthy, simple Japanese meals at home.
$65 per person. Tortoise General Store or 310.314.8448.
Pacific Standard Time: Art as an Appetizer - Food Truck Meet-up at LACMA
February 18 from 11am-3pm
Pacific Standard Time has partnered with a selection of popular LA food trucks to participate in food truck meet-ups. Special dishes inspired by the artwork at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) Exhibit California Design, 1930-1965: "Living in a Modern Way" will be served to the public. All the trucks have toured the exhibit and are very excited to share their inspired culinary creations. If customers choose to visit the exhibit as well, they will receive a print of the Ice Cube Eames poster. These trucks will be located at Ogden lot across the street from Urban Lights: Aunties Fry Bread, Kings Corner BBQ, No Tomatoes, Coolhaus, and Lobsta Truck.
Pacific Standard Time: Art as an Appetizer.
Milkshake Madness at BLD
Sunday, February 19 at 5pm
Join Pastry Chef Mariah Swan at the counter while she whips up ice creamy concoctions, spiked or not, with treats like these: Caramel Milkshake (with Cuervo Traditional or Don Julio Añejo), Chocolate Guinness Milkshake (with Buffalo Trace Bourbon), and Banana Caramel Milkshake (with Kraken Rum).
BLD or 323.930.9744.
Celebrate the Month of the Pig with One Night Pig Roast at Jar
Monday, February 20 at 6pm
Suzanne Tracht, Chef/Owner of Jar, and Chef de Cuisine Preech Narkthong, celebrate the restaurant’s February tribute to pork with a Family Style Pig Roast. The pig roast is the culmination of the “Fresh From the Jar” February showcase of pork. For one night only, Jar will serve Caja China Roasted Whole Suckling Pig, served family style with green papaya salad, fennel slaw, and purple yams. An optional wine pairing will be offered.
$55 per guest, excluding tax and gratuity. Jar or 323.655.6566.
Food GPS Presents The Inaugural Lamb Showdown at Guelaguetza
Monday, February 20 at 7:30pm
It’s Walter Manzke from upcoming République and Factory Baking Company vs. Zach Pollack & Steve Samson, the chefs and co-owners of Sotto. Guests will enjoy a six-course meal, with the talented chefs going head-to-head on four savory courses featuring American lamb, and two desserts starring sheep’s milk dairy. Every diner gets a vote on which chef delivers the boldest flavor, most originality, and best presentation. The winning chef earns $500, and of course greater glory. The American Lamb Board is sponsoring the lamb as part of Lamb Lovers Month. Eagle Rock Brewery will be pouring three beers for each guest (included in ticket price) throughout the course of the dinner. For people who prefer beverages other than beer, the full Guelaguetza bar will be open, and attendees can bring wine and pay the restaurant $15 corkage per bottle. 15% of event proceeds benefit the Special Olympics, an organization that provides year-round sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities..
$75 per person, all-inclusive. Food GPS or joshua@foodgps.com.
12 Chefs, 12 Months, 12 Charities at Joe's Restaurant
Thursday, February 23
La Jolla's famed Trey Foshee from George's at the Cove and Jason Knibb of NINE-TEN Restaurant and Bar are teaming up with Owner and Executive Chef Joe Miller in honor of two deserving charities: the ECOLIFE Foundation and ALS Association. The six-course dinner features dishes such as Hamachi Sashimi with Shoyu, charred jalapeno and yuzu, with hearts of palm and radish; Quail Egg with pea tendrils, lemon, bacon, black truffles and pea purée; Poached Beef Tenderloin with winter vegetables, bone marrow persillade and dry-aged beef carrot broth.
$95 prix fixe / $35 optional wine pairing, per person. Joe’s Restaurant or 310.399.5811.
Lasseter Family Winery Dinner at Patina
Friday, February 24
Patina restaurant at the Walt Disney Concert Hall celebrates the finest contemporary French cuisine and Old World-style wines during a special evening with Lasseter Family Winery. The Michelin-starred Relais & Châteaux property welcomes the family-owned winery to introduce its wines alongside four courses of inspired dishes from Executive Chef Tony Esnault. Lasseter Family Winery, helmed by Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter and his wife Nancy, is a 10-year old vineyard operated by three generations of the Lasseter family in Sonoma, CA. Diners will enjoy Marinated Hawaiian Kampachi paired with Lasseter Family Winery Enjoué 2010; Slowly Cooked Halibut with Lasseter Family Winery Chemin de Fer 2009; Prime Beef Tenderloin, Braised Short Ribs with Lasseter Family Winery Paysage 2008 or Amoureux 2008; and Guanaja Chocolate Palet.
$130 per person, all inclusive. Patina or 213.972.3331.
Summerland Winemaker Dinner at Napa Valley Grille
Friday, February 24 at 6:30pm
Napa Valley Grille, Westwood Village’s landmark wine country-inspired dining destination, invites guests to experience an exclusive, five-course wine pairing dinner celebrating the assorted regional flavor profiles of the Central Coast produced at Summerland Winery. New Executive Chef Taylor Boudreaux—a former Wolfgang Puck Worldwide alum with over 17 years of experience—and Pastry Chef Manuel Ortega have created a menu that will complement the carefully-curated wine selections for the evening. During the evening’s culinary journey, founder Nebilo “Bilo” Zarif will showcase Summerland's diverse range of wines from the Central Coast of California, including an '08 Fiddlestix Vineyard Pinot Noir paired with Crispy Duck Breast and Chanterelles, Parsnip Puree, Mushroom Foam, and Micro Basil; '09 Santa Ynez Valley Syrah matched to an Oven Roasted Venison Chop with seared Foie Gras, Parmesan Potato Cake, Creamed Bloomsburg Spinach, and a Truffled Syrah Reduction; finally, ending a sweet note with a ’10 Grenach Rosé coupled with a Strawberry Guava Gallete and Grenache Rosé Sorbet.
$75 per person++. Napa Valley Grille or 310.824.3322.
Pacific Standard Time: Art as an Appetizer - Food Truck Meet-up at Bergamot Station
Saturday, February 25 from 11am-3pm
Pacific Standard Time has partnered with a selection of popular LA food trucks to participate in food truck meet-ups. Special dishes inspired by the artwork at the Santa Monica Museum of Art/Bergamot Station Exhibit: Beatrice Wood: Career Woman-Drawings, Paintings, Vessels, and Objects will be served to the public. All the trucks have toured the exhibit and are very excited to share their inspired culinary creations. If customers choose to visit the exhibit as well, they will receive a print of the Ice Cube Eames poster. These trucks will be located along Michigan Avenue: Global Soul, Pnut Butter Truck, Tailgate Truck, Smokin Willies Truck & Asian Cravings.
Pacific Standard Time: Art as an Appetizer.
Freemark Abbey Wine Dinner at Noé Restaurant
Wednesday February 29 at 6pm
Noé Restaurant at The Omni Los Angeles Hotel, named the 2011 Best Romantic Restaurant by LA Times Readers Choice Awards, is honored to present a very special Leap Year evening with winemaker Ted Edwards of legendary Napa winery, Freemark Abbey. Founded in 1886, Freemark Abbey is a legendary Napa winery with the distinction of being one of the 12 American wineries chosen in 1976 to compete in the Judgment of Paris tasting - California versus France - and was the only California winery to have two wines present at the tasting. This blind tasting shocked the industry when French judges chose California wines over France’s best, putting Napa on the world stage. A special five-course prix five menu crafted by Noé’s Executive Chef Glen Ishii, and the pouring of Freemark Abbey’s luscious late harvest Riesling known as “Edelwein Gold” will top off this very special leap year night. A special three-course prix fixe menu ($34) with Freemark Abbey wine pairing will be available from February 4-28.
$75 per person, excludes tax and gratuity. Noé Restaurant or 213.356.4100.
Pacific Standard Time: Art as an Appetizer - Food Truck Meet-up at Pasadena Museum of California Art
Saturday, March 3 from 11am-3pm
Pacific Standard Time has partnered with a selection of popular LA food trucks to participate in food truck meet-ups. Special dishes inspired by the artwork at the Pasadena Museum of California Art Exhibit: L.A. Raw: Abject Expressionism in Los Angeles, 1945-1980, From Rico Lebrun to Paul McCarthy will be served to the public. All the trucks have toured the exhibit and are very excited to share their inspired culinary creations. If customers choose to visit the exhibit as well, they will receive a print of the Ice Cube Eames poster. These trucks will be located at the lot along Union Street: Border Grill, Casablanca Truck, Go Chew, Flat Iron Truck, and Gourmet Genie.
Pacific Standard Time: Art as an Appetizer.
9th Annual Cassoulet Night at Lucques
Sunday, March 4 from 5-10pm
Chef Suzanne Goin and sommelier Caroline Styne present their 9th Annual Cassoulet Night. “Suzanne and I are both Francophiles at heart and when we opened Lucques we were definitely influenced by the food, wine and customs of France,” says co-owner Caroline Styne. “In France, cassoulet is traditionally served during the colder months and it just seemed right to tribute the dish for one of our winter Sunday Suppers. Our clientele went crazy for Suzanne's version of the dish and has since insisted on being informed of the yearly celebration. The night has grown in popularity and has become one of our busiest dinners of the year.” The three-course menu features Salad of Young Greens and Vernières Roquefort with Local Walnuts, Walnut Oil and Honey; Cassoulet de Maison with Duck Confit, Garlic Sausage and White Beans; and a dessert of Gascon Almond Cake with Roasted Apples and Prune-Armagnac Ice Cream.
$45 per guest. Lucques or 323.655.6277.
Suzanne Tracht and Huntington Meats Talk Pigs and Butchery
Sunday, March 4
Suzanne Tracht, Chef/Owner of Jar, teams with Huntington Meats at their 3rd Street Farmer’s Market shop for a series of classes on butchery and cooking. This class showcases pork, with Huntington’s expert butchers John Escobedo and Robert Ore presenting an “up close and personal” class on breaking down a whole pig into primal cuts. Tracht will do will menu demonstrations and discuss how to best use the various cuts of pork. The class will feature recipes, preparation guidelines, and generous samplings from Suzanne Tracht’s dishes: Crisp Pork Belly with Kumquat, Watercress, Fingerling Potatoes; Braised Pork Shank with Maui Pineapple and Star Anise; Tender Pork Ribs with Apple Cider, Szechuan Peppercorn, Coriander, Tamarind and Sweet Onion Salad; and Grilled Char Siu Pork Chop.
$125 per guest, all-inclusive. Huntington Meats or 323.938.5383.
