ShopEatSleep

June Gloom. From Grubstreet Los Angeles.

You’ve spent many a day and night drinking beers at Venice beach — this much is a given. But have you ever thought that Venice should have its own brew? Well, longtime bar manager Tim Benedick and actor Kerr Smith, both Venice residents, recently launched Venice Beach Beer Company to fill this (seeming) void.

But how do you bottle the essence of Venice? Benedick and Smith have come up with two brews: Venice, an American amber ale with a blend of caramel and biscuit malts packed with five different hops, and June Gloom, a white Belgian beer combining the tastes of coriander and orange peel with a “cleaner” yeast than is usually used in this style.

“Venice is more than a laid-back beach town. It’s also a cutting-edge, artsy, in-your-face kind of town, too,” said Smith, perhaps best known for his stint as Jack McPhee on “Dawson’s Creek.” “That’s what we mean when we say Venice in a bottle: a blend of mellow malty flavor with aggressive hops. The two combine for sweet (beach-like) flavor with a hoppy (in-your-face, edgy) flavor.”

Venice Beach Beer Company plans to produce approximately 1,000 barrels in its first year. Find the brews at Venice Beach’s Hinano Cafe, Larry’s, Chaya Venice, Venice Beach Wines and Whole Foods on Lincoln Boulevard, among other places. A third brew, AWOL (Always West of Lincoln) IPA, will be available next year, and plans for a retail location are in the works.

Further reading:

Where to Find Venice Beach Beer Company’s First Two Brews by Grubstreet Los Angeles

Grilled tuna burger

M Cafe de Chaya, the macrobiotic mini chain that’s part of the Chaya Restaurant Group, is celebrating its 5th anniversary this month with different $5 specials each week at all three of its locations.

Week of June 7 — Falafel Wrap & M Chopped Salad (Grab & Go only)
Week of June 14 — 2 Salad Combo & Tofu Bento (Grab & Go only)
Week of June 21 — Breakfast Enchilada (breakfast hours only) and Double Chocolate Fudge Cake

What’s macrobiotic food? It’s food made from minimally processed, natural whole foods that are in-season. Fish is OK, but not poultry, red meat, eggs or dairy. I’ve been to M Cafe a few times, and it’s actually pretty tasty, despite its nearly vegan-like description. I have a few recommendations, none of which are part of the $5 specials. But no matter — you can always go back, and for certain items, it would be worth it.

Keep Reading

The downtown location of Chaya, a Japanese-French brasserie mini chain, has recently launched a weekly beer garden menu available on its patio every Monday night throughout the summer. This is a once-a-week special menu offered in addition to its everyday happy hour menu, both of which are available all night from 5:00 p.m. to close. Not too shabby!

The beer garden menu features yakitori skewers ($2 each) grilled on the patio on new hibachis and include chicken, short rib, beef tongue, shrimp and shiitake mushrooms. I was recently invited by the restaurant to try the new skewers, and I liked the chicken the best, which shows mastery in grilling skills, I’d say. All the others were good, too, though the shiitake were a bit dry for my taste. Maybe top them with some of that teriyaki or chimichurri sauce that come on the other skewers?

Yakitori, from top: shrimp, beef tongue, shiitake, short rib and chicken

Keep Reading