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Savor Los Angeles, a showcase of L.A.’s sweetest of the sweet, is hosting its first event this Friday, July 30, at Miauhaus photography studio. There will be all kinds of desserts, including those from BabyCakes, Frosted Cupcakery, Gotta Have S’more, N’iceCream, p.o.p. candy, Plaisir, Popcakes, Pure Cheesecakes, Sweets for the Soul, The Crosby and XT Patisserie. According to press materials, these companies were chosen “for their emphasis on fresh and organic ingredients, alternatives to high-fructose corn syrup, vegan offerings, presentation and design, and good ol’ overall yumminess.” Sounds good to me! There will also be coffee from Intelligentsia, champagne and paired beverages, sparkling juices from IZZE, a cheese and fruit bar, drinks from PAMA liqueur, raffles, music, a photo booth, gift bags, and Boxed water.

The regular ticket price is $35, but Goldstar is selling tickets for $21. Not too shabby, eh?

Details:

Miauhaus
1201 S. La Brea Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90019
Friday, July 30
7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

First & Hope, the gorgeous supper club in the not-so-gorgeous strip mall at the corner of 1st and Hope streets (clever, huh?) in downtown Los Angeles, certainly has lots of style. From the mood-changing lighting in the sleek dining room to the servers outfitted by “Mad Men” assistant costume designer Allison Leach, the restaurant screams class. I just wish the food spoke as loudly to me — in a good way.

I had visited First & Hope once before during its preview night when the atmosphere was close to mayhem. It was very crowded, and while the servers did their best, it was hard to get a good idea of what the food and drink should have been like.

So when presented with an invitation to have dinner at the restaurant under normal circumstances, I decided I would give the place another chance. I would have a proper meal and make a better-informed decision about First & Hope’s merits.

And I’ve made my decision: I would only come back here for one, maybe two, dishes.

You see, the menu sounds good; it reads like a food blogger’s wet dream, with foie gras, bacon and pork rinds littered all over its comfort food-centric offerings. But First & Hope leaves much to be desired in execution.

First, the cocktails. Nearly every one contains some kind of bubbly, no doubt an homage to the vintage style. I get it, but I thought the drinks were just OK, which was pretty much my summation after the preview party, too. I had an Elle for Leather, made with Famous Grouse scotch, vanilla syrup, “a touch of effervescence” and garnished with a vanilla pod. It smelled amazing due to the vanilla pod but tasted light on the scotch.

Elle for Leather. There's a blue tint because of the mood lighting.

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We were served a bunch of potted meats to start. This is when I tried head cheese, trotters, rillete and beef tartare for the first time, and none were as scary as I thought they would be. I actually surprised myself by really liking the hand-cut beef tartare, which came with judion beans on the side. I also had escargot and bone marrow as starters, too, both for the first time as well. While neither were as that scary, I didn’t enjoy them as much as the beef tartare, which had a fresh taste to it, contrary to what I had imagined raw beef tasting like.

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Beef tartare

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It wasn’t so much the food, which was fine for the most part, though some of it had its problems, too. It was the extremely slow service that really got us. Since I made the reservation for the meal, my experience with the hotel started before anyone else’s, and it didn’t start off well.

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