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The opening of the new Santa Monica Place mall has been exciting for those of us who knew the old, tired mall that stood in its place years ago. Perhaps some of the most exciting parts have been the new food options, some of which are entirely new to Los Angeles. La Sandia and Zengo from chef Richard Sandoval are two of those new restaurants.

I was invited to try out the food and drink at both places last week, and I came away from the experience pleasantly surprised. These restaurants — the Mexican La Sandia and the Latin-Asian fusion Zengo — are nicer than your usual mall joints, with some pretty respectable cocktails, too.

We started out with cocktails and appetizers at La Sandia. My favorite drink was the cucumber-serrano martini made with mezcal, cucumber, serrano chili, citrus and chili piquin salt on the rim. I love spicy hotness as well as cucumber in my drinks, so this was the prefect combination. I also really enjoyed the shrimp quesadillas made with shrimp, Mexican cheeses, black bean puree, chipotle aioli and topped with crema and avocado. So tasty!

La Sandia cocktails

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If you haven’t yet heard, the new Santa Monica Place mall opens tomorrow, Aug. 6, and if you remember what the old mall looked like, this is a real treat. Gone is the bunker-like feel (sorry, Frank Gehry, this was not one of your best designs), replaced by high-end stores and an open-air dining deck. There will be all sorts of hooplah surrounding the grand opening, including live music and dance, and sale specials, of course! Here’s a full list of retailers.

One of those special grand opening events will be taking place at Bloomingdale’s (yes, Bloomies!) with Nation LTD, the luxe basics brand. Designer Jen Menchaca will be offering styling tips, and there will be a giveaway contest with the chance to win one of three “Summer Survival Kits” filled with Nation LTD tees (retail value $325). The first 50 purchasers will receive a free denim Nation LTD tote, and Bobbi Brown makeup artists will be on hand to offer beauty tips and to give out mini Crystal Lip Glosses. If only I didn’t have to go to work tomorrow!

Friday, Aug. 6
1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Bloomingdale’s at Santa Monica Place
395 Santa Monica Place
Santa Monica, CA, 90401

I had been meaning to try FIG Restaurant in the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica since it opened early last year, so when I was invited to dinner there, I jumped at the chance. The restaurant’s seasonal, farm-to-table concept sounded good — how could a place that places its emphasis on fresh local ingredients not sound good? The good news is this philosophy isn’t just lip service: Chef Ray Garcia knows his ingredients, and his kitchen can really cook.

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BoConcept's ottoman bed. From Apartment Therapy.

This Memorial Day weekend, BoConcept, the urban design home furnishings store, is having a tax-free sale on all purchases from May 28 to May 31. And through June 15, the brand’s functional furniture, including sleeper sofas, extendable dining tables, functional coffee tables and more, is on sale. This ottoman (regularly $499; on sale for $429) actually folds out into a single bed — ingenious!

BoConcept has stores in Santa Monica and San Diego, as well as two locations in San Francisco. There are stores all over the country, so check the website for details.

Sonic 410 for women

New Balance has a new collection of what they’re saying are environmentally friendly sneakers called the Sonic 574 for men and the Sonic 410 for women. These shoes are made using heat and pressure applied to the seams of the pattern pieces, which fuses the shoe together and cuts out waste while making the shoe airtight and watertight. This process is used in place of sewing or gluing.

Intrigued? Head over to Fred Segal Santa Monica Thursday, May 13, and check out the new collection. There will be a special wall build out inspired by the collection, as well as a DJ, cocktails and appetizers. You’ll have to RSVP, though (see below).

Fred Segal Santa Monica
500 Broadway
Santa Monica, CA

May 13, 2010
7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

RSVP: Cara@RedLightPR.com

Junior Drake: The warehouse sale is back (did it ever go away?) starting today, May 6, through Saturday, May 8, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. I would expect many of the bags that didn’t sell the last time, though the handbag powers that be say there will be new merchandise for sale. And once again, if you spend at least $150, you’ll get to spin a wheel for a chance at prizes, though last time I spent $115 and got to spin the wheel (I won a coin purse).

740 E. 60th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90001

Carla Amorim: Brazilian jewelry designer Carla Amorim is holding a trunk show featuring new pieces from the spring 2010 collection at Broken English in Santa Monica from May 7 to May 9 during the store’s regular business hours. A special opening night party for the sale will take place Friday, May 7, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. with an open bar, DJ and gift bags.

Broken English
225 26th St. #17
Santa Monica, CA 90402

Mike & Chris scarf. From Chocosho.

Maven Collective: On Saturday, May 1, go to the final sample sale featuring Mike & Chris, b.son, Anzevino & Florence (current season!), Gram, Sneaky Steve and more. Everything will be priced from $5 to $50 with both cash and credit accepted.

Maven Collective sample sale
324 Flower St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627
Saturday May 1st 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

1642: This new Echo Park/HiFi (Historic Filipinotown) bar is holding a night of romance (or whatever floats your boat) with its Slow Dance on Saturday, May 1. Gypsy Tailwind and friends will be spinning soul, rock, country and folk starting at 9:00 p.m. Expect craft beers and boutique wines.

1642
1642 Temple St, Los Angeles, CA 90026

Whist at the Viceroy Santa Monica: The Viceroy’s restaurant, Whist, is introducing Savor Sundays starting this Sunday, May 2, with family-style prix fixe menus through June 20. This Sunday’s menu features butter lettuce wedges; buttermilk fried chicken with bacon cheddar biscuits, collard greens, grits, mashed potatoes and market slaw; and pecan pie with whisky caramel and vanilla ice cream.

1819 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90401
$27/per adult, $12/per child under 12
Sundays, May 2 to June 20, 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Last month’s Star Chefs event at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica showcased some of the best culinary talent in Southern California. The event was a walk-around one with a different chef-created dish at each table. Some of the most-talked about chefs were there, including Michael Voltaggio from The Dining Room at the Langham Hotel, Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo from Animal, and Ray Garcia of FIG, among others.

Some of my favorites from the night were Animal’s poutine made with oxtail and cheddar and Voltaggio’s wagyu beef with white cheddar, cream of dehydrated broccoli and topped with dehydrated broccoli.

Voltaggio's wagyu beef. From e*starLA.

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Drago Centro charcuterie plate. From Dig Lounge.

Whether you plan on celebrating Valentine’s Day or not — or just haven’t made up your mind yet — here are some special meals that will be happening around Los Angeles.

To Celebrate

Drago Centro: From Feb. 12 to 14, Drago Centro is offering a four-course dinner for $55, with wine pairings for an additional $35. (Limited à la carte menu items will be available, too.) Here are the menu choices:

First course — beef carpaccio, hearts of palm and candied almonds, or antipasto plate

Second course — butternut squash ravioli with lemon brown butter, or shrimp and scallop agnolotti with cioppino foam

Third course — roasted lamb with artichoke hearts, brown butter pomme purée and rapini, or Dover sole, baby vegetable ragoût and lemon beurre blanc

Fourth course — strawberry semifreddo with basil and white chocolate, or chocolate cake, candied Marcona almonds and raspberries

Also, on Feb. 14 the restaurant will be hosting a masquerade carnival with live music, and guests are encouraged to dress up, too.

Cecconi’s: The West Hollywood eatery is offering its full à la carte menu, a tasting menu for $85, and an optional wine pairing for an additional $45. The tasting menu includes wild mushroom cappuccino; dungeness crab, ahi tuna and avocado; winter black truffle and ricotta ravioli; chateaubriand for two, winter root vegetables and a peppercorn sauce; and a layered chocolate cake, kirsh cherries and whipped cream.

Pourtal: The Santa Monica wine bar is offering two-for-one glasses of bubbly on Feb. 14 from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Choose from the featured selection of Marquis de Perlade Blanc de Blanc or a Kir Royale. Cupid will be there to pass out secret Valentines to guests who purchase bubbly or a tasting card; they will receive a free pour ranging from on Pourtal’s Enomatic machines.

Cube: Head over to Cube Marketplace’s cafe on Feb. 13 for a fondue party. Ok, not really, but you can get the fondue special and make it your own party! For $35, you can get prosecco, cheese fondue, roasted farmers market vegetables and fresh fruit, house-baked bread, Meyer lemon coeur a la crème, farmers market berries, citrus cookies — and house-made dark chocolate truffles and confections to take home.

Not To Celebrate

Charlie’s Malibu: On Feb. 13, Charlie’s will host “Bitter, Party of 1” for singles (or as its press release says, “couples welcome, but we may mock them”) with tunes from DJ Kid Wycked from 9:00 p.m. to close. And on both Feb. 13 and 14, the restaurant will offer a four-course chef’s tasting menu for $75, with a $20 wine pairing, along with the regular à la carte and lounge menus. The tasting menu includes dishes such as poached pear with herbed goat cheese and candied walnuts, filet mignon, and lobster tail. You don’t have to eat with a Valentine, you know.

Rush Street: On Feb. 13, the Culver City bar and restaurant will host a Meet Your Valentine party with specialty cocktails and artisanal chocolates. There will be no prix fixe menu. On Feb. 14, diners can enjoy half-off featured wine and champagne all day long.

Akasha: Take home a box of 12 mini cupcakes for $20 from the Culver City restaurant’s bakery to serve at your anti-Vday party — or eat them yourself, I don’t judge. Flavors include chocolate and vanilla cakes with different frosting and icing. The chocolate with Gianduja (that’s a chocolate/hazelnut combo) filling, chocolate glaze and fleur de sel sounds awesome!

Pourtal, the Santa Monica wine bar with those fancy-schmancy Enomatic wine dispensers, is offering a month-long in January “wine tour” featuring Malibu-made wines. The best part is you don’t have to actually trek to Malibu to taste the wines because Pourtal will have them all in one place for you. Even better? A free launch party tomorrow night, Jan. 6, from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., to kick off the tour. Admission is free, but you do have to buy a $15 tasting card, which gives you access to all 10 of the featured Malibu wines and additional hand pourings from off-list wines by representatives of the wineries (there will also be free appetizers).

Here’s the list of the 10 wines that will be available any time for a “tour” throughout January, as well as during the launch party:

2006 Hoyt Family Vineyards Chardonnay
2008 Republic of Malibu Pink Lady Rosé
2007 Cielo Malibu Rouge
2001 Semler Cabernet Sauvignon Library Release
2005 Semler Syrah
2005 Rosenthal Malibu Newton Canyon Merlot
2004 Rosenthal Surfrider Red
2007 Griffin Family Vineyard Malbec
2007 Malibu Vineyards “Vortex” Sangiovese
2008 Malibu Sanity Pinot Noir, Schetter Malibu Vineyard

Here’s the schedule of additional hand-poured tastings from individual wineries:

Jan. 13, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.: Semler and Saddlerock
Jan. 20, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.: Cielo
Jan. 21, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.: Rosenthal
Jan. 27, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.: Hoyt and Malibu Sanity
Jan. 28, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.: Malibu Vineyards and Griffin Family Vineyards

I’m not a big wine drinker, but I’ve had the Semler Cabernet Sauvignon (I can’t remember the exact year), and it was amazing. So $15 for access to 10+ Malibu wines sounds like a great deal.