Posts Tagged ‘West Hollywood’

Treat yo self: Quality food and drink at good prices

Asa Meza ceviche

Asa Meza ceviche. From Asa Meza.

If you’re like me, you want to enjoy the finer things in life, but you can’t always afford it. That’s when knowing where to score some reasonably priced eats (sometimes free!) at some of Los Angeles’ up-and-coming restaurants and bars comes in handy.

Two new deals from Asa Meza and Now Boarding should whet your appetite.

On Thursday, March 19, Latin- and Asian-inspired restaurant Asa Meza is hosting a Hollywood Social Night from 6 to 10 p.m. Go to check out the menu, craft cocktails and beers while also enjoying complimentary appetizers.

Asa Meza
1718 Vine St.
Hollywood, CA 90028

Blackjack Smash at Now Boarding.

Blackjack Smash at Now Boarding. From Now Boarding.

At Now Boarding, a travel-inspired bar in West Hollywood, Sunday nights are now “You Don’t Know Jack” nights. Starting at 9 p.m., enjoy free live music from funk, soul and R&B bands, as well as happy hour-priced $9 specialty Jack Daniels cocktails. Considering these kinds of cocktails are usually $14, this is a bargain.

Cocktails include:

~Tiny Dancer with Jack Daniel’s whiskey, Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur, passion fruit and prosecco
~Blackjack Smash with Jack Daniel’s whiskey, lemon juice, sugar, blackberries and mint
~Jackalope with Jack Daniel’s whiskey, pineapple, coconut and Ancho Reyes ancho chile liqueur
~Elda Fitzgerald with Jack Daniel’s whiskey, St. Germaine elderflower liqueur, orange, lemon, sugar and egg white

Now Boarding
7746 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90046

15

03 2015

Experience an ode to the 80s with Dear John Hughes

Dear John Hughes by For the Record

Dear John Hughes by For the Record

If you’re a fan of the movies The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink (and if you’re not, we can’t be friends), then you’ll want to check out the musical theater show Dear John Hughes presented by For the Record.

For the Record shows string together music from one auteur’s films to create a cohesive live musical stage show. Dear John Hughes weaves songs together from The Breakfast Club (celebrating its 30th anniversary this year), Sixteen CandlesPretty in Pink, Weird Science, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Some Kind of Wonderful to create a new story while still holding true to the originals. You’ll hear Simple Minds’ “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” David Bowie’s “Changes,” Suzanne Vega’s “Left of Center” and many more while enjoying cocktail and food specials inspired by the 80s (read: sweet drinks and Jiffy Pop). It’s basically one big party.

Evan Rachel Wood in Dear John Hughes

Evan Rachel Wood in Dear John Hughes

Joining the For the Record cast this time around for Dear John Hughes is actress Evan Rachel Wood (Thirteen, Pretty Persuasion, The Wrestler), who shines as Basket Case, i.e., Breakfast Club Allison, Ferris Bueller Jeanie and Some Kind of Wonderful Watts. Wood is passionate in her role and has a great set of lungs to boot. When Wood isn’t performing, Rumer Willis plays Basket Case. If her performance in For the Record’s Baz Luhrmann is any indication, she’ll also be great in Dear John Hughes. And don’t overlook Alex Wyse’s portrayal of Brain, i.e., Anthony Michael Hall characters as well as Ferris Bueller. He’s amazing.

Dear John Hughes shows every Friday through Sunday through April 5 at DBA in West Hollywood. Baz Luhrmann shows on Thursdays through the end of March. Buy tickets.

Note: Admission to both Dear John Hughes and Baz Luhrmann were complimentary.

16

02 2015

Dine L.A. Restaurant Week Pick: GORGE

Beer Sausage

Beer sausage

There’s one more week left for Dine L.A. Restaurant Week, and if you’re going to go to one place, I suggest you try GORGE, a cozy house-made charcuterie and wine bar from Top Chef alumna Elia Aboumrad and pastry chef Uyen Nguyen (Le Cirque, Craftsteak, Restaurant Guy Savoy). GORGE is located on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood just steps away from old-school rock hangouts the Roxy and Rainbow Room. Not exactly where one might expect to find such fine food, so all the more reason to patronize the place!

Keep Reading

27

01 2013

Not just another pretty face: new cocktails, satisfying food at Cecconi’s

Galleggiante Swizzle at Cecconi's

Galleggiante Swizzle at Cecconi's

Cecconi’s West Hollywood, the SoHo House-owned Italian restaurant with a storied Venice history, may be known as a celebrity hot spot, but you’d be remiss to wave it off as such. With a respectable cocktail program and a delectable menu, Cecconi’s would be a good choice for a casual weeknight dinner or a special place to take out-of-towners.

If you’re going to visit, make sure to check out the spring cocktail menu. The 50/50, made with half Bombay London Dry Gin and Martini Bianco vermouth, is a smoother alternative to the traditional martini and is dangerously drinkable. The Galleggiante Swizzle is fun as well as interesting with its combination of Zaya rum, lime, coffee, chocolate, mint and a float of Fernet. The Jalisco Sour is another well-balanced drink, made with Siete Leguas Reposado tequila, lemon, agave, egg white and mole bitters, and the Pink Lady, with Bombay London Dry Gin, apple brandy, house-made grenadine, lemon and egg white, is a tasty option.

Bone marrow

Bone marrow

Looking for some food to go with your drink? From the cicchetti menu, try the fava bean and burrata bruschetta, wood roast bone marrow with sweet-and-sour agrodolce sauce, and the roast scallops wrapped in pancetta and rosemary. All are sure to satisfy. If you’re looking for more, go with the hearty pappardelle made with generous chunks of rabbit, lemon and thyme. And don’t forget dessert. Get the sampler platter; you’ll thank me later.

See more photos from Cecconi’s:

Note: This meal was hosted.

10

06 2012

(Not your) everyday brunch at Luca on Sunset

Pastry Chef Rebecca West's pastries

Pastry Chef Rebecca West's pastries

Brunch is normally a weekend occurrence, but sometimes it’s nice to have breakfast foods at lunchtime during the week. You can do that at Luca on Sunset in West Hollywood, where brunch is served until 3 p.m. daily.

Chef Luca Giorgetti, who grew up in a Tuscan farmhouse, offers a slew of healthy breakfast items (no butter and little salt), including omelets, scrambles, breakfast and croissant sandwiches, pancakes, French toast, smoothies, juices and many other dishes. And Pastry Chef Rebecca West makes some amazing pastries (these, of course, contain “just enough” butter), including the flaky croissants used in Giorgetti’s sandwiches.

Keep Reading

28

04 2012

New delectable food and drink at Asia de Cuba

Tunapica at Asia de Cuba

Tunapica at Asia de Cuba

The Mondrian hotel in West Hollywood is known for its sleekness, especially its ultra-stylish Skybar. What else would you expect from Sunset Boulevard? And its Asia de Cuba, a Philippe Starck-designed Latin-Asian fusion restaurant, is no exception. But this sleek eatery isn’t just all style; there’s substance behind that pretty face.

Asia de Cuba has always been a destination restaurant, but with a new cocktail menu and a revamped dinner menu by Chef Troy N. Thompson, there’s even more reason to visit.

Keep Reading

02

04 2012

A slice of the Mediterranean in West Hollywood: Mezze

Mezze offers just what you would think — small, sharable plates of Mediterranean food. And what food it is! It’s flavorful and fun, and Mezze’s location, a semi-open space with an indoor tree (you’ll just have to see for yourself), complements the menu nicely. You can almost forget that you’re on La Cienega Boulevard a stone’s throw away from the Beverly Center.

My favorite “side” dishes at a recent dinner were the beet salad with chickpeas, sheep’s milk yogurt and haloumi cheese, and the Nantes carrots with harissa and lebne yogurt cheese. Both items were well-balanced and flavorful, especially the carrots.

The more substantial dishes really impressed me; I even liked the lamb in the Hashweh Risotto, which came topped with fried lemon, and I don’t normally like lamb. The shawarma made with brisket, amba (a tangy mango condiment) and house pickles are fun and satisfying. The white bass, with sea beans, cauliflower and coriander, was perfectly cooked and seasoned.

My favorite dessert was hands-down the Date & Ameretti Parfait with mascarpone and Turkish coffee — and I don’t normally like dates, either! The mix of textures and different types of sweet, but not too sweet, flavors was surprising and delightful. I would definitely order it again.

As for the cocktails, these were more hit-or-miss for me. The Baharat Milk, with Barbancourt rum 8 year, Remy VS cognac, Baharat (spiced) milk and pistachios, was delicious though heavy, but the George Dickel Pickle, made with whiskey, mustard seed, lemon, celery, pickle and serrano pepper, was not my taste at all (though Esther of estarLA liked it). You win some, you lose some. No matter; I’ll be back for the food.

Note: This meal was hosted.

13

02 2012

Mendocino Farms West Hollywood now open, Blue Cow previewed

Lamb sausage for Blue Cow menu

Lamb sausage for Blue Cow menu

Mario Del Pero and Ellen Chen, the folks who brought you the uber-delish sandwich spot Mendocino Farms (now open in West Hollywood by Target), have plans to open Blue Cow, a more upscale restaurant, early next year. Blue Cow, to be housed in the space occupied by Casa in California Plaza in downtown Los Angeles, will also feature sandwiches at the heart of its menu and serve as a test kitchen for Mendocino Farms. Joshua Smith (Church & State, Anisette) will be executive chef, and Steve Livigni (La Descarga, Harvard & Stone) will design the seasonal cocktail menu. And there will be sandwiches of the ice cream kind from pastry chef Miho Travi. Sounds kind of amazing, right?

At a recent tasting at the new MF West Hollywood location, collaborating (yes, partnerships of this type are slated to be common at Blue Cow) chef Jason Travi of Fraiche restaurant fame debuted a couple of his creations for the Blue Cow menu: a turkey sausage sandwich made with Wild Turkey whiskey, apple compote and pickled mushrooms, and a lamb sausage topped with harissa, red onion, cucumbers, tomatoes and red bell peppers. While I really enjoyed the Mediterranean-inspired lamb sausage (and I’m not a big fan of lamb in general), the turkey sausage sandwich was too sweet for my taste. But, these recipes could very well change, as they’re still in the testing phase.

Also, I think I may have found my new favorite sandwich at Mendocino Farms: the “Not So Fried” Chicken made with roasted chicken breast rolled in soy-based “Krispies,” herb aioli, whole grain mustard slaw, tomatoes and pickled red onions on toasted ciabatta bread. Very satisfying.

"Not So Fried" Chicken sandwich from Mendocino Farms

"Not So Fried" Chicken sandwich from Mendocino Farms

Further reading:

Mario Del Pero of Mendocino Farms to Open Blue Cow Feb. 1 with Stellar BOH Lineup by Eater LA

Note: This tasting was hosted.

16

11 2011

VIVA JAPAN event to support relief efforts

Japan tsunami. From Amazing Photos.

VIVA JAPAN: A Benefit to Support Relief Efforts in Japan will be held Friday, April 1, from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. at Voyeur in West Hollywood. Expect live music from DJ Glenn Red (Afrofunke, Eclectica), Mr. NumberOnederful (Cannibal Flower), Rick Wren (Hang Together) and The Love Connection, as well as live art from Mimi Yoon and Stephen Williams.

Now, I normally don’t post this kinds of things, but when I saw that all proceeds from the event will go to Direct Relief International (DRI), California’s largest international humanitarian nonprofit organization, I though people should know about it. Here’s why:

  • Efficiency: 98.8 percent of funding went to program expenses, with 1 percent dedicated to administrative and fundraising.
  • In the past 10 years, each dollar spent has provided up to $30 (wholesale) of medical material aid specifically requested by in-country health professionals to care for patients.
  • Transparency: Direct Relief provides a map detailing where it delivers its supplies and how much it spends on each kind.
  • Proven Track Record: Direct experience with large-scale emergencies in Asia, including the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami of 2004. This will help guide them to best plan and execute a recovery strategy.
  • Charity Navigator: Direct Relief is a 4-Star Charity, which is labeled as “Exceptional: Exceeds industry standards and outperforms most charities in its cause.”

There will be a $10 donation entrance fee, and attendees will be allowed to stay in Voyeur when it opens to the public as a club at 11:00 p.m. Proceeds from art sales will also go to support relief efforts in Japan. Do good, people!

 

30

03 2011

An oasis on the Sunset Strip: Eveleigh

Bubble & Squeak

When I first walked into Eveleigh (“ever-lee”), I couldn’t believe this rustic-looking restaurant sat on the Sunset Strip. It was way too laid-back. The reclaimed and repurposed wood, the communal tables, the live lemon trees and the open-air dining room made me feel more as if I were in Napa than smack in the middle of the trendiest part of West Hollywood. That’s a good thing, by the way.

Keep Reading

Related Posts with Thumbnails

15

03 2011