Events
posts displayed by category
EVENT: EAT. DRINK. ART at Barnsdall Park
Aug 29 2014
Support LA art, get food, drink and song. EAT. DRINK. ART. is a benefit for The Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, which is run by the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. Their mission it is to promote, interpret, and present the art of emerging to established artists from Southern California.
This event looks really fun and will include food from Let’s Be Frank, Coolhaus, and The Urban Oven to name a few, plus drinks curated by Silverlake Wine. There’s also music from KCRW’s Dan Wilcox and lots and lots of art.
Get your tickets here.
This Saturday: Buy Baked Goods, Support Typhoon Haiyan Relief
Nov 21 2013
This Saturday (tomorrow!), head over to Coolhaus in Pasadena, and buy some baked goods. Proceeds benefit the Philippine Red Cross. On the menu are Salted Caramel Ginger Snap Sandwiches, Arkansas Black Apple Hand Pies, Bacon Caramel Popcorn, Lemon Shortbread Bars, Ube Cupcakes, gluten-free treats, and even pre-made pie dough (hello, Thanksgiving shortcut). I made the Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies with Dark Chocolate & Cherry Chunks you see above, and they’re totally good.
Hope to see you there! Here’s the flyer:
-Valentina
GIVEAWAY: Win 2 Tickets to Rocktoberfest at LA Live!
Oct 04 2012
Wolfgang Puck and KISS’ Gene Simmons are hosting Rocktoberfest at Live LA October 15-21, and I’m giving away two tickets. If you win, you get 2 General Admission tickets, which will let you sample German beer and Wolfgang Puck’s California twist on German food, and a commemorative stein to take home. There will be live entertainment to boot.
Best part is you get to choose one of the following days: Tuesday Oct. 16, Wednesday Oct. 17, or Thursday Oct. 18.
If you want to win, it’s easy:
- Follow East Side Food Bites on Twitter or Facebook-if you’re already a follower, you’re good. If not, just click one of the corresponding buttons to the left.
- Comment below and let me know where you follow me (FB or Twitter), so I can check. Tell me your handle name.
- Enter by Thursday, October 10th.
I’ll pick the winner raffle style on the 11th and let you know via FB or Twitter that day. I have to turn in your name by the 12th, so you must confirm your prize before noon on the 12th. If not, I’ll have to pick someone else. Ticket will be held at will call. Good luck.
Find out all the details on the Rocktoberfest Official Site.
-Valentina
Event: 4th Annual L.A.Beer Float Showdown is Coming!
Sep 14 2012
Old timey Eastside Food Bites readers might remember my report from the 2nd Annual LA Beer Float Showdown at Verdugo bar a couple of years back. Well, it’s on again! The 4th annual event will take place at Golden Road Brewery on September 29. This year, LA chefs will team up with local breweries to be crowned the master supreme beer float champions…or something like that.
We even have a dog in the fight—hometown favorites and reigning champs, Andre Guerrero and Jan Purdy (The Oinkster and Maximiliano) join Eagle Rock Brewery again. Their winning entry last year involved pig candy and bourbon ice cream.
Here’s the flyer. Get more info and tickets over at Food GPS.
Burger Week: The Oinkster’s Northeast (Western) Bacon Cheeseburger
Jun 06 2012
When I was a little kid, I perceived Carl’s Jr. to be fancy. It’s because my mom used to say Carl’s Jr. was too expensive, opting for cheaper fast food chains, like say, Naugles or, more likely, hamburgers cooked at home. So when I finally got to try it, as a guest of one of my more spoiled friends, I was pretty amazed at what I’d been missing.
At my friend’s urging, I ordered the Western Bacon Cheeseburger (her mom made us order juniors) and couldn’t believe there were actually onion rings inside a burger. That blew my mind while barbecue sauce danced on and dazzled my 8-year-old palate.
Now, I can eat a Western Bacon Cheeseburger any time I want, but I never ever do. For one, it probably wouldn’t be as good as I remember, and two, I generally shy away from fast food meat. That’s why I squealed when I heard The Oinkster was doing a tribute to this burger for Burger Week—if anyone could do this concept justice it’s The Oinkster.
I was not disappointed. Their rendition, the Northeast Bacon Cheeseburger, was outrageously good. The best part was the panko-encrusted onion rings, which were crispy and flavorful. The applewood bacon and tangy house-made barbecue sauce added a smokiness that the original could only dream of. All this was anchored by that thick Oinkster patty and the American cheese that clung to it.
Childhood validated.
-Valentina
P.S. There’s still more Burger Week to enjoy—check out the schedule on my previous post. I’ll definitely be lining up for the Big Max on Sunday.
Eagle Rock: Oinkster’s Burger Week Starts Today!
Jun 04 2012
UPDATE: Check out Burgergasm’s review of the Red Castle.
It’s finally here! Burger Week, “A Tribute to Classic American Burgers,” is on at The Oinkster. This year they’re parodying White Castle sliders, Big Mac, Sourdough Jack, the Double Double and more. I can’t wait!
Last year, I only got to try the Umami Burger, but this year, I won’t be held back. I think I’ll start Wednesday with the Western Bacon Cheeseburger.
Pictures to come. Here’s the schedule-oh, and if you eat them all you get a Joy Division-esque Burger Week t-shirt. If you can’t make that commitment, you can at least get a super cute button.
-Valentina
Taste of the Eastside: Sights and Bites
May 08 2012
I was invited to attend Taste of the Eastside, which I sadly had to miss last year. The whole shebang took place last Sunday at Barnsdall Park in Los Feliz. I got there right on time, so I was able to try everything relatively unmolested. Here are some of the things I tried. Those up there? Pavlovas with blackberry and lemon meyer preserves from Atwater Village’s Proof Bakery.
Here’s the rest:
Conchinita pibil taco from Yuca’s in Los Feliz. Very tender.
Buffalo-style cauliflower with vegan blue cheese from Mohawk Bend in Echo Park. I hardly missed the chicken.
Cinnamon rolls and red velvet cupcakes from Auntie Em’s in Eagle Rock.They were nice enough to turn over two rolls for me.
Silver Lake: Alma Pop-Up at Millie’s
Apr 17 2012
Millie’s has gone fine dining. Well, sort of. Alma, a pop-up concept by Chef Ari Taymor and Front-of-the-House Dinelle Lucchesi, has been taking over the Sunset Boulevard diner after hours Thursday through Sunday. My advice: go.
For $55, you get around six courses, plus a few extras—each more inventive than the last. I haven’t been this excited by a meal in a long time. From start (an artfully plated, color-conscious root vegetable crudite) to finish (Shichimi-spiced kettle corn), the experience was totally worth the price of admission.
The hands-down highlight of the night, for me, was the rich and silky young garlic soup with a poached egg plopped in the center. The heavens opened up once the yolk was broken, and green onion relish acted as an exclamation point. Also impressive was the onion chicharron topped with smoked crème fraiche. The crunchy-creamy/sweet-savory effect was mirrored by its companion, a savory seaweed beignet drizzled with yuzu koshu and lime. The combination made for a lusty deep fried course.
The main event was a succulent duck, which appeared with that perfect golden brown skin and tender pink meat you always hope for when duck is on the menu. Simple and earthy, the dish was rounded out by fava beans and chantrelle mushrooms instead of being camouflaged in sauce.
Other perks included a house-made Squirt soda made with hibiscus and habanero, plus two desserts—a play on bananas foster and raw milk curd with strawberry and pistachios.
-Valentina
Note: The Alma pop-up continues through May 27th, and the menu changes constantly. It’s cash only and BYOB. You can make a reservation at Urbanspoon.
Salad photo (top left corner) by Brian McGinn, courtesy of Alma.
Eat with Strangers: The Meal. Documenting a Global Snack.
Feb 13 2012
My friend Anh turned me on to this cool global art project by the Art House Co-op, an independent Brooklyn-based company that organizes global collaborative art projects.
The Concept: The Meal gives you and your food a chance to be featured in a real-life art exhibit. All you have to do is take a photo of yourself eating at 12pm EST on February 24—that’s next Friday. Then, you send in your photo, which will be featured online and in their storefront project space.
The Point: To “inspire a feeling of community across geographic and cultural boundaries.” Just think, you’ll be breaking bread with thousand of people all over the world.
The Rules: If you want to participate, you have to sign up by February 22 and make sure your photo submission is postmarked by March 24.
-Valentina
Save the Date: Eat My Blog 4.0 in Pasadena
Nov 30 2011
Last year I participated in Eat My Blog and had a great time-I even made some Peppermint “Faux-reos”. This year, I’m even more excited because the charity event will be held in at Pita Jungle in Pasadena.
As always, the “blogger-hosted bake sale” will raise money for the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank. Since 2009, Eat My Blog has raised over $12,000.
This year, 50 local bloggers and restaurants will be participating, including eastside favorites Xoia, who will be dishing up Coconut Milk Tres Leches Cakes, and Good Girl Dinette. Some of my favorite blogs will also be baking: Dishing Up Delights, Fashion Intel, Diana Takes a Bite and Gastronomy Blog among others. Me? Well, I’ll be making some baklava-I’m doing a test run this weekend and will post some pics next week.
I hope to see you there. And in the meantime, check out the official Eat My Blog website and photos from last year’s even below.
[cincopa AwLAGaaUH4EX]
-Valentina
