Party's on at La Buca!Photo: Stephen Sakulsky
Osteria La Buca, no stranger to far-out stunts, is seemingly taking its latest cue from the world of Korean barbecue, turning a glassed-in upstairs space into an all-you-can-eat pasta and wine-swilling bacchanal. The Melrose Italian is branding its private dining option "The Dinner Party," making way for a minimum of six and maximum of ten guests to come in for a family-style meal sans cessation for the entire night. What's on the menu?
Ale for what ails you.
Winter is coming, sure, but at the end of that, it'll thaw a bit and you'll be able to sip some cool, Belgian-style, Game of Thrones–branded beer. The Cooperstown, New York, brewery Ommegang will roll out its Westeros-inspired Iron Throne Blonde Ale, the New York Times reports, on March 31, to coincide with the HBO show's season-three premiere. And if you're not feeling King Joffrey in that actual Game of Thrones throne, don't worry: There are, em, three more official George R. R. Martin–approved brews in the pipeline. Now where is Tom Colicchio with some slow-roasted venison haunch when you need him the most? Best pairing ever. [NYT, Earlier]
Los Globos
In this month's L.A. Magazine, we learn that Steve Edelson, the storied L.A. nightlife veteran who runs some of the city's down-and-dirtiest, most egalitarian hangout spots, has been stabbed a couple of times and even shot once. So really, a room full of angry Silver Lake residents is probably not about to phase the dude, famously tough and allegedly possessing of a volatile temper. Nonetheless, Edelson is attempting to show neighbors of his Sunset Boulevard nightclub, Los Globos, a friendlier face, convincing them that he actually cares about what they think in the wake of the club's recent troubles.
If the convincing performances of George C. Scott and that pompous cartoon duck somehow find you still hankering for an extra helping of Dickens next week, we've learned that Jonathan Gold will take the stage next Wednesday night, December 26, in Second City's A Christmas Carol: Twist Your Dickens, the zany staging of the play up now at The Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. L.A.'s main man with the Golden pen will follow chef Susan Feniger's Sunday matinee performance on December 23. Can these two L.A. food legends possibly restrain themselves from asking for more gruel? To find out, get your tickets online.
While the reinvigorated Angel City Brewery labors on its first new releases (a witbier called Eureka! and an Angeleno IPA) the brewery is also exhibiting some good holiday cheer by holding a men's clothing drive for homeless residents of Midnight Mission trying to get on their feet (it's about time booze gave back!). From noon to 6:00 P.M. every day this week, the Downtown brewery is accepting "gently-worn" suits, shirts, sneakers, dress shoes, ties, and trousers, as well as food donations, at its side entrance. In exchange, anyone donating will get a sneak peek at the renovated brewery along with an Angel City pint glass. After a year of working on its relaunch, the brewery plans to officially debut its new look and attitude in 2013, featuring a bar with eight taps and space for growler sales and factory tours. 216 S. Alameda St. Downtown.
Kevin Meehan, the New York native that left Downtown's Pinot Bistro to begin a roving dinner party called Kali Dining, reaches out to Facebook fans to reveal his search for a Westside brick-and-mortar to turn Kali into a more permanent destination. Meehan says he is still in the strategic and fund-raising stages for what will be a "small, intimate" space, seeking out interested parties who may want to lend a hand. Kali Dining will, in the meantime, be back in mid-January to continue Meehan's innovative, ingredient-driven dinner party series that encourages guest interaction. Whether or not such tempting morsels as the bison ball salami the chef recently posted about will appear again is anyone's guess. You may just have to wait til that becomes the next big thing around here.
Umami in Paradise?Photo: Umami Burger
Given the lightning-fast proliferation of Adam Fleischman's Umami Burger to fourteen locations since first opening on La Brea in 2009 combined with the tendency for major investor Sam Nazarian to bestow South Beach with the same cornerstones upholding the success of SBE in Los Angeles (SLS Hotel, Katsuya, The Bazaar)**, it should probably come as no surprise that Umami Burger is now heading to Miami. Reps for the "fifth taste" burger chain announce that the first Umami Burger opening outside of Golden State soil will be on Miami's Alton Road, named Umami SOBE. The new outpost is predicted to open in 2013, before New York's recently announced location does, and will feature a "greatest hits" menu from the four-year-old burger empire. 1080 Alton Rd. Miami Beach.
"Chips, Crisps & Wafers"Photo: I Am 8-Bit
Chips are totally in these days, serving as the tortilla in Taco Bell's best-seller and providing a jagged edge on Son of a Gun's lobster roll, among other novel appearances. So it probably shouldn't come as a surprise that there's a potato chip pop-up exhibit on Sunset Blvd. this week. Through December 23, I Am 8-Bit presents "Chips, Crisps & Wafers," a look at over 50 kinds of chips from around the world, including New Orleans' crawtaters, Indian masala chips, a wasabi plum flavor from Japan, a roast chicken variety from England, and Thanksgiving ham and cranberry chips. Bet you can't eat just one! 2147 W. Sunset Blvd. Silverlake.
Spoiled.
Food Safety News reports that Organic Pastures, the nation’s largest raw-milk dairy, is suing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for ignoring its request to change the 1987 law banning the sale of raw milk across state lines. The raw-milk cult sure is feisty: It's endured armed raids, paranoia, jail time, and diarrhea. Raw milk is legal in 30 states that include California, Arizona, Maine, New Hampshire, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Utah, and it's explicitly banned in twenty states. Organic Pastures farmer Mark McAfee, who’s basically the food world’s L. Ron Hubbard, wants to legalize interstate commerce of raw milk between states in which the FDA already allows it to be produced and sold. It boils down to this problem: Demand is high for raw milk in Arizona, but the state only has two raw-milk dairies. McAfee wants to send a shipment of raw milk from California, where it’s so ubiquitous that it’s sold in retail chains.
Pasadena risingPhoto: Phandcp/Flickr
Pasadena was named as a "culinary destination" by The L.A. Times this weekend, perhaps something not completely foreseeable in years past through the thicket of middling chains and fratty bro bars long dotting Colorado Boulevard. Pasadena currently has over 550 restaurants, more per capita than N.Y.C. says the story, and even quite a few you'd actually be inclined to visit. Vertical Wine Bar's Laurent Quenioux is among those getting the credit for embracing Julia Child's hometown, along with tapas-destination Racion, new Trattoria Neapolis, Sushi Kimagure, and Noir Food & Wine. As the streets are all but besieged by Cordon Bleu students, chef David Feau of The Royce predicts, "I really believe there will be more and better restaurants here than there will be in downtown Los Angeles." But of course, this upswing in optimism and improved eating isn't just proof of Pasadena's boom, but of an entire county on fire.
Dianne Brame, the Missouri elementary-school lunch lady who was allegedly fired from her job last week because she gave a fourth-grade boy two months' worth of free lunches, is now back on the job, KSDK reports. Brame told the television news station she had been confronted by Chartwells, the food-service company that has a cafeteria contract with the school district, after her co-worker reported that she had been giving away free food. Brame acknowledged breaking the rules but said she was just trying to prevent other students from bullying the unnamed boy, whose enrollment in the school's program had lapsed. Chartwells tells the TV station that Brame hadn't been fired and she was back on the job at Hudson Elementary School, adding in a statement that the company was "pleased to have resolved this misunderstanding." [KSDK, Earlier]
MonaghanPhoto: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Tom Monaghan, the 75-year-old Domino's founder who supplemented his pizza empire by establishing a number of conservative and Catholic-affiliated organizations, is now suing the federal government for requiring his company to provide mandatory contraceptive coverage for employees at Domino's Farms Corporation, an office space complex in Michigan. Lawyers from the Thomas More Law Center, a nonprofit that "defends and promotes America’s Judeo-Christian heritage and moral values, including the religious freedom of Christians, time-honored family values, and the sanctity of human life," filed the 40-page lawsuit in Michigan Federal District Court on Friday.
“LOVE this place!”
I've eaten here a few times, and just this week have ordered it for my co-workers. I think they're converted :)
“Yummie delivery”
Nice selection, good food, and fast service. I like it.
“Amazing vegan food.”
Delicious even if you're a carniverous veggie rejecter.
