Food

A Massive Pork Festival, Old Pasadena Happy Hour Week & other Tasty Tuesday News Bites

March 7, 2017 by Christina Champlin

Warning! You might need your stretchy pants after reading this post.

This weekend includes a pork-centric feast called Cochon555 featuring 1500 pounds of pork and an early St. Paddy’s Day block party in Hollywood. Also of note, there’s a two week happy hour celebration happening in Old Pasadena and a new brunch program arrives at West Hollywood’s trendy Doheny Room. Oh, and did I mention the massive all-star chef event taking over L.A. LIVE for four days?

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Your weekly L.A. food news rundown starts NOW.

Bon Appétit!

Doheny Room Launches Brunch

On March 12 Doheny Room in West Hollywood will officially launch a brunch program. The eclectic menu features Pumpkin Pie Pancakes, Shrimp and Grits, and Prosciutto Cotto. We Like L.A. had a first look at Chef Danny Elmaleh’s new brunch for the sbe-owned hotspot and my personal favorites included the Fried Chicken and Biscuit, Maple Challah French Toast, and Kimchi Fried Rice.

The All-Star Chef Classic returns to Downtown Los Angeles

The four-night culinary event happening at L.A. Live (March 8-11) will have a list of very famous and award-winning chefs which include Ludo Lefebvre, Curtis Stone, Duff Goldman, and Antonia Lofaso cooking for an audience in a stadium setting. From French to American masters, guest will dine like they’ve never dined before. All that decadence will cost you, as  tickets start at $125 and can go up to the $400 range.

“Get Happy” Old Pasadena Happy Hour returns to Old Pasadena

From March 6 through March 17 the city of Old Pasadena along with some of their best restaurants, bars, and lounges will offer “Get Happy” an extended food and drink promotions. From assorted tastings and flights to specialty cocktails and food pairings, every promo will be set at a special happy hour price. There are also recommended itineraries and bar crawls, special events like The Blind Donkey’s Pappy Van Winkle Kentucky bourbon private release, Neon Retro Arcade’s After Work Happy Hour with grilled cheese and craft soda tastings, and Mr. Pasadena’s personally hosted “Get Happy Crawl.”

Big ‘Cap Beer & Cider Festival at Santa Anita Park

Head to Santa Anita Park for the Big ‘Cap Beer & Cider Festival on March 11 for some craft beer, delicious cider, and SoCal’s best food trucks. The general admission price gets you eight beer and cider tastings, a commemorative Big ‘Cap acrylic pint glass, and club house admission. Or go all out for VIP entry — you’ll get 16 beer and cider tastings, a cocktail or 12 oz. beer or cider, the commemorative glass, entry to the special VIP trackside lounge, and a $10 food truck voucher. For discount tickets to the festival, be sure to check out our friends at Goldstar.

We never get tired of looking at this view. ⛰ 🌴

A post shared by Santa Anita Park (@santaanitapark) on

Rock & Reilly’s Celebrates St. Patricks Day Early

Billed as “The largest St. Paddy’s party west of the LA River” Rock & Reilly’s in West Hollywood is throwing their 6th Annual St. Paddy’s Block Party this Saturday almost one week before actual St. Patrick’s Day. The nine-hour party will feature DJs, tasty grub, games and 100 kegs of green beer. If my calculations are correct technically you can celebrate this holiday twice! Call it the luck of the Irish 🍀

Cochon555 Los Angeles comes to the Viceroy Santa Monica

This Sunday an epic culinary feast called Cochon555 will take over the Viceroy in Santa Monica. The event features 1500 pounds of heritage breed pork cooked up by gourmet chefs and over 40 types of boutique wines, craft cocktails, and artisanal brews. The culinary tour focuses on educating chefs and diners about implementing Old World livestock into restaurant and at-home menus. Tickets start at $125.

Le Petit Paris featuring a International Women’s Day menu

For one night only (Wednesday, March 8) Le Petit Paris will be offering a three-course, prix-fixe menu for dinner in celebration of International Women’s Day.  Options include Terrine of Vegetables and Eggplant Caviar with Bell Pepper Coulis; Filet of New Zealand John Dory with Baby Vegetables and Nantua Sauce; and a Fresh Strawberry Tart with Basil-Strawberry Sorbet for dessert. The meal cost $49. A glass of Bellini will be served to all women that evening as well. Can’t make dinner? The restaurant will also be offering a King Crab Tartine special at lunch.

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Santa Monica’s Esters Wine Shop & Bar unveils a new lunch menu

Ester’s Wine Shop’s new Chef de Cuisine Chris Ono along with Jeremy Fox have crafted a lunch menu with items such as The Esters Vedge a veggie sandwich, the Esters Chop salad and dinner favorites the Corned Brisket and Grilled Cheese sandwiches will be carried over into lunch. Look out for “Happy Lunch” specials like $15 half sandwich and half salad combo and a $25 European style lunch special of a salad, cheese, and wine combo too.

33 Taps Silver Lake add a Bone Appetit menu for your pups

33 Taps Silver Lake welcomes your pooch to their patio with a brand new doggie menu, named Bone Appetit available in their outdoor patio. Doggie dishes include: Bark for Beef, Where’s the Turkey and for the picky eaters, Plain Rice. Prices start at just $2.95.

Best thing we ate this week…

Located on the grounds of the popular Malibu Wine Safari attraction is Saddlerock Gardens a scenic spot with rolling hills where horses and buffalo can be seen roaming. This is where Chef David Graham Wilcox has set up a pop-up seasonal dinner series cooking for guest al fresco style using wood, fire and produce picked straight from the garden.

My dinner consisted of grilled oysters, succulent lamb with pea tendrils, roasted vegetables and Paella. The experience was an inclusive one. Guests were encouraged to hang out fireside and watch Wilcox cook, take a tour of the garden, pluck produce out from the ground and eat it as well as interact with the staff in the open air kitchen. Note that the menu is seasonal and subject to change for each dinner.

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If you can’t make it to Malibu any time soon, Wilcox along with partner Guy Tabibian is prepping to open a new restaurant concept called Journeymen LA in Atwater Village occupying the now closed canelé space.

Captured below is the Paella being cooked over a makeshift stove during the Saddlerock Garden dinner.

[Click to watch the video and click right to see photos of the cooking process.]

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