Subject:

Kathy McDonald

  • Blogs

    May 15, 2013

    Ana Martinez: The Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Girl

    One of the fascinating Angelenos featured in L.A. Weekly's People 2013 issue. Check out our entire People 2013 issue here. In other cities, vice president of the Chamber of Commerce would not be considered a flashy gig. But in Hollywood, it's a dramatically different story and one unique to Los Ange ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 18, 2013

    Making Wine on Catalina Island: The Rusack Family's Santa Catalina Island Vineyards

    Wine as an expression of a specific locale or terroir is what countless skilled winemakers strive to achieve. A noble goal to be sure, but one winery has taken the task a step further, specifically 22 miles further, offshore on Santa Catalina Island. Buffeted by salty ocean air, the island makes for ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 27, 2012

    Colorado Wine Company: A New Location in Eagle Rock

    Six weeks into their new Eagle Rock location, Colorado Wine Company buzzes. A customer asks for a "yummy" Prosecco; another wants a well-priced Chardonnay. Owner Jen Nugent quickly obliges and welcomes a couple who've arrived for the weekly Friday night wine flight tasting. At the same time the Mand ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 1, 2012

    Happy Sake Day: A Sake Primer Where to Find it in L.A.

    When will L.A. have its sake moment? Craft beer and cocktail mixology have hit the mainstream without question, so on International Sake Day (Nihonshu no Hi), consider L.A.'s sake drinking culture. In Japan, Oct. 1 marks the start of the sake-brewing season. In North America, it's a day to investig ... More >>

  • Blogs

    August 28, 2012

    The Jolly Oyster: Baja Oysters and Clams at the Beach in Ventura

    Here's a delicious field trip that combines all the elements of an ideal Southern California picnic. Fresh-from-the sea proteins ready-to-eat. Bring-your-own wine and beer. And dogs are welcome. The Jolly Oyster is a fresh oyster and clam shackette just an hour north of L.A. on the 101. Inspired ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 27, 2012

    Eats at the London 2012 Olympics

    LONDON -- Game on for eating well during the Olympics, which begins today, July 27, and run through August 12. Already one of the best dining cities in the world, London has been spiffed mightily up for the Olympic games. Billions have been spent on new athletic venues; streets have been reconfigur ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 9, 2012

    Natural Wine: An Explanation Where to Find It

    What's in a glass of wine? The answer might be surprising. Wine is basically spoiled grape juice. (Whoever first ingested it millennia ago: hat tip.) But these days wine's ingredients can also contain a laundry list of adds in's: sulfur dioxide, egg whites, oak chips, water and numerous chemical ad ... More >>

  • Blogs

    June 1, 2012

    Rhone Rangers Wine Tasting at Vibiana This Sunday

    Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir are the beloved trinity of most wine drinkers. There are many more varietals out there and this Sunday's (June 3) fifth annual Rhone Rangers Tasting at Vibiana in downtown Los Angeles showcases wines grown from 22 American Rhone grape varietals. Chief a ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 31, 2012

    5 Dog-Friendly Winery Tasting Rooms

    A love for wine and dogs can co-exist. People take their pets everywhere these days--dining and drinking out, no exception. Although Los Angeles has approved pets on restaurant patios (per the recent Squid Ink post), rules prohibit them inside. Nor are they welcome at bars or in the tasting rooms at ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 15, 2012

    10 California Summer Wine Events

    Summer is a wine-drinking marathon in California, and up and down the coast, each weekend brings pleasant opportunities to imbibe outside. The diversity of events reflects the state's varied wine-growing regions. Those on hotel grounds come with a room night package -- a smart way to go. Because i ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 4, 2012

    Eat This Now: Flan

    Tacos, tequila and one more dish should be an ingredient for a proper Cinco de Mayo feast. On menus from Highland Park's My Taco to downtown's Border Grill to Santa Monica's El Chollo to almost every Mexican or Spanish-accented eatery in between, under desserts (postres) there will be flan. The ubiq ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 1, 2012

    Everson Royce: Silverlake Wine's Pasadena Spinoff Now Open

    Opened last Saturday, Old Town Pasadena's Everson Royce is not quite a sequel to Silverlake Wine. Think character spinoff. Two out of three Silverlake Wine owners are involved; approximately 25% of the same small-production wine brands are stocked. Potential customers are greeted immediately at the ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 23, 2012

    Walt Disney Concert Hall's Secret Garden: From Patina Chef Tony Esnault

    Restaurant chef's gardens are popping up in unusual places, but nowhere more unlikely than in the midst of downtown L.A.'s skyscrapers. Flourishing on an upper level of the Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall is an outdoor rooftop garden -- public at that -- that lets visitors take in the ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 9, 2012

    Sake Fuels Japan's Recovery A Few Local Events

    This weekend marks the one-year anniversary of the March 11 catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that so terribly damaged Japan. Food-safety issues and scares -- particularly around the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor -- remain in the news. Although Japan's traditional sake brewers were h ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 15, 2012

    Colorado Wine Company Celebrates 7 Years

    There is no seven-year itch for the Colorado Wine Company. The Eagle Rock wine shop is more popular than ever with customers who are drawn to owner Jen Morgan and John Nugent's all-inclusive approach to selling wine and the unpretentious vibe of their weekly wine tastings. "I would say it's our rel ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 10, 2012

    Top 5 Pink Sparkling Wines for Valentine's Day (or Any Day, Really)

    Bubbles are the spot-on match for Valentine's Day, and not just the holiday: Champagne and sparkling wine have the ability to elevate even the most ordinary moment. Kick that special moment up notches (Thanks Emeril!) with a rosé. From pale pink to rubyesque, rosé's signature light red color seems ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 2, 2012

    Ben Flajnik: Winemaker First, TV's The Bachelor Second

    Sonoma MagazineIn the vineyard with The Bachelor and partners​Most people dream of quitting their day job to be on TV. ABC's The Bachelor Ben Flajnik says his reality star turn is a means to an end: His heart is in winemaking. (He auditioned for The Bachelorette originally as a way to pursue ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 30, 2012

    Spiny Lobster Season Now in Los Angeles

    Kathy A. McDonaldLocally caught Pacific lobsters at the Hollywood Farmers Market​Although California in the midst of Pacific lobster season, it's surprisingly hard to find the hyper-local crustacean at area fish markets or restaurants. That's because the bulk of SoCal's most abundant and susta ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 24, 2012

    Santa Barbara Film Feast: Dinner and More Than 195 Movies

    Santa Barbara's International Film Festival (SBIFF) echoes Cannes' famed film festival -- both are held in lovely seaside towns betwixt mountains and the ocean, stars come out in force and there is ample fresh local seafood. But unlike the French Riviera version, SBIFF prix fixe menus are deals: For ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 28, 2011

    Dine à la Pacific Standard Time at the Getty Center A Waldorf Salad Recipe

    Banners for the Getty's Pacific Standard Time (P.S.T.) initiative appear to be on every light pole citywide. There are 60 exhibitions covering every aspect of Los Angeles' postwar art scene from 1945 to 1980 at art museums and galleries across Southern California. That post-war fixation extends to ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 13, 2011

    Boxed Wine That Doesn't Suck: Thinking Inside The Box With Colorado Wine Company

    Kathy A. McDonaldDrink wine from inside the box​'Tis the season for imbibing. However with the economy being what it is, 'tis also the season to look for bargains when it comes to holiday wine drinking. For the budget conscious wine buyer, boxed wines are a bargain alternative. However, many b ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 23, 2011

    Italian Wine Pairings for Thanksgiving

    Why not try an Italian wine with Thanksgiving dinner? Consider that most L.A. Thanksgiving dinners break away from the traditional heavier dishes of the East Coast and Midwest. It's highly doubtful that the cousins in Kansas are serving anything akin to Ammo's take home menu, featuring charcuterie p ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 16, 2011

    The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1: What They Were Eating at the Premier

    Kathy A. McDonaldRobert Pattinson at the Twilight premiere​As every schoolgirl -- the presumed reader of The Twilight Saga books -- knows, vampires don't eat prepared food. A bit of a challenge for Monday night's The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1 premiere organizers. Why? Because a f ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 30, 2011

    Top 5 Things to Know about Sake for National Sake Day

    Another celebratory day for an alcoholic drink: October 1 is traditionally known as National Sake Day in Japan and marks the official start of the sake brewing season. For us in the U.S., with only a handful of domestic sake makers, it is becoming an opportunity to expand knowledge of the rice-made ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 26, 2011

    Ashley James' Cuisine Culture: From Four Seasons Beverly Hills to PBS

    Kathy A. McDonaldTelegenic chef Ashley James with hotel garden-grown tomatoes​You've heard of the casting couch, how about the casting kitchen? Fresh from behind the stove, L.A. chefs, with their proximity to TV producers, seem to have a lock on new TV food shows this year. Ludo and Krissy Lef ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 16, 2011

    Silverlake Wine: Best Weekly Wine Tastings

    Kathy A. McDonaldNo attitude, pretension-free wine tastings blow up weekly at Silverlake Wine ​Is Silverlake Wine a religion? Consider what makes it so: Devoted followers, a weekly schedule and a straight-up welcoming-to-all philosophy of no pretension at this neighborhood wine shop that speci ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 15, 2011

    Eric Greenspan's New Restaurant-Bar-Hangout: The Roof on Wilshire

    Photo by Kathy A. McDonaldChef Eric Greenspan at his new spot, The Roof on Wilshire​ The Roof on Wilshire is Eric Greenspan's new restaurant, sort of. It's a bar, but not really. It's both, but neither. "It's a hangout," Greenspan says, which really is the best way to describe it. Situated on ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 13, 2011

    Bottega Louie: Best Old L.A.-style Dining Experience

    Jeff KirshbaumExposed and humming, the open kitchen at Bottega Louie​ The service doesn't just hop at Bottega Louie. It skips, jumps and pirouettes as a platoon of nattily dressed servers, runners, ballet-slippered hostesses and suited managers race across the marble floors. The energetic staf ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 12, 2011

    The Getty Villa: Dinner and a Show

    Kathy A. McDonaldA is for splendid ambiance at the Getty Villa's cafe​To coincide with the fall outdoor theater performances of SITI Company's Trojan Women (After Euripides) -- the classic Greek tragedy, not an expose of USC sorority girls -- the Getty Villa's restaurant is serving dinner. Typ ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 1, 2011

    Hearst Ranch Winery: What Wines to Pair with A Castle Visit Free-range Zebras and Grass-fed Beef Burgers

    Jeff KirshbaumBranding takes on its original meaning at the Hearst Ranch Winery ​ Free-range zebras, undeveloped California coastline as far as the eye can see and an epic house museum: Welcome to the Hearst Ranch Winery's neighborhood. Few California wineries can compete with the tasting room ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 1, 2011

    Support Your State: Drink California Wine During CA Wine Month

    Kathy A. McDonaldLearn more about wine this month at a wine tasting seminar​These days, every foodstuff or drink gets a day in its honor. Did you know there's a National Pecan Cookie day (September 21)? One guess on how to observe either National Guacamole Day (September 16) or National Beer D ... More >>

  • Blogs

    August 18, 2011

    DIY BBQ: How to Barbecue Santa Maria-style

    Jeff KirshbaumMichael Cordsen of Guadalupe's Far Western Tavern barbecues pork loin and chicken Santa Maria style​Memphis, North Carolina, Kansas City, Texas and Santa Maria--all are barbecue styles; only one is native to California. Traced to early ranchers and vaqueros (Mexican cowboys) of t ... More >>

  • Blogs

    August 9, 2011

    From Parking Lot to Salad: The Micheltorena School & Community Garden

    Kathy A. McDonaldHerbs add kick to a community garden grown salad ​Chalk one up to green. Overlooking traffic-heavy Sunset Boulevard in the heart of Silver Lake, community activists have transformed a former school parking lot into vegetable, herb and flower filled garden at L.A.U.S.D's Michel ... More >>

  • Blogs

    August 4, 2011

    Cheap Eats: 3 Thai Town Lunch Specials

    Kathy A. McDonaldWat Dong Moon Lek's lunch set ​ Experience has taught us that there's no such thing as a free lunch -- and the almost free, cheap eats version often verges on inedible. However, in L.A.'s Thai town and Hollywood's eastern edge you can find some lunch plates that defy economics ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 15, 2011

    Where to Eat Near the Natural History Museum's new Dinosaur Hall

    Kathy A. McDonaldA T. rex is poised to munch out at the Natural History Museum's new Dinosaur Hall​ Three Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons are posed dynamically, hovering over a skeletal carcass -- this is the dramatic centerpiece of the Natural History Museum of L.A. County's new Dinosaur Hall, wh ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 14, 2011

    Summer Only: Chaya Downtown Opens a Japanese-style Beer Garden

    Chaya DowntownChaya Downtown's beer garden ​Japanese lanterns, a special pub-style menu and cold pints combine at Chaya Downtown's outdoor beer garden. A summertime-only set up -- now through September 2 -- it's a casual spot that's an amiable contrast to the downtown eatery's elegant interior ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 11, 2011

    Lompoc Wine Ghetto: Get Your Wine On Alternative

    Jeff KirshbaumWinemaker Sashi Moorman of Piedrasassi New Vineland at work in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto.​ Substance outshines style at Santa Barbara County's low-key Lompoc Wine Ghetto. A semi-industrial office park that's in the heart of land-that-time-forgot Lompoc, California, Lompoc Wine Ghett ... More >>

  • Blogs

    June 23, 2011

    Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyard's Latest Mission

    Jeff KirshbaumFamed winemaker Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyard at his winery's tasting room.​Bonny Doon Vineyard's founder and winemaker Randall Grahm wants to do something really different. Once he ran the 28th largest winery in the U.S.; these days he's on a quest to grow grape vines fr ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 27, 2011

    Your Local White Meat: Abalone

    Kathy A. McDonaldAbalone and kelp thrive at The Cultured Abalone, Santa Barbara​Dining on sea snail may sound less than appetizing. Dining on abalone sounds luscious. But abalone's white, delicately flavored briny flesh is essentially that of a sea snail: a muscled mollusk, which consumes alga ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 13, 2011

    Japan's Sake Brewers Want You To Drink Up

    True Sake/Sven WiederholtA selection of premium sake from Tohoku at True Sake​Need a reason to feel good about drinking? Japanese sake makers could use your help. Hit hard by the twin natural disasters of earthquake and tsunami, what's really impacting these often small, family-run enterprise ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 3, 2011

    Wine on Tap: Restaurants Get Into the Flow

    Vinson PhotographyWine Cask Santa Barbara​ Wine has always been tapped from barrels. Rarely though, except at a winery, can you drink it that way. That is changing as more California winemakers are packaging wine in multi-gallon kegs and restaurants junk bottles for tap systems. Draft wine is ... More >>

  • Blogs

    June 19, 2009

    Chalking the Walk: Silver Lake Reservoir Tagged

    Kathy A. McDonaldEastside Eye blogger Kathy A. McDonald has a post (flagged by The Eastsider L.A.) noting the appearance of new graffiti along walk walls of the Silver Lake Reservoir. However, unlike the usual gangscript, these sentimental, have-a-nice-day inscriptions are written in chalk and invit ... More >>

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