Napa Valley

More Events: Wine Dinner, Old Town Dishcrawl Egyptian Food History

Napa Valley Grille & Trefethen Family Vineyards Four-Course Wine Dinner Taylor Boudreaux will prepare a four-course dinner to be paired with wine from Trefethen Family Vineyards. Courses include an amuse-bouche of Dungeness crab salad, a main course of braised veal short ribs with rutabaga purée, a ... More >>

22 Mother's Day Food Drink Specials (Bottomless Mimosas! Cupcakes! Tiaras!!)

Mother's Day is this coming Sunday, and if you haven't gotten that one figured out yet, maybe it's time to start planning. Depending on your age and demographic, a crayoned card could work, or maybe your kid's card and a stiff drink. If you want something a bit more professional, turn the page for a ... More >>

Vintage Bouquet Food and Wine Extravaganza: What You Missed (Maybe) at Greystone Mansion

Bringing attorneys and chefs together (and not because of a lawsuit), the Vintage Bouquet Food and Wine Extravaganza had its 25th run at Greystone Mansion on Sunday, April 28. The sun beat down on, among other things, hors d'oeuvres from L.A.-area restaurants including Lexington Social House, Lazy ... More >>

Tax Day Food and Drink Specials

There are few days of the year that we dread more than Tax Day. Sympathetic to our plight, there are several local restaurants and national chains offering specials on food and/or drink, ranging from appetizers to a rib meal to cocktails. Turn the page for coupons and specials. Except for Chili's, t ... More >>

Top 3 Weekend Events: Passover Cooking Class, 4-Course Dinner Seder at Jar

Passover Cooking Class Meal and a Spiel private cooking school founder Elana Horwich will teach a class on Passover seder classics inspired by her bubbie, or grandmother in Yiddish. The menu designed for the class: Moscato spice haroset, "Best Brisket Ever" with potatoes, matzo ball soup, and an oli ... More >>

Taylor Boudreaux of Napa Valley Grille: On His Table Yours for dineLA 2013

"The smoother the skin, the juicer the pulp, especially with limes and lemons," says Taylor Boudreaux, the chef at Westwood's Napa Valley Grille. Boudreaux is walking around the Original Farmers Market at Third and Fairfax, picking up produce. It's not his usual shopping spot, but Boudreaux is a bus ... More >>

Chardonnay? Yes, Really: 5 Great Chardonnays for the Holidays

For many years, American chardonnay has been a wine category that cognoscenti love to hate, a wine whose ubiquity, confected stylings and bloat have more or less condemned it to a reputation for mediocrity, a wading pool of a wine, epitomizing the shallow waters of American taste. And for many year ... More >>

Serious Drinking: The 2012 California Wine Harvest

The 2012 harvest looks like a return to normal for California growers statewide. After a pair of unusually cool seasons in 2010 and 2011, vintages which resulted in lower than average yields and lower than average ripeness levels, 2012 looks relatively trouble free, with good-sized yields and excell ... More >>

AltaMed's In Their Own Words II A Recipe for Pescado a la Veracruzana

What's your favorite Mexican restaurant? It just might be one of the 17 in AltaMed's new book, In Their Own Words II, by Sergio C. Muñoz. Rather than a restaurant guide, the book tells how Mexican cuisine flourished in and around Los Angeles in the words of the restaurant owners who made it happe ... More >>

Q & A With Shafer Vineyards' Elias Fernandez: Summer Wines, Cycling The Upside of High School Band Practice

Elias Fernandez has been the winemaker at Shafer Vineyards in Napa for 28 years -- a lifetime in winemaking terms. While some winemakers hop from winery to winery over their careers, Fernandez says he prefers "the community, the quality" of working for the same vineyard that snatched him fresh out o ... More >>

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 >>

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 >>

Top 5 Weekend Food Events: Sriracha and Beer, Art of Cooking, Grilled Cheese Invitational, Tequila Tasting Vintage Bouquet Food and Wine Festival

Hops and Heat for Charity With honey-Sriracha glazed buffalo wings, jalapenos stuffed with Sriracha cream cheese, and a Sriracha-cucumber hummus, the Thai hot sauce isn't just condiment, but star player. The Sriracha Cookbook author Randy Clemens is bringing those dishes to Library Alehouse, and El ... More >>

Food News Roundup: Ken Frank on Foie Gras, PETA Protest in Echo Park No Food Aid to North Korea

Daily Dish: Chef Ken Frank of Le Toque in Napa Valley argues that the upcoming foie gras ban will "will create the biggest black market since Prohibition." He recommends replacing it with "the world's highest standards for humane foie gras." Reuters: In the wake of North Korea's failed missile lau ... More >>

Q & A With Christina Machamer: Hell's Kitchen, Gordon Ramsay, Heading to Napa Her Anti-Establishment Wine Tasting Tips

After winning season four of Hell's Kitchen, Christina Machamer became sous chef at Gordon Ramsay's restaurant at the London West Hollywood. But these days, she's traded the rapid-fire kitchen life to become the wine educator and resident chef -- albeit one with limited kitchen opportunities -- at B ... More >>

Best Wine Book Of The Year: The Food Lover's Guide To Wine

Not because Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg co-authored it, though that would be reason enough. But because their latest book is good. Very good. And it's organized like their books Culinary Artistry and What to Drink with What You Eat -- classics for every thoughtful cookbook shelf. Like those ... More >>

Yao Ming Expanding into the Wine World With "Yao Ming Wine"

Given the size of the man's paws and his height relative to that of the hoop, the sight of Yao Ming shooting always made us think of a toddler dropping grapes into a plastic cup. The recently retired NBA star from Shanghai had a sweet shot, but the jury's still out on his new wine crafted from cabe ... More >>

Cochon 555 Coming Back to L.A. on May 6

Cochon 555, that "Porkapalooza," that "locavore rodeo... of wine, pig and minor debauchery," will return to Los Angeles. After a successful L.A. debut in 2011, the 10-city tour of porcine bacchanalia announced its 2012 dates, which also include stops in New York City, Napa Valley, Memphis, Portland, ... More >>

Not Your Standard Thanksgiving Wine Pairings: Top Winemakers On The Tofurky Challenge

www.yrousseauwines.comTofurky! Let's Toast! (Center: Yannick Rousseau, Y Rousseau Winemaker)​The problem with those incessant Thanksgiving food and wine pairing write-ups in every food publication this time of year? They all presume the food on your table will most certainly be Saveur magazine ... More >>

Top 5 Weekend Food Events: The Big Lebrewski, Whole Beast Feast, Septemberfest, Pesto Madness, Social Sundays

The Big Lebowski, where the White Russians never stop flowing.​We've already mentioned the three-day Precious Cheese Feast of San Gennaro (think: Jimmy Kimmel, Adam Carolla, food and carnival games), and in case we forget, Jar is also celebrating its 10th anniversary with a special dinner bene ... More >>

A Recipe From the Chefs: Salt's Cure's Pulled Pork Sandwich

A. FrougPulled pork sandwich at Salt's Cure​ In our two part interview with Salt's Cure's Chris Phelps and Zak Walters, we learned that the two chefs will drive all the way to Napa Valley to buy the pigs for their West Hollywood restaurant. These aren't the kind of challenges you expect when y ... More >>

Q & A with Chris Phelps and Zak Walters: Driving to Napa Valley for Pork Converting Vegans at Salt's Cure

A. FrougChris Phelps and Zak Walters from Salt's Cure​ If it's manly to love meat, there are no two manlier men in Los Angeles than chefs Chris Phelps and Zak Walters of Salt's Cure. The two opened Salt's Cure to supply local restaurants with specialty products such as house-made bacon and sau ... More >>

Summer Wine Deals: Five Picnic Friendly Wines

Flickr/lovelornpoets​The word "bargain" is always consumer relative, but perhaps rarely more so when the subject is wine. Even without getting price involved merely the word "Chardonnay" can start a (polite, of course) wine bar fight. And we've all learned the hard way that at the lower end of ... More >>

Happy Hour: 31 Ten Lounge, Where Vegas Meets Beach Casual

Celia SoudryAvalon Napa Valley Cabernet ($5)​ The Place: 31 Ten Bar & Lounge: 3110 Main Street, Santa Monica; (310) 450-5522. The Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 5-7 p.m. The Deals: Appetizers $5-$8; $5 wines, $3 beers, and $4 well drinks. What did we think? Turn the page to find out...

Rehearsal-Dinner Dining

Get a taste of your relatives-to-be at Tavern

Ask Mr. Gold: Wedding Bell Bonding, or Places to Eat For Pre-flight Consideration

Anne FishbeinMr. Gold, with dim sum menu​Dear Mr. Gold: I'm getting married and in dire need of a legit rehearsal-dinner spot. My fiancée and I would gladly eat anywhere you recommend, but our families' tastes are a bit more conservative than bossam or pig ear. Any ideas for a spot (ideally W ... More >>

Where to Dine Out For Thanksgiving: 10 Restaurants For Traditionalists

Napa Valley Grille/Lisa Cohen​ Sitting in a restaurant for Thanksgiving might not be your tradition (yet), but remember that it's the really best of both worlds: You get to eat your turkey (and often cake, too), and someone else will clean up. In some cases, you'll even have leftovers for tha ... More >>

New Spirit: Napa Valley Vodka, Wine Glass Not Included

J. GarbeeNapa Valley Vodka: Perfect For That Next Open Casket Funeral​Last we spoke with Arthur Hartunian, the owner of the one-man Napa Valley Distillery, he was telling us about his mid-life limoncello making crisis and soon to launch Sauvignon Blanc vodka. He also mentioned (several times) ... More >>

Thanksgiving Cooking Class Round-Up: Learn Recipes Even Aunt Mable Will Love

Flickr/brianblevins​ Thanksgiving is barely two weeks away, which means it's time to get out your roasting pans, gravy separators, oversized serving platters and a hefty dose of Xanax, because extended family will soon be knocking down your door. To help you out -- and prevent Aunt Betty from ... More >>

Top 10 Wine And Band Pairings: Or, How About Some Air Supply With That $2 Chuck?

Flickr user 1808wineThe Vintage Cadillac Essentials​Heavy metal drinking is really the only excuse for naming a wine Sledgehammer. Either that, or you're a mega-millions corporate exec type trying to hook us on cheap inexpensive wine (see #2 when you turn the page). And so begets a Top Ten lis ... More >>

Chef Michael Chiarello Ditches Napa Valley (For a Day) For His L.A. Book Signing

NapaStyleMichael Chiarello's latest cookbook, Bottega: Bold Italian Flavors from the Heart of California's Wine Country​Does your perfect vacation involve a private tour and tasting at a Napa Valley winery? Do you count the tiny towns of Yountville, St. Helena and Calistoga among your ideal de ... More >>

BEST PLACE TO STALK LORENZO LAMAS

New Spirits Releases: White Dog, Absinthe, Grapevine and Root Beer Liqueurs

Art in the AgeRoot hot chocolate​In the spirits world, you can count on a new flavored Smirnoff vodka (mango and peach) and Bacardi rum ("torched cherry") every few Happy Hours. And then there's the new stuff you actually would like to taste. Tried any good new spirits lately? Leave us your ta ... More >>

Top 4 Bargain Wines With Gimmicky Names: Some Are Actually Worth The Buyer's Humiliation

Big House WineThe Big House Online Rehab Room​With beer, silly names are second nature -- so much that it feels like breaking news when a brewery doesn't add a pun to every bottle label. With wine, the idiotic references have no doubt increased in recent years, but there's still that shock fac ... More >>

Photo Gallery: Taste Of Beverly Hills at The Beverly Hilton

Celia SoudryHansen's Cakes​ Four full days and nights of eating and drinking booze under the hot sun. And not one arrest, according to an L.A.P.D. officer regulating the Taste of Beverly Hills. Last week and weekend, from September 2nd to the 5th, the first annual culinary expo at the Beverly ... More >>

Meet Arthur Hartunian, Your Napa Valley Armenian Italian Limoncello Maker

Napa Valley Limoncello​An Italian will likely tell you lemons makes all the difference in a good limoncello. You want Femminellos or Amalfi Sfusatos. And they must be from Italy, of course. But Arthur Hartunian, the man behind Napa Valley Limoncello, is Armenian. And he lives in California. So ... More >>

Winery Road Trip: Cliff Lede's New Platinum Playlist Classic Rock Tasting

There are certain specific rules for drinking and listening, say, Johnny Cash with cheap beer (should prison water prove difficult to procure) and just about any wine with jazz. Unless you're opening a bottle of Cliff Lede, which is a classic rock-only leaning vineyard. When it opened several year ... More >>

L.A. Council's Travel, Lavish Accomodations Questioned

​A recent report by NBC4's Colleen Williams (pictured) questions the Los Angeles City Council's sometimes-lavish travel arrangements, especially in light of City Hall's $585 million deficit and impending layoffs. The station found that the mayor and council spent $70,000 on travel in 2008 and ... More >>

Treat Her Right: Mother's Day Dining Options

Flickr user Bakerella​ Mother's Day in Los Angeles always brings the gift of good May weather, and the perennial foolproof option of a Sunday farmers' market visit followed by a home cooked meal. But here are a few other suggestions on how to treat a deserving lady right, since chances are th ... More >>

A JAPANESE VERSION OF SIDEWAYS?

Cellar At Your Own Risk: Wine Is NOT Earthquake Proof Our 5.0 Weeknight Value Picks

Flickr User scottottoOf Course The $4 Rosé Didn't Break​ As soon as we realized that no, we were not on a cruise ship sans Dramamine, Squid Ink did what we suspect most folks do during an earthquake: we lunged for the few prized bottles of Russian River Pinot still remaining from a particular ... More >>

Merlot March Madness: What To Drink On the Road To The Final Four

H&K SculpturesWine Dunk​Welcome to Merlot March Madness. Squid Ink has been training for weeks, swirling and sipping -- definitely not spitting -- to come up with just the right wines to drink during the Road to the Final Four. Why Merlot? It's just so college basketball friendly -- a wine wit ... More >>

Name That Pastry Chef: Name This Lemon Tart

This week's Name That Pastry Chef went to pastry school at the CIA Greystone in Napa Valley and earned her chops (or custard?) at Redd before returning home to Los Angeles to work for Spago pastry chef Sherry Yard. She's been making deconstructed apple galettes and frying up seasonal donuts -- if t ... More >>

Wine and Cheese Club to open at Tavern: Caroline Styne Instructs

Since its April 30th opening, Tavern in Brentwood has been recognized for its organic food items and unique cocktails, but not necessarily for its wine list or cheese selection. Owner Caroline Styne hopes to change that, inviting winos and amateurs alike into the Larder room, a charming and intimate ... More >>

Wednesday Edition: A Roundup of Today's Newspaper Food Stories

SapphireBlue22stack of newspapers​What's the country reading today food-wise? Here's a roundup of some of the food-related stories from other newspapers, many of which print their food sections on Wednesday. And remember, even if you don't actually buy papers these days (or not; this paper is ... More >>

Wine Guy Explains Wine Things: Good Cab, Bad Cab

Wine Guy Lou Amdur of "Lou: A Wine Bar" returns this week with some thoughts about West Coast Cabernet Sauvignons, several tips on What Not To Buy and the answer to the question "Why do I always feel so gross after dr ... More >>

Landmark Wining and Dining Downtown from Patina

Joachim Splichal's Patina Group presents prix-fixe dinners on its Tuesday-night Tasting Menu series at its Disney-Hall-adjacent flagship throughout the spring and summer. Tonight's California Wines dinner at Patina -- five courses with wine pairings -- costs $150 per diner (including wine, exclusiv ... More >>

Wines on Target

Fajita pitas, Octopus Tacos, and the Birth of California Cuisine

25 moments — over 25 years — in L.A. restaurants

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