Michele StuevenThe world’s largest celebration of chicken tenders, Tenderfest, is returning to Beverly Hills for its fourth year on Sunday, Oct. 12. The brainchild of John Terzian of the h.wood Group. and Lawrence Longo of Prince St. Pizza, Irv’s Burgers and Bar Next Door, they are bring together some of the most buzzworthy fried chicken concepts from LA and beyond at the festival, including Box Chicken, Chimmelier, Delilah, Happies Hand Made, LaSorted’s, Le Coupe, Pioneer Chicken, and Popeyes, for an all-you-can-eat experience at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.
A standout of the event is the return of the conTENDER Competition, hosted by Billy Harris. culinary giants will battle it out for best tenders bragging rights and a cash prize benefiting the charity of their choice. This year’s entrants include returning champ Bun B from Houston, Marcus Samuelsson of Red Rooster, Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli, and Otium’s Tim Hollingsworth.
The competition will be judged by a surprise VIP panel, following last year’s lineup that included Benny Blanco, Andy Wang, Trippie Redd, and Shay Mitchell. Tickets are now live on Eventbrite with VIP and general admission options.
Tim Hollingsworth from Otium Restaurant at Tenderfest Part ll at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on August 20, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for Off The Menu)
The 42-year-old Fairfax institution, Genghis Cohen, is opening its doors at its new, temporary home just down the street from the original location on Thursday, Sept. 25.
While Genghis Cohen has offered takeout & delivery since it moved locations at the end of May, they will officially open the new space soon, and reservations are now live via OpenTable. Located in the former Sweet Chick space, just south of their original location, owners Marc Rose and Med Abrous have preserved some of the original elements like the fish tank, red booths, silk dragon and lanterns, and the floral upholstered chairs, while introducing bold red carpet, teal accents, mirrored walls, and even more neon.
The bar has expanded to 12 seats, and the cocktail menu has some fun additions like Oolong Island Iced Tea and a frozen Dole Whip-inspired Dole Survivor cocktail, as well as a new late-night, bar-only menu featuring dishes like Szechuan Chicken Sliders. New dishes for the new location include Volcano Chicken, a five-spice marinated and spicy glazed chicken that’s flamed tableside, and shrimp and chive dumplings. Genghis Cohen is collaborating with fellow Fairfax legend Canter’s Deli and is doing a weekly “Genghis Cohen Live” at the Kibitz Room on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Genghis Cohen classics (Lucky Tennyson)
Downtown LA Proper has partnered with SoundCloud to bring intimate DJ sets to the hotel’s Cara Cara Rooftop every Thursday through the end of the month and into early October. The series kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 25, at 5 p.m. with a live set from Miramar! RSVP through this link,
What’s Popping Up is a column in the L.A. Weekly that explores everything new in food and drink.