Maybe the folks at Bludso's Bar-&-Cue in Hollywood secretly just want to be party planners.  Because in addition to being formidable pit masters, beer geeks and cocktailians, they seem to be spending a lot of time throwing sudden parties – pop-up breakfast tacos, or whole pig roasts for football games, like tailgating events with swank bar seating instead of actual pick-up trucks. 

So it should hardly surprise you to learn that Bludso's is throwing another party, this time on the occasion of one of the sillier holidays we've managed to invent: Valentine's Day. “Most people don't tend to think of barbecue as a romantic meal,” Noah Galuten said in an email. “We over at Bludso's decided to use it as an excuse to encourage friends and single people to come over, drink beer, and eat some smoked animal parts.” Sounds like a lot more fun than watching people get engaged at Yamashiro.
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Another great thing about an Anti-Valentine's party is that Bludso's will let you make reservations (they don't usually take them for small parties) for as little as ONE PERSON for Friday night or as many as “oh, I don't know … let's say 60.”  Thus you can go watch Vladimir Putin scowl at fey Olympians while eating some of the best barbecue in L.A. all by yourself if you want to without any social ostracism. (This is why sports bars exist, remember?) Or make a new friend, since it is a fake holiday for couples anyway. (See: Why sports bars exist.)

True to their custom, the Bludso's staff will enable a certain amount of drunkenness (responsible, please), this Friday by providing free pitchers of beer to parties of four or more who make reservations. Because, to again quote Galuten, “Beer tastes better when it's seasoned with tears and loneliness.” Maybe go hang out with your local pitmaster on Valentine's Day – and help him plan his next party. March Madness will be here before you know it, and you don't need a date for that one. 

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