Michele StuevenAfter a two-year hiatus, Art Beyond the Glass returns for its 10th event on Sunday, June 26, at Catch One nightclub. More than 100 of LA’s top bartenders will make cocktails and showcase their artistic talents.
Cofounded by Daniel Djang (Thirsty in LA) and Zahra Bates (Global Head of Education, Courvoisier), ABTG is the original celebration of bartender artistry from painting and sculpture to photography, live music and Djs. This year, funds will be raised for Street Symphony founded by former LA Phil violinist Vijay Gupta, the LA-based nonprofit organization that brings music to homeless and incarcerated communities through workshops, events, and one-on-one musical instruction.
Courtesy Art Beyond The Glass
On Wednesday, June 29, The Green Room in Burbank will offer its first educational series event of the year, Master Class: Art of Beverage, exploring the world of caviar and champagne. The class is a guided tasting of four varietals from one of the oldest champagne houses, Champagne Lanson, alongside presentations of award-winning caviar.
Prepared by The Green Room’s Chef de Cuisine, Czarina Sico, the caviar menu features items like Royale caviar and oysters with truffle ponzu, crispy shallots and finger limes, and truffle-infused trout roe with mandilli pasta, summer corn, toasted hazelnut and citrus espuma. There will be interactive elements during the evening with an opportunity to win gift cards and other giveaway prizes. Cost to participate in the Master Class is $65 per person. Additional food and drinks from The Green Room’s menu also will be available for purchase. Save your spot now on OpenTable.
In celebration of Pride Month, Viceroy Santa Monica, is hosting a pride party at Sugar Palm, in partnership with Supergay Spirits, a small batch hand-crafted vodka known for their “farm to disco” ethos, and new Searchlight Pictures film, Fire Island, now streaming on Hulu. Tickets to the The Fire Island inspired celebration are $75 and include free-flowing tray-passed appetizers like oyster shooters, vegan Buffalo cauliflower, rainbow cheesecake bites, and specialty pride-themed cocktails presented by Supergay Spirits, such as the “Out and Proud” made with their ethically sourced vodka. The event also will feature a DJ and Instagram-worthy touches of Fire Island infused throughout. Tickets can be purchased on OpenTable. A portion of proceeds will be donated to a local LGBTQ+ center.
To close out Pride Month, the Los Angeles LGBT Center is hosting a pride-themed dinner party with Chef Susan Feniger, where only Mastercard members can mix and mingle with the celebrity chef and the organization’s leaders on Thursday, June 30.
Dinner with Susan Feniger (Courtesy Los Angeles LGBT Center)
The night will start with cocktails at Liberation Coffee House, the Center’s social enterprise café, before touring its Culinary Arts training kitchen to see students and teachers at work. Then it’s up to the Center’s rooftop, with views of the Hollywood sign, where a multicourse feast for Pride Month, featuring Chef Susan Feniger’s favorite dishes, will be served family-style. The offer is exclusive to Mastercard® cardholders 21+ and must be booked three days in advance. The three-hour event includes hors d’oeuvres during the welcome reception, salad course, mid-course, and a main course, including grilled skirt steak with cilantro chimichurri and corn esquite; seared swordfish with roasted tomato, fennel, black olives, and basil; orzo salad and grilled asparagus. Mexican bread pudding and chocolate Scooter cookies are for dessert.
Mastercard members can book their experience with the link below:
The 100-year-old Tam O’Shanter restaurant’s popular speakeasy is making its long-awaited return on Friday June 24, from 7 p.m. to midnight. Guests enter through a secret entrance and will be transported back to the 1920s, where carefully curated and crafted cocktails will be served, accompanied by live music.
The Flamingo (Courtesy BALEEN Kitchen)
To secure a spot on the list for the monthly event taking place the third Friday of every month, reach out to JLarowe@lawrysonline.com. Subject line should say: “Bon Vivant.” A limited food menu of small bites will be available during the evening. Final confirmation of the reservation, as well as instructions and a secret password, will be sent out Fridays at noon.
The Southbay LGBTQ Center has partnered with The Portofino Hotel & Marina and and Harbor Vibes for the second annual Pride Paddle that will take place in the King Harbor Marina from 10 a.m. to noon on Sunday, June 26. The Pride Paddle will start at 10:30 a.m., from the public hand launch behind Seaside Lagoon and traverse through the harbor to the King Harbor Yacht Club and back, with stops along the way.
For anyone who is new to paddle-boarding, support and instruction will be available to you during the event. Post-paddle, The Portofino Hotel & Marina will be hosting a brunch and gathering for the paddlers at BALEEN Kitchen featuring a signature drink, The Flamingo, consisting of a watermelon sorbet, homemade coconut orgeat, Drake’s Organic Vodka, pineapple juice and fresh mint, with a fruity pebbles rim. Paddlers and non-paddlers are welcome to join the reception. The drink will be available for the month of June at BALEEN and is priced at $14 during traditional dining hours and $10 for happy hour, with 10% of all proceeds going to the Southbay LGBTQ Center.
What’s Popping Up is a weekly column in the L.A. Weekly that explores all that’s new in food and drink.