The new beachy indoor/outdoor outpost of Bluey’s on Venice Boulevard in Mar Vista has barely been open a few weeks and is already a magnet for the surrounding neighborhood – and for good reason.  

The Aussie cafe menu is an extension of the Santa Monica location, full of satisfying healthy breakfast options like quinoa porridge with beet granita and ripe berries, in an airy and welcoming setting. The bowls — like acai with housemade granola or the Whirley Bowl with chimichurri-dressed cauliflower rice, market fish, slaw, avocado, arugula, yogurt tartar, and hand-chopped pineapple salsa — are fresh and generous. 

There also are tartines and a plentiful sandwich collection that includes grass-fed beef and lentil beet burgers, as well as a skirt steak sandwich and both breakfast and lunch burritos. 

Stagecoach

Bluey’s Mar Vista (Michele Stueven)

Stagecoach returns to Indio this weekend starting Friday, April 28, and Chef Guy Fieri will be there with a curated list of barbecue restaurants and pitmasters at his Stagecoach Smokehouse including Adam Perry Lang, Pat Martin, Chris Conger, Rashad Jones, Brandon Shepard and Operation BBQ. Offerings include brisket, rub tips and street corn from Big Lee’s BBQ and BBQ mac & cheese from Big Dev’s BBQ, as well as Nashville Hot Chicken from Hattie B’s, plant-based burgers from Monty’s Good Burger and vegan pizza from Forever Pie.

Speakeasies onsite include New York City’s PDT (Please Don’t Tell), Sonny’s by Attaboy, an ‘80s-themed Miami Vice bar complete with bright colored slushies, and Nu-Wav tunes can be found throughout the festival grounds and award-winning Chef Phillip Frankland Lee’s Sushi by Scratch Restaurants Sushi Speakeasy that will feature a 16-course Omakase and Sake pairing behind an unmarked door hidden in plain sight. The Omakase experience is $375 per person and guests must purchase tickets in advance. Ticket link can be found here. 

On Tuesday, May 2, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Delicious Hospitality Group’s Pasquale Jones, a staple in NYC’s Little Italy culinary scene, will cook alongside the team at Pizzeria Mozza for a collaborative dinner. There will be à la carte options from Pizzeria Mozza, as well as some of Jones’ classics including New York clam pie, wood roasted lasagna, braised spring leeks and chicken liver with pickled rhubarb. Click here to view the menu and make a reservation.

Stagecoach

Guy Fieri’s Stagecoach Smokehouse (Courtesy Stagecoach)

Pacific Coast Hospitality Group, the team behind the Canary nightclub in Downtown Santa Monica, will officially open their new venture, Mon Ami, an elevated dining Mediterranean fusion restaurant and  lounge experience, with dinner reservations starting on Friday, May 5. 

Taking over the old 41 Ocean lounge space inside the courtyard off of Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica, Mon Ami will offer a variety of dishes and spirits with spices from Spain, Greece, Italy, France and Morocco, sourced from the nearby Santa Monica Farmers Market. To make  reservations visit www.monamism.com or find them on Resy. 

Hilton Los Angeles Culver City will host a Derby Day Watch Party on Saturday, May 6, in the West & Co. bar and lounge. Cheer on your favorite horse and sip on Mint Juleps and other Maker’s Mark “Cocktails Worth Running For.” Guests are encouraged to come dressed in their Saturday best as a special prize will be given to the best hat.

As Asian Pacific American Heritage Month kicks off, the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center will host the return of its celebrated ‘Rising Chef Series,’ a dinner pop-up created in partnership with the House of Suntory convening rising Asian American chefs, in a four-week celebration of food and culture.

Each week will introduce a new immersive dinner experience including a five-course prix-fixe menu, signature House of Suntory cocktail pairings, and a pre-dinner Japanese garden cocktail lounge. Tickets for the 21+ experience are available now, here’s the lineup: 

  • Week 1, Monday, May 2 and Tuesday, May 3 – Yakitoriguy
  • Week 2,  Wednesday, May 9 and Thursday, May 10 – Jasper Lynn
  • Week 3,  Tuesday, May 16 and Wednesday, May 17 – Yoonjin Hwang (The return of SpoonbyH)
  • Week 4, Tuesday, May 23 and Wednesday, May 24 – Stella Navarro-Kim
Stagecoach

Rising chef series (Courtesy JACCC Culinary Center)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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