Michele StuevenOn Friday, March 29, All’Antico Vinaio is coming to Koreatown and giving away 1,000 sandwiches when it opens the doors at noon, hosted by Tommaso “Tommy” Mazzanti, whose family founded the restaurant, and restaurateur Joe Bastianich. The famed Florentine sandwich shop will open its second Los Angeles location at Sixth and Western AND the first 1,000 people in line will receive a sandwich of their choosing when the doors open.
National Hot Chicken Day falls on Saturday, March 30, and Angry Chickz is celebrating by dropping a sizzling deal of $3 chicken sliders for three hours only, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Coucou has opened its second location in West Hollywood’s Norma Triangle neighborhood. The highly anticipated follow-up to Coucou Venice is an 75-seat, indoor-outdoor restaurant tucked away on the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Nemo Street. Indulge in martinis with freshly shucked oysters at the marble-topped bar and other wood-fired French favorites on a star jasmine-lined patio.
Courtesy Great White
Great White has launched its latest in-house wine Jazzmine, the restaurant group’s third developed with Northern California-based winemakers Deux Punx. It will be available at Great White’s three Los Angeles locations — Venice, Larchmont and West Hollywood. To celebrate the release, the brand will feature its latest artist collaboration with Miami-based painter Emma Ortiz, whose work appears on the wine label, as well as across menus and merchandise at all Great White restaurants. Jazzmine is a chillable red made with a blend of Grenache, Mourvedre, Chardonnay and Muscat from the Sierra Foothills and will be available exclusively across the Great White locations.
The OC Japan Fair 2024 returns Friday, April 19 through Sunday, April 21 with Oiran Dochu, an alluring reenactment of processions done by the oiran, courtesans of Yoshiwara in the Edo Period, to advertise the houses in which they worked. Yuri Yoshida, known as Yuriyan Retriever, from “America’s Got Talent” will be at the fair, as well as the return of the tuna cutting show. The event takes place at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, tickets are $8-$10 with early bird tickets available.
And speaking of Costa Mesa, Descanso is hosting a wine-tasting dinner event on Wednesday, April 3 at 6 p.m. It includes a four-course dinner paired with wines from the portfolio of WX Wine Brands. Expect bold notes of Baileyana to the flavors of Chronic Cellars, and the tastes of The Icon Rock and Trapiche. The menu features scallops agua chile, pork loin with almond lemon crust, beef loin with red fruit salsa, and duck leg marinated in a shallot red wine vinegar, with Mole Negro and roasted white sesame seeds.
Fig Tree in Venice will have a solar eclipse viewing takeaway box as the rare event sweeps across North America on Monday, April 8. Beginning at 10 a.m. sun gazers can grab a box that includes a breakfast burrito, Solar God juice and eclipse viewing glasses, for an unobstructed viewing picnic on the sand. Gazers can also ask to borrow a blanket.
Those who prefer to dine in are welcome to work remotely from Fig Tree (comp WiFi, as always) and just need to ask staff for a pair of glasses. The Solar God juice can also be made into a specialty cocktail for those dining in if desired.
While LA is not in the direct path of totality, this will be the last total solar eclipse for twenty years which begins at 10:06 a.m. peaks at 11:12 a.m., and ends at 12:22 p.m.
Picnic Box includes:
- Breakfast burrito (vegetarian or chorizo) – Peads and Barnetts chorizo, roasted potatoes, rajas, eggs and a salsa mojo
- Solar God juice (ginger, carrot, orange, hibiscus)
- Eclipse viewing glasses
- Blanket to borrow upon request
- Cost: $25 per box
What’s Popping Up is a weekly column in the L.A. Weekly that explores all that’s new in food and drink.
Courtesy of All’Antico Vinaio
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