Book News: On Friday, April 1, from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m., chefs Joshua Weissman and Alvin Cailan will be collaborating to serve a brand new burger in Chinatown.  YouTube star Weissman will be cooking burgers and running food all evening at Amboy Quality Meats and Delicious Burgers and will be signing his book Joshua Weissman: An Unapologetic Cookbook which is available for presale and will be available for pickup or purchase at the event. Tickets are available here.   

Mother of three  Camila Alves McConaughey has released her first children’s book, “Just Try One Bite” and is celebrating with an in-store reading and book signing at Barnes & Noble at The Grove on Saturday, April 2 from 2 p.m. to  4 p.m.  The first 50 people to buy a book at the signing will receive a Just Try One Bite Pizza Party Kit designed by McConaughey and LA’s online marketplace, Good Eggs. The kits come with fresh dough and sauce ready to stretch and spread, and mix-and-match toppings for  picky eaters (meat and vegan options available).

image007

Just Try One Bite

Food Forward is hosting their annual Spring Melt fundraiser on Saturday, April 9 at the Henson Company Lot in Hollywood with a feast of food and cocktails. Gasolina Cafe, The Gourmandise School, Ol’ Skool BBQ, Smog City Brewing Co. and others will be on hand to help raise funds and awareness to fight food waste and hunger. For event details and tickets go to https://foodforward.org/events-fundraisers/spring-melt/

Sweetfin is celebrating seven years of healthful poke and plant-based bowls with SWEETFAN Appreciation Week from Friday, April 4 through Thursday, April 10, at all Sweetfin locations. Celebratory events include: 

  • Monday, April 4 – Kick off SWEETFAN Appreciation Week by entering to win free poke for a year. To enter, visit Sweetfin’s Instagram
  • Tuesday, April 5 Support Giving Tuesday, benefitting FEAST – an organization that promotes wellness and improving lives through healthy foods and personal connections. Sweetfin will donate 20% of its proceeds on April 5 to the local nonprofit.
  • Wednesday, April 6 Make a purchase and select a complimentary side from Sweetfin’s lineup on free side Wednesday
  • Thursday, April 7 Order anything on the menu and receive a free guava lemonade on thirsty Thursday. 
  • Friday, April 8 Order on the Sweetfin App and earn twice as many loyalty points on Double Points Friday.
  • Saturday, April 9 All loyalty members will have $5 added to their accounts.
  • Sunday, April 10 Sweetfin will announce the one lucky winner to claim free poke for a year.

Sweetfin will also host a special event at its original Santa Monica location on Saturday, April 9 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Guests who visit the very first Sweetfin, located at 829 Broadway, can enjoy $7 poke bowls along with matcha lattes from Alfred, desserts from Longboards, a DJ, and merch giveaway. 

Screen Shot 2022 03 31 at 6.58.17 AM

Celebrating the deli (Courtesy Wise Sons Jewish Deli)

Desert 5 Spot brings its first pop-up t0 the Santa Anita race track for their annual Derby on Saturday, April 9 (1 p.m. to dusk). The Hollywood hotspot promises a piece of Palm Springs meets Pioneertown vibes featuring live music, cocktails, vintage shopping, and their mechanical bull. RSVP here.

Tuesday, April 12, and Wednesday, April 13, Madre will host a special two-night event, screening the documentary Sons of Mezcal at the restaurant’s West Hollywood location. The film is an ode to the agave spirit and explores a living history, as it follows four families passing their traditions on to the next generation. Purchase tickets for dinner and the movie here.

Two ticket options include the full experience ($175):

  • Welcome Cocktail
  • Zapotec Ceremony
  • Three-course dinner
  • Four mezcal flight (mescaleros featured in the film)
  • Sons of Mezcal filming
  • Director Q&A with Stephan Werk

Just screening and tasting ($75):

  • Four mezcal flight (mescaleros featured in the film)
  • Sons of Mezcal filming
  • Director Q&A with Stephan Werk

The Skirball Cultural Center presents “I’ll Have What She’s Having”: The Jewish Deli, an exhibition that explores how American Jews imported traditions, adapted culture, and built community through the experience of food. In addition to showing how the Jewish deli forged an entirely new, quintessentially American cuisine by combining Central and Eastern European dishes with ingredients abundantly available in the United States, the exhibition traces the larger arc of the Jewish experience in the U.S. during the 20th century. On view will be neon signs, menus, advertisements, fixtures, historical footage, film and television clips, and artifacts that illustrate how delicatessens evolved from specialty stores catering to immigrant populations into the beloved national institutions they are today. “I’ll Have What She’s Having”: The Jewish Deli will be on view at the Skirball from April 14 to September 4, 2022. 

Southern California nonprofit Chrysalis is back with its annual Poker Night, an evening of competitive play, a buffet dinner and cocktails, on Thursday, April 21 from 6:00 – 10:30 p.m. at the newly rejuvenated Fairmont Century Plaza in Century City. Register for the event here.

Eataly LA rooftop restaurant Terra is teaming up with Sipsmith Gin for brunch cocktails at a new pop-up bar continuing every Saturday brunch through June. Sample exclusive Sipsmith Gin cocktails, each one topped with a spoonful of jam from Fior di Frutta – where you can add as much or little fruity sweetness to customize your perfect cocktail. Proceeds from each cocktail purchased will be donated to Food Forward. Reservations for brunch can be made on Opentable, and the menu will be available for all parties – no ticket required.

002 WerkCreative SonsOfMezcal DonJoseCortes 300DPI

Courtesy Sons Of Mezcal