It's that time of year again. No, not movie award time — note to foodists: you may want to bring a bag of macarons to The Artist, just to keep yourself awake — but time to gear up for the 2012 Gold Standard, that glorious event in which Jonathan Gold curates your afternoon of food. This year's Gold Standard will take place on Sunday March 4th, from 1 – 5 p.m.

The 2012 Gold Standard, the fourth annual such event and held again at the Petersen Automotive Museum (tacos! cars!), will feature 40 of Mr. Gold's favorites, some old, some new. As of now, confirmed restaurants include: Animal, A-Frame, Baco Mercat, Chego, Chichen Itza, Drago Centro, Guelaguetza, Jitlada, La Casita Mexicana, LaOn, Little Dom's, Meals by Genet, Mo-Chica, Mozza, Palate Food + Wine, Street, Mezze, Nickel Diner, Lukshon, MB Post, Night + Market, Playa, Providence, Ramen Jinya, Salt's Cure, Sotto, Spice Table, Starry Kitchen and Short Order, among others. And, to pair with all that great food, The Wine House will be representing over 30 wineries, all pouring their favorite vintages.

Tickets are available starting January 26 only at laweekly.com/goldstandard. No tickets will be sold at the door. $75 for general admission; $95 for VIP. A limited number of VIP tickets are available and include early entry at noon and a gift bag with swag from our sponsors.

Sponsors for this year's event include Cambozola, Melissa's Produce, Gelson's, Wildwood Ovens, BluePrintCleanse, Palm Springs, UCLA Extension and UrbanSpoon. A portion of the proceeds benefit Heal the Bay.

Also, through February 13, fans can enter the Gold Standard MixMaster Contest. Submit your music playlist for the LA Weekly's Gold Standard, and you could win two VIP tickets, a limo ride to and from the Petersen Automotive Museum (you too can pretend to be Justin Bieber, I guess) and have your music picks played during the event. For more information, visit laweekly.com/goldstandard.

The 2012 Gold Standard: Sunday, March 4, from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Petersen Automotive Museum.

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