Vegan Snow Ice at Grain Traders launches on Saturday, May 15, wedged between the restaurant and the cafe. They’re kicking off with three flavors of shaved ice – coconut and pandan, cacao almond and mango and passion fruit. The latter has no sugar added, just a little banana. The cacao and the coconut contain only a hint of maple sugar as a sweetener. Toppings include gluten-free sweet corn cakes and almond brownies as well as homemade mixed nut granola and seed granola.

Canadian chef/TV personality Matty Matheson and Bay Area rapper E-40 are hosting a re-imagined virtual version of food festival Family Style To-Go. Streaming on the NTWRK app on May 19 and 20, the event will be presented in partnership with streetwear brand The Hundreds and offer cooking demonstrations, curated online tasting rooms and exclusive product drops. 

Participating restaurants include Uncle Paulie’s, Jon & Vinny’s, Hello Kitty Cafe, Wexler’s Deli and Monty’s Good Burger. During Family Style To-Go, chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo will recreate the Baked Feta Cheese Pasta dish that went viral on TikTok this year. The dish will then be available for a limited time at Jon & Vinny’s Fairfax and Brentwood locations. A portion of the proceeds from Family Style To-Go’s programming will be donated to the Independent Hospitality Coalition, which provides food and resources to communities and businesses disproportionately affected by COVID-19. 

IMG 8207

Mango and passionfruit vegan ice at Grain Traders (Michele Stueven)

 

More Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel news: The Spare Room…Somewhere Else is open and will be serving cocktails and  a menu of small plates like burrata with apricot agrodolce, hamachi crudo with pea salsa verde, mushroom sott’olio with truffled ricotta and ciabatta, and “cacio e pepe” beef tartare. The original indoor bar is still closed for now, but live music and game nights on the patio are coming soon. Reservations are recommended, and can be made via Resy. Stay tuned for updates at @spareroomhwood.

Fred Segal has announced a 10-week restaurant residency pop-up at its Malibu location. The brand’s 60th Anniversary “Summer of Love” celebration starts on Friday, May 14 and will run through July 18 in Malibu Village. Here’s the starting schedule: 

  • May 14 – Shappy’s Pretzel Co. – Cult followed Philly-inspired soft pretzel company by actor Adam Shapiro.
  • May 21 – Ggiata Delicatesse – Popular ghost kitchen concept known for its authentic Italian Style deli sandwiches.
  • May 28 – Bridgetown Roti – Run by Chef Rashida Homes specializing in Caribbean street food which pays homage to her Bajan roots.
  • June 4 – Golden Rice Co – A family-run eatery that started on Instagram serving up  Middle Eastern fare including its signature tachin dish.

For the duration of the pop-up programming, Fred Segal will donate a portion of its proceeds to Heal the Bay.

Copy of SR SomewhereElse FAST 2

Fun and games Somewhere Else (Courtesy Hollywood Roosevelt)

Casa Vega is launching a “culinary capsule” in partnership with EDM duo The Chainsmokers. “Something Just Like This” is inspired by the hit song and aims to raise money for hospitality workers affected during the pandemic via donations to No Us Without You.

The culinary capsule is available through the month of May and consists of two menu items – a margarita and a taco. There’s The Chainsmokers JaJa Margarita, with JaJa Reposado, Cointreau, fresh lime juice, agave, Jarritos Grapefruit and a grapefruit salt rim. The Chainsmokers Crispy Papas Tacos Entree comes with rice and beans and includes two crispy corn tortillas filled with creamy potatoes topped with spinach-jalapeño pesto and Mexican crema.

What’s Popping Up is a weekly column in the L.A. Weekly that explores all that’s new in food and drink.

 

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.