Michele StuevenSugar Palm, the indoor/outdoor coastal dining concept by Viceroy Santa Monica – is now open for daily brunch and dinner. The restaurant, which includes an indoor lounge, outdoor patio, café, restaurant and poolside bar scene, comes on the cusp of a sweeping $21 million redesign of the beachside hotel by San Francisco design firm EDG. The California coastal menu by Chef Jason Francisco (Comme Ca, Cut, Eataly and The Raymond) also includes a massive Fred Flinstone-style femur-sized bone marrow offering for dinner.
Ocean Park neighborhood pizza joint Ghisallo, led by Chef David Rodriguez, has reopened and is serving up more than their wood-fired, paper-thin-crust pizzas like the Spartacus with house fennel sausage, salumeria biellese pepperoni, red onions, black olives and Fresno chiles. New desserts have been added to the menu – a grilled almond cake topped with stone fruit and jam, key lime pie and a Valrhona chocolate cake with mascarpone frosting. Be sure to grab a seat back in the zen patio dotted with olive and pepper trees.
Pizza and beer at Ghisallo (Michele Stueven)
On Sunday, November 14 Employees Only, the elevated cocktail bar with a culinary program, will be hosting Rashida Holmes and her Caribbean pop-up concept, Bridgetown Roti for a one-night-only collaboration dinner. Known for her curry-filled, handmade patties and rotis from her Barbados family recipes, Holmes will work alongside Buckwald in the kitchen together. Dishes include Dhal Puri Shrimp Roti with lentils, green seasoning, peewee potatoes, cilantro, turmeric spiced cabbage, macaroni pie with white truffle curry gravy, curried pumpkin ravioli with roasted corn purée, scallion oil, young heirloom corn and fire-roasted jerk chicken with seasonal vegetables and sauces.
Alzheimer’s Los Angeles will celebrate its 40th anniversary on Sunday, November 14 with a festival of music and food featuring Grammy Award-winners Ozomatli, hosted by ABC7. The Tropic Truck, Beachy’s and Go Fusion will be dishing out food truck fare and Lilly pharmaceutical company will be on hand screening for participants in their newest Alzheimer’s drug trial. In addition to the kings of Latin fusion, the multicultural festival will include live performances by Egyptian Lover, No Small Children, Quinto Sol, and DJ Mona Lisa. Informational booths focusing on brain health and other healthy lifestyle opportunities will also be part of the festivities at L.A. State Historic Park in DTLA.
Key Lime Pie (Courtesy Ghisallo)
Casa Vega’s 65th Anniversary Celebration on Monday, November 15 will feature rollback pricing on the guest-favorite House Combinacion #1 (choice of two house special items, with soup or tostada chiquita, Spanish rice and refried beans) for one day only. Casa Vega will roll back the #1 combo during lunch hours at $1.98 (regular price: $19.95), the cost of the meal when Casa Vega opened in 1956.
California Pizza Kitchen is bringing back two popular pizzas to the menu starting Tuesday, November 16. The Santa Fe Chicken Pizza which was a staple on CPK’s original menu in 1987 and quietly disappeared about 20 years ago, is making a comeback. The pie features chicken breast marinated in lime and herbs, red onions and Monterey Jack topped with cilantro, sour cream, smashed avocado and homemade roasted tomato salsa. The Jamaican Jerk Chicken also returns, featuring a sweet and spicy Caribbean sauce, Jamaican spices, Nueske’s applewood smoked bacon, red onions, bell peppers and scallions served on CPK’s thin crust. And on the subject of crust, CPK will also be introducing a new gluten free plant-based chickpea crust similar in texture to a thin focaccia, available as a base to any pizza on the menu.
On Thursday, November 18, history podcast Right Answers Mostly, hosted by Tess Bellomo and Claire Donald, will host a trivia night at Venice Beach’s The Waterfront. The co-hosts will focus on trivia questions from their most recent podcast episodes including the early 2000s, the Salem witch trials, Watergate, Whitney Houston, Jim and Tammy Faye Baker and Barbie. Study up by listening to the podcast, found here, to better your chances of winning! There will be prizes for the winner plus giveaway items. Reservations can be found via The Waterfront’s OpenTable page, found here. Select a table in the “Experiences” section to reserve a spot for trivia. Reservations are $25 and 100% of the cost will go towards any food and drinks purchased at The Waterfront during the event.
Santa Fe Chicken and Jamaican Jerk Pizza on chickpea crust (Courtesy CPK)
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