There’s always room for more fried chicken in L.A., and this one comes with a poultry pedigree. Willie Mae’s, the James Beard award-winning New Orleans restaurant, has arrived at Colony, the pickup and delivery location in West Los Angeles that also offers on-site indoor and patio seating. The menu features Willie Mae’s signature, slightly spicy, bone-in fried chicken, as well as tenders, baked chicken, along with classic sides like mac and cheese, cornbread, sweet potato fries, and southern vegan options like butter beans and red beans with rice. 

Willie Mae's

Kerry Seaton-Stewart at Willie Mae’s (Michele Stueven)

Willie Mae’s Scotch House opened in 1957 by Willie Mae Seaton as a bar in New Orleans’ historic Treme neighborhood and expanded into a restaurant in the early 1970s. In 2005, it won the James Beard Award for America’s Classic Restaurant for the Southern Region. Willie Mae’s great granddaughter Kerry Seaton-Stewart, who has been at the helm since 2007, has moved to LA and, together with husband, Mike Stewart, plans to open a brick-and-mortar version in Venice next month.

And in more chicken news, Starbird will open its newest restaurant in Hermosa Beach  on Friday, Oct. 7. The Bay Area-born concept expanded into Los Angeles earlier this year with two pop-up kitchens, making the Hermosa Beach restaurant its first Southern California streetside location. To celebrate, Starbird will offer free tenders to the first 1,000 guests, on a specified day that will be announced soon. Guests also will have the chance to receive a complimentary meal at the new location by signing up at starbirdchicken.com/hermosa. All users on this list will get a VIP code for $15 off and be the first to hear about the 1,000 tenders giveaway.

Tito’s Tacos and Tito’s Handmade Vodka will team up for the fifth year in a row to host “Tito’s Fiesta Mexicana,” an annual event that celebrates National Taco Day and National Vodka Day while raising funds for the Culver City Arts Foundation. On Taco Tuesday, Oct. 4, festivities will include tacos and Tito’s Handmade Vodka specialty cocktails, along with seven hours of nonstop Mexican entertainment by traditional mariachi artists including Grammy Award-nominated Mariachi Sol De Mexico De Jose Hernandez, all-female favorites Mariachi Reyna De Los Angeles, and Trio Chapala; folklorico dancers DanzArts/Sabor a Mexico Dance Company, and laughs courtesy of  standup comic Jesus Trejo. Admission is $30.

Willie Mae's

Chicken Bites and Asparagus al Limone (Courtesy Angelini)

In honor of National Pancake Day, as well as the 75th anniversary of KTLA, NORMS and the local TV station that brought us legendary names in the news like Stan Chambers, Hal Fishman and George Putnam, will mark the occasions on Monday, Sept. 26, from 7 a.m. to noon, at all NORMS locations, and offer two of its famous hotcakes for 75 cents. The offer will be available for dine-in, to-go, and online orders with a limit of two stacks per guest.

The annual LA Tequila Fest is back on Sept. 24. Los Angeles’ largest premium tequila and mezcal festival will showcase more than 60 small-batch sipping tequilas, 270 tastes, gourmet food trucks, and live music, taking place at La Center Studios from 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Join Angelini for a virtual cooking demonstration with Chef Gino Angelini, showcasing Gino Angelini Pasta Sauce and a complete cooking kit from Gelson’s.  The chef will share his  recipes for Spicy Penne alla Vodka and Chicken Bites and Asparagus al Limone on Thursday, Sept.  29 at 6:00 p.m.  RSVP HERE by Sunday, Sept.  25.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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