Events

The Huntington’s Virtual Flower Arranging Class

April 17. Learn how to spruce up your home decor with beautiful floral displays using tulips and other seasonal blooms from The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens’ virtual class. This hands-on workshop is presented by L.A.-based florist Flower Duet and offers two options for participants to choose from: virtual course only or virtual course plus materials. 5-6 p.m. Virtual only: $45 members, $55 non-members; Virtual with materials: $80 members, $85 non-members. huntington.org

L.A. Times Festival of Books

Begins April 17. Calling all bookworms! Mark your calendar for the Los Angeles Times‘ 26th annual Festival of Books, Stories and Ideas. This year’s week-long festival and community gathering is going virtual and will feature one-on-one conversations, panels, virtual readings by your favorite authors, and more. A few confirmed participants include CNN Anchor Don Lemon, Patrick Radden Keefe (author of award-winning non-fiction book Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland), children’s author Nina Harris, prolific singer-songwriter Richard Thompson and more. events.latimes.com

Cooking Class with Roy Choi and Portugal. The Man

April 18. L.A.’s very own chef Roy Choi of Kogi BBQ food truck and Grammy award-winning rock band Portugal. The Man have teamed up to join Feed The Music for a tasty virtual cooking class. Chef Roy and Portugal. The Man will be cooking Roy’s famous kimchi quesadilla as part of this series of interactive cooking classes hosted by chefs and led by musicians in support of the live music industry. All of the proceeds will fund a Kogi food giveaway in a selected community in need. 3:30 p.m. $29.50-$250. impastiamoclasses.com

Food + Drink

The Garden at Manuela

Opens April 16. Step into Manuela’s new outdoor botanical getaway in L.A.’s Arts District. The Garden at Manuela features a menu of SoCal-inspired dishes created by executive chef Kris Tominaga, complemented by a produce-driven craft cocktail menu by beverage director Niki Kotantoulas. Distinct from the restaurant’s patio and menu, this space extends into the property’s scenic garden, with a cocktail bar and seating for 33 guests nestled into the existing space. Seating is first come, first served. F-Su 5:30-9 p.m., Sa-Su 2-9 p.m. 907 E. 3rd St., L.A., 323.849.0480. manuela-la.com

Brave Robot x Alfred’s Free Earth Day Vegan Affogatos 

April 17. Sweeten your Earth Day celebrations with a free plant-based affogato from Brave Robot’s pop-up at Alfred’s Melrose location. If you’re not familiar with Brave Robot, it’s an ice cream brand made with animal-free dairy from food technology startup Perfect Day, which is molecularly identical to dairy from cows but requires less water, land and total greenhouse gas emissions—Earth Day friendly! 8428 Melrose Place, L.A., 323.944.0811. More Info

New Menu at Le Petit Paris

Launches April 15. Executive chef Nigel Solancho and culinary consulting partner David Féau (pictured) are bringing a taste of France in DTLA through a new, carefully designed dinner menu. Indulge in dishes such as lemon linguine, Vandouvan sea bass, duck leg confit, boeuf bourguignon, grass-fed hangar steak and Wanderers Ranch Certified Angus Beef prime rib. W-Th, Su 5-10 p.m., F-Sa 5-11 p.m. Valet parking available daily for $15 from 5 p.m. to closing time. 418 / 420 S. Spring St., downtown, 213.217.4445. lepetitparisla.com

New Happy Hour at Nick + Stef’s

Now Available. Cheers to the weekend with Nick + Stef’s Steakhouse’s brand-new happy hour, available on the outdoor and indoor lounges. The menu features small bites such as oysters on the half shell, shishito peppers, steakhouse sliders and smoked deviled eggs. Along with the food, sip on new handcrafted cocktails including Lillet Rose Spritz, Peche 75 and Lemon Drop. Available Tu-F 5-7 p.m. 330 S. Hope St., downtown, 213.680.0330. patinagroup.com

n/soto

Now Open. With the weather this weekend looking bright, plan a picnic with takeout from the new bento-only to-go restaurant from chefs/owners Niki Nakayama and Carole Iida-Nakayama of n/naka. n/soto is a continuation of n/naka’s “Ekiben Series” and opens with its first bento offering, Ekiben Nikkei, which will change every four to six weeks. This restaurant will eventually open for in-person dining as a California-style izakaya. Pre-orders open every Friday at noon for the following week; available for pickup W-Sa 4-7 p.m. 4566 W. Washington Blvd., L.A., 323.879.9455. More Info

Arts + Culture

Grand Park’s Our L.A. Voices 2021

April 15. Explore the diverse and multicultural landscape of L.A. through talks, workshops, art, performances and film during Grand Park’s popular spring arts experience, Our L.A. Voices: A Pop-Up Art+Culture Fest. The festival continues this year with dynamic digital offerings—on Thursday nights through April 29—from more than 12 L.A.-based artists that celebrate the distinctive cultural and artistic richness of L.A.’s arts community. DJ Lani Love (pictured) kicks off the fest with a live hip-hop set spinning tunes from the Vietnamese diaspora. Free. olav.grandparkla.org

An Iliad Live at the New Vic

April 15-18. Ensemble Theatre Company (ETC) presents five live-streamed performances of the critically acclaimed 90-minute one-act play, An Iliad, performed by John Tufts (pictured) on the stage of ETC’s theatrical home, the New Vic. Each performance will be aired and may be watched on computers, smart TVs, iPads and iPhones. Th 5 p.m.; F 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Sa 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Su 2 p.m. $30 per device. etcsb.org

Hammer Museum

Reopens April 17. Mark your calendar for the reopening of Hammer Museum! Upon the reopening, locals and visitors can experience the Made in L.A. 2020: a version exhibit, which will be on view through August 1. Admission is free with advance reservations required and are available on a first-come-first-serve basis every other Tuesday. Tu-F 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Sa-Su 11a.m.-5 p.m. 10899 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., 310.443.7000. hammer.ucla.edu

Photo credits: Tulips by Libby Penner via Unsplash. Chef Roy Choi and Portugal. The Man by Michael Muller. The Garden at Manuela by Katrina Frederick. Brave Robot courtesy Krupa Consulting. Nick + Stef’s Steakhouse courtesy Wagstaff Media & Marketing. n/soto by Alicia Cho. DJ Lani Love by Thomas Mark. All other images are courtesy of the businesses and venues.