Clifton’s Cafeteria
Opens Sept. 22. Downtown Los Angeles’ iconic cafeteria is back. The original Clifton’s opened as Clifton’s Brookdale in 1935 in a building that was constructed in 1904, now one of the oldest on Broadway. It closed in 2011 and owner Andrew Meieran has been spearheading its multi-million-dollar renovation ever since. Starting Tuesday, you can enjoy the woodland ambiance of the first-floor dining room, revamped upscale cafeteria-style fare (think salads, carving stations, pizza and Clifton’s signature Jello) from Jason Fullilove who used the restaurant’s original recipe cards as inspiration for the new menu, and the second-floor Monarch Bar that sits under a 40-foot tree. Eventually, the 47,000-square-foot space will house five new bars and restaurants throughout multiple floors in the building. 648 South Broadway, downtown, 213.627.1673. cliftonsla.com
Wine Notes at the Ambrose Hotel
Sept. 22. Spend your evening relaxing at the Ambrose Hotel sipping a curated selections of wines. The hotel’s inaugural event in their Wine Notes series welcomes New Zealand-based Giesen Wines vineyard manager, Mike Poff, who will share the process of growing grapes and finessing them into fine wines. You’ll get to sip more than six of them throughout the night. Free. 6-8 p.m. RSVP: emily@workshopcollective.com. 1225 20th St., Santa Monica, 310.315.1555. ambrosehotel.com
Vegetarian Dinner with Sherry Yard and Martha Rose Shulman at Tanzy
Sept. 23. Tanzy Restaurant, a garden-fresh Italian dining concept helmed by VP of Culinary Development, Chef Sherry Yard, celebrates the season finale of its Farmers Market Dinner Series with a vegetarian menu. Co-hosting will be Martha Rose Shulman, New York Times food columnist/blogger and award-winning author of more than 25 cookbooks. You’ll be able to meet and chat with both chefs while you dine on a decadent vegetarian four-course meal crafted with locally sourced ingredients from California farms Rutiz Family Farms, Maggie’s Farm, Beylik Family Farms and Tenerelli Orchards. 7 p.m. $50/pp, $30/pp optional wine pairing. RSVP: 310.307.7022; Patrick.Brennan@ipic.com. 10840 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., 310.307.7004. tanzyrestaurant.com/westwood
Vini et Diner
Sept. 24. Let Scarpetta at the Montage Beverly Hills “Wine & Dine” you with a champagne and hours d’eouvres reception followed by a five-course dinner from Montage Beverly Hills’ Executive Chef Patrice Martineau and Scarpetta’s Executive Chef Freddy Vargas. For one night only, both chefs will share the Scarpetta kitchen to create a gourmet dining experience with each course representing Martineau’s French roots or Vargas’ rustic Italian fare. Highlights of the menu include citrus-marinated hamachi, porcini gnocchi, lightly smoked sea bass and pancetta-wrapped duck. Also enjoy a dessert duo of Floating Island and Smoke Gijuanda Budino. $165/pp. 310.860.5848. montagehotels.com
Tastemade’s GALLIVANT!
Sept. 24. If you haven’t taken a peek into Tastemade’s, the food and travel video network, you may be missing out on some delicious discoveries. To celebrate it, you are invited into Tastemade’s studios for a “night of awesomestuff” that explores Los Angeles’ culinary scene with dishes from many of the city’s most lauded chefs including Jon Shook & Vinny Dotolo (Animal, Son Of A Gun, Jon & Vinny’s), Nancy Silverton (Mozza Family Of Restaurants), Ari Taymor (alma), Ray Garcia (Broken Spanish, BS Taqueria), David Lefevre (MB Post, Arthur J Steakhouse, Fishing With Dynamite) and many more. The all-inclusive evening aims to spotlight food, drink, people and stories. Throughout the event each chef will share dishes, drinks and the tales behind them while you will have an opportunity to learn more through interactive discussions, videos, and activations. $40/$80 early access hosted by Alma. 7:30-10:30 p.m. Tastemade Studios, Stage C, 3019 Olympic Blvd., Santa Monica. tastemade.com/gallivant
Preserving Summer with Bruce Kalman + Hedy Goldsmith
Sept. 24. Learn how to preserve the best of summer with cooking demonstrations (and subsequent feasting) on summer fruits and veggies. This one-of-a-kind culinary experience features demos from Bruce Kalman (Union, Knead & Co. Pasta Bar + Market) and Hedy Goldsmith (James Beard finalist Outstanding Pastry Chef). Kalman will demonstrate making and jarring a simple pasta sauce made with the last of summer’s ripe tomatoes, plus how to make his pickled giardiniere. A sampling of Bruce’s pasta sauce will be served with his housemade spelt cavatelli, alongside giardiniere with housemade cultured butter and sourdough. Goldsmith will demonstrate how to pickle summer’s stone fruit, make a strawberry basil consommé, and prepare meyer lemon confit, all to be served for dessert with a greek yogurt panna cotta. All proceeds donated to Common Threads Los Angeles. $90. 6:30 p.m. New School of Cooking, 8690 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, 310.842.9702. newschoolofcooking.com
Celebration of Food and Wine and Terranea Resort
Sept. 26. Head seaside for a day-to-evening festival that features a live cooking demonstration by Executive Chef Bernard Ibarra, a farm-to-table wine lunch and seminars showcasing exclusive West Coast wines and bubbles from around the world. You day concludes with a grand tasting featuring bites from each of Terranea’s restaurants complemented by wine booths represented by select wine purveyors. 100 Terranea Way, Rancho Palos Verdes, 310.265.2800. terranea.pinnaclecart.com
Petit CUT
The new private dining room at the Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel boasts a modern style and sought after steakhouse fare. The new space features golden-toned quartered white oak floors and tabletops that complement the floor finish with oak laminations. Book it for an intimate dinner for a party of two or with up to 17 of your favorite people. It can also accommodate 30 guests if you just want cocktail service. If you really want to go all out, the team at CUT will set up large flat screen TVs in Petit CUT for the ultimate luxury football-watching experience. 9500 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310.777.3711. fourseasons.com
Wally’s Beverly Hills
The Beverly Hills restaurant, wine, spirits and specialty food store, launches a new Sunday brunch with fare from Chef David Feau. Indulge in dishes like avocado toast with pickled eggs, rock shrimp ceviche, Maryland crab Benedict and Wally’s burger—a top round and short rib 50/50 blend patty topped with caramelized onions, aged Amsterdam gouda, watercress housemade ketchup and skinny fries. Get your first and second courses along with a glass of Veuve Clicquot brut for $48/pp. Sundays 11 a.m.-3 p.m. 447 Canon Dr., Beverly Hills, 310.475.3540. wallysbeverlyhills.com
American Tea Room
Downtown’s Arts District continues to boom with the opening of American Tea Room. The 5,600 square-foot space includes a new large tasting arena and oasis garden tea lounge. CEO David Barenholtz has designed a sophisticated beverage menu of teas with global selections including Hong Kong-style milk tea, Bengali Masala Chai, Himalayan Butter Tea, and Okinawan Life Tea, as well as fine organic matchas, ranging from ceremonial matcha to the rare Hekisui master artisan matcha. And for the first time, American Tea Room will offer a selection of tea-infused cocktails, as well as Verve Coffee Roasters selections. Valerie Gordon of Valerie Confections has created a menu of pastries (think seasonal fruit galettes and muffins, zucchini bread, vegan banana chocolate bread with peanut crumble, salted caramel croissants). But what’s the most interesting part of American Tea Room? It’s the first tea purveyor in the country to offer exclusive “Tea Zone” technology. You can select teas by mood, flavor, region, color or price, and see and smell samples of each of American Tea Room’s over 200 sustainably-sourced teas. 909 S. Santa Fe Ave., downtown, 310.271.7922. americantearoom.com
Hyde Sunset Kitchen + Cocktails
Head to the West Hollywood hotspot on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings for 50% off selected red wine, white wine and specialty cocktails, 50% off the specialty menu—not to mention free valet if you sit on the patio. “The Sunset Special” menu includes Fried Chicken Slides with herb buttermilk biscuits, mustard kimchi and honey aioli, Heirloom Tomato salad with olive oil crouton and pickled shallot, Torchio Bolognese, and Oysters with St. Germania Granita, meyer lemon and espelette. Signature cocktails include: Le Parisian, with Grey Goose Pear Vodka, St. Germaine, muddled fresh cucumber, lemon juice and simple syrup; The Kentucky Mule, with Makers Mark bourbon, lime juice, housemade “spicy” ginger syrup, Angostura bitters and seltzer. Tues.-Weds, 7-8:30 p.m. 8117 Sunset Blvd., L.A., 323.940.1650. sbe.com
The Library at The Redbury Hotel
Lounge in the heart of Hollywood on the second floor of The Redbury Hotel. The Library is the destination’s indoor-outdoor lounge that pours cocktails and serves a select menu from Cleo nightly. Start your night during their nightly social hour from 5-7 p.m. that features $8 specialty cocktails, $5 beer and $3-$7 Mediterranean bar bites from Cleo including kebabs, shwarma, specialty burgers and wraps. 1717 Vine St., L.A. theredbury.com