Big Bite Bacon Fest
Aug. 2. Pig out on indulgent bacon and pork fare along with craft brews. The festival features creative bacon and pork dishes from top chefs and competitive cooks from Long Beach and beyond. Indulge in mouth watering bacon-y deliciousness ranging from appetizers to desserts to everything in between to be washed down with samples of ice cold craft beers. The fest offers lunch and dinner sessions. $35-$65. The Queen Mary, 1126 Queens Hwy., Long Beach. bigbiteevents.com
Long Beach Crawfish Festival
Aug. 2-3. Dine on Cajun crawfish dinners prepared Louisiana-style, listen to zydeco and dixieland music hit the beach bar and more at the 21sth annual Long Beach Crawfish Festival. $13-$28. Rainbow Lagoon, 400-403 Shoreline Village Drive, Long Beach. longbeachcrawfishfestival.com
LUCKYRICE Festival
Aug. 7. Transport yourself to an Asian culinary wonderland at this event that teams rising star chefs and mixologists from Los Angeles’ exploding culinary scene alongside international celebrity chefs to create the ultimate Asian cocktail and foodie experience. The festival, hosted by Sang Yoon (Father’s Office/Lukshon) and presented by Bombay Sapphire East blends authentic night market street food, creative chef-driven dining and cocktails galore – all re-imagined through a locally global lens that spotlights LA’s exploding Asian food revolution. $88/$150 (early entry) VIP. 7-10 p.m. Create, 6021 Hollywood Blvd., L.A. luckyrice.com
L.A. Craft Beer Crawl
Aug. 9. Sip more than 100 craft beers from some of the top artisnal brewers in the country across eight bars and restaurants in downtown Los Angeles. Beers are curated by the best ladies in the business: The Beer Chicks Christina Perozzi and Hallie Beaune. Participating stops along the crawl include Honeycut, Broadway Bar, Cana Rum Bar, Coles, Seven Grand, among others. Check in and entry at Casey’s Irish Pub, 613 S Grand Ave., downtown. 3-7 p.m. 213nightlife.com
Lucques All American Rib Fest
Aug. 10. Feast on slow-cooked ribs hot wings, and sides that has become a Lucques tradition since 2000. A week of preparation goes into the smoking of pork, beef and lamb ribs, spreading the lure of wood smoke throughout the neighborhood and attracting a growing swell of Rib Fest Groupies for the annual BBQ celebration. The menu is family style and includes Saint Louis style pork ribs, braised beef back ribs, spicy lamb spare ribs, and “too hot to handle” chicken wings; along with sides like cole slaw, baked beans, tomato-watermelon salad and desserts like peach cobbler with strawberries and buttermilk ice cream. Fest begins at noon and serves continuously until 9 p.m. $55. Tickets may be purchased at the restaurant or by requesting a Rib Fest pre-pay form by phone. 8474 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, 323.655.6277. lucques.com
Food GPS Fried Chicken Festival
Aug. 17. Celebrate fried chicken as some of the city’s finest chefs offer their versions of the comfort food favorite accompanied by sides, desserts, craft beer and cocktails. Dine on recipes by Nakul Mahendro (BADMAASH), Jason Travi (Superba Food & Bread), Alvin Cailan and Johnny Lee (Eggslut), and many more. The event is all inclusive and also includes a VIP option that offers one-hour early admission (3-4 p.m.) and reserved seating. General admission $65 advance/$75 door; VIP $90 advance/$100 door. 4-7 p.m. Chinatown’s Central Plaza, 943-951 N. Broadway, downtown. foodgps.com
LA Food & Wine
Aug. 21-24. This epicurean event features a who’s who of talent from the culinary world, from Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto to République’s Walter Manzke. With a home base along Grand Avenue downtown, the festival also offers special themed lunches and dynamic chef pairings at top dining destinations across L.A. Take in live cooking demonstrations and wine seminars, or learn to mix a master cocktail. See website for a full schedule. $50-$350/$1000 VIP. 855.433.5239. lafw.com
The Taste
Aug. 29-31. The Los Angeles Times’ annual food and wine fest offers an authentic look at what’s hot in the city’s vibrant food and cocktail culture. Learn from key players in the L.A. dining scene—Times restaurant critic Jonathan Gold, Providence’s Michael Cimarusti, barsmith Julian Cox and many more—at tastings and seminars like “Field to Fork” and “Flavors of L.A.” $100-$150. Paramount Pictures, 5555 Melrose Ave, L.A., 213.237.5000. events.latimes.com/taste
Taste of Brews
Aug. 23. Summer craft beer festival offers tastes of dozens of seasonal, craft and micro-brews from local and international breweries. Noon–4 pm. $32.50–$42.50. Lighthouse Park, 200 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, 714.375.1132. tasteofbrews.com
L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade Culinary Cookout
Sept. 20. The L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade Culinary Cookout, a foodie tradition hosted by Chef Suzanne Goin, business partner Caroline Styne (Lucques, A.O.C., Tavern) along with Chef David Lentz (The Hungry Cat), offers an afternoon of of fantastic fare, cocktails for a cause, children’s activities, silent and live auctions, and much more. Taste food from returning chefs like Michael Voltaggio, Zach Pollack, Mary Sue Milliken, as well as new participating chefs Roy Choi, Tom Colicchio, Scott Conant, Michael Fiorelli, Benjamin Ford, among others. Leading mixologists and vintners from around the nation will be in attendance for samples of their cocktails and fine wines. Mixologists include the artistry of Eric Alperin, Neal Bodenheimer, Aidan Demarest, Greg Lindgren, Christiaan Rollich, Marcos Tello, and Mari Tuttle. The event supports the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) in their quest to find better treatments and ultimately cures for all kids with cancer. $195, $1,200 premier ticket level that includes a behind the scenes tour of the venue, an opportunity to meet the chefs and watch as they prepare their dishes, as well as an exclusive pass to the private Chefs Dinner the evening before, on Friday, September 19. Noon-4 p.m. Wilson Plaza at UCLA, L.A. alexslemonade.org