Michele StuevenEataly LA’s Sotto Le Stelle guest Chef Series is back and will team up with Executive Chef Brian Bornemann of Crudo e Nudo for a special evening in honor of Eataly’s first-ever pasta line on Thursday, June 27. Sustainable chef Bornemann will feature a four-course meal created together with Eataly chefs to celebrate the pasta line. Menu highlights include bluefin tuna crudo, branzino, plenty of pasta, and an almond and lemon cake with Harry’s Berries coulis and ricotta for dessert. Reservations from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. are priced at $80 per person and can be made here or on OpenTable. Crudo e Nudo on Main Street in Santa Monica also started a weekday happy hour this week with $2 oysters and $10 wines.
From 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., on Friday, June 21, the Calabra rooftop at Santa Monica Proper will host a summer night soiree under the full Strawberry Moon celebrating the berry season. Strawberry rhubarb spritzes will be flowing, featuring strawberry ice cube work by artist and DJ Disco Cubes. For reservations, reach out to properpresents@properhotel.com.
On the bakery front, June specials at Valerie Confections will be available at both the Glendale bakery and Echo Park cafe from Friday through Sunday, until sold out. In celebration of Pride, this month’s specials include a Pride Pie — a rainbow of fruit on a buttery flaky pie crust, available at $8 per slice and $55 whole, as well as milk bread filled with vanilla cream and strawberry jam, a rustic peach buttermilk cake, and a layer cake with three layers of coconut cake, cream cheese frosting and raspberry jam.
Pride Pie (Courtesy Valerie Confections)
Well People and popular bakery Sweet Laurel Bakery will open their doors to the Well People and Sweet Laurel Bakery Birthday Pop-up this Friday, June 21, and Saturday, June 22. Makeup and dessert lovers can purchase and take home an exclusive, limited edition vegan birthday cake and Well People’s new Cherry Blossom shade of the Lush Lip Tinted Oil, while supplies last. Well People is offering 20% off orders $75+ on Wellpeople.com from Wednesday, June 26, through Friday, June 28.
The Boiling Crab is partnering with Saweetie and Postmates to bring The Hot Mess to homes across the U.S. this summer — a dining experience of cracking crabs, peeling shrimp, and chomping on corn. Fresh off the release of her summer anthem “NANi,” Saweetie options include The Hot Mess for 2 (snow crab, shrimp, corn, andouille sausage, and fries) for $50; The Bigger Hot Mess for 3-4, which adds potatoes, fried shrimp, steamed rice and clams for $80; and The Biggest Hot Mess for 5-6 with snow crab, shrimp, corn, andouille sausage, potatoes, fried shrimp, steamed rice and clams for $120.
From Thursday, June 20, through Sunday, July 7 (including Independence Day), every meal will be delivered in limited-edition packaging and will include custom bibs (while supplies last), to keep the hot mess to a minimum.
Foodie Week at Eataly (Michele Stueven)
Westfield Century City will launch its first Foodie Week, starting Thursday, June 20, and running through Thursday, June 27. The weeklong event will feature exclusive deals, prix-fixe menus, happy hour specials and more, from the center’s top dining destinations like EATALY, Zinque, Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse, Tocaya Modern Mexican, and Ramen Ochi, True Food Kitchen will offer a $35 prix fixe menu with a starter, entree and dessert, along with $20 select bottles of wine. Cafe Landwer will have prix fixe brunch and dinner offerings, including a $55 brunch for two (choice of beverage, entree and dessert) and a $35 per person dinner (choice of appetizer + entree). Hokey Pokey will offer an ice cream flight with a choice of three ice cream flavors for $12 (non-dairy $13)
In celebration of the summer installment of DineLA, there will be a Smorgasburg takeover on Sunday, June 23, on behalf of LA Tourism, offering exclusive DineLA menus from customer-favorite Smorgasburg vendors. The 15-day Dine LA Restaurant Week event starts Friday, July 12. Summer DineLA marks the program’s “Sweet 16” by celebrating the original four restaurants that have participated every year, including Lawry’s Beverly Hills, Tam O’Shanter, Dal Rae Restaurant, and Michael’s on Naples Ristorante, in addition to new participating restaurants like Dulan’s on Crenshaw Soul Food Restaurant, Pez Coastal Kitchen, and Bludso’s BBQ.
The second edition of the ‘Over Coffee’ panel with Life & Thyme will take place at The Aster on Monday, June 24, at 10:30 a.m. In conversation with Life & Thyme founder Antonio Diaz, Hollywood’s boutique hotel and member-only club welcomes Selina Viguera, cafe leader at Blue Bottle Coffee; Adam Strauss, co-owner of Unity Coffee; Aldo Lihiang, founder of Morning Service Coffee; and Alan Morales, co-owner of Civil Coffee, for an insightful panel on the evolution of coffee culture in the last decade through the lens of entrepreneurship, sustainability, and community building.
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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