Just a short flight from Los Angeles lies the little fishing town of Loreto on Mexico’s Baja coast. The warm blue waters of the Sea of Cortez are so rich with unique flora and fauna that it has been designated a United Nations protected Marine Park; explorer Jacques Cousteau dubbed it simply as the ‘Aquarium of the World’.
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Los Angeles magazine will present its Angels of Comedy Disaster Relief Benefit on Thursday February 13th 6:00 – 10:00pm at Engine Co. No. 28, one of the city’s oldest firehouses. All proceeds benefit Pasadena Community Foundation’s efforts to raise funds for victims of Los Angeles wildfires – overwhelmed first responders, and displaced families and animals. More than just being a donation the event is about coming together as a community to heal, laugh, and rebuild.
The evening will kick off with a networking cocktail hour from 6 to 7:15pm featuring beef and vegan Firehouse chili, cornbread, cocktails, beer, and wine. At 7:15, the magazine’s publisher, Chris Gialanella and evening host Sharon Fredrickson will deliver opening remarks.
The show launches at 7:30pm with Sharon Fredrickson guiding audience through a lineup of stand-up performances by some of LA’s funniest comedians, including Aida Rodriguez, Ashley Burgess, Carla Collins, Erik Rivera, Kim McVicar, Kwame Siegel, Renee Percy, Sandy Stec, Maxi Witrak, and Peter S. Kim.
The event will also honor Los Angeles first responders, sharing their inspiring stories and recognizing their heroism. Additional funds will be raised with a raffle offering once-in-a-lifetime prizes.
Generous event sponsors include Boomtown Brewery, Garrison Brothers, Gelato Festival, Golden Eagle Vodka, Hollywood Creative Alliance, KNEKT TV and Mezcal 33.
The evening is a 21+ event, and the all-inclusive ticket includes entry, Firehouse chili and cornbread, cocktails, wine, beer, non-alcoholic beverages, and full evening of comedy.
More than just being a donation, Angels of Comedy is about coming together as a community to heal, laugh, and rebuild, and you can join the effort by buying a ticket for the evening and for the raffle, as well as by spreading the word.
For more information and tickets today, please visit lamag.com/events/angels
LA Art Show returns to the LA Convention Center on Feb 19-23, marking its 30th anniversary with over 100 global exhibitors. The show has sought to democratize art by offering a range of mediums and price points to ensure accessibility while also catering to established art collectors.
As LA’s largest and longest-running fair, LA Art Show has played a significant role in the City’s emergence as a global art epicenter and its ever-expanding global reach will be on full display with exhibitors from Turkey, Spain, Belgium, Japan, Canada, France, Taiwan, London, Italy, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Highlights include:
• LICHT FELD GALLERY (SWITZERLAND): Multidisciplinary artist and bestselling poet, Arch Hades – named the highest paid living poet in the world in 2021 – presents her sculpture the ‘Isle,’ a tribute to the island of San Michele in Veneto, where the entire island is a cemetery known as the ‘island of the dead’. This sculpture features poetry ‘poems are like gravestones, marking where love lies’ in Hades’ handwriting on the black, polished ‘lagoon’ plane) and the ‘graves’ of the island represented by many books forming the sculptures.
• SNISARENKO GALLERY (UKRAINE): “She, Unbroken” brings together Ukrainian-born female artists whose works express their war experience, resilience and strength.
• CORAL GALLERY (MIAMI) will showcase Roberto Vivo’s sculptural works like “The Human Tribe Totem,” a large 77 x 95 inch bronze sculpture expressing human unity and diversity. Inviting contemplation on form, space, and harmony, it debuted at the 2024 Venice Biennale.
• CASTERLINE|GOODMAN GALLERY (ASPEN): Young American artist, Daniel Yocum who has gained recognition for his unique approach to figurative abstract expressionism infused with hip-hop aesthetics, often incorporates imagery of cars and flowers amidst vivid colors and black marks.
• ART IN DONGSAN (SOUTH KOREA): Sculptural works from Steel Che (Youngkwan Choi) repurpose industrial materials into artistic forms. The exhibition’s centerpiece Steam Robot demonstrates his mastery of traditional craftsmanship.
• COLUMBIA ROAD GALLERY (LONDON, UK): Capturing East London’s vibrant art scene, the gallery showcases up-and-coming UK artists Kate Boxer, Thomas Gosebruch, Hannah Ludnow, and Jonathan Schofield.
• DANUBIANA MUSESUM (SLOVAKIA): Viktor Freso’s breathtaking 30-foot Bear sculpture symbolizing power and resilience, will be displayed in the lobby setting the tone for the event as bigger, and more ambitious.
To amplify marginalized perspectives,the show will include a non-commercial section DIVERSEartLA curated by Marisa Caichiolo featuring 8 famed art institutions representing diversity and inclusion in the arts. They include Celebrating Diversity by Chiachio & Giannone curated by Gabriela Urtiaga, Chief Curator at MOLAA, Dactiloscopia Rosa: Video Art and QUEER Constructions curated by Nestor Prieto and presented by Museo La Neomudejar (Madrid, Spain), and Carlos Martiel | Cauce/Riverbed curated By Marisa Caichiolo
For more information and tickets, please visit www.laartshow.com; 15% of proceeds will be donated to the American Heart Association’s Life is Why campaign.
Descanso restaurant celebrated the grand opening of its Los Angeles location on January 23.
Corporate Executive Chef Jose Angulo’s menu updates Mexico’s culinary traditions with modern techniques. Highlights include the Seafood Tower with oysters, poached lobster tail, Peruvian scallops, snow crab claws, shrimp cocktail, ceviche campechano, caperberries, morita cocktail sauce, cucumber-serrano mignonette, and lemon.
Enchiladas de Langosta feature butter-poached lobster in tortillas, and Taquitos de Camarón are made with marinated shrimp, blue corn tortillas, shredded lettuce, morita aioli, and mango-habanero salsa.
The popular Alambre, allows choice of steak, al pastor, chicken, shrimp or seasonal vegetables, complemented by bacon, onions, bell peppers, tres quesos frito, avocado toreado, serranos, micro cilantro and flour tortillas.
Located in the heart of Mid-Wilshire, the 9,000-square-foot location accommodates 240 guests and features a central bar, a main dining room, two open-air patios. In the celebrated Plancha room chefs prepare multi-course meals before guests at a communal table reminiscent of street vendors. For special occasions, a private Plancha Room for a more intimate Chef’s Table experience with a special menu of prized dishes for up to 10 people.
The restaurant will showcase artwork by local Los Angeles artists, with muralist Daniel Felechner, Erica Friend, and JP Mural (Juan Reyes) contributing pieces reflecting Mexico’s rich cultural heritage. Friend’s Coatlicue Mother of Gods and Sunflower Eclipse explore Aztec mythology and celestial themes, while Reyes honors Frida Kahlo’s legacy.
At the center of heart of the space, a show-stopping 38-seat bar will serve a variety of expertly crafted cocktails. The Margaritas Especiales include the classic El Descanso with Milagro Reposado, agave, and fresh lime, and the spicy Bad Hombre with Herradura Reposado, lime, pineapple, serrano, and a salt-and-pepper rim. Other options include the Sandía-Rita and Cucumber y Sal.
The Descanso’s Casillero Club offers exclusive access to fine limited-release agave spirits. Members can purchase rare Tequilas and Mezcals, with the option to store them in a private locker at the restaurant. Membership also includes priority reservations, first access to limited releases, and special gifts from the kitchen or bar with every visit.
Founded in Costa Mesa, California in 2018, the new venture marks a significant milestone in Descanso’s expansion beyond its Orange County roots.
As part of this special celebration, a portion of the sales during Descanso’s Grand Opening week will be donated to the California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Recovery Fund.
For more information and the full Descanso LA menu, please visit descansorestaurantla.com
Owl’s Brew, a pioneer in better-for-you alcoholic beverages is expanding into the spirit based cocktail sector with four new flavors and two new packs. The new line expands the brand’s offeringsof boozy beverages using fresh-brewed tea, botanicals, fruit juice, and 1.5oz of real spirits.
The new line of flavors includes a Skinny Hibiscus Lime Margarita with Tequila Tromba Blanco for which co-founders Jennie and Maria worked closely with Jeannie Mai Jenkins, an Emmy Award winning producer and host of America’s Test Kitchen.
Made with fresh-brewed organic tea, combined with flavors of hibiscus, black tea, lime, and strawberry juice, the Skinny Hibiscus Margarita adds Tromba Tequila Blanco (5% Alc/Vol) for a refreshing sipper for any occasion. The award winning Blanco is a 100% agave tequila by Master Distiller Marco Cedano from Jalisco.
The Boozy Tea Cocktails also includes three flavors of Real Tea and Vodka (5% Alc/Vol) – Green Tea & Passionfruit, Blackberry Half & Half, and Black Tea & Pomegranate, all made from fresh-brewed tea, with a splash of juice and 1.5oz of real vodka.
Available in an 8pk variety pack, the new line can be found at retailers like Trader Joes, Erewhon, Whole Foods, Aldi, and Total Wine & Mo`re and online at www.theowlsbrew.com/buy-now.
Co-founded by Jennie Ripps, a certified Tea Sommelier and with Maria Littlefieldsought in 2020, Owl’s Brew has won over 17 tasting awards for its flavors. It has expanded to 18 states experiencing over 918% growth between ’20 & ’21.
The co-founders are also the creators of Wise Women Collective, a women-for-women initiative that partners with Keep-A-Breast, Women’s Voices for the Earth, and has a monthly #BoozyBookClub.
For more information, visit www.theowlsbrew.com or follow along @theowlsbrew. #DrinkWise
Owl’s Brew provided a product sample .
The upcoming Manhattan Beach Food & Wine Festival kicked off with a preview event at the Westdrift Manhattan Beach hotel on Monday September 30, 6:30pm.
Participating chefs and wineries shared their excitement with a preview of their Festival offerings. The featured delicacies included an heirloom tomato salad, a mushroom crostini, carne asada on a homemade tortilla, breaded pork and shortrib on Romesco sauce, a tuna poke from the Strand House, and a gingery, more Japanese take on the same dish served in a cone from Wolfgang Puck catering.
Desserts included meringues, macaroons and assorted chocolates flavored with botanicals like rose and lavender. Of course, there were plenty of libations from wineries, distilleries and non-alocolic beverages to wash it all down.
The inaugural Manhattan Beach Food & Wine Festival is planned as a spectacular two-night strolling culinary extravaganza with an Opening Night celebration on Friday October 11, and a Grand Tasting on Saturday October 12. The festival will showcase the industry’s top tastemakers and connoisseurs to celebrate an all-star lineup of chefs, restaurants, wineries, spirits, cocktails, breweries, and non-alcoholic beverages, along with live entertainment.
The culinary extravaganza will feature a lineup of 50 of the Best Chefs representing not only the local cities of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, El Segundo, Los Angeles, but state-wide from Solvang, Palm Springs, San Francisco and beyond – from across North America, from Denver, New York, New Orleans, Vancouver, and Mexico.
The venue is a 40,000-square-foot outdoor space in Manhattan Village located at the end of the Veterans Parkway Greenbelt Path. The venue features a beautifully landscaped trail that runs through Manhattan Beach to Hermosa Beach.
For more information on the Manhattan Beach Food & Wine, please visit www.ManhattanBeachFoodandWine.com.
When I told people I was going to Lompoc, I kept being asked, What’s in Lompoc? For Lompoc, that question is all wrong – because it is exactly the lack of any sightseeing agenda that makes Lompoc such a great weekend getaway a comfortable 2 1/2 hrs from LA.
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The iconic waterfront dining destination Parkers’ Lighthouse in Shoreline Village, Long Beach is celebrating its 40-year anniversary.
Established in 1984 with a focus on fresh grilled fish, Parkers’ Lighthouse with breathtaking views of the Queen Mary and the Long Beach skyline, the restaurant has been a beloved Long Beach fixture, popular with both locals and visitors.
The restaurant’s unique dining spaces include a wrap-around outdoor deck, a lively bar and lounge as well as an elegant main dining room with balcony seating. Known for its fresh seafood, with a focus on fresh grilled fish, innovative dishes and exceptional service, the restaurant underwent significant renovations in 1999 and 2010, transforming its atmosphere and expanding the menu to include a variety of culinary offerings beyond seafood.
Inspired by the Pacific Ocean, the menu reflects the Southern California lifestyle, featuring shareable appetizers, sushi and sashimi, mesquite grilled fish, steak and homemade desserts. The bar offers award winning wines, beers, spirits and specialty cocktails.
The Queensview Steakhouse located at the top of Parkers’ Lighthouse with a spectacular 360° view of the waterfront offers a supper club dining experience with live music and an upscale menu that includes prime steaks, chops, lobster and freshly grilled fish.
The restaurant is now celebrating its big anniversary with the introduction of new throwback menu items designed to take diners back on a nostalgic culinary journey.
Each month through the end of 2024, the restaurant will feature a rotating selection of popular dishes from its storied past, so guests can enjoy new appetizers, entrées and desserts that harken back to the restaurant’s early days. These specials will be available for a limited time each month.
The August specials featured appetizers Tuna Poke Nachos, Crispy wontons topped with Wasabi Aioli, Toasted Sesame Seeds, Wakame Seaweed and Curly Scallions that were served in 1999. Entrées included Penne with Rock Shrimp served in 1999 served with a Creamy Rossa Sauce, Basil and Parmesan. And dessert featured a decadent Mud Pie from 2010.
The throwback menu items are a tribute to our history, giving customers a chance to savor the flavors that have made the restaurant a cherished Long Beach destination for four decades, and the restaurant’s thank you to the guests who have supported it through the decades, bringing back memories and creating new ones.
For more information visit ParkersLighthouse.com and connect with Parkers’ Lighthouse via Instagram, Facebook or X.
Parkers’ Lighthouse is located at 435 Shoreline Village Drive, Long Beach, CA 90802.
