A New Waterfront Pop-up Bar; BOGO Frosés; $5 IPAs; and More Food & Booze News

Be among the first to visit On the Docks, a new pop-up bar experience on the waterfront-adjacent patio at Whiskey Red’s in Marina del Rey. Come celebrate the launch of the reimagined space on Friday, July 29, between 3 and 8 p.m. You’ll find plenty of $5 cocktails — including rum-based craft classics, frozen mojitos, and frosés – plus street tacos (brisket, pulled pork, or shrimp) for $3 and chips with salsa and queso for $2, along with a DJ and games. The same specials will be available Fridays from 4 to 9 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. On the Docks

Tokyo-based Ramen Nagi, a spot I loved during my November visit to the Century City location, opened a second Los Angeles shop on Tuesday. Located at Westfield Santa Anita in Arcadia, the ramen master is offering a limited edition ramen bowl, the W-Spicy Miso King, through August 2. Ramen Nagi

If you love sipping rosé on a glamorous rooftop, you’ll want to know about the buy-one-get-one rosé and frosé offering at Harriet’s all summer. The rooftop bar at West Hollywood’s 1 Hotel is celebrating summer with “Avaline Hours.” Avaline, Cameron Diaz’s wine brand made with organic grapes and little else, will treat you to a second glass of rosé or frosé ($15 for the first glass) Mondays through Thursdays from 5 to 7 p.m. until September at Harriet’s

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L.A. Cookbooks Every Angeleno Will Love

Are you getting tired of the same old recipes you have been cooking since the pandemic began? Looking for some cool gift ideas? Here is a list of LA-based cookbooks that have become indispensable to me as a home cook, along with a few that I am just starting to dive into with great enthusiasm.

I have personally tested several recipes from each of these books, and every recommendation on this list has dependable, easy-to-follow directions, with just enough detail and not too much fuss. Most of the ingredients are in your local supermarket, with an occasional trip to a specialty market. In addition to the expected collections of recipes, they are also good reads, with captivating stories about the dishes and the people who cook them.

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An Old Fart’s Primer: Punk vs. Post-Punk

Written by Kevin Tuxford

Basically speaking, the notion of “post-punk” emerged pretty quickly after the Sex Pistols imploded on stage in San Francisco, and John Lydon had come back with a new band and a new sound within a year. It also emerged as a result of young people around England being exposed to the Sex Pistols (particularly the Lesser Free Trade Hall performance of the Sex Pistols in Manchester) and being inspired to start bands of their own. (It’s been said that probably everyone who saw the Pistols at that show either started a band, or a record label.)

Many of the people in “satellite” towns outside of London started punk bands that eventually became post-punk.

The notion of “post-punk” also grew out of the fact that the naivete and musical-primitivism of early punk (“Here’s three chords… now start band”) had run its course and there was a more earnest return to musical ability, more complex rhythms, and more emphasis on drums and bass, as well as trying to work with synthesizers and rhythm box generators rather than just electric guitars.

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watt’s picture of the week – monday, july 25, 2022

I just got my fourth covid19 moderna vaccine shot at the rite-aid about a half-mile from my pad in my pedro town!

we keep on keepin on…

photo by mike watt

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B-Boy and B-Girl Summit Reborn in Grand Park – Live Review and Photo Gallery

All hell beaks loose as the Ultimate Circle starts dancing to the spinnings of Grand Wizard Theodore. All photos by Bob Lee for the LA Beat.

Last Sunday afternoon, folks strolling through Grand Park got a hearty helping of bass in their collective face, courtesy of the B-Boy B-Girl Summit Reborn. This free afternoon event, whose history stretches back to 1994, featured multiple luminaries from the LA hip-hop scene as well as an appearance from NYC-based “inventor of scratching” GrandWizzard Theodore.

I grew up in New Jersey, and vividly remember a school trip to NYC in the early eighties at which our bus had stopped next to a crew of breakdancers on the corner. We’d maybe caught a glimpse of this in videos, but had never really seen it up close and in person, and boy, were we transfixed. That two-minute traffic stop was an unforgettable moment, the thrill of music, dance and art all taking over your day unexpectedly, while just driving down the street. So to show up in the park and see a series of both veterans and younger dancers going up to do their thing on the summit stage while DJ Battlecat spun behind them, was both a throwback and fully up to date experience. (Photo gallery & more after the break,)

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Hollywood Bowl Shows Off Its Summer Menu at the Annual Camrose Picnic

White trumpet mushroom salad by the Backyard. Photo by Bob Lee for the Los Angeles Beat.

In a summer tradition near and dear to the hearts of LA arts folks, the Hollywood Bowl hosted its annual Camrose Picnic on a balmy Thursday evening, giving attendees a chance to sample some of the culinary delights that you can munch like popcorn while checking out some live entertainment under the stars.

The Bowl has always been a landmark in this city, a physically beautiful venue with exceptional sound even in the cheap seats, and an open invitation to bring in your own food and drink, making it one of the most affordable nights out in town. (That’s if you forgo the pricey boxes at the front, most of which are held by subscribers anyway, so don’t worry about it too much.) But its on-site restaurants are upping their game every year. making it a tempting option to splurge a little, leave the picnic basket in the car and get served a full meal right where you sit. Continue reading

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Lucha VaVOOM – Celebrating 20 Years Of Luchador Madness With “Summer Sabotage” On Friday July 29th

Lucha VAVOOM’s 20th anniversary is soon approaching. In celebration, the Luchador explosion of “Summer Sabotage” is commencing on Friday, July 29th, at The Mayan Theatre (1038 S Hill St.) in DTLA. Tickets for this 21+ event are on sale now for $45.00‒$90.00. Anyone attending can expect marvelous mayhem and mind-blowing Luchador shenanigans crowned by performances by sexy exotic ladies taking it off to fully entertain everyone in the theatre.

Featured Luchadors for the evening include: Magno “The Man Mountain” Rudo, along with mini superstar wrestler and one of Mexico’s most beloved fighters Microman (as seen on ESPN, CBS News, The Telegraph and Daily Mail), Taya Valkyrie (four-time Reina de Reinas champion and former WWE superstar), Dama Fina among others.

Comedy, Burlesques and aerialists will be featured in between bouts to add more fun and izzle between to the evening’s festivities. Blaine Capatch will be delivering commentary all night long. Raquel Reed (burlesque dancer from Absinthe in Las Vegas), Audrey Deluxe (burlesque artist and shimmy shaker), Veronica Yune (stunning daredevil aerialist), and Viva La Glam (specializing in unique and dangerous acts).

As you can see with all the mischief going on Friday, you will want to catch every moment of the action. Tickets can be purchased here TicketWeb.com. Don’t miss the fun!

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East LA Meets Napa Returns to DTLA

East LA Meets Napa Preview Dinner. Photos by Karin E. Baker for The LA Beat.

Enjoy live music from Ozomatli, gourmet dishes from 15 top Latino-owned Los Angeles restaurants, premium spirits, and wine pairings from 15 acclaimed Napa Valley vintners when East LA Meets Napa returns to LA Live in Downtown Los Angeles on July 29.

East LA Meets Napa celebrates the richness and diversity of LA’s Latin cuisine and the Latin-owned wines of California. Now in its 15th year, East LA Meets Napa is the premier fundraiser for AltaMed Health Services.

During an East LA Meets Napa preview dinner at LA Live’s Sol Agave, we savored an outstanding multi-course meal with wine pairings. Chef Oscar Perez of Sol Agave served rack of lamb with mole, chorizo mashed potatoes, and baby veggies. It paired beautifully with a 2013 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Herencia del Valle Wines in Napa.

Michelin-starred Chef Rocio Camacho, known as “la diosa de los moles” (“goddess of moles”), heads the kitchen at Rocio’s Mexican Kitchen in Bell Gardens. She presented us with chicken topped with white mole made of white chocolate and almonds.

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Movies Till Dawn: Otherworldly Encounters

The UFO Incident” (1975, Kino Lorber) Unnerving TV-movie take on Betty and Barney Hill’s alleged abduction by aliens, which is revealed through hypnosis by psychiatrist Barnard Hughes. Though directed with considerable atmosphere by TV vet Richard Colla (whose judicious use of lighting helps to sell the limited makeup for the aliens), “Incident” belongs to stars James Earl Jones and Estelle Parsons, who shoulder both the intimate drama of the Hills’ relationship (complicated by their interracial status in the 1960s) and harrowing emotional workouts as they recall their alleged encounter with the aliens. Regardless of your take on the Hills’ experience, the performances make this a compelling entry in the ’70s TV-movie canon; Kino Lorber’s Blu-ray includes commentary by historian Gary Gerani, who knows his vintage TV, and who also contributes a thoughtful documentary on the film’s composer, Billy Goldenberg.

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watt’s picture of the week – wednesday, july 20, 2022

nothings happened w/this pad for years but recently something been going on w/the old odd fellows temple on gaffey street at tenth here in my pedro town… just about to get repurposed? crimony!

photos by mike watt

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