Krusty with Yendor and Bubbles, Happy Little Elves. Simpsons mural. Photo by Debbie Davenport Kenyon
In 2012, after years of being intentionally vague about which Springfield was the hometown of the Simpsons, Matt Groening revealed that it was Springfield, Oregon. Groening is also from Oregon. The town has paid tribute to its honorary citizens with a plethora of cool murals around the city. Thanks to Debbie Davenport Kenyon for taking these photographs and turning us on to them.
Experience some rare sakes you won’t find anywhere else — paired with a beautiful array of Japanese dishes — at OTOTO in Echo Park on Monday, May 2.
Wakayama sake brewer Norimasa Yamamoto-san of Heiwa Shinzo will be on hand to chat and share his rarities.
Savory courses to be served include chef’s sashimi selection with KID junmai; miso grilled black cod paired with Muryozan junmai ginjo; warm Dungeness crab salad paired with KID junmai daiginjo; soft shell shrimp with Yamatsu Tsujita sansho matched up with Omachi tokubetsu junmai; fresh bamboo shoots and yuzu miso with Naru no Kunpu junmai ginjo nama; and a cheese course with a sparkling junmai daiginjo.
This special sake dinner begins at 8:30 pm. Experience for yourself how beautifully superior sakes pair with a wide range of dishes at OTOTO, located inside Tsubuki. You can find more info here.
Photo credit: Balboa Bay Resort.
After a two-year hiatus, the Newport Beach Wine & Spirits Festival returns to Balboa Bay Resort this Memorial Day Weekend!
Celebrate the beginning of summer at a Grand Tasting of more than 50 premium wineries and spirits on the waterfront escape’s stunning Bayfront Lawn on Saturday, May 28 and Sunday, May 29. Enjoy stunning waterfront views, hors d’oeuvres inspired by coastal cuisine, live music, photo ops, and more.
If you’d prefer a more intimate event, the DAOU Vineyards Wine Dinner on Friday, May 27 is for you. Paso Robles winery DAOU is renowned for its superior Bordeaux. A curated five-course meal will accompany the DAOU tasting. This dinner takes place in the resort’s Lighthouse Room. This waterfront space boasts glass doors that admit ocean breezes and views of the marina and harbor.
The wineries and distributors represented at the festival include Casamigos, Mezcal Illegal, Hampton Water, Crescere Wines, Cutwater Spirits, the Finnish Long Drink, Ketel One, Patron Tequila, Angeline Vineyards, and dozens more.
Alice Cooper. Photo by Elise Thompson.
In the fifty-odd years since his shocking debut on the Sunset Strip had the peace and love hippies running for the exits, Alice Cooper has been hanged, electrocuted, and run through with a giant hypodermic needle. Last Sunday night’s show at the Greek Theater was slightly toned down. I mean, they only killed him once. The evil characters that usher in “Stephen” and lead Alice to his execution are literal babies. But that doesn’t mean the stage wasn’t crammed with swords, serial killers, the FrankenCooper monster, a gigantic, inflatable baby, and Cooper’s wife, Sheryl, dancing as a ghost bride and “Madame Guillotine.” It was a beautiful night, and multiple generations of fans came together under the stars to bask in Cooper’s gleeful destruction of good taste.
If the outline of the show has remained consistent over the decades – Alice gets tormented and chased around by various villains leading to his execution and eventual resurrection, as the band plays on – the set list is always a bit different. The focus for this year’s show seems to be on his favorite rarely performed tracks, often from overlooked late-period albums like Paranormal, Raise Your Fist and Yell and Constrictor. The show opened with “Feed my Frankenstein” from Hey Stoopid instead of the usual megahit like “I’m Eighteen.” He even revived “My Stars,” a deep cut from School’s Out that hasn’t been played for years. He did four tunes from the Welcome To My Nightmare album, none of which was the title track. It was a song list designed for the heavy fans, but loaded with enough famous favorites to keep the customers satisfied. The concert ended in the usual spectacular fashion with metallic streamers and giant balloons flying during “School’s Out,” which bizarrely, yet naturally segued into Pink Floyd’s “We Don’t Need no Education.”
“Jackass Forever” (2020, Paramount Home Video) Third and apparently final go-round with Johnny Knoxville and the original cast (minus Bam Margera and the late Ryan Dunn) of the comedy/stunt/endurance franchise, who gamely carry on the tradition of abusing themselves in elaborately grotesque setpieces. The latter remains the series’ calling card, and range from astonishingly juvenile – bodily excretions, both human and otherwise, and genital abuse remain enduring punchlines (no pun intended) – to diabolically clever scenarios like a “Silence of the Lambs”-inspired blackout gag which doubles and triples its own absurdity with a “Looney Tunes” fervor. Though much of the humor relies on exploring the levels of pain one can endure – with “Danger” Ehren McGhehy receiving the most horrific abuse – the key to the appeal of “Jackass” remains the palpable glee of the performers, director Jeff Tremaine, and producer Spike Jonze as they watch their absurd gags unfold; it’s crass and silly and borderline offensive, but one has to admit that their commitment remains both laugh-out-loud funny and a touch inspiring. Said commitment is equally impressive when the cast put their own visible aging bodies to the test – Tremaine offers a split-screen view of Knoxville carrying out a run-in with an angry bull and then repeating it bull twenty years later, with even more disastrous results – though a new (and diverse) crew is also on hand to absorb the most pointless punishments, including Odd Future co-founder Jasper Dolphin, comedian Rachel Wolfson, and the guileless Sean “Poopies” McInerney (along with guests like Eric Andre and Machine Gun Kelly). Their presence is a clear indication that the “Jackass” franchise will endure after the original hit squad has taken its last beating. Paramount’s Blu-ray includes deleted and extended gags.
The second day of Filmfort 2022, the annual film festival in Boise, Idaho that is part of the popular Treefort Music Fest, opened with “Smile Little Ladybug.” The documentary short film tells the sometimes dark and always thought-provoking story of three generations of optimists and creative activists. Although the film explores subjects including anti-Semitism and racism in the American South, it is bright and gives viewers room to breathe and explore its topical nuances and inspired set design. And it does all this in only 16 minutes and 40 seconds, demonstrating the power of visual storytelling in the hands of capable filmmakers.
BECOMING MISS LADYBUG
Andrea Zoppo is a clown known as Miss Ladybug, who followed in her mother’s clowning footsteps. Both women were inspired by Andrea’s activist grandfather, Herbert Kohn. When Herbert was 12 years old, Nazi soldiers came to his home and took his father. His mother found a way to secure the release of her husband and get the family out of Nazi Germany and to the United States.
Hank’s “Single Diamond Slider” from Chef Isaias Piña at Masters of Taste. Photo by Elise Thompson.
Masters of Taste 2022 recently brought together more than 100 “Culinary Masters” “Sweet Masters,” and top Beverage Masters at the Rose Bowl. The event featured the best of Los Angeles, including the best local restaurants of its host city, Pasadena. It always features the newest food trends and introduces you to new restaurants you can’t wait to try. It is cocktail-heavy, with some of the best mixologists in the area creating exciting, crafted drinks. Usually I focus on the food, but this is one event where I let go and really drink. “Hey Mr DJ” kept the tunes spinning, even making us nostalgic with songs like the Cure’s “Just like Heaven.”
This year, Masters of Taste took place during Songkran, Thai New Year, so Chef Vanda Asapahu, Host of this year’s event, invited local Thai restaurants to participate in the Songkran Thai SELECT Pavilion in the Rose Bowl’s end zone. As a culinary challenge, each Thai restaurant was tasked with preparing a dish, dessert, or cocktail using sahm kler (which translates to “3 buddies”), and is made up of white peppercorn, garlic, and cilantro root.
For her part, Chef Vanda caused an absolute sensation with her scallops under glass, infused with Jasmine smoke. Jasmine is a celebratory flower of Songkran. Everyone was taking videos of themselves lifting the dome to watch the smoke curl into the sky. Her sister, Chef Cathy Asapahu, was able to use the “3 buddies” in her desserts, believe it or not. My favorite was the ice cream in cute little tulles.
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“Legendary Weapons of China” (1982, 88 Films) One of the more eclectic entries in the Shaw Brothers Studios catalog, this action-comedy from director Lau Kar-Lung (“Drunken Master II“) has exceptional fighting sequences – many anchored around the 18 titular weapons, each of which gets its own signature scene – but also thoughtful subtext on the perils of slavish adherence to ideologies. Lau also stars as a clan chief who dissolves his school in the wake of the Boxer Rebellion, having seen how kung fu failed to stand up against Western firearms. Assassins – including Gordon Liu (“Kill Bill”) and the extraordinary Kara Hui – are dispatched, but come to discover that Lau is not only formidable, but also that his pacifist approach might have a point. The martial arts displays are both thrilling and offbeat, mixing elaborate choreography, unique weapons and dashes of fantasy and broad comedy, the latter of which is best encompassed by Alexander Fu Sheng’s con man character, who gets a show-stopping fight against four parasol-wielding thugs. 88 Films’ Special Edition Blu-ray, which features both English- and Chinese-language (with subs) audio tracks, bundles interviews with Liu and producer Titus Ho, a making-of featurette, and three informative commentaries by several Asian action experts and actor/director Michael Worth.
Top row L-R: Humboldt Farms, Glass House Farms, North Country Pharms, Talking Trees, Connected, Monterey Kush Co (hidden in the back), Center: SF Roots. Bottom row, L-R: Cannasseurs Club, Alien Labs, Dank You, Elyon. Buds pictured are Glass House Farms’ GMO. Photo by Mr. Ubetchakoff for the LA Beat,
Good day, heshers. Another 4/20 day of celebration is upon us, let the deep dispensary discounts and hyper aggressive marketing actions begin.
This unofficial holiday has evolved into a Record Store Day for pot products, so it seems like a good time for your loyal correspondent to crawl out from my hole, mutter “Sorry I haven’t rapped at ya in a while…”, and tell you where it’s at, from where I’m at, weed-wise. And if you read on, I’ll tell you how to get half off your next bud delivery, courtesy of your old pals here at the Beat. That’s right, it’s 2022 and we are helping you score.
I predicted a while ago that the market for high grade herb in the $30 to $35 price range was about to improve significantly, but this has not really occurred. What I see instead this year is an even more deep division of the market for eighths of flower into three segments: $25 and under, $50-ish, and $75 and over. But fortunately, what has happened is that the $25 eighth has gotten noticeably and reliably better. That’s great news for those of us on a budget. And since Cheap Thrills is what we’re all about, here are our recommendations for a chilled out Marijuana Party this Wednesday, April 20.
You’ll have to look elsewhere for concentrate and edible recommendations – I’ve simplified my life and don’t often bother with those. But I do like to smoke good pot without spending a lot of money on it, and here’s some of the ways that you too can do that. Continue reading
Photo credit: Loews Hotels.
Easter is this Sunday. Why not celebrate the holiday and our gorgeous weather with a sublime brunch? Whether you’re staying in LA or venturing out to Palm Springs, the beaches of Orange County, or San Diego, you have some great choices for Easter brunch this year. See below for more than a dozen favorites.
A true culinary and architectural gem, Redbird’s unpredictable Easter brunch includes starters such as kaya toast with coconut custard and soy caramel, white asparagus with yuzu hollandaise, pork confit, burrata salad, or tartine with cured salmon and avocado. Main courses include congee with Maine lobster and soft egg, duck confit chilaquiles, Basque baked eggs with short ribs, and more. Brunch is $65 for adults and $21 for children. More information.
Free-flowing Moet & Chandon mimosas? That’s just one reason to savor the three-course Easter brunch at Avec Nous, the modern French bistro at L’Ermitage Beverly Hills. The elegant 5-star hotel’s Easter Sunday brunch extends until 4 p.m., with highlights including smoked salmon avocado toast, quiche lorraine, and rosemary garlic lamb chops. Five dessert options from world-renowned pastry chef Stephanie Boswell include passionfruit cheesecake, apricot pistachio tart, and eclairs. Brunch is $130 for adults and $65 for kids under 12, while the optional add-on of endless Moet mimosas is $65 for two hours. Reservations can be booked via Open Table.
Tucked away among the mountains of Malibu Canyon, Calabasas’ Saddle Peak Lodge has served as a Pony Express stop, a hunting lodge, and a general store during its century-plus history. Its current decades-long incarnation is a restaurant both beautiful and rustic that’s one of Los Angeles’ most unique eateries. The Easter Sunday brunch menu at Saddle Peak Lodge features three courses, with such highlights as French toast with cardamom whipped cream, Nutella sauce, and stewed berries; chilled pea soup with Peekytoe crab salad and Meyer lemon cream; and banana and huckleberry bread pudding. Brunch is $85 for adults, $49 for kids. More info.
