Here’s How to Enjoy an At-Home Tequila & Cocktail Tasting This Friday

Posted on April 12, 2021 by Karin E. Baker

Image courtesy of Cutwater Spirits.

Canned cocktails have come a long way. Formerly made with cheap booze, high-fructose corn syrup, artificial coloring — and an apparent lack of shame — companies like San Diego’s Cutwater Spirits now make award-winning canned drinks with their own high-end liquors and natural ingredients.

This Friday, sip your way through two of Cutwater’s excellent cocktails — a Mango Margarita and a Tequila Paloma — along with their tequila, in your home during a virtual tasting event on Zoom. Cutwater’s Director of Quality + Innovation, Gwen Conley, will guide viewers through the tasting.

For $25, you can purchase a tasting kit featuring two 12 oz. canned cocktails, a 50 ml. bottle of Cutwater’s Tequila Blanco, and five different snack foods.

Shipping is $5.99. You need to buy your kit no later than April 12 to ensure shipping anywhere in California. More info here. Cheers!

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watt’s picture of the week – saturday, april 10, 2021

Posted on April 10, 2021 by Mike Watt

day before yesterday I drove over to columbia park in not-too-faraway torrance to see the last of the sakura blossoms, the cherry trees are near the corner of 190th st and prairie av…

photo by mike watt

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Movies Till Dawn: Science Fiction and Fact

Posted on April 9, 2021 by Paul Gaita

“Minor Premise” (2020, Utopia) Researcher Sathya Sridharan, crumbling under strain from multiple fronts (his late father’s scientific legacy, his shambolic life, alcohol), pours his energy into an experiment to control emotion, which literally shatters him into 10 distinct personalities, each with not only the ability to control his body for six minutes at a time. Excellent indie sci-fi thriller is anchored by Sridharan’s heroic turn, which requires him to give ten different variations on an already heavyweight role, and Paton Ashbrook (whose father, Dana Ashbrook of “Twin Peaks” fame, also appears in the film), as his fellow researcher and ex-girlfriend, who herself has a range of responses to his recklessness, from concern to annoyance and fear. Director Eric Schultz and producers Justin Moretto (who’s a real neuroscientist) and Thomas Torrey temper the heavy science of the premise with some unnerving thriller sequences involving the more volatile sides of Sridharan and some thoughtful consideration of the different faces we wear – by choice or compulsion – throughout our lives; Utopia’s Blu-ray includes commentary about the film’s technical sides by the writers-director, as well as the short on which the film is based and several brief behind-the-scenes segments which showcase Sridharan’s superhuman commitment to his role.

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watt’s picture of the week – thursday, april 1, 2021

Posted on April 1, 2021 by Mike Watt

here’s some tile on a bench at the parking lot for the catalina sea and air terminal here in my pedro town this morning… yep, that’s the minutemen and it was a mindblow to find this. trippy how me and d boon used to work at this parking lot – we manned the boofs for the port of l.a. here in the late 70s! by the way, today’s d boon’s bday – happy bday, d boon!

photo by mike watt

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Where to Get Easter Brunch & Dinner in LA – 2021 Edition

Posted on March 31, 2021 by Karin E. Baker

Chicken & Waffles. Photo courtesy of Georgia’s Restaurant.

Easter is this Sunday. Why not celebrate the holiday, along with the dawn of spring and the continued reopening of Los Angeles, with a sublime meal? Whether you’d prefer to bring in something delicious to eat at home or venture out to a restaurant, Angelenos have some great choices for Easter brunch or dinner. See below for ten  favorites.

One of LA’s best steakhouses, Nick + Stef’s in DTLA is offering Easter Takeout Boxes to be picked up on Saturday, April 3 between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Priced at $300 and serving four, the meal includes prime rib or leg of lamb, along with Caesar salad, potatoes, asparagus, baby carrots, and key lime tart. Place your order via TOCK. 

All-you-can-eat breakfast and brunch tacos are the highlight of the menu at Lanea this Easter Sunday. Priced at $25 per person, the handmade street-style tacos include Huevos Con Chorizo, Huevos Con Bacon, Huevos Con Sausage, and a non-meat option with Beyond Meat. Pair them with one of the Santa Monica eatery’s margarita flights or a Mimosa. The offer is for dine-in between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Website

Gasolina Cafe is a Spanish-influenced Woodland Hills eatery whose kitchen is headed by Chef Sandra Cordero. Everything here is made from scratch and to order using local ingredients. The Dutch-Spanish chef’s Easter Brunch, $35, will include cava with tangerine juice, gazpacho, your choice of omelet with Chef Sandra’s famed patatas (Jonathan Gold rhapsodized about them), and Spanish French Toast with piloncillo and berries for dessert.  Website

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This New LA Shop Sells Nothing but Elevated Pudding

Posted on March 29, 2021 by Karin E. Baker

Pudu Pudu Pudding Bowl (Top Half: Cool Ocean Dip. Bottom Half: Butterly in the Sky). Image by Karin E. Baker for The LA Beat

Will pudding be the next big dessert trend? The owners of Pudu Pudu, a newly opened pudding gallery on Abbot Kinney, are betting on it.

The pudding offered here doesn’t bear much resemblance to the Jell-o brand most of us grew up with. Made with organic, locally sourced milk, Pudu Pudu’s elevated puddings are made with high-quality ingredients. They aren’t overly sweet and are enhanced with add-ins that promote health rather than a sugar rush.

This first all-pudding eatery in the world comes from Dr. Oetker, a classic German brand that has sold packaged pudding since 1894. You might be familiar with the company — I’ve bought their chocolate mousse mix locally several times.

Promoted by the company as edible art, these freshly made pudding bowls are topped with superfoods like turmeric, pomegranate seeds, spirulina, and antioxidant powders made from real fruit. You’ll also find edible flowers, fresh or dried fruit, orange zest, and chocolate curls.

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Movies Till Dawn: With/Without a Backwards Glance

Posted on March 26, 2021 by Paul Gaita

“The Wild Life” (1984, Kino Lorber) Wasted days and wasted nights with three boys (Eric Stoltz, Chris Penn, and Ilan-Mitchell Smith) navigating the suburban jungles of Los Angeles. Minor retread of co-director-writer-producer Cameron Crowe and co-director Art Linson‘s “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” with Penn as an amusing ersatz Spicoli; it’s best enjoyed as a series of vignettes, some more clever than others, and for spotting ’80s faves (Smith, Lea Thompson, Sherilyn Fenn, Jenny Wright), character players (Rick Moranis, Michael Bowen, Robert Ridgely) and eclectic cameos (Dick Rude, Ronnie Wood, Lee Ving, Nancy Wilson) in the cast (as well as glimpses of Reagan-era Valley spots like Burbank’s Marlindo Lanes and the Equestre Inn) Devotees should note that the original soundtrack, featuring two cuts by Eddie Van Halen and tracks by Prince, Madonna, the Three O’Clock, and Louise Goffin and Charlotte Caffey, is featured on the disc (it had been removed for rights issues from TV broadcasts and previous DVD releases). Kino’s Blu-ray includes smart/funny commentary by the late Mike McPadden and author/DJ/publisher Ian Christie, an interview with Smith, and various promo spots.

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watt’s picture of the week – friday, march 26, 2021

Posted on March 26, 2021 by Mike Watt

the angels gate harbor light yesterday at the crack of dawn in my pedro town…

photo by mike watt

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Gallery 30 South Features the Photographs of Wyatt Doyle through March 26, 2021

Posted on March 24, 2021 by Lucretia Tye Jasmine

Bench Ad. Photograph by Wyatt Doyle

I was compelled to write about “And the red death held sway over the dollar store,” a current solo show at Gallery 30 South, because a lot of photographers try to convey what artist Wyatt Doyle’s photos actually do convey: some people are lucky, and some people aren’t. The Los Angeles Beat recently found out more about the art and the artist during a phone conversation.

Doyle, the New Texture founder, prefers lomography, a spontaneous, no-frills approach to photo-taking. He respects the “this is what I’ve got, what can I do with this?” approach. “It’s become almost a point of pride for me,” he says. Following this ethos, Doyle uses commercial-grade digital cameras.

“Bench Ad” is from his old neighborhood on La Brea, north of Melrose, in Los Angeles. The bowed head of the man in rags on the bench gives an anonymity, Doyle points out to me. The ads behind the man – of mega-millionaires among gold towers promoting their latest movie, and of a diverse group happily smiling as they promote a TV series – emphasize wealth disparity as they contrast with the man on the bench, a photograph that conveys such troubling unfairness in our country.

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This Empowering Women’s Boxing Class Benefits the Downtown Women’s Center

Posted on March 23, 2021 by Karin E. Baker

Photo courtesy of The Hotel Figueroa.

Few things are as empowering as knowing how to physically defend yourself. Now, celebrate Women’s History Month while gaining confidence in both your inner and outer strength by attending a Women’s Self Defense Boxing Class on Wednesday, March 24 at the Hotel Figueroa.

This socially distanced class will take place at Terrazza, the historic hotel’s second-story event space. The capacious open-air setting offers impressive views of DTLA, along with the Hotel Fig’s swimming pool.

Hosted by renowned trainer Courtney Watts of Rumble Boxing, this educational, cardio-based class will teach some intense moves to help you stay safe by defending yourself. Each participant will receive a pair of Sanabul boxing gloves. The gloves are vegan-friendly and you are allowed to keep them.

All proceeds will go to a great local cause: the Downtown Women’s Center. The center brings essential services to homeless women, youth, and abuse victims.

The class takes place from 6-7:00 p.m. Tickets are $40 and can be bought here.

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