The Valley Adds More Falafel Arax, Downtown Adds Taprooms

Downtown's new taprooms

The LA Times takes a look into two expanding new taprooms, one from Boomtown Brewery in the Arts District and another from Indie Brewing, which sits just over the water in Boyle Heights, technically.

Even more Falafel Arax

As FoodGPS points out, there’s yet another Falafel Arax coming to the Valley soon, this time at the corner of Colfax and Moorpark. The quickly-expanding brand has gone from one to several locations in the past year, including outlets in Glendale and Studio City.

Dig into Comfort LA

LA Downtown News takes an in-depth look at Comfort LA, a mostly soul food shop on Seventh Street near Skid Row. The restaurant acts as a community meeting place for many in the area, on top of serving great $1 Mary’s chicken wings.

The Americana’s new wine bar

Ombra is a new wine bar that’s now open at The Americana at Brand. The outdoor-only space is meant for moseying up during the warm summer evenings, and keeps hours on The Green from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. most nights, with an extension to 10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday night.

Caffe Luxxes’s new Beatles photos

Want to see some rare and vintage Beatles photos? Get to Caffe Luxxe on Montana in Santa Monica, as the coffee shop is celebrating its tenth year in business by hosting a large collection of previously unseen Beatles and Rolling Stones images taken by Bob Bonis. The event kicks off July 21.

Get your tickets for Taste of San Pedro

On August 6, Taste of San Pedro will kick off from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., with tastings from select area restaurants, plus craft beer and wine. It’s all going down at the CRAFTED at the Port of Los Angeles, with tickets on sale now for $55.

English Milk Punch at Baldoria

For a limited time beginning today, bartender Mike Lay will be collaborating with Little Tokyo bar spot Baldoria on his famous milk punch. Lay will be bottling some for the bar to use on a limited basis, so if you love Lay's version from the Faith & Flower days, head over to Baldoria.

Next Door Lounge does lunch now

While previously just being a dinner and late night venue in Hollywood, lately Next Door Lounge has been expanding into daytime lunch and brunch service. It’s casual fare, from fried calamari to burgers and flatbread pizzas, but everything’s priced reasonably and hours run from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday through Friday.

Inside Wolf on Melrose

The Hollywood Reporter took a camera crew inside Marcel Vigneron's Wolf on Melrose to get a look at the menu and the man himself. It's a pretty interesting peek into what's going on there, and the culture they're creating in the kitchen.