This Year’s 8th Annual LA Food & Wine Festival Once Again Takes Over LA

Food and Wine time

The 8th annual LA Food & Wine festival is happening August 22 - August 26 across Los Angeles, with dinners from big-name out of town talent and lots of homegrown heroes. The kickoff event will feature Chad Valencia of Lasa and Jon Yao of Kato, and runs $150 a head. Alvin Cailan will be hosting one of the marquee tasting events on Grand Avenue in Downtown on August 23 ($225 per person), followed by a weekend of grand tastings focusing on celebrity chefs like Curtis Stone and Hugh Acheson. Tickets are on sale now.

Goodbye, friend

Santa Monica’s longstanding Indian restaurant Pradeep’s has closed. That’s per Toddrickallen, who says the 23-year-old restaurant is likely to be replaced by a Mexican spot.

Pop’s on Fairfax

Pop’s Bagels continues to pop up around town, doing their own unique LA bagels and schmears. Now they’ve got a brunch date with Animal on Fairfax, running alongside the brunch menu on Saturday, August 18. Diners can enjoy Pop’s there or grab some more to take home.

Good coffee

The Go Get Em Tiger and G&B Coffee team announced this week that they have been scaling up their roasting, with plans to serve their own beans at their multiple locations and even begin bagging and selling them for take-home consumption as well, says LA Magazine.

Sad scenes

A homeless man was found dead of an apparent drug overdose in the bathroom of a Highland Park Starbucks, reports The Eastsider.

Mei Lin and more

Mei Lin (Nightshade) and Keiichi Kurobe (Blackship) are collaborating on a round of dinners tomorrow night in anticipation of their respective restaurant openings. There are two seatings, 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., with only ten seats per eight-course meal. Tickets are $118 plus tax and tip, and reservations to the limited-space event can be made by emailing info@nightshadela.com directly.

Changing it up

Hollywood’s Next Door Lounge has new ownership, a nightlife group with ties to Berlin, Germany. The Pearl Group duo has so far flipped the food menu and is updating the interiors, and may push for more new changes down the line.

The Pearl Group