New Museum Event Series Explores the Depths of Southern California’s Foodways

An evening of thought

There’s a cool one-off event going down at the Autry this Friday, and it features bites and discussion from Royce Burke, Evan Kleiman, and more. The evening event is put on as part of an ongoing discussion of Southern California foodways, and will also include panel discussion with Tien Nguyen and Toni Tipton-Martin about “food, narratives, and going beyond labels.”

Making it work

The Desert Sun has a fun piece out on the Jewish communities of greater Palm Springs, and how one particular restaurant has become a symbolic hub of religious ritual.

New Gwen

Here’s the menu for lunchtime hours at Gwen in Hollywood. The meat-focused restaurant has switched up its previous offerings and is now leaning even further into the fire.

Drinking it first

The folks at Bibo Ergo Sum are starting a new weekly Sunday program called B-Sides, where drinkers will get to taste test early versions of future cocktails on the list. It’s sort of like an interactive R&D session, with participants providing feedback in exchange for a reduced-price drink (think $6 for cocktails, or $12 for boilermaker-style “duets” composed of two drink pairings).

Listen in

There’s a new-ish podcast called Side Work out that dives deep into the (mostly LA) world of restaurants and front of house work. It’s a fun listen, including a recent episode with food writer Katherine Spiers that talks about the role of restaurant criticism, and the chaos it can create when a critic walks through a restaurant’s doors.

Pasta party

Semolina Artisan Pasta is teaming up with Elysian for an anniversary dinner next Wednesday. The evening affair will include a family-style meal (yes with lots of pasta) plus drinks, and runs $75 a head.

Honest talk

Want to know what it’s like to run a locally-sourced, high volume Italian restaurant in the sleepy city of Montecito? Just ask the folks at Bettina up in Santa Barbara County — or better yet, listen to them as they get into it on the Jeremiah Show.