A Free Downtown Food Festival Will Determine LA’s Single Best Tortilla on Sunday

Tortillas for all

Los Angeles will crown the best tortilla maker in the land on Sunday. That’s per KCRW, which has been running its second-annual all-Southern California tortilla tournament for the past few weeks, culminating in a free event at La Plaza de Cultura Y Artes in Downtown. Arrive early to catch all the tortilla-making (and tasting) action, plus other cultural activations and fun food pop-ups, all with an eye towards crowning a winner at the end of the day amongst the five finalists. Last year’s winner, Sonoratown, is no longer in it, but there are plenty of tortilla specialists, including Burritos La Palma and Taco Maria in Orange County, left in the mix.

One for all the games

Tom’s Urban at L.A. Live is relaunching as Tom’s Watch Bar, a massive new in-the-round sports bar complex. The plan is to not only supply a 13-foot tall, 23-feet-wide television for primary viewing, but to ring the entire bar area with screens that show every game, all the time basically. Sounds intense, but for those looking for some sensory overload the 20,000 square foot, two-story space will reopen this fall.

All the right drinks

Check out this happy hour for charity going down at Accomplice in Mar Vista on Monday night. The multiple-bartender affair runs from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in conjunction with Monkey Shoulder Whiskey, with a portion of proceeds from the night going to the Skid Row Housing Trust. The cocktail menu is below.

Tacos for the masses

Santa Monica restaurant Tallula’s is doing a delivery-only taco menu called Tallula’s Taqueria. The plan is to offer a few bespoke, delivery-only items like a taco salad and a burrito, along with classic items from the original restaurant’s menu. Delivery is available nightly from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on any (or most, at least) of the delivery apps.

Al fresco vegan

Jane Q at the Kimpton Everly Hotel in Hollywood is hosting another all-vegan outdoor dinner next Friday. The $55 event comes with six courses and available pairings for purchase ($30 for wine, $15 for non-alcoholic drinks).

Ramen in Highland Park

The Highland Park location of Burgerlords is hosting a ramen pop-up on Monday night. Expect a slew of vegan options (minus the shoyu), starting at 6 p.m.

Drinks and views

There’s a new rooftop cocktail bar sitting under the sun in West Hollywood these days. The aptly-named Sunset Cocktail Lounge rests atop the Palihouse hotel and spans more than 2,000 square feet. The evening-only, Thursday to Saturday space comes complete with an open-air bar doing classic and modern cocktails, and offers a food menu from Cameron Slaugh (Osteria la Buca) that includes crispy chicken sliders and grilled flatbread with hummus.

Jakob N. Layman