These LA Restaurants are Donating Profits to Help Fight the Australian Fires

A number of restaurants and cafes around Los Angeles are lending their time and money to help out Australia’s ongoing bushfire crisis. The upcoming regionally-inspired menu at chef Curtis Stone’s fine dining restaurant Maude is entirely devoted to South Australia, and the team is donating profits from the meals to the Drought Angels as part of Stone’s #Commit2One charity initiative. Hollywood’s L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele is donating 20% of lunch revenue through January 16, and E.P. & L.P. in West Hollywood is even throwing a rooftop party from noon to 8 p.m. on January 26 to celebrate Australia day, with proceeds and donations from diners going to help the cause. Others like Bluestone Lane and Little Ruby have previously raised funds as well.

– Chicas Tacos is now open at 9345 Culver Blvd. in Culver City.

— New Food Economy tackles the tricky subject of restaurants donating their excess food, using Arts District bakery Bread Lounge and LA non-profit FoodCycle LA as primary sources.

— The Rose in Venice has surpassed the two-million tickets mark, which is a remarkable accomplishment for any restaurant, especially one with such a storied history. Congrats to the team.

— There’s a barbecue pop-up going down at Bar Bandini in Echo Park tomorrow night.

— Panxa Cocina in Long Bach is continuing its month-long Land of Enchantment series based on the culinary history of New Mexico. That means a collaboration with Beachwood Brewery and special wine from New Mexico’s Gruet.

— Diep Tran’s Banh Chung Collective is back on January 18 for a Lunar New Year event at Alma Backyard Farms in Compton. The plan is to make banh chung, sticky rice dumplings with Red Boat fish sauce, by hand there before taking the show on the road to New York City, San Francisco, and Dallas.

— Citrin in Santa Monica has a pretty special happy hour deal to know about that runs Tuesday through Sunday from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. There’s even a $10 burger and $14 lobster bolognese, as seen on the menu below.