Pasadena’s Vroman’s Bookstore Opens Literature-Inspired Wine Bar Next Month

Lovers of books and booze will feel right at home at the 1894, the soon-to-debut wine bar located inside Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena. As reported on Time Out, Bentley Hale of Sip Happens Wine School is heading up the drinks program, so expect to find local-leaning craft beers and wines, as well as literature-inspired cocktails. On the food menu are perfectly snack-able things like charcuterie, cheese boards, and avocado toast. Look for an early February opening.

In other news:

— Los Angeles Times’s Jenn Harris has a new show on the newspaper’s YouTube channel called the Bucket List. Dedicated to all things fried chicken, the first episode focuses on LA’s Nashville hot chicken trend.

— Los Angeles magazine reports on the evolving relationship between LA’s restaurants and delivery apps, “as technology turns ordering in into the new dining out, many local restaurateurs are slinging food from ghost kitchens throughout the city.”

— New York City ice cream transplant Van Leeuwen is scooping up a slew of new winter flavors including marionberry cheesecake, Irish cream, churros and fudge, and ginger lemon poppy seed crumble at its Culver City, Franklin Village, Silver Lake, and Arts District shops.

— Santa Monica’s Street Noods is hoping to satisfy Hollywood’s noodle needs with a ghost kitchen inside of Supertoro. The pan-Asian strands are only available for delivery through Postmates.

— For the 19th year in a row, Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne are hosting a cassoulet night at Lucques on Sunday, February 23. The celebration of the southern French country classic is priced at $65 per guest. For reservations, see OpenTable.

— It’s never too soon to start planning for Valentine’s Day, at least according to the folks at Milk Bar. Book a Valentine’s Day-themed baking class or shell-out for a limited-edition chocolate raspberry jam cake. Nothing says ‘I love you’ quite like a shared sugar high.