Cocktails

The last time I had dinner in Encino was in 2016 at Chef Phillip Frankland Lee's Scratch|Bar, a restaurant on the second floor of a strip mall that offers nightly tasting menus featuring seasonal ingredients. Two years ago, hidden behind Scratch|Bar, he opened up Sushi|Bar, an Omakase Speakeasy that serves a 17 course sushi meal for $125 per person. I love sushi and am always game to try a new place and added this to my list. And finally I made it for dinner. Sushi|Bar is not your typical sushi bar and much more like a speakeasy. We made our reservation for 6pm and were told to arrive 30 minutes early for a welcome cocktail. We arrived at the mall, took the escalator to the second floor and found an unmarked door with a doorbell. We rang the bell, gave our names, and were invited in to a small room with a bar and some tables. We had arrived promptly at 5:30pm and we were the first people there. We were welcomed with a drink of sake, lemon juice and ginger. And, as we enjoyed our drink, a few more guests arrived took seats and had their drinks. Promptly at 6pm, we were invited to follow the hostess into Sushi|Bar. There were a total of six of us. Sushi|Bar can accommodate a total of eight people at a time. There are actually two sushi bars, one with reservations at 6pm and 8pm and one with reservations at 5pm, 7pm and 9pm.
12 December, 2019
The Holiday season is here! If you are looking to get into the spirit, head to Severance Wine Bar in West Hollywood for their Office Holiday Party Pop Up, inspired by everything from Planes, Trains, & Automobiles to The Office. Drinking Champagne and Sherry based cocktails, eating some sweets while surrounded by tacky holiday decorations make the Severance Office Holiday Party Pop Up the Please The Palate pick of the week. Owner Evan Charest was laid off from a tech job on Christmas Eve in 2017. In 2018, he opened Severance Wine Bar with the severance money he received. And here we are at Christmas time again, so what is better than drinking cocktails inspired by the one of the worst yet funniest workplaces, Dunder Mifflin. Through the month of December, the space next to Severance Wine Bar on Melrose Avenue has been converted into a tacky office holiday pop-up. Open Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, for $20++, you will get a complimentary cocktail or a sparkling wine flight. So get into the holiday spirit! The cocktail offerings are all Champagne and Sherry based. Each is named after a Christmas themed movie that will test your trivia knowledge.
07 December, 2019
One year ago, the Please The Palate pick of the week was the Lost Spirits Distillery Tour in Downtown LA. Founded by Bryan Davis and Joanne Haruta, Lost Spirits Distillery is a producer of rum and whisky but also the creators of one of the most unique tasting experiences. Unfortunately, due to a small fire earlier this year, Lost Spirits Distillery closed for a few months and now they have reopened in a new location with the Lost Spirits Distillery Tour version 5.0. And again the Lost Spirits Distillery Tour is the Please The Palate pick of the week. Whether you like spirits a little or a lot, the Lost Spirits Distillery tour is a one-of-a-kind experience to do with friends. Once you enter the doors of Lost Spirits, you will be And transported to another world with twists and turns. It is rather surreal. From a maze to a boat ride to a submarine ride to a carousel, you are also learning how Lost Spirits Distillery makes their spirits and the history behind the liquors.
09 November, 2019
I have been traveling so much over the past few months that I feel like I have been out of touch with the Los Angeles restaurant scene. When my friend mentioned that we would head to Yapa after our tour of Lost Spirits Distillery the other night, I was excited to try somewhere new but knew nothing about the restaurant. I was feeling disconnected until I realized that Yapa only opened a couple weeks ago! Instead of being late to the game, I am on time! Yapa is located in Little Tokyo, just on the the border of Skid Row. Also known as Skid Row-kyo, this is where Little Tokyo, the Artist District and Skid Row converge. Yapa took over the space that was previously Seoul Sausage and is the project of Josh Goldman and Richie Lopez.
07 November, 2019
Whenever I thought of Mezcal, I thought of it as a smokey version of Tequila. I know that Tequila and Mezcal are different spirits, both made from agave, but I was never a fan of the smokiness. But then I met mezcal connoisseur Ulises Torrentera and tasted his Farolito Mezcals, and I have a completely new perspective on Mezcal which I wrote about in the Napa Valley Register and you can read here. There is the saying, “wine is life.” But in Oaxaca, Mexico, “mezcal is life.” I am not talking about tequila, which is a type of mezcal. I am talking about mezcal, a liquor that can be made from more than 30 varieties of agave and is cooked inside earthen pits lined with lava rocks and then distilled in clay pots.
05 September, 2019

Happy Summer 2019! I hope you had a wonderful, long 4th of July weekend. This summer (specifically June 8th), marks the 8th anniversary of Please...

09 July, 2019
Do you enjoy drinking cocktails but sometimes need or want to take a break....but then are easily tempted by the cocktail menu? Here's a great option - guilt-free delicious alcohol-free cocktails make with Seedlip Drinks. Read about Seedlip distilled non-alcoholic spirits in my column in the Napa Valley Register which I have shared here.
Have you ever needed a break from drinking but still want to go out and socialize? I know that I sometimes need a break from drinking alcohol but am still so tempted when I go out and see a great cocktail list.
20 June, 2019
HATCH LA opened one year ago in downtown LA at The Bloc, a block-long open-air urban center located on 7th Street at the 7th Street Metro Stop. What was once a covered shopping mall housing Macy's and the Sheraton Grand Los Angeles Hotel is now a vibrant open space with restaurants and shops. Hatch is a modern izakaya style restaurant serving yakitori, Japanese skewered chicken from organic Jidori chicken, as well as fresh raw fish and creative plates. And now they are serving cocktails with a Japanese twist. 
11 June, 2019
Show more
Loading...
Copied!