Please The Palate January 2020 Winter Newsletter

Written by Allison Levine on January 7, 2020

Travel Lifestyle Food Cocktails Wine

Happy New Year!!! Welcome to 2020! We have officially started a new decade. It really is hard to believe that another year has passed.

As I look back on 2019, I am thankful for such a full year! 2019 marked the 8th anniversary of Please The Palate. I spent 91 days traveling to Austin, Houston, Dallas, Boston, Sonoma, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Paso Robles, Pebble Beach, New York, New Jersey, and Oregon and also spent three weeks in Italy, traveling through Campania, as well as to Rome, Milan, Vercelli and Asti. I organized and promoted more than 27 events around the country for a variety of clients including Dao Wines, the Brotherhood of Port, Wines of Setubal, Catalan Wines, Albeisa Association, Seven % Solution, Effervescence and more. I interviewed 60 winemakers and winery owners for the Wine Soundtrack podcast. I wrote 187 articles which appeared in the Napa Valley Register, California Winery Advisor, BIN Magazine, Daily Ovation and the Please The Palate blog. And, I returned as a wine judge at the Central Coast Wine Competition.

In addition to interviewing winemakers for Wine Podcast, I was honored to be invited to be a guest on two podcasts: Hit The Bottle Podcast in which I spoke about event planning tips and Money Matters Top Tips Podcast in which I shared the story of my journey.

Phew! 2019 was an exhausting year but I am ready for 2020 and hope that it is even better. On deck for 2020 so far is more travel, more events, more writing, and more podcasts. And, I will be a wine judge at two more wine competitions! The McMinnville Food & Wine Classic Wine Competition, part of the 27th annual charity fundraiser for St James Elementary School, will take place in McMinnville, Oregon in January. The San Diego International Wine Competition will take place in San Diego in April.

Wishing everyone a wonderful, healthy, happy and successful 2020! May this be the start of an amazing decade!

Read the full Please The Palate January 2020 Winter Newsletter.

Please The Palate Pick of the Week: New Years at Big Bar

Written by Allison Levine on January 4, 2020

Lifestyle Cocktails

Another New Year’s Eve has passed. Some people stay at home, some go out to dinner, others head to parties to toast the new year at midnight. What my friends and I do is what we have been doing since December 31, 2013. For seven years, we head to Big Bar in Los Feliz to celebrate. December 31, 2019 was no exception and that is why New Years at Big Bar is the Please The Palate Pick of the Week.

In general, I find New Years Eve to be rather anti-climatic. For some, it is like any other night but for others, there is so much planning and plotting to make the evening different from others because you want to be in the right place at the right time when the clock strikes midnight and the new year starts. But, after all that preparation, it is over in a moment.

This is why I love spending New Years Eve at Big Bar. After lunch with friends, we head to Big Bar. Big Bar starts celebrating at 3:00pm and over the next 10 hours, they celebrate for each time zone. That is 10 time zones in 10 hours and each time zone comes with a special cocktail created in honor of the country celebrating.

This year’s theme had us traveling across time zones and across zones with a Back to the Future theme. The drinks were created by Cari Ha and her team at Big Bar and the menu was designed by Dave Stolte. And of course, the charming Eugene Lee was on hand to take photos. Read More +

It’s a Beautiful Night at Neighbor LA in Venice

Written by Allison Levine on January 2, 2020

Food Cocktails Wine

Is there a better name for a neighborhood restaurant than Neighbor? Seems simple and is the perfect name for the Venice neighborhood spot. Located on the northern end of Abbot Kinney, Neighbor is in the space that once housed Govind Armstrong’s Willie Jane.

Open since 2017, Neighbor looks a lot like how I remembered the space when I last ate there when it was Willie Jane. The vibe is comfortable, warm and inviting. It feels like being in the living room of a friend. There are two comfy couch areas in the front of the restaurant that lead to a set of stairs. At the top of the stairs is the hostess stand and then a long bar that runs the length of the interior. There are a few tables inside as well but the majority of tables, as well as lounge seating, are outside in the covered patio. It’s a Lovely Night at Neighbor Venice Read More +