Please The Palate |

Meet Cocktail Academy And Their New “Apartment A”

Located in an un-assuming building in the Arts District of Downtown LA, across the street from local market Urban Radish, Cocktail Academy has moved in. Enter the old-style, brick building to Apartment A (#107) and what's inside will transport you to another world.

This new world of Cocktail Academy is the creation of three local LA guys (who have also spent time in the cocktail world in New York) - Max Kestenbaum, Matt Landes and Brandyn Tepper. The three of them met when they worked together at 41 Ocean, a private members only club in Santa Monica.

02 January, 2014

Brunch and Bloody Marys at Tasty & Sons, Portland

Who doesn't love brunch? It's the perfect meal that satisfies both the breakfast crowd and the lunch crowd, that can be enjoyed all morning and into the afternoon. In most cities, brunch is the meal that is saved for weekend days - the days in which we can casually start our days a little later than normal and don't have to rush off to work or appointments. But, in Portland, brunch is so popular that many restaurants offer it every day of the week. In fact, brunch is such a part of life in Portland that the hit TV show Portlandia even titled an episode “Brunch Village” and filmed on location at various local brunch spots. There is also a website and book that serves as more of a fan page for the early morning delight. Breakfast in Bridgetown: The Definitive Guide to Portland’s Favorite Meal, showcases brunch and breakfast reviews, news and everything in between. One of our favorite spots for brunch in Portland is Tasty and Sons, where the menu changes regularly and is designed to feature seasonal, local ingredients.

01 January, 2014

Scopa Italian Roots Sets its Roots in Venice

The team behind one of my favorite Valley spots, Black Market Liquor Bar, has come to the Westside with Scopa Italian Roots. Located in a former Szechwan Chinese restaurant space on Washington Blvd near Abbott Kinney, and next door to Sunny Spot, Scopa Italian Roots offers traditional home-cooked Italian food, inspired by Chef Antonia Lafaso’s upbringing. Steve Livigni, Pablo Moix and Antonia Lafaso have been busily working on this new project for months. At an event this summer, they were serving drinks under the name Old Lightening which is the name of the bar that is opening adjacent to Scopa in the coming weeks.

14 November, 2013