ML Interest Tag: absinthe

The Force Is Strong in Los Angeles

by Christina Montoya Fiedler

Parents and their little Padawans are preparing for the seventh installment of the Star Wars franchise, The Force Awakens, with increasing excitement. But what’s a good Jedi to do with all that waiting time? Happily, from chocolate Death Stars to movie marathons to lightsaber lessons, there’s lots going on in Los Angeles to keep little Lukes and Leias occupied until December 18.

photo: courtesy of Faith and Flower Los Angeles

Force Friendly Desserts at Faith and Flower
Who knew the Dark side could be so delicious? The chefs, and Star Wars megafans, at Faith and Flower created an off the menu dessert tray full of Star Wars related treats including a chocolate Death Star bon bon, and frozen block of chocolate carbonite, a white chocolate miniature Millennium Falcon, and more. Parents take caution; the absinthe light saber lollipop is for you alone (but it almost makes the pre-quels watchable!). These treats are available dine in or to go.

Faith and Flower
705 W 9th St.
Downtown LA
Online: faithandflowerla.com

photo: Jamie B. via yelp

Lego Store at the Glendale Galleria
Of course you could drive two hours plus down to Legoland, but closer to home, The Lego Store at the Glendale Galleria is also prepping for the big day. Check out the huge display of all the Lego Star Wars sets including the new (and hard to find,ahem, Santa) Force Awakens sets. But you won’t have to buy anything to partake in the fun. Star Wars theme window displays are going up as you read this, and building demos are in the works for every weekend leading up to the premiere. A quick call to the store on a Friday afternoon will let you know what sets are being demoed and at what time.

2130 Glendale Galleria
Glendale
Online: stores.lego.com

photo: Courtesy of SwordPlay LA

SwordPlay LA Fencing Academy
Do you have a light saber obsessed kiddo on your hands? Enroll them in Sword Play LA’s Jedi Academy where they will learn the basics of fencing along with the art and science of becoming a true Jedi. Prediction: Kids are going to go gaga for new bad guy Kilo Ren’s three-pronged light saber, which should make these classes even more popular. Classes and time vary. And it’s not too soon to start thinking about winter vacation—they have a week long Jedi Camp that is sure to fill up fast.

Sword Play LA
Locations in Burbank and Granada Hills
Online: swordplayla.com

photo: Rui Pereria via flickr

Rebel, Droid and Sith Prints at Grauman’s
Harrison Ford has come a long way since his blaster toting days in the original Star Wars movies. But he’s back and better than ever, reprising his role as the one and only Han Solo. Take the kiddos to check out Han’s footprints at Grauman’s. And don’t forget C3PO and R2D2; their droid prints are there, too. Looming just a few “feet” away are Darth Vader’s boot prints– always keeping a watchful eye on those Rebels.  Keep your eyes peeled for Vader, Ren and Storm Troopers, who like to patrol the Walk of Stars, taking pictures with tourists (and local kids who can’t resist).

TCL Chinese Theaters

6925 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood
Online: tclchinesetheatres.com

 

photo: Leah Singer

Disneyland—Season of the Force
Season of the Force is the new Star Wars themed interactive experience that promises to keep young Jedi’s entertained until Disneyland’s future Star Wars land opens. Check out the Jedi Training academy show, the new HyperSpace Mountain, Star Tours and the interactive Star Wars launch bay. You can truly get your Star Wars on, right down to choosing your lunch from the Dark or Light Side menus. And don’t forget the BB8 sipper cup! We got every detail on the best ways to go with kids in our inside scoop, which you can read right here.

photo: Mooshu via flickr

Pre-Order Your Tickets at Historic El Captian Theatre
Seeing The Force Awakens is of course the big event, but combine it with a live Light Saber show and a peek at original costumes and props from the movie and you’ve got yourself an out of this galaxy experience. From storm trooper costumes to a working BB8, you’ll feel like you’ve walked right into the movie. And you can pick your seats online, so you can skip out to the potty with the little ones without having to climb over anyone. It’s totally going to happen at least once, since the movie runs for 2 hours and 16 minutes.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens at the El Captian Theater
December 18 – February 7
6838 Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood
Online: ElCapitanTheatre.com

photo: Meghan Rose

A Star Wars Galactic Experience at LA Live
The weekend before the movie opens, you can use the Force to battle your opponents, build a TIE Fighter with LEGO Master Builders, journey through Star Wars history, and much more.  Get your young Jedi or mini-Sith Lord dressed up and head over to this celebration of galactic proportions.

December 12 & 13 from 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
LA Live
800 W. Olympic Blvd.
Downtown
Online: lalive.com

AMC Theater Star Wars Marathon
AMC theaters are running a Star Wars Marathon starting with Episode 1 and ending with a screening of The Force Awakens. Now, we’re talking about 15 solid hours of movies and breaks, so it’s best for the older kids. Although it is possible with younger ones, that’s a lot of screen time and you might want to do the viewing in shifts. Mom and Padawan number 1 go to one show, Dad and Padawan 2 go to the next, and then you can compare favorite parts when you take a break to get ready for the new one. It’s definitely worth if you don’t know your light saber from your land cruiser, and need to get up to speed on all things Jedi.

Locations, showtimes and information online at amctheaters.com

Star Wars fans big and small—what did we miss? Tell us how you’ll be spending your time between now and the premiere of The Force Awakens in the comments below.

—Christina Fiedler

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Date Night: 12 Local Spirits You Must Taste

by Erin Lem

Nothing says holiday cheer more than a delicious local spirit to get you in the festive mood. Seattle Magazine has picked out 12 can’t miss local spirits, which are not only mouth-watering yummy, but make great gifts for all those holiday parties coming up! So go ahead, support your local distiller and pick up a bottle. Cheers!

 

Ebb+Flow Vodka
$32
A big, full-bodied vodka whose 100-percent malted barley construction doesn’t keep it from leaving a little sweetness and vanilla on the tongue.
Sound Spirits, Interbay, 1630 15th Ave. W; drinksoundspirits.com

Headlong White Dog Whiskey
$34.95
An unaged whiskey, this dog cuddles up close with its bright combination of butter cream, grain and smooth spiciness.
Woodinville Whiskey Company; Woodinville, 16110 Woodinville-Redmond Road NE, Suite 3; woodinvillewhiskeyco.com

Legacy Vodka
$32.95
This rich, all-organic vodka boasts a hint of citrus and vanilla blooming alongside its wheat base.
Bainbridge Organic Distillers; Bainbridge Island, 9727 Coppertop Loop NE; bainbridgedistillers.com

Pacifique Absinthe
$62.95
Transport yourself to turn-of-the-century France with this absinthe’s classical mix of anise, fennel, wormwood and other spices.
Pacific Distillery; Woodinville, 18808 142nd Ave. NE, #4B; pacificdistillery.com

To check out the full list of local spirits you must taste, click here to read the full article.

This is our weekly guest post from our friends at Seattle Magazine, which keeps readers on the pulse of restaurants, personalities, arts, entertainment and culture that reflect the tapestry of our dynamic landscape. We’ve teamed up for an exciting partnership to bring you a weekly dose of fantastic Date Night ideas throughout greater Seattle.

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Date Night: 7 Stand-By Restaurants Doing Very Good Things

by Erin Lem

They may triple your kids in age, but that has only made these San Francisco restaurants more desirable! Here’s to the oldies, but goodies – those delicious, staple restaurants that have saved you and your family from fighting over where to go eat.

It’s Fall. And with Fall, restaurant openings go haywire. Charles Phan‘s Wo Hing General Store, three new BBQ/Southern-inspired restaurants (in the Mission and the Marina) and the first of three Bay Area Umami Burgers should be opening in the next few months. And that’s just off the top of my head. With soft-opening this, and grand opening that, firing off left and right, sometimes it’s nice—necessary, even—to step back and relish the gems that’ve been sitting here, right underneath our noses, for years: the Chez Papas, Canteens, and Outerlands of our city. This post is dedicated to the San Francisco fixtures that haven’t just survived for three, five, maybe even 20 years, in our cutthroat restaurant-scape; they’ve flourished. And you better believe they’ve got something good in the works for the next few months.

Uva Enoteca: Lower Haight, 569 Haight Street
Year opened: 2008
Why now: When Uva opened, its inspiring cheese and charcuterie plates and dangerously drinkable lambrusco carafes were enough to keep things exciting. Those elements continue to define the restaurant in the relatively deprived Lower Haight, but about a year ago, owner Boris Nemchenok started up an enticing happy hour deal involving half price pizza, pasta and such. More recently, he added an entirely new secondi section to the menu, starring hanger steak with potato parmigiano-reggiano sformato and sausage cooked in red wine and fennel broth.

Zazie: Cole Valley, 941 Cole Street
Year Opened: 1992
Why now:  Zazie keeps dishing out crowd favorites, like the sugar pie pumpkin pancakes coming back this month. Owner Jennifer Piallat also knows what matters to the neighborhood. That’s why corkage is always waived on Tuesdays, and Monday means “dog night.” Bring your pooch to dinner, you get $10 off any bottle of wine. This year, Piallat also added a few new heaters to the back patio, so dining outside under the stars on a crisp evening is even more sublime.

Absinthe: Hayes Valley, 398 Hayes Street
Year Opened: 1998
Why now: With new chef Adam Keough in place for about a year now, the restaurant has been added to the Chronicle‘s Top 100 Restaurants List for the first time ever, as new pastry chef Bill Corbett is drawing crowds in his own right. New on the menu this fall are slow-roasted pork rib eye with jalapeno-cheddar grits, a mushroom-artichoke tart, crowned with a poached egg and Liberty Farms duck breast, smoked in-house and dabbled with huckleberry jus. Carlos Yturria is still shaking up a mean, seasonal drink at the bar.

Firefly: Noe Valley, 4288 24th Street
Year Opened: 1993
Why now: Historically, Firefly’s fried chicken would come and go unpredictably, like the San Francisco fog. No longer, now that owner Brad Levy recently decided to make Fried Chicken Tuesdays a regular thing. Also chef de cuisine Luc Prellwitz is back in the kitchen after a year-long stint at The French Laundry and Ubuntu. Just imagine what that’s done for the menu.

Range: The Mission, 842 Valencia Street
Year Opened: 2005
Why now: The bar here—where people like Brooke Arthur and Dominic Venegas started making names for themselves—continues to innovate. Freshly muddled Sungold tomato cocktail, anyone? Michelle Polzine continues to kick butt in the pastry kitchen. Can we say elephant heart plum upsidedown cake? And the kitchen is currently bringing in the apples, pears, braises and such for the change of season.

Perbacco: Financial District, 230 California Street
Year Opened: 2006
Why now: Truffle season in Italy begins on October 15 and Perbacco will begin to plan its delicious truffle menu, something that will be available at the restaurant come November. The restaurant’s five year anniversary is coming up on October 26, and I’m told something special is in the works.

A16: The Marina, 2355 Chestnut Street
Year Opened: 2004
Why now: Menu staples like the simply elegant burrata with toast and salted chocolate budino continue to be best sellers, as new chef David Taylor adds new inspiration from Capagna, Italy to the kitchen. Meanwhile Candace Rowan is doing wicked things with peaches fresh in from Healdsburg. The peach crostata with honey gelato continues to sell like crazy.  And that’s all without mentioning sommelier-owner Shelley Lindgren‘s wine program, inarguably one of the most unique Italocentric lists in the city.

by Carolyn Alburger

This is our weekly guest post from our friends at 7×7, a site that keeps you up on the best of SF. We’ve teamed up for an exciting partnership to bring you a fantastic Date Night idea each week. Be sure to check out their blog for hourly doses of the best of SF.


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