The Offalo

L. A.’s monthly glossy magazine has its own headlining event that takes this year on Sunday, October 15th, at Saddlerock Ranch in Malibu, the most picturesque venue of all of the L.A. food events I’ve attended. :  This seafood-centric food fest on the Santa Monica Pier is in its third year and does a great job showcasing the local restaurants in and around Santa Monica, including Sushi Roku, Herringbone, The Lobster, and more! Tickets are $50 for GA and $75 for VIP, which grants you 1 hour early entry and access to the VIP area with Tar & Roses, FIG, and Ashland Hill! Featuring restaurants such as Bru’s Wiffle, Du-Par’s, Myke’s Cafe, Poppy & Rose, Barbara Jean, and more, this festive event takes place literally at the races, at the Santa Anita Race Track in Arcadia.

Tickets are $90 if purchased online up until noon (or maybe 1 PM, I can’t tell from the EventBrite page), or $100 at the door, for (I believe) all-you-can-eat crawfish, fixins, beer, wine, etc. Next Wednesday, chef Wolfgang Puck is inviting 19 other top L. A. chefs, including Nancy Silverton, Walter & Margarita Manzke, Ray Garcia, Suzanne Goin, Michael Voltaggio, Roy Choi, Jeremy Fox, and more, to join him at the Hotel Bel-Air for a fundraiser to help folks in Puerto Rico, Mexico, Florida, and Texas. The L. A. event takes place at Vibiana and includes a cocktail reception with food from Felix, Maude, Kismet, Shibumi, and Howlin’ Ray’s, followed by a dinner by James Beard Award winning chef Barbara Lynch, Michael Cimarusti, and Shannon Swindle. Upcoming events in mid/late October:  Off the Hook on Saturday the 14th  Brunch at the Races on Sunday the 15th, The Food Event on Sunday the 15th, March of Dimes’ Signature Chef Auction on Sunday the 15th, Eastside Food Fest on Sunday the 22nd, Los Angeles Times’

But this event, LA Loves Alex’s Lemonade, I would have to say is possibly my favorite each year, and it’s happening this Saturday, September 9th! Less than a week after Alex’s Lemonade is another event that was new to me before (and took place earlier in the summer last year) is happening on Thursday, September 14th. The chefs for this event are not as numerous, and much more local, than Alex’s Lemonade, but they are some of the best chefs, and/or represent some of the best restaurants in LA. , Pier del Sol on Sunday the 8th, Off the Hook on Saturday the 14th  Brunch at the Races on Sunday the 15th, The Food Event on Sunday the 15th, March of Dimes’ Signature Chef Auction on Sunday the 15th, Eastside Food Fest on Sunday the 22nd, Taste Talks from Friday the 27th to Sunday the 29th, and more!

* Dinner with a Twist – Hosted by Jonathan Gold, Times Restaurant Critic, Jenn Harris, Times Deputy Food Editor, Antonia Lofaso, Chef/Owner of Scopa Italian Roots and Black Market Liquor Bar, and Marco A. Ramos, Mixologist at Scopa Italian Roots; Restaurants include Barrel & Ashes, Beauty & Essex, Black Market Liquor Bar, Faith & Flower, Mayura Indian Restaurant, Pedalers Fork, Scopa Italian Roots, Szechuan Impression, The Bellwether, The Ponte and Wolf. * Flavors of L.A. – Hosted by Jonathan Gold, Times Restaurant Critic, and Gilberto Cetina Jr., Chef/Owner of Chichen Itza and Holbox; Closing night of The Taste embraces the depth and diversity of flavors that make Los Angeles one of the most exciting places to dine through demos by Cetina, Wes Avila (Guerrilla Tacos) and the team behind Badmaash: Pawan, Nakul and Arjun Mahendro. Restaurants include Chichen Itza, Frankland’s Crab & Co., Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, Holbox, Luv2eat Thai Bistro, Meals by Genet, Pasta Sisters, Revolutionario North African Tacos, Same Same and Worldwide Tacos. Tickets range between $95 and $150, with a $25 discount for current Times’ subscribers, and are available on The Taste’s website:  http://extras.latimes.com/taste/