Halloween Is Frightfully Fun in Downtown LA

Casey's Irish Pub

You may have heard that a holiday approaches.  So before you get your costume and drink on, it pays to know where you can enjoy the appropriate spooky ambiance, if that is the vibe you seek.  Yes, Halloween is on Monday night and to celebrate the sacred evening and share the spirit of competition, eight of the 213 Group's bars in Downtown LA are competing as to who can create the ultimate Halloween experience.  On Tuesday night I set out with illustrious panel of judges who visited all eight in a single evening to determine which bar could generate the most zombie spirit.  We were picked off one by one by creatures of the night and only a few of us including ThirstyinLA lived to tell the tale.  If you see my fellow judge FoodGPS, watch out, he may be after your brains.

Each establishment was given the same amount of money to work with, which was certainly a bigger challenge for Casey's as it is the largest space including an outdoor patio, than for several of the smaller sized establishments such as Cana Rum Bar.  Each bar was challenged to decorate their space in their chosen theme, to include zombies wherever possible, to have the employees dress up in theme and to offer a punch for only $5 through Monday evening.

Dexter's Kill Room

The winning bar will not be revealed until Monday night, but there is some serious coin on the line as 213 impresario Cedd Moses has decreed that the winning bar will get to keep the profits from this Saturday night.  Not only that but one lucky undead will receive airfare anywhere in the U.S.  Zombies in Hawaii anyone?  Who will the Most Valuable Zombie be?

The most disturbing decor of the evening was certainly at Tony's Saloon in the Arts District.  Customers can sip on Etorphine Vodka Chloride punch while they try and escape the plastic wrap.  You can struggle but you will not be able to free yourself as the bar has transformed itself into one of Dexter's kill rooms from the Showtime series Dexter. The punch is named after the drug that Dexter injects into his victims to immobilize and incapacitate them.  The blood spattered plastic wrapped environment is completely transformative.  It felt like a different establishment.  I escaped via the pizza establishment, but barely.

Smoke billowing from an unseen fog machine welcomed us to the underground lair of Casey's Irish Pub.  Cobwebs galore covered the entire bar and the zombified bartenders included Amy Winehouse.  Both a Jameson and a glass of their Bloody Zombie Punch will likely be needed to calm you down as the hungry, I mean helpful, zombie staff surrounds you.

Some of the best punch you can find in downtown, any night of the year, is at Cana Rum Bar.  Allan Katz's Fiending Frenzy was absolutely delicious and beautifully presented, served out of a crystal punch bowl.  The voodoo threatens to put a hex on all who enter but the punch itself may be the antidote to the curse.

Fiending Frenzy at Cana

Sympathy For The Devil, the smoke fizzing punch at Broadway Bar was eye catching, as were the wild paintings on the wall, reminiscent of the Haunted Mansion.  Several customers there could have been in the running for the Most Valuable Zombie (I'm thinking of Lorenzo and Hello Kitty), if only they surrendered and joined the 213 Empire.

Sympathy for the Devil (Broadway Bar)

Golden Gopher unnerved us all.  The theme of zombified fairy tale characters was disturbing to say the least.  Whether it was Pinocchio was a bloody long nose or Snow White oozing flesh, this felt like a sick John Waters and David Lynch collaboration.

The Undead Horde packs a punch at Seven Grand.  The staff in tartan kilts, zombie makeup and not much else were not shy about butting their booze where their rotting flesh is. The Horde is made with Devil's Cut Boubon and may be their way of separating you from your brain.  The corpses in bodybags hanging from the balcony outside complete the terrifying experience.

Cole's Red Car Bar is serving the Dead Rose Punch, which may involve a dead rose petal on top, to seal your doom, while at Las Perlas, Jalisco Punch is on tap.  The Day of the Dead lasts all weekend long there as the tasty Tequila based cocktail works its way through your bloodstream.

You don't have to wait until Monday night to experience this fright fest.  Just mosey on downtown, put on your costume and enjoy.  But remember to always have a getaway plan.  You never know when the zombies will strike and the smell of the punch and brains may lead them right to you.

Picture Gallery below; addresses at the bottom:

Cole's Red Car Bar

Las Perlas

Jalisco Punch (Las Perlas)

Golden Gopher

Seven Grand

Tony's Saloon: 2017 E. Seventh St., DTLA.  Phone: (213) 622-5523
Casey's Irish Pub: 613 S. Grand Avenue, DTLA.  Phone: (213) 629-2353
Cana Rum Bar: 714 W. Olympic Blvd, STLA.  Phone: (213) 745-7090
Broadway Bar: 830 S. Broadway, DTLA.  Phone: (213) 614-9909
Golden Gopher: 417 W. 8th Street, DTLA.  Phone: (213) 614-8001
Seven Grand: 515 W. Seventh St, 2nd Floor, DTLA.  Phone: (213) 614-0736
Cole's Red Car Bar:118 E. 6th Street, DTLA.  Phone: (213) 622-4090
Las Perlas: 107 E. 6th St., DTLA.  Phone: (213) 988-8355

LA Craft Beer Crawl Returns to Downtown LA on August 13th

Get ready to hoist a glass to quality brews in Los Angeles as the LA Craft Beer Crawl returns for its second annual adventure through downtown.  Tickets will enable craft beer aficionados to sample unlimited tastings of over 60 craft brews at seven downtown bars on Saturday August 13th during the hours of 3 - 8 pm.  Legit breweries such as The Bruery, Craftsman, Cismontane, Eagle Rock, TAPS, Lagunitas and Allagash among others will be represented.

The beers have been curated by the Beer Chicks, Christina Perozzi and Hallie Beaune, the authors of The Naked Pint and beer experts.  The participating bars are Golden Gopher, Caña Rum Bar, Seven Grand, Casey’s Irish Pub, Cole’s, Las Perlas, and Broadway Bar, all part of Cedd Moses's 213 Group.

There will be several gourmet food trucks along the crawl route to sate the hearty apetites of beer lovers.  The trucks will be selected by none other than Good Food host Evan Kleiman, who knows good eats when she sees them.

If last year is any indication, several brewers will be in attendance to show off their seasonal and rare brews to their fans.  Last year's event sold out, so I recommend that you get your tickets early.  Tickets are $49 and include unlimited tastings from 3 - 8 pm.  VIP tickets (limited quantity) are $69 and enable entry two hours early as well as access to some of the rarer brews.

Learn more and purchase your tickets at their website: http://lacraftbeercrawl.com/  Cheers!

Las Perlas Exclusive Tequila Launch Party Tomorrow

Tomorrow night (Thursday) at 7:30 pm is your chance to be among the first to try Las Perlas Private Reserve Herradura Double Barrel Reposado tequila at the release party. Tickets to the event cost $99 and include Mexican snacks, unlimited house margaritas and Spiced Daisys, a taste of the tequila and best of all a 750ml bottle to take home. The bottle would cost $150+, so you come out ahead just factoring in the "party favor."

Herradura Double Barrell Reposado is hand-crafted and harvested, and estate bottled in the tiny town of Amatatin, Jalisco, smack-dab in the middle of tequila country. The 100% blue Weber agave tequila is aged in toasted oak barrels for 11 months, 9 months longer than required, which gives this reposado tequila its deep copper color. The tequila is then matured for an additional month in a new toasted oak barrel, to allow it to round out its flavor profile. The barrel used for the Las Perlas double barrel was selected by 213 Downtown founder Cedd Moses while on a trip to Hacienda San Jose del Refugio, Tequila Herradura's home for 140 years.

Tomorrow night is also the launch of the Las Perlas Mezcal Collective, which is modeled on the Seven Grand Whiskey Society and the Cana Rum Society. Las Perlas General Manager Raul Yastorza said, "Mezcal Collective evenings will provide a cultural immersion and mash up, with estates and bottlers providing rare hand-of-the-maker insights, and an exploration of mezcals many myths and legends, tools of the trade, and traditional glassware, while celebrating regional expressions of spirits, food, art and music." At tomorrow's inaugural event, special guest Herradura Global Brand Ambassador Ruben Aceves will speak about the tequila-making process and the traditional methods used to produce the special spirit that attendees will be sipping.

If you would like to purchase tickets to the launch party, visit lasperlas.eventbrite.com. The party will be held from 7:30 - 9:30 pm at Las Perlas. To join the Las Perlas Mezcal Collective, and receive updates and evites, visit www.lasperlas.la, or email GM Raul Yastorza at raul@213downtown.la.

Las Perlas: 107 East 6th Street (between Main & Los Angeles Streets), DTLA. Phone: (213) 988-8355. Website: www.lasperlas.la

All Aboard: Jonathan Gold’s Union Station Cocktail Party

All aboard the Speakeasy Express as LA Weekly restaurant critic Jonathan Gold is hosting his second annual Speakeasy themed Cocktail Party at Union Station featuring bartenders from several of Cedd Moses's 213 Group's bars and benefiting Zocalo Public Square, an organization that sponsors and organizes lectures, panels, and other public discussions of the issues of the day.

The party will be held on Saturday October 9th from 7 - 11 in historic Union Station as conductor Jonathan Gold welcomes revelers aboard and collects tickets, which are $185 per person ($150 for non-profit employees & $125 for those under 30). The drinks will be provided by the talented crews of Seven Grand, The Varnish, Las Perlas, Cole’s and CAÑA. Restaurants from downtown as well as across the city will be providing vittles to munch on, and these aren't just any gin joints but top notch spots such as John Sedlar's Rivera, Michael Cimarusti's Providence, Josef Centeno's Lazy Ox Canteen, Neil Fraser's Grace, Susan Feniger's Street, David Myers' Comme Ҫa, and Suzanne Tracht's Jar, among others. There is no danger of going hungry with that crew on tap.

The participating bartenders are creating specialty cocktails for the event. I am particularly looking forward to trying The Plymouth Fitzgerald from Chris Bostick of the Varnish. It is his take on a gin sour with Plymouth Gin, fresh lemon juice, sugar, shaken and served up and lightly drizzled with Angostura bitters. It sounds refreshing and the Angostura bitters should provide a nice counterpoint to the citrus.

Attendees are encouraged to wear period dress and to put folks in a party mood, KCRW’s Garth Trinidad will be spinning. Should be an awesome party with a bonus of supporting a great cause (I'm a big fan of Zocalo's panels and events). Get your tickets here. Hurry up because once this train leaves the station, you will want to be onboard, not watching from the platform as it pulls away into the distance.

Tickets are available here: http://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/union_station_event/

A Winning Formula: The 1st Annual LA Craft Beer Crawl

Saturday was the first annual LA Craft Beer Crawl, which was held in seven of 213 Group's bars in Downtown.  Almost 1,400 enthusiasts, press, brewers and friends attended the event curated by Christina Perozzi and Hallie Beaune, known as the Beer Chicks (pictured below).  On a hot day, the sold out crowd explored the offerings and migrated from bar to bar sampling craft beers and meeting the folks who produce them.

The Beer Chicks said they hope to "convert people to the craft beer lifestyle" and encouraged attendees to try darker beers saying "don't judge a beer by its color."  Over 50 different beers were represented, many from California breweries, with an emphasis on representing as many local quality brews as possible.

There were several treats along the way, including Maui Coconut Porter beer floats at Cana and beer cocktails at the Varnish created by head bartender Chris Bostick (pictured above).  I got the last beer float at Cana, which had a large crowd despite being a long walk on a very hot day from the other 213 bars.

The Varnish offered two cocktails: the Picon Biere (TAPS Belgian White, Amer Picon, lemon juice and sugar) and the Double Black Diamond (Deschutes Black Butte Porter, Goslings Rum, Whole Egg, Sugar & Nutmeg).  Both were refreshing and it was wonderful to be in the chilly Varnish, where LA Weekly's Jonathan Gold was holding court in a booth with colleagues from KCRW's Good Food, including host Evan Kleiman.

Gold curated the food vendors along the route, which included the Ludo Bites Truck, the Grilled Cheese Truck, the Manila Machine truck and Guelaguetza (inside Las Perlas).  All of the food vendors proved popular.  I have enjoyed all four in the past but only had an opportunity to sample the Manila Machine on Saturday, which was serving a mean version of corned beef hash.

The crowd of happy imbibers (Seven Grand is pictured above) included fellow bloggers Josh Lurie of FoodGPS, Pat Saperstein of Eating LA and Yolanda Evans of Eater.  It was great to see so many folks crowding the sidewalks and bars of DTLA all in search of and in support of quality craft beer.  In the past three years there has been a renaissance in quality cocktails in Los Angeles and it if Saturday was any indication, the beer movement here is only poised to grow.  I hadn't realized how many local breweries there are here in Southern California and look forward to trying more of their offerings.

LA Craft Beer Crawl: This Saturday

The first annual Los Angeles Craft Beer Crawl will take place this Saturday afternoon in downtown. The event is a collaboration between the Beer Chicks (Hallie Beaune and Christina Perozzi) who are curating the event and Cedd Moses's 213 Ventures, whose seven bars will host the beer crawl. Tickets are $49 and are available online. The early bird and VIP tickets have both sold out and at this time only limited tickets remain for Saturday's event.

The stops on the Crawl include Broadway Bar, Casey's Irish Pub, Cana Rum Bar, Cole's, Golden Gopher, Las Perlas and Seven Grand. For those with VIP tickets, Jonathan Gold, the Pulitzer Prize winning food critic from LA Weekly, will be holding court in the Varnish. To keep Crawl participants fed, Gold has curated a selection of gourmet food trucks which will be stationed along the route. LudoBites and Kogi are among the participating trucks.


Each $49 ticket entitles the attendee to a wristband and tasting glass which are the keys to unlock unlimited samples of over 50 different beers from 3pm - 8pm at the seven participating bars. Breweries represented include Allagash, Ballast Point Brewing, Brouwerij West, The Bruery, Craftsman, Chimay, Deschutes, Eagle Rock, Gentleman's Scholar, Jolly Pumpkin, Ladyface, Lagunitas, Lost Coast, Maui Brewing Company, New Belgium, Schneider, Sierra Nevada, Stone Brewing, TAPS, Uncommon and several more.

Beer geeks rejoice: Not only will participants get to try dozens of craft beers but several owners and brewers from the participating breweries will be on-hand to discuss their beers. Look for Tyler King from the Bruery at Broadway Bar, Jeremy Raub from Eagle Rock Brewing at Las Perlas, Cyrena Nouzille from Ladyface at Casey's, and Victor Nowak from TAPS at Cole's. Each bar will have at least one brewery represented.

Look for special pours and events at the different bars including the opening of a Jeroboam of Chimay Special Reserve at Seven Grand, Maui Coconut Porter beer floats at Cana and a signing of the Beer Chick's book Naked Pint at the Golden Gopher.

A portion of the proceeds from the Craft Beer Crawl will go to benefit local charity Heal the Bay, an organization dedicated to making the Santa Monica Bay and all of Southern California's coastal waters clean and safe for fish and swimmers to enjoy. Heal the Bay is run by Mark Gold, Jonathan Gold's brother. Talk about an overachieving family.

Remember tickets are only available online. Buy them here. Note that designated drivers can get a wristband to enter the bars for only $10, but they will not be permitted to sample the beer.

Seven Grand Reunion Special: Tonight Only

For the cocktail obsessed denizens of Los Angeles, it seems hard to believe that Seven Grand only opened three and a half years ago, in April of 2007. Since then the original opening crew has largely scattered to the winds, opening up places of their own and spreading the knowledge of quality drinks across the city. Tonight, in a special Red Rover "Throwback", the team which opened the bar is returning for a one night only engagement.

Participants include Aidan Demarest, Damian Windsor, George Ketsios, Leo Rivas, John Coltharp, Dave Whitton, Marcos Tello and proprietor Cedd Moses. Sources tell me that if you keep your eyes peeled you may even see the legendary Patrick Kelly. The original crew will be bartending just like back in the day and they will be making drinks off of the opening cocktail list.



The reunion of the opening team, pictured above in a photo courtesy of Aidan Demarest, has inspired a lot of excitement among the bartender and cocktail community in Los Angeles, so expect the bar to be packed tonight with old friends and and tons of energy. This could be a sloshy affair, so come prepared.

The event is sponsored by Jim Beam & Maker Mark and begins at 5 pm at Seven Grand. 515 W. 7th Street near Grand, in downtown Los Angeles. Look for the antlers.

Tales: Grand Marnier Bar Room Brawl

One of the highlights of Tales of the Cocktail in 2010 was the incredible Grand Marnier Bar Room Brawl on Friday evening. Six bars were selected to compete and each bar recreated their physical bar in Generations Hall in New Orleans. A group of industry luminaries such as Audrey Saunders, Tony Abou-Ganim and Allen Katz judged the competition.

Each of the six bars was tasked with creating two cocktails; once the judges had tried all twelve drinks, all six bars opened to the attendees who could then sample their drinks. In the interim and continuing through the evening, there were also two large Grand Marnier bars with free flowing beverages.

Pictured above is the Varnish drink menu.

The bars in competition were Drink (Boston), The Varnish (Los Angeles), Dutch Kills (New York), Rickhouse (San Francisco),Florida Room (Miami) and The Drawing Room (Chicago). What made the event so cool was that the six bars faithfully recreated their design, including a great scrim behind the bar at the Varnish set up, and a huge ice block just like at Long Island City at Dutch Kills. For attendees who hadn't had a chance to visit all six in person yet, it gave a great taste of the whole experience of drinking at the bar, not just a sample of their drinks.

Pictured above are Chris Bostick and Marcos Tello behind the Varnish bar.

The People's Choice Award went to The Varnish, who had Eric Alperin, Chris Bostick, Marcos Tello and Matty Eggleston behind the stick. Eggleston now lives in Chicago and reunited with the opening team of the Varnish to assist in the competition. Ricki Kline who designed the Varnish helped recreate the bar down to minute details. Kline and Varnish partner Cedd Moses of 213 were there to cheer on the Varnish team and help celebrate their victory.

The Judges award went to Drink, whose team was led by Misty Kalkofen.

Marcos Tello with one of the models.

Erick Castro of Rickhouse preparing to make a beverage.

Chris Bostick with the Varnish's award plaque.