London West Hollywood launches ‘Girl Dinner’

The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills will introduce a new “Girl Dinner” menu on Monday, Sept. 14, at the hotel’s signature restaurant, Boxwood.

Inspired by the social media trend of assembling a meal from small dishes, the prix fixe menu pairs shareable plates, cocktails and dessert. It will be offered Monday through Thursday after 5 p.m. for $45 per person, with a two-guest minimum.

Guests can begin with a choice of an espresso martini or French martini before selecting from dishes including truffle skinny fries with caviar crème fraîche, nori tuna tacos, shrimp cocktail and baby gem Caesar salad. Shrimp or steak can be added to the salad. The meal concludes with baked Fuji apple tarte Tatin served with vanilla bean ice cream.

Reservations are available through OpenTable.

The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills is located at 1020 N. San Vicente Blvd.

For information, visit thelondonwesthollywood.com.

 

Japan House explores food, well-being

Japan House Los Angeles will explore connections among Japanese food, culture and well-being with two September programs featuring sushi, music, mindfulness and the Japanese tea ceremony.

“The Global Rise of Sushi,” a talk and dining program with Sushizanmai founder Kiyoshi Kimura, will be held on Saturday, Sept. 19, from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the Japan House Salon on Level 5.

Presented by the Japan House LA Foundation, the program will examine the global growth of sushi and the evolution of Japanese food in the United States. Kimura, who is known as the “Tuna King,” founded the Sushizanmai sushi restaurant chain. He gained international attention for purchasing a bluefin tuna at an auction for a record-setting price recognized by Guinness World Records.

The program will include a sushi dining experience catered by Sushizanmai LA. Admission is $100, including taxes.

Japan House will also present “Music & Ma: The Language between Piano and Sadō” on Saturday, Sept. 26, from 1:30-4 p.m. in the Japan House Salon on Level 5.

The program will examine connections between music and mindfulness through a traditional Japanese tea ceremony led by Omotesenke tea practitioner Sachiko Okazoe, followed by a performance and talk by Japanese pianist Makiko Hirata.

Hirata will discuss music, listening and the role of pause and presence in contemporary life. The program will conclude with freshly prepared matcha and sweets. Admission is $25, including taxes.

The programs complement Japan House Los Angeles’ free “WASHOKU | Nature and Culture in Japanese Cuisine” exhibition, which examines Japanese food traditions and their relationship with nature and culture.

Japan House Los Angeles is located at Ovation Hollywood, 6801 Hollywood Blvd.

For information and registration, visit japanhousela.com.

 

Off the Hook reels in seafood favorites

The eighth annual Off the Hook Seafood Festival will return to the Santa Monica Pier on Sunday, Oct. 11, from 4-7:30 p.m., bringing together local restaurants and chefs while raising funds and awareness for Heal the Bay.

Held in recognition of National Seafood Month, the festival will also mark the 100th anniversary of historic Route 66, the highway which ends at the Santa Monica Pier. KTLA reporter Wendy Burch will host the event.

Off the Hook will feature seafood tastings from more than 20 restaurants, beverage tastings, live yacht rock music, games and amusement park rides at Pacific Park. The festival will also include oyster shucking and eating competitions sponsored by West Side Oyster Club.

Attendees can vote for their favorite participating restaurant, with the winner receiving the festival’s People’s Choice Award.

General admission, called the Little Fish ticket, includes seafood and beverage tastings and other festival activities. Tickets are $115 in advance and $130 during the week of the event. General admission begins at 4 p.m.

Big Fish VIP tickets include entry beginning at 3 p.m., access to the Santa Monica Seafood Sustainable Seafood VIP Lounge, additional seafood tastings, curated cocktails, a gift bag and an unlimited Pacific Park amusement ride voucher valid through the end of the year. VIP tickets are $175 in advance and $190 during the week of the event.

The festival aims to highlight Santa Monica’s dining community while supporting ocean conservation. Proceeds will benefit Heal the Bay, a nonprofit environmental organization focused on protecting coastal waters and watersheds in the Los Angeles area.

Organizers said the festival will be free of single-use plastics as part of an effort to reduce waste and protect local beaches and the ocean.

The outdoor, walk-around tasting event is open to guests ages 21 and older and will be held rain or shine. Tickets are nonrefundable.

For information and tickets, visit offthehookseafoodfest.com.

 

Spooky sweets haunt Sugarfina shelves

Los Angeles-based candy company Sugarfina has launched its 2026 Halloween collection, featuring new and returning seasonal candies, chocolate bars and gift packages.

New additions include pumpkin and ghost Sweet Corn Flakes candy bars, each made with crispy corn flakes and a creamy filling. The bars, priced at $11 each, feature pumpkin and ghost designs.

The collection also includes the Little Pumpkin two-piece Candy Bento Box, a pumpkin-shaped package containing two Candy Cubes, priced at $24. The Trick or Treat four-piece Halloween Taster Pack, priced at $16, contains four individually packaged candies.

Returning candies include Zombie Brains, Spooky Ghosts and Super Sour Stars. The Halloween Candy Cube Bundle, priced at $24, combines four flavors in packages decorated with pumpkins, ghosts, zombies and black cats. Zombie Brains are also available in a seasonal large Candy Cube.

“Halloween has always been such a fun and nostalgic time of year, and we wanted this collection to capture that spirit in a way that feels distinctly Sugarfina,” Sugarfina CEO and co-investor Scott LaPorta said. “From familiar seasonal favorites to new treats, it’s a collection designed to feel festive, elevated and full of personality, bringing a little extra joy to the season.”

The collection also includes Halloween Party Packs containing 10 individual Candy Cubes intended for sharing.

Sugarfina is located at 10250 Santa Monica Blvd.

For information, visit sugarfina.com.

 

Author serves up L.A. food history

Los Angeles author and food writer Danny Jensen explores the histories and people behind restaurants, bakeries, markets and other food destinations throughout the city in his new book, “Unique Eats and Eateries of Los Angeles.”

Published by Reedy Press, the 192-page book looks at longtime neighborhood institutions, immigrant-founded businesses, experimental restaurants and eateries with social missions.

Among the locations featured are 27th Street Bakery in South Los Angeles, the Tam O’Shanter in Atwater Village, Kouraku in Little Tokyo and Yuca’s in Los Feliz. Jensen also highlights Los Angeles restaurants with deep ties to the entertainment industry, including Musso and Frank Grill and the Formosa Cafe in Hollywood, as well as the Baked Potato in Studio City, which is known for live jazz and its namesake menu item.

Other stops include the Original Farmers Market, Mercado La Paloma, Smorgasburg LA, Phoenix Bakery in Chinatown, Gardena Bowl Coffee Shop and Mariscos Jalisco in Boyle Heights.

The book also examines the stories behind some of the city’s less conventional dining destinations, including the Chowder Barge near the Port of Los Angeles and Flavor From Afar, which features dishes prepared by refugee and immigrant chefs.

Jensen has written about Los Angeles food and culture for 16 years. He is also the author of “LA Scavenger: The Ultimate Search for Los Angeles’s Hidden Treasures,” “Secret Los Angeles: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure” and “100 Things to Do in Los Angeles Before You Die.” His writing and photography have appeared in Time Out, Thrillist, Culinary Backstreets, Yahoo Travel and other publications.

Jensen discussed the book and signed copies during a Sept. 16 appearance at the University Club of Pasadena.

“Unique Eats and Eateries of Los Angeles” is published in softcover by Reedy Press and retails for $27. The book is available wherever books are sold.

 

Udatsu Sushi unveils September omakase

Udatsu Sushi LA in Hollywood is marking the transition to fall with a September omakase menu featuring seasonal seafood, Japanese ingredients and California produce.

The eight-seat restaurant is the Los Angeles outpost of Michelin-starred chef Hisashi Udatsu’s Udatsu Sushi in Tokyo. Chef Shingo Ogane, Udatsu’s protégé, leads the Los Angeles restaurant, where the omakase menu changes monthly.

The September menu includes 18 courses, with new dishes highlighting ingredients and preparations associated with the changing season. The seasonal herb roll combines a chilled white miso and dashi sauce with charcoal-grilled maitake mushrooms.

Another course features red sea bream from Japan’s Hyogo Prefecture served with a light kudzu soup made with bonito dashi and ginger. A rockfish yuba roll pairs charcoal-grilled rockfish with edamame and corn wrapped in yuba and finished with a Shizuoka aonori sauce.

Squid is served with pickled plum, bonito flakes, myoga, shiso, cucumber and yuzu.

The menu also includes several of the restaurant’s signature preparations, including smoked fatty tuna and a progression of lean tuna, medium fatty tuna and seared fatty tuna nigiri. Other courses include gizzard shad nigiri, young sea bream nigiri, double shrimp nigiri, sardine nigiri and simmered scallop nigiri.

Double sea urchin with fried nori nigiri, a tuna roll, miso soup and tamagoyaki are also included in the September menu.

The monthly menu reflects Udatsu Sushi LA’s combination of Japanese sushi techniques and ingredients sourced from Japan with seasonal ingredients from California.

Udatsu Suhi is located at 6634 Sunset Blvd. 2nd floor.

For information, visit udatsusushila.com.

 

NORMS marks 77 years with 77-cent hotcakes

NORMS will celebrate its 77th anniversary on Thursday, Sept. 24, by offering its signature two-hotcake stack for 77 cents at its restaurants in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties.

The one-day anniversary special will be available from 7 a.m.-11 p.m. for dine-in customers and to-go orders placed through norms.com or the NORMS rewards app. Customers may purchase a maximum of two 77-cent hotcake orders per person.

Founded in 1949, NORMS has grown from its Southern California roots into a chain of 24 restaurants in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties and Las Vegas. The diner serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night meals.

In addition to its signature hotcakes, NORMS offers variations including birthday cake, strawberry cheesecake and cinnamon apple hotcakes.

NORMS is located at 470 N. La Cienega Blvd.

For information, visit norms .com.

 

Rustic Canyon toasts 20 years

Santa Monica restaurant Rustic Canyon will celebrate its 20th anniversary with “The First 20,” a series of dinners beginning Oct. 6 that will reunite former chefs, sommeliers and other members of the restaurant’s culinary community.

Founder Josh Loeb opened Rustic Canyon in December 2006 after hosting dinners at his Santa Monica home in the Rustic Canyon neighborhood. The restaurant developed a seasonal menu centered on ingredients from local farms, including vendors at the Santa Monica Farmers Market.

Over the years, Rustic Canyon’s kitchen has included chefs and bakers such as Zoe Nathan, Samir Mohajer, Evan Funke, Jeremy Fox, Andy Doubrava, Roxana Jullapat, Na Young Ma and Erika Chan. Elijah Deleon is the restaurant’s current executive chef.

The anniversary series begins Oct. 6 with “How It Started,” featuring Loeb, Nathan, opening chef Mohajer and Deleon. The dinner will revisit the communal meals that preceded the restaurant’s opening, with winemaker Steve Matthiasson pouring wines.

Funke, who led Rustic Canyon’s kitchen from 2008-12, returns Oct. 13 for “The Funke Years,” a collaborative prix-fixe dinner. Former Rustic Canyon sommelier Jenna Issac will pour Red Car Wines, with winery co-owners Richard and Alison Crowell participating.

On Oct. 20, “Tallula’s Returns” will revisit Tallula’s, the Rustic Canyon Family Mexican restaurant that closed in 2023. Chef Saw Naing, now a partner with Loeb and Nathan at The Dutchess in Ojai, will prepare dishes inspired by the former restaurant. Rustic Canyon Family wine director Kathryn Coker will pour wines and longtime bar manager Justin Dicken will prepare agave-based cocktails.

The series concludes Oct. 26-27 with “The Wiz Kids,” reuniting former Rustic Canyon executive chef Andy Doubrava, now of The Catbird Seat, and former pastry chef Erika Chan, now of Kato. Former Rustic Canyon sommeliers Kathryn Spencer and Ferdinando Mucerino will participate on separate evenings. Âmevive winemaker Alice Anderson will pour wines Oct. 27.

Rustic Canyon’s official 20th anniversary is Dec. 7. Reservations for “The First 20” dinners are available through Resy at resy.com/cities/los-angeles-ca/ venues/rustic-canyon.

Rustic Canyon is located at 1119 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica.

For information, visit rusticcanyonrestaurant.com.

 

Pinks supports Union Rescue Mission

For the second consecutive year, Pink’s Hot Dogs is supporting the Union Rescue Mission and the nonprofit’s eighth annual “Over the Edge” event taking place on Sept. 25-26 at the Universal Hilton Hotel.

The Union Rescue Mission’s event combines a rappel challenge down the 25-story Universal Hilton Hotel with a fundraising effort to help end homelessness. Pink’s is supporting the event by offering a special hot dog for $8.88 on Sept. 25-26, with all proceeds donated to the Union Rescue Mission. The special hot dog includes a nine-inch all-beef stretch dog topped with mustard, onions, chili and guacamole. Pink said he chose $8.88 as the price because the numbers symbolically represent a new beginning and renewal leading to prosperity.

“I support the [Union Rescue Mission] because of the work that it does to take people off the street who are homeless, give them shelter, give them food, give them medical care, give them education and try to help them get their lives back together,” Pink said. “It is a way that an iconic restaurant like Pink’s, that has been part of our community for 86 years, can bring attention to the Union Rescue Mission’s work and encourage others to do the same. I want everyone to know about the Union Rescue Mission because they do so much. We talk so much about homelessness; these are people with a solution. That is why I am so proud to be associated with trying to raise money for their cause.”

The Union Rescue Mission’s annual “Over the Edge” event invites thrill seekers, community members, churches, families, teams and supporters to participate in an unforgettable experience with life changing impact. Participants commit to raising $1,000 to support those experiencing homelessness in exchange for the opportunity to rappel 25 stories down the side of the Universal Hilton Hotel in Universal City. A $500,000 matching gift will double every donation. For information and to register for the event, visit urm.org/ote.

Pink’s Hot Dogs is located at 709 N. La Brea Ave. For information, visit pinkshollywood.com.