Burritos La Palma expands
From birria-stuffed burritos to coffee-rubbed-steak-stuffed bäcos, here’s what’s happening in the food and drink world:
OC burritos: Burritos La Palma, the El Monte restaurant that makes Jonathan Gold’s list of his five favorite burritos, opened a location in Santa Ana on Saturday. Now you can get Gold’s go-to burrito, the well-toasted tube stuffed with the beef stew birria , in the OC. The new location is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, but the restaurant promises to expand its hours later this month. Burritos La Palma also has a food truck. 410 N. Bristol, Santa Ana, www.burritos lapalma.net.
Catch that bäco: Josef Centeno, the chef behind the downtown restaurants Bäco Mercat, Ledlow, P.Y.T., Orsa & Winston and Bar Amá, opened Bäcoshop in Culver City on Thursday. The fast-casual restaurant is a spinoff of Bäco Mercat and will feature bäco sandwiches made with the chef ’s signature flatbread and bäcorritos, made with an unleavened version of the dough, used as a tortilla. There will also be grain bowls, salads and grab-and-go items. This restaurant is designed to be the first of many. 9552 Washington Blvd., Culver City, (424) 258-6301, www.baco-shop.com.
SFV chicken: Terry Heller, the man behind the Plan Check restaurants, has announced he will open a rotisserie chicken restaurant, called Wild & Free, in Sherman Oaks near the end of summer. The fast-casual restaurant will serve chicken, sandwiches and salads; there will also be beer and wine. The restaurant has taken over half of the closed Solley’s Deli space on Van Nuys Boulevard. There will be 65 to 70 seats and a large patio. The restaurant’s name was inspired by the ’80s hip-hop movie “Wild Style,” which is what Heller calls the restaurant’s spicy rotisserie chicken. 4550 N. Van Nuys Blvd., A1, Sherman Oaks.
Flavors of Africa: The Skirball Cultural Center will host three cooking demos and discussions (with plenty of samples) that will celebrate the cultures and cuisines of Sudan, Tunisia and Ethiopia. The first event, on March 29, will feature Sudanese-style food from Amin Musa, chef of the Hollywood farmers market favorite Ihsan’s Falafel; the second event, on April 19, will feature Tunisian-style food from Orly Olivier of the cooking and culture blog Petit Takett; and a final event, on May 17, will highlight Ethiopian-style food from Nesanet Abegaze of Azla Vegan, the Ethiopian restaurant in South Los Angeles. Tickets are $100 for Skirball members and $125 for nonmembers. You can register online or call (877) SCC-4TIX. 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, www.skirball.org.
The Beards are here: Discover Los Angeles is hosting an event called L.A. Cooks for the James Beard Foundation on Tuesday at Lucques. The six-course meal will be cooked by Beard-nominated chefs and past winners, including Lucques chef-owner Suzanne Goin, Nancy Silverton, Michael Cimarusti, Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, Jeremy Fox, Matt Molina, Dahlia Narvaez and Sherry Yard. Lucques sommelier Caroline Styne and the Varnish’s Eric Alperin will supply wine pairings and cocktails. General admission tickets are $285, while a $1,000 VIP ticket will get you seats at the chef ’s table with Wolfgang Puck, Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, as well as admission to a 30-minute cocktail reception and VIP swag bag. To buy tickets or for more information, visit the Eventbrite page. 8474 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, (323) 6556277.
5 chefs, 5 pigs: Cochon555, the annual competition that tasks five chefs with cooking five whole heritage-breed pigs, is Sunday at the Viceroy Santa Monica. This year’s competitors include Bruce Kalman of Union, Kyle Johnson of Bourbon Steak Los Angeles, Jonathan Granada of Otium, Dakota Weiss of Estrella and Larry Monaco from Cast. The event will also include a pop-up ramen bar, a La Brea Bakery pop-up, a Farmstead Cheese bar and a Creminelli salami snack bar. General admission tickets are $125 and VIP tickets are $200. 1819 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, cochon555.com.
Still hungry? Bar Clacson, the new downtown bar by the 213 Hospitality group, has launched a new Apertivo hour Tuesday through Sunday from 5 to 7 p.m. Laurel Hardware in West Hollywood recently opened Mezcal Bar, a new Spanish-themed bar. As part of its 50th anniversary, the Los Angeles Zoo has launched a sustainable wine dinner series with events Thursday, April 27 and May 11. Gemma Matsuyama, the woman behind Heavy Cream, the pastry arm of the Pico House food truck, is serving sweet and savory baked goods at Stumptown Coffee in the Arts District. Chef Bruce Kalman and Marie Petulla of Union and Knead will host Tasty Tunes, a three-course dinner at Pasadena’s Union on March 27 that will pair food with music.