FOOD & DRINK

Celebrating Food and Drink

Festival invites Westsiders to a panorama of feasting

By Bridgette M. Redman

Todd Elliot likes to throw a good party—one which throws the doors open to a happy crowd. Owner of Todd Elliot Entertainment, a wedding/teen/corporate event planning, music and dance company, Elliot is the producer of the annual Westside Food-Wine-Spirits Festival that is now in its seventh year (it only missed 2020 because of the pandemic). Held at the Automobile Driving Museum in El Segundo, the Oct. 23 event benefits the Westside Food Bank. Given the charity it helps support, it’s fitting that the festival features a wide array of great food and drink. Elliot expects there to be more than 25 restaurants, caterers, wine, craft spirits and beer exhibitors. It is a familyfriendly event, so alcohol will be restricted to the adults-only area while non-alcoholic drinks will be available everywhere. Elliot tries to make his event stand out with the variety of offerings it has. “There’s a lot of festivals out here,” he said. “A lot of them are wine or wine and food. When you get there, sometimes it’s just food trucks. But mine has wine, spirits, cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks too.” This year, the food access will be different from last year, making a return to what it was before Covid. Last year, guests had to purchase food tickets and were limited in what they could sample. It was Elliot’s way of helping out restaurants that had been hard hit by the pandemic, even though it cost him and his guests more. “It’s going to go back to the original way,” Elliot said. “People can eat as much as they want without having to buy a food ticket." Another change is that this year’s festival will open earlier. Last year’s festival was on Daylight Savings Day. This year it is earlier and it will be lighter outside. VIP tickets will be from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and general admission tickets will be from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. There are several perks to the VIP tickets. First, the free food is only as long as it lasts, so by arriving an hour early, guests are more likely to get what they want—and they won’t have to wait in long lines for the food and drinks. They also have first access to the free parking at the museum. VIP guests will get the close spots. General admission will still have free parking, but they might have to park a few blocks away. VIP guests also get a reusable Govino souvenir wine glass that they can take home. General admission guests get a plastic glass to use throughout the festival. Also, some sponsors have The Westside Food-Wine-Spirits Festival is back and will be held at the Automobile Driving Museum in El Segundo on Oct. 23.

giveaways at check-in for VIP guests. While the festival boasts plenty of good food and drink, the event surpasses mere gastronomical repast. There are plenty of activities for family members of all ages. There will be a live rock and roll cover band outside and a DJ inside. “Sometimes you go to these festivals and after an hour or two you’ve eaten and there’s not a lot else to do,” Elliot said. “Here, there’s plenty to do between the music and the dancing. That was one of the highlights last year—a lot of people were dancing.” Set at the Automobile Driving Museum, guests can walk through all the exhibits—something Elliot said could take an hour or two on its own. The museum is also offering classic car rides from 10 am. to 3 p.m. for a small (required) donation. Other events include a complimentary photo booth and caricature drawings, strolling magic by Paul the Psychic magician, a silent auction, and an ice cream parlor. There will be a combination of old and new vendors. Past food vendors have included Fresh Brothers, Melody Bar & Grill, Down Home South Catering, and Creamy Boys, among others. Past alcohol and drink vendors have included Boisset Wines, Riboli Family Estate Wines, Dulce Vita Tequila, Venice Duck Brewery, Our Los Angeles Vodka, and Bravago Seltzers, in addition to many others. Elliot expects there to be between 30 and 50 vendor booths that will offer activities, giveaways and items for sale. Tickets are now on sale online. Children 10 and under with an adult get in free. VIP tickets start at $95 and general admission starts at $70. Argonaut readers can get a discount by entering “ARGO.” Groups of 10 or more can get a larger discount by emailing Elliot at elliot@swingentertainment. A portion of the proceeds of the festival will go to Westside Food Bank. Their mission is to end hunger in their communities by providing access to free, nutritious food through food acquisition and distribution, and by engaging the community and advocating for a strong food assistance network. They report that they currently provide a wide variety of nutritious food including fresh produce, high protein foods and pantry staples to more than 70 agencies with food assistance programs in West Los Angeles County reaching more than 108,000 people each year, nearly half of whom are children.

Westside Food-Wine-Spirits Festival

westsidefestivals.ticketsauce.com

dineLA Delights

Restaurants across the Westside offer special menus and pricing from Oct. 14 to 28

By Kamala Kirk

Enjoy two weeks of unique dining experiences across Los Angeles from Oct. 14 to 28 during dineLA, where many participating restaurants are offering special menus and prices.

COURTESY PHOTOS

Café Gratitude

For those looking to enjoy dineLA in the comfort of their own home this year, plant-based favorite Café Gratitude is offering a takeaway four-course prix fixe dinner menu for $45. For this special time of year, Executive Chef Dreux Ellis has created dineLA exclusive dishes like ‘I am Exquisite’ calamari and ‘I am Elated’ Southwestern-style enchiladas. Other healthy and delicious menu highlights include eggplant parmesan, warm butternut squash dip, smoked tofu salad and choco-flan. Available at Larchmont, Venice and Arts District locations. cafegratitude.com

The Tasting Kitchen

The Abbot Kinney restaurant is offering their Tasting Menu experience for dinner at $80 per person, which features some of The Tasting Kitchen’s most popular dishes. The menu features an appetizer, two dishes and dessert. Offerings include flat iron steak, mussels, gnocchi and bread pudding, among others. The special dineLA menu will be offered in addition to their two other classic tasting menu options for $90 and $140. All guests at the table must participate. thetastingkitchen.com

Hotel Casa del Mar

The premier seafood restaurant at the oceanfront hotel presents a special dinner menu that offers diners the choice of salmon tartare, grilled octopus, Iberico de Belota ham salad, roasted pasture bird chicken, slow braised shirt ribs, dry aged branzino, or king oyster mushroom linguini. For dessert, choose from ricotta cheesecake with berry compote or brownie with vanilla gelato. $65 per person, not including tax and gratuity. Available for dine-in only and the entire table must participate. The hotel’s Patio del Mar is also participating in dineLA at $45 per person, which includes one’s choice of two items from the menu. Selections range from shrimp ceviche Baja style and beef carpaccio to Wagyu burger and kale chicken salad, among others. hotelcasadelmar.com

Trejo’s Tacos

Their Santa Monica location is offering a $25 per person lunch menu that includes chips and guacamole, a Trejo’s Bowl (choices include steak asada, chicken tinga, beef barbacoa, spicy shrimp, young jackfruit, mushroom asada), as well as one’s choice of a refreshing agua fresca (guava lime, strawberry lemonade, date sweetened horchata). trejostacos.com