Best Of LA - Week of June 15
With Father's Day and the official start of Summer, it's going to be a busy week! Start it off right by celebrating everyone's favorite crustacean on National Lobster Day, and keep the party going with Culver City's Third Wednesdays and Saturday's kickoff of LA Beer Week. There's no shortage of live entertainment as well, with concerts, musicals, and world-premiere theater. And of course the celebration of all things dad on Sunday.
Celebrate National Lobster Day
Various Restaurants
www.theatricum.com
What better way to kick off the week than by celebrating National Lobster Day with a unique lobster dish? South Bay gastropub The Rockefelleris serving up a lobster pot pie alongside their extensive craft beer and wine menu, while Santa Monica's Art's Table is offering mini lobster salad sandwiches and decadent lobster mac 'n' cheese. If you're looking to dig your claws into a lobster roll, try an Old Bay buttered roll at Franklin & Company, a crushed potato chip filled roll at Playa Provisions, or a fresh locally-sourced roll at the family-run Captain Kidd's Fish Market & Restaurant. With so many options, there's really no wrong way to enjoy lobster.
The Lonesome Trio
Largo at The Coronet
366 N La Cienega Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA
(310) 855-0350
www.largo-la.com
The Lonesome Trio will be gettin' down and celebrating the release of their new self-titled album with a special show at Largo. Comprised of former Daily Show correspondent and Office star Ed Helms (vocals, guitar, banjo), Ian Riggs (vocals, bass), and Jacob Tilove (vocals, mandolin), the group is a little bit bluegrass, a little bit folksy, and a whole lot entertaining. With 22 years of friendship and collaboration behind them, they're sure to amuse audiences with a memorable acoustic set. Doors open at 7:00pm with showtime at 8:30pm. Tickets are $30.
Third Wednesdays
Downtown Culver City
(intersection of Culver and Washington Blvds. & Duquesne Ave.)
www.downtownculvercity.com
Third Wednesdays are back in Culver City, kicking off this month with a "Back to the Beach" theme. Bringing the beach to its tree-lined boulevards, this event is a great chance to try out one of the area's trendy upscale bars or outdoor eateries in a fun and different way. Pick up a "Third Wednesday Passport" at any of the participating businesses, get it stamped each time you try a Spiked Lemonade (virgin options available as well), and turn it in at the end of the night to enter to win a summertime prize. The event runs 5pm to 9pm, and parking is free in municipal structures for up to two hours.
California: The Tempest
Grand Park
200 N. Grand Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(800) 578-1335
www.cornerstonetheater.org
Cornerstone Theater Company is completing their year-long premiere of California: The Tempest right back where it started from - Downtown LA. The traveling show has made its way up and down the coast, and is ending its run with a free performance in beautiful Grand Park. It's Shakespeare meets California in this adaptation about love, revenge, earthquakes, drought, and many more challenges that are distinctly Californian. The show begins at 8:00pm, and runs through the weekend.
Green Day's American Idiot: The Musical
The MET Theater
1089 N. Oxford Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90029
(323) 802-9181
www.domatheatre.com
Get ready to rock as Green Day's smash hit musical American Idiot comes to The MET Theater. The energy-filled rock opera is a stage adaptation of Green Day's American Idiot album, featuring hits like "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," "Wake Me Up When September Ends," and of course the title track, "American Idiot." The musical tells the story of what happens when three lifelong friends living in the 'burbs must decide between leaving to live their dreams, or staying in the stifling safety of suburbia. Tickets start at $30, and the show runs through July 12th.
LA Beer Week Kickoff Festival
Exposition Park
701 State Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90037
www.labeerweek.org
Highly anticipated LA Beer Week returns this weekend, with a special kickoff festival in Exposition Park. Over 75 breweries will be on tap, along with live music and entertainment, food trucks, panel discussions, and more. General admission tickets are $45, and include a commemorative tasting glass and samples of over 200 beers, ciders, and home brewed sodas. Proceeds benefit the nonprofit L.A. Kitchen, so you can feel good about imbibing. The kickoff festival runs from 12pm- 5pm, and all attendees must be 21 and over.
For a full guide on events you won't want to miss, visit our Guide To The Best Events At LA Beer Week.
Pasadena Chalk Festival
Paseo Colorado
280 East Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 795-8891
www.pasadenachalkfestival.com
Back for it's 23rd year, the Pasadena Chalk Festival brings over 600 talented chalk artists together for a weekend of amazing street art. Over 25,000 sticks of pastel chalk go into making spectacular murals in the Paseo Colorado shopping center, spanning three city blocks. From classical to contemporary, viewers will experience every style imaginable, as well as special areas like Kid's Chalkland, Animation Alley, and the Chalk of Fame. The festival runs through the weekend, and is free and open to the public.
Father's Day Battleship Brews 'n' BBQ
USS IOWA
LA Waterfront
250 S. Harbor Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90731
(877) 4-IOWA-61
www.pacificbattleship.com
If you're looking for a unique way to celebrate dad, bring him aboard the Battleship USS IOWA for a day of live jazz music, delicious food, craft beer, and more. Along with the festivities, tours of the battleship, including the onboard museum, will be available from 10am - 5pm. Fathers will be admitted at the youth price, and the rest of the family can pay a discounted rate by buying tickets online.
Father's Day Lobster Bake
Blue Plate Oysterette
8048 W. 3rd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 656-5474
www.blueplatesantamonica.com
Monday's National Lobster Day leave you wanting more? Blue Plate Oysterette will be flying in 50 live lobsters from the East Coast for a traditional, New England-style lobster bake. For $75, you'll get fresh lobster, clams, mussels, and king crab prepared in a large pot over hot beach stones, seaweed, herbs, aromatics, and of course Old Bay seasoning. Corn, potatoes, and Andouille sausage round out the feast that's sure to satisfy any seafood loving dad on his special day.
Father's Day Brunch at FIG & OLIVE
FIG & OLIVE Melrose Place
8490 Melrose Place
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 360-9100
www.figandolive.com
As a special treat for dad, FIG & OLIVE is offering a three-course prix-fixe brunch from 11:00am - 3:00pm for $39. The brunch features a seasonally driven menu of poached eggs with proscuitto and mushroom, and rosemary lamb chops. A prix-fixe dinner menu is also available from 5:30pm - 10:00pm for $52. Both meals offer an optional sommelier wine paring for an additional cost, and are topped off with a dessert treat of panna cotta a l'orange with cookie crumble and basil strawberry jam. Reservations recommended.
