Food festivals are always such a blur with all the delicious dishes to try, free flowing drinks, and happy people to meet that even though I love attending them, I need that full year to recover for the next event. I have been known to skip a few here and there, but I make it a point to attend all of The Essentials put on by L.A. Weekly because I always have such a great time!
The Essentials featured unlimited samples from more than fifty of the restaurants from LA Weekly’s annual 99 Essentials issue, as well as wine tastings from more than 20 wineries. The event was curated by LA Weekly’s food critic Besha Rodell and benefitted Food Forward, so event-goers were able to support a great cause as they filled their stomachs!
Here’s a list of the restaurants that were showcasing their wonderful dishes, most of which are shown in my video!
- Angelini Osteria
- animal
- a.o.c.
- Baroo
- Bestia
- Beverly Soon Tofu
- Bigmista’s Barbecue & Sammich Shop
- Burritos La Palma
- Cacao Mexicatessen
- Chengdu Taste
- Chi Spacca
- Chichen Itza
- Colonia Publica
- Coni’Seafood
- Dune
- El Coraloense
- Elf Cafe
- El Huarache Azteca
- ERB Bar
- Guelaguetza
- Guerilla Tacos
- Guisados
- Isaan Station
- Jitlada
- Jon & Vinny’s
- Kogi
- La Casita Mexicana
- RiceBar
- Rose Cafe
- Rustic Canyon
- Salt’s Cure
- Sotto
- Spago
- Summer Rolls
- Szechuan Impression
- The Bellwether
- The Hungry Cat
- Trois Mec
- Tsjuita LA
- Union
- Wexler’s Deli
- Le Comptoir
- LocoL
- Love & Salt
- Lucques
- Lukshon
- Maude
- Melisse
- n/naka
- Night + Market
- Parksbbq
- Pine & Crane
- Providence
- Racion
- Republique
Yes, this year I decided to put together a video that runs just shy of 4 minutes to try and capture not only the food but the atmosphere and a few behind the scenes moments. I try chapulines on camera (yes, those are insects) as well as more traditional fare, all of it simply spectacular. Take a look below and remember to mark your calendars for next year!
The Essentials : Sunday, March 26th, 2017
California Market Center
110 E 9th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90079
https://essentials.laweekly.com/
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