Pasadena Half Marathon & Expo
The course features historic Pasadena landmarks and a movie-esque finish line on the majestic Rose Bowl field. Angel City Brewery will be in the stadium to cheer on the runners, as they cross the finish line to an ice-cold pint of Angel City beer. Sunday, 7 am; 1001 Rose Bowl Dr, Pasadena, CA 91103
Women’s March
The Women’s March Los Angeles Foundation invites all the 750,000 Angelenos who helped fill the streets to join in again in downtown LA this weekend! Be a part of history and show the power of our collective voice! The Women’s March features music, art, community booths, and speakers in a shared voice of resistance with advocacy aligned with the national Women’s March Unity Principles: ending violence, protection of reproductive rights, LGBTQIA rights, workers’ rights, civil rights, disability rights, immigrant rights, Indigenous people’s rights and environmental justice. The 2018 Anniversary event will provide you the tools, and amplify your motivation, to use your vote as your voice to build government that reflects their ideals. We will create a safe and peaceful space where the important issues of voter turnout, access, restrictions, and intimidation will be addressed and begin a plan of action leading up to November 2018 and beyond. Free; Saturday; 532 S Olive St, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Smorgasburg’s Record Fair
Smorgasburg LA and Beat Swap Meet have joined forces for an epic eating/record fair. The event will bring the fun and excitement of crate digging to DTLA. Over 10,000 highly curated vintage vinyl will be on hand, plus vintage t-shirts, cassettes and CDs. All genres will be featured: blues, classic rock, disco, funk, hip hop, jazz, metal, prog, psych, punk, soul and more. Free; Sunday, 10 am-4 pm; Alameda & Bay St, Los Angeles, CA 90021
Playa Provisions’ Snow Day
Playa Provisions will host their annual Snow Day in the restaurant’s parking lot. The day of festive winter fun includes a sledding hill, bounce house, and lots and lots of snow for building snowmen, making snow angels, and a having a few snowball fights. The restaurant will also have small bites available for purchase, including hamburgers, Beyond Meat burgers (for all the vegetarians), and frankfurters. For dessert, you can gather around the restaurant’s fire pits and roast up your own s’mores! Get toasty and purchase hot toddies for the adults or hot cocoa for the little ones. $20 (includes two food and beverage tickets), $10/kids, additional $2 food and beverage tickets will be available for purchase upon entrance; Sunday, 12-6 pm; 119 Culver Blvd, Playa del Rey, CA 90293
The Amazing Protein Company, Inc. launches its Lika® Line of Vegan Entrees In Whole Foods Market
From newly–established California-based The Amazing Protein Company, Inc. comes Lika®, the next generation of meat alternatives. The Lika® differences can be found in the way its dishes can be custom-seasoned – in contrast to all other vegan prepared food products that must be pre-seasoned due to their inability to absorb flavoring during the cooking process. Lika® possesses the versatility you expect from meat, including the ability to texture it from jerky to stew utilizing the same cooking methods chefs use for animal protein. As a result, Lika® foods can be prepared as barbecued, fried, roasted, based, smoked or sautéed. Lika® foods also offer drastically reduced calories, saturated fats and cholesterol over meat. And for the planet, each pound of Lika® product saves 1,800 gallons of water. The Amazing Protein Company invites you to sample and review its Lika® line through weekends in January and February at select Whole Foods Market locations including Downtown Los Angeles, Torrance and Venice. Free; Friday-Sunday (January 26, 11 am-7 pm: Torrance; February 2, 11 am-7 pm: Venice); Downtown LA: 11am-7pm; 788 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles
Iron Triangle’s 2nd Anniversary BBQ Showdown
The Iron Triangle turns two years old this weekend and that means two things: beer and BBQ. The Showdown features pitmasters from Moo’s Craft Barbecue and Peaches’ Smokehouse, going head-to-head with a slew of brand new beers on tap. Plus, enjoy 25% off all merchandise and beer-to-go, and brand new beers. Free to enter, $20 (includes three item plate with two meats and a side); Saturday, 12-6 pm; 1581 Industrial St, Los Angeles, CA 90021
Valerie Gordon Expands with Teas and Beverage
Valerie Gordon, the award-winning chocolatier and owner of Valerie Confections, will expand its selection of elevated teas and beverages at modern tea house, Valerie Echo Park. The new specialty hot drinks include the Caramel Apple Oolong Latte and Houjicha Vanilla Latte, and new tea flavors include Moroccan Mint and Tart Peach. To complement the teas, new savory items include the Prosciutto Sandwich with prosciutto, buerre de barrate, and radish; and the Teahive Grilled Cheese made with Teahive cheese, Dijon mustard, and grilled crème fraiche. In addition to her extensive tea menu, Valerie offers Japanese-style tea cups made exclusively for Valerie Confections by local artists/photographers Jennifer Cheung and Yoko Kanayama. Additionally, tea fanatics–who would like to indulge in the Valerie Confections experience from home–can purchase the Tea Gift Set online, which includes two locally made handcrafted tea cups, two teas from select purveyors, 12-piece Tea Truffles and a tea strainer; and the Afternoon Tea Gift Set that features 2 handcrafted tea cups, Sugar Cookies, Preserves, Tea, and a Strainer. Echo Park Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Leatherby’s Café Rouge Reopens
Located in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Letherby’s Cafe Rouge reopens as a reimagined steakhouse with a modernized interior and new menu from celebrated Chef and Patina Restaurant Group Founder Joachim Splichal and Executive Chef Greg Stillman. Stillman, a passionate meat expert and French Laundry veteran with more than two decades of culinary experience. The new design features several spaces, including a bar-lounge, main dining room, and private dining room, each with its own personality but with a sense of connectivity. The menu offers a wide selection of starters, salads, and premium cuts of beef, poultry, pork, and seafood options. Starter highlights include a Lobster Toast with chilled lobster, warm brioche toast, crème fraiche, and lemon; Baby Beets with pickled mustard seeds, goat cheese, and dill; and Foie Gras torchon with quince relish, and Minus8 vinegar. Steaks include a USDA Prime Rib Eye, and Snake River Farms wagyu style New York Steak—all offered with a selection of house made sauces including béarnaise, Argentinian chimichurri, and Cognac green peppercorn. Additional meat options include a natural Salmon Creek Farms T-Bone Kurobuta Pork, crisped skin Duck Breast with honey lavender jus, and a tagine-spiced Colorado Rack of Lamb. Dessert includes Hazelnut Crunch Bar with hazelnut mousse, ganache, caramélia pearls, toasted hazelnuts, and coffee meringue; and a Tropical Parfait with banana caramel, coconut panna cotta, pineapple gelée, caramelized chocolate mousse, and passion fruit sponge cake. The bar-lounge area has a menu of classic libations and contemporary signature cocktails, such as the Fleur Du Soleil with rose petal infused vodka, lavender syrup, grapefruit, and lemon; and the Calvados Negroni with Christian Drouin Calvados, Carpano Antica Vermouth, and Campari. Opens Friday; Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 615 Town Center Dr, Costa Mesa, CA 92626; 714.429.7640
