👋 OH HEY 👋

Mads here! Some housekeeping things: this will be the last newsletter of 2024 due to Chrismukkah & New Years. Don’t worry, we’ll still be posting NYE roundups on social, so be sure to follow along on Instagram & TikTok.

For now, let’s go through standout restaurants of the year. Resy put together this list of “The 10 Restaurants That Defined Los Angeles Dining in 2024,” and here are my favorites:

• Budonoki, Virgil Village 🥢 One of my top restaurants of all time in LA: the izakaya is top notch (order the pressed salmon sushi and “budo-gnocchi”), the drinks comes in funny mugs, and the music / vibes are rowdy. Perfect for a a big group dinner or birthday.

• Holbox, Historic South Central 🦞 Best seafood I’ve had in the city. Transports me right to Mexico City. The kanpachi & uni tostada…

• Azizam, Silver Lake 🍽️ My favorite Persian pop-up finally got a permanent brick-and-mortar this year! Grab a large table on the patio (day or night) and enjoy a beef tongue sandevich and eggplant khoresht.

• RVR, Venice 🍜 The name on everyone’s lips in Venice was RVR. Izakaya and ramen right on Abbot Kinney. Good luck getting a table.

• Bridgetown Roti, East Hollywood 🥪 Another one of my favorite pop-ups got a permanent home: the Caribbean-American lunch spot, Bridgetown Roti. Order the goat roti and the oxtail & peppers patty.

• Holy Basil, Atwater Village 🥢 Street Thai food right on Glendale Blvd. Their new sit-down location in Atwater Village is always busy, always spicy, and always the perfect casual date night.

^{Powered by Resy}

^{Top Left: Budonoki, Top Right: Holbox, Bottom Left: Azizam, Bottom Right: Holy Basil}

Okay, now on to the coolest things to do in LA this week.

🗓️ THINGS TO DO 🗓️

^{The coolest events happening in Los Angeles this week.}

• Lincoln Heights, Tuesday 12/17 🎧 The Record Club is back! They’ll be listening to and dissecting Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue at Zizou.

• DTLA, All week 📸 Still need to get your holiday portraits taken? Go here.

• Bel Air, Tuesday 12/17 🍰 Wanna learn how to decorate a holiday cake? Head to Hotel Bel-Air for this cake decorating contest.

• West Hollywood, All week 🍦 Omg Genghis Cohen and McConnell’s Fine Ice Cream have collabed to make a limited-edition Hanukkah ice cream called Baby Got Mac(aroon). It's available both by the scoop or by the pint at Genghis Cohen (can also order pickup in person, by phone or online) and by the scoop and pint at all McConnell’s scoop shops in California.

• Beverly Grove, All week 🎅 Everyone knows that it’s down right MAGICAL at The Grove right now. There’s snow every night at 6 and 8 PM, and you can meet Santa at the festive Santa’s Workshop (use code CAMBERGIFT for a gift when booking). You can shop all last-minute gifts at the REVOLVE Holiday Shop, Laneige, or Charlotte Tilbury and dine at restaurants like American Beauty & Sogno Toscano. AND you can earn rewards on every purchase when you’re a Caruso Signature member like me!

• Santa Monica, Wednesday 12/18 🍷 Ugly sweaters & wine? Venice Beach Wine Club is having a their holiday wine tasting at The Viceroy. Come in your most creative ugly sweater for a prize!

• El Segundo, Wednesday 12/18 🍔 Burgers + wine = my love language. Neighborhood Winery is popping up for just that at Two Guns Espresso.

• Venice, Wednesday 12/18 🗽 Did you used to live in NYC or have a connection to the city? Well, there’s this NYC in LA Supper Club happening at The KINN.

• Highland Park, Wednesday 12/18 ❣️ Meet people at this pop up IRL singles experience. 'the feels' mixes time to meet and connect casually, with a 90 minute facilitated portion.

• San Gabriel, Thursday 12/19 🍶 Curious about sake but don’t know where to start? Join Bar Blossom for a FREE sake tasting event!

• Arts District, Thursday 12/19 🎱 A beginners chess & pool tournament! The Rookie Chess League is collaborating with Please Be Nice for a night of friendly and exciting chess and pool tournaments.

• West Hollywood, Thursday 12/19 🥟 Join Cassie Yeung for a dumpling making class! Enjoy Cassie's viral dumplings and wet wet sauce, other light bites & drinks, and explore LA's Meta Lab pop-up. Experience Ray-Ban Meta demos, an immersive room, and snag free merch from Cassie's Yes Chef brand! RSVP now—limited spots! 21+ #RayBanMetaPartner

• Victor Heights, Thursday 12/19 - Saturday 12/21 🧢 Vintage lover? Head to the Los Feliz Flea for their 3-day holiday market.

• West Hollywood, Friday 12/20 🍷 A night of Persian music, poetry, natural wine: MEY and Doreh Studio invite you to an evening at their gallery to celebrate the richness of winter’s longest night.

• Hollywood, Friday 12/20 🤶 It’s the first ever Cahuenga Santa-Con! You’ll bar hop between 5 bars like The Palm & The Pine and Tramp Stamp Granny’s for drink specials and entertainment.

• Hollywood, Friday 12/20 & Saturday 12/21 🍽️ Step into the glamour of the holidays with this Christmas supper club experience at The Hollywood Roosevelt. Enjoy an elegant evening of festive charm, fine dining, and live jazz.

• Highland Park, Saturday 12/21 🎨 It’s a free art making, grief positive, end-of-year reflection event!

• West Hollywood, Saturday 12/21 🎄 Check out this ugly sweater soiree at Something About Her! Come in your most over the top & festive look.

• Venice, Saturday 12/21 🍩 Hanukkah may come late this year, but donuts are arriving early! Nish Noosh will frying up GF / DF mini donuts at Our Place on Abbot Kinney.

• Silver Lake, Sunday 12/22 ✏️ It’s a Sip & Sketch holiday party!! This time at Botanica. Perfect friend date idea.

• Santa Monica, All week 🎪 Cirque du Soleil KOOZA has returned to the Santa Monica Pier for the first time in ten years! The show highlights the physical demands of human performance in all its splendor and fragility, presented in a colorful mélange that emphasizes bold slapstick humor. Buy now & save 25% off select performances now until 1/5!

📍PLACES TO BE📍

^{New openings, places you should know about, what I’m adding to my starting lineup, etc.}

^{Top Left: WYND (📷 by @wyndcoffee), Top Right: Bernee (📷 by @mariposajunction), Bottom Left: The Jazz Cafe (📷 by @ciprianibeverlyhills), Bottom Right: Mini Kabob at Neighborly (📷 by Matt Armendariz, photographer // Adam Pearson, food stylist)}

• WYND Coffee & Art Gallery, Virgil Village ☕️ This specialty coffee shop & art gallery has opened in Virgil Village. Order something fun while you’re waiting for your Courage Bagels.

• Bernee, Altadena 🍴 From the team behind All Time comes this new dinner-only restaurant in Altadena.

• Neighborly, Thousand Oaks 🍽️ Neighborly is a modern restaurant, curated food hall, and marketplace opening 12/19 at The Promenade at Westlake Village. The restaurant lineup is stacked: Mini Kabob, Joan’s on Third Grab & Go, The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills, and more!

• FITOOR, Santa Monica 🇮🇳 A contemporary Indian fine dining and cocktail lounge has opened in Santa Monica. Their daily happy hour looks delish.

• The Jazz Cafe, Beverly Hills 🍸 New jazz cocktail lounge above Cipriani. Looks very Old Hollywood.

• Clark Street, Beverly Hills 🥞 Everything is coming up Beverly Hills lately! Clark Street has opened their newest location on Olympic.

💬 ONE FINAL THING 💬

See ya around,

Mads

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