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Hungry? We’ve Got You Covered with the Food Doc CITY OF GOLD and Local Restaurant Pairings!

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city-of-goldUpdate: Q&A with Pulitzer Prize-Winning Food Critic Jonathan Gold Sunday, March 27 in Pasadena. Click here for tickets.

You’re going to be hungry after watching CITY OF GOLD, the new doc about L.A. food critic extraordinaire JONATHAN GOLD. But that’s not going to be a problem.  Just hop on over to one of the restaurants listed below — all found on Gold’s list of 101 best — conveniently located near your local Laemmle theater.

Don’t forget to share your favorite spots in the comments. We’d love to highlight a few of your more budget-friendly picks!

CITY OF GOLD opens Friday, March 18th in Pasadena and Encino, and March 25th in NoHo and Santa Monica.

Pasadena:

Bulgarini Gelato in Alta Dena was #93 on Gold’s list in 2014 but we’re including it because it’s available at our concession stand! We’ve been serving select flavors of Leo’s famous gelato for years and customers love it.

About a mile west of out theater you’ll find two spots on Gold’s latest list. Numer 101 is Union, serving minimal, California cuisine. But if Basque-style tapas is more your speed, Ración is definely worth a visit.

Union. $$$. 37 E. Union St, Pasadena. map
Ración. $$$. 119 W. Green St, Pasadena. map

Encino:

This is awkward. West Valley eateries are conspicuously absent from Gold’s list. No Valley jokes here. Instead, here are few of our favorites.

Batterfish is a small fish and chips shop where you can choose the type of fish, batter, and chips. Choose from traditional, chili, curry, lemon basil, or garlic ginger batters. I usually go with Cod, Chili batter, and traditional chips.

Sushi Yotsuya on Ventura Blvd in Tarzana serves traditional style sushi. The sign at the front says, “No! California Roll! Spicy Tuna! Trust the Chef!” Sit at the bar for an excellent omakase (chef’s choice) meal. And whatever you do, don’t stir wasabi or ginger into your soy sauce!

Vinh Loi Tofu is over in Reseda but their vegan dishes with homemade tofu are delicious and deserving of a special trip. It’s one of Greg Laemmle’s favorites!

Batterfish. $. 16200 Ventura Blvd, Encino. map
Sushi Yotsuya. $$$. 18760 Ventura Blvd, Tarzana. map
Vinh Loi Tofu. $. 18625 Sherman Way, Reseda. map

Santa Monica:

Ranking high at number five is Rustic Canyon. Gold says, “Rustic Canyon is a wonderful place… you’re going to see the produce you were browsing this morning at the Santa Monica farmers market presented in the nicest possible way: fried Weiser Family Farms peewee potatoes with chicken gravy…”

After reading Gold’s description of Cassia, number 17, it’s moving to the top of my own Must Eat List. “Plum salad with wild arugula, egg custard with uni, a mayonnaisey jellyfish salad you could imagine encountering on the Left Bank and what is undoubtedly the best Singapore-style white pepper Dungeness crab in town.”

Rustic Canyon. $$$. 1119 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica. map
Cassia. $$$. 1314 7th St, Santa Monica. map

North Hollywood:

Two more of Gold’s favorites are in nearby Studio City. Coincidentally, both are run by former Top Chef contestants. Chris “CJ” Jacobson operates Girasol, #53, a New American bistro with farmers market vegetables and sustainably raised meats.

Number 79 on the list is Phillip Frankland Lee’s The Gadarene Swine, a purely vegan bistro opened by a carnivorous chef.

As with Pasadena, select flavors of Bulgarini Gelato are available at the concession stand!

Girasol. $$$. 11334 Moorpark St, Studio City. map
The Gadarene Swine. $$$. 11266 Ventura Blvd, Studio City. map

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__2uT1cZWkY

Win tickets to a Halloween screening of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde at the Walt Disney Concert Hall

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UPDATE: Winners have been drawn and emailed. Details below!

It’s “Horror in the Hall” this Halloween as the silent classic, DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE, is accompanied live by Clark Wilson on the Walt Disney Concert Hall’s monster organ.

jekyllParamount’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, directed by John S. Robertson and produced by Famous Players-Lasky, was the first of three film treatments of Robert Louis Stevenson’s famous novella produced in 1920. It starred John Barrymore as the fatally split personalities, and featured Martha Mansfield and Nita Naldi as their love interests, roles based on a stage treatment, not the original story.

Four winners (selected at random) will each receive a pair of tickets to DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE. As a bonus, winners will also receive two tickets to Laemmle’s very own pre-Halloween double feature of THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935) & ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948) on Friday, 10/30 at the Ahrya Fine Arts in Beverly Hills. Good luck!

Enter below!

Halloween at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Ticket Giveaway

Special thanks to the LA Phil for making these tickets available to our customers! If you don’t win, please consider purchasing tickets here.

The New Urbanism Film Festival October 8th to 11th

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Once upon a time, it was a truism to say that every part of Los Angeles was within about twenty minutes of every other part. Nowadays, that’s only true at three in the morning, and sometimes not even then. But as our population has increased along with travel times, an interesting thing is happening, not just here but in cities all over the country: people, especially young people, are seeking out local lifestyles for which they do not always need a car to reach work or play. They want to walk or, if their destination is a little further afield, take public transit or ride a bicycle. Based on its recent vote on Mobility Plan 2035, a large majority of our City Council sees the long term wisdom and sustainability of this way of thinking. This is a significant moment that could accelerate the changes we have been making to our city since the Metro Red Line opened in 1993.

With all this in mind, Laemmle Theatres is proud to co-sponsor the New Urbanism Film Festival, which begins next week. A major component of our company’s philosophy is our goal to be “neighborhood” theaters, which aligns with New Urbanism concepts about bringing people closer to the amenities that they want in their communities. Together with improved mass transit and improvements that make life better and safer for walkers and bicyclists, these ideas are changing the landscape of Los Angeles.

From the festival website: “Founded in 2013, by a musician and a stand up comedian, the New Urbanism Film Festival celebrates urban planning from the pedestrian perspective. The annual four day event in Los Angeles showcases short and feature length films submitted from around the world. The festival also hosts interactive events around the city that get audiences exploring, experiencing, and examining the built environment in fun new ways. The festival returns to Los Angeles for its third year, October 8-11th at the ACME Theatre on La Brea.

“We formed this festival because we are passionate about New Urbanism and want to encourage people to think about how the built environment affects every aspect of our lives.

“We first formed a group Noodles and New Urbanism which was a monthly meetup to discuss local issues and current events relevant to urban planning. That led to a blog where members could share the articles, books and videos they’ve been tracking on the issue.

“We decided to start the New Urbanism Film Festival so that we could convene in a group to share knowledge and successes regarding urban planning.

“We hope to broaden our discussion about local issues of urban development by seeing films from worldwide.”

 

CicLAvia! Culver City Meets Venice this Sunday 9 to 4!

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Our favorite civic event, CicLAvia, returns this Sunday, this time with a route that connects two great places: Venice Beach and Culver City. Bicycle, walk, run, dance, scoot or engage in some novel combination of these without looking over your shoulder for two-ton rolling exoskeletons (AKA cars). The weather forecast looks lovely and it’s a great opportunity to get some pleasant exercise and explore another unique part of our city at a human pace.

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The Trust for Public Land Opens a New Public Park This Weekend in Echo Park. Join Greg Laemmle at the Grand Opening.

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Since 1972, The Trust for Public Land has protected more than 3 million acres and completed more than 5,200 park and conservation projects. This Saturday our friends at TPL will open a new pocket park in Echo Park.

ca-patton-street-park-plan-2014The Patton Street Park and Community Garden is a .4-acre site adjacent to a City of Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Community Center. Local families with small children had to look elsewhere for places to play, but this park will meet the huge demand for outdoor play areas in the neighborhood. Amenities include a playground, fitness equipment, and small picnic area and community garden. The fenced park will be open from sunrise to sunset and will be operated by the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks.

The grand opening is Saturday, August 1st at 10:30am. Greg Laemmle will be in attendance representing the Laemmle Charitable Foundation, a long-time TPL supporter. We hope to see you there.

Patton Street Park and Community Garden
317 Patton Street
Los Angeles, CA 90026

Save the Date! 2nd Annual Tour de Laemmle on July 19th

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Laemmle’s involvement with cycling events such as CicLAvia and Climate Ride stems not just from our love of the sport, but as a way to encourage alternative transportation and inspire creative thinking about our traffic and environmental challenges.

Last year we stepped up to the plate with our own event, the TOUR DE LAEMMLE, a 125-mile Greg Laemmle-led bicycle tour of all our theaters that included a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new bike corral parking outside of the NoHo 7.  This year, we’re pleased to announce the 2nd Annual Tour on Sunday, July 19!  Departing at 7:00am from the Royal in West L.A., we’ll visit the following venues in succession:

– Music Hall (Beverly Hills)
– Claremont 5
– Playhouse 7 (Pasadena)
– NoHo 7 (North Hollywood)
– Town Center (Encino)
– The new Monica Film Center in
Santa Monica (opening soon!)
– Back to the Royal around 7 PM (phew!)

Also, this year we are adding a brief stop at the future home of our Glendale venue (between the Playhouse and NoHo leg).

Tour de Laemmle is FREE to all participants. Riders can complete the entire 125-mile circuit or choose to do specific legs.

The tour is geared toward intermediate to advanced cyclists but we include a slower-paced, FAMILY-FRIENDLY leg along the S.F. Valley Orange Line Bike Path.  The tour will be supported with refreshments at most stops.

VISIT the TOUR WEBSITE for details and sign up!

About the route:
The Tour de Laemmle takes you on a powerful cultural and historical journey through the heart of the L.A. region. First and foremost, you will get the opportunity to see how so many diverse LA County neighborhoods are connected. El Serreno transitions to Alhambra which transitions to San Gabriel, and so forth.  Whether crossing the Arroyo Seco or the Sepulveda Pass, you’ll also see how geographical features have shaped the city.  While riding on Huntington Drive or historic Route 66, you’ll get to see how older roadways and railway right-of-way passages connected communities in the era before the modern interstate.  For early morning riders, you’ll get to appreciate the beautiful buildings on Wilshire Boulevard as we traverse through mid-town.  And for those who join later in the day, you’ll get to see how bike paths like the L.A. River bikeway and the Orange Line Bike Path can provide safe avenues of connectivity for those who choose to get around without a car.

 

The 21st Annual Los Angeles Film Festival Begins this Week

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Living in a megalopolis has its advantages, not least abundant cinematic choices. This week Angelenos need only journey to our revivified Downtown to enjoy the the lucky number 21 Los Angeles Film Festival. According to the L.A. Times, this year’s fest features a strong focus on diversity and fresh voices and includes a whole bunch — 45 — of world premieres.

“As the primary exhibition arm of Film Independent, The Los Angeles Film Festival’s mission is to showcase diversity, innovation, and unique visions in independent American and international cinema.

“We are inspired by Los Angeles, a city of abundant creativity, and our programming reflects our city-muse through films, performances and panels. The Festival presents unparalleled access to creative voices through energetic film programming, master classes, live performances and conversations with the most compelling artists working today. Discover new voices, watch the most anticipated titles of the summer, and rekindle the excitement and glamour of storytelling at the Los Angeles Film Festival – only in L.A.

“New this year are competitive sections for independent, feature-length U.S. fiction films; a diverse selection of documentary films from around the world; and a smaller round-up of exceptional international films, curated to showcase break-out global talent. Also newly launched is Nightfall, a robust line-up of genre films by independent filmmakers making their world premieres; and a section exclusively dedicated to discovering the brightest emerging voices in independent filmmaking. 2015 is also the inaugural year of Launch, a section introducing new talent that’s crafting fiction in digital spaces, through a program dedicated to expanded forms of storytelling: web series, music videos and podcasts, the best in independent gaming, and anticipated premieres of TV series.

LAfilmfestimage

“From Inglewood to the Valley, L.A. has been an inspiration for artists to find their voice, tell their story and perfect their craft. Returning for its second year, the highly lauded L.A. Muse section showcases world premieres of films that capture the spirit of Los Angeles. The Festival offers mentorship for high school students with the Future Filmmakers program, including a screening of short films created by high school students.

“The Festival’s signature programs include Master Classes, invaluable talks from prominent artists about their trade; lively discussions at Coffee Talks on the craft of filmmaking by composers, cinematographers, actors, writers, directors, and more; Diversity Speaks, a day-long convention of filmmakers and storytellers of color; the Music in Film Nights at The GRAMMY Museum®, featuring live performances in an intimate venue by some of the world’s most acclaimed musicians; the Spirit of Independence Award; the Glory to the Filmmaker Award in celebration of women filmmakers; and the Filmmaker Retreat, exclusively for feature filmmakers with films world premiering at the 2015 Los Angeles Film Festival. Films selected for competition, which premiere in the US for the first time at the Los Angeles Film Festival, are eligible for multiple juried and audience awards.”

L.A. River is Open and Ready for Paddling!

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“The L.A. River is on the mend and safe to paddle,” declares L.A. River Kayak Safari, the outfit that offers guided kayak tours throughout the summer.

LA_River_Paddle_01

Kayak season has indeed officially begun and you can now book your adventure through the end of September. Your L.A. River excursion will take you through the beautifully restored and surprisingly bucolic Elysian Valley stretch that runs just south of Griffith Park. Having taken advantage of this opportunity last year, this an experience we highly recommend!

Returning the L.A. River to a more pristine state and making it more hospitable for both people and wildlife has been of paramount concern of the Laemmle Foundation.

“Upgrading our natural waterways is one of the simplest and most effective ways we can improve the quality of life in our city,” says Foundation Board President Greg Laemmle. The Foundation backs up his words through its ongoing support of FOLAR (Friends of the L.A. River), a grassroots non-profit dedicated to river improvement.

LA_River_Paddle_03To celebrate last year’s grant to FOLAR, Greg and his wife Tish hosted a group kayaking tour led by L.A. River Kayak Safari.  Happily, Greg captured his experience on a GoPro camera.  The video has since been edited into a three-minute short — CLICK HERE or scroll down to the bottom of this post to check it out!

The L.A. River has a checkered history, but the future looks promising.  As the folks at Kayak Safari explains, “In the later 1930′s after a series of devastating floods, Federal Authorities began to create a concrete straightjacket for the river. With channelization, natural habitats suffered. By the 1960′s Freeway expansions, industrial pollution and street run-off further degraded the river. Yet, in the Elysian Valley stretch, a high water table and the dynamics of the river’s bends around the local hills left a soft-bottom (instead of concrete,) creating an environment for aquatic plants, fish, birds, and humans.”

LA_River_Paddle_04What’s more, large scale restoration projects envisioned by L.A. city officials could channel billions in funds (some from the federal government) over the next couple of decades into the river project.  In it’s wake, we could be left with a truly unique river area that both reflects our aspirations as a modern city and yet stays true to our region’s pre-industrial heritage.  On the cusp of real change, now is an exciting time get to know the L.A. River and be part of its transformation.

In addition to the aforementioned kayaking, FOLAR hosts a wide variety of river-related activities.  And their offerings really ramp up for the summer.  Consult  their River Blog and Community Calendar for upcoming events.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIFKEJof88w