Friday Quickies #78: Three Restaurant Weeks in One

Enjoying the Allagash Black Stout at Silver Lake Wine's annual beer tasting with Heirloom LA

Weeks weeks weeks, there's the extended DineLA restaurant week, LA (and OC) Beer Week and Newport Beach restaurant week. All of them sound promising, but having learned the lessons of my dine-out diet last month, and already spending enough as is on restaurant outings (including three DineLA meals at Campanile, BLD and La Casita Mexicana, all of them positive!) I don't feel particularly compelled to hit up any more events asides from those already planned for. It seems year round there's always going to be some event or special around the corner and there's no shortage of restaurants offering a special deal on this or a limited-time prix-fixe menu on that, so I think "big deal!" if I missed out. But on the upside, that's kind of what makes the LA/OC dining scene so great -- there's always something new and novel to check out should the mood strikes.

And going off that note, here's a few noteworthy going-ons coming up this week

Saturday, Oct. 17, noon to 4 p.m. -- Manhattan Beach's Tin Roof Bistro is holding an Oktoberfest celebration, featuring the festive brews from around and afar. For $15pp, patrons can enjoy a hamburger or a bratwurst and two pints of beer, and first 40 customers will receive a complementary full-liter steins by Paulaner. Other beers served will include Oktoberfest brews from Torrance-based Angel City Brewery, Pasadena-based Craftsman, Firestone Walker from Paso Robles and straight-from-Germany Hofbrau Oktoberfest.

Tuesday, Oct. 20, 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. -- if hard spirits is more your thing, "Whiskey Live: Southern California's Finest Whisky Experience" is coming to town at Santa Monica's Civic Auditorium. Approximately 30 distillers and producers from around the globe (Ireland, Scotland, Kentucky, even Japan) will offer tastings of their years-old whiskeys (including one over 40 years old!) There will also be seminars about production/tasting and interactive experiences (whiskey cocktails and food pairings, anyone?) There will also be a catered buffet and an outside cigar lounge to round out the night. Regular tickets are $99/$119 advanced/at-door, and VIP tickets (allows entry at 5:30 p.m. for the VIP hour w premium whiskeys available to taste) are $129/$149 -- click here for more info and to order.

Thursday, Oct. 22, 7:30 p.m. -- fried chicken and beer, it doesn't get any better unless you see what Akasha came up with: a full-on, gussied-up, belly-busting menu of this Southern classic paired with brews from Maine-based artisan beermaker Allagash. The menus includes cajun shrimp with allagash barbecue sauce, fried okra, biscuits and cornbread matched agains the barrel aged Allagash Curieux, a fried chicken dinner with all the gourmet fixins' (sour cream mashed potatoes with pan gravy, beer-braised mustard and collard greens, mac 'n cheese and homemade pickles) with Allagash White wheat beer, finished off with a chocolate-pecan pie with sweet cream ice cream and Allagash Black Belgian-Style Stout. Costs $45pp + tax/tip - reservation required.

And my fave reads for this week:

Orangette adjusts to opening a restaurant and features a fab plum crumble recipe

Meanwhile, Mattatouille cracks the code for ultimate kimchi bokeumbap (fried rice)

I'm also loving White on Rice's photography guide, which hits the perfect sweet balanced spot of technicality for me and easily adaptable for point-and-shoot cameras

CHOW.com explores the understated Italian beers (no, not the usual Peroni and Moretti)

And Freshman in the Kitchen files an LAist report from his interview and farmer's market tour with Grace's Neal Fraser.