Parq At Montage Beverly Hills Hotel | New Winter Menu

Chef John Cuevas has concocted an entirely new seasonal menu for the grandly styled restaurant at the Montage Beverly Hills to keep you warm during this already unseasonably chilly winter. Some of the new dishes include pumpkin agnolotti with pork belly and creamed leeks in a rum noisette, a mouthwateringly smoky loup de mer with pickled fennel and charred peppers in a light bacon chowder, and coffee-crusted New York strip steak with wild arugula and pungent fourme d'ambert cheese in a bourbon caramel sauce. The staff is happy to pair each dish with an artisanal beer or exotic wine from the drinks list, but be sure to save room for the homemade beignets with crème fraiche ice cream for dessert.
225 N. Canon Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90210, (310) 860-7800


Drago Centro | New Panini Bar

If you're downtown, need to grab lunch on the run, and want to forego the golden arches, try Drago Centro's new Panini Bar instead. The made-to-order sandwiches available at the bar (or to take back to the office) include, among others, the Norcia with pork sausage, caramelized balsamic onions and peppers and garlic aioli ($9.50); and the Romano with porchetta, gorgonzola dolce, fig mustard and arugula ($9.50). There are also $3 side salads and $2 pistachio and orange biscotti. The menu is available Monday-Friday from 11:30am-2:30pm.

525 S. Flower St., Los Angeles, CA 90071, (213) 228-8998



Pitfire Pizza | Opening In Culver City | Next Week

The fourth location of this wood-fired pizzeria will open next week in Culver City (though we actually think of it more as Mar Vista or West L.A.). Housed in a former Shakey's, the space has been completely re-concepted by the designer behind Intelligentsia in Silverlake with a cool, loft like, bare-bones quality. In addition to artisanal microbrews and small-batch wines, the menu also features gourmet flatbreads, pasta dishes (like one with sweet fennel sausage, kale and parmesan!), huge salads with seasonal ingredients, and a few panini. Make your own pizza, or choose from the menu options, like the one with field mushrooms, fontina, crème faiche, mushroom jus and flat leaf parsley, or another with shrimp, crushed tomato, lemon zest, roasted garlic and red chile.

12924 W. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90066



Spanish Kitchen | Bottomless Micheladas | Daily

Every day from 11:30am-4:00pm, enjoy bottomless Micheladas at The Spanish Kitchen for just $10 along with the purchase of an entrée. What's a Michelada, you might ask? It's sort of like a Mexican Bloody Mary: beer, tomato juice, lime juice, Tabasco, salt and pepper. Delicioso!

826 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069, (310) 659-4794



Checkers | Food Photo Workshop | Sat, February 6

Are you into porn? Food porn, that is. If you start salivating while reading restaurant reviews, just can't get enough of Bon Appetit's recipe shots, or are constantly snapping Twitpics when you go out to eat, you just might be ready for the culinary "Phototasting" workshop at Checkers next week. Join the food bloggers from Daily Gluttony, The Knot and TripVine as they show you how to get the best shots of Chef Todd Allison's seasonal winter menu at this downtown landmark. Through hands-on demos, they'll teach you about exposure, apertures, ISO and lighting effects, as well as the basics of composition and digital post-production. The event runs from 12:30-3:00pm. Go to http://phototasting.eventbrite.com to sign up.

535 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90071, (213) 891-0519




Ortolan | 5th Anniversary | Sat, February 6

Ortolan owner and Executive Chef Christopher Émé (along with his wife, actress Jeri Ryan) will commemorate the fifth anniversary of one of L.A.'s premier dining destinations with a gourmet dinner on February 6. Starting with cocktails at 7:30pm, dinner will feature a specially crafted five-course prix-fixe menu for $95 per person. No word on the menu yet, but it's bound to be stellar (Ortolan does have a Michelin star, after all), and those wishing to attend are urged to make a reservation as soon as possible to be certain of getting a seat.

8383 W. Third St., Los Angeles, CA 90048, (323) 653-3300