Veno Kado | Wine Tasting | Sat, February 6

Just in time for you to pick out some wine to serve at your Super Bowl party (come on, it's not all about beer!), one of our favorite wine (and upscale gifts) shops in the city is hosting a tasting of three "fantastico" vinos from Italy. From 2:00-5:00pm, stop by Veno Kado, the cozy little storefront tucked into the corner of Fountain and Spaulding, and try a 2008 Soave from the Veneto, a red wine from Umbria (perfect for Italian fare or a backyard BBQ, we're told), and an intense, unfiltered, deep red from Campania made from the Piedirosso
grape. All the wines have been selected by co-owner Susan Brink, who has also put together the wine lists at Dominick's, Little Dom's, and the forthcoming Soho House. Admission is $10, and best of all, if you like one of the wines and want to take a bottle to go, each costs under $17.50. So grab a couple.

7714 Fountain Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046, (323) 850-1600



Patina | Black Truffle Menus | February 9-11

Executive Chef Tony Esnault is preparing a one-time menu next week to celebrate the black gold of Southern France, the truffle. The menu will be available Tuesday-Thursday, February 9-11, and guests can choose from four- ($140), five- ($155), six- ($170) and even seven-course ($185) prix-fixe menus along with wine pairings (extra). The special plats will include delicacies like foie gras ravioli with celery, sunchoke emulsion and black truffle; seared day boat scallops with leeks, potatoes and black truffle; milk-fed veal tenderloin with
carrots, turnips, wild mushrooms and black truffle; and even a bartlett pear-almond cake with black truffle ice cream. Can't make it to one of the dinners? The pungent funghi will also be featured regularly in special dishes on Patina's menu as long as truffle season lasts.

141 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012, (213) 972-3331


BLVD 16 Restaurant | Professionals Discount Menu | February 9-14

Now that Restaurant Week is over, Chef Simon Dolinky and the
staff at BLVD 16 want to offer restaurant industry professionals a budget-friendly chance to taste his new winter menu. The deal is available Tuesday-Sunday, February 9-14, and will include a special three-course tasting menu with dishes like Meyer lemon-cured sardines with slow-cooked potato, balsamic reduction and parmesan; fennel and peppercorn pork tenderloin with confit onions, sunchoke puree and kumquat compote; and spiced pain perdu with apple chutney and crème fraiche ice cream. The prix fixe costs $24, though guests can also order à la carte. All you need to do to qualify is show a business card or pay stub to prove you work in the industry.

10740 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90024, (310) 474-7765



8 oz. Burger Bar | 4 + 4 Happy Hour | New!

With the clever use of some basic arithmetic, Govind Armstrong's burger bistro on Melrose has conjured up a new happy hour special for meat eaters and their friends. From 4:00-7:00pm Monday-Friday, and from 10:00pm-closing Monday-Thursday, guests can enjoy $4 handcrafted cocktails, beers, wines and bar snacks like the soup of the day, and thick-cut garlic fries. Perfect for when you when you feel like a hamburger, but are on a tight budget.

7661 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90048, (323) 852-8520



Hatfield's | New Location On Melrose | Now Open

The original Hatfield's on Beverly Boulevard was selected Best New Restaurant of 2006 by Los Angeles Magazine, earned a Michelin star in 2008, and was named one of the Top 10 Restaurants of the Decade by Zagat. Now husband-and-wife team Quinn and Karen Hatfield are opening the newer, bigger version of their California-French kitchen on Melrose. The two originally met while working at Spago-sort of the culinary version of a meet cute. As opposed the old broom closet-size, um, we mean cozy restaurant on Beverly, the new space will include a full bar (with a small plates menu), a conservatory and private dining room, bringing it to nearly twice the size of its previous incarnation. Special design features include a "living wall" of plants, and a linen chandelier that spells out the chemical formula for honey. There will also be an extensive new vegetarian section on the menu with items like a roasted sunchoke salad with feta and fava bean falafel crumble. For omnivores, the croquet madame comes with prosciutto and hamachi, while Karen's sugar and spice beignets are served with chocolate fondue. Now if we could just get reservations.

6703 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90038, (323) 935-2977



Elements Kitchen | Opens In Pasadena

Executive Chef Onil Chibás and Chef de Cuisine Alberto Morales from the popular Elements Catering and Elements Café in Pasadena have just opened a full-service restaurant and bar in the historic Pasadena Playhouse building in Old Town Pasadena. Their "new American" cuisine represents a wide range of international flavors presented in unique, creative combinations. Each dish revolves around a single star ingredient "element" that is also seasonal. For instance, the braised Wagyu beef cheeks come with porcini fettuccine, and the foie gras torchon with jellied Sauternes is slathered with pistachio butter. Miso risotto highlights kabocha squash, while the beignets are flavored with earthy cardamom. The wine list is by Chris Meeske, owner of South Pasadena's Mission Wines.

37 S. El Molino, Pasadena, CA 91101, (626) 440-0044



Townhouse Kitchen & Bar | Opens In Sherman Oaks

The Sherman Oaks Galleria welcomes a new restaurant this month that offers a "contemporary casual American kitchen with menus that focus on local, organic products and house-made ingredients." What that means is "back to basics" dishes like two-handed sandwiches, a range of flatbreads, lobster cakes, roasted red pepper hummus, applewood-smoked bacon cheeseburger sliders, a California chicken club, grilled skirt steak, and chocolate cake and sundaes. Oh, and original cocktails plus 30 beers on tap. All there for you to enjoy in the new 7,000 square-foot space decorated with floor-to-ceiling windows, an open kitchen and exposed brick and concrete walls. This is urban casual at its best.

15301 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA 91403, (818) 453-9900