Top 5 Weekend Food Events: Winter Cocktails, Latkes, Caviar, Tasting Menus, Recovery

Guzzle & Nosh

The Smokehouse from last year's winter cocktail menu at Drago Centro.

Winter Cocktail Launch
Bartender Jaymee Mandeville's unveils her seasonal cocktail lineup featuring warming libations like Breaking Castagne (cognac, mezcal, housemade chestnut syrup, mole bitters and nutmeg), Grimhilda (apple brandy, chipotle honey, pama and lemon) and Remedy X (rosemary-infused whiskey, ginger agave and lemon). Normally $12, all drinks on the special menu will cost $8 tonight.
WHEN: Dec. 28
WHERE: Drago Centro
COST: $8/cocktail

Latke Madness
Hanukkah is over but you can still celebrate by digging into chef Eric Greenspan's holiday menu of traditional and nouveau latkes: potato with pear and black pepper marmalade, beet and carrot with caraway creme fraiche, celery root and red onion with horseradish creme fraiche. (The Foundry's regular menu still in effect.)
WHEN: 6 p.m. - close, Dec. 28
WHERE: The Foundry
COST: $8 for two latkes or $10 for the three-latke sample

Caviar 201
You've passed Caviar 101. (Phew, that was rough.) You're ready for the next step: an intermediate-level tasting and class featuring some of Petrossian's finest fish eggs.
WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Dec. 29
WHERE: Petrossian
COST: $75

4 All
Chef Casey Lane takes the name of his restaurant to literal extremes with three tasting menus: vegetarian, pescatarian or omnivore. Look for French, Italian, Moroccan, and Spanish influences running through dishes like roasted scallops with Moorish spiced capunata and duck confit with kumquat preserves and puntarella.
WHEN: 6 p.m. - close, Dec. 31
WHERE: Tasting Kitchen
COST: $90, meal; $45, optional wine pairing

Recovery Brunch
Have a hair of the dog with $6 soju margaritas and a menu of Mexican classics including chilaquiles, huevos rancheros and capriotada a bread pudding made with cocoa, raisins, nuts and dulce de leche. For those who don't have a pounding headache, DJ Kitkaboom will be spinning from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
WHEN: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Jan. 1
WHERE: Royal/T
COST: dishes start at $10

---

Elina Shatkin is a staff writer at LA Weekly. Follow her at @elinashatkin or contact her at eshatkin@laweekly.com.