The Oinkster

Burger Week 2012

From June 4 through June 10, Andre Guerrero's retro-fied pastrami and burger shack in Eagle Rock will host round two of its popular Burger Week, which features a burger-a-day tribute to some of America's cherished cheeseburgers, re-engineered by the bun 'n' patty architects in the Oinkster kitchen.

Last year, the Oinkster took on McDonald's, Tommy's, the Grill 'Em All truck, Father's Office and Umami in a weeklong meat fest that drew surprisingly large crowds, some dedicated enough to try every one of the seven creations.

So what do they have planned for this year? Burger doppelgängers from In-N-Out, Jack in the Box, Carl's Jr. and White Castle (calling all East Coast expats) are all on the bill, as well as a special Filipino-inspired pork abodo burger, and a guest chef appearance by the guys from Grill 'Em All.

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Napoleon Dynamite's favorite food, tater tots

T. Nguyen

Street Food Cinema: Napoleon Dynamite
Nosh on snacks from Kogi, Grill 'Em All, Don Chow Tacos, ROCKin ICE and other food trucks while viewing this beloved nerd-as-hero film.
WHAT: Street Food Cinema: Napoleon Dynamite
WHEN: 8:30 p.m. (doors open at 5:30 p.m.), May 26
WHERE: Exposition Park
COST: $10 (general admission); $5 (children 6 - 12); $32 (4 tickets); $15 (reserved seating)

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Anne Fishbein

Pizza and Lardo at Pizzeria Mozza

Bon Appétit magazine has come up with the foodie answer to the weekend music festival: a monster three-day tour of restaurants, bars and music venues it's calling the "Grub Crawl." It's debuting in three cities this summer: Brooklyn (natch), New Orleans and, to our pleasant surprise, Los Angeles.

The paragraph detailing the Los Angeles tour, which takes place July 13-15, starts off with one of those classic backhanded compliments: "The City of Angels is swiftly emerging as more than just a sanctuary for celebrities." Right. Thanks.

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Caroline on Crack

Jimmy and Yume Han in front of Beer Belly; artwork by MR44.

It feels like much longer than a year has passed since Jimmy and Yume Han opened Beer Belly, the Koreatown craft beer bar that introduced the Hite-heavy neighborhood to a volume and variety of local-brewed suds like it had never seen. But sure enough, this weekend will mark the bar's one-year anniversary, in which time it has risen from new guy on the scene to one of L.A.'s essential craft beer bars.

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M.B. Post

couscous at M.B. Post

It's being touted as a "unique foodie experience" for Angelenos. That is, Angelenos with $200 to spare. The "Taste of Spring" event happening May 19 at a private Manhattan Beach home involves cooking demonstrations from David LeFevre (Manhattan Beach Post), Neal Fraser (The Strand House), and possibly Ben Ford (Ford's Filling Station), with beer and wine tastings plus extra food from local restaurants.

The ticket and auction proceeds will benefit GrowingGreat, an organization that brings gardening programs to 32 L.A. County schools, encouraging 16,000 students to adopt healthy eating habits. The chefs support the cause, saying in a press release that children can benefit from seeing where their carrots and strawberries come from.

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California Strawberry Festival

strawberry and goat cheese pizza

California Strawberry Festival
Strawberry shortcake? Boring. How about strawberry pizza, nachos or kabobs, along with strawberry beer? More than 40 food booths will offer strawberry-centric items at the California Strawberry Festival. Also expect concerts, contests, amusement park attractions and a couple of hundred arts and crafts vendors.
WHAT: California Strawberry Festival
WHEN: 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m., May 19-20
WHERE: Strawberry Meadows of College Park, 3250 S. Rose Avenue, Oxnard
COST: $12 general admission; $8 for seniors and military; $5 for children 5-12.

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Paso Robles Wine Festival

Paso Robles Wine Festival

Summer is a wine-drinking marathon in California, and up and down the coast, each weekend brings pleasant opportunities to imbibe outside. The diversity of events reflects the state's varied wine-growing regions. Those on hotel grounds come with a room night package -- a smart way to go.

Because it's a relatively slow time at wineries, winemakers tend to have some downtime before harvest to get out and pour their wares. And that's half the fun, meeting the folks behind the wine labels. Seminars and panels add an educational element, but the best way to learn more about wine is to try more. Here are 10 upcoming events, from Paso Robles to Newport Beach to downtown L.A.'s Union Station, at which to do just that. These are organized by date, with the events that are upcoming -- starting this weekend with No. 10 -- listed first. Turn the page.

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Anne Fishbein

The Spice Table's beef rendang

Barbecue and beer. A pretty ordinary combination -- except when the chef adds coconut, or a dash of fish sauce. The Spice Table is partnering with the Bruery to offer a prix-fixe dinner May 23 at $75 per person. The Singapore-inspired restaurant will serve eight dishes, each accompanied by select beers from the Bruery. Hot links, char siu spareribs and collard greens could all be on the menu. Also Brussels sprouts garnished with fish sauce, potato rolls topped with coconut and sea salt, cornbread served with pork, dried shrimp and lap chong (Chinese sausage), and baked beans mixed with palm sugar and lamb bacon. For dessert, an apple crumble. No word yet on the drinks planned from the Bruery, but we have reason to believe the craft brewer will bring more-than-decent choices.

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Cinespia/Kelly Lee Barrett

Cinespia Diners

You live in Los Angeles so cinephilia is a given. You probably even work in the industry. But have you ever sat in a cemetery with a glass of hooch and a cheese plate to view the classics? If you can't say yes to this, you haven't really lived. And the people buried ten feet to your left would agree.

Saturday marks the beginning of the 10th Annual Cinespia season at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. The May line-up will kick off with Strangers on a Train (5/12), followed by Silence of the Lambs (5/19) -- we all know what firm-tannin Italian wine is going to be popular that night -- Sabrina (5/26), and Grease (5/27). Do not attempt to bring a high-backed chair, or you will be exiled to the the porta-potty section, waving to your friends and getting texts about how good the neighboring party's pretzel rolls are.

For those who have no intention of spending their Saturday morning premixing cocktails or smoking pork, stop by one of these five cemetery-adjacent establishments to stock up on vittles and vino. Showing up empty-handed is frowned upon by both living and dearly departed Angelenos.

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Courtesy of Tuttle Publishing

Bee Yinn Low's pork dumpling soup

Macy's doesn't just celebrate holidays. It celebrates "months." Black History Month in February. Then Hispanic Heritage Month in September. For June, LGBT National Pride Month. Now, it's Asian Pacific American Heritage Month -- and that calls for food. This Saturday afternoon, two store locations will present cooking demonstrations; one with chef and author Bee Yinn Low, and another with JTYH Restaurant as well as Nguyen and Thi Tran of Starry Kitchen.

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