Sep 11

Sep 11 Come Eat With Me at Sunset and Dine 2015

Ciabatta Bar, food, Hollywood, Sunset & Dine

One of my favorite events every year is the annual Sunset & Dine. The tickets are only for $25 and children under 12 can attend free of charge. The event celebrates and spotlights some of the most innovative culinary eateries near the famed intersection of Sunset and Vine. Each year, new mom-and-pops shops as well as famous favorites are among a long list of restaurants that provide a hearty helping of food, beer, and wine as well as live music. This year, the Sunset & Dine food festival will be held at the new BuzzFeed Motion Pictures. The event is a great way to sample food and drinks from restaurants you have always wanted to try. You get way more than your money's worth in return and best of all... it's for charity! Let's preview some of the restaurants that will be apart of Sunset & Dine.

Ciabatta Bar is one of the newest additions to Sunset and Vine. It is the newest restaurant by Chef Mauro Corbia of celeb hotspot Mauro's Café inside Fred Segal Melrose. They also just opened up inside Terminal 2 in LAX as well.

The Italian Granitas are to die for! It was perfect for the scorching hot temperatures outside. Granitas are semi-frozen, slushy-esque desserts from Sicily. Ciabatta Bar has multiple fruit flavors and they use real fruit. No sugar is added.

The ciabatta is delicious. The bread is fresh. All the Ciabatta bread and focaccia is made on the premises which I appreciate. They also have diet coke made from stevia, and their desserts are made on premises. Their soft serve gelato is to die for! I highly recommend Ciabatta Bar.

Another eclectic eatery that will be joining Sunset & Dine is Saint Felix Hollywood, which is a restaurant and bar. The venue is gorgeous. Most importantly, their drinks are strong and on point. Exhibit One:This is St. Felix's Desperado cocktail, which was made with crushed red pepper, fresh mint and orange bitters, fresh tangerine and lime juices handshaken with Milagro Tequila. I also got to sample a handful of St. Felix's appetizers including tacos and sweet potato fries.

Another newbie to the Sunset block is Farmers Belly Cafe, which is an extension of a popular catering service and food truck by the same name. The farm-to-table food is sourced from the Hollywood Farmer’s Market and Better Life Organics. They tout a rotating menu with seasonal specials. In addition to using all organic meats that are free of hormones, Farmers Belly also has many gluten-free options. They also have an espresso bar and they cold brew their own coffee. I sampled mini verisons of three of their starters including their Mini Bleu Cheese Master (grass fed free range Straus beef), Mini Chicken Pesto Panini (organic Mary's Farms Chicken), and Mini Farmers Salad.I was also able to taste their Organic Mary's Farm's Roasted Chicken with Organic Harvested Grains and Organic Mixed Farmers Market Veggies. It was delicious and healthy. I really enjoyed this dish.

I ended the night with Farmers Belly's mini desserts and their hand roasted expresso. I'm very excited that Farmers Belly is now on Sunset. Their food not only is healthy, but it's also very affordable.

Other participating restaurants for Sunset & Dine include:

There's a big selection of food and drinks whether you're a meat lover, organic eater, or vegan. The event is put on by the Central Hollywood Coalition, the non-profit board that manages the Sunset & Vine Business Improvement District. The eateries are very generous with their food and it's a fun environment. Come eat with me! To buy your tickets, go to http://sunsetanddine.org.

The fourth annual Sunset & Dine will take place on Thursday, September 24, 2015 from 6-10 pm at the BuzzFeed Motion Pictures, 6322 DeLongpre Avenue, Hollywood, CA.

You can use the #SunsetAndDine to see all the food from the previous years.