Sep 16

Sep 16 Third Annual Sunset & Dine

food, Hollywood, los angeles, Sunset & Dine

It's almost time for the third annual Sunset & Dine Event and I am so excited for it! The event is such a great value and deal! For those that are unfamiliar with the Sunset & Dine, it will be held on October 2, 2014 at the Taglyan Complex, down the street from the iconic intersection of Sunset & Vine. It's only $25 a ticket, which will give attendees access to food, wine, beer from the local restaurants and bars as well as live entertainment! I was invited to preview a few restaurants that will be part of the event as they were getting ready for next month's Sunset & Dine! Chef Betty Fraser was there to tell us more about Sunset & Dine. Foodies may recognize her from Top Chef Season 2. Stop #1 for us was the newly opened Field Trip- a homey, seasonal kitchen that sources ingredients from the nearby Hollywood Farmers Market. The restaurant may be new, but it's already been making waves in the foodie community for their brunch offerings.Minh Phan of Gaji and Beachwood Cafe fame was hard at work. Field Trip's menu has a local Californian and Asian twist!

It was a great start to the night. Our next stop was ShopHouse, a Southeast Asian eatery owned by Chipotle. Shop houses in Thailand are when families live upstairs and serve food downstairs. It's market fresh. Basically, true Asian fast food. I'll been to real shophouses in Asia, so I am one of the first to admit that I didn't have high expectations for ShopHouse. I had a small inking to try it after it opened, but never had the opportunity. Let me just tell you that I was pleasantly surprised!

What I loved about ShopHouse is that they source locally and responsibly. They don't use meats with antibiotics or added hormones. I ended up ordering the pork and chicken meatballs with green curry and rice noodles with papaya salad topped with Thai chillies. And I was pleasantly surprised! I was kind of apprehensive after trying the Chipotle-esque Panda Express Innovation Kitchen. It left a lot to be desired. This was not the case with ShopHouse though!

It didn't taste like authentic food from Thailand or Southeast Asia, but it was really good! I would definitely take my friends to enjoy ShopHouse. I highly recommend the pork and chicken meatballs. They were really light and full of flavor. For my next visit, I would probably go with the red curry though. I initially strayed away from the red curry because the staff told me that it was 'super' spicy. I guess since my family is actually from Southeast Asia, my spice tolerance is higher than the average American. Go red or go home! I'd also like to switch it up and go with the Jasmine rice next time. I tasted my friend's spicy green beans and I was really impressed as well. The endless possibilities!

Our last stop for the night was Italian eatery Fabiolus Cucina.

The owner, Fabio Conti has been a big proponent of Sunset & Dine. He's actually the one who came up with the name for the event! Other businesses and eateries that will be taking part in the event include:

Amoeba Music
Beso
Broadway LA/Pantages Theatre
Cleo
Doomie's Home Cookin'
The Los Angeles Film School
Los Balcones
McDonald's on Vine
Village Pizzeria

The three restaurants I mentioned above are also on the list!

Sunset & Dine will be on October 2nd, from 5-9 pm. There will also be a live music concert curated by Amoeba Music and The Center at Blessed Sacrament. Tickets are $25. Children 12 and under are free. Proceeds from the event will benefit The Center at Blessed Sacrament to provide assistance in housing the homeless population here in Hollywood. Parking will be at 1201 Vine Street, Hollywood. Buy your ticket here!I ended my night with one of the most amazing cookies I've ever had. Chef Betty Fraser handed us these cookies to take home. It didn't look like anything out of the ordinary, but let me tell you it was absolutely amazing! The Fosse Cookies are chocolate chip potato cookies from Grub in Hollywood. Their general manager is actually the niece of Bob Fosse. Their cookie recipe has been in their family for decades! They bake them fresh daily and I know I need to go back! I'm literally drooling thinking about it. That's how good this cookie was!And this was the view at the end of the night. After being stuffed from 3 delicious restaurants, I called it a night. I can't wait for Sunset & Dine to roll around. Eating well and contributing to a good cause. How can you go wrong with that?