It's Tequila Day! Sweet deals and 3 recipes to celebrate

Today happens to be National Tequila Day, the perfect excuse to indulge in an after-work tequila beverage, salt rim and all. It may only be Tuesday, but if we're being realistic, it's never too early in the week for a margarita. Here are a couple places around town offering specials to help you get your drink on:

Pink Taco Century City and Sunset locations are celebrating with half off their margaritas and tequila well drinks from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The restaurants are also offering their Taco Tuesday specials, including their Clase Azul margaritas for $8 and pitchers of the Pink Taco house margarita. 

PHOTOS: 3 Recipes for National Margarita Day

Tortilla Republic grill and margarita bar is offering its house margarita (Tequila Blanco, Triple Sec, house-made agave and fresh lime) for $5.

Casa Vega restaurant in Sherman Oaks is serving its signature Casa Vega margarita for $4.99. All you have to do is mention "National Tequila Day" to your server to get the special price.

If you want to make yourself a killer tequila beverage at home, check out this recipe from the Los Angeles Times Test Kitchen for a blood orange jalapeno margarita with a kick: 

How about a 'Ramp Jam' cocktail?

Did you happen to catch any of "The Californians" skits on "Saturday Night Live?" The comparisons to our conversations filled with shortcuts trying to avoid traffic are spot on. It's no wonder a traffic-weary commuter's desire for a stiff cocktail or glass of wine at the end of the day is frequent. With the upcoming "Ramp Jam," also known as "the Rampture" set to hit Friday evening, I anticipate that desire becoming a downright necessity rather quickly.

The Locanda del Lago restaurant located at the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica is hoping to ease the "Rampture" pain by offering commuters a "carpool" cocktail special. Their “Rampture Raspberry Mojito,” made of raspberries, fresh mint, organic Papagayo rum and sugarcane is priced at $6.22 starting Friday. The cocktail will be offered daily until the completion of the city's carpool construction project.

To receive the special, mention the word "Rampture" and show proof of carpooling. Acceptable forms of proof can be a carpool parking permit or photo on a mobile phone.

Hope everyone finds a suitable, safe way home. Here are the specific "Ramp Jam" details from our sister blog LA Now:

Starting at 10 p.m. Friday, workers will close the westbound Wilshire onramp to the northbound 405 and the northbound 405 offramp to westbound Wilshire. The ramps will remain closed for three months, the first phase of a yearlong effort to demolish and rebuild all eight ramps at the interchange.

Locanada de Lago 231 Arizona Ave. Santa Monica, CA 90401 310.451.3525

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Photo: The "Rampture Rasberry Mojito" cocktail from Locanda del Lago. Credit: Locanda del Lago.

Slingr: The social networking tool for drinkers

It was like a dream come true. The day was Sunday and my band mates Charlie, Emily and I had retired to the Red Lion Tavern in Silver Lake for a beer and burger after a hard day of lying by the pool. When we sat down at a table on the patio we spied a placard for a new mobile app called Slingr that described itself as "a hot new technology that allows your friends to remotely send drinks and food directly to your table through Facebook and Twitter."

What? We could check in to the Red Lion on Facebook via Slingr and request a drink, and our friends could buy it for us on their phones or computers and have it delivered to our table, tip included? Score! We would never work again. We would just go wherever Slingr was, check in and drink up.

Who wouldn't want to buy us a drink?

"If I saw that my buddy Manny in Portland had posted with this, I'd totally buy him a drink," said Charlie, texting our table number to Slingr. Emily and I followed suit.

"It's Sunday!" I wrote as my reason for asking for shots in what suddenly felt like a Kickstarter campaign for my late-afternoon drinking habit. (You can also request a beer, a mixed drink, a martini, food and more.)

Ten minutes later our server, Greta, appeared at our table and put a shot of Patron with lime down in front of Charlie.

"This is from Manny," she said, as we stared at the shot, dumbstruck. Apparently Manny in Portland felt the same way Charlie did. It was a very dudely show of support, and serendipitous, too, since Charlie had just been talking about Manny.

Cinco de Mayo 2012 and Derby Day events

Saturday marks both Cinco de Mayo and Derby Day. Whether you're in the mood for tequila and tacos or maybe a fancy hat and a mint julep, we've got you covered. Here are some events happening around town that will help you get your drink on, grab a bite and enjoy the festivities:

Cinco de Mayo

Pink Taco Sunset Strip will have its grand opening on Cinco de Mayo with a drink special wheel (half off whatever drink is landed on for that hour), luchadors, mariachis, DJs and giveaways. Tickets will be sold at the door. The Century City location will also be having a Cinco de Mayo celebration. Guests can buy tickets at http://cincodemayocc.eventbrite.com or at the door.

The Churchill specials include $8 honeydew melon and chile-infused margaritas, $5 micheladas and homemade chips and guacamole for $6.

The Hudson will have $5 Peligroso tequila shots, $6 house margaritas and the short rib or chicken nachos served with jack and cheddar cheese, tomatoes, green onions and jalapenos for $12.

La Cuevita is having a grand re-opening on May 4 and 5 with $2 Tecate and free tacos starting at 9 p.m.

Derby Day

Freddy Smalls Bar + Kitchen is having a Derby Day celebration with $8 mint juleps, fried chicken sandwiches ($15) and "best hat" and "best dressed" awards. From noon to 4 p.m. the bar will show the Kentucky Derby and offer three different kinds of mint juleps (classic, blackberry and maple).

Blue Cow Kitchen & Bar and the Grilled Cheese Truck are teaming up for a three-hour event on the Blue Cow downtown patio with grilled cheese sandwiches, craft drafts and cocktails. The restaurant will be showing the Kentucky Derby.

Know about another event? Share it in our comments below.

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Photo: Carne asada tacos made by the Los Angeles Times test kitchen. Credit: Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times

Happy Tax Day deals at Caña and Bodega Wine Bar

Drink Tax Day away?

In honor of Tax Day, all three locations of Bodega Wine Bar (Pasadena, Santa Monica and Hollywood) are offering 30% off food all day and night. (The catch: Guests must check in at any social media site.)

Meanwhile, Caña Rum Bar in downtown Los Angeles is offering 15% off the entire menu today and debuting its new spring cocktail menu, such as the Spring Street Cobbler (vino de Verdejo, Citadelle gin, fresh lime, canela syrup, elderflower) and the Brazilian Gentleman (Novo Fogo aged cachaça, rye whiskey, citrus, spiced passion fruit syrup, orange flower water). 

Click here for more Tax Day deals.

Bodega Wine Bar, 260 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, (626) 793-4300; 814 Broadway, Santa Monica, (310) 394-3504; 6290 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 464-3400; www.bodegawinebar.com. Caña Rum Bar, 714 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 745-7090, www.canarumbar.com.

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That's one big bunny: Easter at Valerie Confections

Looking for a gift to tuck into an Easter basket? Or just want to satisfy your own sweet tooth? 

I all but swooned when I saw Valerie Confections' large chocolate Easter bunny. Weighing in at almost 1 1/2 pounds, this big guy is solid bittersweet chocolate, packaged for Easter and tied with a pink satin ribbon. Did I mention he's solid chocolate? (It's $40 for 1 lb. 7.5 oz.)

Valerie also offers a smaller option with a darkened milk chocolate bunny. The little guy's also solid, and he's not so little either, weighing in at 5 1/2 ounces ($14). 

Valerie's "golden eggs" by the dozen or half dozen are bittersweet chocolate eggs filled with liquid caramel and topped with edible gold leaf ($36/dozen, $18/half-dozen). Bunny tableau bars are solid darkened milk chocolate, molded with an old-fashioned relief of bunnies ($10). If you can't make up your mind, Valerie also offers an Easter gift set ($80). 

Valerie Confections, 3660 West First Street, Los Angeles, 90004, 888-706-1408.

-- Noelle Carter
twitter.com/noellecarter

Photo credit: Valerie Confections

BlackboardEats launches new VIP membership program

BlackboardEats, the popular Web-based restaurant site that pairs editorial reviews with perks including discounts, is launching a new VIP membership program Thursday. The program, which costs $25 annually, is based on subscriber feedback received by the company's founder, Maggie Nemser, after another VIP membership plan went into effect a year or so back.

The new plan, which is being offered to a limited number of customers on a first-come, first-serve basis, offers the following benefits:

Members are allowed to get the site's daily discount beyond the 24-hour window for signing up for the special, and throughout the entire life of the offer, which is generally about a month or two. They will also be able to retrieve their specials about a month after they have expired for non-VIPs.

Members get a VIP card that they can keep on their phones via the app to retrieve their specials. They also get a permanent pass code to use with their specials, rather than using a different one each time (as is the case with other deals sites such as Groupon).

Finally, VIP members will be the first to receive e-mails about special events, including one-off dinners cooked by well-known chefs.

www.blackboardeats.com.

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Photo:  Maggie Nemser, right, started BlackboardEats; the first deal was with Akasha Richmond, on-screen. Credit: Stefano Paltera / For The Times

 

With Sunset Junction off, Echo Park is rising

A wave of backyard parties, barbecues and street corner shows have cropped up since Sunset Junction was officially canceled earlier this week. Silver Lake, it seems, was not ready to give up the party.

Echo Park, however, was eager to get in on the action. And so business owners in the neighborhood quickly rallied to create an impromptu two-day event called Echo Park Rising. Not only will the Echo and Echoplex host a slew of displaced Junction bands including the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and 400 Blows, but a variety of neighborhood restaurants and bars are offering deals all weekend long.

The epically busy Mohawk Bend is giving away a free "secret" dessert to anyone who mentions Echo Park Rising; City Sip wine bar is offering discounts; Allston Yacht Club will feature happy hour specials all night on Saturday, as well as a $5 cocktail called the AYC cooler, made from ginger, lemonade, watermelon and vodka; Delilah Bakery will comp diners drinks at lunch; and Lot 1 Cafe, Stories Books & Cafe and Two Boots will host live music.

On the non-food side, Stories Book is offering 20% off all used books; Origami Vinyl is holding a 10%-off-everything sale; and iam8bit gallery is giving a 5% donation from all sales of original artwork to 826LA. A website for the event has already gone up, and more deals and parties are being added heading into the weekend.

It will be interesting to see if Echo Park Rising spurs the neighborhood to stage a street festival of its own next year. The area's residents could use something upbeat to distract them from the terrible spectacle of the closed-off lake.

-- Jessica Gelt

Photo: The bacon-and-egg martini at Allston Yacht Club. Credit: Tara Godvin

25-cent beer and burgers at Backstage Bar & Grill

The Backstage Bar & Grill, which cheerfully dubs itself the "Best Dive Bar in the World," is celebrating its 75th anniversary Tuesday. The party primarily consists of rolling its prices back to those in 1936, when a beer cost a quarter and so did a burger.

So, if you're in the mood to elbow through a hungry crowd, and to get thoroughly knackered for $2, then speed yourself to Culver City, where Depression-era deals await you from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Just be sure to tip according to modern-day standards. You would think I wouldn't feel the need to say this, but years ago, I went to the 75th anniversary of Taix French restaurant in Echo Park, where they were celebrating by serving 75-cent chicken dinners, and was horrified when I witnessed several customers leaving 15-cent tips. Yes, that's 20%, but please.

Backstage Bar & Grill, 10400 Culver Blvd., Culver City, (310) 839-3892, www.backstageculvercity.com.

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Wednesdays just got awesome at the Spare Room with $5 mini lobster rolls

The Spare Room at the Hollywood Roosevelt is one of that landmark hotel's best new features. The tony lounge with a craft cocktail program guided by consultant Aidan Demarest also features two elite bowling lanes where very pretty people knock down pins.

It's a great place to people watch and warm yourself with fine whiskey and quality conversation. And now it's a great place to nosh on $5 mini lobster rolls. Every Wednesday for the rest of the summer the Spare Room will offer those tender tidbits alongside $3 ice-cold beer, half-priced bowling and $7 Nantucket Sound cocktails.

The Nantucket Sound, pictured above, is a lazy evening treat made with chamomile and lemon-infused gin, vermouth, fresh-pressed cantaloupe juice, lemon juice and Peychaud's bitters.

Have you heard the Vampire Weekend song, Walcott? It's kind of like that, only the other way around. 

The Spare Room at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Blvd., L.A. (323) 466-7000; www.thompsonhotels.com

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Photo: The Nantucket Sound. Credit: The Spare Room