Bon Appétit Grub Crawl is set for July 13-15

After experiencing many a pub crawl abroad, the founders of Grub Crawl came back to the States with a business venture: to lead guided tours--not of bars--but restaurants. The company has been taking groups of foodies on a series of grub crawls around the Bay Area since 2009 and now brings the idea of food "crawling" to L.A.

The Los Angeles edition of the Bon Appétit Grub Crawl will be hitting up three delicious neighborhoods to dine July 13-15.

The tour starts on Friday in downtown L.A. with stops at Cole's, Umamicatessen, Las Perlas and Seven Grand. Next up on the tour, continued on Saturday, is Hollywood and West Hollywood with Mozza, Scuola Di Pizza, Pour Vous, Street, the Spare Room and Night + Market on the itinerary. Saturday's crawl will conclude with a live music performance by Vacationer at the Roxy. The final leg of the tour will include eateries on the Westside with visits to Father's Office, Sotto, Picca and Lukshon. Yum...

Attend the entire three-day event for $200 per person or pick one of the three-neighborhood food crawls for $80-$100. Tickets can be purchased online.

Bagrubcrawl.com.

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Pop-ups in Venice: Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, Alma and Kali Dining

Lately, pop-up dining central might be the neighborhood of Venice. Maybe it's the by-the-beach location or its bobo residents. Whatever the reason, here are a few to check out:

Wolf in Sheep's Clothing took over the old Capri space on Abbot Kinney Boulevard late last year. The pop-up kitchen is managed by chefs Brian Dunsmoor of Axe and Kris Tominaga of Joe’s Restaurant. The restaurant was due to end its stint this month but is now in negotiations to extend the operation in the same space for an additional six months while a permanent space is secured; good news for all those who have yet to try the restaurant's reasonably priced, market-driven dishes. The restaurant is open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday. 1616 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, wolfinsheepsclothingrestaurant.com.

Chef Kevin Meehan of Cafe Pinot started hosting dinner parties in Culver City earlier this month through his new project, Kali Dining. The pop-up dining experience features a frequently changing menu and location. Meehan prepares and serves a four-course prix-fixe meal for guests in a casual, intimate environment. The dinner series, which costs $65 per person and currently runs Wednesday to Sunday, is on in Venice through early March. And did we mention that he hunts his own hogs too? Kalidining.com.

Another pop-up restaurant new to the scene in Venice is Alma. With only a couple of weeks under its belt, the eatery serves weekly changing three- and five-course prix-fixe dinners ($35 and $55,  respectively) Wednesday through Saturday. Housed inside cafe Flake on Rose Avenue, Alma is the brainchild of Dinelle Lucchesi, a former director of an underground social club in San Francisco, and Ari Taymor of San Francisco's Bar Tartine and Flour + Water. Taymor's creations will highlight American cuisine with dishes such as garlic and oyster stew; smoked lentils, carrot, milk skin and nettle; and popcorn with chocolate and soy caramel. 513 Rose Ave., Venice, almafoodandwine.tumblr.com.

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Top photo: Kevin Meehan of Kali Dining; bottom photo: braised wild hog with smoked potato puree, peas and prosciutto. Credit: Mike Sanfratello. 

Plan Check opens today in West L.A.

West L.A.'s Little Osaka neighborhood welcomes a new addition to Sawtelle Boulevard with Plan Check, which opened its doors to the public Wednesday.

The restaurant incorporates architectural elements to make for an industrial appeal -- kudos to the neighborhood's culture bustling with architects, developers and designers -- and features communal tables, booths and a large outdoor patio.

Chef Ernesto Uchimura of Umami Burger takes the reins at this new joint alongside barmen Steve Livigni and Pablo Moix of Harvard & Stone, La Descarga and Black Market Liquor Bar.

The menu features American comfort food with dishes such as the blueprint burger ($11) with smoked blue cheese, pig candy bacon, fried onions and steak sauce; smoky fried chicken ($12) with gravy, yam preserves and spicy pickled okra; and short rib pot roast ($15) with red wine, bone marrow turnover pie and sweet n' sour mirepoix. The bar program includes cocktails like the godzilla ($10) and bento box ($10); craft beer, wine and a variety of Japanese whiskeys. The moonshine house soda, with flavors like yuzu and tangerine, is pretty good, too.

Plan Check is open 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

1800 Sawtelle Blvd., L.A., (310) 288-6500, plancheckbar.com.

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Photo: Plan Check. Credit: Howard Wise

Orange County restaurant week kicks off this weekend

Orange County restaurant week starts Sunday. Multi-course menus with three price categories for lunch ($10, $15 and $20) and dinner ($20, $30 and $40) will be offered by 100 participating restaurants throughout the county.

Participating restaurants to anticipate include Pizzeria Ortica in South Coast Plaza, the Crow Bar and Kitchen in Corona Del Mar and French 75 Bistro in Laguna Beach, among others.

The event runs through March 3. Diners can search participating restaurants by location and price point as well as make reservations online.

For more information, check out www.orangecountyrestaurantweek.com.

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Photo: Pizzeria Ortica. Credit: Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times

Mezze and the Bruery team up for dinner on Feb. 22

Chef Micah Wexler of Mezze, the contemporary Mediterranean eatery that opened last March on North La Cienega Boulevard, is collaborating with longtime friend Ben Weiss of the Bruery for a four-course meal with beer pairings on Feb. 22.

Mezze's signature small plates, which incorporate flavors from Lebanon, Syria, Morocco and Turkey, will be complemented with the Bruery's suds -- not to mention new, limited edition brews.

Anticipate dishes such as baby yellowtail crudo with pomegranate gremolata; duck gallantine with pistachio and medjool dates; Tunisian fish stew with spiced tomato jus; veal dumplings with beer broth and ras al hanout (a Moroccan spice blend); and a black and Indian lime pie.

Seating is limited -- only 50 tickets are being sold at $85 per person.

401 N. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, (310) 657-4103, mezzela.com.

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Photo: Micah Wexler. Credit: Mezzela.com

IDG teaming up with Gino Angelini to open Italian restaurant

Innovative Dining Group says it has collaborated with chef and restaurateur Gino Angelini, of Angelini Osteria, to open a fine-dining Italian restaurant in West Hollywood that will debut in the fall.

The 8,000-square-foot restaurant will take over part of the space formerly occupied by Hamburger Hamlet at 9201 W. Sunset Blvd. IDG will divide the old Hamlet space into two ventures, one the new Italian restaurant and the other a Chinese cuisine concept.

The restaurant's name and menu specifics will be announced in the coming months but for now, Italian food aficionados can expect Angelini's menu to include pastas, pizzas and entrées incorporating classic Italian cooking techniques very much like those developed at his beloved Angelini Osteria.

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Photo: Gino Angelini at his restaurant, Angelini Osteria. Credit: Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times

Atwater Crossing Kitchen launches dinner service today

Back in August, the Los Angeles Times reported on the Atwater Crossing Kitchen, which was at the time only serving breakfast and lunch. The kitchen had plans to launch dinner service in September; plans got pushed back, as they will, but as of today, the restaurant has extended its hours to include dinner and weekend service.

The kitchen's spacious courtyard, located in the heart of the 100,000-square-foot complex, provides an outdoor dining space with communal tables, a bar and a stage for live performances.

Tonight's entrees include a Caesar salad and a Kobe burger with Gruyere, bacon, onion straws and a tomatillo-chipotle ketchup.

Atwater Crossing Kitchen's new hours are Tuesday-Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

3245 Casitas Ave., L.A., (323) 522-3488, atwatercrossingkitchen.com.

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Photo: Atwater Crossing's courtyard. Credit: Caitlin Keller / Los Angeles Times

Take a Bao opens in Studio City

Take a Bao's newest addition on Ventura Boulevard is now open. After opening the fast casual restaurant in the Century City Westfield mall three years ago, the trio of owners decided to expand with a second location in Studio City.

In conjunction with American tastes and French technique, chef Gavin Portsmouth's Asian-inspired menu explores dishes from all over Asia. There are traditional Chinese steamed, filled bao buns (made in the San Gabriel Valley), fresh noodles, local produce and all-natural meats.

The buns are rolled out flat and then stuffed with various fillings such as duck confit, fried chicken and slaw or a Korean barbecue short rib. Besides the eatery's bao, other offerings include salads, noodles such as the "drunken tomato tamarind" and rice bowls. With a locally sourced menu, the restaurant's desserts come from Milk on Beverly Boulevard while Silver Lake's LA Mill supplies its coffees and teas. Rumor has it, the chocolate s'more bao is a crowd pleaser, but there are others in case marshmallows aren't your "thing": a banana Nutella bao, a beer float and a macaron ice cream sandwich made the cut-off too.

11838 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, (818) 691-7223, takeabao.com.

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'Bought, Borrowed & Stolen': 20 years of Allegra McEvedy's secrets

Allegra McEvedy has been cooking professionally for more than 20 years, working her way through a batch of restaurants in London, most notably the River Café and the Cow, in addition to stints at American eateries Rubicon (now closed) and Jardinière in San Francisco, and New York's Tribeca Grill. The Cordon Bleu alumnus was chef-in-residence at the Guardian for three years, has had a column in the Evening Standard and a seasonal food slot on Robert Elms' show for BBC London.

McEvedy's fifth book "Bought, Borrowed & Stolen: Recipes and Knives from a Travelling Chef" comes out this month. The cookbook traces 20 years of recipes, not to mention knives, from food diaries recorded during her travels. The English chef discusses her favorite fall food, her recently released cookbook and the time she spent on the West Coast, with the Los Angeles Times:

Q: What knife, of your collection, is your current favorite or most used?

A: Well, as you probably can tell I have a bit of an emotional attachment to all of my knives, so although it's hard to choose a favorite I am finding myself reaching for a beautiful example of the craft that I bought in New York about five years ago. It's the younger sibling of one I picked up when I was working at Tribeca Grill in '96; both are made by Michael Moses Lishinsky [of Wildfire Cutlery]. All his knives are full tang meaning the metal extends all the way to the base of the handle. And being someone who embraces difference, I love that he uses heat-treated steel, as opposed to the more fashionable stainless. I also like the fact that it's one of only two knives in my 70 strong collection that I can trace back to the maker. My favorite job for this beauty, where it really excels, is smashing cloves of garlic; Mr. Lishinsky may have created the perfect shape of the flat of the blade with this one purpose in mind!

Hotel Erwin's newest addition, Barlo, opens Thursday

The Hotel Erwin has opened its newest restaurant addition, Barlo, located on the ground floor of the Venice hotel. Barlo offers hotel guests and locals a laid-back setting to sip on refreshing cocktails and munch on reasonably priced eats before or after heading to the beach.

Executive chef Jason Wiggin and food and beverage director Ryan Wingo have created a seasonally changing menu with not comfort food per se but comforting food using organic ingredients. The menu includes plates such as a purple kale salad, shrimp and grits, pork belly buns and beet pickled "deviled" eggs; bar snacks include anchovy puffs, truffle frites and bacon caramel corn; daily changing desserts; house-made ginger ale; and seasonally driven libations including the Porch Swing with Hendricks gin, gooseberry preserves, watermelon juice and lemon and the Disappear with Tito's vodka, Clear Creek pear brandy and house-made sour syrup.

A brunch menu is in the works, and winter-inspired drinks -- Bourbon with apple butter -- are expected to pop up on the cocktail menu come November.

Barlo at Hotel Erwin, 1697 Pacific Ave., Venice, (424) 214-1063, barlovenice.com.

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Photos: From top, Barlo at Hotel Erwin and shrimp and grits. Credit: Caitlin Keller / Los Angeles Times