Marpop

Back for Seconds: OC Foodie Fest

Stories 23 Aug 2011 Mar Yvette

It's baaack! After a successful first run with a crowd of more than 8,500 people, OC Foodie Fest is returning with an even bigger venue that promises a better selection and more entertainment than last year. Going on Saturday, August 27, at Angel Stadium, the festival will have 100 different food trucks, live band and DJ performances, shopping booths, a farmers' market, car show, kid’s entertainment area and beer garden.

Beer Belly: Craft for Crap Party

Stories 22 Aug 2011 Mar Yvette

Budweiser. Coors. Pabst. Olde English. Schlitz. If you're still clinging on to your BFF's from freshman year (or know someone who is), it's time for an intervention. Beer Belly's "Craft for Crap" event is here to help. On Sunday, August 28, simply take in whatever bottle or can of crap beer to the new K-town bar, and in exchange you'll get a fine brew from featured So Cal brewery Cismontane for just ONE PENNY. Bottoms up!

Bao Wow Wow: MoKo Hits LA

Stories 19 Aug 2011 Mar Yvette

UPDATE: Sadly, due to health issues concerning chef Gary Robins, MoKo has closed. It will reopen as Gyenari 2 (G2) on September 1, offering a "less expensive and more accessible option" with "all-you-can eat-Korean BBQ and a lively happy hour." READ ON FOR THE ORIGINAL REVIEW of this short-lived yet highly impressive restaurant ...

Onch Movement, Antonello’s Ristorante, The Dirty Heads

Stories 18 Aug 2011 Mar Yvette

Food and fun expert Mar Yvette features Onch Movement, Royal T Cafe, Costa Mesa Restaurant Week, Antonello's Ristorante and the Sunset Strip Music Festival with the Dirty Heads on the Good Day LA show (08/18/2011).

Sample Sale: Michelle Jonas

Stories 18 Aug 2011 Mar Yvette

Did someone say sample sale? Oh, yes! Michelle Jonas Travelwear--a favorite of celebs like Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Lopez--is having a huge end-of-summer sample sale this Saturday, August 27 with items like $25 silk chiffon tops, easy-breezy linen pants for $50, tie-dye jersey maxi dresses for $100 and other must-have pieces that'll work even after Labor Day weekend. (After all, we are in LA, the land of year-round sunshine.)

Photo courtesy of Independent Shakespeare Company

Freebie: Shakespeare Festival

Stories 14 Aug 2011 Mar Yvette

To free, or not to free. That is the question. Actually, what kind of question is that? Of course 'to free' is the answer. If you're a sucker for the Bard or just want to prove to yourself (or your date) that your literary scope spans beyond Us Weekly, then check out the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival going on Thursday-Sunday nights until August 28.

Q&A: Onch Movement

Stories 12 Aug 2011 Mar Yvette

What in the world is Onch Movement? It's a person, a fashion accessories line and a magical place, both real and imagined. Throughout the month of August, Royal T in Culver City is celebrating the whimsical world of Onch Movement with a "Perfectasy" pop-up shop and fun events. I caught up with the diminutive darling to talk about everything from unicorns and eyeshadow to being Paris Hilton's pet and why he only buys one detergent.

Watermelon Festival, Mar’sel, Ford’s Filling Station, Vaud & the Villains

Stories 11 Aug 2011 Mar Yvette

Food and fun expert Mar Yvette features Sunland-Tujunga Watermelon Festival, Mar'sel at Terranea Resort, Ford's Filling Station, and Vaud and the Villains on the Good Day LA show (08/11/2011).

Beer Gardens: Not Just German

Top Lists 11 Aug 2011 Mar Yvette

Sprechen ze Deutsche? Well, you no longer have to. The o.g. biergarten may have originated centuries ago in Germany, but today's beer gardens have gone multi-culti with international brews that span Asia to North America. Get ready to brush up on your cross-continental drinking skills.

Dining Out: 6 Foodie Finds Under $5

Top Lists 11 Aug 2011 Mar Yvette

I love a fine fancy meal as much as the next person, but I have a hard time dropping $150 on a meal sometimes no matter how fabulous it is. Fortunately, being on a budget in LA doesn't mean a life of bad fast food. I recently spilled the beans on some of my favorite cheap eats to the ladies at Broke Girl's Guide, a free daily email that helps us live large while spending small.

Photo courtesy of Phillip Lim - West Hollywood

Sightseeing: Structures & Style

Stories 11 Aug 2011 Mar Yvette

Calling all fashionistas, architectural savants and design buffs! Structures & Style, the super-fab guided walking and shuttle tour, is back in WeHo on Saturday, August 27, and it's your chance to get a behind-the-scenes peek at some of the city's most inspired fashion spaces--including Philip Lim and Alberta Ferretti--that ends with a rooftop soiree.

Tubas & Tatas: Vaud & the Villains

Stories 9 Aug 2011 Mar Yvette

With their foot-stomping, hip-shaking, rule-breaking swagger, Vaud & the Villains are pure gold when it comes to putting on a good show. The 19-piece, 1930s-style New Orleans band and cabaret troupe conjures up the sultry circus stylings of Moulin Rouge with a horn-y Big Easy sound that lets the good times roll.

Go Hog Wild: OC BBQ Bonanza

Stories 9 Aug 2011 Mar Yvette

They say it takes a village to raise a child, but it takes a rib village to handle all the pork, beef and poultry at the Orange County BBQ Bonanza this weekend in Fountain Valley. The Texas-sized barbeque feast is where America’s top pit masters will gather to grill juicy pork ribs, pulled pork, tri tip, sausages and chicken alongside country-western entertainment and a VIP "All You Can Eat" Rib Village. Yee-haw!

Eat It: Sunday Night Chef Fights

Stories 8 Aug 2011 Mar Yvette

Get ready to ruuuuuuumble!!!! On August 21, apron strings will fly at the Sunday Night Chef Fight cooking competition in Huntington Beach when defending champion Nicola Bellazzi of Enne Cucina Italiana goes pan to pan with challenging chef James Harris of The Royal Hawaiian. Did I mention the wine tastings?

Malibu Wines birthday fun - Photo by Mar Yvette

Ask Mar: LA Birthday Restaurants

Top Lists 7 Aug 2011 Mar Yvette

Hi Mar, How are you? I hope you are having a wonderful day :-) My husband's bday is tomorrow and I am desperate to find a fun, nice (not too expensive, think mozzarella pizzeria) place to host a dinner for 10-12 people. I know you are the Restaurant QUEEN and am hoping you can point me in the right direction. HELP!

Photo courtesy of Fifty Licks ice cream truck

Weird Ice Cream Flavors

Top Lists 6 Aug 2011 Mar Yvette

Lick, lick, hooray! If you're tired of the same old vanilla ice cream experience, you're in luck. With summer still here, it's time to get in on some of the weirdest flavors you've never heard of. From an ice cream in North Carolina that's so damn hot you have to sign a waiver just to taste it to foie gras and Jesus Juice in San Francisco, check out these freaky frozen flavor bombs.

Q&A: Debbie Lee’s Poutine Truck

Stories 6 Aug 2011 Mar Yvette

Nobody doesn't like Debbie Lee. And nobody doesn't love fries smothered in cheese, meat and gravy. So imagine the boundless joy and endless lip-smacking that ensue when you put these ingredients together. The Food Network star and woman behind the Ahn Joo Truck has now added the Poutine Truck to her growing list of culinary endeavors--because we all deserve some Canadian comfort food, dontcha think?

Juicy Fruit: Watermelon Festival

Stories 5 Aug 2011 Mar Yvette

If you thought having a small-town experience was impossible in LA, that just means you haven't been to the Sunland-Tujunga Watermelon Festival. Now in its 50th year, the tasty event (August 12-14) invites families to spend the weekend eating free watermelon while enjoying the summertime fruit in all its juicy glory.

Monsters of Hip Hop, Taste in San Pedro, Ritz Spa, Pacific Edge

Stories 4 Aug 2011 Mar Yvette

Food and fun expert Mar Yvette features Monsters of Hip Hop, Taste in San Pedro, Ritz Carlton Spa, Pacific Edge Hotel in Laguna with Kevin Miso on the Good Day LA show (08/04/2011).

Nick & Stef’s, LA Market, Sound of Korea

Stories 4 Aug 2011 Mar Yvette

Food and fun expert Mar Yvette features Girl and a Grill at Nick & Stef's Steakhouse, Chefs Kerry Simon & Nona Sivley of LA Market, and Sound of Korea on the Good Day LA show (07/28/2011).

Stella Rossa's burrata & grapes - Photo by Mar Yvette

Ask Mar: Best Santa Monica Eats

Top Lists 3 Aug 2011 Mar Yvette

As an official food & fun expert (don't you love that?), I'm always asked to name my favorite restaurant, the hottest of-the-moment spot or what places an out-of-town friend should not miss. So I figured why not post some of these emails, tweets and Facebook messages with my answers. Hence, the new Marpop series, "Ask Mar."

Q&A: Chef Nona Sivley

Stories 2 Aug 2011 Mar Yvette

It's hard to keep track of all the cooking competition shows out there, but Fox's "Hell's Kitchen" is one that even non-foodies know. Earlier this year, Season 8 winner Nona Sivley took her grand prize post as Chef de Cuisine of LA Market. I finally made it over to this expansive space to get a taste of the food (hint: order the chicken and the cheesecake) and talk to Chef Sivley about the show, how she's fitting in to the LA landscape and why she has a pig on her arm.

Monday Movies, Martinis & Manis

Stories 29 Jul 2011 Mar Yvette

Forget stale popcorn, flat soda, unventilated theatres and no leg room! It's time to watch some old-school movies the new Hollywood-style way. Station Hollywood, the outdoor bar and lounge at the W Hollywood, has launched Monday Night Movies, Martinis & Manicures.

Smokin’: “Girl & a Grill” Downtown

Stories 27 Jul 2011 Mar Yvette

TGIT: If you're ready for a smokin' good time, then you might wanna head downtown to Nick & Stef's Steakhouse for some tasty "Girl and a Grill" action. Going on every Thursday from 5pm to 9pm until the end of summer, chef Megan Logan steps out of the kitchen and on to the restaurant's patio for a fun flame-to-table dining experience.