Fireworks

• Nine best places in LA to watch Fireworks | July 4th | Most fireworks start around 9pm - but check each individual listing for day time events or possibly changes | Don’t miss out! No mater where you are in the city there is sure to be a place near you that has great fireworks for you to enjoy!

Dance

• Drop | July 4th and every first Friday of the month | 11:55pm | Cost $10 | Every month at a different loft - this month it’s located at 651 South Anderson St, Downtown LA (Map) | Looking to dance the 4th away? They’ll be spinning reggae, dancehall, mashups, and dubs all night long. E-mail dropafterhours@gmail.com to RSVP and get on the list for $5.

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Burlesque

• Midsummer Night’s Madness Burlesque | July 3rd | 8pm | Safari Sam’s - 5214 West Sunset Hollywood (Map) | Must be 18+ | Presale general access costs $20, VIP access costs $50 (free booze included) | Want to get a bit naughty with a bunch of pinup girls? Well here is your chance to enjoy music by Luis and the Wildfires, Lil’ Gizzelle, and Lil’ Mo and the Unholy 4, accompanied with performances by Violet Valentine, Masuimi Max, and Laura Byrnes. Then to top it of, a little fashion show with Pinup Couture and Dixiefred Clothing.

The Joy of Giving

• Soles for Souls Shoe Drive Opening Reception | July 3rd | 6pm-9pm | Located at Twenty Two Shoes Los Angeles -  8304 W 3rd Street Los Angeles (Map) | Give and you shall receive 50% off! Starting tonight if you bring in gently worn pair of shoes for donation you will get 50% off a new pair of your choice! The event starts tonight and runs through the entire month of July.

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Fireworks and Music

• July 4th Fireworks Spectacular: A Ball at the Bowl with the LA Dodgers | July 2nd | 7:30pm | Hollywood Bowl (Map) | Tickets range from $10-$114 - Buy here | Fireworks, Dodger super stars, and music by special guest Randy Newman. Need I say more? Pack some wine and come and enjoy!

Theater

• 1984 | July 2nd-6th | 8:30pm | The Redcat (Map) | Tickets $18-$36 | You can buy tickets online here or call 213-237-2800 | There’s never a bad time to be reminded of what a tool you are. Tim Robbins’ (who was recently interviewed on LA.CityZine) production of 1984 is more poignant than you could ever imagine. It’s a great show, only playing through this weekend that I think everyone should see.

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Happy Hour

• Poolside Happy Hour | Now until December 31st | 5pm | Located at Velvet Blue Restaurant - 750 Garland Ave (Map) | Want act like a super star without having to pay like one. Come just the Velvet Blue Restaurants happy hour Monday - Friday at 5pm and enjoy $5 drinks, dollar a minute massages, complimentary hor d’oeuvres prepared by Executive Chef Jonathan McDowell, and lie by the pool.

Comedy

• Comedy Death Ray | Tuesday, July 1st | 8:30pm | Tickets $5 | Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theater (Map) | Tuesday’s suck. So grab a beer and enjoy some comedy. Tonight at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade, will be Andy Kindler, Greg Proops, Jen Kirkman, Morgan Murphy, Mike O’Connel, and Dr. Ken.

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Great news, everyone. June is National Candy Month! Now, here’s a reason to celebrate, overdo the sugar, and pretend to be a kid! While participating in this holiday does not really require instruction (Drive to 7-Eleven, pick up a Reese’s and a bag of Sour Patch Kids, eat), you could do something a little cuter. Why? Just cause? Sure. Here are a couple places to truly experience a kid-in-a-candy-shop feeling, but minus the Big Chew bubble gum and Lick-a-Maid packets.

Boule was compared to La Durée candy shop in Paris, which immediately caught my eye and told me it’d be a place to see. (Located throughout Paris, La Durée is, like, candy taken to the most gourmet level. As in, wealthy Parisians meeting over a glass of wine and a plate of.. one chocolate. For probably more than your average Parisian entrée. Ridiculous, but if you like candy, marvelous!)

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Following a particularly harsh comment on one of my latest fish recipes, I thought I’d avoid posting recipes for a bit, unless they photographed perfectly; that is, vibrant colors complimented by the plate (because most of us with full-time jobs make it a point to serve a midweek meal with a full color palate and we buy dishes in a variety of shapes and colors just so our meals photograph nicely) The truth is, however, I have continued to make “embarrassingly simple” yet delicious food that I believe is worth sharing.

And so I have a new recipe for all of you, (even our meanest readers) and it even involves my last culprit … Tilapia!

I have included a recipe for Lentil Salad, which is delicious, I promise, and an easy blackened tilapia recipe.

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If summer days = beer, then summer nights = dining al fresco.

Thursday Twilight Dance Series at the Santa Monica Pier starts tonight at 7pm, July 26! You’ve got two options: 1) fight the crowds for a good spot on the Pier and watch The Bonedaddys and Crown City Rockers from just a few feet away, or 2) Sacrifice the view for a spot on the beach with a picnic dinner in the sand. While not a spot that comes immediately to mind when you think picnic, Joe’s Pizza (famous for it’s Manhattan Bleecker Street location) couldn’t be more convenient. A full pie boxed up and just a short walk to the Pier and you’re ready to groove. Pizzas start at $2.75 for a slice, and $18 - $22 for a full pie. 111 Broadway, Santa Monica, 310.395.9222

For the Cinespia lover, treat your date to a picnic box from the Little Next Door. The baby sister of high-end Little Door restaurant, this market-deli-café specializes in local, organic goodies. Order the classic movie box to-go, including a charcuterie plate, sandwiches, Kettle chips and pickled cucumber salad ($65 for two people). Or design your own picnic basket from their extensive menu. All picnic orders include a bottle of water and a baguette, and sandwiches range in price from $10-$15. 8142 West 3rd Street, Los Angeles, 323.951.1010 

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After that last unbearably hot week, there’s no denying that summer is here.

Last week, the LA Times put together a handy little camping BBQ guide, but this week they’ve taken things one step further by providing the essential basics of proper grilling.

I mean let’s face it, we’ve all had our hastily-planned BBQs where we slap down a couple frozen patties, a couple Kosher franks and maybe slathered some Hunt’s BBQ sauce on some ribs, but it’s actually quite easy to really kick things up without much more muss or fuss.

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Business

• Nerds, Rich People & Influencers Business Mixer | Wednesday, June 25th | 6pm- 9pm | Costs $20 - RSVP Here | Located at The Gaslamp Restaurant - 6251 E. Pacific Coast Hwy (Map) | Are you a nerd? Are you or do you want to be rich? Well come and join others just like you to network. Apparently, unlike other events like this the “network to help each other. By taking a proactive approach to exchanging resources, everyone benefits.” So Small Business Owners, Entrepreneurs, and Venture Capitalists, come pick one another’s brains and have a cocktail!

Music/Club

• Club Moscow presents Repeater | Wednesday, June 25th | 7pm- 2am | Cost: $10 cover if you’re 18-20 years old, and free if you’re 21+ (although that really depends on how much you drink!) | Located at Boardners - 1652 N Cherokee Ave Hollywood (Map) | If you haven’t been to Moscow, and you like to wear skinny jeans and cover at least one eye with your hair then this is the place for you. They’re got great depressing dance music, good drinks, and overall it’s a fun place to get wasted on a Wednesday and dance your troubles away.

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In my quest for finding LA’s “best” Panini, memories of melted cheese, country ham, and juicy tomatoes squashed inside freshly baked ciabatta bread, fill my mind from my gastronomical visits to Italy. There were better memories still, of my favorite all-night Italian café bar, set in the heart of Soho in London. Many a night I’d spent at 5 o’clock in the morning, my legs all danced-out from clubbing, and me sitting at the bar, drinking a cappuccino so thick and frothy, one could turn it upside down as if testing for a meringue’s doneness.

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Dance

• Till Tuesday | Tuesday, June 23rd | 10pm until ? | Located at Sevilla Riverside - 3252 Mission Inn Riverside - Map | Free before 11pm and $5 after | Ready to party with the Inland! They’re doing it, well Inland style. There will be $3.00 drinks all night (which include beer and well drinks). Many awesome DJ’s and performers in attendance, not to mention give-a-ways from Active Clothing, Cardboard Robot, Super+Fucker, Obey & MORE!

Comedy

• Comedy Death Ray | Tuesday, May 27 | 8:30pm | Tickets $5 | Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theater - Map | Tuesday’s suck. So grab a beer and enjoy some comedy. Tonight at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade, will be Thomas Lennon, Chris Hardwick, Graham Elwood, Jackie Clarke, Tom Papa and hosted by Josh Fadem.

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For a long time, I have wanted to try Wildflour Pizza on Main St. in Santa Monica. I was always drawn to the restaurant’s cheery yellow exterior and hole-in-the-wall vibe, and a sign outside says “#1 Pizza LA Times” (although it does not mention when). This week, I finally got to sample their pie. The verdict? I was hoping for better.

The inside of Wildflour Pizza is very tiny and dark. The walls are heavy brick and the floors are covered with wood shavings, a throwback to another era. A few rustic tables and chairs crowd the space. The building itself looks incredibly old, so from an atmospheric standpoint it gave the restaurant a somewhat enchanting feel.

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