Photo by Ella Gonzalez
Weekly Culture Collection is a column that gives the best things to eat, see and do near Pepperdine, Malibu and the surrounding Los Angeles area. It’s like The New Yorker’s Goings on About Town section but not as high-brow, and there is no dandy with an eyeglass. It also has nothing to do with New York.
This week’s Culture Collection features the best place to eat in Santa Monica, and some art activities for the veteran and amateur artist or crafter alike.
EAT
5 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays to Sundays — 514-516 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica
Food critic Jonathan Gold recently compiled his 101 Best Restaurants list for The Los Angeles Times. Rounding out at number 71 on the list is Erven, a restaurant that Gold describes as starting out “as the most ambitious vegan restaurant in town.” The “starting out” part of the sentence might suggest a failure on behalf of Erven, but it is in fact, the diversification of the menu and the coalescence of animal and vegan foods that make it so alluring.
At Erven there’s no ersatz animal products but substantial snacks, shareables, mains, and sweets — to borrow from the parlance of the menu. Food ranges from chickpea fritters with black garlic and yuzu to the decidedly un-vegan fried chicken sandwich with sauce gribiche, fennel slaw, herbed fries, and achiote ketchup.
SEE
FREE PAINT OUT AT SYCAMORE CANYON BEACH
Sat. Nov 11 — 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Paint Out at Sycamore Canyon Beach sounds more like a fraternity ritual or summer camp activity than it does an ode to the impressionists who pioneered the en plein air painting technique or simply “outdoor painting.”
Of course, there is no better place to paint outdoors than in the beautiful beaches of Malibu. Whether it is for a fraternity ritual or for bona fide art enthusiasts, the proclaimed “plein air paint outs” offer artists and art enthusiasts alike the opportunity to paint the scenic Malibu landscape. Participants must bring their own art supplies and oil painter George Scribner will give a painting demonstration at 9 a.m., followed by a “positive group critique” at noon.
DO
FREE CRAFT LOUNGE & KNITTING HANGOUT
Nov. 11, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.— Santa Monica Pier Area / Ocean Avenue
1450 Ocean Avenue (Corner of Ocean & Broadway), Santa Monica, CA 90401
There are stipulations for this event — attendees must be at least 18 but younger than 99, according to the activity’s website. Subtle comical restrictions and stipulations aside, on the second Saturday of the month artists and crafters are invited to the Camera Obscura Art Lab to work on their art projects. Sewing machines and art supplies will be available, with knitters encouraged to come around noon. Those over 99? Don’t bother coming at all.
Craft and paint to your heart’s content and indulge in Los Angeles culinary fare in this week’s Culture Collection.
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