Photo by Ella Gonzalez
With Valentine’s Day past, it is permissible to express love in ways that diverge from a Hallmark card or box of chocolates. Love has widened in scope from the romantic to the more filial and friendly kind. With a widened scope of love, so too is there a widened Culture Collection with this week’s seeing, eating and doing encompassing everything from the run-of-the-mill Los Angeles trendy eatery to leisure activities for the more cultivated and literary crowd.
Here’s what to eat, see and do for the week.
EAT
109 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA
If an unsophisticated word were to sum up what millennials are looking for in their criteria for restaurants it would be “cute,” or perhaps the often misused word, “aesthetic.” Properly applying the latter word and co-opting the former for the purposes of millennial slang: Little Ruby is cute and is, as the kids say, so aesthetic.
Little Ruby is an Australian cafe in Santa Monica, its website outfitted in millennial pink and menu brimming with the usual trendy food suspects — avocado toast, grain bowls, juices and smoothies. And, if you thought for a moment you would escape the annoying sobriquets for avocado and breakfast —“avo” and “breakie,“ respectively — you are sadly mistaken.
There is admittedly nothing incredibly novel about Little Ruby, but if trendy eateries, runny egg yolks and, for lack of a better word, “cute” atmospheres are the bullet points on your checklist, this place comes with the highest marks — literally and figuratively.
SEE
Through Feb. 18, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Based on Voltaire’s novella of the same name, L.A. opera’s rendition of “Candide” transforms the witty satire into a live-action version with just as much entertainment and acerbic humor.
If one were to follow Candide on his humorous and circuitous journey, they will be reminded of the strangeness of life, and perhaps, be thankful that theirs has hopefully not been as burdensome and dismal.
Information on tickets may be found here.
DO
Lunar New Year Celebration at Santa Monica Place
Feb. 17, 2018, 2 – 6 p.m.
The year of the dog calls for a celebration tantamount to the greatness of the animal it was named for, and with that, the attendance of more than one New Year celebration.
The lunar New Year celebration at Santa Monica Place will be emceed by the Voice’s Katherine Ho and feature Korean fan dancers, Chinese lion dancers, musical entertainment and a Chinese dough artist, among other attractions.
Conversation Hearts will go on sale and if re-inscribed with verbose text to fit this week’s Culture Collection, the one chosen would say the following: Be Mine — but after you go to Little Ruby, see “Candide,” and participate in the Lunar New Year Celebration at Santa Monica Place.
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