Latest culinary adventure from our Tasteologie editor, Jackson Stakeman.

It was stories of their magical popcorn bacon that drew us to Black Hogg. Bacon’s sirens call is powerful, but Black Hogg is more than just this one deep fried delight. This cozy restaurant is located in Silver Lake on Sunset Boulevard near where Silver Lake Blvd sneaks underneath it. The name also includes a subtle slight of hand. Despite the porcine leanings of a place famous for its bacon, a hogg is actually a sort of teenaged sheep. Black Hogg is a black sheep… it’s also an obscurely named, comfort food serving, Silver Lake hotspot that more than lives up to its hype. It surpasses it. Check out some of our delicious adventure on the next page…

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The anatomy of a good grilled cheese, homemade mint chocolate bars and a sip of cherry moon, are all part of this week’s roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious. To find out more about each delectable post, click on its individual image.

Continuing this coachella week of LA music madness, tonight we found ourselves at the picturesque Belasco (“a relic of the early 1900s” ~ and the rooftop of the theater is stunning!) in downtown LA joining Absolut Vodka to celebrate their new first (in a series of three!) original song and video inspired by a drink… first up, The Absolut Greyhound by The Swedish House Mafia… so naturally the surprise guest in the incredibly packed venue was The Swedish House Mafia. Great energy, fun visualizations, delicious drinks, and a gorgeous venue… as well as fun red and blue led’s illuminating mini foam tubes (think swimming pool noodles in tiny form) being bounced around throughout the theater… see it all on the next page including the Absolut Greyhound video and making of (incredibly fun surreal futuristic robotic greyhounds!) and a video of some clips from the dynamic performance (a fun test of the 5D MKIII)…

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The magic behind food ads, London cocktails and reinvented Oreos are all part of this week’s roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious. To find out more about each tasty post, click on its individual image.

There seems to be an endless assortment of water bottle designs… and while i’ve played with everything from traditional Nalgenes and Camelbaks to KORs and Bobbles… i’ve yet to find the right bottle… until perhaps this Stanley Nineteen13 1-Handed Water Bottle. The design details of the whole Stanley Nineteen13 Collection is a nice modern twist on sleek metallic containers and canisters. The 1-handed water bottle in particular has a simple push button spout which can be drunk from 360 degrees, a nice rubbery ring and loop to attach to a bag, etc ~ and it even fits in bike cages and car cup holders. Take a peek at the water bottle details on the next page!

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Easter egg brownies, tactical bacon and coconut raspberry mojito jello shooters are all part of this week’s delectable roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

The latest culinary adventure from our resident zoologist and London-based editor, Justine Aw. I never knew i needed tea cups with wine glass stems until now… see what she has to share about her adventure below!

Last night we were invited to a delectable feast of most unusual nibbles and tipples at the pop-up Dickensian dining room above the Ten Bells pub overlooking Old Spitalfields Market in East London. The feast was brought to us by Hendrick’s and The Young Turks, a culinary collective of James Lowe, Isaac Mchale and Ben Greeno. See more photos of the delightful pop-up dining room and our sumptuous meal and cocktails on the next page.

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What’s more appropriate on Easter than ~ Easter Eggs? Of all kinds… Skittles just sent over a fun Easter basket full of Skittles and a teaser of Digital Easter Eggs hidden amongst their hilarious (and slightly creepy) “Skittles Touch” videos on youtube. See a peek at the hidden easter eggs to be found on the next page…

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Watermelon kegs, Blue Persian Salt Caramel Sauce and art in food waste are all part of this week’s roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

Random sunday spontaneous drive landed me heading south to the new(ish) OC Mart Mix, a fashion/interior/foodie variation of the nearby Lab and Camp. There’s a nice write up on it over at the LA Times blog. Although some of the tenants have been around for over a year, others are quite new, and as you wander through the mixed use space both indoors and out there are lots of empties as well as people painting and prepping the next boutique to move in! Beautifully done, and lots to see (but far more to come) it sounds like friday and saturday are the best days (as most are closed on mondays, and quite a few closed on sundays) ~ it’s like a mini oasis amidst a sprawling ring of larger interior design showrooms encircling a large parking lot with the Mix hidden in the center (and all right up against the 405!) Fun find of the day ~ Savory Spice Shop. Based in Denver, they have franchises starting to pop up across the country, and the amount of spices, exotic seeds and chocolate powders, shelf full of salt, endless rub and marinades were mind boggling… and the gift set displays and packaging were so fun i couldn’t resist! Take a peek on the next page ~ (and excuse the cell phone pics from this random little excursion!)

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Elderflower Gimlets, Easter egg cupcakes and noisy jelly all feature in this week’s roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

The latest from our London-based editor, Justine Aw.

This evening I had the pleasure of attending “A Culinary Odyssey” with Bompas & Parr and KitchenAid to celebrate the launch of the new KitchenAid 6.9L Artisan Stand Mixer. The event was filled with science fiction inspired cocktails from the Experimental Cocktail Club (ECC), Kubrick inspired sets created by designer and prop stylist Rhea Thierstein, a levitating food device from Poietic Studio and futuristic menu created by Andrew Stellitano. Bioluminescent lollipops, a rum cola cloud chamber and cricket pasta were only a few of the incredible offerings. See lots of photos on the next page!

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Traditional Irish coffee, Momofuku Redeye Mayonnaise and homemade marshmallows are all part of this week’s roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

Bacon waffles, frozen egg whites and the story behind the Whiskey Smash are a part of this week’s roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

Just in from our Tasteologie editor, Jackson Stakeman, he got a taste of Kitchit, the new bespoke chef service that just expanded to Los Angeles (from SF) today. Here’s what he learned (and ate!)…

I’ve learned some things recently… dinner parties are hard. Eating and hanging out with friends is easy. The view off the roof of a condominium on Ocean Ave in Santa Monica is amazing. Especially at sunset. Having a Top Chef All Star (in this case, Marcel Vigneron) prepare you and your friends a private dinner is even more so. Kitchit, a new company which offers new ways of connecting diners with chefs, has just reached Los Angeles. They invited me up to the roof for a little get together in order to have a taste and to take a peak at what they’ve been up to.

Kitchit uses the power of the internet to illuminate the often murky world of catering and private chefs. It offers an alternative to socialite word of mouth, sketchy business cards, and random internet searches. Hosts can select from a wide variety of chefs, including some well known culinary celebrities, and book a private dinner as if they were ordering it off the internet… which they are. You can even use the site to split the bill amongst your guests. Take a peek at the adventure through pictures on the next page…

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