The sign itself is modest, muted behind tinted glass, belying the certain impact the contents of its message are soon to reak upon a neighborhood and retail district. It is a simple banner, somewhere between the sort you might make at Kinko’s for a birthday party and one you might hang over an aircraft carrier deck to celebrate the victorious end of the Iraq war, bearing four words in happy fonts that simultaneously elicit giddy anticipation from prospective shoppers while striking the fear of God into the very hearts of Westwood Village food and drug retailers: Trader. Joe’s. Coming. Soon.

»continue reading New Trader Joe’s Taking Shape in UCLA Westwood Village Area

4.38pm, April 25, Losanjealous, CA. DF blasts up the 2 onto the transverse side of the mighty San Gabriels and down into the vast expanse of suburbs and Armeniana that is the City of Glendale. Memories of recent slights by the Losanjealous higher-ups still linger. First: passed over for the big food-critic promotion in favor of outside appointment Georgia. Next: conspicuously left off the invite list to the Coachella Music Festival. I confronted LaVerne about this and he revealed the ugly truth: “DF,” he said, “Losanjealous is nothing if not a high-end tastemaker for the west coast’s cultural elite. And while we’re all amused by your antics, you know, getting stumble-bum drunk at roller derby bouts and all, you’re not exactly … classy.”

4.59pm. Still, I fume. Not classy? What a crock. I ooze class. It comes off me in waves. So for a couple days I asked around for a truly refined event that would allow DF to show off his sophisticated bona fides. The word came from an inside source: there’s lots of buzz about the Rosso Wine Shop in North Glendale, which hosts wine tastings where local oenophiles gather to taste of the grape. Perfect. Now I’ll show LaVerne. I’m gonna class the hell out of this wine tasting!
»continue reading A Classy Affaire: Wine Tasting @ Rosso Wine Shop, 4/25/08

Dancing Bull
Zinfandel
2005
$9.99 (with Ralphs Club)

Notes: This is a really wet wine. An eminently drinkable table red, sourced from a hodgepodge of California grapes. The blend is 80.7% Zinfandel, 5.3% Syrah, 4.5% Petit Syrah, 3.5% Tempranillo. A great dinner wine with bold fruity notes greet the palate like a knock on the door–dark berries, grapes, of course, plum perhaps–while a soupçon of pepper on the backend hangs up your coat and welcomes you to your next smooth swallow. The color, a dark purple, is deep and regal but drinks clean, if a bit sweet, and not at all velvety. »continue reading Losanjealous Wines: 2005 Dancing Bull Zinfandel