AltaMed's 8th Annual East LA Meets Napa & Beyond (Union Station) - Los Angeles

It's that time of year again for my favorite food and wine event, AltaMed's 8th Annual East LA Meets Napa & Beyond. The "Beyond" is a new addition to the title since the event now encompasses more than just East LA and Napa, but the focus has always been on Latino food and wineries. I wasn't able to make the previous year's event, but did attend the media preview for AltaMed's 7th Annual East LA Meets Napa. The highlight for me was when Chef John Sedlar took small groups of people on the roof of Playa Restaurant to check out his garden.

You can see previous posts of the 4th, 5th, and 6th Annual East LA Meets Napa events since offerings vary each year. With 60+ restaurants and wineries, all included in the ticket price, there is always so much to try. I noticed a lot more wineries this year too.

Dessert first! I couldn't resist the gorgeous display and had to check out Flantastic. I can't remember all the flavors I tried, but they truly were "flantastic"!



Remembering the empanadas and moles I tried from Rocio's Moles Los Dioses at the media preview event, I had to stop by to see what she was serving this year. I loved seeing all the fresh ingredients that go into the moles.



Empanadas.



Chichen Itza Restaurant was grilling huge prawns for camarones al habanero.



Perfectly charred and hot! hot! hot! The shrimp were so good that I had to snag another later on when I saw that the line was short.



I tried a pour of Reyes Winery's muscat.



And V. Sattui Winery too. My brother visited the winery way back when and liked their gamay rouge so I've had it before, but had no idea they were Latino-owned!



Seta dine:lounge is always a stop for me. This year there was ceviche, which I love.



And their usual tender red wine-braised beef and mashed potatoes.



Cactus salad tostada from Teresitas Restaurant.



Look at the fresh masa dough.



They were getting made into huaraches from La Parrilla.



The huaraches weren't ready though, so I grabbed a little bite of Cochinita Pibil (Mexican Slow-Roasted Pork).



La Huasteca Mexican Restaurant, which specializes in pre-Hispanic cuisine, was on my radar to hit up. Mole tamales and more cochinita pibil.



Shrimp and chile en nogadas.



And then while I was standing there eating, they refilled everything. So gorgeous!



I also wanted to make sure I tried Juan's Restaurante because he also specializes in pre-Hispanic cuisine. The cactus juice was also a nice break from the wine.



Turkey breast tacos with mole velo de novia (pine nuts, sunflower seeds, and habanero) on cactus tortillas. So simple, but so good, that it made me want to check out the restaurant's Sunday brunch buffet.



Chef Sedlar wasn't doing the flower-pressed tortillas he normally does every year, but pouring his tequila instead. Pretty smooth, even though I'm not much of a tequila drinker. Well, unless it's in a margarita. ;)



Live music.



On another round when I snagged that second habanero shrimp from Chichen Itza, I noticed that Rocio's also had red tortillas with mole.



Super long line for Casa Oaxaca's fried squash blossoms though and I was pretty stuffed at this point. So I just took a photo of someone else's plate so you could see. :P



Grabbed a few pastries from Luna Restaurant & Nightclub.



And a few desserts from Porto's Bakery & Cafe before I headed out.



I highly recommend AltaMed's Annual East LA Meets Napa event and look forward to it every year. Great food and drinks all for a good cause. Proceeds benefit AltaMed's medical care, dental clinics, senior services, health education, youth, HIV/AIDS care, and substance abuse prevention programs.

Thanks to Sandy Nesheiwat for inviting me! I had a great time.

Tickets to AltaMed's 9th East LA Meets Napa food and wine event on Friday, July 18th, at Union Station from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., can be purchased via Brown Paper Tickets.

AltaMed's 8th Annual East LA Meets Napa & Beyond
Union Station
800 N. Alameda St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012

If you want to check out the restaurants mentioned here, they are:

Casa Oaxaca Restaurant (several locations)
3317 W. 1st St.
Santa Ana, CA 92703
714-554-0905

Chichen Itza Restaurant (Inside Mercado La Paloma)
3655 South Grand Avenue # C6
Los Angeles, CA 90007-4308
213-741-1075
8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Flantastic Desserts
360 W. Foothill Blvd.
Upland, CA 91786
562-665-5115
8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Juan's Restaurante
4291 Maine Ave.
Baldwin Park, CA 91706
626-337-8686

La Huasteca Mexican Restaurant
3150 E Imperial Hwy #100
Lynwood, CA 90262
310-537-8800
Monday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Friday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Saturday 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Sunday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

La Parrilla Restaurants (several locations)
2126 E. Cesar E. Chavez Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90033
323-262-3434

Luna Restaurant & Nightclub
3220 W. Temple Ave.
Pomona, CA 91768
909-784-5862

Porto's Bakery & Cafe
315 North Brand Blvd.
Glendale, California 91203
818-956-5996

Reyes Winery
10262 Sierra Hwy.
Agua Dulce, CA 91390
661-268-1865

Rivera Restaurant
1050 S. Flower St.
Los Angeles, CA 90015-5100
213-749-1460

Rocio's Mole de los Dioses (several locations)
19321 Ventura Blvd.
Tarzana, CA 91356
818-457-4545
Monday to Thursday 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Friday 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Seta dine:lounge
13033 Philadelphia St.
Whittier, CA 90601
562-698-3355
Tuesday to Friday 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Tuesday to Wed 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Thursday 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Friday and Saturday 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

V. Sattui Winery
1111 White Ln.
St Helena, CA 94574
707-963-7774

Teresitas Restaurant
3826 E. 1st St.
Los Angeles, CA 90063-3602
323-266-6045

*****
1 year ago today,
2 years ago today, Lil' Sis' Favorite Things quilt.
3 years ago today,
4 years ago today, Tra Xa (Vietnamese Lemongrass Tea).
5 years ago today, Mi Hoanh Thanh (Vietnamese Wonton Noodle Soup).
6 years ago today, The Boiling Crab - Alhambra (Valley Blvd.).