Jonathan Gold is hosting a cocktail party (http://zocalopublicsquare.org/union_station_event/ ) to fund raise for a pet charity - Zocalo Public Square. (http://zocalopublicsquare.org).  Ofcourse being one of the most famous food critics, and the only food journalist to win a Pulitzer Prize has advantages - you have an amazing Rolodex of resources and people who cannot say NO when you call.

So Jonathan got the following people to provide the food: CUT (Wolfgang Puck steak house) Comme Ca (David Myers), Palate Food & Wine(Octavio Becerra), Providence (Cimrusti will also be speaking), Rivera (John Sedlar), Mozza (Nancy Silverton a  personal friend), Church & State (Walter Mannzke), The Gorbals (Ilan Hall season 2 top chef winner), and Perrier Jouet.

This is a chance to try all their food for what 1 meal at a single restaurant would cost.

Drinks are by Cedd Moses of 213 spirited ventures owner of some of downtown's best bars (Coles, Seven Grand, Golden Gopher, and Broadway Bar) They will have paired drinks for the food tastings. In fact his head bartender Eric Alperin will be there.

There will also be music.

So here is the deal - just for Pleasure Palate members and friends: Tickets are normally $300 each - and if you mention Pleasure Palate - you get in for $125 - a 60% discount!. You cannot show up to pay - this is for advance sign ups only.

or link here: http://zocalopublicsquare.org/union_station_event/

Dear Zócalo Supporters,
Los Angeles has never been an easy place to build community. The size and diversity of our city—along with its congested roads and its prevalence of private spaces—make it difficult to establish accessible, open, and public gathering places.

In our six years, Zócalo Public Square has excelled at building precisely such an environment—devoted to spurring conversation and creating fellowship around ideas. Still, in our city, and particularly in our times, the public square is endangered. We at Zócalo seek to continue creating free, open spaces for dialogue, but we can't do it without your help. Zócalo has hosted over 400 speakers at nearly 200 free events, and so we can keep going strong, Jonathan Gold, Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic of the LA Weekly, is throwing the first-ever fundraiser for Zócalo.

Jonathan Gold's Union Station Cocktail Party will explore
L.A.'s new "cocktail moment" with food and drink tastings
and discussion.
Los Angeles has long seemed to be a Mai Tai and Appletini town, a place for glitzy celebs and hangers-on to lounge under palms gulping sugary Technicolor drinks. But the city's alcohol culture is transforming. Today's cocktails and the people who pour them recall earlier, harder-drinking eras—the smoky glamour of Rat Pack bars, the seductive secrecy of Prohibition-era hideouts—with a new appreciation for artisanal, organic, and rare ingredients.

Now, it seems cocktails are becoming the new wine, meant to be paired with the city's best cuisine. Bartenders blend unexpected ingredients—herbs, fresh fruit, egg whites—with a chef's precision and mix, shake and stir with more athleticism than bravado, and work with chefs to create ideal food pairings. Jonathan Gold brings together "The New Cocktailians" — the city's best-known bartenders, bar owners, and chefs—for paired cocktails and food tastings, and conversation.

We would be grateful if you could join us.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Gold

HOW TO SIGN  UP AND PAY
1. click on this link. http://zocalopublicsquare.org/union_station_event/
2. Select Other Amount under tickets - this will take you to paypal.
3. Pay $125 for 1 and $250 for 2 . In the "Special Instructions" box on the page that says "please review your donation" write "Pleasure Palate" and the name of your 2nd person if applicable. This indicates that you are not making a simple donation but are also attending. You will get an email receipt.  This is billed as a cocktail party - with a fancy invitation. So its a great time to show of those fancy clothes decorating the back of your closet. I'll

OR pay by check. please call (213) 381-2541.