Where were you last weekend? If you live in Los Angeles (or will travel for great food parties), we hope you joined us at Eater Off Menu, our annual celebration of all the chefs, dishes, food trends, and cocktail crazes that we’ve been eating, drinking, and writing about all year long, in partnership with Cathay Pacific.
This year, we decided to throw a one-of-a-kind party at the legendary Tam O’Shanter, an Old Hollywood haunt in Atwater Village with an interior aesthetic that falls squarely between a 19th-century Scottish tavern and Snow White’s house (it was Walt Disney’s favorite restaurant, after all). Inside, we gathered a (frankly insane) lineup of Eater faves, including Holbox, Thunderbolt/Night on Earth, Pasjoli, Café Telegrama, Lawry’s, Quarter Sheets, Ji Rong, Kidori, Molly Baz for Mister’s ice cream sandwiches, and even flown-in out-of-towners including New York City hotspot Dean’s and Gregory Gourdet of Portland’s Kann. Frankly, there’s never really been a food party quite like this.
Attendees entered to find a winding wonderland of food creations, from a 40-foot-long, snaking sheet cake by pastry chef Hannah Ziskin of Quarter Sheets to a tabletop-sized stargazy pie from Dean’s. The smell of juicy roast meat filled the air as Ji Rong carved Peking duck and a Cathay Pacific flight attendant passed out flutes of champagne, and guests slurped scallops straight from the shell at Holbox’s counter featuring its award-winning Mexican seafood. Pasjoli carved French dip sandwiches smothered in a delectable poivre sauce straight from Lawry’s The Prime Rib’s iconic carving carts, while Lawry’s made their famous spinning salad to order.
At the bar, Thunderbolt and Night on Earth dreamed up drinks exemplifying Punch’s top drink trends of the year, including banana (in the form of a banana-miso carajillo), the return of Hpnotiq (in a neon passion fruit refresher), and tiny ’tinis (classic and Gilda). A truly conceptual ice sculpture, embedded with fish, radishes, beets, and tins, loomed over the game room.
On the patio, Café Telegrama served sweet and savory versions of its cult-fave ricotta pancakes from a pop up outdoor diner. Steps away, the line snaked for the Majestic photobooth to capture the moment, and chatter flowed from the cozy Cathay Pacific outdoor lounge where guests enjoyed yakitori from Arcadia’s Sumibiyakitori Kidori. If you hung out for a bit, you’d be blessed with passed salt bread from Out of Ordi, filled with sweet corn or ube cream. If guests needed to cool off (or wanted to indulge their sweet tooth), they could enjoy a Mister’s ice cream sandwich, topped with sweet-salty crunchy brittle and handed over by founder Molly Baz herself.
All guests left with a gift bag packed with delights from some of Eater’s fave brands, including Luxardo’s beloved cocktail cherries, Unreal’s better-for-you chocolate candies, Giadzy’s celeb-chef-approved gluten-free pasta, Fly By Jing’s noodles seasoned with its cult-fave chile crisp and sumptuous sauces, and a coupon to pick up your favorite flavor of Molly Baz’s signature mayo, Ayoh (we especially love the dill pickle one).
So, just how wild will we get next year? Download the Eater app and make a profile to get first access to events like this in the future.