8th Annual Sunset & Dine Media Preview

Last night, I attended my first media preview event in Hollywood, CA.  The event was a preview of the 8th Annual Sunset & Dine festival that will take place in Columbia Square on Thursday, September 26 from 6 to 9 PM.  

This is also my first time featuring Lightroom on the blog.  I got Lightroom as I'm taking a photography class and it's one of the requirements for editing photos.  The theme I was going for in this photo set was cool and a little moody.  I think my photos could use some work as I'm getting familiar with Lightroom.

The 8th Annual Sunset & Dine festival is an event that you don't want to miss.  This is an event that is geared towards providing attendees with an unforgettable experience, which is why it regularly sells out.

There will be entertainment by Amoeba music and food/drinks from places such as Cleo, Jane Q, Wood & Vine, 25 Degrees, McDonalds, Urban Masala, intelligentsia and more.

The pre-tasting event started with Wood & Vine.  We got to sample various foods such as a cheese board, bread with heirloom tomatoes, Asian chicken salad, and jambalaya.  After, we went over to Jane Q, which had a very cool vibe.  The bar scene was something I had to capture.

Capturing these dishes was a challenging due to the low lighting and I never captured food in low lighting.  Good thing I have Lightroom as I was able to accentuate these dishes.  Here's the 7 grain bread, which was really nice as it had a light garlic flavor.  The meatballs were also really tasty.  Other dishes that we got to sample include avocado toast, gazpacho, and beef tartare.  

Jane Q was a really nice space that makes you want to hang out again and again.  We got to sit in a private area on the second floor, which had a billiard table and which housed the bar.  After, we went to the last stop, Cleo, which was something that I didn't expect.

Cleo isn't as big as Jane Q but it was a little busier and after tasting the food, I could see why.  Cleo is a restaurant focusing on Mediterranean food, which is a cuisine I don't normally eat.  I had Mediterranean food a few times in the past and I didn't like the taste.  Cleo's food makes me now want to explore the Mediterranean scene and try other foods.

At Cleo, we go to sample fried cauliflower (pictured above), hummus, baba ganoush, pita bread, calabari, another white spread (yogurt?), and a spicy beef dish.  I really need to go back to this restaurant.

Horrible angle and composition.  This is the baba ganoush, which was one of my two favorite things from cleo.  The other was the hummus.  Oh, I'm gonna add the pita bread in there too.  Basically, everything.  If you want to sample foods such as these and more, you got to make it to the festival.  

Proceeds from the event go towards a nonprofit called The Center at Blessed Sacrament, which is "dedicated to ending isolation and homelessness in Hollywood by offering-evidence based wellness programs, building community & connecting people to housing."  

Thank you so much to Sarah and the Zapwater team for making this event possible and for inviting me!  I had a great time and am thankful for the opportunity to try foods that I normally wouldn't have.

dEATails:
> Address - 6121 Sunset Blvd.; parking garage is on 1538 N. El Centro in Los Angeles, CA 90028
> Tickets - Eventbrite from $50 (Standard) to $75 (VIP, which entails additional food and drink)