Early summer nights on the Eastside boast the most appealing temperatures -- especially for drinking wine outdoors. Summer's most anticipated wine tasting "picnic" is finally here …
Silverlake Wine Tasting at Barnsdall Park: For Los Feliz denizens, what truly marks summer is the return of Friday Night Wine Tastings in Barnsdall Park, courtesy of the Eastside's beloved wine shop, Silverlake Wine. As the sun steadily sets in the West, the hilltop patch of green is covered with oenophiles sniffing, swirling and sipping out of limited edition wine glasses (yours to keep!). Silverlake Wine promises at least four small-batch production wines from all around the world -- and for three hours, you can drink all you want. Tickets are $25 per drinking head (a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House is extra) and all proceeds benefit Barnsdall's arts programs such as Free Sunday Art Classes for children and families.Barnsdall Park, 4800 Hollywood Boulevard, at North Edgemont Street (213-485-2116 or barnsdall.org)Mother Dough: To assuage your wine-triggered hunger pains, we bring you Neapolitan pizza within walking distance. Mother Dough is the new mother-lovin' pie joint that even pizza-obsessed celebrities can't stop talking about. The 6,000-pound wood oven in the back is cranking out extraordinary discs of traditional Margherita and Zucchini -- the latter might be sauceless, but consider the cheese content doubled (buffalo mozzarella and Manchego). Mother Dough, 4648 Hollywood Boulevard, at North Vermont Avenue (323-644-2885 or motherdoughpizza.com)Covell: A wine bender is somehow more forgivable than, say, an evening of vodka tonics. Keep it pouring then, and move along to that attractive little wine bar just 50 feet away. Not even a year old, it's already been named among the top three wine bars in America (by The Daily Meal). The ephemeral wine list is always a delight -- we hear they're pouring a killer Pinot Noir from Demetria, one of our favorite vineyards in Santa Ynez Valley.Covell, 4628 Hollywood Boulevard, at North Vermont Avenue (323-660-4400 or barcovell.com)Vista Theatre: Really, a screening of the JJ Abrams-affiliated "Super 8" might actually be the wine pairing that could, you know, extend your LA Date Night that much further. The best thing about the Vista? Major leg room.Vista Theatre, 4473 Sunset Drive, at Hollywood Boulevard (323-660-6639)
More LA Date Night: Downtown at Chimu, Angels Flight