The Fit Expo is an annual must for us in LA, but this year was very disappointing. It was poorly…read moreorganized, with people cutting lines, and the women at the booths lacked customer service skills. There were fewer booths this year.

This event could use some better planning. When you drive into the convention center, there's no…read moresignage telling you where thefitexpo is. You figure it out on your own and then realize you could have parked closer. They soak you for $30 on parking, too. Then you get in line and there is no one guiding the huge crowd. People are forming a looping line around the building. After 30 minutes of waiting, an employee came out and moved the line. She told us that "people without wristbands should hang a left" when they go through the glass doors. Actually, hanging a left brought you to checkins for martial arts shows. The second left brought you to thefitexpo checkin. So that miscommunication got the line all mixed up and people were confused and some waited in the wrong line. We figured it out and got in the right line, but we lost our place and were WAY further back now after waiting 1 hour outside. Aggravating, unprofessional experience. Only one appearance by one employee giving incorrect instructions to hundreds of people. Fortunately, a nice couple recognized us from outside and the woman called us over to get in line with them since she saw we lost our place. They were unhappy with the unorganized mess, too. My advice is to get serious about managing the crowd outside the event. You need way more employees guiding the crowds with accurate information. When you have hundreds of people at an event, this is not an appropriate time for self service, figure it out on your own stuff. I was annoyed before I entered the event. The event itself had some good and bad. There were lots of booths with free samples, which was good. It was a big crowd, but there was a lot of space on the floor, so that was good, as well. Plenty of bathrooms were available. Now for the bad...I wanted to see the powerlifting competition, the bodybuilding competition, strongman, and jiu-jitsu, but everything was going on all at the same time. The schedule they emailed me made it look like the shows were staggered. We had to go back and forth between powerlifting and bodybuilding missing parts of each. That was disappointing. They had photo opportunities with celebrities, which is very popular. We made the rounds and one thing I noticed was that Jay Cutler's booth handled this professionally. He had proper lighting and a woman there to take photos with your phone. I was very happy to have her do it instead of me because I was carrying bags and had to fumble around taking a photo with one hand. None of the other celebrities took it as seriously and didn't do this. They should all do it like Jay did. Elevate the sport and show your fans that you care. Jay impressed me by doing these simple things. I was a little frustrated by the fact that the event didn't seem well managed. There didn't seem to be a lot of celebrities there, either. At past events, celebrities were roaming all over the place. I guess it's changed.

LA Weekly presents Food & Wine Festival at the California Market Center (CMC). Food porn…read moreextravaganza....oh heaven help me!! So many representing LA eats that the line to get in was weaving out the door. It was well worth it as 40 of the hottest restaurants presented an amuse bouche of their signature bites & alcoholic beverage samples. Mingling with chefs, meeting new people and talking about food was a nice way to end the weekend. Great venue at the California Market Center offering spectacular panoramic views of the city. It was large enough that I didn't feel claustrophobic with the volume of people attending and enough tables and chairs to pace yourself. Surprisingly it wasn't too bad getting out of the parking building either and thought it was well facilitated. LA knows how to do it and LA Weekly had a very successful event. Salud #theessentials till next year!

I signed up for this event assuming it would be like all other food and wine festivals. That is,…read morean overpriced, overcrowded mess of booths and people unsuccessfully intermingling in the hot sun or hot indoor space. Thankfully I can report The Essentials 2015 mostly chipped away at my negative stereotypes. The food we sampled was all quite good, the beer and wine quite drinkable, and the hard booze creatively mixed. Our group appreciated that none of the tables made a point to stamp the ridiculous "drink card" everyone was issued. Make no mistake, the event was PACKED, but once inside the crowds were only an issue for certain restaurants. Thankfully it didn't impact the temperature, as we were fully comfortable start to finish. Some vendors went above and beyond with their food, while others proffered more pedestrian bites. Though I don't remember too many specifics, a few establishments were just really, really good. A big "thank you!" to Connie & Ted's, L&E, and Providence for providing exquisitely fresh oysters on the half shell. Sounds like at least a 4-star review at this point, right? Yup, but I have to voice what I feel are a few legitimate qualms. First, the signs for each vendor were SO small they were often invisible behind the chefs and people in line. Second, a better laid-out map would have worked wonders, as the one provided was essentially useless. The third and fourth issues require their own paragraph. We arrived prior to the 2:00 p.m. opening time for general admission. However, the organizers let us in late, and the throngs of people waiting outside further delayed the process. Long story short, we finally got into the event at 3:00...not cool. To boot, most of the "prestigious" vendors (e.g., Melisse, Hungry Cat) completely ran out of food as early as 3:30. Either they received bad information about the number of tickets sold, or they simply brought whatever quantities they wanted. Regardless of the reason, this was completely unfair to those of us who paid to try their food. I couldn't help feeling a little ripped off. This was definitely an improvement over other foodie festivals. We had a GREAT time. However, there are certainly some kinks that need to be ironed out. I can't wait to go again next time and hopefully leave a 5-star review!

Had such a wonderful time at Burgers and Beer; thanks to Brittany B. and Yelp! Wish I could've been…read moreas lucky as Darlene F. and had attended all the events, but this was a great one! Parking was easy, weather was perfect, and there was tons of food and drink! Jim G. and I sampled burgers (both mini and 1/3 portions of larger burgers) from fabulous restaurants all over town. There was also a decent amount of wine to be had, although for my tastes, Justin Winery was the only one I was interested in. There were tons of breweries/beers represented as well. Both Singha and Peroni were giving out full beers! That was much appreciated! Yummy cupcakes, cake, and chocolate to round out the evening. I was excited to meet Kathy Griffin and to do some painting on the Blue Moon mural. having never painted before, I found it very fun. Overall, it was an excellent Friday. Although the tickets are expensive, I would consider purchasing them next year (although more free ones would definitely be better!)

Los Angeles Times / Food & Wine: THE TASTE: 2 Blissful Days in Beverly Hills…read more I spent 2 blissful days in Beverly Hills enjoying this event (courtesy of Melissa S. of Essential Chocolate Desserts ;). Day 1, Saturday, Sept 3rd Secrets from the Kitchen & Cellar: Food and wine from some of the best restaurants and wine purveyors in Beverly Hills. There were 2 main pavilions, with over 40 restaurants/exhibitors; so it was not humanly possible to sample EVERYthing...but I gave it my best shot! ;) Several of my favorite spots were there: Café Rodeo/Luxe Hotel Café, Chaya Brasserie, Locanda del Lago, McCormick & Schmick's, Mr. Chow, Napa Valley Grille, Palomino, and Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. Favorite drinks: Mionetto Prosecco, 4 Copas Organic Tequilla margaritas, Cutie's Juice (100% tangerine), and Chopin's Vodka Rye Martini Bloody Marys served in their V.I.P. lounge. Dessert: No room for much of that, but did savor a bit of Green & Black's Organic chocolate (cherry; hazelnut), and a lime sorbetto in the Peroni Lounge. Day 2, Sunday, Sept 4th Fashion Bites Brunch: Ohhh...a banquet lined both sides of Rodeo Drive between S. Santa Monica and Wilshire Blvds. Café tables were also there for our dining comfort. Some like it less hot, and sought refuge in the Ciroc Vodka Lounge. Tres decadent! The food trend(s): Pork belly and Quail eggs; they were EVERYwhere! The Napa Valley Grille's pork belly was my favorite, flavorwise; but, for texture, would pick the PB from The London. But EVERYthing from Lobster/Brie sliders on brioche, frittatas, mushroom w/truffle oil bisque, Kobe beef, gazpacho, to Jamaican curries -- All luscious! Favorite beverages: Mionetto Prosecco w/Elixir Floral Infusion 'shots' (English Lavendar and Damascan Rose tied, but also enjoyed Antillean Hibiscus and Andean Fire Orchid); Adult Chocolate Milk was good; and was intrigued by the Chocolate Shop's Chocolate Red Wine. This time, saved room for dessert from Pure Cheesecakes and Sprinkle's Cupcakes. Plus enjoyed mini currant scones w/fresh lemon curd, chocolate brioche French toast, Waffles de Liege, and strawberry-stuffed French toast (though, technically, these are NOT desserts), and candy courtesy of Mickey Fine (plus, got a coupon for a free milk shake at their soda fountain). Can't WAIT for The Taste/LA 2012!

First time here. It was a Friday night 6/12/26, which I found interesting to do this event in a…read moreweeknight instead of a weekend. It was from 6-10pm. Only stayed there for like an hour. Ordered the vegan spam musubi from Man Eating Plants food truck. It was $5 a piece which was reasonable. It was small but doable. There were artists and vendors selling art pieces as well as merch. Only circled the place once. Unfortunately it was way too crowded. It was placed in such a small area that it got too claustrophobic. Whoever organized this, probably didn't really think it through. I hope they got the metrics down for next time to make sure they pick another location that can house/hold that many people. The lines were excessively long and people were waiting awhile just for food that was way overpriced. There was also nothing really Ube about it. Most of it were refreshment stands and desserts and some food. Maybe only one or two vendors catered the ube thing...nothing special. Parking was alright. We got lucky finding street parking across the street. The only good thing about this was that it was a free event... and there was good live music. The band playing was awesome and played some really good songs. There was also a dj on the other end. The entrance makes you go in a loop so that people can look through the entire place and see all the vendors. Overall, an okay event. Way too pricey on food, and way overcrowded (small space to hold an event like this).

This was my first time at Taste of Old Pasadena, and I must say I had an amazing time! Online…read moreticket sales closed a couple days prior to the event, but I had no problem getting tickets the day of - even though I got there at 6:30 and the event started at 5:30 pm! The map on the event's website was very helpful (http://www.pfarcf.org/images/taste/Taste2014Map.pdf). It lists the restaurants that have ticket sales ($30 per person), and they take plastics! They provided wristbands, a ticket, and a map. This year there were 29 participating locations. However, 2 were connected (Bar Celona and Sorisso), and one I could not locate at all (iPic). I got pretty full after the first 5 stops already, so I think the $30 was worth it. I loved Himalayan Cafe's chicken tikka marsala and Sugar Fix's smores bar. Cafe Santorini was my last stop, and the waiter was extremely friendly and amazing. The bartender at IX Tapa was funny, but the food was just average. (Since we went during happy hour, the martinis were $5. Then we found out later that on Tuesdays, Equator has $1 martinis!). The lady at Umami Burger was super helpful as well. I'll definitely be coming back to those locations. The only non-food place was the Dog Bakery, which was a great place for pet owners! The 2 places I would not return: 1) At Vertical Wine Bistro, the hostesses told us we could choose anything on the happy hour menu. But the waitresses told us we were limited to fries and margherita pizza. After we sat for 5 minutes waiting for a waitress, the group before us told us they ordered fries and pizzas but they waited too long and were leaving. After another 5 minutes, we got the fries. After another 5 minutes, we left and let the next group get our pizza. 2) The worst place was Meat District Co. The guy seated us and never came back with menus or waters. In fact, nobody came around until I flagged someone down to get water for us. We left after 10 minutes of waiting.

25 restaurants, good food. A lot of ice cream samples. Some…read morerestaurants give a lot food and some give you a bite size samples. Best restaurants: Cafe Santorini,White Horse Lounge and The Pie Hole. Best ice cream: Cool Haus Worst restaurant: Barcelona and Sorriso; they were out of food by the time we get there (8:20 p.m.)

Sunday, I went to "Family Style" at the LA State Historical Park. It's a food festival with music…read moreand merchandise tie ins put on by Complex. General Admission was $30, VIP was $200 ($100 if you bought your ticket with the Cash App card), plus you had to pay for your food and beverage offerings (except for a few free items). I had all kinds of great food, heard some good music, watched a demonstration where they cut up a 265 pound tuna. Overall, I think it was pretty good, and will probably go again next year.

Taste of events are usually super fun! Taste of Industry had lots of food and drink samples. No…read morelong lines and lots of free parking! It was not overly crowded and everything was organized. Bathrooms were clean and the normal kinds. I liked the event a lot!

An incredibly fulfilling event, both emotionally and for your belly, the City of Industry's Taste…read moreof the Town is a showcase for local chain and individually owned restaurants to come together in an intimate and festive venue and fill up the tummies of guests with delicious and generous portions of food in the form of tacos, pastas, cerviches, sandwiches, and much more. In addition, there was great live music and a lot of friendly people to meet. I think the best part about attending the event was finding out about menu items I didn't know existed for chain restaurants, and also what non chain restaurants were up to and doing for the community. I was particularly impressed by a roastery that was run by a high school. Thank you to Yelp SGV for the tickets - it made me feel good to know that such an event existed and really gets its guests to associate themselves with their community better.

You know you're at a vegan festival when security is just chilling in the shade with nothing to do…read morebut listen to good music. So many good vibes and family friendly- I've been to a bunch of vegan festivals and this one is near the top of my list. Definitely worth travelling for! The layout was simplified to keep food vendors in one area, product vendors in another, and ample space between them to avoid line confusion, including the walking path that surrounded the lake. The size of this festival allowed for the crowd to be more even throughout, and with ample food vendors I found the lines (and wait times) to exceed expectations. We were there almost the entire day and I doubt we waited more than five or ten minutes for anything. There was plenty of shade under trees for lounging picnic style and also some umbrella-covered pub tables if you chose to stand around the lake. Even though it was something like 93° out, the location on the shoreline of Long Beach allowed for an enjoyable breeze. The food vendors offered both the unique and the expected. Some highlights: *Abbott's Butcher- This California Burger was so delicious it almost made me forget that Doomies wasn't at this festival *Los Colorines- The giant Piña Colada pineapple drink was so refreshing *Word of Mouth- the expensive but delicious mac and cheese bites So why not that 5th star? Aside from the three taps that Sierra Nevada brought, this festival had NO ADULT BEVERAGES!! I really hope they fix that next year or I will be doing some creative smuggling into this event ;)

Compared to the other FREE vegan-friendly events that happened this year (Vegan Street Fair and…read moreVegFest LA), the Long Beach Vegan and Music Festival has been the best one I've been to yet! For starters, LB Vegan Fest had A LOT more parking options than the other two events. I'm not gonna lie, parking can run a bit high on price but it was much easier to deal with. We ended up parking at The Pike then took a nice leisurely stroll to Rainbow Lagoon. Certain (food) areas were crowded and several lines were long but the condensed crowd was not as overly populated as Vegan Street Fair. The weather was great and since this event takes place close to the water, the cool breeze comes in. Not like the hot yucky valley areas for Vegan Street Fair and VegFest LA. When it comes to food vendors, I always try to look for the most unique ones, the ones that would be difficult to find anywhere else. I saw a lot of the same options (Southern Fried Vegan, Green Truck, AFC Soy Foods, etc.) and a lot of vendors with existing brick and mortars (Ahimsa and Vegan Pizza). But then we stumbled upon Wild Chive and had the most amazing vegan sandwiches: - Sweet Thang (BBQ Jackfruit) http://bit.ly/1WAJF3U - Oyster Shroom Po'Boy http://bit.ly/1VF9sHf ...now the question is, how do I eat Wild Chive on the regular??? SO GOOD!!! Food vendor stalking might be in order! ;) The Meateater BF also splurged on some Pumpkin Tamales at Catalina's Little Kitchen. http://bit.ly/1VF8Jpf Fellow Veggie Yelper Andrea V. and her friend Dave shared with us some Chocolate Cupcakes from T-Voni. One with Vanilla frosting and the other with Peanut Butter frosting. Mmmmm! http://bit.ly/1Y98TGc As for goodies to take home, I stocked up on every flavor of Charlie's Brownies because it's THAT GOOD! Also bought a Snickerdoodle from Better Dessert(s) and a Brookie (cookie inside a brownie) from Evolve Bakery. Can't forget legit freebies from Gardein (samples, coupon, and t-shirt), Sambazon Acai Bowls http://bit.ly/22GoNZ6 and Invo Coconut Water http://bit.ly/1U6xbPx The biggest icing on the cake for me was that Long Beach local band Knyght Ryder capped off the event with their awesome 80s and 90s cover songs. Been a fan for a couple years now and I was stoked to find out they were performing. Also, I didn't know that they were meatless! http://bit.ly/25F5TU1 So much fun!!! Definitely looking forward to next year! :)