Prix Fixe Fix!

Here at Finer Things LA, we have a fondness for all things prix fixe and all things wine, so when today's Blackboard Eats deal landed in our inboxes, we were pretty much in heaven. Not to mention the blurb on the deal included a shout out to my favorite white wine ever - viognier.

Today's deal will get you a 3-course dinner at Mercantile on Sunset, a low key wine bar-slash-grocery-slash bakery-slash-eatery.  The fixed menu includes and endive and watercress salad, your choice of main entree (sausage, ricotta gnudi or trout rillettes) and a scoop of home-made ice cream (yum!). All this for $20!

If you haven't used Blackboard Eats before, sign up NOW, and then click to get in on the deal. You will receive a passcode for the deal that is good to use at the restaurant for a month.

Blackboard Eats: www.blackboardeats.com
Mercantile. 6600 W Sunset Blvd. (323) 962-8202. www.themercantilela.com

Friday Feature: Bottomless Mimosa Guide

Well, well, here we are again....Friday. This Friday is especially great because for most of us, it's the start of a 3-day weekend, which means there is no excuse not to get wasted on bottomless mimosas on Sunday.

This week's pick: Citizen Smith in Hollywood. On Sundays, Citizen Smith has an organic (something healthy to offset the copious amounts of booze you will intake) farmer's market brunch, with bottomless mimosas, bloody marys and bellinis (yum!) for an additional $10.

Their brunch menu is the standard fare: eggs benedict, three cheese omelet, molten waffle with strawberries.  But who really cares about the food, this is about the bubbly and we all know that.

So......check it out this weekend or head to any of our other bottomless picks and enjoy the long weekend! And also good to know, Citizen Smith has other great specials during the week including half off food on Mondays and half off wine on Tuesdays.


Citizen Smith. 1600 N Cahuenga Blvd. (323) 461.5001

Monday Night Specials!

It's Monday, back to the daily grind. Especially hard after a weekend in Vegas. Sigh. At least there are a few specials around town to help you forget that there are still 4 more work days left to go.

If you are in the Hollywood area, head to Geisha House on Mondays - all food is 50% off. I know Katsuya opening in Hollywood has kind of stolen Geisha's thunder, but the food here is still just as good as ever. And at 50% off it will taste even better. The black cod in miso is amazing, as is the miso glazed rock shrimp. I think I just really like miso glaze. Call ahead to make a reservation and remember the discount is only applied to food.


If you find yourself in Beverly Hills, Nic's Martini Lounge has a Monday night special as well. They extend their happy hour today to last all night. The happy hour includes $7 martinis and appetizers, or a $21 3-course meal. The entrees for the meal rotate weekly but some of the menu items featured are western fried chicken (yum!) and shrimp scampi. You can call ahead for details on this week's menu and should call to make reservations.



Geisha House. 6633 Hollywood Boulevard. (323) 460.6300
Nic's Martini Lounge. 453 North Canon Drive. (310) 550.5707

A Great Way to Get Fat

The Great 'Cupcake Challenge' is coming to Hollywood!

Similar to the Pinot Noir event mentioned last week - this event involves tons of bakeries meeting up to face off in a mini-cupcake cook off/frost off. Best part - they are asking the public to help them judge on the best cupcakes out there.

Tickets are $40 and available online. The event will be held at the Renaissance hotel in Hollywood.

There is no mention of how many cupcakes you will actually get to taste - but our guess is: it's definitely enough to make you swear off cupcakes for the rest of the month. And unlike the wine tasting - at least you won't be hungover from this intake of excess!