Lunetta All Day has expanded beyond its fast-casual roots to Lunetta Dining and The Moon Bar, located right next door. The sophisticated concepts allow Executive Chef and former pro surfer Raphael Lunetta—one of the first chefs to popularize farm-to-table dining—to flex his culinary muscle, as well as provide an intimate setting for guests to enjoy an upscale meal in East Santa Monica.

​Lunetta Dining unveils impeccably complex, yet approachable dishes that showcase everything about LA’s contemporary dining scene. Beverage Director and Sommelier Kristine Bocchino’s wine and cocktail program matches the same exoticism and attention to detail, with both food and drink boasting artistic presentation and a pleasantly reckless incorporation of flowers that puts a smile on your face.

 Lunetta and Bocchino are joined by Partner and Proprietor Mike Garrett [Voda, Lounge 217, Falcon, Anisette, Pearl Dragon] and Daniel Weinstock [Spago, Maple Block Meat Co.] for a combined wealth of restaurant experience at the helm.

​Farm-to-table continues to ring true at Lunetta Dining, with an ever-changing menu to reflect seasonal flavors. Summer brings dishes such as grilled nectarines with machego and prosciutto, ahi tuna tartare, New Zealand rack of lamb and wood-grilled loup de mer and Spanish octopus. Drinks such as the honey ryder, the tired but wired and the not your mama’s negroni allow Moon Bar to share Lunetta Dining’s motif of familiarity with exploratory nuances.
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Lunetta Dining Room and Bar is located at 2424 Pico Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90405, next to Lunetta All Day. For more information call (310) 581-9888 or visit LunettaSM.com. ​

Preux & Proper, known for Louisiana-inspired Southern fare in DTLA, has recently debuted Proper Dining Hall, a festive and intimate space upstairs from the main dining room. Dynamic in both the food it serves and the events it hosts, Proper Dining Hall looks to create a modern vibe around a classic bayou feel. 

Thursday evenings feature ‘live jazz & oysters’, with a weekly offering of three varieties of fresh-shucked raw oysters alongside jazz musician Ryan Cross & Friends. Fridays and Saturdays evenings are dedicated to distinct creations from Executive Chef Sammy Monsour. Specialties include marinated cauliflower romanesco salad, dungeness crab hushpuppies, spectacular seafood gumbo and ridiculously good fried chicken and biscuits. And of course you can count on beignets that take you straight to The Big Easy, finished with powdered sugar and an addictive bananas foster dulce de leche.

Proper Dining Hall’s lounge-style setup goes hand in hand with craft cocktails. Beverage Director Kassady Wiggins has developed an intriguing list that integrates beet syrup, frozen watermelon balls and lavender betters among other fun additives.


The Preux & Proper Proper Dining Hall is open 6 – midnight Thu, Fri – Sat 5:30 – midnight Fri – Sat, and 4 – 9 Sunday. For more information, visit PruexandProper.com.

Art Beyond the Glass, a cultural celebration of all things cocktails and the bar staff who make them, brought together a myriad of mixology talent at Silver Lake’s Los Globos nightclub. Raising funds for the Women’s Center for Creative Work, this charity event featured not just masterfully-created cocktails, but singing, dancing and fine art from the bartenders themselves.

This year’s celebration placed a special focus on Southern California’s top women in the industry. Bartenders such as Emily Alexander [The NoMad, DTLA], Adele Stratton [Jayne’s Gastropub, San Diego], Valerie Erickson [Bar Mercado, LA], and Gigi Dail [UNION, Mid-Wilshire] were just a few of a long list who poured drinks that stretched the brink of liquid creativity. Joining them were colleagues that showcased additional artistic talents, such as photographer/bartender Christina Russo [Castaways, Burbank], painter Kecia Hook [Little Sister, DTLA], and burlesque dancer Evalee Gertz [Las Perlas, DTLA].

​Creativity flowed as freely as the drinks themselves, with Aviation Gin’s ‘flight attendants,’ Bacardi’s canned cocktails and Edinburgh Gin’s ‘La Croix Boys’ as just a few of the event’s visual and experiential focal points. Additional sponsoring brands included Ilegal mezcal, Lillet wine, Born & Bred vodka and Mulholland Distilling whiskey. For more information, visit ArtBeyondTheGlass.com