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Food Friday: Tomatomania!, New Orleans in DTLA, "Fight for Foie" Dinner

By Rick Paulas
March 9, 2012
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A collection of tomatoes, and some peppers thrown in for good measure. Photo courtesy portmanteaus/Flickr

Try out a luxurious and controversial dish, or simply pick up a few splattery projectiles to launch at the next performer who you find revolting. This weekend's L.A.-based food events have something for everyone.

All weekend at Roger's Gardens in Corona del Mar is the first leg of the world's largest tomato seeding sale, the annual Tomatomania! (Exclamation point not required, but encouraged.) For absolutely free, tomato enthusiasts can examine over 150 varieties of the fruit/vegetable while presumably arguing over whether it should be pronounced tome-a-to or tome-ah-to.

In somewhat-depressing news, the Tom T. Ishibashi Farm in Torrance -- a family-run farm that's been a mainstay in Southern California for 60 years -- is holding one final everything-must-go "fire sale" on Saturday starting at 8am. Items that may be of interest to casual backyard farmer (or, just hipsters looking for front lawn decorations) include handheld equipment, heavy machinery, packing materials and classic retail displays.

Cultural historian Albert Sonnenfeld heads to the majestic Downtown Central Library to discuss the iconic and unique delicacies of The Big Easy in his lecture "Food Obsessionals: New Orleans and the French Connection." The talk starts at 10:30am on Saturday and admission is free.

Extending our definition of "weekend" to include Monday, the Haven Gastropub + Brewery in Old Pasadena is hosting a "Fight for Foie" dinner to support humane and ethical farming of the somewhat-controversial dish. (Check out Chef Greg Daniels' screed about the importance of the event here.) While the meal's a bit pricey at $100 a pop, participants get seven special preparations of foie gras for their fee.

And finally, if you're the stay-at-home type you can sit in your apartment, open a browser and constantly refresh the Facebook page of LA's inaugural Beerathon as they reveal, one day at a time, all 26 beers/bars that will participate in the drunken revelry on March 31st.

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