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Food Weekend: Tiki Cuisine, Tony's 2nd Anniversary, Earth Day!

By Rick Paulas
April 20, 2012
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While Sunday's Earth Day 2012 is this weekend's main attraction, there's plenty for everyone in L.A. to do all weekend long.

Remember that strange Tiki/Polynesian restaurant phenomenon that seemed to be everywhere in the 50s and 60s? Of which there are still remnants occasionally still sputtering along, like the Tiki-Ti in Silver Lake? Learn all about this strange era as writer Charles Perry goes through the history of the Tiki cuisine craze in the latest lecture from the Culinary Historians of Southern California. The speech, which takes place in the Pacific Palisades Library on Saturday, tracks the rise of the odd trend to two California restauranteurs in the 1930s, to its eventual and nearly instantaneous fall in the 1970s.

Meanwhile, all day Saturday (from 11am to 11pm) over at Tony's Darts Away in Burbank -- which we just highlighted in our latest Midnight Snack -- they are celebrating their 2nd anniversary by having a huge indoor/outdoor beer-guzzling festival. For $30, customers get five generous taster pours and commemorative glassware. Vegan and non-vegan food will also be available.

Meanwhile, Earth Day 2012 is this weekend, meaning all sorts of Earth-friendly events are happening around town. If you find yourself out in La Cañada, you're going to want to check out the annual Earth Day celebrations at Descanso Gardens. This year is highlighted by an afternoon barbecue on the ground's main lawn, with activities for the kiddies and "locavore" eco-friendly food for everyone. All weekend in Lancaster, guests can bask in the glory of our state flower at the annual California Poppy Festival. This year's festival includes hundreds of exhibits, live music, ethnic dance, and animal education shows, all near the beauty of one of California's most vibrant crops. And finally, if you got a child in tow and are looking to get him/her involved in environmentally-friendly concerns -- and, yes, wear them out so they'll get to bed at a reasonable hour, while you're at it -- head over to Culver City for STAR Eco Center's 12th annual Children's Earth Day. Starting at 10am, kids will be encouraged to take part in crafts, live entertainment, environmental-themed games, face-painting, and much more.

[Photo of our lovely home by Flickr user FlyingSinger]

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