UPCOMING/THEATRE/PARTY/DINING: PARTY TO CELEBRATE THE UPCOMING PLAY, THIEVES

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PARTY TO CELEBRATE THE UPCOMING PLAY, THIEVES

This was an interesting new way to introduce an upcoming theater production, and it was a great success!

The company (L to R): Wendy vanden Heuvel, Samantha Soule, Charlotte Miller, MacLeod Andrews,  Sarah Shaefer, Addie Johnson-Talbott, and Daniel Talbott. Photo by Ryan Miller.

The company (L to R): Wendy vanden Heuvel, Samantha Soule, Charlotte Miller, MacLeod Andrews, Sarah Shaefer, Addie Johnson-Talbott, and Daniel Talbott. Photo by Ryan Miller.

Even though Thieves, the play we were celebrating, won’t be produced in LA until March, the triumvirate of Rising Phoenix Rep, Weathervane, and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater threw a lovely soiree for us West Coast folks to meet and greet the people involved. It was fun, hip, classy, upbeat, and best of all for a theatre company in LaLa Land—unpretentious!

I enjoyed meeting playwright Charlotte Miller and producer Addie Johnson, whose husband Daniel Talbott will direct. And they all now live in my old haunt of Brooklyn now, so there was plenty of non-show biz talk amongst us, as well.

The party was held at the Church Key on Sunset. I always love seeing how this space morphs from eatery to eatery over the years. I think perhaps this is the best incarnation, although I’ve seen it be the fun One Sunset, the happening Barfly, (which my club promoting partners and I had several parties at,) and even all the way back to intimidating-to-a-young-girl-like-me Nicky Blair’s! (Who else remembers that deliciousness?!) [Note: I can’t find one person who can remember what this place was between One Sunset and now! Can any of you?]

Some of the early crowd.  Photo by Karen Salkin.

Some of the early crowd. Photo by Karen Salkin.

I loved that everyone looked great! I was told the attire was “festive,” and many of us were just that!

All I know about Thieves, which will be having its World Premiere here in March at the El Portal Theatre in the Valley, is that it’s about a dysfunctional family. Hey—been there, done that. (And still doing it!) So I’ll be interested to see it, and, of course, will review it for you when the time comes.

For now, all I know is that these people throw a mean function, so I’m already a fan of their talents! I don’t know how New York-based peeps were able to choose the perfect venue for the fete! Half the Angelenos I know wouldn’t have that ability.

Even better than the company and the food (which I’ll tell you about in a second) was the service. I’ve rarely run into a more pleasant, accommodating staff, from top to bottom. The waiters actually made us feel that they wanted us to be happy, which is rare. Our faves were Allen, Travis, and Angel; those three noted which tidbits my associate Alice and I liked best, and made sure to bring them our way. And, they even remembered to not let me bite into anything with truffle oil because I told them each how much I hate it. How’s that for service???

Here’s a run-down of that night’s menu. [Note to the person from the theatre company who ordered it all: Great job!!!] [Note #2: I may get some of the names wrong because I couldn’t find the dishes we tried that night on the regular dinner menu.]:

–Though far from a vinegar fan, I could not keep my paws off the salt-and-vinegar popcorn! (Neither could Charlotte, by the way. We munched on it all during our informative chat!)

The slider.  I even love the plate it's presented on!  And the dots that look like stars are overhead lights being reflected in the glass tabletop. Photo by Karen Salkin.

The slider. I even love the plate it’s presented on! And the dots that look like stars are overhead lights being reflected in the glass tabletop. Photo by Karen Salkin.

–Both Alice and my favorite was the beef-and-cheese sliders, with cole slaw right on them. She said they were “ so juicy, and mouth-wateringly amazing.” I’ve rarely seen her love a food so much!

–We also both enjoyed the chicken empanadas, which, weirdly (in a good way,) came with a huckleberry sauce! Alice said it was “such an unlikely pair, but so delectable together.”

–Since I hate truffle oil, (am I a cheap date or what? And I don’t cost that much, either! Ba-dum-bump!,) Alice was on a couple of the tidbits herself. She deemed the grilled ham and cheese with truffle oil to be “yummy and satisfying,” and the falafel with tahini-truffle sauce “hardy and flavorful.”

–My second fave was tiny meatballs on skewers, with sauce and seeds on top. I loved those! Everything was about them was spot-on, including the long, mint green plate!

(Clockwise from bottom left): brioche donut, meatball skewers, popcorn. Photo by Karen Salkin.

(Clockwise from bottom left): brioche donut, meatball skewers, popcorn. Photo by Karen Salkin.

–I have a feeling many of you know of my aversion to donuts, (if you’d like it explained, you can read it here, in the ninth paragraph down: itsnotaboutme.tv/news/eventdining-sweet-savory-spectacular-benefit,) so, sadly, I had to sit-out the lone dessert. But everyone else seemed thrilled with it! People love their donuts! (Ugh—the D-word again!) It was the Church Key’s signature brioche donut, with brown butter glaze and cinnamon caramel. Alice said it was “finger-licking good!” (And I did actually see her lick her fingers!)

They did the cutest thing ever at the end, which was also a brilliant move. Since this was a two-hour cocktail party, ending just as the dinner crowd was coming in, the restaurant needed us to start moseying out the door, or just gravitate over to the bar to continue the evening’s merriment. So, to signal the end of the scheduled festivities, and have us all leave on the most upbeat note ever, the servers brought out trays of more donuts…already in plastic to-go containers!!! It was like the tag at the end of a great sitcom!!!

I can’t wait to see this group of people again in the spring, only this time we won’t be mingling; they’ll be on-stage, performing Thieves, and I’ll be in the audience. I only hope their post-show party will be as fabulous as their pre- one!

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