Advance Notice. L.A. Loves Alex's Lemonade.

After an impromptu yet long and decadent meal (cheese plate with honeycomb, soft-shell crab with grits and fried green tomatoes, chocolate bread pudding, a sidecar, and a greyhound) at the Hungry Cat the weekend before last, with the bill arrived with a postcard invitation to a cool-sounding charity event benefitting childhood cancer research.

L.A. Loves Alex's Lemonade is taking place Sunday November 7 at noon at the Culver Studios in Los Angeles. Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne (Lucques, AOC, Tavern), and David Lentz (the Hungry Cat) are bringing together top chefs for an afternoon of great food for a great cause.

While you can enjoy dishes by Giada De Laurentiis and Nancy Silverton, there will also be drinks by bartenders from the Varnish, Comme Ça, and of course, the Hungry Cat, among others. These are three L.A. institutions with seriously fresh, delicious cocktails.

Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, founded by Alexandra Scott (1996-2004) raises money for childhood cancer research. She started with a lemonade stand, and stands are still part of how the foundation operates today.

Tickets aren't cheap ($150 and up) but it's all in the name of charity--and epicurean delights.

Info: alexslemonade.org, (610) 649-3034

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: desicuisine4u

Eat Out. Lemonade.

The first time I went to Lemonade with my best girl Brigid was at their Venice Beach location on Abbot Kinney and both of us were blown away by the food they had.

I saw the restaurant featured on HuffPo's things-to-do-in-LA-for-$1 post with their mini $1 cupcakes, but the rest of their menu is amazing. They have parmesan brussel sprouts, all kinds of meats, pot roasts, sandwiches, cookies, cakes, bars, and all kinds of lemonade varieties incorporating mint and rosemary into their juices -- delicious!

Brigid had the banana layer cake, with mascarpone frosting -- excellent! -- and I had a red velvet cupcake, which was also tasty.

Lemonade is like a very gourmet version of a cafeteria with all kinds of amazing dishes at reasonable prices.

They have four locations around town, including one in MOCA at Grand.

Lemonade in Venice Beach is located at 1661 Abbot Kinney Blvd.

-- Lauren Williams

[Leslie checked out Lemonade's Beverly location this May and also liked it. Compare and contrast our two reviews!]

Eat Out. Lemonade.

Here in L.A., I drink lemonade year-round, but it definitely has the feel of being a summery beverage. This past warm weekend, I checked out the original Lemonade on Beverly Blvd. for some uniquely flavored lemonade, as well as a delicious caprese panini. It's a great casual lunch spot, with lots of options of gourmet side salads (Joan's on Third style), dutch oven stews, and even buttermilk chicken breasts.

I had the blueberry mint lemonade, and Hank had watermelon rosemary--both good, blueberry mint better. We were also curious to try the peach ginger, which the girl working there said was heavy on the ginger, so it seemed a bit risky to commit to. I bet the traditional is delicious.

The West Hollywood location is on a very nice stretch of Beverly Blvd., with little tables filling an outdoor space complete with yellow umbrellas. Other locations include Venice, Calif., Downtown L.A., and at MOCA.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: christinasaid.com