Delicious, Helpful, Fun: East LA Meets Napa

East LA Meets Napa combines local eats, sweet vinos, and nice fundraising, too.

Not just trains pull into Los Angeles' famous 1939 railway landmark Union Station.

Movies land there quite a bit, as do big celebrations like National Train Day each May. Luxury liners made for touring and the occasional novelty car also makes a cameo. (Remember the one for "A Christmas Carol" a few years back?)

But East LA Meets Napa is certainly one of the station's most charming and good-hearted affairs. And tasty, too, given the fact that several local restaurants show up to serve savory foodstuffs served alongside some of the best vino out of a certain wine country to our north.

East LA Meets Napa has put the spotlight on Latino-owned businesses, chefs, and winemakers for the better part of a decade.

The eighth outing for the AltaMed fundraiser is on Friday, July 19. This is one of those deals that sees tickets go, meaning that anyone who shows up at the train station to buy a ticket at the door may find themselves walking across Alameda to eat on Olvera Street or at Philippe's. (Good choices both, of course, but if you want to go to the wine event, buy tickets ahead of time.)

And what's the scene? Thirty restaurants from the LA area, and Orange County, too, and 30 wineries hailing from Napa and environs, will be lined up and serving bites and sips of their best. Chalio's Mexican Restaurant, El Tepeyac, and Juan's Restaurante are three of the Southern California eateries representing; Ceja Vineyards, Delgadillo Cellars, and Llamas Family Vineyards are three of the visiting Napa winemaking houses.

Live tunes and the railway station's pretty courtyards complete the scene. (Those courtyards were practically stage-built for a summer Friday night with wine.)

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A ticket is $200. Funds support AltaMed, a health-forward org that serves "the Latino, multi-ethnic, and underserved communities in Southern California."

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