Summer is Hollywood Bowl season, and that means picnics of every type. Whether you’ve hit the lottery and have access to a box or are dining in the cheaper seats, there is an overflow of good food available to bring for a relaxed dinner before the show.
Box seats give you a table on which to dine, so the offerings can be as baroque as you choose, depending on how much stuff you’re willing to carry from the car. I’ve been fortunate to have friends who are exceptional home cooks, and I look forward to the meal they kindly bring as much as the concert when I receive my yearly invite. They wisely lean on foods that are delicious at room temperature. I remember a fabulous sliced steak that was accompanied by seasonal vegetable side salads and great cocktails and wine. I always bring a fruit galette for dessert. Another friend leans hard on bentos that she fills herself. The box itself is a perfect vehicle for creativity. There might be a compartment filled with sashimi next to a handful of edamame and another with slices of sweet, tender Japanese rolled omelet Tamagoyaki and another of tonkatsu or pork cutlet.
Filling a bento box is a perfect picnic solution for the Hollywood Bowl. Photo by Evan Kleiman.
Bowl picnics seem to be an excuse for seasoned home cooks to pull out favorites from rich dips to simply cake (if you bring it sliced and in a crumb catching package). And if you don’t feel like cooking, a charcuterie board is in its natural habitat at the bowl. Bring some tart lemon bars for dessert. Sometimes I just get two or three fabulous cheeses that I consider treats to plunder it with abandon with some seasonal fruit and good bread and butter.
But my ultimate splurge would be to create a feast of smoked fish and roe from Joint Seafood, the special fish store in Sherman Oaks. I’d go to Epicurus in North Hollywood and get a couple different Bordier Butters to use as a base for all that deliciousness. Or I’d get the cold combo from Mian along with their Sichuan cold noodles.
There are 14 picnic areas at the Bowl if you prefer to eat out of your seat. Some come with a fantastic view. Photo by Dustin Downing.
I reached out to listeners and KCRW staff to find out what Bowl food is to them, and the mix was eclectic as one would expect. Interestingly sushi was mentioned more than any other food. People name-checked their favorite places but unsurprisingly Sugarfish came up over and over again. Their takeout sushi bentos make it so easy.
But people also relied on local cheese/“gourmet” sandwich shops for creating highly bespoke combinations from boards to sandwiches. And then there are all the fantastic “gourmet” delis in town for protein or veg-based salads.
For those who are used to experiencing the Bowl from the bench seats and who don’t choose to picnic in one of the areas set aside for that, easy-to-eat handheld foods or packaged salads are the ticket. Think everything from sandwiches that aren’t too messy (a great banh mi comes to mind), to burritos or shawarma wrapped in foil to keep warm. Or maybe a container of Chinese chicken salad. And don’t forget how perfect fried chicken is eaten cold outdoors. Here’s a list of some of my favorite places. And for drinking, this is the perfect time to explore canned wine and cocktail options.
And if schlepping of any kind isn’t your thing, the Hollywood Bowl has a plethora of dining options now being created and overseen by Chef Suzanne Goin and restaurateur Caroline Styne of aoc and Caldo Verde, Cara Cara and Larder Baking Co. You can pre-order picnic boxes or a full dinner in your box seat. Lastly, there are 14 picnicking areas at the Bowl itself if you prefer to eat away from your seat.
Sugarfish
11 locations throughout the Southland
Mian
4 locations throughout the Southland
Clementines
Century City
Little Flower
Pasadena
Joan’s on Third
Grove and Studio City
Gjusta
Venice
The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills
Lady and Larder
Mar Vista and Santa Monica
Joint Seafood
Sherman Oaks
Banh Mi My Tho
Alhambra
Hollywood Shawarma
Hollywood