Learn To Cook From A Top Chef

Starting next month, there will be a whole new reason to book a room (for out-of-towners) or valet park the car (for locals) at the W Hotel in Westwood. Chef Dakota Weiss is hosting monthly cooking classes where guests and locals can learn to prep, cook, and dine on a seasonal menu with cocktail and wine pairings. Called, simply, "PREP.COOK.DINE.," the class runs $135 per person, which includes wine pairings, and is available for up to eight of your closest friends (or best-looking hotel guests).

As you walk into class, you may recognize chef Dakota Weiss — she was on the most recent season of Top Chef, in Texas. Her first cooking class' menu includes a grilled artichoke appetizer with three dipping sauces; a whole roasted beef tenderloin with brown butter spring carrot purée, English peas, and a port wine reduction; and a roasted white chocolate and lemon-infused bread pudding with raspberry cocoa vodka sauce. The available dates are limited to April 11, May 9, June 13, July 11, and August 8, so book quickly. The hotel is billing this new offering as the perfect team-building exercise or a special occasion celebration.