Is it finally time to gather with friends at a bar for cocktails and conversation?

It seems likely that most of us haven’t been barhopping in the last 14 months. It’s possible that we’ve been yearning for an opportunity to meet up with a few friends and catch up over a glass of wine or a beer and some salty snacks. But we’ve sublimated those yearnings; we’ve been cautious and hunkered down, concerned about our well-being and the health of others.

But now that California is loosening pandemic restrictions, you may be reconsidering your options as more bars are reopening or preparing to reopen.

I’m Alice Short, the interim food editor, filing in for restaurant critic Bill Addison, who has the weekend off. If you’ve been missing the fun of a casual get-together over a cocktail, please check out Stephanie Breijo’s report on the gradual reopening of L.A.’s bars. The good news? Many owners and entrepreneurs have already reopened — under state and county guidelines.

“We went into a kind of hibernation mode and tried to make sure that once this thing was over that we could reopen all the venues, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do [in] this next tier,” said Brett Winfield, operations director for the hospitality group Pouring With Heart. “We’re going to start the wheels turning, and every one of our venues is coming back.”

His comments were echoed by many others who own and run drinking establishments.

The bad news? Many of the businesses Stephanie wrote about have been struggling during the last 14 months. And some owners have a wait-and-see attitude.

“I think what’s most important is supporting the community and making sure that everybody is kept safe, especially our customers and our staff members,” one owner said. “Our first priority is their health and safety.”

So, yes, you can meet your friends for a drink — but before you go, make sure your hangout is actually open and you’re comfortable with its setup.

Other stories

— If you’re in the mood for a hot dog delivered on roller skates (and who isn’t?), Lucas Kwan Peterson has just the place — Cupid’s Hot Dogs in Winnetka — and the video from Cody Long and Jessica Chen is irresistible.

— Lucas also has a story on the remarkable Regina Mitchell, a chef who lost her sight as an adult and now teaches cooking on Zoom through the Nevada-based organization Blindconnect and its life skills-based program, Angela’s House. “Food and cooking are essential areas where those with disabilities can often be invisible or overlooked,” Lucas writes. “But Mitchell and other advocates are working hard to address the problem by offering classes and resources and putting forth ideas to make cooking and recipes accessible.”

— If you’re in a mood to cook this weekend, London-based chef Anissa Helou shares her knowledge of food traditions associated with Ramadan (this year it starts on April 12) and two recipes.

The Walsh sisters are putting their own spin on Cupid’s Hot Dogs, and they’re doing it on roller skates.

(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)

The L.A. Times Dinner Series event with superstar chef Enrique Olvera

The next L.A. Times Dinner Series event is a four-course meal for diners in Los Angeles and in New York on April 24. Chef Enrique Olvera is the force behind Mexico City’s Pujol, Manhattan’s Cosme and the recently opened Damian in L.A.’s Arts District. In a conversation themed around awards season and hosted by L.A. Times arts columnist Carolina A. Miranda, Olvera talks with filmmaker, screenwriter and award-winning director Fernando Frias de la Parra.

The L.A. meal from Damian (picked up by diners before the event) features costillas enmoladas: pork ribs and belly, kimchi, mole negro (nuts, allium). In New York the meal from Cosme centers around the restaurant’s famed duck carnitas.

Tickets are $105 per person, with a minimum of two tickets per household. The charity partner for the event is Project Angel Food.