Lunchtime in Beverly Hills

Today we had a work lunch at Kate Mantilini's on the corner of Doheny and Wilshire. It's definitely a Hollywood type place, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw this handsome fella walk by our table:

Wowie-zowie. JACK BAUER. That's all I can think of when I see him. I know his name is Kiefer Sutherland and he has been in many more movies and TV shows than "24" -- but seriously. He is Jack Bauer and I felt much safer knowing he was just a table away. We all had a little swoon fest. 

And, my capellini past with tomato and basil, sunny side up (that means with a yummy egg on top) was perfecto! Muah! 

Til next time Beverly Hills... 

-M

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Skies Are Blue

Some days, you just need to be reminded of your fundamental true loves. Like this song... it always brings me back to balanced. Happy Tuesday! 

Adrenaline Junkie

Methinks I have become an adrenaline junky. When it came to televisions shows and movies... I used to be all about the drama... or the musical (ahem... see end of post). Now, all of my TV loves increase my heart rate, and can usually make me squeal with excitement and/or disgust AT LEAST once during an episode.

THE WALKING DEAD is one of my fave shows. It took over my better judgement, making me think that EVERYONE should watch this show. How could they not love it?! I even tried to get my mom to watch it. Seriously... do you guys know my mom?? But I must have been pretty convincing, because she watched the first 15 minutes of Season 1, Episode 1. At that point there has only been like one zombie... it was the suspense that did her in.

Needless to say, this show is so awesome and addicting, that I need not look far for someone to talk about it with. I have a coworker, family, friends, and of course, Facebook. I can't go too many days without watching the latest episode, otherwise it will all get ruined.

Why do I love a show about zombies? Because it's not about zombies. It is about people and the choices they make, when that is all they have to hold on to. I love The Walking Dead because it feels so real to me. So raw. What would I do? Would I maintain my integrity- stick to my morals? It is so fascinating to me to see the choices the characters make... and I just love them. All of them.

Who else could make a poncho look this cool???

Next on the adrenaline pumping list, is THE VAMPIRE DIARIES. Yeah, I said it. Vampire Diaries. I fought this one for a while, and then my good friend Netflix showed me the way. What a crazy show! It sucks you right in and doesn't let you go. And I am so hooked on these adrenaline rushes that I can't let it go. After watching The Walking Dead, I'm like, "What other crazy/intense show can we watch next?!"

So, we watch a show about vampires, witches, obnoxious teenagers, werewolves... and we all have a grand old time. :) DELENA!!!!!

Another heart racer... PERSON OF INTEREST. Jim Caviezel. Do I have to say more? HE IS SO COOL.

I saved the best for last. Freaking HOMELAND. What an AWESOME show!!! Addicted doesn't cover it. Homeland pretty much overshadowed every other TV show in my life when I first started watching it just less than a month ago. I would think about it during the day, and couldn't wait to get home to watch it with J. And can I just say... I LOVE Damian Lewis. We watched him on the show Life, fell in love, and since then my love has continued to blossom. What a great actor! And freaking Claire Danes... she is crazy. I don't like her... but I think that's the point. Because you DO like her, and root for her... but you don't want to. And then there is Mandy Patinkin. Freakin' Mandy. You were in Yentl, so how could my love not be strong for you?

So, there is my adrenaline lineup. The Walking Dead mid-season finale jujst happend, and the Homeland season finale is in just a few days... what will I do?? Well, I have already started to fill the holes in my heart with some of my previous loves... PARENTHOOD and GLEE.

I will lighten the mood for Christmas, and then by the end of January I should be ready for some more zombie killing, terrorist hunting, vampire biting action. Good times. :)

-M

When life gives you lemons...

... you'll be glad you're at Lemonade! :D

Lemonade was probably the first place we ate/drank at in LA. Josh's brother took us here because it is one of his favorite places, and now it is one of ours.

TRUE LOVE. ♥

First things first, I am a lemonade SNOB. I can't do Minute Maid. It's got to be real, and it's got to be FRESH. Some of the best places to get lemonade include the county fair, Hot Dog on a Stick, and Wendy's. Yeah, I know... I don't sound like much of a snob. But trust me on this... I've done the dirty work for you.

I would have to say that all of my lemonade dreams have come true with the Lemonade restaurants. They have so many great, unique flavors, and they are all good. I wish they had a Big Gulp size, but I'm glad that they don't.

Here's a list of their normal flavors:

Blueberry mint
Watermelon rosemary
Cucumber mint
Peach ginger
Old fashioned
Blood-orange
Arnold palmer

When choosing a lemonade, you can sample all of them. DO IT! The two that I have had a full cup of are blood-orange and the watermelon rosemary. Both FAB. And I gotta tell you... there is something about that watermelon rosemary. It is just a great combination of flavors that you might think sound funky. No-- just try it. I'm 95% sure that you will love it... and those are pretty good odds.

Watermelon Rosemary Goodness. 

The first times we visited Lemonade in Brentwood it was all about the lemonade. The third time we went, we were starving. Lucky for us they have great food!

When you go in, just admire the spread. It's frickin' beautiful. Then, ask for a few samples! Every employee that I have encountered is super friendly. We ended up trying two delicious items:

Beef Stroganoff with rice 
Avocado Salmon Louie

When you first walk in, the food prices can be intimidating. My husband and I shared the above and it was the perfect amount. First of all, you can get the rice on the side for $1.00 and they give you a lot of it. The beef stroganoff was so delicious. All I kept thinking was "I have to bring my mom here." She is a stroganoff connosieur, and I can't wait to show her this place. It was the perfect creamy, tangy flavor that every stroganoff should have. The beef was also very tender and just fell apart on your fork. WIN!

... w/ Blood Orange Lemonade.

Now, the avocado salmon louie was to die for. Picture a half of an avocado piled high with fabulous looking salmon. The salmon louie included dijon mustard (one of my favorite things), so I was hooked. It was so fresh, light, and tasty. I should probably go get it again...

Lemonade is one of my favorite places, and lucky for me there are several locations throughout LA. They also have amazing looking desserts, which I have yet to try. But as with everything else, I'm sure they are fabulous!

Have a beautiful day!
M

New Discoveries

I just have to share these fun sites!

First, is Fluorescent Palace. I discovered this website while doing some research for work. I LOVE their artwork! I think some of their pieces would look just fab in my studio apartment. ;) Check out their site and drool a little bit. They are also super generous and donating to one of my upcoming events!

The second is Thrillist LA. Sign up for emails about the latest and greatest in LA... or whatever large city you are near. They seem to have the scoop on restaurants that are just about to open or are brand new... loving that. :) 

Enjoy! 

M

Sprinkle Time!

Tonight I took a little side trip on my way home and visited Sprinkles in Beverly Hills. If you aren't hip to cupcake culture, the Sprinkles in Beverly Hills was the world's first cupcake bakery. So, of course, I had to go! That and my mom keeps asking me if I have gone yet. :)


I was pleasantly surprised that there wasn't a huge line going out the door, but there was definitely a steady stream of people. I had planned on just getting two cupcakes, but once in the store... I had to get three. 


My choices were--

• Chocolate Coconut: Belgian dark chocolate cake with coconut cream cheese frosting
• Ginger Lemon: Spiced ginger cake with lemon cream cheese frosting
• Vanilla Milk Chocolate: Madagascar bourbon vanilla cake with fudgy milk chocolate cream cheese frosting

How fab are those descriptions?! No, I did not write them myself. The Sprinkles website has full descriptions and a schedule of all of the cupcakes that they offer. 

So, first, I thought the store was super cute. It's all kind of a wooden, simple design. Even the cutlery they offer is wooden. Reminds me of those ice cream cups with the little wooden spoons. Cute! 

The best cupcake was the Chocolate Coconut. The actual cake was very good, with a deep chocolate flavor, and the frosting was DIVINE! I always go for coconut cakes the have coconut frosting. You're probably thinking, "... duh!" But take a closer look next time you are at a cupcake joint-- a lot of them will call a cupcake coconut if it just has vanilla frosting with coconut flakes on it. Um, no. Not for this picky eater! So, I would DEFINITELY recommend this flavor. 

The other two were not as good as the first. The best part about the Vanilla Milk Chocolate is the frosting-- perfect! And they asked me if I wanted sprinkles on it when I ordered it. Of course, I want sprinkles! But for all of the nonpareils haters out there, they've got you covered. I was very excited to try the "Madagascar bourbon vanilla cake," but it really wasn't that good. I was expecting a rich vanilla flavor, and I didn't even get white cake flavor. 

The Ginger Lemon was good, but I probably wasn't in as much of a "ginger" mood as I thought. I thought this cupcake was going to have more zing, but it didn't. I do like the frosting, so I think I would like this better in their lemon cupcake. 

Overall, I can tell that their cupcakes are not overly sweet. I LOVE that. It was more about the flavor then just making it a sugary mess. 

AND, they have a cupcake ATM. What?! If you're jonesing for some baked goods after hours, they've got you covered. What a GREAT IDEA! 

Although some of my cupcakes kind of turned out to be duds, I will definitely go back, and I'm sure you'll see my mom and I there in the near future. 

'Til next time!

M

A Westwood Classic...

Diddy Reise. Those two words bring a song of joy into my heart. Over the past 1.5 weeks, Josh and I have been there four times. It is part comfort food, part freaking delicious.

Diddy Reise is proof that once again, a simple menu, with quality ingredients will always win. Oh, and being inexpensive doesn't hurt either.

They are most famous for their cookie ice cream sandwiches, which are only $1.75 each. Patrons get to choose which two cookies they want (yes, you can choose two different cookies!) and what flavor of ice cream. Sounds simple, but this combination is so great when you have Dryer's ice cream and cookies that taste great by themselves. So, since we have had already gone four times, I have had four different cookie/ice cream combinations. Here they are:

• Chocolate Chip Cookie - Espresso Chip Ice Cream - Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie
• Chocolate Chip Cookie  - Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream - Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Cookie
• Chocolate Chip Cookie- Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream - Candy Chocolate Chip Cookie
• Chocolate Chip Cookie - Rocky Road Ice Cream -  Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie

Well, there seems to be a common theme in my selections, and that's because their chocolate chip cookies are just so good and so chocolatey. I just don't think I could get an ice cream sandwich without one. 

Although I'm a chocolate fan, they also have snickerdoodles and peanut butter cookies as an option... maybe someday I'll branch out. ;) 

Diddy Reise also has a few varieties of brownies. We bought the day old package of brownies. It was only $2.50... how could we pass that up?? And they have snow cones, which you can also get with ice cream. AHHH! That's how I like my snow cones... with ice cream on the bottom. Mmmm mmm. 

And on top of it all, you can get a glass of milk. Could this place get any better? Nope. 

Now, the first time I drove past Diddy Reise the line was out of the store and all the way to the corner of the street. The inside of the store is not meant for hanging around, so even if there is a line of five people, you'll be standing outside the door. My tip, based on my past experience, is to go earlier rather than later. If you go past 8 pm, you could easily be waiting 15-30 minutes for your sweet treat. So, if you have to have dessert before dinner... the sacrifice is well worth it. :)

The stuff dreams are made of.

Enjoy!
M