Sunny and 75...or 85.

It's March and we're getting some 85 degree days here in LA.  For most people that means plenty of beach days but since I'm much more a pool person (and have one at my apartment), I tend to enjoy the day getting some work done and then taking a dip in the pool after catching some rays or getting in a work-out more.  Why not go to the beach?  Well, number one, I am DEATHLY afraid of birds.  No joke.  They scare the crap out of me and everywhere you look, they're surrounding you, especially at the beach.  Most people bring food to the beach and what does that attract?  Birds.  Second, parking is always a pain.  If you can even find it and then you're paying an arm and a leg.  We spent $40 just to park near Venice Beach a couple weeks ago.  That's a nice enjoyable lunch and drinks for two people!  Lastly, sand...it ends up everywhere.  I dumped my beach bag in my shower when I got home and I found sand in my bathroom for a week!  Enough with my complaining about my 'beach problems' because at the end of the day, it's an absolutely gorgeous wonder that I do enjoy on certain occasions.

Jamie & I at the Beach in Venice

That brings me to Spark's Birthday a couple weeks ago which started in West LA at Jamie and Spark's apartment for Brunch and Mimosa's with friends.  They had picked up some fruit and other snacks as well as Apple Fritters and Cinnamon Buns (Crack Buns because you won't be able to put it down, seriously) from C&M Cafe and they both were absolutely to die for!  Kalissa is a genius and if you haven't eaten there yet, you are definitely missing out.  She's got great sandwiches and breakfast options, everything from Pastrami to Vegetarian choices, and all that's in between, including sides, drinks, and desserts.  I've eaten quite a few items from the menu and loved or liked all of them!  She just started doing her Grandmother's cookie recipe and it's one of the best cookies I have EVER had.

After we had Brunch we headed to the beach, paid for our $40 parking space, and set up in Venice.  It was a perfect day, not too hot but just right to enjoy the sun without having to get into the very cold Pacific Ocean to cool off.  Once everyone else arrived we got a friendly game of Flag Football started.  I had thrown the Football around with some of Spark's friends and it had been far too long since I've done that because my arm was sore for days after!  I love running routes and doing the passing tree in the park; it's a great work-out and a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon after watching Football :)  Our team was winning at half-time so we took a little break for the teams to re-coup, grab some drinks and snacks, and welcome the newcomers.  

Winning at Half-Time during the Spark Bowl :)

Since I had to Bartend at Bar Lubitsch that night, I had to leave early but I was so glad that I went.  Spending the day with some awesome people, looking at gorgeous scenery, and playing Football, was totally worth my sand-covered bathroom, beach traffic, and just a few birds that we ran into.  In fact, I'm excited for our next Beach Excursion.  Who am I?!

*You can find more about C&M Cafe on their website right here: http://www.cmcafela.com/

Lemonade, Sugarfish, Bouchon...

It was a rainy Sunday in LA, really rainy, as in it was down-pouring buckets of water.  Staying dry was impossible but I managed to try three new restaurants that day and found some new favorite spots to take my family to when they're visiting and visit again with friends!

Lunch was at Lemonade in Venice.  It took me nearly 10 minutes to decide what I wanted to eat because there were so many choices.  I finally settled on an Edamame, Snap Pea, Sunflower Sprout Salad, as well as Quinoa, Cauliflower, Mint with Raisin's Curry Salad.  I also got a Caprese Sandwich which kept my meal Vegetarian which I like to do on occasion.  Both the salads were wonderful, but the Quinoa was so flavorful and bright, I was truly impressed with how much I enjoyed it.  The Caprese Sandwich was just ok, slightly disappointing since I had tried my Lunch Date's Green Apple Chicken Curry, which was so creamy and yummy.  Since I had now swapped to meat, I also tried his Red Miso Beef Short Rib, which stopped me in my tracks.  It was so fantastic I actually went up and got my own.  It might be the best Short Ribs I have EVER had.  Bold claim right there!  Lunch wouldn't have been complete without a Lemon Bar which was a perfect compliment to the meal, tart and sweet.  This is definitely one of my new favorite Lunch spots in LA and they are everywhere...YAY!

This is what I call a Food Day in LA!

Dinner was at Sugarfish in Beverly Hills.  I've been hearing about this place for years from friends telling me how great the sushi is and once again I wasn't disappointed.  I met up with Ashley from Bar Lubitsch and after a 45 minute wait, I had built up an appetite after my huge Lunch, and was ready for the 'Trust Me' menu.  For $30 you get an eight-course meal, starting with Edamame, Tuna Sashimi (which was beautiful), Albacore Sushi (which melted in my mouth), Salmon Sushi, Yellowtail Sushi (which is always one of my favorites), Halibut Sushi (which was something that I'd never tried before and was surprised by how much I liked it) and then a Toro Hand Roll and Blue Crab Hand Roll that they graciously cut.  From the freshest fish, to the warm rice, courses and pacing of the meal, everything was amazing.  And it was absolutely worth every penny of that $30.

Dessert and After-Dinner Drinks took place at Bouchon which is also in Beverly Hills.  So we walked outside in the rain to our next spot and took a seat at the bar while Ashley's friend was the Bartender.  She had a Cosmo but since I was prepping for the re-opening of 'Thenardier's Inn' I was doing my usual no drinking before the show.  I ordered a Decaf Espresso and we got a Chocolate Brownie along with their Salted Caramel Macaroons.  I've had a couple Macaroons in my life but nothing like these that were dusted in 24 Carat-Gold.  Now I knew we were in Beverly Hills.  Such a perfect bite and compliment to my Espresso in addition to my fabulous company :)

Talk about a a day of Dining, it certainly was, and a Food Day I will never forget!

Wifey's Birthday!!

I've known Meggan since college at Winona State University.  She was also involved in Theater and we got cast as a lesbian couple in "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told."  It was one of the best acting experiences of my life and our friendship is a result of that wonderful show that brought our entire cast together.

Stout Burger.  Need it now.

Meggan lives in Portland with her boyfriend, Nick, who is from Los Angeles.  Meggan lived here in LA for a few years, we caused some trouble and had a lot of fun together and a couple years ago they picked up and moved to Portland.  They do come down for visits and decided her Birthday weekend would be one of them.  I missed her the last time she was in town so there was no way I was going to miss this opportunity!

Meggan & I at her Birthday Party!

We made plans to have Lunch at Stout in Santa Monica.  It was so exciting to see my 'Wife' and just catch up with her and Nick.  He's got his own bar in Portland, The Richmond Bar, that's causing quite a stir with it's awesomeness!  The Burger was amazing but the company was better.  We all walked around Santa Monica for a little bit but Nick went to run some errands so she could get a manicure and we could have girl time.  Since I was reading in Church and then had work so I didn't think I was going to be able to make her actual Birthday Party and wanted to spend as much time with her as possible.

Lucky for me, I swapped things around and was able to surprise her at the party.  The party had a Mariachi Band, two bars, were serving food that was catered from Gjelina, and was at this beautiful home in Venice.  I think the kids at this party were wearing clothes that cost more than my rent ;)  I even talked to Emmanuelle Chriqui for a minute!  All the boys in college had a huge crush on her during her "Entourage" days so I was even having a moment.  Meggan's cousin also lives in LA and brought his guitar so later on we all gathered in a Tee-Pee (yes, there was a Tee Pee at this party) and he played some acoustic music for us.  It was so cool!

I was glad to be able to catch up and spend the day with her while she was here in LA for a short amount of time.  Even if we don't talk all that often, we never miss a beat and are right on track with each other.  She will always be my 'Wifey' and I'll always love her <3  Miss you already!!

Little Door in West Hollywood!

Chad and I met just over seven years ago at The Hollywood Prom in February 2008.  Yes, there was a Prom for adults that was an annual event for a couple years.  In typical Prom fashion, it was based on nominations and popularity.  I had gotten nominated by a friend but ended up not making it onto the Court which was a mix of celebrities, Reality TV personality's, Hollywood regulars, and a few normal peeps.  Knowing it would be a fabulous time a bunch of my friends and I decided to go and enjoy the party in full-on Prom style!  It was an absolute blast and I ended up meeting Chad and we hit it off over our love of books, because when you're out in Hollywood, who really discusses what book you happen to be reading?  We do.

Hollywood Prom 2008 with Chad...who was wearing
a skinny tie before it was on trend ;)

We've stayed in touch over the years as he's moved all over LA and I've had multiple long-term roommates that he's met and last week we went to Dinner at Little Door in West Hollywood.  It was a brand new restaurant for me and one of his favorite's.  Our waiter was awesome; I wanted a buttery Chardonnay, while Chad wanted a Pinot Noir, and my Davis Bynum Chardonnay was absolutely delicious, and I was so impressed with Chad's JRC Vineyard Pinot Noir that when it was time for a second glass I swapped to his choice!  They were perfect suggestions. *Brands are listed in case anyone wants to try them and so I don't forget what they are!*

To start we got the Tuna Tartare which was good but not my favorite although the portion size was quite big and that always makes me happy.  Perhaps it was that I was so excited for my Scallops I couldn't think about anything but them.  They came in a beautiful presentation, pistachio-crusted with a preserved lemon sauce, leeks, carrot flan and ginger snap peas.  The dish tasted even better than it looked, which I felt was near impossible but proven true.  The Scallops melted in my mouth, the carrot flan was a sweet compliment, the snap peas were fresh and crisp.  I loved the entire thing!  Chad got the Rack of Lamb which was also something I was looking at ordering, and it came with green lentils and Yukon-Gold mashed potatoes.  It was savory, enough to share, and equally phenomenal.  

Scallops and Rack of Lamb at Little Door in West Hollywood

Now, Dinner is not complete for me until you get dessert and since we couldn't decide on whether to get the Chocolate Souffle or not because I mentioned having it at Locanda Del Lago (a place Chad and I went years ago for Dine LA) and it was the best I have ever had and didn't want to be disappointed after everything had been so awesome up till that point.  I've gone back to Locanda Del Lago over the years just for their Chocolate Lava Cake and an espresso, that's how good it is.  The waiter being a smart man, played it right, said the Chocolate Souffle would be on the house if we ordered something else.  Done and done.  His favorite dessert was the Apple Tartane; (not being an Apple Dessert fan) I took his word and we awaited our desserts.  Chad loved the Chocolate Souffle, I did not, but I was not disappointed with the Apple Tartane that was incredible...what?!  An Apple Dessert over Chocolate Souffle?  It wasn't even close in my opinion :)  So we both enjoyed our very own desserts!

Needless to say, it was quite the dining experience; a quaint restaurant, nearly hidden, with a soft and beautiful ambiance.  It's a little gem and I'm so glad Chad shared this with me and now I have a new wonderful restaurant to share with those special to me!

February Karaoke

It was another fairly slow month this past February but having friends come in and sing always makes it fun.  Aside from the rain the past few days it's been really amazing weather here in LA so as it gets warmer outside, the bars get busier because everyone comes out to play!

Cher "I Found Someone"

Ciara "Like A Boy"

Pink "Try"

N'SYNC "Gone"

Nirvana "Heart-Shaped Box"

Roxette "Must Have Been Love"

Toto "Hold The Line"

Tonic "You Wanted More"

Sheryl Crow "My Favorite Mistake"

Fuel "Falls On Me"

Mandy Moore "Candy"

Phil Collins "Against All Odds"

The Beatles "Oh Darlin"

Kim Wilde "Keep Me Hanging On"

REO Speedwagon "Keep On Loving You"

10,000 Maniacs "Because The Night"

Jennifer Warnes & Bill Medley "I've Had The Time Of My Life"

Melissa Etheridge "I'm The Only One"

Garbage "Only Happy When It Rains"

Stevie Wonder "I Just Called To Say I Love You"

RENT "Light My Candle"

RENT "Take Me Or Leave Me"

Gloria Estefan "I Can't Stay Away From You"

En Vogue "Don't Let Go"

That first week at Karaoke I challenged myself to sing songs from artists with one name and did N'SYNC's "Gone" as my new song that week.  It's always been one of my favorites and worked with my own little challenge.  It might have also been my first time singing Pink's "Try" as well which is a great song.  The second week we kept the 90's vibe going with Mandy Moore, Sheryl Crow and more.  My new song was "Falls On Me" by Fuel, which is probably my favorite Fuel song.  That third week at Karaoke it emptied out around 11:30 pm so the couple people that were there got to sing a bunch and my new song was REO Speedwagon's "Keep On Loving You," which I strategically changed the words to something more fitting ;)  That last week at Karaoke it was a Reunion of sorts since McCracken had flown into LAX for a layover and took an Uber to Gabe's to hang out for an hour or two and sing with Jamie, Spark, and I.  Carolyn and Matt got to see him as well.  It was nice to have some of the gang back together, but would have been even better to have Khad, Heike, and Marty were there too!  We did a whole Super-Set of 'Rent' songs which was really fun.  My new song that night was a guilty pleasure, "I Can't Stay Away From You" by Gloria Estefan, and it's actually on my iPod for when I'm out on my run or working out!

Our Karaoke Crew in February!

No repeats in songs from last couple months!  There will be five weeks of Karaoke this month of March and hopefully it'll pick up as well!  I will be doing a Theme Night at some point so be prepared and on the look-out :)