Blind Barber Birthday

We all had such a fun time for my Birthday at Bar Lubitsch, I knew that having my actual party on Friday night at Blind Barber would be great!  I've been going into Blind Barber, which is a speakeasy inside a Barber Shop here in Culver City, for over a year now.  On top of their amazing grilled cheese selection, they've got an array of drinks and the service is always top notch!

I spent the afternoon by the pool and then early in the evening Jamie came over with some snacks and a bunch of wines for us so we could do some Wine Tasting.  They ranged from a Rose, to Chardonnay, to a Chianti.  The Rose surprised me the most since I typically hate Rose because it's always too dry but this was light and airy, with a touch of sweetness at the end and a smooth finish.  Jamie told me it wasn't available to buy on its own, only for restaurant sales.  It made drinking it with her while getting ready for my Birthday so special!  I also picked out one of the Chardonnay's and the Chianti that also had a smooth finish to keep.

An array of Wines for our Tasting and a mini Photo-Shoot before heading to Blind Barber!

Some of my friends were already at Blind Barber by the time we arrived, our Uber got lost getting to my apartment so we jumped right into some cocktails.  I started with the Strawberry Fields and the next thing I know, I was taking a shot, and another one a half hour later, and had another drink in my hand after that and the night just kept going from there.  Thankfully, Jamie made sure I ate some of the fabulous Grilled Cheese that I had ordered, and Carolyn was making me drink water, and I happily obliged.

Catching up with friends, Ashley, Carolyn, Jeff, and Bear at Blind Barber!

There was dancing, shots, and fun!  So many of my friends showed up and stopped by, and I apologize if I'm forgetting anyone.  Thanks to Jamie (for starting the festivities off with a bang) Jeff, Bear, Andy, Kayt, Patrick, Ashley, Raph, Mikey, Carolyn, Nick, Charlie, Sam (for also making sure we all got home safely), Adam, Giana, Justin, (for trying) Giere, Simon, Daniel, our wonderful Bartender, Allyson, the manager at Blind Barber, and anyone else who came to celebrate and toast with me!  Can we please have a re-do where I don't have to take shots and let's not celebrate my Birthday but just get everyone together to hang out and have an awesome time!?!

My favorite part of my Birthday is just getting all my friends together in one space to hang out and catch up.  So perhaps I'll try to set something like this up every few months so friends can meet other friends, we can all relax and enjoy some great food and drinks, and celebrate that we're all here in LA and having the time of our lives <3  Thank you to everyone who made my Birthday special!

Public School Happy Hour & 'The Other Woman'

I was able to try a few new restaurants in April including Cafe Laurent and Gladstone's in Malibu to continue with my New Year's Resolution of trying out new places.  I wrote blogs for both of them but this one is dedicated to a Buddy Date with Ashley at Public School 310 in Culver City for Happy Hour before going to see the movie, 'The Other Woman.'

Ashley and I decided on Public School because they had some vegetarian choices and plenty of options.  I was excited when I saw the menu because there were so many different things that looked really good.  We decided on the Red Quinoa & Argula Salad, the Pearled Farro & Brussel Salad, as well as the Speck & Eggs, and last but not least, Mac & Cheese.  They made their own tonic in house so we both ordered gin & tonics and I loved the sweetness to the tonic even more than I like my usual gin & Sprite.  

I loved the Quinoa Salad because of the lemon vinaigrette and feta cheese; the portions for the salads were huge, almost enough as an entree for one person.  I wasn't a huge fan of the Farro Salad even though I love farro and curry, but with the squash it just didn't have any kick.  The Speck & Eggs were basically deviled eggs with a little kick to them but we left out the proscuitto, and they were just fine on their own!  My favorite was probably the Mac & Cheese (as if I wouldn't love something with cheese).  It was topped with sea salt and a vinegar crunch and had a really great flavor.  Plus, after all this food, we were totally full.

Eggs without the Speck, Mac & Cheese, and our Gin with house-made Tonic!

Next up, it was movie time so we walked over to the theater, ordered popcorn (because who sees a movie without popcorn) and I added so much butter, that it leaked through three different cardboard holders that I double-lined with napkins.  I might have a butter addiction when I see movies.  But it tasted awesome!  The movie was actually much more different than I expected.  It was super funny, where I laughed out loud multiple times, repeating the joke in my head, and laughing again.  But it wasn't a total revenge movie and you really started to understand the characters and each role they played.  I'm not a big fan of Cameron Diaz but I really fell in love with her in this movie, not to mention, she looked phenomenal and I wanted every outfit she wore!  It was fairly predictable but a fun movie to see with Ash and I haven't been to the movies in a while so it was something different to do.

It was a really good movie and great Buddy Date for Ashley and I.  I'm actually really excited to go back to Public House to try more of their Happy Hour menu as well as their regular menu.  They've got a bunch of beers on draft, as well as wine, and some yummy looking desserts.  I'll be back soon :)