Showing posts with label Dessert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dessert. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

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!

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Superbowl Sunday!

All that preparation before the season even starts, then 14 weeks of intense regular-season football, play-off games, finally pays off when it's Superbowl time.  Although the Superbowl game this year wasn't all that exciting with a 43-8 score, Seahawks taking the win, it was a fun celebration with friends!

Kristina had a Superbowl Party this year at her place in Venice and she had all sorts of goodies and snacks, wings and beer, and even Skittles for Marshawn Lynch.  I decided to bring a Bloody Mary bar for anyone that was interested in having one of my specialty's as well as making Crock-Pot Lava Cake for the first time ever.  I used the Betty Crocker and Taste of Home websites as inspiration, starting with Devil's Food Cake Mix, Chocolate Pudding, Milk Chocolate Chips, and Mini-Marshmallows to make the tasty goodness.  I set it right before the Superbowl started and then let it go until after Half-Time and then everyone got to enjoy this perfect dessert!  It turned out awesome but pictures didn't even do it justice.


The game was rough to watch, thankfully I had a Bloody Mary on hand and it had all the fixin's like Horseradish, Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives, Celery, and my secret ingredients.  I never thought the Seahawks would pull out a win like that after the season the Bronco's had but my Wisconsin QB prevailed.  I wasn't rooting for one team either way, and aside from hoping that Wes Welker (my Fantasy Football WR for three years) would have a great game, I just wanted a good game in general.

Guarding Dessert till Half-Time :)
I did love the Half-time show but I'm a Bruno Mars fan and I loved his style of music.  It appealed to different age groups and audiences across the board.  I loved the dancing, all the musicians on-stage and Bruno sounded great!  It was cool that he had Red Hot Chili Peppers join him and that gave his performance more of a rock feel.  He's definitely been my favorite Half-time show over the past few years.  My only dislike about the show was that it wasn't long enough!

After the game we went down the street to Casablanca for celebratory Margarita's on Derrick since his team won for the first time in Franchise history on their second appearance.  Then we went back to Kristina's for a round of board games before everyone headed home after a long day of fun!  The Party was a success with lots of friends showing up to hang out and enjoy Football, as well as eat some yummy food.  I'm already planning my next Crock-Pot Lava Cake dessert ;)

*In case you're dying to try the Lava Cake recipe, which you should be because it was so amazing, check out the two links below :)
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/slow-cooker-chocolate-lava-cake/4f08a6d7-da83-4aff-b2ee-611d19024f04