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!

Easter Sunday :D

It was a long-awaited Easter as I noticed I was eating far more cookies this year since I couldn't eat candy, and although giving up soda was fairly easy and I enjoyed drinking more water and my skin reaped the benefits (Jennifer Aniston knows what she's talking about), I was stoked when I finished up my shift at Bar Lubitsch on late Saturday night/Sunday morning and ate a piece of Ginger Candy.  Sigh.  I missed those little pieces of goodness!

Bungalow Shenanigans with Ash & Raph

I got up early on Sunday morning to go to Church on Easter with Samantha (so glad she came with me), I got in a quick work-out and then got ready to meet Ashley and her friend, Raph, in Santa Monica at The Misfit for Brunch.  After having our first cocktail we decided to get the Punch Bowl of Pimm's Cup since we were making a day of the festivities.  For Lunch, I ordered the Asparagus Soup along with the Prime Rib Sandwich, while Ashley got the Chicken Tortilla Soup and Crispy Chicken Sandwich (lettuce-wrapped to Raph's dismay) and Raph go the Burger.  I have to agree with Raph and our Bartender, Dave, that the Crispy Chicken was absolutely amazing and what I'll be ordering next time.  I did love my sandwich too, but my soup even more!  They also had these Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies that were to die for and paired perfectly with my Double Espresso.  I'm pretty sure that we all had at least 3 or 4...or 5...

The Sunset on a sensational Easter <3

We then headed over to Bungalow (a special thanks to Alana for hooking us up with some drinks throughout the day) and we actually had a really great time!  I'm usually pretty anti-Bungalow because it's normally packed to the max, the drinks are ridiculously over-priced, and the people (for the most part) are pretty douchey.  We had a good crew meeting up with us and found a secluded spot on the patio with a table and few chairs and all of us had a blast!  The rest of the night we bar-hopped in Santa Monica, hitting up The Basement, Rick's Tavern where Dave, Garet, and I did some Karaoke, and closed off the night at JP's.

It was a day full of new places and food.  I had never been to The Misfit and always wanted to go ever since Creating Arts Company had been putting on shows in Santa Monica and I'd walk by and see the busy bar and patio.  All the bars on Main Street in Santa Monica were new to me too, so I've already gotten a great start on my New Year's Resolution for April!  It was truly a great Easter with friends and one of the best I've had since moving to LA <3

Ohio State Wins the National Championship!

Being from Wisconsin I've always been a Packer Fan.  Ever since I could cheer the team on with Don 'Magic Man' Majkowski (he's the first Quarterback I remember) I've been doing it.  My Mom actually put my brother and I on the Packer's Season Ticket Waiting List when I was nine years old.  I'm still waiting for tickets and hoping that I'll get them in my lifetime!  Because we had the Packers to cheer for, I never really got into College Football.  If the Badgers were playing I would hope that they would win but I never had an affinity for it.

Watching the game at American Junkie with the boys, smiles with
some pretty girls, and celebrating at Underground after the game!

I've been living in LA for nine years and have cheered on the Buckeyes to more victories than any other team, thanks to my Ohio friend, Brad.  So when it was time for the NCAA Championship Game I was cheering for the Buckeyes, even though I had Oregon Ducks apparel.  American Junkie in Hermosa Beach is a Buckeye Bar so I went with Brad and a bunch of his friends to watch the game there.  It was packed with Ohio State fans and a few Ducks fans just to create some friendly competition.  And what a game it was?!

Cardale Jones was the third-string Quarterback, had only played a couple games but got Ohio State to the Bowl Game.  We were all hoping that Ohio State would win but Oregon was definitely favored for the game.  After seeing Ezekial Elliott get that first 33-yard Touchdown run I had a feeling the Buckeyes would come out on top.  Sure enough, Elliott got four Touchdowns in the game leading Ohio State to victory with a 42-20 score over the Ducks.

So much going on here...the stories that photos tell ;)

We were all in celebration mode after the game and hit up a few places in Hermosa Beach and had to end the night at POW's in Playa Del Rey for one last giant shot of Fireball.  It was a great Football game with fantastic people, new friends, and so much fun!

New Outs in LA

In between work last week I was able to check out a couple new places in LA.  Jamie and I had gone to The Backhouse one night for Late Night Happy Hour after rehearsal for our Princess Show that weekend.  We feasted on all sorts of sushi and after we were done and walking to our car passed by The Wellsbourne and said we'd have to check it out a different night.  And for years I've been hearing about the Turtle Races at Brennan's in Venice but had never gone, and looked forward to it soon since some of my friends had their weekly trip to Brennan's on Thursdays.

After I worked the first Thursday Night Fooball game at Irish Times I got ready for the Turtle Races at Brennan's.  There was a solid crowd of people there but not too busy which was nice.  Apparently, Mark and his friends are regulars so getting a turtle wasn't difficult.  I knew the premise of the races from years prior but when it came to my turn I got a little nervous.  I didn't want to drop my turtle before I even set him in the inner circle but lucky for me my little guy was hiding in his shell.  I still handled him gently and set him down slowly only to lose when the race started because he was so content in his shell.  On my second go-around this next turtle was feisty as his arms and legs were going crazy and when it came time to race he was a runner.  Unfortunately, a fault was called so they had to re-start the race and he came in second that time.  After the races a cover band started inside the bar and Courtney arrived so we all played darts for the rest of the night!  I was horrible in the first game but came back in the second and we had a lot of fun :)

Darts with Mark & Courtney at Brennan's!

On Friday night Jamie and I headed out to The Wellsbourne to see if it would be a cool new bar in the neighborhood.  Upon arrival, a bartender saw us looking for a seat so he motioned us to come to the end of the bar where there were two open stools.  Awesome!  After perusing the menu I noticed a couple different drinks I would have liked to try, so I decided on a Vodka Gimlet.  It was delicious, perfectly sweet with plenty of citrus to cover the alcohol taste but still a nice strong martini.  Jamie was drinking Whiskey so she had given him a recipe for the first one and he made something specific for her second.  He said he wanted to make me a drink that woud have Barrel-Aged Gin in it, and it was way too strong on the first go around but after adding some honey, ginger, and other mixers, it had a nice kick to it, and was something I could sip on.  The drinks were reasonably priced for the quality so that was great!  I loved the set-up of the bar, there were booths when you first walk in, and then on one side there's a game room with Foosball and Shuffleboard, and on the other side, it looks more like a Library perfect for lounging with big sofas and chairs.  After finishing our second drink I knew I was sold on it; the bartenders were super attentive, I loved the atmosphere, and everyone was really friendly.  Jamie and I hit up The Backhouse again for some late night sushi before heading home and it was certainly a successful Ladies Night!  

The Wellsbourne with Jamie :)

I'm really looking forward to going back to both bars, Brennan's and The Wellsbourne.  I loved the chill but fun vibe during Turtle Races and really enjoyed the cocktails and great people at The Wellsbourne.  That's two new places for me in September and I've got a whole lot more of this month left to find even more new spots to check out!  Exploring is fun and getting to do that with friends is even better!

Birthday Dinner at Mastro's!

I love food and trying new places and even have a list of my Top 5 Favorite Steaks so I was stoked when Kristina said she was going to take me to Mastro's in Beverly Hills for my Birthday Dinner.  I've been wanting to try Mastro's for a long time but I was also a little nervous, knowing how fancy it was.  Kristina assured me it was a special occasion since we weren't able to celebrate my 30th in style last year like we had planned so we were going all out!

Wine & Martini's

We enjoyed some Rosé before Dinner while we got ready at my place and then took an Uber to Mastro's.  Our table was quaint and close enough to the piano player to hear him singing Billy Joel, Michael Jackson, and The Beatle's songs during Dinner.  Kristina had brought a really nice bottle of red wine so we got that started along with two martini's that had Stoli Blueberry and St. Germaine which were called Fleur de Blu and absolutely delicious.  Kristina suggested we start with Oysters and even though I was a little apprehensive, I was up for the adventure.  They were kumumoto Oysters and served with a healthy side of Horseradish.  I topped all of mine with it and that certainly did the trick as they went down easy with a little clearing of my sinuses.  So yummy!  

It was time for our salad and we got an Heirloom Tomato and Burrata and from here on out they split everything for us.  There was so much food I'm surprised they were halved because the portions were huge!  The salad was amazing and I loved how the timing of all of our courses was literally perfect.  We were never waiting and getting hungry but able to enjoy the food, let it settle, and then the next course would show up.  Before we knew it, it was time for the main entree; a beautiful 12 ounce Filet cooked an impeccable medium rare.  We decided on sides of Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Sauteed Sugar Snap Peas.  The snap peas were the best I have ever had as they popped in your mouth with a sweet but savory flavor and the mashed potatoes were so fluffy and had the perfect amount of garlic and butter.  The steak.  Let me just say, after I took that first bite, I sat back in my chair and sighed...out loud.  It was that incredible!  We savored every last bite and then they packed the leftover snap peas for me to take home.  No Birthday is complete at Mastro's without Birthday Cake so they brought Chocolate Cake with home-made whipped cream.  The whipped cream was so impressive and I loved that there was plenty for each bite of cake.

Dinner at Mastro's...being fancy with Kristina!

After Dinner we went to the bar so I could get us some Dessert Wine to finish off the fabulous dining experience and as some gentlemen allowed me to get to the bar, they overheard Kristina saying it was my Birthday and in typical gentlemanly fashion, ordered us a round, which was very sweet.  I appreciated the gesture and bought them their next round only to have that countered with another Birthday Cake and some Espresso for me.  They all sang Happy Birthday and this time it was an Olive Oil Cake and more whipped cream!  I could not have felt more special being treated by Kristina and being blown away by such an amazing meal :)

Thank you Kristina for introducing me to Mastro's; this is definitely going to be trouble because now I'm already planning my next visit, and next paycheck!  And thanks for making me feel fancy!

My Brick+Mortar Birthday Party!

I had my 31st Birthday Party at Brick+Mortar on Thursday June 19th!  I woke up on the morning of my Birthday feeling pretty good considering the previous night's festivities and went to work at Irish Times like normal.  I definitely had a little delayed hangover later that afternoon but after a Bloody Mary, I felt prepared for a fun night out in Santa Monica!

I had expected lots of people, perhaps a line, but it ended up being more chill, which was nice.  The DJ was really good, playing a mix of music, and the Hostess I had spoken to throughout the week had an area all set up for me.  She was amazing, organized, and very helpful throughout the whole process of planning.  One of my friends had gone up to the bar to grab me a drink, ordering from two different Bartenders, not knowing the one had heard her earlier, so 10 minutes later she walked back with two drinks for me.  Thanks Stephanie!  They both looked different, had different garnishes, and tasted different, yet were the same drink, just from two different Bartenders.  After that I stuck to one specific Bartender who happened to the the Bar Manager and his cocktails were delicious!  

With Stephanie, the girls and I playing around (Jamie & Ashley), McCracken and I,
Mikey & Dubb, and Tyler at Brick+Mortar for my Birthday!

My friends filtered in and out throughout the night, and it was great because Brick+Mortar had Happy Hour going on from 10 pm to close, on both food and drinks.  It was great to catch up with Mike and Jason and hear about Buki, Mike's new companion, until Riley Boy makes his way back home.  I was glad to have some girlfriends stop by, Ashley and Jamie made appearances, and of course, shots were in order!  Thanks to Jay Smith for holding the fort down till I arrived, since I was late which always seems to happen on my Birthday!  

Overall, it was nice to relax and listen to great music, and just enjoy a night with friends.  Thanks to who came by to say hello, have a drink or shot with me, hang out, and celebrate; you made my Birthday so special :)

Birthday Karaoke :D

It was my Birthday a couple weeks ago on Thursday June 19th so my friends and I celebrated on Wednesday as well while I was Hosting Karaoke since I turned 28 'again' at midnight!  It also gave me another chance to celebrate with anyone who couldn't come to my Birthday Party on Thursday night at Brick+Mortar :)

Celebrating with Port Wine!

I decided on a Multi-Theme Night of music starting with a practice song to get everyone warmed up and mine was 'Like A Boy' by Ciara since it's a fast rap, perfect to prep for a night of singing!  After everyone had warmed up (and a lot of people showed up) so we had a nice long list, our next theme was Gender Bender.  So everyone had to pick a song sang by a member of their opposite sex.  My song was 'Rebel Yell' by Billy Idol; not only a great rock song but a crowd favorite!  Everyone was really great following the themes as the guys picked out some awesome female songs, and of course, there had to be some boy band music.  Gail had decided on 'Bye Bye Bye' by N'Sync and after I had a couple shots figured back-up singers would be a fabulous idea...sorry Gail!  All in fun, right?  The next theme was Decade's, and you had to pick a song from the decade you were born in mine being the 80's.  I decided on 'Shoulda Known Better' by Richard Marx as that song was a little bit of a guilty pleasure and one I had heard on the radio that week.  I think Richard Marx really gets forgotten about because I rarely hear his songs at Karaoke and there's some really good ones!  Lucky for me, I had a lot of friends at Karaoke, who were very patient since the list was so long, but unlucky for me, I kept trying to say no to shots, and I'm a pushover.  Judy brought a beautiful cake for Foxy and I so after everyone sang for our Birthday's and we blew out the candles we continued with our Decades round and then it was time for the Party Anthem theme.  This had to a be a song that everyone could sing along to, could be heard at a party, or was on any bar's jukebox.  I'm pretty sure I did a horrible rendition of 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' by Cyndi Lauper thanks to too many Gummy Bear shots and that the song is totally out of my range.  I really think everyone enjoyed the themes and I look forward to doing another night like that soon!

Birthday Celebration Karaoke at Gabe's...with Neil, Leanne and clearly worried about that shot,
and backing-up Gail with Tiffany for 'Bye Bye Bye!'

Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate my Birthday with me on Wednesday night, who sang Karaoke, who bought me a shot (hmmm, maybe not that), and made the night so much fun!  And a special thanks to my Birthday driver, Neil, who made sure I safely arrived at my destinations throughout the week ;)

Ashley's Going Away Party :(

Ashley and I met almost nine years ago on Roommates.com when I was looking for a roommate since I knew I was moving to Los Angeles in the Fall of 2005.  She had this fun and flirty picture, looked like a really nice girl, said she was originally from Hawaii, and seemed normal enough to cross my fingers and hope she wasn't going to kill me in my sleep after I had moved to LA.  The first thing I remember about Ashley when I met her was how tall and tan she was ;)

Buddy Bing & Buddy Gellar

In less than two weeks Ashley's moving back to Hawaii.  She's been here for 11 years and comparing LA to Hawaii seems like a horrible idea, and I've never been to Hawaii but I can only imagine how beautiful it is, and how nice it'll be to be back around family and good friends again!  So last Sunday she had her Going Away Party at Freddy Smalls complete with snacks, pizza, and lots of candy!  Her friends from The Counter, where she's worked since she's been in LA, that I've gotten to know too, were at the party, some of her family that is out here, old bosses, and friends, and more were all in attendance.  As she's been doing for weeks, it's really hard to pack up 11 years of your life to take back to Hawaii!  Saying goodbye is even worse.

Of course, no Going Away Party for Ash would be complete without a dance party, some 'Baby Got Back,' shots, and tears.  Jeff was our resident DJ for the night and had everybody up and dancing (even on the bar at one point), and there was no shortness of alcohol either!  The party was so much fun and it was great to see everybody again for what might be the last time for a long time, but as we discussed, now I have a fabulous reason to get to Hawaii for a little vacation!

Once Carolyn arrived, it was nearly time to shut down Freddy's and move over to the San Francisco Saloon.  I got all of us one final shot of Fireball and put these two girls over their edge.  We couldn't celebrate properly without all of us taking a shot together.  Not only did we get 20 pictures in a row of us smiling, laughing, and crying, but an epic end to the night.  I got to meet Ashley's rats for the first time, Ben snuggled Ash as soon as she laid down, and I got to spend some quality time with Carolyn.

I LOVE these Ladies!

It was a late night but I wouldn't have had it any other way.  I love these girls so much, and as sad as I am that one of my best friends, and first LA friend, is moving back home, I'm so proud of her, and know she'll be happy.  And that's all that matters <3

Playa Provisions & City Tavern

I checked out two new bars this month for a little cocktail hour!  I'm definitely keeping up with that New Year's resolution, in trying new restaurants, new Happy Hours, and new bars and both places I checked out were awesome!

I'm not a whiskey drinker, from accidentally sipping on my Dad's Seagrams 7 & Coke as a little kid, to tasting his Maker's & Coke nowadays, I have never liked the flavor.  Plus, whenever I do drink Whiskey I tend to get a little fiesty so I just try to avoid it.  This was not the case at Playa Provisions, a new Restaurant & Bar in Playa Del Rey.  Their back bar area is pretty much all Whiskey, they had one bottle of Vodka, and I think I saw a bottle of Gin, but since their entire cocktail menu was Whiskey drinks, I decided to go with the flow and try something new.  I do admit when I'm home for Christmas and my Uncle is making Whiskey or Brandy Old-Fashions I will have one because we always make them really sweet in the Midwest and that just covers the taste of the Whiskey.  Old Fashions here in LA are made with water, so I've never liked them.  Whatever they do at Playa Provisions made me a believer in a Los Angeles Old Fashion.  It had a sweetness but I still tasted the Woodford Reserve which had a nice vanilla smoothness to it, and the drink was easy to drink and quite enjoyable.  I'd definitely go back for another one and I'm very excited to check out their food menu since they officially opened up on June 7th!

Next up it was time to check out City Tavern!  My friend, Jess, has worked there since it opened and he was working the night I went in too.  I checked out their beer menu first since they had so many different kinds on tap and tasted one of their ciders which was delicious and sweet but not sugary and also a fruity white ale that had an awesome finish.  I would have ordered either beer but then saw their cocktail menu and couldn't not try the Grape Goose.  It was Grey Goose, fresh lemon, Agave nectar, and white grapes.  It was so light and refreshing, a perfect drink to sip and enjoy on a Summer day, I wished it was the afternoon and I could have been outside on the patio in downtown Culver City.  Not only did they have some other fun drinks on their menu but the food menu looked awesome, including the desserts!  I can't wait to go and try their Peach Cobbler...yum :)

It was two for two on cocktails at these two new places and I'm excited to re-visit them again! 

Alibi Room & Plops

Last week I checked out two new places here in Los Angeles.  I'm continuing with my New Year's Resolution of checking out new restaurants in LA and the first was Alibi Room in West LA and the second was Plops in West Hollywood.  I actually checked out a bunch of new places for the month of May (those blogs are listed in the May section) but caught two more at the end of the month!

Alibi Room features Korean Barbeque from Kogi's Kitchen.  I've had customers at the bar I work at and friends just rave about the Taco Trucks you can find around LA and here you can go to this bar/restaurant and enjoy it with a cocktail.  I had checked out the menu on-line and found a drink that sounded really good called The Betty White which was Vodka, Peaches, Lemon and Peach Bitters but when we got to the restaurant it wasn't listed on the menu.  Bummer.  I was hungry though and knew a salad wasn't going to do the trick so I decided on the Hen House Bowl which was marinated grilled chicken, with rice, a fried egg, broccoli, sour cream, basil, sesame, and red jalepeno.  It was really good and it was so much food I couldn't even finish it!  It was very chill and there weren't many people there but they didn't have the AC going and it was pretty hot inside and I'm usually cold, so that was slightly frustrating.  I am looking forward to going back again and try more food; I'll just probably sit outside where it's cooler.

Acquah and I are always in search of good cupcakes in LA and we've tried a few different places so we checked out Plops in WeHo last week which was actually cake pops.  They had about 15 different flavors and interesting combinations.  I went with the Oreo, Butterfinger, and Vanilla with Milk Chocolate.  We even went in for round two and this time I tried the Vanilla with Blueberry Chocolate and Lemon Cake with Peach Chocolate.  I did like the Lemon but not really the Peach, and the Blueberry was my least favorite of all.  The first three were amazing with the Oreo easily winning my favorite!  They were reasonably priced at $6.95 for six of them and figured a few would probably be equivalent to eating a cupcake.  Cupcakes will always win my heart but it's always nice to try something new!

I'm always up for food and dessert adventures and trying something new!  It's certainly easy here in LA with new places popping up everyday.  So if anyone has any suggestions feel free to send them my way, comment or post, and I'll let ya know what I think :)

Mom's May Visit to LA! Part 1.

My Mom came to visit me almost two weeks ago and stayed with me for a week.  Our time together went too fast as it always does and we were busy nearly every day with something to do.  Lucky for us, that was making dinner together, laying by the pool, having a four-course dinner in Hollywood, and taking walks around the neighborhood!

Mom got in on Wednesday morning so we decided on En Sushi for Happy Hour since Mom and I haven't had Sushi together in a long time.  I had picked out two different kinds of sashimi, two rolls, spicy tuna on crispy rice, and edamame.  We also had a couple of drinks and En Sushi is one of my favorite Sushi Happy Hours to go to because it's such a good price for so much food.  I always leave full!  I was happy to hear Mom say that everything was really delicious and she'd like to do this again sometime!  That night I hosted Karaoke at Gabe's with Mom's help and we had a fun night there with friends and Gummi Bear Shots :)

While Mom was visiting it was in the high 80's and low 90's so we were able to get in pool time on Thursday morning before I had to work at Irish Times that afternoon.  Mom always likes to help me get the bar set-up and I repay her with a little beer tasting of new beers since her last visit.  She came back later so we could have dinner at the bar together too; we had the Guinness Shrimp and Bangers & Mash and also got to try the French Onion Soup, Fried Ravioli, and Grilled Cheese with caramelized onions and bacon.  We've changed our menu at Irish Times and updated it with some new items and elevated some of the older ones and everything I've tried has been really great!  We also stopped at Freddy Smalls to have dessert since they had a Yogurt Panna Cotta with Pinot Noir soaked blueberries and my favorite, Rocky Road dessert that's meringue, a pudding/mousse, with almond cookies, and sea salt.  I wouldn't normally go for Panna Cotta but this is by the best one I've ever had and the Rocky Road always delivers!

Took Mom to Dinner at Amalfi in Hollywood to celebrate Mother's Day early!

On Friday it was another day by the pool after a long walk around the neighborhood and I made my famous Bloody Mary's to sip on during the 90 degree day.  We did a little shopping that afternoon before we went to Dinner at Amalfi in Hollywood.  We had our four-course meal that started with Jumbo Shrimp in a White Wine Sauce (that was awesome) and then Mom chose the Brussel Sprouts Salad which was really good and a nice portion.  Potato Leek Soup is usually my favorite but I wasn't a huge fan of theirs; Irish Times is still number one on their version.  Mom and I planned on splitting our entrees so I chose the Filet with Gratin Potatoes in a Mushroom Demi-Sauce and Mom got the Lobster Ravioli with Shrimp and Asparagus in a Saffron Cream Sauce.  My steak was cooked perfectly and the potatoes were really yummy.  The Ravioli surprised me because I really enjoyed the lobster in it and cream sauce.  For Dessert, we decided on Tiramisu, and it wasn't the best I've ever had but we were both so full it took all I had to finish it!

Sunday Dinner for Mom!

Mom had helped me run lines for the play on Saturday morning since this was her first time being able to see Wizard Of Oz since we had opened three weeks prior.  I felt like it was my best show and performance as I almost lost my voice and was emotionally exhausted from performing that day, my muscles were actually sore.  A bunch of friends came to see the show on Saturday and on Sunday, Mom came to see me play a Munchkin and Citizen of Oz.  Mom even commented that she had no idea I was going to change my voice for the Wicked Witch role since when we had practiced, I did it in my normal voice.  Of course, I couldn't give my great idea away when I wanted to surprise her with it during the show!  That night I made a Quinoa salad, and Salmon Dinner with rice, lemon asparagus, a cheese plate and we had a mini-wine tasting too.

That was just the first few days...we had a trip to Solvang that started on Monday, but I saved that for Part 2 of Mom's week-long visit to LA :)

To see pictures from Dinner at Amalfi or any other photo's from Mom's trip and Wizard of Oz check out my Instagram at: http://instagram.com/lyndseywegner#

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 :)

St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day marked my two year anniversary of working at Irish Times!  I had actually worked one or two shifts after I got hired in March but my first real shift was our favorite Irish holiday and now it's a yearly thing to have our entire staff working throughout the day and it was my third St. Patty's Day with everyone!

Kiss me...I'm Irish!

I actually prefer to work the early morning shift so that I can be done before all the rif raf comes in and the crazies aka drunks come out.  Los Angeles had a pretty big earthquake that morning around 6:30 am that shook my apartment and had me jump to the middle of my bed just in case the picture above my bed fell down.  Of course, it's always interesting to check out Facebook right after an earthquake with all the status updates and this one didn't disappoint, with people commenting that it was the Guinness kegs rolling off the truck, or that 'We Will Rebuild' with a photo of a plant that fell off a desk and 'Los Angeles Strong' just below that.  The earthquake was centered in Westwood and was a 4.7 and probably the biggest one I felt since moving to LA.

Needless to say, I couldn't get back to bed so I just got up and got ready for the day at Irish Times and started the shift at 9 am!  It was actually a little more quiet than normal, most likely because it was a Monday versus a weekend Holiday.  The kitchen always starts the day off with a traditional Irish breakfast of eggs, toast, ham, three different kinds of sausage including black pudding and tomatoes and then there's a choice of Fish & Chips, Beef Stew, and Corned Beef & Cabbage after breakfast is served.  It did get busy later in the afternoon and I had some friends filtering in and out throughout the day.  In fact, Marty who was only going to have one stayed for my shift and there were many Hell Fires to be had!  I believe that was the first and last time Aimee will ever take Hell Fires ;)  And St. Patrick's Day at Irish Times wouldn't be complete without live Irish music, shots of Jameson and a Bagpiper.  

Starting the day at Irish Times before the Hell Fires were served ;)

By the time I left at 5:30 pm the bar was packed and I was happy to be done with the shift and getting to relax and enjoy some basketball, good food, and a jalepeno cocktail at Freddy Smalls!  Another successful St. Patty's Day in the books...Diddly Doo!

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.tasteofhome.com/recipes/slow-cooker-chocolate-lava-cake

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/slow-cooker-chocolate-lava-cake/4f08a6d7-da83-4aff-b2ee-611d19024f04

My Black & White 30th Birthday Party!

After a wonderful 30th Birthday at Gabe's for Karaoke I knew I still had a couple more parties the rest of the week and needed to prep for the next few nights.  I made it to work on Thursday morning, though the shots I had the night before tried to stop me, the Bloody Mary I had a couple hours after arriving at Irish Times got me back on track along with a little encouragement from Aimee!

Saint's & Sinner's Crew!

I had my actual Birthday Party at The Garage and it was a Black & White Party where everyone wears black and white, black, or white.  I was happy to see everyone showed up looking all spiffy and awesome and in proper Black & White Birthday Party attire ;)  Carolyn had given me the idea for it a couple years ago on her 30th Birthday Party, with all of us in our black and white, and she came in, in a beautiful Red dress.  I knew I was doing this a month prior to my party, and it was a matter of finding the perfect dress, and thanks to Emily for shopping with me the previous week we found it, and I loved my Hot Pink and Black Dress!

Roommates...Em & I!

Emily had gone early and decorated in The Motor Club as well as baked 2 different cakes so the place looked fantastic!  It was so great to see all my friends coming by, people I met nearly 8 years ago when I first moved to LA, or people I hadn't seen in a long time, and some of my closest friends and co-workers.  I tried to take as many pictures as possible since it's rare that we get to be all dressed up and looking fancy!

Around midnight, Emily brought out the cakes and everyone sang to me.  She had also set up this Birthday card which everyone signed and I loved reading all the fun little notes the next morning!  There were cocktails and shots, lots of Rumchata, but because I was making sure to get to chat with everyone, it was a very low-key drinking night, and I was happy to go home and soberly make Ramen (considering just a couple months ago, I gave myself 2nd degree burns on a late night Ramen-fest...ooops)!

Turning 30 was a big deal this year, (clearly since I was having a mini-mid-life crisis for a couple months leading up to it) but it was totally worthwhile when I realized my favorite thing about my Birthday was knowing it gave people a reason to come out and celebrate, people I haven't seen in a long time, and it's just nice to catch up with those friends.  I felt so lucky to have so many friends stop by, even if it was just a quick hello; it meant a lot and made me feel very special on my 30th Birthday!

Friends on my 30th Birthday!

*Thanks to Em for decorating for my party and making my 30th Birthday so incredible, and not scary at all, and to Bethany for setting up all the details and specials for all my friends in The Motor Club in addition to lending me the perfect necklace, and to Kristina for taking pictures all night long so I have memories on an incredible day :)  And thanks to everyone else for coming and making me smile! Cheers :)

A Night out in WeHo!

Emily and I went out in West Hollywood last week since both of us had been so busy with work and finally had a free night off together.  We decided on Laurel Hardware and got into the line around 10:45 that night.  It's been a long time since I waited to get into a club, let alone a bar, and on a Thursday night at that...but luckily we only waited about 15-20 minutes and when we got inside, it was busy, and the bar area was packed, so it completely made sense for capacity issues.

Em and I at Laurel Hardware in West Hollywood

The last time I had gone to Laurel Hardware was after the Sara Bareilles show and I got their Beet Drink, which was called The Skinneas Fog.  It tasted a little like dirt but in a good way.  I actually loved the drink, I felt like it was healthy since it was dark purple in color from the beets, but had a nice lemon taste to it as well.  This time I ordered The Gangster which was Organic Cucumber Vodka with juiced Watermelon and Lime.  While it tasted delicious, I felt like there was little alcohol in it, and for $12 for a drink, I'm hoping it's at least got a little kick to it.

 

Emily and I surveyed the scene but ended up taking up a seat at the end of the bar where we could oversee the entire bar and restaurant in the back.  The music was rocking all night long and the Bartenders were super attentive and making sure our glasses were full, including my water glass (awesome), wiping down the bar, and clearing off napkins and empty glassware.  Nice job!

  

At the end of the night we had to laugh about the sign we had seen on our initial walk to the bar and the night wouldn't have been complete without taking a picture in front of it!  'Don't even think about parking here.'  You're thinking about it, admit it!

 

It was a fantastic Roommate Night and something we definitely need to do more often :)