Bar Lubitsch Holiday Party!

The Lubitsch Holiday Party was the first Sunday in December and I knew exactly what I was going to wear.  I had a dream about my Mom the night before the party.  A year before on that night, it was the last time I spoke to my Mom.  I spent the day chatting with her, calling her and interrupting her work day at least three times, and not once was she ever annoyed or bothered by my phone calls.  I had found the perfect dress the year before, went to Angl to get it, and they said it was shipped to another store because they couldn't sell it.  Then one employee remembered she had packed it, but it hadn't yet gone out, went through the box, and pulled it out.  It was my size, the color I wanted, and when I walked out of the fitting room, she called me Beyonce.  Did I mention it was on sale with an additional 30% off?  I got for a steal (and since my Mom was the Queen of bargain-shopping, I had to call her a couple more times).  I knew since I had a dream about her the night before the party, it was a sign I had to wear the dress.

The dress <3

Giana and I got ready at my place and then we ubered over to Carolyn & Matt's and picked them up on our way to Jones for the party. Per usual, the food was incredible, salmon, chicken, two kinds of pasta, vegetables, desserts and more.  It's also open bar, yes, our Committed Inc. company certainly appreciates their employees and treats them well!  I'll take another Hendricks & Sprite please ;)

Giana, Carolyn, & I...and my amazing co-workers and friends! 
There's a whole lot of good-looking people in these photos :)

Most of my co-workers were there so we all caught up, had some shots together, enjoyed a wonderful meal, and our glasses were never empty.  It also gives all of us a chance to get dressed up for a special occasion!  I'm close friends with a few of my co-workers so we do see each other outside of work on occasion but it's always nice to get together and have everyone be fancy!  I may have missed the dance party but I did get pictures all night long!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays from all of us at Bar Lubitsch and more!

Tis the Season for Holiday Party's...

December means Holiday Party's and living in Los Angeles and enjoying year-round sunny weather, there are still Ugly Sweater Christmas Party's even when it was 70 degree's that afternoon!  We do Tree-Trimming, go and look at Christmas Lights, make Hot Toddies (on those 70 degree days) and all the same things we do in the Midwest just without the snow.  It still seems strange to me...

Michael and I at the Lubitsch
Holiday Party!

The first Holiday Party of the season was kicked off by my Committed Inc. Bar Lubitsch Family.  The food was catered from Jones Bar and drinks were endless all night long...  Yes, by the time Michael and I were done drinking Cucumber Gimlets for the night, I could say I wouldn't be drinking that cocktail for a very long time.  It's been one of my favorites since I started working there over two years ago, so that makes me very sad!  On top of the delicious food and open bar, it's a time to catch up with people from the other bars and restaurants in our company.  Since the party was held at Lubitsch this year, most of my co-workers were working the party and thankfully were able to partake in the festivities as long as they remained responsible.  And clearly they did, as my tipsy-self was jokingly pushing around my fellow co-workers asking why they weren't drinking more.  Oops!  Sorry Cara and Lauren!  Of course, spending time with fellow Bartenders means shots are going to happen throughout the night; and it's a Vodka bar (my favorite thing to drink) and we have all these amazing juices and fruits to make the Vodka taste even more delicious!  Needless to say, we all had a good time :)

The following weekend I had two Party's for Friday night.  Jamie & Spark were Hosting an Ugly Sweater Christmas Party with all sorts of yummy food and friends I hadn't seen in a while.  Samantha was having a Hunger Games-esque Party with a Gingerbread House competition, costume/festive clothing competition, Beer Pong, etc.  My friend, Robby and I went to Sam's first and I had a cup of Home-Made Hot Chocolate (there was a Hot Chocolate Bar, and how cool is that) with some Peppermint Schnapps and lots of marshmallows.  Well, you don't really think adding a shot or two will do anything, but it sure did, and I took a little break after that Hot Chocolate.  Although, when we all started to play King's Cup, I ended up being someone's Mate, who was then connected to someone else, and they were connected to someone else, so I ended up drinking any time one of those three people had to drink.  I had switched to the less-intoxicating Punch at that point and was happy about that!  Did I mention that Sam makes some of the best cookies I've ever had; no matter what she makes and how full I am, I always have room for her cookies, they're seriously amazing.  

Hostesses with the Most!

At 10 pm, it was time to head over to Jamie's so we could catch the Costume Contest since Robby had gone out to buy a sweater that evening, just for the party.  Plus, I knew Jamie had spent the afternoon shopping and making appetizers and I was so excited to try everything.  I had baked Brownies as well that were just waiting to be eaten and I completely forgot how much I love to bake; I cooked them to fudge-y perfection, as the pan was demolished in under an hour.  There were definitely some ugly sweaters and outfits at this party (on purpose), and some others that were really creative, or something that I could totally see myself or my husband wearing 40 years from now, and that's just kind of adorable so I couldn't vote 'Ugly' for those!  Jamie and Spark always hand-make their sweaters, which is so creative, and this year, Jamie had also made a Wrapping Bow Dress!  It was so colorful and cute; she was a hit!  She also made some delicious spiked Punch with Pomegranate, Ginger Ale, Lemon and it had Whipped Cream to go with it and when the party had started to wind down, Spark made a Chocolate Pizza that I wish I had gotten a piece of because the bite I tasted was awesome!

So for another Winter in LA, the Holiday Party season wasn't too shabby and everyone stepped it up this year!  My two beautiful Hostesses had super fun party's and Lubitsch never disappoints.  But alas, I'm so excited to go home and see snow, because there's just something about a White Christmas that really makes it feel like the Holiday season.  

Our CAC Family at Sam's Holiday Party!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night <3

Bar Lubitsch Holiday Party

I covered a shift at Bar Lubitsch over the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend which was nice since I had my Thursday off at Irish Times because of Thanksgiving.  It was a slower night at the bar due to the Holiday but it was nice to be back in a busy bar with all the right ingredients for craft cocktails and other good stuff.  And I got to work with my old Saint's & Sinner's buddy, Mike!

It was the Comitted Inc. Holiday party that Sunday night.  This year it was held at The Pikey on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood, once again, fully catered meal thanks to The Pikey and an open bar with all sorts of goodies.  Thi and I went to The Pikey for Dinner a few months ago and it was absolutely delicious so I was super excited but this was more bar food (at least when we got there) which was good too; I had an awesome burger and salad.  I was definitely bummed to miss the dessert because they ran out though.

Lubitsch Ladies, Ashley & I with Jake & Neil

A few of my co-workers from Bar Lubitsch were there so it was nice to catch up with them outside of work and get some fun pictures together.  Plus, they had a Photo Booth which is always great :)  I drank 'The Stanley' which was a Rum & Pimm's cocktail served up in a martini glass and didn't really notice the alcohol in them but my tummy ache the next day reminded me not to drink so much rum.  Thankfully, I had switched to Hendrick's Gin later on but the damage was done thanks to Stanley!

Saint's & Sinner's Love

This was my first Christmas Party of the Holiday season and hopefully there will be some more coming up before I head back home to Wisconsin for Christmas with my family!

Holiday Party :)

After an awesome Christmas Surprise on Saturday complete with Dinner at La Piazza at The Grove and the Boyce Avenue Concert at the Nokia Theater at LA Live it was Sunday which meant Football, Christmas Shopping, and my Bar Lubitsch Holiday Party in Hollywood with good friends!

Fox Hills Mall has really come together in the past few years and feels a lot safer and has more stores than it did when I was working at Level10 back in 2006.  I made a killing at H&M and got a ton of Christmas presents and got some more ideas from my trip to the Mall.  Plus, I had an awesome Lunch from Stone Oven, which is one of my favorite salad places because of their incredible Focaccia Bread served with a Basil Dipping Sauce.  

After shopping it was Football time because the Packers were playing the Lions for the Sunday Night Game and as I watched the Game I realized my chances of the Play-offs in my Fantasy Football League had diminished and I had come in 10th place for the year.  Eli Manning, you were the hugest disappointment of the year, along with my other players that were playing like Randy Moss, which really isn't playing at all, or only when he feels like it.  Jordy, Wes, Jimmy, Darren...injuries, great games of 20+ points and then weeks where you got me .5 of a point.  It just goes to show, some of the greatest receivers, running backs, and tight ends are still great, but just not Fantasy Football leaders.

Candy Cane!

I was so excited to wear a brand new dress I got from Foreign Exchange a couple weeks ago and my Bar Lubitsch Holiday Party was the perfect opportunity to wear it!  Our Party was at Palihouse in Hollywood and my friend, Jonathan, who used to be a regular at Saint's & Sinner's was the Head Chef there, so I was even more excited to try the food.  The Party started at 8 pm and had a Buffet until 10 pm with an Open Bar all night long!  Neil and I got to the party just before 9:30 and each got a plateful of food, complete with Cavatelli Pasta, Wild Rice, Steak, Beet Salad, French Fries, and Grilled Chicken, as well as assorted cheeses and meats from the Charcuterie.  Everything was absolutely incredible and what made it more awesome was that Jonathan invited us into the Kitchen to say hello and also see James, another regular from Saint's & Sinner's preparing the steak for the evening!  It was great to see them and Neil and I both wanted seconds but Dinner ended promptly at 10 pm and we had to snack on a few different bite-sized desserts that were just as amazing as the food.  It was definitely an impressive meal!

Matching Stripes!

The Party continued until 2 am with plenty of drinks and shots...I was drinking Hendricks Gin and Sprite all night and woke up on Monday morning with no sight of a hangover and feeling really good!  It's true...the better the liquor, the better you feel the next day!  A bunch of the Bar Lubitsch Bartenders were in attendance, as Adrian, Jessica, and Brian and I all took shots together, and when Jonathan was done in the Kitchen, Mike, him and I, all had an S&S shot together (which unfortunately I did not drink because I couldn't do any whiskey that night and I congratulated myself the next morning when I could still do my work-out).  Neil and I had our own turn in the Photo Booth as that was the longest line of the night...cheese :)  Dija looked incredible in her silver sequined dress and I was so happy to meet, Connie, Mike's girlfriend after hearing about her for the past 3 months!  The Bartender, Parker, made me the best Old Fashion I've ever had (aside from my Uncles who make theirs with Brandy)!  I won't give away his secrets on here but I'll just say you have to go visit him at Palihouse and try them for yourself...Neil and I split it since I was sticking to Gin, but I loved it even with the Bulleit Bourbon he used!  You make a fantastic cocktail, Parker!  As I chatted with Arky and his girlfriend, Danielle, who was visiting from Nevada, the whole El Carmen crew came together and they are definitely a wild bunch...and another shot I passed on, since it was Tequila.  Neil, I can't believe you kept up all night long with all the debauchery that was happening!  Haji, David, and Brandon, all door guys at Bar Lubitsch (Brandon also Barbacks) and I took some pictures and I did have a shot with them as we spent the last part of the night chatting and enjoying the Party!

Connie, Dija, and I at Palihouse for the Bar Lubitsch Holiday Party

Overall, it was a great night and an incredible party!  I had so much fun and was not only impressed by the amazing food that Jonathan and James made but by all the Bartenders cheerfulness and tasty cocktails!  This is what a Holiday Party should be!

*I think there is even a picture of Neil and Haji 'Dropping it like Raji' since I'm the only one who can really do Aaron Rodgers Touchdown Dance ;)  But I think I'll hold onto that one for a while!*