Wine Expo in West LA

I've been wanting to go to Wine Expo for quite some time now.  One of my regulars and friends from Irish Times where I Bartend worked at Wine Expo and would always talk about the Monday and Thursday 20 for $20 events as well as the Champagne & Bacon Tasting.  The 20 for $20 was 20 tastes of wine for $20.  Seriously?  Score!!

All the ladies and I who Bartend at Irish Times talked about a little outing but it's always hard to get everyone together and work with all of our schedules so Alicyn and I decided to go on our own since no one else was available.  We took an Uber to Wine Expo which is on Santa Monica Blvd in West LA and looks like your typical Liquor Store or Wine Warehouse from the outside but once you walk in, there's a Tasting Room right to the left.  We got two seats at the bar and were ready for our adventure!

Before and After our Wine Tasting at Wine Expo!

The Tasting started with Sparkling Wine and Champagne, moved to the lighter whites, then Chardonnay, and into the more fruit-forward reds, Pinot Noir, all the way to a Cab, and finished off with some Dessert Wines.  By the time we got done we figured out we had about six glasses of wine and it was definitely worth the $20 it cost to do the Tasting.  Alicyn took notes on the wines she liked and didn't like.  We definitely had different opinions about the whites but had the same palate for the red wines.  In fact, we both really liked the Steel Chardonnay they had, even though both of us agree normally they have a metallic or tinny after-taste to them.  Our Bartender told us that Joffre also does a really buttery Chardonnay so I can't wait to hunt that wine down :)  I loved our final Dessert Wine which was a Moscato di Asti, so sweet and perfectly carbonated!

Drinks with Jay at Irish Times for Metal Monday :)

Of course, the night wouldn't have been complete without a stop by Irish Times for Metal Monday.  Plus, Charlie and Jay were there and asking me to stop by for weeks, so Alicyn and I Uber'd over there after our Tasting.  No night at Irish Times is complete without Hell Fires...darn you, Ian.  

It was a really fun night and something new and fun to do in LA.  Wine Expo also has Happy Hour which offers half-price on all the wines.  Our Chardonnay during Happy Hour would only be $2.50.  AND they're constantly changing their 20 for $20 menu so you'll get to try at least a few new wines every time!  They also have food:  Appetizers, pizza's, entree's, and desserts too.  It's definitely a pretty awesome deal and I'd love to go back and get a couple bottles next time as well! 

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#

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!

St. Patrick's Day at Irish Times!

The week of St. Patrick's Day was crazy for me as I was at all my jobs multiple times during the week and keeping so busy!  Hopefully, everyone had been prepping for the St. Patrick's Day festivities that were going to be happening at Irish Times and throughout LA, because I heard there were big parties with wristbands to get in, covers at the Irish bars, and Green Beer just about everywhere!

 

Tattoos!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I went into work at Irish Times bright and early at 9 am and was working the early shift until 5 pm.  I was so glad to have that shift even though I was working on just a couple hours of sleep since I had Bartended at Bar Lubitsch the previous night until the wee hours of the morning.  Matty and I shared a traditional Irish Breakfast of eggs, toast, black and white pudding, ham, and all the fixings.  Since it was the early shift it was a little quieter and calmer than it would be 5 hours from now.  Last year I had to work from noon until close (which by the time we got out of the bar was 4 am) so the early shift was just fine with me.  Plus, it was a Saint's & Sinner's reunion with Ian, Matt, and Bulos all working throughout the day!  I didn't realize how many people really love to be drinking Guinness and Car Bombs but it's the norm for the Irish Holiday.

 

As the day went by it got busier and busier and more Bartenders and Barbacks showed up and at one point there were 8 or 9 of us behind the bar.  Thankfully, that didn't last long and I was able to finish up with my shift and head out with some Corned Beef & Cabbage and Fish & Chips before the madness really hit.  A woman stopped by and was giving Glitter Tattoos, there was Live Irish Music, even a Bagpiper at one point, plenty of Food, Guinness, and Jameson to go around.  We had a tent outside for the overflow where we had some beers on tap in addition to bottles of Bud Light and Heineken. 

Your Irish Bartenders...yes, I'm Irish :)

Irish Times is certainly one of the places to be on St. Patrick's Day and I'm glad that I've been able to spend the day working with some of my favorite people!  Now, if only we could finish up that Power Hour at some point...