Celebrating my Mom's Birthday

It would have been my Mom's 57th Birthday (sorry Mom, should I say 29th) on February 9th.  Every day has been a struggle and that day could have been completely miserable, but it wasn't, and although I cried and missed her throughout the day, I tried to make the most of it and do things that she would enjoy doing.  What better way to celebrate than by eating, which she and I definitely had in common :)

My day started with a morning work-out and then I had set up an appointment at the Aveda Salon to get my hair-cut and also get a facial.  It was one of the best hair-cuts I've gotten there and I always make a stop at Diddy Riese for an Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich when I'm in Westwood.  Mom loved stopping there too when she was visiting.  I picked out a dress that Mom really liked and was ready when Jamie picked me up for our incredible Food Adventure!

Cheers Mom...Happy Birthday!

Jamie and I started off at Pearl's on Sunset in West Hollywood.  Carolyn (who was also very close with my Mom) manages the Bar/Restaurant and it was also Happy Hour, so we were excited for the $1 Oysters and $3 Champagne, and other yummy bites.  The Oysters were fabulous and the Champagne was sweet; I had my first ever Grilled Oyster and Fried Oyster, which I loved.  We also had the Lollipop Lamb Chops and Grilled & Chilled Shrimp.  Everything was delicious including our cocktails!  And there was even a place setting for my Mom...thanks Carol <3

Pearl's on Sunset with Jamie & Carolyn

Next up was EPLP on La Cienega.  Initially, I was a little nervous.  I checked out the menu during the day and was a little leery about it but after getting a glass of wine I was ready to be adventurous.  I was with Jamie afterall, and she always makes me try new and strange things and I usually end up loving them.  Like the Abalone which is similar to a snail (I made sure Jamie didn't tell me what it was or I would have shied away from it) that was absolutely delicious!  We also did the Kakoda, which was raw shrimp ceviche with coconut milk, lime and chili.  In all honesty, I had so many favorites throughout this meal, I can't pick just one or two.  Although I would go back and order that ceviche again and again!  We also got the Wood Grilled Octopus; I am not an Octopus fan but I did try it, and it was alright (better than ok but probably not something I would order again, although the salad it came with was really yummy).  We did the Heirloom Tomato and I felt like I was missing out on the cheese in it, but of course there wouldn't be cheese in Asian Cuisine.  It was light and fresh.  For our entree, we ordered the Massaman Curry which was Venison Shank (another surprise, I thought it was short rib, but it was tender and flavorful but not too gamey) served with a pickled green relish and brown rice.  At this point, we were really full from our Happy Hour but everything was too good not to eat.  Thankfully, the Curry would be great later on, and I also took the leftover Octopus Salad and brown rice.  Special thanks to Jamie's friend who took such great care and made us feel so special on a beautiful day.

No meal is complete without dessert and Jamie knows me too well as to not stop somewhere for the finishing touch to our Food Adventure.  Our final stop was Terrine on Beverly for Beignets and an after-dinner drink.  The Beignets were light and airy, and my Gin Cocktail was fresh and just enough to close out the evening still feeling good.

I'm so glad we were able to check out a couple new places and get to Pearl's for the Tuesday Oyster & Champagne night, I'll definitely be back for that, and EPLP has a beautiful rooftop that we didn't get to see, so I'm sure the next time we have Dinner, we'll visit that as well!

I wish I could share more Birthday's with my Mom but I will continue to celebrate for and with her, no matter what, and I'm so glad I had such a great friend to share that special day with!

Buckcherry at The Viper Room :D

I've been a Buckcherry fan since 2006 when their album "15" came out and 'Sorry' became one of their biggest hits and I started singing along with it.  Along with 'Sorry' was 'Crazy B*tch' which was just such a fun rock & roll song, and reminded me that there are some great Rock Bands out there today!  *I hadn't quite gotten into The Foo Fighters yet until 'Pretender' came out and then I started to discover and fall in love with their music, as they are one of my favorite Rock Bands to this day!*  I had been listening to a CD of Buckcherry Music for the past year as Neil had gotten me into their music and not only could they write these awesome rock songs but some beautiful ballads with touching lyrics.  I was hooked.

Cocktails on Sunset Blvd at Rock & Reilly's

Neil had gotten 4 tickets to Buckcherry at The Viper Room for last Friday as they were playing 3 shows there last weekend.  Kristina, Chris, Neil and I got into Hollywood and had a drink at Rock & Reilly's (a fun and wild Irish Bar with awesome green wallpaper on Sunset Blvd) with Neil's friend, Cory, before we walked over to The Viper Room.  The Viper Room was a small venue for Buckcherry, but I found out from Kristina and Josh Todd that night as he was talking between songs that they wanted to pay homage to LA because this is where they got their start and they appreciate their fans support through all these years.  I think it was awesome that we all got a chance to see them at such an intimate venue.

I had never seen a show at The Viper Room aside from seeing Neil play in the Acoustic Lounge last year and taking a mini tour of the whole venue at that time.  The place was packed but not overly so, that we couldn't move or maintain some sense of personal space.  We got a round of drinks and found a good spot where we all could see and were about 10 feet from the stage.  I was so excited as soon as the band came out and Josh Todd was wearing a bandanna, jacket, and sunglasses as he opened the show.  By song #2, the bandanna and sunglasses were off, and just a couple songs later, he was shirtless and awesome!  The whole band was into the music and you could tell they were enjoying themselves.

H.O.T.

They played a bunch of songs off "15", "All Night Long" and some new songs off their new album "Confessions."  One of their first hit's 'Lit Up' was played in between 'Everything' which is one of my favorites and 'Gluttony' which is a new song.  Some of my favorite slower songs which I thought they might play since The Viper Room is a more intimate venue were left out but they brought the energy while they played, the lead guitarist throwing out plenty of picks, and Josh singing and dancing as much as possible.  They sounded just like they do on their album and it was fantastic to actually see them live and be that close to the stage.  One of their closing songs was, of course, 'Crazy B*tch' and I even threw in a little of my own head banging!

An absolutely amazing show and happy concert goer's!

Our American Idol :)

 Overall, I can't say enough good things about the Buckcherry show except that I wish it was longer.  It was just over an hour or so long and I wanted to hear more because they did sound so great!  I think we all wanted to hear more music from them and people of all ages were at the show considering they have been around for 15 years.  Of course, Josh Todd, had that rocker performance charisma that made me want to jump on stage, dance with him, and hug him in all his sweaty glory but I didn't...perhaps next time ;)  Seeing Buckcherry at The Viper Room definitely makes me want to see more shows there because it was so much fun but I can bet this experience will stick with me for a long time!

*A couple side notes and an exciting extra:  We found a secure parking garage down the street for $10 which was great and we only had to walk a couple blocks.  The Viper Room was actually reasonably priced for drinks, with a shot and beer for $10 or their own house shot, the Viper Venom, for $4.  Coors Light was $5 so that was certainly a pleasant surprise to get some inexpensive drinks!  Then, on our way out and as we walked back to Sunset Blvd, we ran into this wonderful guy, who happened to be enjoying Hollywood and The Viper Room as well.  Chris had actually asked to get a picture with him, when one of his friends said, he was on American Idol.  Vincent Powell had just been kicked off the night before, but as soon as his friend had mentioned that, I remembered exactly who he was and how incredible he performed.  American Idol lost out on an extremely talented singer with a fabulous personality, and I know he's got big things coming to him.  It was great meeting you, Vincent!*

Vincent from American Idol and Chris after the Buckcherry Show at The Viper Room!

Plus, I love that I'm continuing my New Year's Resolution of doing new things.  A new concert for 2013, seeing my first Rock Band, Buckcherry, at a new venue, The Viper Room, and having a blast with my friends!  Hooray :)