Red Bull Training Video

A week and a half ago I got booked on a shoot for Red Bull.  They were filming at Blind Barber (one of my favorite bars in West LA) which is a Barber Shop during the day and a fabulous Bar & Restaurant (they serve some of the best Grilled Cheese I've ever had) at night.  Red Bull was shooting a Training Video for their employee's and Justin & I were playing the 'Bartenders' for the day.  Good thing we had some experience in Bartending!

It was a really fun shoot, working with the crew, the Wings (Red Bull gals who bring their products into bars) and also drinking a lot of Red Bull.  When you have to get the right shot, and they need to see you pop the tab on the can and take a sip, you end up opening a few cans and I couldn't let them all go to waste!  Needless to say, I was up till after 4 am that night and I had my last Red Bull at 4 pm.

Lots of Red Bull was consumed during the taking of these photos and filming of this shoot!

The video teaches the employee's what to do when encountering Bartenders & Managers, and also educates them on what products are available and how to get the product on the shelves!  Right now, they've got a new flavor, Tangerine, that tasted just like Orange Soda.  My personal favorite is the Blueberry but they also have Cranberry & Tropical flavors.

Just taking a little break in-between shots...

I'm not sure if I'll ever get to see the Training Videos or get a copy but I hope I do as it was a great shoot and the vignettes were also super funny so I'd love to see the finished product!  At least I have the photos and memories :)

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! 

Corner Door for Dine LA

I was able to check out three new spots during the two weeks of Dine LA.  I'm very excited to go back to Bacari in Playa Del Rey and Upstairs 2 in West LA and try more off of their menus.  On Wednesday before Karaoke, Jamie and I decided to check out Corner Door, as she knew the bar manager (even though we weren't drinking) and it's always nice to visit friends at work!

We both ended up order the Mushroom Ricotta Agnolotti as it was a special dish just for Dine LA customers.  I started with the Basil & Beet Salad with almonds, a citrus vinaigrette and Pecorino cheese (also just offered during Dine LA) and Jamie got the Pan Seared Octopus.  Definitely something that scared me!  We shared dessert getting both the Chocolate Pudding and the Bread Pudding.  

Ricotta Agnolotti at Corner Door in West LA

Originally I was going to get the Brussels Sprouts since I'm such a huge fan of them but because they're on their normal menu I wanted to try something that was seasonal and I also love beets.  The salad portion was small, as in there were probably about five or six pieces of basil lettuce and a few chunks of beets.  I was a little bummed about that but the dressing and the way everything worked together was delicious!  It was supposed to come with Ricotta Cheese but I figured since I was having that in my next course I should go for something different; having a scoop of the Ricotta might have filled me up more than the shaved Pecorino.  Jamie and I agreed that the Agnolotti for our Dinner course was amazing!  Once again it was a smaller portion but the creaminess of the Ricotta, the flavorful mushrooms and delicious sauce was so good we both wanted more of it!  Next up was dessert, two bigger than bite-size pieces of Bread Pudding and a small cup of Chocolate Pudding with maple cream.  They were both delicious just small.

I definitely want to go back to Corner Door and check out their Happy Hour and regular menu.  I'm hoping when you get food off the regular menu the portions are a little bigger.  I was actually still hungry after we got done with Dinner that I almost stopped at In & Out for a burger!  I can say though that all the flavors went really well together and it was definitely a balanced meal :)

Upstairs 2 for Dine LA

I've been doing a pretty great job of keeping up with my New Year's Resolutions for this first month of 2015.  Upstairs 2 was my third restaurant in Los Angeles in the past month that was new for me and I also went by myself for Dinner which is definitely a little scary; another Resolution, to do things every day that scare me.  There's a great "Friends" episode where Rachel tries to eat out alone but gets in her head about the whole thing, luckily, I didn't go through that scenario ;)

Upstairs 2 located in West LA also has The Wine House connected to it downstairs and they have Wine Tastings and is the largest wine store in LA.  I was there on a Wednesday so they had a Wine Tasting at 7 pm.  I'll need to go back and check that out!  I had decided on Upstairs 2 because of their Dine LA menu but when I got there and saw the regular menu I was so overwhelmed by all the amazing-sounding food I decided to order off the regular menu and ended up spending less than I would had I ordered off the Dine LA menu!

Dinner at Upstairs 2 in West LA for Dine LA Week

I started with the Brussels Sprout Salad that had endive, pecans, and brussels sprouts and was quite large for an appetizer salad; I am not complaining, trust me, I was very happy!  I also got a glass of their Riesling which wasn't overly sweet, just right, and priced appropriately.  Next, I had the Lemon Pesto Shrimp to which they gave me some Parmesan Cheese that really knocked the dish out of the ballpark.  It was a really nice portion and I loved the Lemon Pesto!  I was quite excited to find out they had Chocolate Lava Cake (which wasn't on the Dine LA menu) so of course, I had to get that.  It came out perfectly gooey and the Bartender even had the kitchen put the ice cream on the side for me because I don't like the cold ice cream to take away from the chocolatey center.  OCD, just a little.

The Bartender was really friendly as well as one of the waiters I chatted with.  The food and selection was impressive and changes seasonally.  They're very happy to suggest wine pairings and the menu is actually set-up to do just that, and they also let you taste just about anything which is great.  I'll definitely be back to try more food and wine as well :)