Il Cielo in Beverly Hills for Dine LA

Thursday night was a special treat, and on top of Aimee and I's first Girl's Night out for Dinner, we had a great meal at another new restaurant and I am keeping true to my New Year's resolutions!

Il Cielo was just as beautiful as I imagined it would be.  The ambiance in the restaurant was just incredible!  We got seated and were greeted by two different people welcoming us to the restaurant, taking my coat for me, and then bringing us water.  We brought a bottle of wine in and they had a $25 corkage fee which was fine considering the price per bottle at minimum was almost double that.  They brought bruschetta while we looked over the menu and I went with the Insalta Toscana, Costolette di Manzo, and Chocolate Souffle.

The salad was butter lettuce with shaved apple, roasted almonds and pecorino cheese in a honey mustard dressing.  Aimee got the Beef Carpacchio which was served with arugula, fresh squeezed lemon, and parmesan.  I'm not a huge honey mustard fan but the dressing was the perfect accompaniment to the salad and I wouldn't have changed a thing.  Il Cielo made me a believer!  The appetizers were probably my favorite part of the meal and it was my first time having Beef Carpacchio and everything worked so well together and was just stupendous.

Our delicious appetizers!

My entree was braised short ribs with a horseradish sweet potato and baby vegetables.  Aimee got the grilled Norwegian Salmon with broccolini and cherry tomatoes in balsamic.  The short ribs were tender and I loved the horseradish potato but the short ribs at The Garage are so great, it was hard to live up to.  Aimee's veggies were very flavorful and she loved her salmon but I'm definitely more of a meat-eater.  The portions were nice and big so that was great but not over-whelming which left plenty of room for dessert.

Dinner is served...

We both ordered the Chocolate Souffle which was more of a bittersweet chocolate but the chocolate center perfectly flowed out nice and hot.  It's so easy to over-cook a souffle and this was timed to perfection and it showed.  It was served with vanilla gelato and I ordered an espresso to cap off the meal and wonderful dining experience.

Yup.

There were other entrees I was also looking at, like the Fettuccine with Sea Scallops and Cherry Tomatoes and that was on the Dine LA menu. They had a few different Risotto's and Lamb (that sounded really good) on their regular menu.  I will most certainly be back because of the impeccable service and beautiful atmosphere.  Plus, they have Happy Hour Monday through Friday which is great and totally unexpected from such an up-scale venue.

 

I will definitely be back to Il Cielo :)

Dine LA and Karaoke on Wednesday

I got another Dine LA experience on Wednesday afternoon when I took myself out to Lunch at 2117 just down the street from me on Sawtelle.  I'd read this menu on Dine LA over the past couple of years and looked forward to a fun little Lunch on my own.

2117 is an Asian Fusion restaurant and the menu looked really interesting and seemed reasonably priced so I thought I would check it out.  I don't dine out alone very often but I wasn't worried about it at all until I felt like the waitress was looking at me a little funny and everyone else was sitting in groups.  Overall, the waitress was on top of re-filling my water but never once asked how anything was so that was a little discouraging.  I ordered the Japanese Tai Snapper Carpacchio, the Crispy Cilantro-Crusted Wild Mexican Shrimp, and then the XO Brandy Creme Brulee.  While the Snapper tasted delicious and was a generous portion, the presentation was a little messy and the green color wasn't necessarily appetizing.  The waitress told me the Shrimp was going to be spicy and I said that was great, but when it came, it wasn't spicy at all, and I felt the description and title of the Shrimp made it seem much more up-scale when it was just shrimp tempura.  The shrimp was ok but the risotto/rice was really good and a nice compliment to it.  The Creme Brulee was my favorite part, it was creamy and had a great sweet flavor.  This meal was $20 and I felt like I got my money's worth but nothing wowed me and it's not someplace I would suggest to anyone and that's a bummer.

Dine LA Lunch at 2117

On Wednesday night I hosted Karaoke at Gabe's and started the night with 'When I'm Gone,' by 3 Doors Down which was my new song last week.  I then did 'Promises In The Dark' by Pat Benatar but switched it up to The Supreme's singing one of my favorites, 'Baby Love.'  I was feeling the rock vibe so I did 'November Rain' by Guns & Roses and also 'Every Breath You Take' by The Police which was my best performance of that.  My new song of the night was Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance' which was a lot of fun to sing and a good challenge to myself with the wordiness of the song in addition to low and high parts that need a lot of power behind them.  I closed out the night with 'Run' by Leona Lewis because I couldn't even remember the last time I sang that.  It's a difficult song but I lowered the key which helped.  It was a busy night filled with lots of singers and some strong song choices!

It really was a fun night of Karaoke and a nice little lunch date for myself on a good ol' Wednesday!

Dine LA starts at La Vecchia!

One of my resolutions was to eat at new restaurants or try new Happy Hours at least once a month.  In trying new things, I hit up La Vecchia in Santa Monica last night for one of my favorite times of the year, Dine LA.  Restaurant Week comes twice a year for a week or two and I joke with friends that this is what I save money for; I don't need a new purse, or pair of heels, I want an incredible dining experience.  La Vecchia proved to be just right.

Dine LA is offered at restaurants throughout Los Angeles and it's a three-course prix fixe menu.  At lunch, and depending on the price of food and location, prices are $15, $20, or $25 and at dinner, they're $25, $35, or $45.  La Vecchia was $35 per person without tax and gratuity, and was a steal considering my entree alone was valued at $49!

Let's get to the food!  I started with the Insalta Di Burrata which was heirloom tomatoes, fresh burrata cheese, proscuitto, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt, and basil.  I've tried proscuitto in the past and I'm not really a big fan and after trying it again last night, I'm still not into it.  But the burrata, tomatoes, and basil were so fresh and delicious, that was all I wanted and it was very satisfying.

Look at that burrata!

For my second course I was debating on getting the Filet with a leek and mushroom port wine sauce but decided on a traditional Italian meal getting the Gnocchi Ai Funghi Porcini E Vitello Con Tartuffo.  Breaking that down, it was the fluffiest, tiny little delicious pillows of gnocchi which was house-made, porcini mushrooms and a cream sauce, with sauteed veal and fresh shaved Italian black winter truffles.  The Chef, Mark Mollica, came over to the table to check on the meal and said he didn't want to waste the truffle and would I mind if he shaved the rest onto my plate.  I know how valuable a truffle is so I certainly didn't want it to go to waste and appreciated every little bit of it.  I'm not totally sure but I believe this was my first time eating veal and while the pieces were pretty small, I thought it tasted similar to chicken.  Overall, the entree was absolutely fabulous.

So many truffles covering the perfect gnocchi...

Next up it was time for dessert.  I knew as soon as I had scoped out the place on-line I was ordering the Molten Chocolate Cake which really needs no description.  It was as incredible as you could dream it to be.  As soon as I spooned out my first piece, the chocolatey goodness melted out and it was the perfect way to end the meal!

Perfection.

My overall thoughts about the meal, ambiance, and staff, are good.  The food was excellent and the server was sweet and attentive.  She was from Wisconsin so I always have an instant connection with my Midwestern peeps.  I thought it was great that the Chef came out to check on the meal and topped off my plate with extra truffles.  Plus, his presentation was impeccable.  Because it was extremely busy as this was the first day for Dine LA, the restaurant was packed, and you were sitting pretty close to the neighboring tables.  When I go again, I'll request the table right next to the front window.  Initially, there was no Host, but I believe it was the Manager who came over, and said he'd be back in five minutes.  I had made a reservation so I wish he would have asked right away versus brushing us off, and I watched the two women who had come in after me, stand waiting at the front door for at least five minutes more before they were seated.  Later on I had another conversation with him after the restaurant had almost emptied out and he was a little abrupt and not very friendly which was slightly disappointing but that wouldn't stop me from coming back.

This sets the bar for the rest of my Dine LA experiences this week and it's going to be tough to match :)

3 Doors Down Acoustic Show!

Since starting my concert list a few years ago I finally found a band that I've been listening to for years that came to LA and had affordable tickets to their show that I was excited to buy!

 

On Tuesday night I had tickets to see the 3 Doors Down Songs from the Basement Tour at the House of Blues on Sunset.  I've always liked their music and 'Here Without You' is still one of my favorite songs and can always bring tears to my eyes.  The lead singer, Brad, sounded absolutely fantastic live; there was literally no difference between the album and his live voice which is always great to hear.  He played all his hits along with some songs that were a little obscure but that I really enjoyed enough to find his older albums and hear some of his first songs.  This was a Christmas present for Neil, and we were just three rows of people from the stage and had a great view of the whole band.  New songs to me that I liked were 'Let Me Be Myself,' 'When You're Young,' and 'Duck and Run.'  They played hits like 'Away From the Sun,' 'Be Like That,' 'Kryptonite,' and 'It's Not My Time.'  There was a short encore where they played my favorite, 'Here Without You' which was just beautiful and then another one of my favs 'When I'm Gone,' to close out the night.

Clearly very happy to be touring again!

Overall, the show was awesome and a great way to start my 2014 concert experience!  They played for over an hour and a half with plenty of music.  Plus, since we were right down the street from Pearl's we stopped by for a cocktail.  I had an awesome tequila drink called the Mickey Cohen, that had a strawberry-jalapeno-lime infused ice sphere, tequila, and passion fruit that was delicious.

Pearl's Cocktail, Winter Concert Wear, and 'Here Without You'

It's already an entertaining start to 2014 :)

One-Hit Wonder Show & Karaoke

Last year I saw my friend, Andy, at The Falcon Theater performing a Troubadour Show called Rudolph the Red-Nosed ReinDoors which was a tribute to The Doors with the story-telling of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.  This last Sunday I got to see an awesome theater show, Walking in a One-Hit Wonderland, thanks to my friend, Andy, who was in the show.  It had plenty of one-hit wonders and a story that centered around the Winter Warlock. 

 

I was lucky to get tickets to the Wonderland show considering they were selling out fast.  This year's show had a lot more improv and we got to see Andy more so I was very excited.  It was about a 90 minute show that included singing, acting, dancing, crowd participation and fun.  This was their 10th anniversary so they played clips from the past 10 years which was really neat.  On top of your favorite one-hit wonders, Andy was on stilts, the Winter Warlock was on stilts, there were stunts performed, some "alcohol consumption" and the story of three ghosts visiting Winter who wanted to quit the business but decided that everyone wanted her around and Christmas just wasn't the same without her.  It's always a happy ending when it comes to a Troubadour show!  It was also awesome to recognize some of the same actors from the last show :)

 

This past week at Karaoke had a little late 90's early 2000's vibe.  It was pretty quiet, even for a Wednesday night, so I opened with 'You Know I'm No Good' by Amy Winehouse and then got into a Fiona Apple song with 'Criminal.'   I switched over to the guys, doing 'Mr. Jones' by The Counting Crows and since I had just seen 3 Doors Down the previous night at The House Of Blues, my new song of the night was, 'When I'm Gone' which went really well and is right in my range.  I got one more female song in, doing 'You Were Meant for Me' which I haven't done in a while and then swapped back to the dudes.  We had a little Tom Petty super-set going so I did 'You Got Lucky' and this went much better than the last time I did it quite some time ago.  I closed out the night with 'Everything I Do, I Do It For You,' by Bryan Adams.  If there had been more people there I think the theme would have been a lot of fun so I'll have to bring it back another time.

I think we need a One-Hit Wonder night at Karaoke...coming soon!

Afterbuzz TV & SAG Screeners

This week has been pretty busy with work and because I've been sick I've been spending my down time watching my SAG Screeners so I know who to vote for by the deadline.  I not only Guest Hosted for Vanderpump Rules this week but also got my bio and headshot up on the Afterbuzz website!  Check it out here: http://site.afterbuzztv.com/guests/lyndsey-wegner/

 

This week we started back up at Afterbuzz for Shahs of Sunset with two new hosts.  It adds a better dynamic to have more of us to discuss and debate on the show and it's topics.  I actually got quite heated about GG and her contenders but to see what I say you'll have to check out the show on YouTube. Lyndsey Hosting the Shahs of Sunset Aftershow for Afterbuzz TV.  I also Guest Hosted for Vanderpump Rules which is a show I can really get into and watch on a regular basis.  I had a little Jennifer Aniston/Rachel from Friends moment in the beginning but it was also a lot of fun to have three of us girls chatting about a show full of gossip and ridiculous antics!

Here's our video for Vanderpump Rules...catch my 'Rachel' moment at the 1:45 mark!

I've been laying low the past couple of days in between Bartending and watching a bunch of my SAG Screeners.  Yesterday I watched 12 Years A Slave which was really good and had a phenomenal ensemble cast (loved the cameo by Brad Pitt who produced the film).  People kept saying it was really violent and that it made The Passion of the Christ look tame but I disagree.  The Passion literally had me looking away at points and this wasn't as graphic but allowed you into their world and brought compassion and sympathy to the characters.  I wasn't that into Dallas Buyers Club when I started it but got totally sucked in about a half hour into the movie.  I thought that Jared Leto and Matthew McCoughney had incredible performances and was so happy to see them nail both of their roles.  

It's going to be a difficult decision for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor with Dallas Buyers Club in the mix and it's going to be tough to pick my choices for the SAG Awards as most of the movies and casting has been top notch!  Right now, 2014 is pretty rocking :)

If only I didn't sound like a turtle with lungs full of spiderwebs...

One week into 2014...

Already a week into 2014 and so much has happened.  I've been sick with a cold/sore throat for most of it but stayed true to my new song at Karaoke and finished out a great run of Babes In Toyland with an awesome cast and crew!

Last Saturday was my last week playing Mary Contrary in Babes In Toyland.  It ran for six weeks at The Miles Playhouse and we had our original cast together for the final performance.  I felt it was my strongest week singing (even with the laryngitis I had earlier in the week) and we all had so much fun in our roles and bringing magic to the room!  At the end of the show we take photos and talk to the kids and their parents.  One girl came up to me, and after we took pictures together she said that I was her favorite actress and she wanted to go grow up and be just like me.  Those are the moments I live for and the reason I do what I do.  I want to inspire people and here I was 25 years later, performing in Children's Theater, doing exactly what I watched other actors do, and knowing at that time I wanted to do the same thing.  It's one of my favorite acting moments to date!

Meeting my favorite fan ;)

I'm also so glad I got to see a bunch of my cast mates in Rapunzel which was playing at 1 pm on Saturday as well.  I felt like a little kid watching and booing for the villains and cheering for the prince and princess.  It was so neat to watch the children's faces throughout the room taking the show in.  When we were performing for Babes In Toyland I wasn't able to see how much the kids really enjoyed us as I did watching this other show.  It's literally magic :)

The Babes In Toyland cast after a performance in December!

By Wednesday I had a full-on sore throat so I'm surprised I was even able to sing for my first night back hosting Karaoke in 2014.  I opened the night with 'Here Without You' by Three Doors Down and joined Marty on a couple songs throughout the night including 'Careless Whisper' and 'Lucky' by Jason Mraz and Colbie Callait.  My new song of the night was 'Bathwater' by No Doubt and since I had some friends visiting I also sang Tracy Chapman's 'Give Me One Reason To Stay Here' which was great for my low turtle voice.  It's all about song choice and I think I chose right considering I was under the weather.

 Creating Arts is gearing up for another great season and they're casting a bunch of their upcoming shows in the next week or two and I can't wait to get involved with another show.  This cold better scram pretty soon so I can be all prepped and ready for Princess Time!