tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233623612024-02-18T21:05:41.061-05:00Will Write 4 Travel - ReviewsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger116125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23362361.post-54276519006476797582012-08-10T09:44:00.001-04:002012-08-10T09:44:38.594-04:00Back-to-School with Famous Footwear - 15% off + BOGO
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<p>This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of <a rel='nofollow' href='http://app.socialspark.com/disclosure_clicks?oid=8325989'>Famous Footwear</a>. All opinions are 100% mine.</p>
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<p> <img alt='FF-BiggestVictory-GIF_300x250(1).jpg' src='https://img.skitch.com/20120801-8a71u3s86fex85thbdu5yt3cgf.jpg'/></p>
<p> <span style='font-size: 14px; '><span style='font-family: 'trebuchet ms', helvetica, sans-serif; '>It seems like just yesterday that summer was beginning, but we are quickly approaching the new school year. Preparing to go back-to-school can be both exciting and anxiety-inducing. That’s why Famous Footwear wants to make back-to-school shopping as easy as possible on parents, students and all of our wallets.</span></span></p>
<p> <span style='font-size:14px;'><span style='font-family: 'trebuchet ms', helvetica, sans-serif; '>Famous Footwear offers a wide selection of name brand shoes and accessories at discounted prices. I’m talking about hundreds of brands making up thousands of styles. With variety like that, Famous Footwear can meet all of my one-stop shoe shopping needs just in time for back-to-school.</span></span></p>
<p> <span style='font-size:14px;'><span style='font-family: 'trebuchet ms', helvetica, sans-serif; '>While buying new shoes may not be a victory on par with winning the gymnastics team gold (Go, Fierce Five!), Famous Footwear wants to recognize all of our victories – big or small. To celebrate, they are currently offering 15% off plus BOGO (buy one, get one half off).</span></span></p>
<p> <span style='font-size:14px;'><span style='font-family: 'trebuchet ms', helvetica, sans-serif; '>Famous Footwear is also offering an additional five percent off for their Rewards Program members and those who sign up to become a member, for a total of 20% off. Becoming a Rewards Program member is free and provides great benefits:</span></span></p>
<ul><li> <span style='font-family: 'trebuchet ms', helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; '>Members earn 1 point for every dollar spent online or in-store</span></li> <li> <span style='font-family: 'trebuchet ms', helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; '>Members accumulate points over time to earn certificates of up to $100 per year</span></li> <li> <span style='font-family: 'trebuchet ms', helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; '>Members receive a discount offer at sign up</span></li> <li> <span style='font-family: 'trebuchet ms', helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; '>Members also receive special insider discounts and perks</span></li></ul>
<p> <span style='font-size:14px;'><span style='font-family: 'trebuchet ms', helvetica, sans-serif; '>Print out and bring this coupon <a rel='nofollow' href='http://app.socialspark.com/clicks?lid=23115&oid=8325989'>BOGO + 15% off Famous Footwear Coupon</a> with you when you visit a Famous Footwear store from now until August 18<sup>th </sup>to take advantage of this offer.</span></span></p>
<p> <img alt='' height='1' width='1' src='http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/N2436.154520.IZEA/B6834496.4;sz=1x1;ord=[timestamp]?[timestamp]&rtu=-1'/></p>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23362361.post-28151518519794068172012-05-19T16:42:00.000-04:002012-05-19T16:43:28.578-04:00Second day in Lisbon<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeffhMBOQ-eytP-gxSAhtuVDdD-lz-NlC1EFIQjwzy5HgZKi51wPAnitEgG24O2EFldwccREOlSRCWJww5xQw_aCspJy2d-dmpzTesChTyDLdEg5DgVv7LkhI-OOjRG3PTdqq6/s1600/photo-708579.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeffhMBOQ-eytP-gxSAhtuVDdD-lz-NlC1EFIQjwzy5HgZKi51wPAnitEgG24O2EFldwccREOlSRCWJww5xQw_aCspJy2d-dmpzTesChTyDLdEg5DgVv7LkhI-OOjRG3PTdqq6/s320/photo-708579.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5744347859466109074" /></a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23362361.post-9887010692435029062010-12-03T14:09:00.003-05:002010-12-06T17:19:47.594-05:00Giveaway: $35 gift certificate from CSNStores.com<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBvajhMXSXMCLbESsEuOKwTOp4fTFecuWc_75Xioq6WNhGCNvWA5TesqS0ihDz1qTL1GmJ9XKzNaBFYQfOjkDxsaXJXW_MNvsyR3K3MWG6QZth_uU3fNPK9nl28vzkqG2OLGkbA/s1600/CSN_Stores_Logo.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBvajhMXSXMCLbESsEuOKwTOp4fTFecuWc_75Xioq6WNhGCNvWA5TesqS0ihDz1qTL1GmJ9XKzNaBFYQfOjkDxsaXJXW_MNvsyR3K3MWG6QZth_uU3fNPK9nl28vzkqG2OLGkbA/s1600/CSN_Stores_Logo.gif" /></a></div>I'm happy to announce an opportunity for one lucky blog reader to win a $35 gift certificate to CSNStores.com. If you still haven't had a chance to visit CSN Stores, they operate 200+ websites with thousands of products. While I enjoy checking out their travel accessories and cookware, they also sell everything from backyard furniture to <a href="http://www.allbarstools.com/">barstool</a> and lighting.<br />
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You might recall the <a href="http://grnybeanie.blogspot.com/2010/11/in-kitchen-csnstorescom-product-review.html">product review</a> I did last month. Currently, I'm longing for these two products to add to my kitchen.<br />
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<a href="http://www.csnstores.com/Purple-Peepers-3-Piece-Set-CKN1088.html">Owl Oven Mitt and Potholders Set</a> - $19.99<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitr2oYBVcS3TeM2Xhs83Cbx6rDnH5piIwUT6XgiHH-xEsVBM2QKgDD64fvKp4aPYSoMoZYDwd5ElTunxRqr4IwcIExYGbD7ves-udTM55PgS7FLF9r9nCzklSryeB-vgzWR3h7/s1600/Sassy-Cookn-Purple-Peepers-Oval-Mitt-and-Potholders-Set.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitr2oYBVcS3TeM2Xhs83Cbx6rDnH5piIwUT6XgiHH-xEsVBM2QKgDD64fvKp4aPYSoMoZYDwd5ElTunxRqr4IwcIExYGbD7ves-udTM55PgS7FLF9r9nCzklSryeB-vgzWR3h7/s320/Sassy-Cookn-Purple-Peepers-Oval-Mitt-and-Potholders-Set.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.csnstores.com/Metrokane-6600-MKN1147.html">Wine decanter and aeration system</a> - $59.99</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC3f13urVamK9Ijgsmzrxy2fQRhb8zJci0hw2WxqZbPs0Zbzil5EMT9c6e8brpLYNTjsCIRrEgqPygxJ1Q6PA3mAjtd6Se8gNHLTX5gPlDAZjFcEZblNHwEwQ5zrtw2OHjPf_U/s1600/Rabbit%252BDecanter%252BAeration%252BSystem%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC3f13urVamK9Ijgsmzrxy2fQRhb8zJci0hw2WxqZbPs0Zbzil5EMT9c6e8brpLYNTjsCIRrEgqPygxJ1Q6PA3mAjtd6Se8gNHLTX5gPlDAZjFcEZblNHwEwQ5zrtw2OHjPf_U/s320/Rabbit%252BDecanter%252BAeration%252BSystem%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<u>Enter to win the $35 gift certificate</u> to CSNStores.com by leaving a comment below and sharing what you would buy with the gift certificate. Please include your first name and email address. Open to residents of the United States and Canada only. Limit one entry per person.<br />
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The giveaway closes on Friday, December 17, 2010 at 11:55 pm EST. One winner will be chosen using random.org and notified via email. 48 hours will be given to respond or another winner will be chosen.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><i>Disclosure: No monetary compensation was received for this post.</i></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23362361.post-9207288356652190432010-11-04T16:28:00.001-04:002010-11-04T16:36:07.109-04:00In the Kitchen: A CSNStores.com Product ReviewMy products from <a href="http://csnstores.com/">CSNStores.com</a> arrived some weeks ago, but I only had a chance to put them in to use recently. Shopping with CSN Stores is easy; the only hindrance is the variety of products they carry makes picking out what to buy hard!<br />
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I decided to go the practical route and picked out two new items for our kitchen. As you know from my previous posts, Raisin Bread and I have been cooking quite often at home. While we have made lots of healthy meals, a few of our cookware and electronic items died as a result.<br />
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We needed a new hand mixer to replace the one that broke, and I chose the <a href="http://www.csnstores.com/asp/show_detail.asp?sku=PSX1040">Proctor-Silex Hand Mixer</a>. This model is extremely non-fancy and is pretty generic, but I liked the price point and it does the job that it was meant to do. I've only used the mixer once so far and it was to make a Hong Kong-style egg custard tart. It came out beautifully! <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrvsI4dogc1eb8S181rcd0LOlXXKjWCPlBJrplWgyNItnWGsPthzmdaCyxbIw6P32k-jr4GEtsd7R7e85SUaJqKKofzzifk7Kj_ZRn-EeGHq1ICQUIj2PoHS_khncWtOlZS9id/s1600/Hand+Mixer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrvsI4dogc1eb8S181rcd0LOlXXKjWCPlBJrplWgyNItnWGsPthzmdaCyxbIw6P32k-jr4GEtsd7R7e85SUaJqKKofzzifk7Kj_ZRn-EeGHq1ICQUIj2PoHS_khncWtOlZS9id/s320/Hand+Mixer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #202020; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;"><strong style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold;">Proctor-Silex Hand Mixer Features:</strong></span><br />
<ul class="bodytext" style="list-style-type: disc !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="color: #202020; float: none !important; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 20px !important; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Bowl rest feature</li>
<li style="color: #202020; float: none !important; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 20px !important; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">125 Watts</li>
<li style="color: #202020; float: none !important; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 20px !important; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Beater eject</li>
<li style="color: #202020; float: none !important; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 20px !important; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">5 speeds</li>
</ul>The other item I chose was a <a href="http://www.csnstores.com/asp/show_detail.asp?sku=FBR1877">Farberware Superior Nonstick 8" Deep Skillet in Black</a>. We have several other small skillets, but they have lost their nonstickyness due to overuse. Besides the nonstick surface, I absolutely love that deepness of the skillet. This makes it more difficult for me to fling food out of the skillet while I'm stirring. Since I'm not sure how long the skillet will stay nonstick, I used the skillet to make some omelettes for brunch last weekend. Yummy!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGwReXERJRbbTDYfSYn_BjueQIIG2MCss0jDpEeXoBMv07HekfTMUWVxdrs0W_Evq9fBDFDCmG4Q4WhEqfrruVbouI-OnvKi_g22nlwWa7awvNdUzAoGCpnp4cl-GWQPl-UyR9/s1600/Superior+Nonstick+8-+Deep+Skillet+in+Black.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGwReXERJRbbTDYfSYn_BjueQIIG2MCss0jDpEeXoBMv07HekfTMUWVxdrs0W_Evq9fBDFDCmG4Q4WhEqfrruVbouI-OnvKi_g22nlwWa7awvNdUzAoGCpnp4cl-GWQPl-UyR9/s320/Superior+Nonstick+8-+Deep+Skillet+in+Black.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #202020; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;"><b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #202020; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;"><b>Farberware Superior 8" Skillet features:</b></span><br />
<ul class="bodytext" style="color: #202020; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; list-style-type: disc !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="float: none !important; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 20px !important; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Deep skillet</li>
<li style="float: none !important; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 20px !important; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Superior nonstick interior for fat-free cooking</li>
<li style="float: none !important; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 20px !important; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Even heat distribution throughout the entire pan for perfect cooking performance</li>
<li style="float: none !important; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 20px !important; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Comfortable, riveted handle is oven safe to 350°F</li>
</ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #202020; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #202020; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">Specifications:</span><br />
<ul class="bodytext" style="list-style-type: disc !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="color: #202020; float: none !important; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 20px !important; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Cleaning and care: Dishwasher safe</li>
<li style="color: #202020; float: none !important; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 20px !important; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Color: Black</li>
<li style="color: #202020; float: none !important; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 20px !important; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Overall dimensions: 3" H x 8.5" W x 14.25" D</li>
</ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><i>Disclosure: CSNStores.com provided me with an electronic gift certificate in the value of $35 to purchase the items in this review. No monetary or other compensation was received for this post and all opinions are my own. </i></span><br />
<ul class="bodytext" style="color: #202020; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; list-style-type: disc !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23362361.post-87675428831324253182010-10-29T17:26:00.001-04:002010-10-29T17:56:36.370-04:00Say Cheese: Shutterfly's 2010 Holiday Collection<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"></span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">This could just be me, but I have always thought that sending your friends and family cards with your face on it was some how strange and narcissistic. Over the past few years, as we’ve all grown up and become adults, I’ve found more and more of my friends and family living farther and farther apart. It’s not unusual for me to see certain people in my life only once or twice a year. Now, seeing their gorgeous faces smiling back at me on a greeting card is a comfort. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Shutterfly recently debuted its new 2010 <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/">holiday card</a> collection. With over 700 designs, Shutterfly offers a variety of sizes and styles as well as both folded and flat <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery">Christmas photo cards</a>. These cards are a great way to mark significant moments in life. If you are newly married or have just had a child or have just returned from the most amazing vacation of your life, sharing those moments with loved ones is what the holidays are all about. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Here are a few of my favorite <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards">Christmas card</a> designs.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKyqEI6gVU_0-PcPtCbxuMPp2h0rT7T3xmKGUs1R1JknV-HWQRaxHGd_GUeRv26BJ8bSosdvi2dUDzwVJJgdUXgbWOBLkI_IyRXcrBCFQHYCuLS6X_lY1mnUQcmPFy9SzPkUbk/s1600/PHOTOCARD-103-244-MERCHLARGE_FRONT-v127568376200096033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKyqEI6gVU_0-PcPtCbxuMPp2h0rT7T3xmKGUs1R1JknV-HWQRaxHGd_GUeRv26BJ8bSosdvi2dUDzwVJJgdUXgbWOBLkI_IyRXcrBCFQHYCuLS6X_lY1mnUQcmPFy9SzPkUbk/s320/PHOTOCARD-103-244-MERCHLARGE_FRONT-v127568376200096033.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Ove0FnVcucBSEqZqwV74qaPPPpY1V6lYAyHBAqia3JRT73xXGORxd9dWylFkETprTbOkdp_ELW-njNjCD89urWEupFlaV1H2a1ZlxvCKjtnMG-yFIxXCL7fGip4AD1qqypvC/s1600/STATIONERYCARD_5x5-31017-2527-MERCHLARGE_FRONT-v1281031154000147219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Ove0FnVcucBSEqZqwV74qaPPPpY1V6lYAyHBAqia3JRT73xXGORxd9dWylFkETprTbOkdp_ELW-njNjCD89urWEupFlaV1H2a1ZlxvCKjtnMG-yFIxXCL7fGip4AD1qqypvC/s320/STATIONERYCARD_5x5-31017-2527-MERCHLARGE_FRONT-v1281031154000147219.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbsOo0geMS6fcFoJuHHHflz5Z2vf37gKtXGLqZ0TDZuSUf7gS16L46d7aDPecdcbr4UMnNIWKPZSDLDIvXEMV6vVmL_MMozjy7zKsfmr-RCQQmlaXP8g2VrmSOCG6UgY-ZrMH/s1600/STATIONERYCARD_5x7-23017-2585-MERCHLARGE_FRONT-v128103912000081794.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbsOo0geMS6fcFoJuHHHflz5Z2vf37gKtXGLqZ0TDZuSUf7gS16L46d7aDPecdcbr4UMnNIWKPZSDLDIvXEMV6vVmL_MMozjy7zKsfmr-RCQQmlaXP8g2VrmSOCG6UgY-ZrMH/s320/STATIONERYCARD_5x7-23017-2585-MERCHLARGE_FRONT-v128103912000081794.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><i><br />
</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><i>Disclosure: Shutterfly is providing me with a set of holiday cards but no monetary or other compensation was received for this post. </i></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23362361.post-82460715802674895852010-09-24T13:43:00.001-04:002010-09-27T09:52:56.945-04:00Coming Soon: CSNStores.com Product Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBvajhMXSXMCLbESsEuOKwTOp4fTFecuWc_75Xioq6WNhGCNvWA5TesqS0ihDz1qTL1GmJ9XKzNaBFYQfOjkDxsaXJXW_MNvsyR3K3MWG6QZth_uU3fNPK9nl28vzkqG2OLGkbA/s1600/CSN_Stores_Logo.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBvajhMXSXMCLbESsEuOKwTOp4fTFecuWc_75Xioq6WNhGCNvWA5TesqS0ihDz1qTL1GmJ9XKzNaBFYQfOjkDxsaXJXW_MNvsyR3K3MWG6QZth_uU3fNPK9nl28vzkqG2OLGkbA/s1600/CSN_Stores_Logo.gif" style="cursor: move;" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I was recently approached by CSNStores.com to participate in a product review. If you aren't familiar with this company, CSN Stores operates <a href="http://www.csnstores.com/ourstores.asp">200+ websites</a> with thousands of products. They sell everything from furniture and <a href="http://www.bedroomfurniture.com/Headboards-C12461.html">upholstered headboards</a> to clothing, cookware and luggage.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Over the coming weeks, I will be perusing their pages for an item to review. Here are two items that have already caught my eye:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZL75eFZyGAm_GW9XqaM-eCqnl_Gq1ksn19hPD2-8Y3oiVZX0t-r8HGVVoxq7zaTd8XPqapxPUaNRI2oUAprag9uRf5GE5qvsQzF2DCPIFOkeph1RKUxZqaKWNyMb4UCbrp-fDuw/s1600/Velo+Wall+Sticker+in+Black.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZL75eFZyGAm_GW9XqaM-eCqnl_Gq1ksn19hPD2-8Y3oiVZX0t-r8HGVVoxq7zaTd8XPqapxPUaNRI2oUAprag9uRf5GE5qvsQzF2DCPIFOkeph1RKUxZqaKWNyMb4UCbrp-fDuw/s320/Velo+Wall+Sticker+in+Black.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.csnstores.com/ferm-LIVING-2037-01-FRM1092.html">ferm Living's Velo Wall Sticker - $59.95</a></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkBvPBCByn22L7jXmEKvyuU7usqjQLNL9zlqqKEmpQXb0Pxt5ijSBG-p4sVEOVws8OWr3aze0lgC8OYsOdpDZMXVtFl8s74ajJzyifM7DXf7JdAm3xOokFR_ISZwTxK1lKZEJ_Lg/s1600/Mediterraneo+Kitchen+Jar+Collection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkBvPBCByn22L7jXmEKvyuU7usqjQLNL9zlqqKEmpQXb0Pxt5ijSBG-p4sVEOVws8OWr3aze0lgC8OYsOdpDZMXVtFl8s74ajJzyifM7DXf7JdAm3xOokFR_ISZwTxK1lKZEJ_Lg/s320/Mediterraneo+Kitchen+Jar+Collection.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.csnstores.com/Mediterraneo-Kitchen-Jar-Series-AAS1306.html">Alessi Mediterraneo Kitchen Jars - from $30</a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Stay tuned to see what I pick and hear about my experience shopping at <a href="http://csnstores.com/">CSNStores.com</a>.</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>Disclosure: No monetary compensation was received for this post. </i></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23362361.post-30714347774155933792010-04-22T15:53:00.000-04:002010-04-22T15:53:32.505-04:00Good bye!This blog will soon be decommissioned. I have been thinking a lot lately about what I want to say as a blogger, and I realized that I want to say more about me. So I'm moving all of my old content and writing new posts here:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://paintingonawall.blogspot.com/">paintingonawall.blogspot.com</a><br />
<br />
I would love it if you would follow me there!<br />
<br />
Love, IreneUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23362361.post-62478304080333907222010-04-13T13:44:00.000-04:002010-04-13T13:45:17.961-04:00Things to Do Before I leave LAI have approximately 81 days left in Los Angeles. I don't think I can add much more to this list because it will be impossible to achieve. <br />
<br />
Things to Eat: <br />
- Eat a bacon-wrapped hot dog from a street cart<br />
- Palm Springs date shake (June)<br />
- Eat a chili burger at Tommy's<br />
- Animal<br />
<strike>- Beacon</strike><br />
- Bludso’s Brisket<br />
- Cole’s French Dip<br />
- The Coop (April)<br />
<strike>- Craft</strike><br />
- Fraiche<br />
<strike>- Gloria's Salvadoran (April)</strike><br />
- Jitlada<br />
- Lawry’s Prime Rib<br />
- Let’s Be Frank’s Hot Dog<br />
- Ludo’s Fried Chicken (April)<br />
- Mo Chica (April)<br />
- Nickel Diner<br />
- Patisserie at The Bazaar<br />
<strike>- Spago</strike><br />
- The Gorbals<br />
<strike>- The Golden State</strike><br />
- Umami<br />
<br />
<br />
Things to Do: <br />
- <strike>Watch a Derby Dolls match</strike><br />
- Get a naked scrub down at a Korean spa<br />
- Watts Tower<br />
- Self-Realization Fellowship<br />
- Van Nuys Japanese Garden<br />
- Mt Wilson<br />
<strike>- San Antonio Winery </strike><br />
- Monastery of the Angels<br />
- Charmlee Wilderness Park<br />
- Griffith Park Hike<br />
- Heritage SquareUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23362361.post-46555003466435381602010-04-08T12:43:00.000-04:002010-04-08T12:48:26.710-04:00NomNoms: Resto (New York City)I get a day off for Cesar Chavez Day, so Matt and I planned a short trip to New York for the weekend. We didn't have any luck with the two restaurants that I wanted to try. When the original restaurants had entirely too long of a wait, we wandered some back streets, looking on Yelp for possibilities. We wound up stumbling upon Resto in Murray Hill, and I am glad that we did.<br />
<br />
Resto is an adorable, homey Belgian restaurant. It was very quaint and unpretentious for a New York restaurant and was just comfortable. I ordered the chicken and waffles. The citrus chili syrup was kind of a strange addition and I wasn't particularly fond of it. But the gravy, chicken and bacon waffle were amazing. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1K0DNznHq_5jXhK2TRgtUMliqtiqLpyJ4eAyo_j2an__eHX6PLPWvMXubjXSSHKKA3rP3hDHyP4sOdRhokrCd4_dyeQ0RnwFcCOv6W_R04V4Bibmz0RaEELr7OvO9ek2OIVm/s1600/IMG_1864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1K0DNznHq_5jXhK2TRgtUMliqtiqLpyJ4eAyo_j2an__eHX6PLPWvMXubjXSSHKKA3rP3hDHyP4sOdRhokrCd4_dyeQ0RnwFcCOv6W_R04V4Bibmz0RaEELr7OvO9ek2OIVm/s320/IMG_1864.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Chicken 'n Waffles</div><div style="text-align: center;">(bacon waffle, peppercorn gravy, citrus chili syrup)<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Matt ordered the traditional Belgian dish of steamed mussels and fries, but with a twist. Resto has three different kinds of broth you can choose from, so he picked the Thai-inspired one. It was absolutely delicious. The frites were also great. Big and fat, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. They also come with a ton of options for dipping sauces, and he picked an Indian-inspired cumin, yogurt one. Yum! I do wish I had ordered this dish now! </div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvO5Qd06nHfPE7B8Cim1zvNzNRje4RKtDeCGSBNHZZNKHxBklR4UYgF2C-lPcW8n5oVtFSPWQJBS-CpBjyHOtCyd9YRWGkys7P5sezRyd-R2m2M1d7_CzsmcaPRp_HFqU0vpff/s1600/IMG_1865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvO5Qd06nHfPE7B8Cim1zvNzNRje4RKtDeCGSBNHZZNKHxBklR4UYgF2C-lPcW8n5oVtFSPWQJBS-CpBjyHOtCyd9YRWGkys7P5sezRyd-R2m2M1d7_CzsmcaPRp_HFqU0vpff/s320/IMG_1865.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Moules & Frites <br />
(green curry, lemongrass, coconut milk, kaffir lime broth) </div><br />
<a href="http://restonyc.com/">Resto</a><br />
<i>111 East 29th Street<br />
New York, NY 10016</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23362361.post-38859534672242221372010-04-05T13:05:00.000-04:002010-04-05T22:53:46.464-04:00NomNoms: The Golden State Cafe (Los Angeles)Seems to me that there is no limit to the number of amazing burgers to be found in Los Angeles. The Counter. Father's Office. 25 degrees. Umami Burger. I heard another amazing burger could be found at The Golden State. Then I heard that a beer float could also be found there and I had to try it despite the fact that it scared me to death. <br />
<br />
The burger looked tiny to me when it was set before me, but it was extremely filling. The bun and arugula were perhaps my favorite elements of the burger. I was still on my 40 days without fried foods, so I ordered the Persian cucumber salad. I was very happy that I did because it gave a fresh contrast to the heavy burger, rather than the normal heaviness upon heaviness that the combination of burger and fries normally presents.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk6Mx7v_17T7tfjkNxbGXIdVgRhBxU1ar1Er24wShImRpDWZBAyNDDy7hGxfYqf8H0tiHvHLKKyW1fCg4mLglV1pJuWc0icDpCsCHHXnewk1rWllBRTVWvaRK8NEdtF4b9aQ-1/s1600/IMG_1902.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk6Mx7v_17T7tfjkNxbGXIdVgRhBxU1ar1Er24wShImRpDWZBAyNDDy7hGxfYqf8H0tiHvHLKKyW1fCg4mLglV1pJuWc0icDpCsCHHXnewk1rWllBRTVWvaRK8NEdtF4b9aQ-1/s320/IMG_1902.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">Burger with Harris Ranch beef, Fiscalini Farms cheddar, </div><div style="text-align: center;">glazed applewood smoked bacon, arugula, housemade aioli and ketchup</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">And now for the beer float. Made from Old Rasputin Imperial Stout and Scoops brown bread ice cream. I could only eat half of it. The stout was extremely bitter and hoppy. However, it was a fine experiment. Next time, I would prefer the root beer float. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizFNpDj5ovdWuWGCgXzwvf_r_BDTkC__wYSA8gwS61Yr8Ar_vdQn0LXPrRgyhHVCNrJsig1nXVw4JPVjmiqMvUEz44laVLYXfB8yxHbKwz7y2UEnur98P_pb4hvlO5IgxwmrH_/s1600/IMG_1901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizFNpDj5ovdWuWGCgXzwvf_r_BDTkC__wYSA8gwS61Yr8Ar_vdQn0LXPrRgyhHVCNrJsig1nXVw4JPVjmiqMvUEz44laVLYXfB8yxHbKwz7y2UEnur98P_pb4hvlO5IgxwmrH_/s320/IMG_1901.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Beer float with Scoops brown bread ice cream</div><a href="http://thegoldenstatecafe.com/">The Golden State Cafe</a><br />
<i>426 N. Fairfax Ave. </i><br />
<i>Los Angeles, CA 90036</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23362361.post-85180903348399974512010-04-01T18:19:00.000-04:002010-04-01T18:19:27.168-04:00NomNoms: The Vegan Joint (Los Angeles)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On Matt's last excursion to Los Angeles, he fell ill and couldn't eat much of anything. Therefore, for breakfast, he only wanted to have a fruit smoothie. The only places I know of that serve fruit smoothies besides Jamba Juice and Robeks are vegan restaurants, so we decided to try out The Vegan Joint. The food was very delicious and I think the fruit smoothie wasn't bad either. Don't order the thai iced ice with boba, however. It was terrible. The boba was rubbery and undercooked. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Dumplings had a strange texture but I guess that is what happens with fake meat. The mushroom soup tasted just like tom kha and the Chinese soup had a refreshing, light broth. I am looking forward to eating here again despite the fact that I dislike vegans very much. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiku2knalay2VQU6Z6TGA9HBdLY-auPQhSmx-F8F07bQXRfUleyu61zpq0TgEQMNLFyaionuPu2sOS_EMB8NVK5rQkmL48AJPaDXTYlQvuRq3D0RtmN-HundYwaLb5NhS3sAvYo/s1600-h/IMG_1759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiku2knalay2VQU6Z6TGA9HBdLY-auPQhSmx-F8F07bQXRfUleyu61zpq0TgEQMNLFyaionuPu2sOS_EMB8NVK5rQkmL48AJPaDXTYlQvuRq3D0RtmN-HundYwaLb5NhS3sAvYo/s320/IMG_1759.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Grilled Dumplings</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5wBos9c1Fcq9Sy9Jj3eJiTBTF1B5Ty5hix2Fl_5kbVkvgKcgVXUibpDKN_bXD-OZ-4O-dSVY3Cpxq4S_Xc0PzGRpEa0zYKgOdJmnaDbQGtRc6Hq_oxhr351gCiJBZ06A69pm5/s1600-h/IMG_1760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5wBos9c1Fcq9Sy9Jj3eJiTBTF1B5Ty5hix2Fl_5kbVkvgKcgVXUibpDKN_bXD-OZ-4O-dSVY3Cpxq4S_Xc0PzGRpEa0zYKgOdJmnaDbQGtRc6Hq_oxhr351gCiJBZ06A69pm5/s320/IMG_1760.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Fruit Smoothie</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyR1Hne8JIeUn5HapqhxYh1jRKM9OLku9CgJpiyvysuP6Bji3SrXquJ-rz7914BdUaJEVWfrELdHI7fVc68uUZiKiLsaPJKH6VjuAGWb-NnOvFftDqKrozT1IYhcZGqmXmOb17/s1600-h/IMG_1761.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyR1Hne8JIeUn5HapqhxYh1jRKM9OLku9CgJpiyvysuP6Bji3SrXquJ-rz7914BdUaJEVWfrELdHI7fVc68uUZiKiLsaPJKH6VjuAGWb-NnOvFftDqKrozT1IYhcZGqmXmOb17/s320/IMG_1761.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Mushroom soup with coconut milk, bamboo shoots, mushroom</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWlQhzqNXutO596Vib52_btu6tvdkUkntXfeVnqFYXa9sfBqiQZrkLGQygh8gE5UNH5dRE04D_jOEY5BFmsdmVcapSeCtrohrJQsb60KPJmVhjmU2ZW7Srwr0kcUDFk2RofWS/s1600-h/IMG_1762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWlQhzqNXutO596Vib52_btu6tvdkUkntXfeVnqFYXa9sfBqiQZrkLGQygh8gE5UNH5dRE04D_jOEY5BFmsdmVcapSeCtrohrJQsb60KPJmVhjmU2ZW7Srwr0kcUDFk2RofWS/s320/IMG_1762.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Chinese soup with glass noodles, shitake, broccoli,tofu, napa cabbage</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://theveganjoint.com/">The Vegan Joint</a></div><div style="color: black; text-align: left;"><i>10438 National Blvd. </i></div><div style="color: black; text-align: left;"><i>Los Angeles, CA 90034</i> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23362361.post-11406268441136477992010-03-19T13:44:00.000-04:002010-03-19T13:44:35.722-04:00NomNoms: 99 Things to Eat before You Die in LA (Los Angeles)Let's see how many I have eaten from things Mr. Gold wants me to eat: <br />
<br />
101 Noodle Express’ Beef Roll Gold<br />
Akasha’s Quinoa With Edamame<br />
Ancient Ginger Soup at Noodle Island<br />
Angeli’s Gnocchi<br />
Animal’s Foie Gras & Biscuits and Gravy<br />
Anisette’s Pain au Chocolat<br />
Apple Pan’s Hickoryburger<br />
A-Won’s Al Bap<br />
<strike>Banh Mi from Mr. Baguette</strike><br />
<strike>Bay Cities’ Godmother</strike><br />
Beverly Soon Tofu<br />
Bigmista’s Pig Candy<br />
Bludso’s Brisket<br />
Bob’s Plain Doughnut<br />
Border Grill’s Green Corn Tamales<br />
Brandt Beef<br />
Brooklyn’s Hearth-Baked Bagel<br />
Bulgarini’s Goat’s Milk Gelato<br />
Campanile’s Grilled Prime Rib<br />
Canary’s Lamb-Tongue Sandwich<br />
Capital’s Hot Almond Milk in Pastry<br />
Casa Bianca’s Sausage-and-Eggplant Pizza<br />
Chantilly’s Sesame Cream Puffs<br />
Chicharrones de Queso<br />
Chichen Itza’s Panuchos<br />
<strike>Chili John’s Chili</strike><br />
Chinois’ Sizzling Catfish<br />
Chung King’s Chongqing Fried Chicken<br />
Ciro’s Flautas<br />
Cole’s French Dip<br />
Comme Ca’s Cheeseburger<br />
Cut’s Bone-Marrow Flan<br />
<strike>Din Tai Fung’s Soup Dumplings</strike><br />
Donut Man’s Strawberry Doughnut<br />
El Atacor #11’s Potato Tacos<br />
El Parian’s Birria<br />
Euro Pane’s Egg Salad Sandwich<br />
Eva Solo-Brewed Coffee<br />
Eva’s Lechon<br />
Fab L.A.’s Street Dog<br />
Golden Deli’s Vietnamese Spring Rolls<br />
Good Girl Dinette’s Chicken PotPie<br />
Harry’s Seascape Strawberries<br />
Hollenbeck Burrito<br />
<strike>Hot Dog on a Stick</strike><br />
Huarache de Cabeza<br />
Huckleberry’s Maple-Bacon Biscuits<br />
Hungry Cat’s Lobster Roll<br />
Ivy’s Corn Chowder<br />
Jitlada’s Fish Kidneys<br />
Kiriko’s Salmon Sashimi<br />
Kiyokawa’s Sashimi<br />
<strike>Kogi’s Kalbi Taco</strike><br />
Krakatoa-Blend Coffee<br />
Krua Thai’s Pad Thai<br />
L.A. Galbi<br />
La Brea Bakery’s Country White Bread<br />
Langer’s Hot Pastrami<br />
Lawry’s Prime Rib<br />
Let’s Be Frank’s Hot Dog<br />
Little Dom’s Oyster Po’ Boy<br />
Little Flower’s Sea-Salt Caramels<br />
Ludo’s Fried Chicken<br />
Luna Oysters<br />
Lupe’s #2 Burrito<br />
Mandarin House’s cha chiang mein<br />
Maple Bacon Donut<br />
Matsuhisa’s New-Style Sashimi<br />
MCGrath’s Rainbow Chard<br />
<strike>Meals by Genet’s Doro Wot</strike><br />
Michael Cimarusti’s Squid With Piquillo Peppers and Pig’s Ear<br />
Mo-Chica’s Seviche<br />
<strike>Mozza Pizza</strike><br />
Musso & Frank’s Welsh Rarebit<br />
Natraliart’s Sprats<br />
Newport Seafood’s Spicy Lobster<br />
Oki Dog<br />
Palate’s Vegetables en Papillote<br />
Paleron With Kumquats and Cream of Wheat<br />
<strike>Peruvian Roast Chicken</strike><br />
<strike>Philippe’s French Dip</strike><br />
Pho Minh’s Pho Bac<br />
Rajdhani’s Thali<br />
Rivera’s Tortillas<br />
Romanesco<br />
Saffron Silk Ice Cream<br />
San Nak Ji<br />
Sapp Coffee Shop’s Boat Noodles<br />
Shanghai Xiao Chi’s Pork Pump<br />
Shanxi Knife-Cut Noodles<br />
Sherry Yard’s Kaiserschmarrn<br />
Street-Vendor Cheese Enchiladas<br />
The Gorbals’ Dill Fries<br />
THE Grill on the Alley’s Corned Beef Hash<br />
<strike>Tito’s Old-School Tacos</strike><br />
Urasawa’s Fugu<br />
Wa Sushi’s Apple Pie and Eel<br />
Whatever Lou Tells You to Drink<br />
Yellow Fish Fried With Hair Seaweed<br />
<br />
I got an F. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23362361.post-35442753073999632512010-03-18T11:33:00.000-04:002010-03-18T11:33:16.522-04:00My Fair Country: NashvilleI'm in the initial planning stages of a cross-country roadtrip. I was delighted to see <a href="http://www.goop.com">Gwenny Poo</a> gave me an extensive list of things to do in Nashville this morning. <br />
<a href="http://goop.com/newsletter/74/en/"><br />
Honky tonks, fried chicken shacks and cafes galore</a>! Woohoo!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23362361.post-33878589007278438802010-03-16T12:49:00.000-04:002010-03-16T12:49:00.833-04:00NomNoms: Me Jana (DC Metro)Okay, so I'm not going to lie. I love Los Angeles, and one of the reasons I love Los Angeles is because of the food. There is so much variety and it's all so good no matter the price range you're looking at. DC has disappointed me so far in the food category. Restaurants that I would go back to in DC, I would never dine at in LA. <br />
<br />
Me Jana is a Lebanese restaurant that Matt and I tried to go to in January, but it was ridiculously crowded so we wound up leaving. For Valentine's Day, we tried again and this time called before we arrived. Again, it was completely packed and tables were turning over like crazy.<br />
<br />
We ordered a variety of cold and warm mezza, which are small plates like tapas. Only a few of the dishes were good. The goat cheese salad and the seared cheese were delicious, although it was difficult to eat more than one piece of the cheese. It was heavy but tasty. I think the dates put the goat cheese salad over the edge, and I have been adding dried dates to my lunchtime salads since. The mozzarella was okay. You would think that figs and mozzarella would be amazing, but I think the dressing was its the downfall. The sea scallops were just awful. An overcooked, rubbery mess. You can tell that they will be awful just by looking at the photo. The lamb was also okay, a little overcooked for my tastes but the flavor was there. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqwdOChbhRqScJxJbvweiXb-ajaCzNvaYtzmvPVqEkkeMtw11ELzXcMJ1dYMuZ_9oP2OFNLi4fzeXwDGdiObHeK5SaqYQsJ6FlB18yXyXWyxAcpECR8_fQCefuwRw9L-6Kpwri/s1600-h/IMG_1643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqwdOChbhRqScJxJbvweiXb-ajaCzNvaYtzmvPVqEkkeMtw11ELzXcMJ1dYMuZ_9oP2OFNLi4fzeXwDGdiObHeK5SaqYQsJ6FlB18yXyXWyxAcpECR8_fQCefuwRw9L-6Kpwri/s320/IMG_1643.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Goat cheese salad with mixed greens, oranges, dates and walnuts with a citrus vinaigrette</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggkebfRhWUmzTHWt4Wb7Oemkw7DoFAV1YHDuL5a3_1pD16Qwou7VwXwBUoWBDsqL07NGvsxOxOggb7H06l4ebQ06eiyS0etFzX0BYgd4fxUj9apf8agrteVmWSD8DMAGyAVkyR/s1600-h/IMG_1645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggkebfRhWUmzTHWt4Wb7Oemkw7DoFAV1YHDuL5a3_1pD16Qwou7VwXwBUoWBDsqL07NGvsxOxOggb7H06l4ebQ06eiyS0etFzX0BYgd4fxUj9apf8agrteVmWSD8DMAGyAVkyR/s320/IMG_1645.JPG" /></a> </div><h4 style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;">Mozzarella<span class="menu_description">, tomato, figs, basil & balsamic vinegar</span></h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVNckluILFTAAxmQPvJfJRArKssZkbeVQ-C9I5WpGLmTKzCnpYwmHtvbiNjNlMZ-70IyC6tuSg23pUIDl9DB98tDiX5FeHQg7Xm2HFeGt7aNuoqGBnNOjACIbmucsrB2xvR-Wr/s1600-h/IMG_1644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVNckluILFTAAxmQPvJfJRArKssZkbeVQ-C9I5WpGLmTKzCnpYwmHtvbiNjNlMZ-70IyC6tuSg23pUIDl9DB98tDiX5FeHQg7Xm2HFeGt7aNuoqGBnNOjACIbmucsrB2xvR-Wr/s320/IMG_1644.JPG" /></a></div><h4 style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;"><span class="menu_description"> Seared cheese with pears and dates</span></h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_CaZrzcQBWhGkBuGsoFYgkYugErc1228syA27vYv1vDWxEUMdJuPfLvEBo3q0zWw6Gs9PCQ91lsPQf5TK2ih5LH7f7PyKfTasBhlimcx93nQ8Oj8oQDI4qjwUbyjxTuGA1hBJ/s1600-h/IMG_1646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_CaZrzcQBWhGkBuGsoFYgkYugErc1228syA27vYv1vDWxEUMdJuPfLvEBo3q0zWw6Gs9PCQ91lsPQf5TK2ih5LH7f7PyKfTasBhlimcx93nQ8Oj8oQDI4qjwUbyjxTuGA1hBJ/s320/IMG_1646.JPG" /></a> </div><h4 style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;">Sea scallops with saffron lemon yogurt</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeoMeSFTmNcguCmi2P-qdy05vKoB2tWkYW3urqUd5FJO41XJdJafU3QjzSvLnk_M7juRqcsivViulk5lFy5q_gRnGqV-49EjomzwRpAf_FOK1eZrJ5xyIXpAk0BMopwefm4jzI/s1600-h/IMG_1647.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeoMeSFTmNcguCmi2P-qdy05vKoB2tWkYW3urqUd5FJO41XJdJafU3QjzSvLnk_M7juRqcsivViulk5lFy5q_gRnGqV-49EjomzwRpAf_FOK1eZrJ5xyIXpAk0BMopwefm4jzI/s320/IMG_1647.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Lamb chops</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For dessert, we went out on a limb and ordered the achta. It has the consistency of ricotta, but the taste was the interesting part. Imagine taking a single red rose in one hand and then sticking the entire head of the flower into your mouth. That's about what it tasted like to me. In fact, as I continued eating it, I imagined myself doing just that. It was more palatable when including the pieces of fruit in my bites. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN-QPcfr9fw-V6Q3JM_LWu__n90VhiZRfgKkYsOlevhcMAeFgpYKdgAJi6lISj6CvhvXUzzG2y0Zvflbk427odnZ5YvQFcs9ueBjrkuHlPJs11u0GUZknPNPXFnqm3t0be72bv/s1600-h/IMG_1648.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN-QPcfr9fw-V6Q3JM_LWu__n90VhiZRfgKkYsOlevhcMAeFgpYKdgAJi6lISj6CvhvXUzzG2y0Zvflbk427odnZ5YvQFcs9ueBjrkuHlPJs11u0GUZknPNPXFnqm3t0be72bv/s320/IMG_1648.JPG" /></a></div><h4 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Achta with bananas and strawberries</span></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Whenever we go out to eat in LA, at the end of the meal, Matt will inevitably ask, "How many stars would you give them?" But in DC, we have learned that the million dollar question is, "If you were in LA, would you eat here?" Me Jana, the answer is "no."</span></h4><a href="http://www.me-jana.com/">Me Jana</a><br />
<i>2300 Wilson Boulevard</i><br />
<i>Arlington, VA 22201</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23362361.post-16832689026326522612010-03-15T13:05:00.000-04:002010-03-18T11:30:43.813-04:00The Oscar Report<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOjTse5wvfkZeb35ECkf1O6HkluMz9yK4r_7Y-2nBnBsn48WQuAeoXKUSni92vFr1qgR5LomQ7IuTQ0j5HWPHwB3Yg7Nb2Y5V7ZEGBZHychjp81OpHvZaQENSQR591U-ZKJ1V/s1600-h/IMG_5796.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOjTse5wvfkZeb35ECkf1O6HkluMz9yK4r_7Y-2nBnBsn48WQuAeoXKUSni92vFr1qgR5LomQ7IuTQ0j5HWPHwB3Yg7Nb2Y5V7ZEGBZHychjp81OpHvZaQENSQR591U-ZKJ1V/s320/IMG_5796.JPG" /></a></div><br />
It isn't every day that you or I get invited to attend the Academy Awards. I learned that the only way to get your booty into the Oscars is to be invited. The seatfillers have an "in" even. Academy members go through the lottery system and if they are picked, they still have to pay for their tickets. I found myself in a very fortunate situation when my dear friend invited me to attend as one of her two guests.<br />
<br />
For nominees, the night is a once in a lifetime experience, but it was also for me since I have absolutely nothing to do with the film industry.The first item of business was to find the dress. I'm on a tight budget and wound up scouring a number of closets to find something to borrow. What I wound up with was a beautiful blue silk Calvin Klein evening dress that was....a size two and a little too tight. I had two back up dresses in case it was still too tight after two weeks but my heart was set on the blue one! Thank you, Lean Cuisine, salads and 24 Hour Fitness! I owe you.<br />
<br />
<br />
The day of "the show" (as people in the know call it) was spent primping for many hours. First was curling the hair and then driving to my friend's place to pick up the second guest and get our eye makeup done. Then we were off to the Renaissance Hotel to meet up with the benevolent inviter and take some photos before the show.<br />
<br />
When the big day was approaching, I wondered several times how one gets to Hollywood and Highland when Hollywood and Highland are both closed for the Oscars. In our ticket packet, we were provided with a handy dandy auto pass and when we approached said closed roads, the nice police officers removed the barricades for us to drive on through. Even at this point, there were a ton of looky-loos standing on the sides of the road, taking photos. When we finally got to the intersection of Hollywood and Highland, we found ourselves in a bit of a situation. Our grand plan was to go to the Renaissance, change and take photos. When we arrived, our car was promptly swept away and we were left surrounded by security guards in the pouring rain. We were dressed casually so these guards started bombarding us with questions of why were we there. Finally, we were escorted to the Renaissance, where we were able to finish getting ready.<br />
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We went down to the red carpet around 4:15 p.m., which would give us a good amount of time to leisurely walk the carpet, meet up with our friend again and then make it into the theatre for the cocktail reception. Immediately upon arriving on the red carpet, Colin Firth was being interviewed to my left and Queen Latifah was stepping out of her limo. After Firthy was done with his interview, he stepped into line and somehow wound up with his shoulder next to my face. He is taller than me after all.<br />
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Now, a little explanation of the red carpet is in order. Even at an exclusive event such as the Oscars, people are still STILL separated into the somebodies and the nobodies. At the security tent, the somebodies get quickly swept away by pretty young things in headsets while the nobodys slowly trudge their way through. Then the actual red carpet is separated into two lines, the press line and the nobody-wants-to-see-you-on-tv line. At points, everyone would get mixed together, but in general, it was pretty segregated.<br />
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On the red carpet, I spotted Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, Sandra Bullock and Jesse James, Miley Cyrus, Meryl Streep, Gabourey Sibide, Lee Daniels, Tom Ford, Stanley Tucci, Jason Bateman, and Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Saarsgaard with Seacrest, Billy Bush and Mario Lopez doing broadcasts.<br />
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As we were entering the theatre, Meryl Streep was next to me and Woody Harrelson a few people back. Once we got inside the Kodak Theatre, we enjoyed champagne from Moet & Chandon. There were also hors d'oeuvres from Wolfgang Puck but I was only able to get two. I spotted Wolfgang Puck a few tables down talking to a strange looking man with a scruffy beard. Then I realized it was Antonio Banderas and next to him was his wife, Melanie Griffith. As I said, we weren’t very lucky with the cater waiters, but we spied one not far away from us so we went after him. Then I realized who he had stopped to serve. It was Mayor Villaraigosa! Robert Duvall was wondering around a lot and I must have passed him four times at least. With about fifteen minutes left until we needed to take our seats, my friend said, "Look it's Matt Damon!" When I turned around, he was right in front of me, looking very cheerful. She claims that he smiled at me, but I hate to brag.<br />
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I'm sure you saw the ceremonies so I will just highlight a few things:<br />
- The stage was absolutely beautiful no matter what color it was.<br />
- Duckie! Did you see Duckie?<br />
- Rachel McAdams' dress<br />
- Love that Hurt Locker kicked Avatar's butt (I didn't watch either of them) <br />
- The "Kayne" moment was much more awkward in the theatre than it probably was on television<br />
- I love Gabby Sidibe! She is so adorable. Here is more proof:<br />
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<object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/K3Mse9lJDEY&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/K3Mse9lJDEY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object><br />
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The remainder of the night was a bit of a nightmare that I don't want to get into, but we managed to spot Gerard Butler and Samuel L. Jackson as we were leaving the Kodak.<br />
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I suppose attending the most exclusive and prestigious event in Hollywood should make you feel special and I did. I was excited to be there and loved the chance to dress up and be part of the event. But the truth is that I wasn't part of it. I was just there and it still made me feel like anyone else watching from their living rooms. Yes, I love movies, and yes, I will remember that night for a long time to come and am so grateful that I got to go, but I still felt like a voyeur.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ3My3D2xL6EDFMk6dqGFlDijVnWmqgbTdvhKqfTlCAA9De_Cbu3xLndpdClIbtTHKDSk3vE5a-3rpCuPxcSr0y2LDXTHxRsM48jnYnwqGq3kmzps8mptgt1kLFKRryy0i1GDN/s1600-h/IMG_1777.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ3My3D2xL6EDFMk6dqGFlDijVnWmqgbTdvhKqfTlCAA9De_Cbu3xLndpdClIbtTHKDSk3vE5a-3rpCuPxcSr0y2LDXTHxRsM48jnYnwqGq3kmzps8mptgt1kLFKRryy0i1GDN/s320/IMG_1777.JPG" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23362361.post-89271750877671612992010-03-12T12:58:00.000-05:002010-03-12T12:58:00.191-05:00SeeDo: Manifest Equality (Los Angeles)You've heard of pop-up shopping. Now, there are pop-up art shows. For one weekend only, <a href="http://www.manifestequality.com/">Manifest Equality</a> took over the site and parking lot of a former Big Lots! store on Vine Street in Hollywood to present a diverse showing of artwork for a good cause: promoting full and equal rights to all Americans. Lots of famous artists were represented such as Gary Basemen, Shepard Fairey, and Ron English but also a fair share of up and coming artists.<br />
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The last dreary Saturday was a nice time to enjoy some works indoors. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjz8_eb-1I5unoFEcGnm5ySpvZVb2NE-aHgHl49Xi2w8WweytYqFvwO2ydNI-yjPbPTP9YfpNn6bTgDiZxX0Qjqra0qIKC8MBN9Oil5ithESEW6AfyEni85ZYTlyQ91Re54AEW/s1600-h/IMG_1719.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjz8_eb-1I5unoFEcGnm5ySpvZVb2NE-aHgHl49Xi2w8WweytYqFvwO2ydNI-yjPbPTP9YfpNn6bTgDiZxX0Qjqra0qIKC8MBN9Oil5ithESEW6AfyEni85ZYTlyQ91Re54AEW/s320/IMG_1719.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2NFL0q9G16sroy5LAOiJsSvYMI7duaRG450vSpLDI2dbW08ARDEUykvVwnVArZVHSnLg81Tv63CqQ7XtYzz5xlXdVbwRMzhkRIbaA57rTa9qyxJNROc5Lf4WLw3tRVxdE5tQ/s1600-h/IMG_1720.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2NFL0q9G16sroy5LAOiJsSvYMI7duaRG450vSpLDI2dbW08ARDEUykvVwnVArZVHSnLg81Tv63CqQ7XtYzz5xlXdVbwRMzhkRIbaA57rTa9qyxJNROc5Lf4WLw3tRVxdE5tQ/s320/IMG_1720.JPG" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;">Manifest Equality's logo in yarn</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvCBFcAldvO53yuh41ADCj2jhD5n5rjdsGUkes24j3zuis1kT9bk7LlbTWSbyd8vYQtwFs-yy38m0z-MuG4rLXsd4VAWs6d_1NLcM_V0U8hFTFgnJD3zPOJBl8mW7gm88Z4aKK/s1600-h/IMG_1722.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvCBFcAldvO53yuh41ADCj2jhD5n5rjdsGUkes24j3zuis1kT9bk7LlbTWSbyd8vYQtwFs-yy38m0z-MuG4rLXsd4VAWs6d_1NLcM_V0U8hFTFgnJD3zPOJBl8mW7gm88Z4aKK/s320/IMG_1722.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Side view of the yarn heart </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFJLDfXzeZtzmh2NETT186f28gyDnK7Dd0d-yDIFIkBGLnvyL4258ntMZ3_gRSltnwMC-0anjwT-GU8MemYS1Byscsa6a13g3FyUwRgTrzmn_-K4a9DHefaR3UvCYHCwZShkP0/s1600-h/IMG_1724.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFJLDfXzeZtzmh2NETT186f28gyDnK7Dd0d-yDIFIkBGLnvyL4258ntMZ3_gRSltnwMC-0anjwT-GU8MemYS1Byscsa6a13g3FyUwRgTrzmn_-K4a9DHefaR3UvCYHCwZShkP0/s320/IMG_1724.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">This poor chalk bear looks so sad, and then he got rained on.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Some of the installations: </div></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiisqJu3zx5e0Cosiid3jxY9ba6TC1QLRzEdP2GHbeBN3PkHXUcSEYxKRJDehcYdHvdl1XdcXzeXXdI5WRpT5TKBuznkloYvRCQPuj2G6UrRJwctlcGT_G8V6V3zjU8UCm4m474/s1600-h/IMG_1728.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiisqJu3zx5e0Cosiid3jxY9ba6TC1QLRzEdP2GHbeBN3PkHXUcSEYxKRJDehcYdHvdl1XdcXzeXXdI5WRpT5TKBuznkloYvRCQPuj2G6UrRJwctlcGT_G8V6V3zjU8UCm4m474/s320/IMG_1728.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv2GywVuERSyHIvHuiorgVBirEdQJNc9CvWlN6SLBmTDNVK1_QruCUdcNRUcIKQKF7O3bWrGCZoTd79iOyEX-8DnXoSqyTiv_fBEl5pMVEO320LL3GeAdCpNLE8r90j70HpAeF/s1600-h/IMG_1729.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv2GywVuERSyHIvHuiorgVBirEdQJNc9CvWlN6SLBmTDNVK1_QruCUdcNRUcIKQKF7O3bWrGCZoTd79iOyEX-8DnXoSqyTiv_fBEl5pMVEO320LL3GeAdCpNLE8r90j70HpAeF/s320/IMG_1729.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSxSqD_Zji6jOenhctH5nl0YIL4G9lm72KJMHcbr3cD7pBvbbiTi0OGC86iQ38X2oxMT5Ve3O7KAYCkar97ojQOmbKVZhxkf7CSjpERDWW_2yjzy_ZBWIgYNAE31UQj5BJn0do/s1600-h/IMG_1730.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSxSqD_Zji6jOenhctH5nl0YIL4G9lm72KJMHcbr3cD7pBvbbiTi0OGC86iQ38X2oxMT5Ve3O7KAYCkar97ojQOmbKVZhxkf7CSjpERDWW_2yjzy_ZBWIgYNAE31UQj5BJn0do/s320/IMG_1730.JPG" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjskSKFlu7nhlsqX-bTHbnzdc2gY9GIIb0EDYlHYIVSLqAEOe_L5iFlGR4MOYlAAZ2TMRvYP5POOuO8klymjrPCkWTQiWpXUVpukUS-EtynAmsppj_jiiPrPZHsCiGunIAZJiZk/s1600-h/IMG_1739.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjskSKFlu7nhlsqX-bTHbnzdc2gY9GIIb0EDYlHYIVSLqAEOe_L5iFlGR4MOYlAAZ2TMRvYP5POOuO8klymjrPCkWTQiWpXUVpukUS-EtynAmsppj_jiiPrPZHsCiGunIAZJiZk/s320/IMG_1739.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0LsqDoPTGBkIvkVY5u2PTbzANlF1OihCqUFPff9TjnMZ2kmvMCSQx9tCJsVv4a4t0SgxpPXL13vpFxkvZug3SGTvRVYL2IxMKXoRENZfwxXWqVyBqP1zLJlBZyiTSEmdFLmDq/s1600-h/IMG_1733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0LsqDoPTGBkIvkVY5u2PTbzANlF1OihCqUFPff9TjnMZ2kmvMCSQx9tCJsVv4a4t0SgxpPXL13vpFxkvZug3SGTvRVYL2IxMKXoRENZfwxXWqVyBqP1zLJlBZyiTSEmdFLmDq/s320/IMG_1733.JPG" /></a></div><br />
The art show also gave us an opportunity to search for some pieces for our new home. We actually found a piece we both loved, but it was already sold. We looked at the price list anyway and discovered the piece to be extremely affordable. I emailed the artist the next day and now we are in the process of purchasing a few pieces of her work!<br />
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All in all, it was a successful outing. Plus, they had an awesome photo booth and free buttons!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23362361.post-13573486660319341322010-03-02T16:13:00.000-05:002010-03-02T16:13:09.468-05:00NomNoms: Westside Tavern (Los Angeles)Do you ever dream about certain foods and constantly find yourself thinking about them? I had been dreaming about <a href="http://www.westsidetavernla.com/">Westside Tavern</a>'s chicken liver mousse for weeks and weeks. When Matt unexpectedly appeared in town, I begged him to go there with me.<br />
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The chicken liver mousse is so rich and thick and there is so much of it. Smear it on some perfectly toasted slices of bread and add a little sweet apple chutney and delicious-ness occurs. <br />
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Since I was planning to bogart the mousse to myself, I only ordered a half dozen oysters for the rest of my meal. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2Y_nt3r4NHm2xiT3S-_98Rv7XUeRtKkvwlRMcBn_h__IRnWEFtQJ2H-uwbiAydCSIXocEhR2pX_2zm71nrhZ2pBcxqgB3l4fbB7IGdsccyzRlSAKE7u19lq8TJ4JDcfbVPkX/s1600-h/IMG_1628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2Y_nt3r4NHm2xiT3S-_98Rv7XUeRtKkvwlRMcBn_h__IRnWEFtQJ2H-uwbiAydCSIXocEhR2pX_2zm71nrhZ2pBcxqgB3l4fbB7IGdsccyzRlSAKE7u19lq8TJ4JDcfbVPkX/s320/IMG_1628.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Jar of chicken liver mousse</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The horseradish seafood sauce was ridiculous. I wish I hadn't even wasted an oyster trying the other sauce. I don't even know what it was. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFQA32Ki5E4ActJXVDe_NddmOFAAxi8gXN_fjTot5RuYUIyABO5wR47Ohi8a07TVoN4YovBTVAvZI7xbWcyJrTZ4_7DRKLi3gB-26-mBwtNMg6hu_8E3sT-hKVNJWVnkDcp82m/s1600-h/IMG_1627.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFQA32Ki5E4ActJXVDe_NddmOFAAxi8gXN_fjTot5RuYUIyABO5wR47Ohi8a07TVoN4YovBTVAvZI7xbWcyJrTZ4_7DRKLi3gB-26-mBwtNMg6hu_8E3sT-hKVNJWVnkDcp82m/s320/IMG_1627.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Half dozen oysters</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I only tried a bite of the pot roast and don't remember much about it. It looks pretty though. I couldn't try more because Matt was sick and I was preoccupied by the mousse. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTmXjOT-JyqWmqZ2bs-1GCwLBR_J_sr7EXkfFZJc5x1MMWU_un_YIemmQHgpOupNd11f6_jhRVvPrnkWEICyS3cq9-i_R5ldbqMclAsSN6A8lGAqMcpz5Uh8-u8r_R6jMzdPu/s1600-h/IMG_1629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTmXjOT-JyqWmqZ2bs-1GCwLBR_J_sr7EXkfFZJc5x1MMWU_un_YIemmQHgpOupNd11f6_jhRVvPrnkWEICyS3cq9-i_R5ldbqMclAsSN6A8lGAqMcpz5Uh8-u8r_R6jMzdPu/s320/IMG_1629.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Beef short rib pot roast</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.westsidetavernla.com/">Westside Tavern</a> </div><i>10850 West Pico Boulevard</i><br />
<i>Los Angeles, California 90064</i><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23362361.post-27343160688962936972010-02-26T12:37:00.000-05:002010-02-26T00:09:15.859-05:00NomNoms: Ben's Chili Bowl (DC Metro)Ben's Chili Bowl is one DC landmark that I don't need to revisit. After a 45 minute line, I finally got the messiest chili cheese burger known to man and shared an order of chili cheese fries.While the food was actually really good, the whole ordeal of waiting and waiting was too much for me. Even <a href="http://www.pinkshollywood.com/">Pink's</a> is more efficient and organized and has more menu options. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6n0qgWrfUOeN3jSZi8NMsJ1PGuCKTODqvnglYVb5ggYzSjQle4fHSF3EHHmcQKtYi2HN2IsOKs4pxX1RlyffTSzMhjejPogYKMdTGEJ1lCY2LIRpCs4N9Fb5NYZWtq8aamTid/s1600-h/IMG_1654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6n0qgWrfUOeN3jSZi8NMsJ1PGuCKTODqvnglYVb5ggYzSjQle4fHSF3EHHmcQKtYi2HN2IsOKs4pxX1RlyffTSzMhjejPogYKMdTGEJ1lCY2LIRpCs4N9Fb5NYZWtq8aamTid/s320/IMG_1654.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdgCW5ooAlbUoMEIeLA4IwwozY7xhEBFf0ahEqcOjK-T4HqP50lm8k2B3xbpHWvYO4p15i3TAMZPn_1rf-teuQPAbLA6nbJ2k0Hlet4IJfCPHCQ1fahMSvrDnNMsaFQrnmiri2/s1600-h/IMG_1650.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdgCW5ooAlbUoMEIeLA4IwwozY7xhEBFf0ahEqcOjK-T4HqP50lm8k2B3xbpHWvYO4p15i3TAMZPn_1rf-teuQPAbLA6nbJ2k0Hlet4IJfCPHCQ1fahMSvrDnNMsaFQrnmiri2/s320/IMG_1650.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Chili Cheese Burger,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">which I had to eat holding it in the waxed paper</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHHQy6bC8JuL4yxRsqYaeCEC9RPW5C2TBuyMHaSww6SMBIU73mJ3bzOy-AtyhLwVHhnR-Fr03d2fDqG1bBn7Jx9HiCDcBtFw7hEbVAiBROSrrYuxESlPmP7RTid3jyrDbAT0W/s1600-h/IMG_1651.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHHQy6bC8JuL4yxRsqYaeCEC9RPW5C2TBuyMHaSww6SMBIU73mJ3bzOy-AtyhLwVHhnR-Fr03d2fDqG1bBn7Jx9HiCDcBtFw7hEbVAiBROSrrYuxESlPmP7RTid3jyrDbAT0W/s320/IMG_1651.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Chili half-smoke<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1267160615400"><br />
</a></div><a href="http://www.benschilibowl.com/ordereze/default.aspx">Ben's Chili Bowl</a><br />
<i>1213 U Street</i><br />
<i>Washington, DC 20009</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23362361.post-46806104680646750372010-02-19T13:15:00.000-05:002010-02-18T22:24:11.987-05:00NomNoms: New Place for the Week #3 - Spago (Los Angeles)Being one to take advantage of most opportunities, I took the opportunity to experience what is arguably the most famous restaurant in Los Angeles for my final DineLA meal: Spago.<br />
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For me, Spago did not disappoint. The wait staff was phenomenal and made diners feel comfortable. The food was plentiful. Our orders was huge and if that's not enough, the bread guy came back to offer more and more and more bread of varying varieties. The lavash and walnut bread were amazing. I'm also a sucker for any sourdough or olive bread. <br />
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My dining companion shared each dish even though that might be a little bit of a faux pas. I'm a foodie blogger, so I have to try everything. The raviolini was rich and smooth. The pork terrine was just okay.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUg1g7Kwt0kZpWmNi6xLYxqser8xQkAn_Ez5OWWJH_Va24DHp1KFufPSmcQVt0dA4cR5xlOWT02axxfC-l0EDuAicpWNRXUqR3_OVXNSNNRAsBU8aWXw0QXQ9tN6kmqVF6H-YE/s1600-h/IMG_1616.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUg1g7Kwt0kZpWmNi6xLYxqser8xQkAn_Ez5OWWJH_Va24DHp1KFufPSmcQVt0dA4cR5xlOWT02axxfC-l0EDuAicpWNRXUqR3_OVXNSNNRAsBU8aWXw0QXQ9tN6kmqVF6H-YE/s320/IMG_1616.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Wild Mushroom Raviolini With Mascarpone And Reggiano</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipIRD2XeYBeyZmF-5zqTnDLWPSDXlKpoyFSchZCCN1mZm4jy1DINh-ngA3xJoKlZNVtHxBZPq-xj7Dq6t2ZIK0Q_2rOJWx5CLlpLdUXiFYqDWjyi1aVzptgEYUnHfBXl6STcim/s1600-h/IMG_1617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipIRD2XeYBeyZmF-5zqTnDLWPSDXlKpoyFSchZCCN1mZm4jy1DINh-ngA3xJoKlZNVtHxBZPq-xj7Dq6t2ZIK0Q_2rOJWx5CLlpLdUXiFYqDWjyi1aVzptgEYUnHfBXl6STcim/s320/IMG_1617.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Pork Terrine</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Aren't your portions supposed to be the size of your fist? The rack of pork was the size of my head but it was also quite tasty. The short ribs on the other hand had a delicious sauce that I kept on eating and eating. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzdclpnAHyDerqLrsiLm590Euwww1Nhz1RWXaMB1eEqRiiU8CpyR8sCCoNi9Pc5HZ-8nAHLYksRm7RTBi8EGB5HGVPICH76gK6lQDgRnGQWbEuOYnbdGR3so83ZwYsrO7Xoa5T/s1600-h/IMG_1618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzdclpnAHyDerqLrsiLm590Euwww1Nhz1RWXaMB1eEqRiiU8CpyR8sCCoNi9Pc5HZ-8nAHLYksRm7RTBi8EGB5HGVPICH76gK6lQDgRnGQWbEuOYnbdGR3so83ZwYsrO7Xoa5T/s320/IMG_1618.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Roasted Rack of Kurobuta Pork </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvyKH4g5yzV1uAp9iL9hyphenhyphenA6l9fmNafuUWyL-xT0O_ronpQnIdIofX2ym9mBbrE38Je5lJhkzfLgvrir5FnhA2XeFVKQBMQG-bAnBK-VIy3OO1VkU5baiUuoBBFavaYZrD4GQ0I/s1600-h/IMG_1620.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvyKH4g5yzV1uAp9iL9hyphenhyphenA6l9fmNafuUWyL-xT0O_ronpQnIdIofX2ym9mBbrE38Je5lJhkzfLgvrir5FnhA2XeFVKQBMQG-bAnBK-VIy3OO1VkU5baiUuoBBFavaYZrD4GQ0I/s320/IMG_1620.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Slow Braised Beef Short Ribs</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I felt bad that I ordered the date cake because it was like nothing I had ever tasted before. It had the consistency of a bread pudding but that wasn't what it was. By then, I was so full that I barely had any of the apple tart. The pastry was flaky and buttery but definitely didn't hold a candle to the date cake. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZKe3wQEcYvYHkWRFi_IkKmlUNpZlRL3ktx8s_g21YdVtSWqWecDIArLfP8f_SOOx8iohTin6Z2w4GeZzojkGriUZNSxtRCTAzlTbxh_NOQGECFrLUpp4Ez-bkenA8O7hBJSc-/s1600-h/IMG_1621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZKe3wQEcYvYHkWRFi_IkKmlUNpZlRL3ktx8s_g21YdVtSWqWecDIArLfP8f_SOOx8iohTin6Z2w4GeZzojkGriUZNSxtRCTAzlTbxh_NOQGECFrLUpp4Ez-bkenA8O7hBJSc-/s320/IMG_1621.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Medjool Date Cake</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq87PqvYtysT5M6S0RRf_6LTZUs2o22eRZNTIiao2ITVMyafQrLH-Ual-boPoUL95I46VtNsjmRCRQo4aMOSFid-fJJYV0PPvgLrhlk7lBeDJVJOID1pbWIEwIfPhS4LFusv1o/s1600-h/IMG_1622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq87PqvYtysT5M6S0RRf_6LTZUs2o22eRZNTIiao2ITVMyafQrLH-Ual-boPoUL95I46VtNsjmRCRQo4aMOSFid-fJJYV0PPvgLrhlk7lBeDJVJOID1pbWIEwIfPhS4LFusv1o/s320/IMG_1622.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Apple Vol au Vent </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://wolfgangpuck.com/">Spago </a><br />
<i><span class="adr" dir="ltr" id="adr">176 North Canon Drive</span></i><br />
<i><span class="adr" dir="ltr" id="adr">Beverly Hills, CA </span></i> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23362361.post-80816904657023872032010-02-09T13:05:00.000-05:002010-02-09T00:17:59.766-05:00SeeDo: Best idea for a birthday party ever!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhii9-Za5hyphenhyphenGrOh_N-WWIXFocXRkIVZDW7Ko73I4xLOBLdr9cGo6OPk-kZ15VROrDRZXBNjxT2_wtaDcmQXksxOKlu893bK3ecHV-khZ7N8yiij3OFJZTjfTfIuAZSU4Wep9b0r/s1600-h/youreinvited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhii9-Za5hyphenhyphenGrOh_N-WWIXFocXRkIVZDW7Ko73I4xLOBLdr9cGo6OPk-kZ15VROrDRZXBNjxT2_wtaDcmQXksxOKlu893bK3ecHV-khZ7N8yiij3OFJZTjfTfIuAZSU4Wep9b0r/s400/youreinvited.jpg" width="328" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23362361.post-34764458924018973402010-02-08T13:54:00.000-05:002010-02-08T13:54:00.782-05:00NomNoms: Beacon (Los Angeles)I've been definitely making the most of <a href="http://discoverlosangeles.com/play/dining/restaurantweek">restaurant week</a> this year. I went to <a href="http://www.beacon-la.com/">Beacon </a>in Culver City last week for dinner. The restaurant was surprisingly uncrowded but for some reason, the kitchen and wait staff was extremely slow.<br />
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I was very happy with my appetizer and entree though. To me, it seems like the more affordable restaurant week restaurants are more able to present their best dishes for the prix fixe menu as opposed to the more expensive restaurants that just have to present non-signature dishes. <br />
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I ordered the pulled pork tacos. I thought they could have been warmer but other than that, I enjoyed the dish. The pork was sweet and the appetizer was just the right size.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEcB_XVs1UhADv1NC23AJnX7tRgS9NeB6MYwVzRAg1ezDRItAGWOjWIhZtJqb4keW46zaY6LFTrpwpkCOtcvrywjIJS9zDJIrVG_e0ISolQETEd9I3XBvI5Ztflxyeg9bkMwsC/s1600-h/IMG_1599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEcB_XVs1UhADv1NC23AJnX7tRgS9NeB6MYwVzRAg1ezDRItAGWOjWIhZtJqb4keW46zaY6LFTrpwpkCOtcvrywjIJS9zDJIrVG_e0ISolQETEd9I3XBvI5Ztflxyeg9bkMwsC/s320/IMG_1599.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Pulled Pork Tacos with Asian slaw and Hoisin sauce</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2jXARroGjbh-_ZSUUQwIxnZyGrqSb3N9Uf6iqk-GHadIOgXp6URoDvJ7G3g_NydLKf6gbNrhnfHsExtJ1UyC1kSoR_o_HVb1qAfd4BoXZrTeRW4sOBow3kMtK5Lr7bDmOT5Re/s1600-h/IMG_1600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2jXARroGjbh-_ZSUUQwIxnZyGrqSb3N9Uf6iqk-GHadIOgXp6URoDvJ7G3g_NydLKf6gbNrhnfHsExtJ1UyC1kSoR_o_HVb1qAfd4BoXZrTeRW4sOBow3kMtK5Lr7bDmOT5Re/s320/IMG_1600.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Roasted Beet and Apple Salad<span style="font-size: 11px; font-style: italic;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFgyR195GUw3HRwoePP844b88irp6yulqOJMp72IahT0KLFsMidMvnHMM97e3_3k8j4Fg-QGNOzxZrkn6IvC7vzqDBNNsKs5Go2FuSXePDrqAHvFH-jU3BRMA7hqEDOmexAddL/s1600-h/IMG_1601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFgyR195GUw3HRwoePP844b88irp6yulqOJMp72IahT0KLFsMidMvnHMM97e3_3k8j4Fg-QGNOzxZrkn6IvC7vzqDBNNsKs5Go2FuSXePDrqAHvFH-jU3BRMA7hqEDOmexAddL/s320/IMG_1601.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Duck Confit with fingerling potatoes, frisee, grapes and plum ginger glaze</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For my main, I had the miso cod. The fish was absolutely delicious as were the green beans. The fish was so soft and tender. I could have eaten another piece.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXFugF5sX3NV32qLItgYeMKbQjerVrGkUKTGIvY-HJ3Mdp11jlnVN-Lg5a4QlZFfqaQujrQgTDlOUEsZ3aR1FW7d5DrEVmVMChAy2G1SwIAxTEZ3pJ5bb4CwYCKjdJXAHZcWAl/s1600-h/IMG_1602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXFugF5sX3NV32qLItgYeMKbQjerVrGkUKTGIvY-HJ3Mdp11jlnVN-Lg5a4QlZFfqaQujrQgTDlOUEsZ3aR1FW7d5DrEVmVMChAy2G1SwIAxTEZ3pJ5bb4CwYCKjdJXAHZcWAl/s320/IMG_1602.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Miso Marinated Black Cod with sesame green beans</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZL3mmFDxCQ3LSvt0vF8k5D4wrlT6elvSyeaddxnXgkdBt7ig4x9cjpuvtbeE9US987ApdXIsxuVxj5u2f4Ltx3cTNY34t4Ktgc5-PzHWeVTORkL39EatgyAc59LytF1flODi/s1600-h/IMG_1603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZL3mmFDxCQ3LSvt0vF8k5D4wrlT6elvSyeaddxnXgkdBt7ig4x9cjpuvtbeE9US987ApdXIsxuVxj5u2f4Ltx3cTNY34t4Ktgc5-PzHWeVTORkL39EatgyAc59LytF1flODi/s320/IMG_1603.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Rice Krispy Sundae with chocolate and caramel sauces</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Dessert was the most disappointing point of the meal. The apple tart had way too much granola on top and the rice krispy was too chewy and soft. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11px; font-style: italic;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn-Z8Mw7JQXjQTJJr7YV6UmjC4xg2bBewVlcjko78kMLdeHOQDT_MBr_3zVMiY1YI7lSWxOEpERpv8FKaNye4fwT2HmTsA1k8IbrMm0IQokq-G1K3TaZ4SiRguw004S2MRIbNq/s1600-h/IMG_1604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn-Z8Mw7JQXjQTJJr7YV6UmjC4xg2bBewVlcjko78kMLdeHOQDT_MBr_3zVMiY1YI7lSWxOEpERpv8FKaNye4fwT2HmTsA1k8IbrMm0IQokq-G1K3TaZ4SiRguw004S2MRIbNq/s320/IMG_1604.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Warm Apple Tart with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce</div><a href="http://www.beacon-la.com/">Beacon </a><br />
<i>3280 Helm Ave.</i><br />
<i>Los Angeles, CA 90034</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23362361.post-66112122001269927102010-02-02T13:32:00.000-05:002010-02-02T13:32:00.175-05:00NomNoms: 26 Beach (Los Angeles)Matt's flight to Washington, DC (the flight that made it official. He wasn't living in LA no mo's) didn't leave until 1 p.m., so I wanted to make our final living-in- LA-together meal something special. I found <a href="http://www.26beach.com/">26 Beach</a> with the help of <a href="http://www.yelp.com/la">Yelp</a>. It sounded ridiculously cute and they had a whole entire section of the menu dedicated to FRENCH TOAST.<br />
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As we arrived, my eye caught the shabby chic outdoor/indoor patio and I had to be seated there. All around were adorable knick-knacks, miss matched chairs, plates adorning the walls. One wall was exposed brick with a mural painted over it! There was also a shrubbery-covered fire place. It was like a cool girl's collection of stuff. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOx0kwnDtsk2Q2VqMsTIGVb3gIRfDP_i-HoAKEgX8B76xTmPq52sVaVzmn2tsMGSH-BbDCW7Xx1vlVTdQtIk-YkW7b1ZiTkmDnNWyRstjEGJkkjRJH-uHnborcYkyS6zVUWyXa/s1600-h/IMG_1572.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOx0kwnDtsk2Q2VqMsTIGVb3gIRfDP_i-HoAKEgX8B76xTmPq52sVaVzmn2tsMGSH-BbDCW7Xx1vlVTdQtIk-YkW7b1ZiTkmDnNWyRstjEGJkkjRJH-uHnborcYkyS6zVUWyXa/s320/IMG_1572.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Outdoor patio</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWGhY8Bsvcl5eM43ZecdMEtSXmDW02np31S828bFO0fgZJO_h3JfXVX8qIJXwiS5cVPZ-07Ozb_DANuDJrp3YANZBrM5hfUEssK228EZD0_RiNOCspAHwx7wpr4psUrX5hWmG_/s1600-h/IMG_1573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWGhY8Bsvcl5eM43ZecdMEtSXmDW02np31S828bFO0fgZJO_h3JfXVX8qIJXwiS5cVPZ-07Ozb_DANuDJrp3YANZBrM5hfUEssK228EZD0_RiNOCspAHwx7wpr4psUrX5hWmG_/s320/IMG_1573.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The patio's fireplace</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was too bad that my expectations were way too high. I was extremely disappointed by the quality of the food. I ordered the lemon ricotta french toast with raspberry drizzle and blueberries. The bread was way too dense and there was too much ricotta. It was an ice cream scoop of ricotta. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcXScvLNI7w6kpdEHyFjcD08lZ6H5s9bD9I3L4VcYUyy85fcMAVe3dcivfP5XcqxkXReKkKl4RxMeNWBfIURSbENfDyl8QEJQue7bgZrcX7HKpKa3FkyMsoMXnwfc1C3ONyt94/s1600-h/IMG_1574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcXScvLNI7w6kpdEHyFjcD08lZ6H5s9bD9I3L4VcYUyy85fcMAVe3dcivfP5XcqxkXReKkKl4RxMeNWBfIURSbENfDyl8QEJQue7bgZrcX7HKpKa3FkyMsoMXnwfc1C3ONyt94/s320/IMG_1574.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Lemon ricotta French toast</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Matt ordered the crab royale, which I also found to be unappealing. I didn't even want to take more than a couple of bites of it. Their bloody mary was very tasty, on the other hand. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6Vq8cZpHQHgYZYgzc-JotdWsDeSeWeryqDVkJvUJcQjiypgrCwRC_aU-QhjZ2GgRKs8J4-keS5IJnhhFsdcUHMhadh7euKQMp_4pDWs8K1LZpsmNoPlYq3TqkNG7M4SorH1p/s1600-h/IMG_1575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6Vq8cZpHQHgYZYgzc-JotdWsDeSeWeryqDVkJvUJcQjiypgrCwRC_aU-QhjZ2GgRKs8J4-keS5IJnhhFsdcUHMhadh7euKQMp_4pDWs8K1LZpsmNoPlYq3TqkNG7M4SorH1p/s320/IMG_1575.JPG" /></a></div><br />
It's too bad because I really thought 26 Beach had the makings of a place I could regular. I really wanted to fall in love with it. The place was amazing and the food had eye appeal, but it just wasn't good food. <br />
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<a href="http://www.26beach.com/">26 Beach </a> <br />
<i>3100 Washington Blvd</i><br />
<i>Venice, CA 90291</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23362361.post-42593992935369113782010-02-01T12:31:00.000-05:002010-02-01T12:31:00.439-05:00NomNoms: New Place for the Week #2 - Craft (Los Angeles)Another restaurant I've been itching to try ever since it opened is <a href="http://www.craftrestaurant.com/">Craft</a> in Century City. Unfortunately or fortunately, as a long-time viewer of Food Network and Top Chef, I've been sucked into the whole "celebrity chef" culture. <a href="http://discoverlosangeles.com/play/dining/restaurantweek/aapart2010.jsp">DineLA</a> gave me the perfect opportunity to try teddy bear Tom Colicchio's creations.<br />
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Craft prides itself on serving seasonal market fare. The menu is laid out so that diners can "craft" their own meal and share it amongst the table. For the prix fixe menu, we had a choice of entree. The appetizers and desserts were predetermined.<br />
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Our appetizers were a salad and a selection of housemade charcuterie. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRxF_u3euENP6b23EpaxdWtrQWLhLjsBu6P6R-rrk3iSuzgZXmD9DZde1Z8CrYoU53HQWBIsO70_Iv8Y_YIOk35nOSYwFvY0IZMsSf-Kk0_JWYnZkpfQdPPIvgnT_H8fMJZWXf/s1600-h/IMG_1584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRxF_u3euENP6b23EpaxdWtrQWLhLjsBu6P6R-rrk3iSuzgZXmD9DZde1Z8CrYoU53HQWBIsO70_Iv8Y_YIOk35nOSYwFvY0IZMsSf-Kk0_JWYnZkpfQdPPIvgnT_H8fMJZWXf/s320/IMG_1584.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Baby lettuce with toasted hazelnuts</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I thought this dish was nothing special. The lettuce leaves were gigantic, but the salad was dressed very lightly and the toasted hazelnuts were a nice addition. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The "housemade charcuterie" was composed of three items. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW7NRcgzNQcrON8I4U91OzAdNla4Fl2syDdVG5fPFSzmyQse4b62eKcjp-NQ_P8aduglRRYkIYlb3CBA4z2q12ygs-xu5vdCnYysXfp-Z0_r1nrhdDAzxqS00A3L-N5Ao4xtru/s1600-h/IMG_1585.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW7NRcgzNQcrON8I4U91OzAdNla4Fl2syDdVG5fPFSzmyQse4b62eKcjp-NQ_P8aduglRRYkIYlb3CBA4z2q12ygs-xu5vdCnYysXfp-Z0_r1nrhdDAzxqS00A3L-N5Ao4xtru/s320/IMG_1585.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ocean trout with shaved fennel</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWmJnRWOkgciCHMPXg7XUwquL3uCg7Du-5SAM7WAFAlb_XtztlplpK-ifAJfsof08f9fUhmL_HacTe4xjo7nBGLgozCLNXMSZt6v6kSeRrRxFfx5OlvzXc-TS6LtC7_cc3tV2x/s1600-h/IMG_1586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWmJnRWOkgciCHMPXg7XUwquL3uCg7Du-5SAM7WAFAlb_XtztlplpK-ifAJfsof08f9fUhmL_HacTe4xjo7nBGLgozCLNXMSZt6v6kSeRrRxFfx5OlvzXc-TS6LtC7_cc3tV2x/s320/IMG_1586.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Duck rillette </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW-AwM_zKWyCLg5Uyw-vOnd2_VnbHkrg7uqi88uurFYypgNjOd9NCQuTrXTIchqfdSdbnvaXebLk-n1bbGVbH3Doci7UwL1yS82t9XtIbqoeFbXFDW2XKxNNsS_tlalxyTH1qA/s1600-h/IMG_1587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW-AwM_zKWyCLg5Uyw-vOnd2_VnbHkrg7uqi88uurFYypgNjOd9NCQuTrXTIchqfdSdbnvaXebLk-n1bbGVbH3Doci7UwL1yS82t9XtIbqoeFbXFDW2XKxNNsS_tlalxyTH1qA/s320/IMG_1587.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pate with pickled vegetables</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I really enjoyed the duck rillette. It had a layer of some type of berry jam on top, which made for a very interesting flavor. The first thing you taste is sweetness and then you taste the salty, richness of the duck. I could have eaten a whole jar of that stuff on my on. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The pate was also pretty good and I loved the lavash that was served with it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the entree, we had the choice of four items and we decided on the three meat items. We also were given a side of market vegetables for the table. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9BvJTP4JYLWCU-nmZqHGTA_5c3L3H53AzssS4vFx1jDsTuJrm4F7wZ5gIoSbNcvP7xJtxFXpTIl57oxcUkwrYhLws7ZSZRBIyL5T3fCxfybXu72CQnQW0AYjcHldoFjPdWHMx/s1600-h/IMG_1588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9BvJTP4JYLWCU-nmZqHGTA_5c3L3H53AzssS4vFx1jDsTuJrm4F7wZ5gIoSbNcvP7xJtxFXpTIl57oxcUkwrYhLws7ZSZRBIyL5T3fCxfybXu72CQnQW0AYjcHldoFjPdWHMx/s320/IMG_1588.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">California rib eye with beans</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj751t-2yjMqdqWYY2FtEM2w7MibDfz-giY0tRRweNEC8fXmGbiZLfpr7eZ5qIWm6x3VKbcRqTz_NKAURQf8wT7zYu5pziYMrvtl0ipZGfj9o56aCUhNm_oOuZoRZQzI2fBMmUO/s1600-h/IMG_1590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj751t-2yjMqdqWYY2FtEM2w7MibDfz-giY0tRRweNEC8fXmGbiZLfpr7eZ5qIWm6x3VKbcRqTz_NKAURQf8wT7zYu5pziYMrvtl0ipZGfj9o56aCUhNm_oOuZoRZQzI2fBMmUO/s320/IMG_1590.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Niman Pork Shoulder with potatoes</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMRfEEr4L5m9z9Npg60y8o0PAmFEDoo28xYFgsCbc-G1GC7GXly9iBfa1G8_AwWtU_zhikKmeoKCCjwzvhO7BGAO-_8kxdIo9Bzy2Yq_iqcjSz9Eu0QAxFao071py_BSQaTMB4/s1600-h/IMG_1591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMRfEEr4L5m9z9Npg60y8o0PAmFEDoo28xYFgsCbc-G1GC7GXly9iBfa1G8_AwWtU_zhikKmeoKCCjwzvhO7BGAO-_8kxdIo9Bzy2Yq_iqcjSz9Eu0QAxFao071py_BSQaTMB4/s320/IMG_1591.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Hawaiian blue prawns with grits</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipAkQ4QJzonoMdEwkOL73DX9bAVjJPRPt3nJUP6hUm3Wfkz_A7euroREY9rWeqG-y0dyDVQZpmbWoGeGx8TpAJixE_U6pfFLk0l2SYM3adjPjTKc_Bu6nRIkOJalEbJTX3Jt3m/s1600-h/IMG_1592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipAkQ4QJzonoMdEwkOL73DX9bAVjJPRPt3nJUP6hUm3Wfkz_A7euroREY9rWeqG-y0dyDVQZpmbWoGeGx8TpAJixE_U6pfFLk0l2SYM3adjPjTKc_Bu6nRIkOJalEbJTX3Jt3m/s320/IMG_1592.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Market vegetables </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To be honest, I wasn't impressed with the entrees. The Calfornia ribeye actually come out cold and over done. I like my meat medium rare, which I feel is the "normal" method of cooking beef these days. I also found the beans unappetizing. Some pieces of the pork were also overdone, but the potatoes were delicious. The shrimp was nothing special either. However, I loved the market vegetables. Sometimes I find myself so used to looking at food that is the same shape and size and texture that seeing vegetables in their natural form is a unique sight. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We also got two desserts to share. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgolTI1dxxAqbA_e5ii-ogzpHseGZe1BX_RCbZutBRD87-n-aEnZONjUGCR1rYK5EiNoSZdDZAJsPYlGyFhvTFeNfCA7RKqffOUkWaHqr4ZZ3Ix-v4Ou9fu4biaEBwKPyeMhaaH/s1600-h/IMG_1593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgolTI1dxxAqbA_e5ii-ogzpHseGZe1BX_RCbZutBRD87-n-aEnZONjUGCR1rYK5EiNoSZdDZAJsPYlGyFhvTFeNfCA7RKqffOUkWaHqr4ZZ3Ix-v4Ou9fu4biaEBwKPyeMhaaH/s320/IMG_1593.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Chocolate and peanut butter tart</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdRgIorHYKH7QBW7Ah8sXpM5rvWKmgHivL3UCfUlsQwndWpZwe8lIH8yVJqp8djv-0mdEHOcSjr05BMhKoVGUHqRvknO4yB9Yeo5ViKm8acd3TvpnODhMrPK0pb-xLLlsvatnu/s1600-h/IMG_1594.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdRgIorHYKH7QBW7Ah8sXpM5rvWKmgHivL3UCfUlsQwndWpZwe8lIH8yVJqp8djv-0mdEHOcSjr05BMhKoVGUHqRvknO4yB9Yeo5ViKm8acd3TvpnODhMrPK0pb-xLLlsvatnu/s320/IMG_1594.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Blueberry and huckleberry cobbler</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSP_FbalGM3gfEhr4PxAvgATUy2fNu4DJq-qVFc_fyhI8amBRxBfipe4hN-hIXGsYUxqSharSNJJ9Emhfhd2TlLl78mMHALNJ4MUdrUDYrJGG3zILtunDWx-FX_m12uROr-gTH/s1600-h/IMG_1595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSP_FbalGM3gfEhr4PxAvgATUy2fNu4DJq-qVFc_fyhI8amBRxBfipe4hN-hIXGsYUxqSharSNJJ9Emhfhd2TlLl78mMHALNJ4MUdrUDYrJGG3zILtunDWx-FX_m12uROr-gTH/s320/IMG_1595.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Vanilla and cinnamon ice cream</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The desserts were very good. The chocolate tart was delicious and rich, but I couldn't eat more than a fourth of it because it was so rich. The cobbler was very tart but I loved the copper pot it came in. The ice creams were also quite good. The cinnamon one tasted like Red Hots. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If that wasn't enough food, we also got a little serving of caramel corn when we got our bill and each one of us got a little banana bread to take home. I ate mine for breakfast the next day.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFljA1mFh0Wo1uL6nz7MGoUYkLC6SL96l3iAeXOu25HAWGYgRehAu9KqNp_g2_lTPgLOFRfY-GSaOB2G9zqKGxRg7L2n_7UQZmuvpkAbJYBvNBLU7ysRAXtOy8WR-a8N8op3q8/s1600-h/IMG_1597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFljA1mFh0Wo1uL6nz7MGoUYkLC6SL96l3iAeXOu25HAWGYgRehAu9KqNp_g2_lTPgLOFRfY-GSaOB2G9zqKGxRg7L2n_7UQZmuvpkAbJYBvNBLU7ysRAXtOy8WR-a8N8op3q8/s320/IMG_1597.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Banana bread</div><a href="http://www.craftrestaurant.com/">Craft</a><br />
<address class="adr"><span class="street-address">10100 Constellation Blvd</span><br />
<span class="locality">Los Angeles</span>, <span class="region">CA</span> <span class="postal-code">90067</span><br />
</address><span class="tel" id="bizPhone"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23362361.post-13084448307741385432010-01-26T17:15:00.000-05:002010-01-26T17:15:00.238-05:00NomNoms: New Place for the Week #1 - Barbix (Los Angeles)So I've discovered a little conflict of self-interest. I'm trying to lose 5 pounds in six months, but I'm also trying to do all the things in LA that I've been wanting to do before I leave in six month. What is a girl to do??? So I've decided that I'm only allowed to eat out four times a week and I can go to one new place each week, so that is roughly 26 new places to try. <br />
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My first "New Place for the Week" was <a href="http://www.barbrix.com/%20">Barbix </a>in Silverlake. My friend and I both had eaten relatively recently so we just ordered two small plates to share with our glasses of wine. We both found the wine bar to be charming and spent about three hours talking in this comfortable atmosphere. The food was quite good too. The bar was continually busy and turned over customers very quickly. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Roasted cauliflower salad<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVomLmIrTueqIKn-bBCarFUJiwX5DEZjq_l4rcIfMasaaLZtve5KyLOSI3eeOP6iaEundhLX2W3psVYytVz5t0FLF9B1o0L862pcwMlEighOcypGDn53LEtXYNCJWBRuT3aTe/s1600-h/IMG_1581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVomLmIrTueqIKn-bBCarFUJiwX5DEZjq_l4rcIfMasaaLZtve5KyLOSI3eeOP6iaEundhLX2W3psVYytVz5t0FLF9B1o0L862pcwMlEighOcypGDn53LEtXYNCJWBRuT3aTe/s320/IMG_1581.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Sicilian Veal Meatballs<br />
</div><a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.barbrix.com/%20">Barbix</a><br />
2442 Hyperion Ave.<br />
Los Angeles, CA 90027Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23362361.post-36228434871143974042010-01-25T16:15:00.000-05:002010-01-24T21:31:23.642-05:00NomNoms: The Bazaar by Jose Andres (Los Angeles)Since <a href="http://discoverlosangeles.com/play/dining/restaurantweek/aapart2010.jsp">DineLA Week</a> is again upon us, I wanted to go back and post about my most memorable Dine LA experience to date: The Bazaar by Jose Andres, located at the <a href="http://www.sbe.com/sls/">SLS Hotel</a>.<br />
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As you enter the dining area, you are greeted by the very very dark Bar Centro. It was difficult for me to find my friend because of the darkness. The restaurant itself is divided into a Rojo section and a Blanca section. We were seated in Blanca, which features a stylish all white motif. The restaurant's tapas menu is split up into traditional and modern tapas, so we picked a sampling from each. Jose Andres is known for his playfulness with food and if you've ever seen his PBS show "Made in Spain," you know that he has a larger-than-life personality.<br />
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I dined with two others this evening so we decided to share the small plates with each other. With the exception of the Philly Cheesesteak, which we all had to put in an order for, all the dishes were shareable. I added an order of cotton candy foie gras because I had read so much about it and it was not included on the DineLA menu. <br />
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Our meal consisted of the following dishes: <br />
Traditional tapas: <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">West coast oysters with lemon and black pepper<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mussels with olive oil, vinegar, pimenton<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Catalan-style bread with tomato served with jamon<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Jamon Serrano<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKPnHl-34p2L7UJrr36YUgSPEnm37WGnH2c38y26DvJtGskNgSNHi9m5UUhgKQWFXtonpnhLpB_xVVXLdMMIorrt7VLOjnd8-9Uco-NGLaBlifnOyt6RMd8Djk51eO4tr7D662/s1600-h/IMG_4285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKPnHl-34p2L7UJrr36YUgSPEnm37WGnH2c38y26DvJtGskNgSNHi9m5UUhgKQWFXtonpnhLpB_xVVXLdMMIorrt7VLOjnd8-9Uco-NGLaBlifnOyt6RMd8Djk51eO4tr7D662/s320/IMG_4285.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Spinach with apple, raisin and pine nut <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfToBmasUYXW0AezXN8z6H2MLz71vroyVYaLqHWd_ZDSALOpwePtZ8yqtlX-1Y8iUMbXd5irfKxdLZIxP6tNk0lYRX-ygCU-SklssL8WJlhaOAwnvl_Qxec8DeHPG3FefJi9Q5/s1600-h/IMG_4284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfToBmasUYXW0AezXN8z6H2MLz71vroyVYaLqHWd_ZDSALOpwePtZ8yqtlX-1Y8iUMbXd5irfKxdLZIxP6tNk0lYRX-ygCU-SklssL8WJlhaOAwnvl_Qxec8DeHPG3FefJi9Q5/s320/IMG_4284.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Pork sausage, white beans, and mushrooms<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Hangar Steak<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLayF0eF45bw3rYnBQGyPGf-iMSK7mi2N3DIlSP-j6k0CUIS1z2jyVMZLnJgpVwIbrbO8jWj5HjqbxeyZZ_bfJMGpn3REZ9L_PfvEwmSASSWbDEIoEcQGGef9ve3g-MtqXkyRs/s1600-h/IMG_4277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLayF0eF45bw3rYnBQGyPGf-iMSK7mi2N3DIlSP-j6k0CUIS1z2jyVMZLnJgpVwIbrbO8jWj5HjqbxeyZZ_bfJMGpn3REZ9L_PfvEwmSASSWbDEIoEcQGGef9ve3g-MtqXkyRs/s320/IMG_4277.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Garlic shrimp<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Modern Tapas: <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkFtzBYYpAOx18hJqmOzXpRpAdbc6x0JRq44pvGUrm2LUyiLlYmiGqJVyARehcB-Dwkj0ANj2oickb4bWTcHPbegwLbBKEEK2QOeE11bJW4To4-aKnV8FksFJmX3xjtsGx6jW/s1600-h/IMG_4268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkFtzBYYpAOx18hJqmOzXpRpAdbc6x0JRq44pvGUrm2LUyiLlYmiGqJVyARehcB-Dwkj0ANj2oickb4bWTcHPbegwLbBKEEK2QOeE11bJW4To4-aKnV8FksFJmX3xjtsGx6jW/s320/IMG_4268.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">"Philly Cheesesteak" - air bread, cheddar, Wagyu beef<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-jKk6CUEgUwr2g3dUbBXUlumJUSnhYpP1DC8OGLYzUPXaat1rr7oAqSLIXb1g8B-rREoDXzf-AIf6Zj_UZXhV7AYKJQ9-CfUTNKVW3zby2Y4wIjJQwkuLKnO4e1TlVYdakI2b/s1600-h/IMG_4273.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-jKk6CUEgUwr2g3dUbBXUlumJUSnhYpP1DC8OGLYzUPXaat1rr7oAqSLIXb1g8B-rREoDXzf-AIf6Zj_UZXhV7AYKJQ9-CfUTNKVW3zby2Y4wIjJQwkuLKnO4e1TlVYdakI2b/s320/IMG_4273.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cotton candy foie gras<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjmT8eAuYa9cY7cmPQu3GBn5k6tn7I7zIuC-7N3hs3kUVE36UuNzYGMucnJ3wcRJqXgX73gyv5_INliTcqZfBx8FPntbWm1fY4znfSSwX_X4QP6JfXKaI-BBCu0MA0qEqYsezl/s1600-h/IMG_4281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjmT8eAuYa9cY7cmPQu3GBn5k6tn7I7zIuC-7N3hs3kUVE36UuNzYGMucnJ3wcRJqXgX73gyv5_INliTcqZfBx8FPntbWm1fY4znfSSwX_X4QP6JfXKaI-BBCu0MA0qEqYsezl/s320/IMG_4281.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ottoman carrot fritters<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDKL8T-L8NNLtpGhkz8DDef42hLb6PWSJhwTZpmTm93_-QIkLQk6OPgpQCMDwFpjQ10hbp1xLL-3A1vg7-JPr0OTIPHOKPaJUvwNGvTk4gPd6-giSmTtL6LB2XWleEgJDy8VrP/s1600-h/IMG_4287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDKL8T-L8NNLtpGhkz8DDef42hLb6PWSJhwTZpmTm93_-QIkLQk6OPgpQCMDwFpjQ10hbp1xLL-3A1vg7-JPr0OTIPHOKPaJUvwNGvTk4gPd6-giSmTtL6LB2XWleEgJDy8VrP/s320/IMG_4287.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Apple and fennel salad<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADrEVM8F-bShSphbCANkWH9KIAslpktJAf8Dbo6fPHBG753QDIqtUOkXb7G9pMcmdXc_kEJvumO4bfti-O8OAUkYhZd_W4492FSFk9uJKPWBj0t-_u4s00X26RBNwmnxU71QS/s1600-h/IMG_4288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADrEVM8F-bShSphbCANkWH9KIAslpktJAf8Dbo6fPHBG753QDIqtUOkXb7G9pMcmdXc_kEJvumO4bfti-O8OAUkYhZd_W4492FSFk9uJKPWBj0t-_u4s00X26RBNwmnxU71QS/s320/IMG_4288.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Desserts: Apricot panna cotta, traditional flan, sorbets: coconut, tangerine, raspberry<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Most of the dishes were extremely impressive. I loved the Philly Cheesesteak. It was remarkably airy and just a fun concept although most Philadelphians probably find it blasphemous. The apple and fennel salad was very refreshing and light. The Serrano was simply amazing and not at all salty. The cotton candy foie gras was interesting and pretty.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">For dessert, our waitress asked if we would like to have it served in the Patisserie and I regret that we didn't accept this change in scenery. The Patisserie also serves afternoon tea, which I would love to try one day.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">On a normal night, I would never be able to afford to eat at The Bazaar. Drinks alone were $15 a piece, but because of DineLA prices, I could go on this one time trip to have this exciting dining experience. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://discoverlosangeles.com/play/dining/restaurantweek/aapart2010.jsp">DineLA Week</a> runs from January 24-29 and January 31-February 5, 2010.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.thebazaar.com/">The Bazaar by Jose Andres</a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>SLS Hotel</i><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>465 North La Cienega Boulevard<br />
Los Angeles, CA 90048</i><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0