Delphine



Off to celebrate my sister's birthday brunch we went. Up the street and through the new W Hotel to the French eatery, Delphine.

We left saying it was the best brunch we had ever had. Starting with the "le petit delphine" and fresh peach puree bellini's, you can see the seafood platter was not that petit ( we thought we had ordered the large!) It was also my first run in with escargot, not bad. We then went on to have the Onion Soup Gratinee, Steak Tartare, and Macaroni Gratin. It was perfect, the space is bright and clean, and it was an excellent place for a special day. I am looking forward to going back. The staff even brought out sparklers in rich chocolate cake for her birthday. Merveilleux!Delphine on Urbanspoon

Make Your VDay Pop

If you want some ideas to make his (and your) V-DAY special this year ...

Offer to do drinks and apps at your place before dinner. It will take some $$ stress off you man, and even if money is no object it will show you care and made the effort to make him feel special.
The drink and apps don't have to bust your bank either, buy a bottle of Freixenet Brut for around $9. Pair your champagne of choice with a nice gorgonzola stuffed mushroom, or if you don't have the time to cook, pick up some fresh shrimp for shrimp cocktail. It's all about presentation. Have everything ready before he gets there so you can keep your eyes on him! ( If you are married, make him wait to see the spread by sending him to his room. Have your sexy red dress hidden by the mixer ready to slip on so when he comes out the surprise isn't just the food.)
Wanna see how the date goes before committing to inviting him in? At the end of dinner, surprise him with an invite back to your place for dessert. Make a sweet cherry pie and pair it with some gourmet vanilla bourbon ice cream from the Mercantile. If you want to keep is simple, slice strawberries and fill them with a little whipped cream. I would also pop that bottle of brut if you didn't already!

Thanks to my favorite blog, you have a music mix to get everything ready to and put you in a lovey mood.

It is going to be more fun for both of you, being domestic is sexy and guys deserve a little extra love on this cheesy/amazing day too.

Place I would want to try for the big night: Bar Bouchon in Beverly Hills. Has anyone been there yet?

Vito's Pizza

As you can see, I didn't remember that I write a food blog until the 19th hour. This piece of white pesto pizza with a fountain diet coke was everything I needed for my trip back home in 5:45pm LA traffic.
Alex had taken me to Vito's early on in our relationship and it was good then, but I remember being more worried about food in my teeth to even think about wether or not it tasted good.
Thank you yesterday and La Cienga Blvd. this is basically the best pizza I have ever had in my life. ( sorry Pizza Hut) Vito's has a dining room and outdoor patio seating. When we ate in everyone there was from NY. They talk loud but they also know their pizza, and they have pasta too! 846 N La Cienega Blvd, West Hollywood .... Can I please have this for breakfast right now?!

Stuffed Shells

I found this recipe one night while craving stuffed shells, trying to be domestic, and attempting to impress my boyfriend with my amazing cooking skills. Now, I know that pasta is basically the easiest meal in the world to prepare ... but who doesn't love a stuffed shell?! I made four pans of these for the super bowl, which was great because I got to cook instead of feigning interest in football. They take about 2 hours from start to finish, but this is also because I double batch them and put half in the freezer ( they freeze beautifully, ziplock and lay flat in freezer )
http://southernfood.about.com/od/pastarecipes/r/bl30223n.htm

Wonderland

With the movie coming up ( that I cannot wait to see! ) It is only fitting that we finally went to Wonderland. We did bottle service with a new vodka that is hitting the scene called AKVINTA. After a few cocktails with soda and lime, I was expecting to wake and feel like I tumbled down a rabbit hole (yeah, I said it). Thank you AKVINTA for being organic and 5 times filtered. I arose refreshed like a little tea party princess. We sat next to a faux green wall, but saw no Queen of Hearts. It has the crowd, but nothing so spectacular that makes it any different from any other hot spot raking the $$'s in bottle service right now. I wish they would have taken it to the next level in some way, I would have loved to have seen a special potion bottle or a card dealer, even a bartender in a top hat. Call me crazy, but I like a show. I had a good time though. If you want to be in the it scene, go soon. Before it's too late. How do you get there? "Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop." - The King, Alice In Wonderland

Seven Grand


I had the opportunity to head downtown Monday night for a whiskey event held by Sky Spirits at the acclaimed Seven Grand. Not its normal night I know, but with the pool tables covered in catered food, and whiskey from around the globe, what girlfriend can't be a good sport and at least enjoy a few shrimp. ( Or so I thought .. ) To my complete shock, I actually liked some of the whiskies. Spread around the room were the actual distillers of the spirit from Japan to Ireland. The Scottish man explained to me that if you dip your finger in the whiskey and rub it on the back of your hand you can smell if it is ready to drink. If it has a mossy or green aroma it is not ready, and if it has more of a bakery in the morning smell... you got it. Sip away. Sky even had a table set up where you could mix your own cocktail. I liked the tart apple honey cocktail the bartenders made me. Twice. It was one of the better tasting events I have been to, and really appreciated the enthusiasm of the men who have made this craft their life. You may even find me ordering a 12 year Tullamore Dew with a splash of water out on the town. 515 West 7th Street