Artisanal LA Santa Monica 2011

Rachel, owner of p.o.p candy

Diggin' in tha crates

Guess we were a little late...

Pulled Pork Cupcake

Salted Carmel Candy Yum!

Clearly I have no shame, sure was good!

All Jarred Up Pies!

Rashida, owner of Cast Iron Gourmet

OMG, please tell me you were in Santa Monica over the weekend!  Artisanal LA out did itself in it's new location!  The operative word for this event was sugar!!!  There were tons of sweet and savory confections to fit everyone's sweet tooth.  The biggest change (besides the location) was the increase in libations!  Imagine cocktails made from hibiscus and jasmine, shots of Acai vodka, and all the beer you can carry (we were double fisting it in there!) Green Bar Collective, VeeV, and Eagle Rock Brewery made that happen for me and my crew, what more could you ask for???  Of course I saw some familiar faces, Rashida,  owner of Cast Iron Gourmet,  and her bacon posse were slingin' that swine like nobody's business.  She never ceases to amaze me and per usual she had a new creation for this event, Pork Nuts, that's right homemade corn nuts soaked in Eagle Rock Brewery beer and cooked in bacon fat, Yum Yum! Dropped in on my good friend Rachel  at p.o.p candy.  The gang that I rolled with fell in love with these herb crusted treats.  In fact we fought over the last bag of rosemary almond butter crunch, since she was a newbie I let her have it.  I went out of my comfort zone and bought the thyme, walnut , and cherry candy and boy was I glad I did, the tangy cherries made an awesome addition to the candy.  Simone B. was new to Artisanal LA, her pulled pork cupcake and margarita cupcake were a smash hit.  Speaking of smash hit, Bangers and Smashed brought their gourmet mashed potatoes with flavors like Black Truffle Smashed and Bourbon Pecan Smashed (sweet potatoes) with Jack Daniels and spice, totally to live for!  My friends and I left stuffed, fat, full, and delicious and did I mention that all this great food was only ten bucks?  Best $10 I ever spent...well since the last event!  Make sure you don't miss the next foodie event!

We all had a blast!

*Unique LA is back!!! Their 3rd Annual
  Spring Show will be May 7th and 8th
  (Mother's Day weekend). Tickets are
  $10 at the door, Perfect time to grab
  that last minute gift for mom!  See Ya
  there!!!!
 

Artisanal LA Spring Show 2011

What are you doin' this weekend???  Hopefully the answer is going to Artisanal LA's  new location at Santa Monica Place.  I'm super excited to check out this new location and stop by and see some old friends like Cast Iron Gourmet , Cold Brew and Cola, and p.o.p candy co.  If you're a self proclaimed foodie like myself then this event is one that you absolutely cannot  miss, trust me!  Here's how it goes down:  Purchase your tickets online for $10 ($15 at the door), and that gets you all the tastes (and beverages) that you want, if you like what you've tried then you can purchase the food, or move on to the next booth. Part of the proceeds go to St. Vincent's Meals on Wheels program, see everyone's Winning!!! It's that simple, this is a weekend long event so be there or be square!  Here are a few pics of the fall show.

Couch Mix

Butter Crunch

Butter Pie

The Guys of Cold Brew and Cola

Artisanal LA Spring Show 2011

Santa Monica Place
Level 3 Dining Deck – Event Space
395 Santa Monica Place
Santa Monica, CA 90401

April 16th 11am-8pm

April 17th 11am-7pm

NoHo Rockin' Food Truck Fest

Last weekend was a good day to be in NoHo (North Hollywood that is), folks came out for a good cause and some good eats.  MuttMatchLA set up the First Annual NoHo Rockin' Food Truck Fest and Flea Market, where a pet adoption and flea market were set up for all your fashion needs and of course there 

"Greasy Weiner" $4

Truffle Tornado $5

were fabulous food trucks on the premises. I'm sure ya'll know why I came through (he he he).  You guys know I don't mess around so I got to business.  I have not had a hot dog in quite awhile, so I decided to have a big greasy one! The Greasy Wiener was there to fufill my foodie desires.  I had the "Greasy Wiener" which consists of grilled onions, mustard (minus the mustard), a pickle and a premium topping, of course I chose bacon.  My hot dog was great, grilled to perfection.  This truck also has a chicken apple sausage (which they were out of), nachos, and of course chilli cheese fries.  The choice was hard but I think I chose a winner.  Then I walked over to  My Tornado Potato, now these guys have an interesting twist on fries.  These spiral taters are the business and they even found a way to stick a piece of sausage on that bad boy and fry that sucker.  The Screw Driver Tornado is a sausage with chili and nacho cheese,can you say heart attack on a stick??? Who cares, I would've tried that if I hadn't had my greasy dog. My next stop was Calbi Fusion Tacos|Burritos.  I was wondering if this slow moving line was worth the wait, sadly it wasn't.  I decided to try the beef and chicken Koren inspired tacos.  The chicken was mediocre at best and the beef was chewy with

Calbi Tacos $2.50 each

a funny after taste. I wasn't completely turned off, maybe they were just having a bad day,  I might try it again one day...So we save the best for last, dessert. Sweet E's Bake Shop had the longest line of the whole event, which was a good indication that there was something good in store.

Cookies N' Cream Cake Pop $3

Boy was I right, when I finally go to the front of the line almost everything was gone!  I settled with a white chocolate covered pretzel, and two cake pops. The Cookies N' Cream Cake Pop was a total party in my mouth, love me some sweets! I sat down to enjoy my goodies and the live entertainment and made two new friends in the process.  We were sharing are foodie finds and they let me taste Streets of Thailand's krab wonton (yes that is crab with a "K").  Let me just say that these people should be ashamed of themselves!  Who would deep fry imitation meat? Yuck!  It was a gummy hot mess and I'm glad I didn't waste my $5 on it!  All in all this was a great event (minus the ugly weather), there was truly something for everyone and I look forward to the next NoHo Food Truck Fest!





*Truckit Fest is going down this Sunday and every 1st Sunday of the month, there will be over 40 food trucks, 200 local designers, and live bands. Union Station, downtown is the place to be! (11am-5pm, $5 general admission)

*Artisanl LA 2011 Spring Show will be the talk of the town, I always have the best time!  April 16th and 17th (11am-7pm) Santa Monica Place will have a packed house.  Pre-sale tickets $10 and $15 at the door.  Be there or be square!

Swine and Wine

It is not a game people!

Cast Iron Gourmet owner, Rashida Purifoy and I

Couch Mix $11

Frisee Salad

Shame, shame, shame on me for not spreading the word about this fab bacon that I had a few weeks ago! I had some of the best bacon ever at Cork Bar's Swine and Wine event, hosted by pork master Rashida Purifoy. Swine and wine was a 3-course fixed menu with bacon for $25(optional wine paring $13), awesome deal right? I brought along a few gal pals to experience the blissfulness of this bacon! I boasted about the couch mix on the car ride over, the girls gave me a look like "Whatchu talkin' about Willis??", it's something so indescribable, you just have to try it for yourself!  We arrived at Cork Bar which  is a small corner bistro in the heart of Downtown L.A. We dined with the stars on this clear chilly night, which was okay because the warmth of the fire pits kept us toasty.  Before we placed our order, our server placed a shot of couch mix on the table.I already new what was about to happen, game over!  These ladies couldn't get enough of the stuff, trail mix with caramelized bacon, it was a wrap! At that moment Rashida became their bacon dealer (I'm already a client),  because this stuff is foodie crack!  That got the juices flowing and we were so excited about what was to come.

Bahn Mi Sliders

The first course was a Frisee and Bacon Salad, which had roasted tomatoes, a light mustard vinaigrette and flavorful seasoned bacon.  This was a great start to our meal, we were in pure bliss.  Now imagine feeling that way about a salad, crazy huh? The salad was a tough act to follow but what came next was even better, if you can imagine that. The Bahn Mi Sliders came next, now this might come second to the Couch Mix in my pork book. This mouth watering slider consisted of cured pork belly in a hoisin glaze, sambal aioli, cilantro, pickled  dikon and carrot, with a drizzle of sriracha.  This delectable delight just melts in your mouth.  I don't even have words for how good this slider was, I'm just glad that there were two on the plate!  We are almost full and a little antsy, anticipating our last and final course, the Bacon Chocolate Cupcake!

Bacon Chocolate Cupcake

Our cupcakes came out warm and moist with a dollop of Carmel whipped cream and of course sprinkled with thick juicy bacon.  It was really good, just wish the actually cupcake was a little sweeter.  It was a perfect blend of salty and sweet and I would gladly have another!  Rashida did a meet and greet with us, as she did with all the tables, and she gave me my  order (I ordered a week in advance, I don't play!) of Couch Mix, Bourbon Bacon Chutney and Pimento Cheese with Bacon Fat.  You would swear Halle Berry walked in the room, camera flashes and floods of questions,  my friends were so intrigued on this Couch Mix, "How do you make it?", "Where can I get it?"  I'm glad she was there to answer all of their questions and needless to say supply each and everyone of them with a box of Couch Mix ($11).   And there you have it, the story of Cast Iron Gourmet's three new addicts, and I'm not trying to kick the habit anytime soon!



Cork Bar
403 W. 12th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90015
213-746-0050

P.S. March 1st. is National Pork Day!  Come out to Black Boar Bar and enjoy two of my favorite things pork and liquor!

Cafe Bizou

Lobster Bisque

So DineLA has finally come to an end (major sad face) and I decided to go to a familiar place for my last outing.  Cafe Bizou is right around the corner from the J-O-B so I decided to drop in for lunch.  My co-worker and I popped in right after the lunch rush so our service was relatively quick which is a good thing since we were on a time crunch.  I was little indecisive about what I wanted but soon was able to figure i

New York Steak with Brandy Cream Sauce

Tiramisu

t out. So after much debate I decide on the Lobster Bisque as a starter, the New York Steak as an entree and Tiramisu for dessert.  The lobster bisque was great, had a great buttery flavor and to my surprise there were chunks on lobster meat in it.Yum Yum! Next came my New York steak, I was really treating myself since I don't eat steak too often.  Steak was mediocre, it was under seasoned and a little tough.  They gave me a few puny asparagus spears, which was a bit of a let down. The brandy cream sauce was enjoyable and was a great dipping sauce for my fries.  Saving the best for last of course was the dessert.  This moist piece of heaven was a delicious end to my meal, it just melts in your mouth.  All in all I had a great meal and I absolutely can't wait til DineLA hits the streets again!




CAFE BIZOU, Sherman Oaks
14016 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
(818) 788-3536

For Colored Girls who Wanted Dinner when Being Hungry Wasn't Enough!

Gamberoni in Camicia

Finally it's restaurant week!  I searched hundreds of restaurants (literally) to find the perfect place to dine. On this crisp winter night my friend and I finally decided to go to Firenze Osteria owned by Top Chef contestant Fabio Viviani...and the excitement stopped there. We arrived to a quaint little restaurant in NoHo.  It was a Sunday night, busy but not packed.  We didn't make reservations so we expected a wait.  The owner/host Jacopo was training a girl to be a hostess, no problem everyone has to learn sometime.  When we arrived at 7:00pm he told us that there was a 15-20 minute wait and to sit at the bar.  Again no problem, I saw a few empty tables when we arrived but figured maybe those people had reservations so we waited..... and waited... and waited. While we were starving at the bar, Jacopo schmoozed with all the regular patrons which would have been fine if we weren't waiting 30 minutes! He was standing right next to us talking to some people at the bar and I was trying to wait my turn and get his attention,  but he didn't look my way.  So I finally got up and asked the hostess if there were any available tables yet.  She apologized for the wait and said yes. Do you know that she gave us the same table that was empty when we first got there???  WTF?!?!  I always joke that anytime I  bring a friend of another race with me they either seat us in the back or by the restroom, well this time they just forgot about my black ass altogether!  LMAO So me and my Latina girlfriend were seated (finally) and took a look all the Lily white faces of the  patrons in the restaurant, not sure if that's why we waited so long but it kinda makes you wonder, Huh? We got bread and beverages promptly and I asked for the DineLA menu.  I decided upon  the Gamberoni in Camicia (Grilled Jumbo Shrimp),Agnello ai Pistacchi(Herb Encrusted Rack of Lamb) as an entree and Flourless Chocolate Cake for dessert.  My friend opted for soup and salad so I was havin' DineLA fun by myself. The first course came out promptly and it was so tasty, jumbo shrimp stuffed with Gorgonzola, wrapped with pancetta, over sautéed garlic spinach and herbs and Parmesan polenta.  It was so good I wish there was more.

Agnello ai Pistacchi

Flourless Chocolate  Cake

The main course didn't come out as fast, in fact are server was pretty slow all night long and by this time there weren't as many people in the restaurant.  Any who, I asked for my lamb medium well and it still came out a little rarer than I would have liked, so I asked them to cook it a little more.  The second time it came out it was great, it was also prepared with braised pistachios which was awesome, never had anything like it before.  Then for the finale my chocolate cake, it was served with vanilla gelato and coffee cream.  The cake was perfect, so soft and moist that it just melts in your mouth!  To sum things up I was not impressed with this flourishing tavern.  They had small portions, over-priced food and crappy service!  Deal or no deal for $34 I expect way more than we got that night!  Would I  come back?  Maybe, but probably just for cocktails, they looked awesome!  This the last week of DineLA people, so please pretty please get out there and try somethin' new!

Firenze Osteria

4212 Lankershim Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91602
818.760.7081

New Year, New You

Drew Barrymore Print Ad

Step 1

Step 2

 

M.A.C Paint Pot-Vintage  Selection $16.50

Sorry for the short hiatus, now I'm back!  It's a new year and it's time to start everything fresh and sassy!  If you're anything like me you're a TV junkie and have seen this commercial with Drew Barrymore a million times.  It looked like a cool concept, use one product (the print ad shows two products), to create a smokey eye.  Although the commercial implies that you only need one product, you actually need Smoky Shadowblast  ( $9.99)and Liquidline Blast ($9.99) to create the look.  So I start off by using a base to prevent creasing. Shadowblast has a dual stick that gives you step by step directions.  Step 1:  Glide the rounded tip from your lashline to your brow bone. Step 2:  Apply darker color in the crease and your lash line. Step 3:  Use a sheer or nude lip gloss, I chose Shine Sensational in Berry Dazzle by Maybeline ($6.99).    Now my look is complete, done in two steps.  I can say that I did not like how this turned out at all, and it looks nothing like the ad!  I spruced it up a bit by adding lip liner, blush, mascara and defining my brows. So this is the new and improved look.  A little better but nothing to get excited about. I wore this to work all day and it creased so bad even though I put on a base! I would never buy this crap again!  If you need a quick smokey eye then this is a great product, other than that it gets two thumbs down!  I'm glad it was something inexpensive that I fortunately can take back. 
Pros: Easy use, good for a few hours
Cons:  Creases/runs really bad, could never wear all day



FYI people DineLA is back people Jan.23-28th and
Jan.30-Feb.4th.  Check out where to get a fab meal
at a fantastic price!