Pierre Herme: Best Macarons in the World

We ate lots of delicious macarons in Paris, but the clear winner was Pierre Herme. The filling was so intensely vibrant and varied, plus everything was so pretty.

Father's Day Outfit: Chiffon and Studs

Etoile Isabel Marant Zaggy dress, pink Valentino Rockstud kitten heels and Prada sunglasses

We had a lovely Father's Day dinner in West LA at Tokyo Kalbi, which is one of our favorite Japanese / Korean style bbq places; I like it even more than the traditional Korean bbq we usually have in Koreatown. We had a pretty ideal day today, starting with breakfast on the patio by the pool (blueberry pancakes from scratch, chicken apple sausages, cheesy scrambled eggs, smoothies), a bike ride to the ocean and back, lunch at the Brentwood Country Mart, the requisite walk around the neighborhood with the dog and finally dinner at Tokyo Kalbi. Yes, we eat a lot. I really love these Valentino rockstuds; I think they will go with a lot of my wardrobe, including this new-ish Etoile Isabel Marant Zaggy dress that I bought at the latest Barney's sale. I like this dress a lot too and have been following it all season; it's an easy daytime casual dress that I've already worn a few times.

Isabel Marant Olympe @ Connie & Teds

Isabel Marant Olympe blouse in antique pink, Uniqlo denim, Isabel Marant x H&M fringe boots

I can always tell if something was the right buy if I rip the tags off right away and start wearing it immediately. If it's still hanging in my closet with tags on months later, it probably was a mistake. Fortunately, this ruffly pink Isabel Marant Olympe blouse was a case of the former, it arrived yesterday and I wore it to a Friday date night dinner at Connie & Ted's in West Hollywood. Love this blouse, plus it's versatile: weather has been a little chilly so paired it with dark denim and boots, and will pair it with white pants and skirts (and of course my fave Oriane shorts and Edris Sandals) for the spring / summer to lighten it up. Hopefully this concludes my Isabel Marant splurges this season. This blouse is pretty much sold out in my size everywhere (finally tracked it down in Italy via Farfetch), so I knew I couldn't wait until sale season.

Just in: Isabel Marant Oriane Shorts & Scopa

Isabel Marant Oriane shorts in black, Isabel Marant Edris sandals in black, Helmut Lang sweater and Etoile Isabel Marant Kady leather jacket

My second Isabel Marant runway piece of the season: the Oriane shorts in black. As much as I try to exercise self restraint and wait for sales, I just had to have both the Edris sandals and Oriane shorts from the amazing SS 2014 collection. Glad I took the plunge because both pieces have been hard to find as they have been selling out quickly. They are both practical, easy to match in black, everyday wearable pieces that I will get a ton of use out of. Even though it's been slightly chilly here in LA, I couldn't wait to wear them, so here they are adapted for early spring, paired with a cozy knit and leather jacket. Better detail shots of the Oriane shorts to come.

An easy outfit to transition from day to night; I just swapped out the Edris sandals with the Isabel Marant x H&M fringed boots for dinner and drinks at Scopa Italian Roots, a newish restaurant on the border of Marina del Rey / Venice. We had a great time; reminded me of our old NYC days: a combination of spending hours sitting at the bar, eating and drinking, and chatting with the bartenders at two of our favorite places: Babbo and Lupa and our regular late nights at the original cocktail haven, Milk & Honey. We got there around 8:45pm and waited about 45 minutes for two seats at the bar, assisted by some regulars. The bar is definitely where it is at; the bartenders definitely know their stuff, from well crafted cocktails, to the extensive brown liquor, tequila and rum lists, and the food. All the food was delicious, starting from oysters in the halfshell, followed by humungous perfectly fried squash blossoms stuffed with ricotta, then the decadent uni toast served in a cast iron skillet with generous amount of cockles, the two pastas: a chitarra which was basically a cacio e pepe, and the pork shank pappardelle. Everything was delicious and quite generously portioned. I thought the food was better than our similar menu at Bucato a few months ago. I like the feel of the restaurant a lot more too, just more my style, a large box of a space with exposed brick walls and a very impressive soaring lit up bar. Since they clearly knew their stuff, I stuck with the cocktails for dinner, starting with the Barbados #1, a strawberry and rum based cocktail, followed by off the menu concoctions from the bartender: a strawberry mojito, a honey rum drink and a nightcap with aged rum, coffee liquor and heavy cream (basically a white russian with rum instead of vodka). K stuck with the bourbons and tried lots of great stuff, including Rocking Hill and 4 Roses. It's the perfect spot for 2 people at the bar; I would otherwise recommend getting a reservation for larger parties but the experience won't be quite the same.

Venice Saturday

What could be a better morning: brunch at Gjelina followed by wandering up and down Abbott Kinney. Used to be a pretty typical Saturday before little k's arrival, and happy she's old enough now that she can enjoy it with us.

Italian Date Night Outfit

Isabel Marant x H&M embroidered beaded jacket, Isabel Marant Prescott boots, Chanel purse and Zara Mini Skort

I enjoy any opportunity to dress up, so a last minute date night dinner at Bucato was the perfect occasion to wear my Isabel Marant x H&M embroidered jacket and knee high Isabel Marant Prescott boots. We went to Bucato in Culver City, in the Helms Bakery complex near Fathers Office and Lukshon. Our favorites were the gnocchetti with rabbit, sausage and sprouting broccoli spicy pasta and peas and proscuitto ravioli, as well as the fried squash blossoms with goat cheese. I like the texture and heartiness of the smaller handmade pastas versus the longer pastas like the papperdelle and spaghetti. It was unusually bright in the restaurant, which was a little weird. Any night out for just the two of us feels special, so it was a lovely way to spend an evening.

Pumpkin Tossing

Isabel Marant Ariana Jacket, Garland Skirt and Dicker Boots

An all Isabel Marant outfit for chasing little k around amongst the Halloween decorations. Had a nice very fall meal at Rustic Canyon last night, including some apple fennel radish salad, chicken with spaetzle and pork chops with cheddar polenta, topped off with a maple pot de creme and apple hand pies. It was a good meal, I definitely like what Jeremy Fox has done at the helm. Menu is a little bit limited, but understandable given the emphasis on seasonal local fare. It veered a bit on the heavily seasoned side but also understandable given the hearty fare. Wine list was a little pricy so we brought our own bottle of 2009 Rivers Marie Occidental Ridge Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir which went well with the meal. Overall, preferred our meal at Tar & Roses, but glad that we tried Rustic Canyon again. Nice to have some options in Santa Monica

Tar and Roses: Simply Wonderful

Image from www.tarandroses.com

We had one of the best meals that I've had in Los Angeles at Tar & Roses last night. We try to go out sans little k a few times per month, trying new places, such as Hinoki & the Bird and old favorites like Gjelina. this was the best meal that we had by far. Every dish but one was an absolute knock out, we savored every bite. We ordered nine small plates to share and skipped the entrees, we wanted to try as much as possible. The standout dishes included: lamb heart kabobs, chicken liver pate, vietnamese beef tartare, charred little gem lettuce with dates and blue cheese, squid ink fettuccine with octopus, wood oven roasted sunchokes with goat cheese and hazelnuts, and the strawberry crostini with honeycomb ice cream. Everything just exploded with flavor, just perfect. Paired nicely with a bottle of 2010 Palmina Barbera.

The Ballard Inn

One of my favorite places to stay anywhere is the Ballard Inn up in Santa Barbara wine country. It's a charming little bed and breakfast a few minutes away from Los Olivos and right near the wineries on Alamo Pintado Road. We stayed in the Gaviota Room for our 1 year anniversary and this time stayed in the larger adjacent Mountain room for our fifth anniversary. Love the little touches like cookies with turndown service, afternoon wine and hors d'oeuvres, strawberry lemonade on the porch and a hearty post slight wine hangover breakfast. The restaurant downstairs is excellent, perfect for a relaxing dinner after a day of wine tasting. Best part is, you don't have to drive anywhere afterwards! I can't remember the last time we've gone out to a fancy dinner. My favorite dish was probably the beef tenderloin and we had a really good bottle of Demetria Cuvee Constantine that went perfectly with dinner.

Pork belly with napa cabbage fondue

Hamachi with soy yuzu vinaigrette

Rack of Lamb with edamame puree

Grilled Beef Tenderloin

Afternoon Tea Venice Style

I've been wanting to try afternoon tea at Jin Patisserie on Abbott Kinney for awhile; there's nothing more relaxing than spending an afternoon with good company in a lovely room with some tasty sweet and savory bites, accompanied by a fragrant comforting pot of tea. S. invited us to afternoon tea at Jin Patisserie, but unfortunately we couldn't make it due to multiple doctors visits in the same day, but she was sweet enough to bring me some sweet treats from their afternoon. It was almost too pretty to eat (even the packaging was lovely), but I'm happy report that everything tasted as good as it looked, delicate and refined yet concentrated with flavor as well. Can't wait to check Jin in person for the proper afternoon tea experience!

Three Scoops of Happiness at the Brentwood Country Mart

Cookies and cream, mint chocolate chip and salted caramel in a waffle cone from Sweet Rose Creamery. Been cooped up in the house too long; a walk to the country mart and some small batch ice cream is the perfect remedy. I love being walking distance from the country mart, I feel like I live in a small town, where I can walk to my local post office, bank and grab a bite to eat or some coffee. Just a slightly Hollywood version with expensive but delicious $5 scoops of ice cream (sweet rose creamery), $15-20 brunch entrees from a French laundry expat (farmshop), shops selling mulberry, helmet lang etc (newly opened intermix), and celebrity sightings. It is possible to get a cheap and filling bite to eat though, I usually turn to fridas tacos in the central food court-ish part of the mart. Brentwood country mart is a good place to take small fry because even though it's a public space with lots of people, there are plenty of quiet nooks with tables and benches for us to hang out in to avoid germy crowds. I can have my ice cream and eat it too.

Casa Ado: Handmade Pasta by the Beach

Last Saturday, K. and I had dinner at the new-ish Casa Ado on Washington, right next to the Venice Boardwalk. We had been to the original Ado on Main Street for the first time a few weeks ago and fell in love with their pasta, so we wanted to give Casa Ado a shot. Like last time, we focused on the pasta, which is really the star. We liked both the handmade pastas, the beet tagliolini and the mushroom papardelle the best by a long shot. The orechiette, ricotta gnocchi, and proscuitto caprese salad were pretty average (have had much better elsewhere), we know what to stick with the next time. Still, it's nice to know there's somewhere to get our pasta fix on the Westside whenever we want. Service was fine, it was pretty easy to get a table on a Saturday night, and it definitely has a louder, more beachy vibe than the more cozy and dimly lit Ado.

Proscuitto, mozzerella, tomatoes and arugula. I've had better proscuitto and mozzarella at plenty of places, but this is a dish that always hits the spot if you are craving these flavors

Ricotta gnocchi with arugula, tomatoes and almonds. The best ricotta gnocchi are made purely with ricotta and should be light and fluffy. These clearly were made with some additional ingredients, probably potato, and therefore were dense and heavy, and not as good

Pappardelle with wild mushroom alfredo sauce. Love the texture of the large flat homemade pappardelle noodles, which went well with the creamy rich mushroom sauce

Red beet tagliolini with chicken marsala ragu over parmesan fondue. Casa Ado's version of my favorite dish at Ado. Love the chewy fresh homemade tagliolini noodles. The sauce is great, may sound weird, but it's like an awesome version of hamburger helper with the cheesy creamy ground meat sauce. I could eat many bowls of this. There's no real discernable beet flavor to the tagliolini, I think it's mainly just used for coloring purposes

Orechiette with sausage, broccoli rabe, ricotta salata. I've had many amazing versions of this dish, especially at Babbo and Lupa. I even make a decent version at home. This one unfortunately did not match up. Perhaps because of the ricotta salata, but it was quite dry and just didn't quite have enough flavor. Plus I am spoiled because at Babbo and Lupa they handmake the orechiette, which has a delightful chewy texture. This tasted like out of the box orechiette that you can buy at Whole Foods

Milk...Again...

I haven't been able to stop thinking about Milk's macaron ice cream sandwiches since first trying them Saturday night, so I had to make a stop on my way home from the eastside of town on Wednesday to check out some more flavors. We tried the strawberry and vanilla ice cream sandwich as well as the coffee toffee ice cream sandwich. Loved the strawberry ice cream, tasted like fresh strawberries, and also really liked the crunchy bits of toffee in the coffee toffee crunch. I think my favorite is still the grasshopper, with the half chocolate dipped chocolate shell and little bits of chocolate in the ice cream, but they are all good! I really should try some of their other offerings, but I really do love the ice cream sandwiches so it's hard to find room...

Milk is known for their "Blue Velvet Cake" in the lower left corner, made with blueberries

How cute are those cupcake ice cream cones on the left?

I've been told to try the Ooey Gooey Cookies

must...take...peek...

Silverlake Snacks

I had a business meeting in Silverlake this afternoon and stopped by a couple of Silverlake places for some snacks on my way back to the Westside, since I'm unfortunately not in the neighborhood nearly enough. It was a beautiful day in the mid-70's, perfect for some neighborhood exploration. Days like this make me truly love and appreciate living in LA with the different character of various neighborhoods around the city. You can never get bored in LA! We first stopped at the charming Broome Street General Store for a refreshing iced coffee and oreo cookie on the lovely flowering patio. Next, we stopped by Cafe Tropical for a cuban sandwich and took home some guava empanadas that our friends M&M first introduced us to for a snack for later.

Iced coffee and oreo cookie

Nice, hot pressed cuban sandwich from Cafe Tropical

Love these guava empanadas; perfect combination of tart, sweet, and flaky

Some baked goods from Cafe Tropical

Getting close...which is good because I'm running out of clothes. H&M Mama dress, Prada sunglasses, Balenciaga bag and Toms shoes (anything with a heel is too dangerous since I was never that coordinated to begin with)

Ice Cream Sandwiches at Milk

We were on the east side of town for a cocktail party so we stopped at Milk on Beverly for a nightcap on our way home. Macaron ice cream sandwiches, genius! Grasshopper (mint chocolate chip) and salted caramel. Expensive at $5 bucks a pop, but delicious. I particularly liked the grasshopper and the combo between the smooth chewy macaron, crunchy chocolate coating and baby chocolate chips and rich creamy ice cream.

Wolf in Sheep's Clothing Review: A Southern Food Pop-Up in Venice

Chicken cracklins, hot pepper vinegar. Can't go wrong with fried chicken skin!

 Wednesday night, we had a really nice meal at Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, a pop-up restaurant on Abbott Kinney in the Capri space close to Venice Blvd. The food is Southern-inspired small plates, with such classics such as fried green tomatoes, black eyed peas, biscuits, fried oysters etc. Since we don't get Southern food pretty much at all in Los Angeles, it was definitely a refreshing and fun change of pace. Favorites were the cavatelli pasta with lamb bolognese, butter biscuit with pimento cheese and soft shell crab with almonds and brown butter. Everything was good though. I didn't look at the wine list, but they have a nice selection of beers, which the guys ordered. Service was friendly and we waited about 40 minutes for a table of 3 on a Wednesday night at 8pm. I highly recommend going before the pop-up ends at the end of June.

Kale salad, sheep cheese, pink lady apple, date, walnut vinaigrette. Refreshing salad, I should try this at home

Fried green tomatoes, buttermilk dressing, chow chow

Butter biscuit, pimento cheese, honey butter, black berry. Such an awesome flaky, buttery biscuit. Loved all the toppings for the biscuits too

Yum, pimento cheese

Cavatelli pasta, lamb bolognese, parmesan, bread crumbs

Quail, corn bread, smoked maple, arugula. Loved the crispy bottom on the corn bread from the cast iron dish

Soft shell crab, almonds, brown butter. Really loved this dish; perfectly fried crab, with crunchy almonds, some pickled onions, over soft buttery polenta / grits (?)

Hanger steak, fried oysters, oyster mushrooms, onion jam, cress

Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
1616 Abbott Kinney Blvd (in the Capri space)
Venice, CA