Category Archives: Explore

AFI Fest 2012

Posted in Documentary, Explore, Film, Fun, Independent Cinema by

AFI Fest officially ends today. 8 days and 133 films from across the globe, screening in some of Hollywood’s most historic theaters. From November 1st though November 8th, hundreds of people waited in lines in front of The Egyptian Theater, The Chinese 6 Theater, and Grauman’s Chinese Theater in an effort to celebrate the undeniable magic of cinema.

Perks of attending this festival: free films, hanging among film enthusiasts and industry “hot shots” alike, enjoying the chaos that is Hollywood, and engaging in some of the most compelling storytelling collectively curated under one umbrella.

Not so great parts: standing in line for up to 2 hours to see a film, getting terrible seats because half the theater is already reserved for said “hot shots,” spending tons of money on parking, and my personal favorite – not being able to see the subtitles on the screen because someone’s head is blocking them. Happened to me twice!

{Personal highlight? Hot Tamales in the old school packaging!}

I appreciate what the American Film Institute aims to do with this festival and was very happy with all 6 films that I saw over the last week. They were excellent stories that brought up injustices in our legal system, shared insight into the wrongly accused, the bullied; and even added a bit of humor to the life of an icon.

Naturally, I have my complaints: the lack of organization with lines and people not knowing where to stand; the strange method of giving a ticket, to receive another ticket, to then get another ticket into a screening seemed wasteful; and consistently starting films late, while expected in a festival atmosphere, didn’t help matters after you’d already been waiting in line for hours.

{Lines.}

I do want to acknowledge that it’s not easy coordinating and pulling off a festival. I can only imagine the amount of planning, scheduling, and rescheduling that went into such a feat and I commend that. However, I’m looking forward to get back to seeing movies the old-fashioned way. Where you pay for a seat, can sit wherever you want, and not a 2 hour-long line in sight! 🙂

My grades on this year’s films I saw:

Hitchcock – Grade: B
The Central Park Five – Grade: A-
West of Memphis – Grade: B
After Lucia – Grade: A
The Hunt – Grade: A
Rust and Bone – Grade: B+

Sweet!

Posted in Explore, Food, Fun, Treats by

Location: 6801 Hollywood Boulevard, Suite 201, Hollywood

Talk about competition. There’s a new sugar shop in town that gives Dylan’s Candy Bar a run for their money. Move over, Hollywood has the new candy shop hot spot!

Enter Sweet.

I can’t think of a better name for the latest addition to Hollywood and Highland. The store is massive. The decor unbelievable: colorful, inviting, well designed, themed by station, and decked out to make it the complete interactive and overtly visual experience.

Visit “Lollywood” the section of the store containing lollipops in every shape, flavor and size. Make your way to the “Chocolate Lab” and custom design your own candy bar. Stop over to “Sticky” and get a glimpse at how the most sugar-infused candies are made. Head to “Yucky” and indulge your nasty, yet delicious side. Don’t miss Willy Wonka’s section and have your fill of fine chocolates and meet him yourself.

Bulk options galore. Sugar everywhere. Who knew that there was so much candy in the world? You don’t need to be a kid to feel right at home.

In this case, a picture really is a thousand words and it’s pretty “Sweet!”

LOLLYWOOD

CHOCOLATE LAB

YUCKY!

STICKY

BULK CANDY

WILLY WONKA

STORE RANDOMS

Highlights: As November Begins…

Posted in Explore, Film, Food, Fun, Treats by

Happy Turkey Month! I’m pleased to report October went out with a bang! A huge goal of mine was accomplished and these recent highlights were the icing on the cake:

I love a good joke. Anything pertaining to humor, poking fun at someone or a situation, especially when the humor is completely true, is always welcome in my world. I saw a red “No Parking” zone spray painted with these delicious words and couldn’t help but stop and laugh (and take a picture!).

Our recent apple picking adventure left lots of apples to get through. An afternoon in the kitchen took our apples from whole fruit to an apple crisp that was fun to make and even more fun to eat.

The American Film Institute Film Festival started November 1st. A visit to the box office to pick-up the tickets was pretty funny when I pulled them all out and lined them up. I’m going to be spending A LOT of time at the movies as you can see.

Enjoy this first November weekend!

Farmers For A Day

Posted in DIY, Explore, Fashion, Food, Fun, Shoes, Treats by

Location: 9611 Oak Glen Road, Glen Oak, CA

What I’ve come to love most about the blogosphere is how information moves around so freely. Places you’ve never heard of and ideas that wouldn’t have even been on your radar come your way and your world is changed because of it. This was the case when I learned of Los Rios Rancho in Glen Oak, CA – an apple farm in San Bernadino county. I thought it would be a great mini road trip to spend the day learning about apples, picking them, exploring the property and area; and when I heard they had a pumpkin patch, my boyfriend suggested we grab ours from here this year.

A 2-hour car ride on a Saturday fall morning (unbelievably it was 90 degrees!) was a great way to kick off a memorable day. Random fact about me: I like zoning out and staring out the car window on long trips – it gives you time to think and take in the world from a different perspective. I decided to dress the part and have fun with playing the role of a “semi-farmer” from the city, by breaking out my plaid button down shirt and brown riding boots for effect.

{Dressing the part.}

We arrived around 12 noon and the farm was already busting with activity. We had a quick sample of the day’s available apples in the orchard: rome beauties, double red delicious, and red rome, with a few golden delicious remaining; and after learning how things work (with signs posted everywhere to remind you!), we bought a 5-7 pound peck bag and headed out to the fields. First up, finding the best looking apples we could.

{The rules.}

{Straight from the tree.}

{U-pick and I did!}

After our bag was stuffed with apples, we made our way to the pumpkin patch. It was pretty obvious that we were late in the season, being the weekend before Halloween, so the selection was sparse but we found winners! I got a large one and my guy got a small one (we like to break convention like that!) for our carving session the next day. To see how things turned out, click here.

{The rules.}

{The leftovers.}

From the farm, we went into town for a bit. Oak Tree Village is a small, charming community of quaint shops, places to eat, and activities for the kids. A stroll through the grounds landed me the best glazed almonds and cashews ever, and a taste of Andy’s Mini Donuts that made my tongue dance and my stomach tell me – “stop eating!” Good thing I had all those apples to look forward to, I was going to need lots of fruit in my diet in the near future.

When we made it home late that evening, we took stock of the days’ labor in the fields. 16 apples and 2 great looking pumpkins!

Hollywood Farmers’ Market

Posted in Explore, Food, Fun by

Location: Ivar & Selma Avenue, Between Hollywood and Sunset Blvd, Hollywood

Somehow just being at the farmers’ market makes me feel healthier. There’s something so grounding and earthy walking vendor to vendor around organic produce, exotic foods, strawberry lemonade, warm kettle corn, fresh flowers, plants, handmade jewelry, and even live lobsters (yikes!). And of course, because you’ve spent all this money on things that expire rather quickly – you’re forced to get creative and chow down on your healthy purchases all week long.

{P.S. they’re alive!}

The Hollywood Farmers’ Market is a great place to spend a Sunday morning stocking up on produce and fresh flowers for the week ahead. I’ve been there so many times that lately I haven’t been treating it as a savored experience, but more of a “get what you need and get out of there” errand run. This has become my go to place if I’m in the mood for real fresh hot-out-of-the-kettle kettle corn, and the Greek flat bread I use to make mini homemade pizzas.

{My favorite kettle corn.}

While this place can get pretty crowded, it’s not very big. Luckily, once you learn your way around it’s not so bad. Just mentally prepare (as you always should roaming the LA streets) for a little congestion, grab a latte, and relax. I personally like the vibe of fellow semi and full health conscious nuts around me in their Sunday casual best, filling their reusable shopping bags. The Hollywood farmers’ market has such a positive and unique energy strolling, taste testing, people watching, listening to the street performers, and discovering a type of fruit or veggie you’d never even heard of before. Happens EVERY time I’m here.

While the summer season is officially behind us, there’s still much to discover as the seasons change and fruits and vegetables rotate out with it. While I’m a Trader Joe’s gal at heart, and don’t make the farmers’ market a weekly outing as many do, nothing replaces the experience of being at one.

Buttercelli Bakeshop, Sherman Oaks

Posted in Explore, Food, Fun, Treats by

Location: 13722 Ventura Boulevard, Sherman Oaks

The search for the best cupcakes around town continues. Buttercelli sits in a sweet little spot on the very busy Ventura Boulevard in “The Oaks” (yep, I came up with that myself!). My second time here puts this place in the “so-so” category. Let me explain…

It was a H.O.T. Sunday afternoon earlier this summer. After spending the morning at the Rose Bowl Flea Market, we made a quick and spontaneous decision to head over to Buttercelli to check out their selection. They have one of the largest gluten free baked goods sections that I’ve come across to date (for the boyfriend) and somehow I always feel better about eating sweet treats when they’re promoted to be of the finest organic ingredients. I went with a simple lemon cupcake and because it was over 100 degrees outside, I didn’t want the frosting to melt while sitting on my kitchen counter and put it in the fridge. A complete no-no, of course, but it was too H.O.T. not to. When I ate the tiny treat later that night, the cake portion was hard. Boo!

Take 2.

Since it was the “weather’s fault” that I didn’t get to experience all the hype from my first time at Buttercelli, I made it a point with the recent cooling temperatures not to make the same intentional mistake twice! I left with an apple pie cupcake and a lemon poppy-seed muffin.

{My treats.}

The apple pie cupcake was delicious, but unfortunately the cake portion was hard on the edges and not as moist as some other places I’ve been in general. I swear, no fridge was involved this time. The next morning, the lemon poppy-seed muffin went well with my coffee for breakfast. This treat was both moist and delicious.

As such, I can’t quite figure out what’s going on with their cupcakes. Their Yelp reviews are positive overall, the other customers I’ve met in-store rave about the place, and the staff have always been very friendly and confident in their goodies. Perhaps the point is to eat the treat right away. The store must have some magical tool in the air to keep their goods fresh and the minute you walk out the door their stock plummets.

Either way, it shouldn’t be this much work on my end to enjoy a cupcake (in decent weather no less). Kudos to them for the gluten free selection and the use of organic ingredients.

Bottom line? I’m not too convinced of this place’s awesomeness. The muffin was good and a bite of my guy’s chocolate thumbprint was yummy, but why is it that the cupcakes can’t seem to float my boat?  I rate Buttercelli “so-so.”

Sfixio, Beverly Hills

Posted in Dinner, Explore, Food, Fun by

Location: 9737 Santa Monica Boulevard, Beverly Hills

A night out with the girls for dinner. A new dress. An Italian restaurant. Beverly Hills. Free Parking. All the makings for a perfect Saturday night.

To celebrate a friend’s birthday, 9 of us met up at Sfixio located on little Santa Monica Boulevard just past Wilshire. I was elated that parking turned out to be a breeze. After 6:00pm the parking structure no longer uses the meters. Score!

Alternating neon lights over the outside restaurant signage draw you in as you walk into a 2 story dining room dressed completely in white. The ambiance: sexy low lighting, candles on the table, and music at an appropriate level (meaning I didn’t have to yell at my friends over dinner and end up sounding chain-smoking-hoarse the next day).

I went with the Salmone ai 3 pepi con Patate in Crosta. Translation: Grilled salmon topped with a mini potato hash brown looking thing, with a side of asparagus and spinach. Things always sound better in Italian.

While it took forever to get appetizers and then the main course, it allowed us gals plenty to time to catch up. I was slightly disappointed with the speed of service, but learned from my more well-traveled friends that this is likely intentional, attributed to a more European way of dining where it’s supposed to be more of a lengthy experience. I can appreciate that, but it seems to be pushing it to take almost an hour for 3 salads and a serving of calamari to come out – but you live and learn. I did think it was pretty cool that they make all of their pasta in-house from scratch.

You know me, I always L.O.V.E. checking out a new place so I’m glad we got to spend a night in “The Hills” supporting a small privately-owned restaurant run by a husband and wife duo. Unfortunately, this wouldn’t be someplace I would likely ever go again. Since there are too many restaurants in the City of Angels to explore and a new one popping up every 5 minutes, I can’t say it left an impression on me in any special way. The positive experience came more from being with my girlfriends than in the dining itself. The food was delicious, but servings were small (not surprising); and the service (because we’re in L.A., not Italy) could be picked up some. Us L.A. gals have places to go, people to see, and things to do!

{Salmone ai 3 pepi con Patate in Crosta.}

Food To Die For: El Coyote Mexican Cafe

Posted in Dinner, Explore, Food, Fun by

Location: 7312 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, Mid-City

Hands down my favorite Mexican restaurant sits on Beverly Boulevard, down the street from The Grove, 4 blocks before La Brea Avenue. Name: El Coyote. Mission: food to die for.

I first learned about this place years ago while watching all important, heavy-hitting television at the time, The Hills (don’t judge!). Heidi and Spencer’s psycho relationship and MTV’s penchant for filming all over town were good for something!

Fast forward a few years later and it’s my favorite place to indulge occasionally in greasy, highly caloric, but worth every fat cell I get Mexican food! I stick with the tried and true Guacamole Dinner. For $13.50, I have at least four different plates in front of me – a cheese enchilada, a beef taco, refried beans, Mexican style rice, a small bowl of guacamole, and the garden salad (because it’s the only healthy thing in the meal and makes me feel less guilty for downing my stomach in cheese, I had to end on the salad).

{Guacamole Dinner.}

Nothing but the best of things to say about this place. I’ve always had great experiences with the food, the wait staff are super friendly, and the over the top decor of the restaurant is the perfect touch. The point? Get in your car and don’t stop until you’re in front of El Coyote. If you hit La Brea – you clearly didn’t read my post and need to turn around! 🙂

{Interior of the restaurant – a salute to Halloween.}

Don’t, I repeat, DO NOT even waste your time dragging you and your bestie here if you’re on a diet – you gain weight just watching the large amounts of food walk past you. Oh! And expect to be in a total “mexi-coma” after you eat here. Don’t make any other plans, other than to head straight home and veg on your couch or sprawl in bed. It’ll take a full night to recover, but I promise you, your tongue with have enjoyed the experience even if your stomach is a wee bit upset with you.

Hope to see you there!

Beaches: The Sequel

Posted in Explore, Fun, Treats by

Location: 30000 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu

Only in Los Angeles can you still enjoy a beach day…in October…two weeks into “Fall.” In celebration of what we thought was the last hurrah of the heat wave that just wouldn’t leave (and seems to be making a comeback even as I type this), the “wind beneath my wing” and I headed back to “Beaches” to enjoy the sequel to our first time gracing the Malibu shore. This time, Zuma Beach.

Armed with my latte from Cafecito Orgánico and this month’s book club selection – the next five hours were spent sipping, snacking, reading, catching up with my guy, listening to the sound of the waves, and breathing in fresh air (well, as fresh as you can get in L.A., I saw you roll your eyes).

With the temperatures hitting the 90’s again this week, maybe we can squeeze in one last visit and make these “Beaches” posts into a franchise like Hollywood execs would undoubtedly milk the hell out of do today. I can already see it. The film version would star Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey’s kids carrying on the dramatic legacy of female bonding, eventual friendship, and death; and then their kids, and then their kids, and so on and so on. If this story line goes into development anytime soon, I claim rights to the idea – you read it here first!

In the meantime, you just might get an All That Glitters franchise out these “Beaches” posts if this heat wave can’t take a hint that the party’s over, it’s being a total attention whore, and it’s time to let Autumn take center stage.

Cafecito Orgánico, Malibu

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Location: 29169 Heathercliff Road, Malibu

Two exciting ways to start a weekend?
1). Trying out a new coffee spot for the first time.
2). Trying out a new coffee spot for the first time while on the way to hang out with your favorite person at the beach all day!

Cafecito Orgánico sits in a small shopping center in Malibu just off PCH. Of course, what drew little ol’ me towards the small cafe was the fancy schmansy name and the fact that I desperately wanted a latte next to me on the beach.

I have to say, I got a bit of the Graffiti Coffee Bar vibe from here. Again, a very simple (though not nearly as dramatic) interior are about all you get visually – but the awesome coffee art they draw in your latte makes up for the lack of punch in the store design. They’re proud to boast that they, too, use only the finest of beans (which reads awesome coffee, but expensive).

I had no huge issues in particular, just a few slight annoyances that came up that put this place in the blah category. Cafecito Orgánico is yet another establishment that doesn’t offer vanilla syrup (which is a sin in my book). The menu lists random drink names that I’ve never heard of and doesn’t offer a description which prompts you to have to bug the poor Barista about what the heck a “global warming” is?

In the end, I went with a “cafecito” at their suggestion. Boy, was it strong! This is in large part because I’m sure my 5 year association with Starbucks and their infamously so-so espresso has likely ruined me in truly appreciating the delicacies of fine Central American artisan coffee, and very much because I’m a girl that has to have some flavor in her latte (hence my annoyance with no vanilla syrup in-house).

A cool thing that makes this place stand out is in their use of modern technology. Upon ordering my super duper small beverage for a mere $4.00; an iPad screen was flipped my way that gave me the total, asked if I wanted to include a tip, and if I wanted the receipt emailed, texted, or printed out for me. Pretty neat.

In the end, I can’t say I’d make it a point to have to stop here on the way to the beach in the future. Nothing against Cafecito Orgánico, but I like my syrup in addition to saying I’m drinking high quality coffee beans. I’d rather head over to Graffiti Coffee Bar where at least I’m paying an arm and a leg for a latte, but I also get my vanilla flavoring AND an always much needed opportunity to enjoy the warmth and gaze longingly at the fireplace…in 90 degree weather.