Osteria Coppola | All That Glitters

Can you believe that we’re halfway through September already? I could have sworn I just paid rent! My goodness, how time flies. Thankfully, there were a few moments from this week that made an ordinary day, pretty extraordinary:

{FOOD.}

Is it me or does pasta taste better on the second or even third day? Monday night’s dinner was a huge highlight and success, in part because I dined on leftovers from my recent visit to Osteria Coppola. I warmed up the chicken lasagna in the oven, as opposed to throwing it in the microwave, to let it cook slowly and develop a bit of a crunch to the top layer. Things always taste better from the oven. I must remember this mantra when I don’t have the patience to wait. A quick homemade side salad and a glass of ice tea and I swear I was in Italy in my own house.

{FILM.}

By far, one of the greatest experiences this week was seeing Celeste and Jesse Forever. It’s an awesome off-beat dramedy, with a nice salute to Los Angeles. Rashida Jones (could she be anymore gorgeous?) and Andy Samberg do a superb job bringing the highs and lows of a complicated and deteriorating relationship, but an everlasting friendship to the screen. I LOL’d, felt my eyes water, and had a smile on my face the whole time. I also fell in LOVE with the music in this film and was on Amazon.com within an hour of getting home looking to purchase the soundtrack. Unfortunately, no soundtrack exists, but thanks to another fellow blogger I was directed to a playlist created on Spotify with all the film’s songs. “Drifting In and Out” by Porcelain Raft is my new chill out song. This will be added to my collection later this year when it’s released on DVD for sure!

{FUN.}

I’ve been doing a lot of reading this week, which is a nerdy love of mine. I’m currently reading The Cider House Rules by John Irving. I still have quite a way to go before my next book club meeting. I’m very much enjoying it, but it’s 561 densely packed pages!

Have a great weekend!

Location: 1101 West McKinley Avenue, Pomona

A great way to appreciate the last few weeks as the summer season winds down (at least according to the calendar, but not the weather gods and/or global warming) is a day among animals, carnival rides, shopping booths, cotton candy, BBQ pits, and deep fried everything. This past Saturday, we made our way out to the Pomona Fairplex and braved 93 degrees of sunshine to enjoy the LA County Fair.

{Thanks to Groupon we got a buy one, get one free deal. FYI – tickets are $17 each. Not sure why they said $5.95.}

Since I knew that we were going out to dinner later that night, I did my best to indulge lightly. A few spoonfuls of my boyfriend’s vanilla bean ice cream, a sip of his lemonade, followed by the heart attack waiting to happen from the best chili cheese fries ever! In retrospect, I wish I had at least tried the deep fried Oreos, but felt that I did well under the given circumstances.

{The fist station I saw when I entered the grounds.}

Luckily, before all the eating began (though not much later) we started the day with a trip through the farm to meet and greet the animals. What a sight to see a pig feeding their young! Who knew they just climbed and fought all over each other, looking for the prized milk source, and go to town as poor mom just lay there? So anxious were those little guys!

{Animals, animals, animals.}

From there, the day became a special mixture of walking around the grounds, people watching, trying to decide what to eat because the options were endless, looking for shade when we needed a break, walking through special exhibitions; and browsing around the shopping buildings filled with booths from hundreds of vendors, ranging from the cheapest looking of jewelry to purchasing a new hot tub. (Apparently, people actually go the fair to remodel their homes?)

{Food, food, food.}

{Rides, rides, rides.}

5 hours later, I was LA County Fair’d out (in a good way)! As the day went on, it got more crowded and warmer; and while I loved being there, I wanted nothing more than a chair, a solid healthy meal, consistent air-conditioning, and a shower!

We finished the night at Osteria Coppola a small Italian restaurant in Sherman Oaks, and was I ever excited to see their insalata mista (aka salad) and a fresh-baked chicken lasagna sitting in front of me. It was the first time I had a vegetable all day. It was the perfect way to top-off a perfect LA day!