title: Yay! Recent Happenings...
date: Sunday, February 5, 2012
time:2:42 PM Happy Sunday Updating because it's been a loooong time  Hope everyone is having or had a wonderful weekend I'm actually just going to do a personal update this time. I think I have a few of you added on my twitter & facebook accounts so those people most likely saw these already  I'm sharing them anyway because people like Kin-chan (social media hater? lol)...wanted to see them specially a recent pic of myself so I'll add a couple to this post  Again, it's mostly going to be food. Hahaha! BOTTEGA LOUIE (DTLA) Popular because of their patisserie...specially their macarrons  I think I posted about them before. I usually get the "earl grey" one they have there with some gold leaf. They are just so pretty and tasty  I usually get my macarrons from this place, if not then Lette's or Little Next Door   Lots of other yummy desserts to choose from  I love their chocolate souffle  Not pictured here but you can order it at their restaurant though there's a 15 minute wait for it. It's worth it though because they bring out the souffle all nice and warm and oh so yummy   So...went here with my cousin Karen  and my best-friend Meredith  to have late lunch and just chit-chat. Since it's a few blocks away from my office I sometimes go here for either lunch or dinner. I come by for their sweets too when there's ArtWalk and stuff   Green Tea Mojito! My fave drink at BL  Lately, all I've been drinking are mojito's  I ask for them in almost every restaurant I go to lately specially if they have a bar. I don't really know why though. I thought I'd be more into wine  since I started going to wine bars with Syl. I dunno...I'm just weird I guess. Hahaha   Gourmet Pizza  We got them half & half. The left side is BURRATA: burrata, grana parmesan, rapini, garlic, extra virgin olive oil & prosciutto di parma. The one on the right is MUSHROOM: Fontina cheese, fresh mozzarella, crème fraîche, shiitake mushrooms, garlic & Italian parsley. Delish   My cousin Karen is not just a patbingsoo  lover but also a seafood pasta  addict so we ordered this too. It's "clam linguini". They used surf clams, some roasted garlic, garden herbs, italian parsley & white wine broth. The pasta is nice and smooth and it smells really nice. I can't resist that combo...   What I ordered...it's BL's beef short ribs  It's braised and they serve it with some lardon ragù, white polenta, sage & ricotta. It's tender and creamy I had them grate so much cheese into this  Grated cheese on top of melted cheese. Hahaha!My cousin Karen had to rush home after that so Meredith and I decided to get some cocktails  We headed to a nice rooftop bar near Pershing Square that I frequent.PERCH (DTLA Pershing Square)Meredith had the "My Fair Lady"  (Left) it's french cosmo w/ fair quinoa vodka, cranberry, fresh lime & crème de peche. I settled for the "Jacques Collins"  (Right) it's boudier saffron gin, fresh lemon juice, simple splash of soda & saffron. We were probably there for an hour or so just chatting and enjoying the night view. Meredith isn't much of a drinker so in the end I drank hers too  I decided to take pics with my phone but they're mostly crappy  I'm going to post them anyway XD Crappy pictures are crappy. The view is fantastic though. An hour later Karen contacts us  and tells us she's downstairs and to hurry  so we rushed down and surely enough she was there...in her car, stopped in the middle of the road and it's a green light  Hahaha! Meredith and I start laughing like crazy again We drove to Xai after all that where Nathaniel (manager of Basic Pizza Lounge at San Diego) is waiting  Xai Verandah Lounge (LA's Sunset) I come here for brunch sometimes and lunch but it was my first time having dinner there  At night it looks and feels like such a different place. When I come here during the day it's more laid-back but at night they are completely packed which I didn't really expect Haha! Mojito again This one from Xai is made with mint, sugar, ginger, lemon & soda water. I didn't like their mojito that much  It's more into the ginger side. I kinda wished I ordered Lassi instead  Meredith ordered a delicious sandwich  with chicken  and it came with fries. For dessert she got their traditional baklava. They're quite tasty  I like how their flaky and the nuts are really good too Karen got a crepe  I don't remember what was in it though  She split it with Nathaniel. I had a traditional dessert that had rose water in it but I can't remember the name  I snapped a pic but it was dark in there so it was blurry as hell  Hahaha! Nathaniel ordered some lamb for dinner that night at Xai  Meredith's boyfriend Nep  picked her up after dinner so Karen and I drove to Korea Town with Nathaniel following us in his car. We ended up at "Yellow House Cafe" again  I think Karen had hazelnut latte, Nathaniel got what I recommended which was the sweet potato latte. I settled for some hot fruity pomegranate tea. We just chatted about work, and the things we've been up to lately...we parted ways around 1AM I think  The next day Karen and I hung-out again The plan was to have lunch at Santa Monica Beach  then dinner at Beverly Hills. I made the reservations so Karen doesn't know where we're having lunch  although I did tell her about our dinner plans.For lunch I took her to Huntley Hotel's The Penthouse...and she loves it  The Penthouse(Huntley Hotel - Santa Monica)My friends  introduced me to this place late last year for my surprise post birthday  brunch. Been here a couple times after that for their sunset hour  Even though they don't usually sit 2-people in a private cabana (because they usually reserve them for groups of 4 or more) they let us...we had to wait 30 minutes though but it's fine cause Karen was still doing her make-up anyway  So instead of waiting outside we decided to wait in the bathroom (yeah, cause the cousin is doing her make-up). Bathroom is nice and clean and the last stall boasts a lovely ocean view   (The four images above are not mine. I wanted to show how our cabana looked. It's the one on the first pic)The private cabana's are darling and there's a cute little chandelier too and the view is amazing  Went here on a Sunday afternoon so we got clear blue skies and a fantastic view of the ocean and surrounding buildings Above is the view from our cabana.
Below is the table setting and the food!
CRAB CAKE ♥
Smoked Tomato & Shaved Celery Hearts
CRISPY SKIN SALMON ♥
Sautéed Spinach, Ratatouille, & Tomato Saffron Broth
PROFITEROLES ♥
Warm Pastry, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream & Hot Fudge Sauce
also,
MOLTEN LAVA CAKE ♥
First it was the "crab cake"  (I always get these when I go there). It was crispy outside and juicy inside and...NOT imitation crab. That makes me happy Because there's grapefruit on it the crab cake doesn't taste oily and is actually rather refreshing and light We ordered the "Crispy Skin Salmon" after. The salmon itself was just average but the sauce that went with it was great For some unknown reason I can taste mangoes although I don't think they used any  For dessert we had the profiteroles (another item I always get here) and molten lava cake. The molten lava cake was very chocolatey and good but the profiteroles are definitely so much better for me  The ice-cream between the crispy puff pastry was cold, creamy and rich yet not super sweet  There was some chocolate drizzled on top but they actually give you more in this little container (hot fudge sauce) so you can drizzle as much chocolate as you want The chocolate was just the right amount of sweetness and has a bit of bitterness which goes along really well with the vanilla ice cream    After lunch we hung around at the lounge We were thinking of staying for  sunset hour at the bar but we had to go because we had another reservation waiting for us (The Bazaar by Jose Andres). Here's a pic of me waiting at the lobby  After looking at the view from their windows we couldn't help but go to the beach after and watch the sunset Karen and I decided to brave it  The hotel is just a block away from the beach anyway  Karen and I are too overdressed for the beach  Haha! It was hard trying to find space to write XD
There was so much footprints by humans, dogs and birds!
This wandering seaweed is bigger than me XD
Took the pics with my phone (as always). My hair was a wild mess after that XD
After watching the sunset we drove to Beverly Hills!
The Bazaar by Jose Andres (SLS Beverly Hills Hotel) (The six images above are not mine. I wanted to show how it looks inside. We sat at the "table for two" on the right side of the last pic.) Food & Wine Menu
 View on my left side. Service is quick  We were promptly seated in a nice quiet little space just as I requested Because I've been there a quite few times before somehow I got used to how the place looks and the food too I guess. It was Karen's first time there though so everything was amazing to her from the decor and ambiance to the food That evening we ordered the following: (Left) Philly Cheesesteak: Air bread so Karen was really surprised  Wagyu on top and warm melted cheese on the bottom. The wagyu was tender and flavorful. I always get this and the other cheesesteak on the right. (Right) Hilly Cheesesteak: Air bread too and almost the same as the other cheesesteak but instead of the wagyu it's mushrooms. I love mushrooms so I always get this  The cheese and mushroom go really well together. It's light and a good way to start the meal  Embutidos Platter: This comes with "Catalan Style Toasted Bread with Tomato"  I'm not sure how other people eat theirs but whenever I get this or their other hams I always put them on the bread There are 3 different kinds of sliced cured meats. Mediterranean Mussels: "latas y conservas" Vinegar-y. Interesting cause it's served in a can. I use it as a palette cleanser It's a little oily but the mussels are yummy Sauteed Shrimp: The shrimp at least is not very tiny. It's got a nice texture and smell to it. Must be the garlic. Karen loves this dish  Croquettas de Pollo: Don't let this get cold! Eat this while it's still warm! That's the best way to enjoy this dish. Inside it's nice, warm and creamy My mom and sister love this one It's somewhat homey too Grilled Wagyu Flank Steak: Very good Well, that's all there is to it. Magic Mojito: Ordered this because I figured Karen would enjoy the little cotton candy show She did and she loves this drink  It's good but I've had better mojitos elsewhere  After all that we were escorted to the Patisserie. Traditional Spanish Flan: Love theirs cause the taste is closer to the flan I'm used to eating when I was younger so eating theirs makes me a bit nostalgic It's one of the tastes I grew up with from my childhood  The flan is not like the usual smooth (watered down) one you find at most restaurants.This flan is heavier also richer It's sweet but not sickeningly sweet. I'm not sure if it's the milk their using but this flan is definitely delicious  That's why I always get this flan whenever I go there! The servings are small but since there's a lot of different ones you get pretty full It's interesting because the dishes are creative and unique  The decor is great. Pretty lights, beautiful furniture and a very attentive staff As usual, the manager that evening dropped by our table about 3 times. The first one when we were having our meal at the dining room to welcome us, the second time was when we were waiting for dessert at the patisserie..she wanted to check if everything was alright. The third time was also at the patisserie and it was just to chit-chat After dessert we looked around their little gallery/shop then we hung-out a bit at Bar Centro Love the built-in TV on the long table that plays old Hollywood movies  I noticed that a lot of couples sat at that area We were at The Bazaar from 6PM all the way to 11:30PM Here's a pic of me again at the patisserie with my "beaten by the ocean" hair Anyway, it's back to work Monday tomorrow I'm off to catch up on animes, dramas and some manga Do tell me what you've been up to Til my next post! Happy Days  Labels: dining, food, personal: livejournal
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