Happy Easter!

I bought some lilacs that are now all over the house. While I wish I could find them year round, I love the delightful surprise to find them in bloom! They even inspired this Easter weekend smoothie (banana, blueberries, strawberries, yogurt, agave, Maca powder and ice).  Happy Easter!

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C’est Si Bon! Le Fooding Comes to Los Angeles

Photo Credit, Roy Choi

Chris Rock once said that women need three things: “Food, Water and Compliments”. Clearly the man hasn’t met me because I need art, good music and a fabulous handbag…  At a “Le Fooding” event you can get all of the aforementioned (minus the handbag–well, maybe they’ll be a swag bag… I digress.).

Ever since I saw Antohony Bourdain talk about Le Fooding on No Reservations I have had champagne wishes and francophile dreams of attending one of their events which can best be described as “Woodstock for foodies”. When Brooklyn hosted their own NYC version (Le Fooding Brooklyn Fling) last fall, I knew it would be a matter of time before the tribe headed west. Thankfully, I found out about the upcoming L.A. event after spotting a tweet and the above picture by Roy Choi.   The Le Fooding team has already met with the chef as they prepare for the two day festival on April 26-27. Choi will be joining Nancy Silverston, Ludo Lefebvre, Josef Centeno, Carolynn Spence, a foursome of legendary French chefs, DJs, and Graphic Artists who will all “feed” off of each others’ creativity during this food festival.  I desperately need to know the DJ and artist line up and will keep you all posted as I get details.

By day, MOCA’s Geffen Contemporary is world renown art venue, but for two nights next month MOCA’s alter ego “Le Grand Fooding Crush” will be an “anything goes, pan-sensual bazaar” (Arrested Development fans, that was for you).  I’m REALLY looking forward to this one.  The best part of the event is that some of the proceeds from ticket sales will go to the Los Angeles Food Bank.  J’aime anything that feeds your mind, body and soul, and Le Fooding looks like it will fit the bill.  C’est magnifique! (Pardon my French, I’m clearly getting caught up in delusions of francophilia).

For more on Le Fooding (and an interesting attempt by yours truly comparing chefs to Impressionists), click here.

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If I Could Have Time in a Bottle (or Box)

Andy Warhol was notorious for many things, but you may not know that one of them was his “Time Capsules”.  The artist would collect ephemera, art, and other inspirational items used as source material for his work. The items were boxed, catalogued and archived for a subsequent unveiling.  He began boxing these capsules in 1974, and they went virtually undiscovered until after his passing in 1987.  The Warhol Museum has been unveiling the Time Capsules as part of it’s “Out of the Box” program where full time cataloguers manage the archiving and documenting of the contents of over 617 capsules created by the artist.

This unique live unveiling was just posted by the Museum and it is a fascinating glimpse into the artist’s life.
 

For Information Science nerds, voyeurs and fans of the artist, this footage is fascinating.  It got me thinking about my own time capsule.  If I had to create one for 2012, what would I put in it?  Limiting myself to 5 items (including Art, Food Fashion and Music) that sum up 2012 here’s what they would be:

1.  My “Keep Calm and Listen to Hip Hop” shirt. Because, let’s face it, we just can’t get enough of the many iterations of Keep Calm can we?

2.  Yayoi Kusama Dots.  Had I purchased a piece from the Yayoi Kusama Louis Vuitton handbag collection, I’d include the box and a piece of the gift wrapped tissue paper (mais non, not the bag!).  Why?  I just think Yayoi Kusama had a fantastic year.  She hit the cultural trifecta in 2012 (Whitney and Tate retrospectives in addition to the LV collab)

“Yellow Trees” Photo Credit: Vogue

3.  The only person that had a bigger year than Yayoi Kusama was probably Psy, so I probably would have to include a copy of “Gangam Style”, just for laughs.  But jokes aside, my musical contribution would be the first album my husband produced this year.  I was really proud of it.

 

 

4.  And in the inanimate realm, the only “thing” that had a bigger year than Psy is KALE.  Kale was EVERYWHERE in 2012.  I’d include a bag of dried Kale Chips that would probably disintegrate into a green pile of dust…Or maybe I would include a can of Warhol designed Campbell’s Tomato Soup from Target, just for the irony of it all.

5.  Lastly, I would include a copy of Newsweek.  After 79 years the magazine will discontinue it’s print version.  The poignancy of that decision is quite sobering. To include a magazine in an antiquated conceptual relic such as a time capsule seems befitting.  I can’t help but wonder if the “digital” versions of time capsules will capture the same sense of mystery, excitement and wonder as the old ones do.

What about you? If you could capture the essence of 2012 in a time capsule, what would you put in your box?  

I’d love to hear from you!

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Meanwhile, in Brooklyn…

My reaction to hearing about this Le Fooding event next month?

I’ve always wanted to go to a Le Fooding event.  They combine my love for Food, Music, Writing, Style and Artistic Expression.  A feast for the senses!

For more on Le Fooding Brooklyn Fling, click here.

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DTLA Lunch @ Industriel

While I say I’m a “recovering Foodie”, I frequently find myself relapsing into old habits…like stalking new restaurants.  In the months before Industriel opened I thought it was going to be a Gallery, but when I found out it was a restaurant I excitedly counted down until the opening-then completely forgot about the place and fell into a really boring dining rut (recovering = salads every day).  I recently peeped the menu and brought my Downtown partner in crime (and fellow Bottega Louie enthusiast) here for a working lunch.

I was immediately struck by the rustic decor which combines a French apothecary and avant-garde boutique like the Astier de Villate (by the way, the website for the Astier de Villate is so interesting!).  Truth be told I kind of felt like I was in a Nine Inch Nails Video.  The big showpiece in the restaurant is the honey bear chandelier designed by owner Armen Hakobayan. It hovers over a mini vintage clawfoot bathtub.  I really liked it.  Not sure what’s up with L.A.’s fascination with hanging bears though.  I still see them in Echo Park, but I digress….  Industriel definitely gets cool points for finding a unique way to masque exposed ceiling pipes!

Industriel’s cuisine features a French Farm to Table theme.  I went the healthy route and had the Beet Quinoa salad with Feta and arugula.  It was so clean, fresh and healthy I LOVED it, especially since it wasn’t food coma inducing (though next time I’m having it with a burger; they looked sublime).  My partner in culinary crime had a Kale Salad featuring house cured bacon, white anchovies and parmesan.  I’ve previously heard that this salad was salty, but my friend thought the flavors were bold and complimented each other.  He even went as far as to proclaim it  his favorite salad of year-quite a compliment.  My only compliant was a minor one: I didn’t like the whole “charge for bread thing”.

Despite that, the service was impeccable.  This is one of those Downtown spots that doesn’t feel corporate.  I loved that aspect of Industriel.  I’m looking forward to a return visit especially when I want to feel like I’m in a cool cafe in Provence.

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My Sawtelle Stroll

Photo Credit: Localresearch.com

There’s a small stretch of Sawtelle Bl that is the Westside’s version of Little Tokyo.  In all my years of living near this area, I never spent time over there, but Saturday I needed to go to Giant Robot to look for a gift for a friend, and found some pleasant surprises.  They’ve got the Culture Shock Trifecta of Food, Fashion and Art that will keep me coming back (especially since I did not get my fix of Ramen or Shaved Ice as I opted for a delicious meal at Chego on Overland afterwards).

First stop was Giant Robot where we picked up a Gary Baseman vinyl figure from the Hot Cha Cha Cha series from a few years back (it’s being used as creative inspiration for an album my husband is producing), and while there I couldn’t resist picking up a blind box item from the Jibibuts “Artist Collection”.

Photo Credit: Noferin.com

I rarely speak of collectibles, but for those of you collectible neophytes out there, a blind box item is a play on a Japanese Gashapon toy.  Think of it as a designer, adult version of the capsule toys you used to get out of a vending machine.  Twelve featured artists all contributed a uniquely designed, painted wooden piece that looks like a modern kokeshi doll.  You don’t know which artist you are going to get until you open the box. Since I recognized a number of the artists featured, I had to buy one, and I ended up getting Squink’s design.

CultureShockArt

It’s so cute sitting on my desk.  Giant Robot has a huge collection of gifts, toys, collectibles and a great library of graphic design and art books.  It’s hard not to spend an entire afternoon in this store alone.

Image Credit: Giant Robot

A half a block down Sawtelle, we also stopped by “I am Fine” — Eishi Takaoka’s solo exhibition at Giant Robot 2′s gallery across the street from the store. His work was quite stunning in that it features carved wooden heads all sharing the same morose expression, yet each are adorned in a variety of backdrops, halos and other refinery that lend a unique story to each piece.

Lastly, I rounded out my Sawtelle stroll by stopping into In Residence, a beautifully curated store that carries a unique collection of items that “give back” (plus they have an amazing collection of affordable, stylish handbags).  I’m really intrigued by the whole B1G1 model that companies like Warby Parker and Toms have chosen to employ.  While at In Residence I picked up a beautifully designed bracelet by 31 Bits (perfect for summer whites) and a croched hat by Krochet Kids for my husband (a wise investment for winter).

My 31 Bits Beaded Bracelet from In Residence

For more on In Residence check out their website.

For more on collectibles and all things cute, check out Supahcute, a great blog curated by fellow recovering foodie!

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The Art of Compromise-Donuts and Clock Watching at LACMA

Image Credit, CafePress.com

A recent conversation with my husband:

Me:  ”Hey honey, they’re giving away free donuts at LACMA for 24 hours…”

Husband:  ”Wow, really?”

Me:  ”Yeah, a different donut every hour”. *Looking at donut schedule* “Maple Bacon?!  Want to…”

Husband:  *grabs keys* “Let’s go”

And just like that, we were headed to LACMA. Little did he know the bonus for me was going to the Bing auditorium to see the encore viewing of Christian Marclay’s, “The Clock”.  ”The Clock” is a 24 hour mega montage of movie clips depicting various scenes featuring time-there are alarm clocks, grandfather clocks, watches cuckoo clocks, sand dials and other symbols all meant to evoke time passing.   The work is in real-time so viewers in the theatre at 9:01 a.m. are seeing events taking place on film 9:01 a.m.  Intriguing concept.

Image Credit: For Your Art

How do the donuts fit in?  To be honest, I’m still not entirely sure, but they served as a convenient ruse to get my husband to come with me to LACMA on a Sunday morning.  For Your Art graciously gifted free donuts for a full 24 hours coinciding with the screening of “The Clock”.  The best donuts of LA were carefully selected and distributed to hungry Angelinos on the hour.  These guys had me fiending for donuts since last week and I only eat these donuts once or twice a year.  It all started with a published donut “schedule” on their site and the Twitterverse was abuzz with visions of sugar, sprinkles, strawberries, maple glaze and bacon.

Perhaps it was a lack of caffeine and the early hours, but the donut mania I was expecting appeared to have subsided. There were lots of drawings of donuts on the wall in the narrow space used for the exhibit and a brief explanation of the purpose on the wall.  By this morning they had given out over 2,000 donuts.  Their site is incredible, I wished they had publicize their mission a bit more.  Nevertheless, I was grateful for the clock watching fuel so we ended up saying our thanks and took our donuts “to go” for the screening.

The Clock was fascinating in its concept, but after 20 minutes the novelty quickly wore off (or maybe it was just a sugar crash).  We were there at 9:00 a.m., so the movie clips were an interesting montage of people waking up and businessmen starting their day.  The piece deftly ties together similar themes from the film clips and Marclay’s use of musical scores transitioned the vignettes seamlessly.  For movie buffs, this movie mash-up will evoke fond memories, but does this transcend entertainment?  We pondered that question as we drove home.  As a Gold Lion winner at the 2011 Venice Biennale I must admit I expected more .  I left with a sincere appreciation of the herculean efforts Marclay took in editing and directing this piece.  Beyond the technical expertise, I cannot comment much more beyond that other than that it was entertaining and captivating.  I couldn’t imagine spending more than 2 hours watching it (our stint was less than an hour).  Unless you are an actual editor, producer or a film student I don’t see why anyone would devote that kind of time to it.

As I looked around the auditorium it was apparent that there were people who had been in that theatre overnight.  (You didn’t have to LOOK around to tell that people had been there overnight also, if you catch my drift).  I digress.  Maybe I didn’t given it enough time, but when it comes to art I have learned that if I don’t have a connection to the piece I move on.  If the Clock taught me anything it’s that time is precious.

 

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Chocolate Love

I have never been a huge fan of Valentine’s Day, but I will say the one thing I love about the occasion is the licence to enjoy CHOCOLATE with reckless abandon.  My co-workers all know that at around 4:00 I must nosh on a single small bite of chocolate.  You could set your watch to my craving, and it is the one thing I would really have a hard time giving up. For my daily fix, any old chocolate would do, my favorite being a Hershey’s nuggets milk chocolate with almonds and toffee, quickly followed by a miniature Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.

When I really want to indulge in fine chocolate (which is always paired with a nice glass of champagne), we splurge on these utterly magnificent chocolates.

Recchiuti Confections

Photo Credit: Recchiuti Confections

This was the chocolatier that introduced me to artisan chocolate.  Years ago my cousin suggested I try their chocolates when I was looking for a vendor for my wedding favors.  We gave our guests the “Ginger Heart”, which bears a symbolic resemblance to Jim Dine’s “Blue Clamp” at SF MOMA (MOMA will forever hold a special place in the hearts of my husband and I).

Recchiuti's "Ginger Heart", Photo Credit: Recchiuti Confections

Jim Dine, "Blue Clamp", Photo Credit: SF MOMA

I ADORE their chocolate to this day.  They make an amazing salted caramel and their champagne truffles are divine.  Michael and his wife Jacky are truly passionate about what they do and the passion comes through in the chocolate they produce (they have a great blog too).  http://www.recchiuti.com/index.html

John Kelly Chocolates

Photo Credit: John Kelly Chocolates

Love Truffles?  Fiend for Fudge?  Let me introduce you to John Kelly.  This Hollywood chocolatier located just off Sunset specializes in “Truffle Fudge”, these heavenly creamy, bars that are meant to slice and share.  Their chocolate is truly decadent.  My favorites are the vanilla with walnuts and their Dark Chocolate with French Gray Sea Salt.  We enjoyed their chocolates for New Years and they were a hit!  http://www.johnkellychocolates.com/index.php

Michel Cluizel

I don’t think a poor chocolatier exists in Paris, but I will say I was smitten by this shop in the 1st arrondissement on la rue St Honoré.

photo credit: http://www.cluizel.com

Michel Cluizel goodies from my Yelp review.

While the chocolates were sublime (my favorite being the pure Hazelnut Praline), I adored their macarons and pates de fruits.  In early 2010 they opened a storefront on 5th Ave in NYC.  http://www.chocolatmichelcluizel.com/francais/index.php

Mast Brothers Chocolate

Speaking of New York, specifically Brooklyn, THIS shop is on my radar for my next trip back east (which is hopefully for the Armory show-I’m trying to manifest this trip for real). The Mast Brothers specialize in craft chocolates.  I stumbled upon their site after seeing an amazing blog post by Garance Dore, but it’s this purely epic video that crystallizes the transcendent properties of the cocoa bean.

http://mastbrothers.com/

What all of these chocolatiers have in common is a clear passion for producing quality product and they each have such a unique artistic point of view too that they have transformed the confection to an art form.  When you can be both a feast for the eyes and palate, that is a beautiful combination!

What about you dear readers?  If you love chocolate as much as I do and have a fave, let me know!

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Unique Gift Ideas… Made Easier!

Gift Wrapping Ideas from Wantist.com

Determined to re-write my history of procrastinating on Christmas shopping, last Sunday I found myself wandering aimlessly in the mall desperately looking for Christmas gift inspiration.  Fail.  There’s got to be an easier way!  Instead of shopping on-line or taking advantage of Small Business Saturday deals, I waited and went to the mall.  It’s the one time of year I don’t like shopping.

So I’m attempting to re-charge my shopping mojo by being a little more creative and Wantist is just the place to find your inspiration!  Through their carefully curated collection of gifts, Wantist is like your own personal gift Concierge giving you unique gift ideas based on your recipient’s interests.  They also have a great blog featuring really cool Gift Wrapping ideas too.

I LOVE this site ! (thanks to The Chestnut Orange for writing about this today)  Between this site and Pinterest, I will never leave my computer

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Social Media Week: Recap

 

Social Media week just wrapped (September 19-23), and I was able to attend a couple of events that really got me thinking about my blog.  I learned a few important things:

1.  I need a Twitter account

2.  Content is King

3.  ”Engagement” and “Exclusivity” draw users and build loyalty

Examples of these lessons in action:

On Thursday I had the pleasure of attending a Spotlight Event for FabFitFun, a site I’ve been following for a few months now.  At the helm of FFF is E News host Giuliana Rancic.  The FFF’ team share cool beauty, fitness, diet and wellness tips that keep me motivated to maintain a healthy lifestyle, all while reminding me to take a minute to kick back and have fun.

The spotlight event at the beautiful Oceana in Santa Monica featured skinny cocktails by Ritual Cleanse, healthy apps, Zumba lessons, and massages.  The perfect remedy for weary writers!  It was a fun night!

On Friday, I attended a Panel Discussion on Social Media in LA’s Restaurant industry, compliments of dineLA.  The event at The Palm included LA Weekly’s Jonathan Gold, the Midas of the restaurant industry.  Other panelists included Nguyen Tran of Starry Kitchen and Katie Burbank from Yelp.  If you are Downtown and haven’t visited Starry Kitchen, you’re missing out.  The guy is a character and has brilliantly mastered the use of Social Media (the dude was Tweeting while talking on Panel!), and he refuses to take himself seriously.  I have to give him props for showing up to the panel in a Banana costume .  Katie provided restaurant owners some good tips for dealing with negative reviews.

It was an engaging discussion and I think it opened some eyes to restauranteurs on how to take advantage of Social Media in their businesses. This is when I came to the conclusion that it’s time for a Twitter account.

I hate Twitter.

If you can tell from my posts, I’m wordy.  I can’t be pithy.  You know the other reason why I hate Twitter?  Ludo Lefebvre.  I briefly met Ludo at a Food Truck event last year (he was on his phone-Tweeting) and we start talking.  I asked him where his next Pop Up restaurant was going to be.  He gave me this bewildered look:

Ludo:  ”Yooouu mean, you DON’T follow me on zee Twitter, or zee website or on Face-book?”

Me:  ”No dude, I don’t have time for that stuff.  I hate Twitter”

Ludo:  *Patronizing Tone*  ”Well, if you would then you would know…”  *Blah, blah, blah*

Me:  *Eyes darting toward nearby Cupcake truck*.  I had completely checked out of that conversation, written off Ludo and written off Twitter.

Hindsight is 20-20 and I now get it.  I can be a bit stubborn, but there is some value to it.  Jonathan Gold specifically cited Lefebvre’s use of Social Media as being critical to his success.  Talk about being late to a party!  Oh well, here we go!

So I’ll be Tweetin up a storm during dineLA’s Restaurant Week starting October 2.  I love Restaurant Week, it is the best way to introduce yourself to new spots at affordable prices.  Participating restaurants have prepared Prix Fixe lunch/dinner menus all at the same price point.

So eat yourself into an oblivion during Restaurant Week, then check out FabFitFun to get tips to help you erase the trace of the gluttony!

Cheers!

 

 

 

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