When Life Hands You Lemons...

      Whoopie Pie and Pizza Pie, courtesy of Susie Cakes and Stone Fire Pizza

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade? Bullshit, friends. My juicer is broken. Life has handed me a bunch of lemons and, as much as I want to, I just can't make a pitcher of juicy, sweet lemonade. I truly believe that things happen for a reason and the speed bumps you hit along the way will only make you appreciate the good things that are just around the bend. Despite my optimistic outlook for the long haul, I get very wrapped up in the here and now. So when life gets me down, I surround myself with good people and hand my sour lemons to a bartender who squeezes them into a stiff round of Lemon Drops.

So Friday night, my boys and I end up going to Crown Bar, this shi shi place that only lets you in if you are a douche bag, on a list, or a douche bag on a list. I don't understand the hype of this place and they violated me (not in a good way) at $12/drink. Harsh. Due to the fact that I met some nice new people, danced to good music (a plus for Crown), and kept the company of three of my faves, I'd chalk the experience up to a 7.5 out of 10. Crown is just west of La Brea on Santa Monica Blvd., walking distance from Jones, Formosa, Lubitsch, and Astro Burger. Valet parking only, which runs about $6-7. Makes much more sense to pre-party and then take a cab. Save yo' dolla dolla bills, y'all. Oh, obvi, we went to Astro after.

Miraculously, the next morning, I rolled my ass out of bed and made it to the 11 a.m. yoga class at the WeHo 24 Hour Fitness. Even though this whole yoga thing is somewhat new to us, my brother and I still gave it a try. The Saturday instructor is Fusako, and she bends in ways I never thought possible. At one point, she balanced her whole body on her arms, and instead of trying to maneuver myself, I found more pleasure in watching the people in front of me fall right on down. Although you get better at yoga the more you go, this lady was so quiet and hard to understand that I had trouble even attempting the positions...or maybe that's due to the fact that I got the spins every time I looked down and couldn't see Fusako past the brim of my baseball cap. The last time we did yoga was at the Sherman Oaks 24 Hour Fitness with two of our good friends, and their instructor, Trevor, was much better. His class flowed and was actually coherent. I would really like to get into yoga for spiritual and calming purposes, although when I workout, I put my mind to it, go for it, get down and break a sweat (where my Saved by the Bell fans at, yo?!). Would definitely try yoga again with a different instructor and without a hangover.

On Saturday, I was graced with the presence of one of my best friends, Keeley. Along with my family, we ate at Stone Fire Pizza for dinner. This place is great! The vibe is a classy sports bar. Good looking crowd and I coincidentally ran into Nick Swardson and some of his friends. If you go for Happy Hour, you get discounts on drinks and pizza. And Stone Fire definitely gets plus points for having Chateau St. Michelle, one of my favorite brands of Riesling. Salads are a decent size. My brother and I started with the candied walnut and fig salad and then went on to share the [clearly Kosher] bacon and pineapple and prosciutto and goat cheese pizzas. The pizzas have a thin, crispy crust (much thinner than NY pizza) and the slices are big at four slices a pie. They also have a vegan pizza for those who don't eat meat or cheese. Pizzas run an average of $15 a pop and salads are around $13. This place is perfect for group dinners and Happy Hour. Parking is street or valet and Stone Fire is walking distance to LA hot spots like The Spanish Kitchen, Koi, The Belmont, and STK.

As mentioned previously, I love my sweets. After I discovered the Farm-e-o, I didn't think anything could compare to its deliciousness. Boy, was I wrong! My dad's girlfriend introduced us to the Susie Cakes version of this sweet treat, a.k.a. Whoopie Pies, just as we arrived at the restaurant. I might have eaten a hefty chunk of the W.P. before my salad, oops. I was gonna eat it at some point! They're veeeery similar to the Farm-e-o, but the actual cookies are softer in the middle and the butter cream filling is a tad sweeter. It's truly a toss-up as to which my palate prefers, although I'll eat both without a doubt. The Whoopie Pies are $5 each, where the Farm-e-o's are around $4 (big difference, I know).

Despite the convenient location of Stone Fire Pizza, we decided to venture to the Village Idiot and Bar Lubitsch, with a side of Los Tacos for our night out. The Village Idiot is a chill spot. It gets pretty packed on the weekends and fills with young professionals. It's a restaurant/bar and the eating area takes up quite a bit of space, leaving little room for standing comfortably.  If you want to sit, you either need to find a seat at the bar, eat at a table, or move to the back where there's much more room to spread out.  There's also a room in back for private parties.  Parking is street or Valet.  We decided to change locales around 11:30, simply because we wanted a change of scenery.  All-in-all, the Village Idiot gets a thumbs up.  

We topped off this fabulous weekend with a trip to Lulu's Cafe, one of my favorite brunch spots.  They have a lot of healthy options and soy milk, soy milk, soy milk!  I love a restaurant with non-dairy alternatives that please my tummy.  I had the baked granola with fresh fruit and soy milk and Keeley and Seth had variations of the two-egg breakfast.  Between the three of us - coffee, tea, and tip included - it came to $15/per person.  I love the ambiance here - open and airy and packed with people enjoying their weekend.  The only drawback is the parking, although I've never had an issue finding a spot on the street; don't even bother parking in the back.  Despite the crowd of people in front, you'll wait no longer than 10 minutes.  

Needless to say, the weekend was a write-off for calories, and I'm not crying myself a river. I'll make it up on Monday.

You Lucky Devil, You!

I'm not a huge fan of the hamburger.  If asked, I'd choose a veggie patty over cow meat any day.  I'm definitely not a vegetarian, although I only opt for the beef when I'm at a barbecue.  Is that weird?  I think it's a little strange.  So when my date (he wanted to be in the picture) suggested Lucky Devils in Hollywood, hyping it up along with LA's gourmet burger craze, I gave in.  He did such a good job at selling the beef that I passed on the veggie patty and scarfed down the Lucky Burger, sans cheese.  We also had Caesar salad, mac n' cheese, sweet potato fries and regular fries.  Hey, don't judge, we didn't eat until 10:30...we were hungry!  I was pleasantly surprised with everything we ordered, although the mac n' cheese wasn't nearly as delicious as my aunt Sherry's.  Decent selection of wine and a vast selection of beer (tons on tap).  A great place to try if you are out and about in Hollywood.  

Saturday night, I ventured to the Hollywood Improv, a seemingly unlikely place to just grab an after dinner drink.  I've only been there for shows, so little did I know I would spend the night schmoozing amongst some of the freshest faces in comedy, like Nick Swardson and Owen Benjamin.  Lucky for me and my obsession with famous people, my date (re: picture above) and his brother are good friends with Nick Swardson.  This guy is hilarious!  He's most commonly known for his roles in "Grandma's Boy" and, my personal fave, "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry."  We hung out with him the whole night and he even picked up our tab.  So nice!  The bar gets pretty crowded, filling with comedians and their cliques, and you don't need to pay the cover charge if you say you are just going for drinks.  If you're sly, you can slip into a show while the bouncer's not looking.  Don't blame the Hip Chick if you get caught.  

So I'm starting this new diet, if you even want to call it a diet.  I'm basically limiting the crap in my food bank and increasing my intake of veggies and fruit.  As noted in previous posts, I balance my eating with intense, five-day-a-week workouts and, although I'm fierce, I'm still not at my goal weight.  I think that's a flaw one inherits as a woman, or perhaps I'm just too damn hard on myself.  Fortunately, my cousin's fiancee is a nutritionist and she's whipping me into shape on the food front.

Before my exciting trip to Ralphs to revamp my fridge, I hit up the YMCA for my oh-so-favorite Turbo Kick class.  Today, Corrine busted out Round 35, a round completely foreign to my Turbo Kick repertoire.  I have to say, though, this is quite possibly my favorite round to date.  Good music, fun moves, an ass kicking turbo section, and "wicked" final section that will pump anyone up.  If you click on the link for "turbo section," the instructor, Nolan, is the one I loved at the Irvine 24 Hour.  When you click on the "final section" link, be sure to check out the lady in pink.  Most people start off looking uncoordinated like that, although once you understand how Turbo Kick works, you'll begin to look and feel like a pro.  Sadly, though,  some people look like fools no matter how many times they go.  If you lack any shred of coordination, I'm sorry to say, my friends, that Turbo Kick isn't for you.  I mean, you can try it, although don't be surprised if someone (ahem, me) side-kicks you as you move in the opposite direction.  

Day One of Operation Detox is coming to a close and I'm still under by 353 calories.  Not bad, eh?  Let's hope I can keep it up!

New Adventures Bring New Blogs

Jolly Rancher shots, courtesy of bartender Rick

The other night, my girl Erica and I braved a little thing called "Speed Dating" through a company called Hurry Date. Have any of you ever tried it? It's quite the experience. You sit around and have five minutes to chat with someone of the opposite sex. Everyone has a number and after your "date" is over you fill out this score card, noting whether you like the person or not. When you get home, you log onto the Hurry Date website and enter all your info and find out whether or not you have any matches. E and I gave the five or six weiners we met a big fat NO, but fortunately had a rockin' bartender (and each other) to chat with. Really, I shouldn't be allowed to speed date. I'm just too critical and a wee bit judgmental and I no-ed these fools before they even sat down. Oh, and one of the guys definitely prefered men over women. That's just not nice at a straight event. Please, boy, don't deny it after you talk about "Sex and the City" during three of the five minutes we're together. The event was at the Vine Bar, just south of Fountain on Vine. Our bartender's name was Rick and he was awesome. Just a genuinely nice guy who takes pride in the bar he owns. He gave us a tour of the bar and made us these Jolly Rancher shots that were all lit up and oh-so-tasty. We also saw the drummer from RATT, an 80's Hair Band. The Vine spins house music and fills up Wednesday through Saturday nights.  Free parking at the dry cleaners across the street or free meters after 6pm.  

Friday night, finally, I tried the ever-so-popular Katsuya in Studio City (original location). There are various locations throughout the valley and city, but Studio City is its first. The sushi was delicious, although we didn't try as many adventurous dishes as I would have liked. Even though Katsuya is known for its creativity on presentations, my date and I stuck to the basics. I didn't want to frighten the poor guy with my eating capabilities during our first encounter. We did try the Robert roll, though, and that was delicious. It's a cut version of the Honey roll, with Avocado on top and some yummy creamy sauce. I can't remember what types of fish are in the middle (blame it on the wine). My date's soft shell crab roll was delicious - fresh and meaty (that's what she said!). Katsuya doesn't accept reservations and don't expect anything less than an hour wait. The dishes are pricey and you get more bang for your buck (and bigger pieces of fish) at places like Sushi Dan (Studio City and West Hollywood) and Sushi Omi (West Hollywood). I would go back to Katsuya with someone like my brother or one of my girlfriends, where I wouldn't have to worry about shoving my face and paying for it. Oh, and don't expect to say "Kat-See-Ya" without seeing a famous face. I saw Zach Braff, Donald Faison, and Cacee Cobb, and even met Donald and Cacee because my date knew them. Even though I'm from the land of celebs, I still plotz every time I see one. Okay, okay, so you're wondering about the date, huh? Great success! And I'll leave it at that.

Saturday night I tried Delancey for the second time. It's a sibling to the Bowery and very east coast in style. Last time I went for appetizers and drinks, this time for dinner. I had the butternut squash ravioli, which was so yummy! Very sweet. Although when you give me only six ravioli pillows (is that what they're called?), I'm not going to be full. So don't fault me for snagging a grilled cheese and fries at Astro Burger at 2am. Delancey also has a great wine selection. Try the Pinot Gris - delicious. Another celebrity sighting here: this time it was Robert Costanzo, a famous character actor who I recognized from "Friends" and is currently working on a play in Hollywood. I actually shot the shit with this guy, schmoozing over wine with him and his friend Lenny about careers and whatnot. Not too shabby. No need for reservations here. If anything, it should only be a short wait. Not too pricey and a nice place to grab dinner with friends.

Creature of Breaking the Habit

When it comes to eating, I'm definitely a creature of habit. I find the places I like and stick to 'em. Every so often, though, I stray from the beaten path. I love trying new places but am usually too lazy to get my ass out there to try them. Fortunately, over the past couple of weeks, I was able to try a few newbies deliciosos that you might enjoy as well:

Akasha: Akasha, in the heart of Downtown Culver City, is great place to eat, drink and lounge. The food is very good, and chef Akasha Richmond prides her establishment on its organic food, grown mostly in sustainable environments. Definitely order the Lamb Sliders and Hummus for appetizers. On Wednesday night, wine is half price. Pretty good deal considering the average wine bottle is $50. The entrees are hearty. Stick with the short ribs or scallops. I hear the turkey burger is pretty damn good, too. The total experience is worth the trip, although you might not be blown away by the food. Dessert is just o.k. Not much of a selection. Akasha has a wonderful vibe. It is spacious, with high ceilings, and there is a very nice patio for outside dining. There is a full bar, which promotes the restaurant's "anti-oxidant" spirit. The crowd is mostly Culver City hipsters. If you want a pleasant surprise in the up-and-coming Culver City, then I suggest taking a trip to Akasha.

Vivian's Cafe: I was introduced to this place a couple of years ago by Rachel, one of my nearest and dearest. So, today, after my brother and I looked at a condo in the area, we decided to give it a whirl (such a better decision than Togo's, ew). Seth had eggs, turkey bacon, and banana pancakes, while I opted for a chicken salad sandwich with a side of potato salad (we ate at that odd brunch hour). It's not hard to screw up eggs and turkey bacon, so that seemed all right. The banana pancakes though? Wow. I think I ate more of them than Seth did, plus my lunch (sooo not out of character for me). These two huge pancakes, the size of the plate, with fresh banana slices baked right into them, came as a part of his breakfast combo. Yum-my. Next time I go I'll try the Ultimate pancakes. My chicken salad was pretty damn good too. Simple and satisfying. I tend to be a harsh critic with the chicken salad and this one didn't disappoint. My side of potato salad was a bit funky though - more of a hybrid of potato salad and coleslaw. Pauli doesn't like the coleslaw. So I didn't fancy the hybrid but Seth did. To each his own, right? There's also a big patio dining area which would be great in the warmer weather. Would definitely go back here for a nice brunch.

Cole's: Located in historic Downtown L.A. and famous for its french dips, Cole's is a vintage diner-looking joint that serves french dips...french dips...and more french dips. This type of a place is perfect for a painfully indecisive person, such as myself. All you have to do is decide between beef, pork, lamb, or turkey. Don't go if you're vegetarian or kosher, neither of which I am. Heh. Their bacon potato salad is out of this world (I think I channeled my cousin Matt, king of superlatives, on that description). I went with a group of growing boys and we all had dips, sides, and alcoholic beverages. Total damage came to about $15 per person, so it won't break the bank. In the back of the restaurant is a speak easy-type bar called the Varnish and right next door is the Association. Both are tiny, jam packed, and hipster-friendly. The Association plays great music. Get there early to avoid lines.

Fina Estampa: On the night that my cousin Matt and soon-to-be cousin LeeAnn got engaged (mazel mazel!), some of my family members and I branched out of our typical family dining joints and tried somewhere new: Fina Estampa. Peruvian food in the heart of beautiful...Chatsworth?? Yep, kids, this gem is just east of Topanga Canyon on Nordhoff. When you walk in, it looks a bit dumpy, like an empty dining hall decked out in Peruvian tschatschkis. They seat people at the tables along the windows to make it look crowded but, no no, no es la verdad. Despite the empty feeling that may settle in your tummy, it will soon be filled with authentic Peruvian delicacies (saltado de pollo, seco de res, yuca, plantains) that leave you satisfechos. I had the rotisserie chicken, which was moist and delicious. The beans were awesome too. And the alfajores, omg. Cookie sandwiches filled with manjar (dulce de leche) that are well worth the calories they possess. We also had this doughnut with honey dessert that was tasty, but not nearly as good as those little Peruvian bites of heaven. I'd also suggest trying the Inca Cola, chicha morada, and Cusquena, all drinks native to Peru. Speaking from the perspective of someone who lived in South America (Chile) and traveled to Peru, this place brings the flavor, sparing the flute-playing street vendors. Definitely worth a shot.

Burn, Baby, Burn!

I am in the gym, on a treadmill, or canoodling with Marjolein Brugman on our AeroPilates machine at least five days a week.  Last night, after picking apart a rather nasty shrimp burrito from Poquito Mas (ugh too many giant tomato chunks in the salsa), I decided to go for a 30-minute bounce on the AeroPilates rebounder my aunt and uncle have in the guest room.  The rebounder is basically a mini trampoline and you bounce on it lying down.  Sounds strange, but it works.  I thought, "Okay, it's my sixth day working out this week, I can take it easy."  Wowie zowie.  30 minutes on that machine works your thighs to the point where you have to support yourself when you sit down to pee (yes, gents, I know some of you do that too).  Despite my burnt out thighs and being the nut case that I am, I decided this morning to go to my all time favorite workout class: Turbo Kick with Corrine at the Porter Ranch YMCA.  

Turbo Kick is a one hour, choreographed kickboxing workout that is broken into intervals with "sprints" about halfway through the hour.  Don't expect to drop down on mats for 10 mins of ab work at the end of class (unless you do the Turbo Sport round).  Turbo Kick works your core in each move you do.  The workout also comes in rounds, so you may do Round 25 for a couple of weeks, then switch to Round 32, then switch to Turbo Sport.  It all depends on the instructor.  It's overwhelming at first, but the more you go the more familiar you become with it.  So if you like good music and a highly intense cardiovascular workout, try this class!  Corrine is a machine.  I don't think she has an ounce of fat on her body.  She's an amazing instructor and the head of all the instructors at the Porter Ranch YMCA.  I started Turbo Kick just over a year ago and thought I was out of my mind to take such a nutty class.  Now, I hate to miss it.

When it comes to workout classes, I am very particular about my instructors.  I grow incredibly frustrated when an instructor can't keep the beat of the music or criticizes my punches when I know I've trained enough to get them right.  One such case occurred at the WeHo 24 Hour Fitness with an instructor named Anthony (no pseudonyms, bitches.  You gotta know when your class is jacked.).  Somehow I showed up on a day when there were only three people in attendance, myself included.  Lucky me.  Anthony kept yelling, "Your wrist should face up when you jab!  I've had years of rotator cuff surgery from punching wrong and you don't want the same!"  Excuse me, Anthony, but did I hear, above that lissssp, that my jab should face up?  Um, I think that's called an upper cut, bro.  Needless to say, I didn't return to his class, and I have yet to try other Turbo Kick instructors at that gym.  I did try a Turbo Kick class at the Irvine 24 Hour Fitness and really enjoyed it.  Can't remember the instructor's name, although I do remember him having chin-length hair and I'm pretty sure he fancies the dudes.  

At the Y, I am allowed as many guests as I want and each guest can come twice for FREE.  So let me know if you want to accompany me to any of my fantastic classes.  Here's my schedule, and it varies depending on my sub work:

Monday - Turbo Kick 10:30am (Corrine) or Boot Camp 6:00pm (Jenna)

Tuesday - Cardio Kick 8:00pm (Shari)

Wednesday - Cardio Kick 10:30am (Melissa) or Cardio Kick 7:00pm (Bridget)

Thursday - Zumba 8:30am (Trina) or 7:00pm (Corrine)  

Friday - Cardio Kick 10:30am (Leta) or Boot Camp 12:30pm (Jenna)

Hope to see you all breaking a sweat soon!