Join me in The Living Room

Today I had the Traditional Tea at the Beverly Hills Peninsula with my mom, sister, grandma and aunt. We sat in the yellow damask sofas in front of the fireplace. 

I believe I've been to the hotel before, but what a beautiful, cheery space the "Living Room" is! The service was great - we had at least 4 people helping us, and our waiter was very accommodating! (He had the chef make peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and turkey sanwiches for my little sister... though funnily enough, she got PBJ, and PBT!) The tea service was delightful - hand-painted tea cups and plates with whimsical floral designs... in various colors: pink, yellow, lavender, blue. 

We passed on the champagne and the caviar, but did decide to keep the strawberries and freshly whipped cream! What a difference between real cream and Reddi-Whip! None of the fumes of the spray can. Delicious and scrumptious scones, sandwiches and spreads... my favorite is always the clotted cream! Our sandwiches were a grilled veggie, chicken salad with almonds, smoked salmon and egg salad. Nice selections of sweets, as well: shortbread cookie, cream puff, madeleine, tiramisu.

Great ambience, wonderful service, and even a harpist!

Nice treat for a Sunday afternoon. :)

Food/Freshie places I want to check out

So far my list of places to check out includes:

1. Ice Pan, West Hollywood | www.icepanusa.com

Review: Amazing! You get to pick the type of "milk" it's made from... whether it's whole, 2%, non-fat or soy. Then you get to pick the flavor and what toppings/add-ins you want. On my first visit, which was very pleasant (1st hour free parking in the lot off of SM Blvd. in Weho), I had banana flavored soy milk with almond slivers and chocolate chips. As they were making it, the nice girl at the counter offered to add fresh strawberries (I accepted) and even chocolate or carmel syrup on top (I passed) for free! Not only was it soooo tasty, it's actually good for you, too! I wish there was a location on the Westside... though it is definitely worth the drive. :) Thanks to Jenna Phillips for recommending!

2. Funnel Mill, Santa Monica | www.funnelmill.com

Haven't been yet, but I looove tea and I always like to try new kinds. Thanks to GreenLAgirl for recommending!

3. Bubalus Bubalis Mozzarella, Gardena | www.realmozzarella.com

Have been meaning to check this place out! It's the only factory that makes Buffalo Mozzarella in the United States! I believe it's sold at various stores and restaurants, but I kind of want to check out the factory... I wonder if it's open to tours. Rather inconveniently though, I have given up dairy for Lent.... partially for Lent and partially to see whether I have a food allergy (I'm a bad Catholic). But - I wonder if buffalo milk counts as dairy? Does goat milk? What's the concensus here?

4. Huckleberry Cafe & Bakery, Santa Monica | www.huckleberrycafe.com

This place JUST opened and it sounds wonderfully fabulous! Can't wait to try all their delicious pastries. Thanks to Tiffany Stone for reminding me to check it out... and Daily Candy!

New Start!

Lately I've been drinking peppermint tea and it is so refreshing! It's cooling and apparently good for digestion. I don't have any digestive problems, but it's supposed to support natural detox.

Detox is definitely a big trend right now in the health and wellness industry, but I haven't found a definitive system yet - some companies hawk their pills and teas, some are all about dry skin brushing and saunas, some are about foot baths and massage - still others about colonics, natural diets and fasting.

The idea of the body healing itself is an interesting one - one that I've come across recently both as it relates to detoxing and in the book Skinny Bitch...

I liked that book b/c they really opened my eyes about a lot of problems in the American food system. I have always been aware of the poorly treated animals and things, and have considered going vegetarian, but I never really realized that the poor cows that give us milk and the chickens that give us eggs also endure terrific agonies as well. I sort of just figured that if the product wasn't at one point sentient, it was okay. Well, I wasn't looking far enough into the situation.

Anyways, I would like to come up with a health and socially conscious way of eating that is actually doable. It's hard to sustain a vegan diet on a low budget and it's even harder when I don't plan in advance where, what and how I'm going to eat.

"The Kings" are King

Some things I'm interested in right now:


Dan Flavin at LACMA. I studied this artist in my Contemporary art history class at Notre Dame and loved the simplicity of his light sculptures. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is exhibiting a retrospective now through August, I believe. I definitely want to check this out. http://www.lacma.org/art/ExhibFlavin.aspx

Mandy Moore's new album. Though I'm not a fan of her previous work, I have heard that she collaborated with Rachael Yamagata on this album, and I'm intrigued.


The Kings of Leon, especially their new album Because of the Times. It's awesome. I can't get enough. Favorite tracks: On Call, the Runner, Knocked Up, Arizona, Black Thumbnail. The first three are so powerful and Caleb's voice is very transportive. Black Thumbnail is rough and wild. Off their previous albums I enjoy: Molly's Chambers, Wasted Time, Milk, Soft, the Bucket, King of the Rodeo, Trani, & California Waiting. Good British video interviews of Caleb Folowill are somewhere on the web. I'll try to post a link.

Kite surfing. Kites + surfing = whimsical exhilaration.

Surfing with a paddle? Saw this at the beach the other day. Looks very Polynesian. Probably trickier than they made it seem.


Moroccan Mint Green Tea. So refreshing! I love this brewed with boiling hot water and then poured over ice. A great summer sipper. http://www.stashtea.com/index.shtml (I noticed that How's Market carries just about every flavor of Stash Tea, including organic varieties, except the Moroccan Mint! I'll speak to them about this.)


The color lavender. I painted my toes lavender and I'm liking a dusty shade of violet on my eye lids. It looks good with a fresh bit of sun on your skin.

Elizabeth Gilbert. I read her book Eat, Pray, Love over Christmas break and it was stunningly beautiful. She's coming to Diesel June 10th, I believe. I'll be sure to be there.

W. Somerset Maugham. I read the Moon & Sixpence and adored the tight writing and the descriptive characterization. Saw the Painted Veil on the plane ride home last week and thoroughly enjoyed the love story. Moving performance by Ed Norton. Naomi Watts was great, as well. I've picked up the Razor's Edge and am finding it a pleasant, thought-provoking read. Brilliant writer.

Horizon plain yogurt with PomWonderful pomegranate juice spritzed in. Delicious!


Old Navy's summer palette. Lots of deep colors that are exotic rather than suburban. Bravo! I'm loving my new striped shorts and wine-colored bikini.

Green cars. That's eco-friendly, not grassy. I'm in the market for a car, and I am looking at the options available to me. Too bad they don't sell those tiny European cars here in the States... I don't really like the look of them that much, but they certainly do save on energy. I'm thinking I'd prefer shiny white paint with lots of chrome and a camel-colored interior.

Malibu Yogurt. A bit overpriced, but a fun splurge now and then with my brother and sister. I had the vanilla with strawberries and it was delish! Too bad they don't take credit cards. I am so bad about carrying cash.