Blue Plate Oysterette - Santa Monica, California

As part of my recent trip to LA for my big b-day/relaxation weekend, my friend N. brought me here. She'd mentioned a few places and after checking out the menus, BP Oysterette seemed like it would be a cool place. I am so glad we went with it.

Located right across the street from Santa Monica beach, this would be a great spot on a sunny day; I unfortunately wasn't quite that lucky. Oh well, the food was certainly worth it, overcast day or not.

For the record, the entire menu looked delish, but at the end of the day, I don't think you can go wrong with lobster. I had a lobster roll with warm butter (I hate mayo) and I was not at all disappointed! The lobster was sweet, tender and perfect. The brioche roll was heavenly and I think I detected the slightest hint of garlic which really put it over the top. I'm normally not a fan of non-skinny fries, but these were seasoned perfectly.

It ended up being a lovely afternoon with a great friend and great food. What could be better?

Best. Weekend. Ever.

I'll make some more in depth posts later, but I just have to say, that this weekend was truly one of the best I've had in a long time. I had the pleasure of meeting some of my favorite 'Twirlies' (aka Twitter girlies) and let me just say, they are all amazing women and I am so lucky to call them my friends.

In another update, I also had a birthday this past week. I am officially old... but luckily still young enough that no one thought to gift me a consult with a surgeon. Small blessings, right?

Life has remained crazy and overwhelming and at the same time, so very brilliant. I can't wait to share more... after I've had some sleep!

Where Have I Been?

A lot of changes going on in my life recently.

After 5 years with my company, I resigned in hopes of finding my next great adventure; I found it. I am now the director of PR and branding for a start up company. It is a bit of a gamble but I am truly looking forward to this new step. Being able to build something from the ground up is quite appealing and we've already got a pretty solid client list. The travel is going to be a bit rough, but you can't have it all, right?

So expect a few changes to this blog. I'll keep bringing the good San Francisco info, but I think you'll start to hear more about my travels and more pieces about my life. If you're still following, thank you. Hopefully I'll become more entertaining again in the coming weeks. ;)

Cheers.

Bouchon - Beverly Hills

I had the pleasure of dining at Bouchon for my whirlwind trip to LA this past March. WeezerMonkey (www.weezermonkey.com) agreed to be my date to an event in LA and we decided that we would go on a proper date afterwards. We poured over several choices before finally settling on Bouchon.

Bouchon was a short walk from the event venue and I made it... even though I was wearing heels that measure about 5". My ankles were killing me by the time we entered the restaurant and Weemz, ever the romantic, pulled out a chair for me. *Sigh*

The told us the wait would only be a few minutes and shortly after, they led us to a romantic table for two. Now, I know I've kind of joked about romance here and in my previous entries, but there is a reason for that. The whole set up was quite possibly one of the most romantic I've seen in quite a while. We were seated on a balcony under the stars with candles and a lovely heat lamp, just in case it was chilly. I'm sure if you give her a few days, Weemz will post a few of the photos and you'll see what I mean.

On to the food. It was a great meal. We decided to share the Beignets de Brandade de Morue (cod brandade with tomatoe confit & fried sage.) These were quite possibly the most delicious things ever. The fried sage was insane. It almost melted in your mouth. I have trouble describing how amazing this dish was. I was seriously tempted to order a second plate.

As a main, I ordered the Moules au Safran (mussels with white wine, mustard & saffron) which came with a heaping order of fries. The fries here? A-ma-zing. Weemz decided on the Magret de Canard (herb roasted duck breast) which she was kind enough to let me taste. It was also fantastic, nice and rare. Then again, you can't go wrong with duck. Add to this a side of mac & cheese and we were quite happy.

And dessert. Oh the dessert. I'm not a huge dessert person in general. It is pretty easy for me to decline the dessert menu, but I figured that given the whole trip, it was time to just go big or go home. So with that in mind, I was totally stoked to order dessert that night. I am a big fan of anything 'lemon' so the lemon tart was a no brainer. It was delicious, I'd order it again, however, Weemz choice put the meal over the top. She decided on the Ile Flottante which was meringue with vanilla creme anglaise, almond and caramel. Oh. My. God. The best way I can even begin to describe this was like eating a sweet, fluffy, cloud. It was so light and just utterly amazing. A must try.

When all was said and done, I think the damage was around $150. For the amount of food and the quality, I don't think you can go wrong at Bouchon. I'd absolutely eat here the next time I'm in LA... if we aren't heading over to CUT. ;)

Overall, I had a great time. The whole trip ranks as one of my best. A big thank you to Weezermonkey for the fantastic company.

PS I'll bet if you give her a few days, Weemz will post some photos and I guarantee, they're better than mine. DLSR v. P&S = no contest.

Beverly Hills, That's Where I Want To Be...

The Mosaic Hotel - Beverly Hills, California - A Review

I had the absolute pleasure of traveling to LA for an event for one of my favorite tv shows and then as a real treat, I even got to go on a date (lol) with one of my favorite fellow bloggers, the absolutely amazing, hilarious and surprisingly romantic, WeezerMonkey.

Anyway, I tend to favor the Beverly Wilshire, but this trip was one hell of a whirlwind and since I was basically going to be in my room to sleep and not much else, I searched for a cheaper alternative. One of my main considerations was that it be close to the venue. I didn't really research the Mosaic too much before hand so I wasn't totally sure what to expect. I'm glad I gave it a chance.

The location is prime, within easy walking distance of some of the best shopping Beverly Hills has to offer. It is off on a smaller side street so it really feels quite residential.

The set up of the hotel was interesting. First and foremost, it is a boutique hotel. When you walk in, the "front desk" is right in your path. Unlike many hotels, however, this isn't a counter. It is more like a concierge desk with only one person working it. Check in itself was quick and welcoming. They put me in a room on the top floor which was insanely quiet. Frankly, this has been one of the quietest hotel rooms I've been in in some time. The room was on the smaller side compared to many but it was quite comfortable. The bath features products by Bvlgari which is a very nice touch. The room was absolutely immaculate.

The hotel does have a small pool area which my room overlooked. It is very small (don't stay here if you're looking for a "scene") but they made great use of the space. Lots of pretty lights at night too.

Complimentary car service in the house Mercedes is available to guests within three miles of the hotel. I did take advantage of this and found the service to be very good. Another great touch.

While the Mosaic did lack the finesse of higher end properties, it truly was not a big deal and I was perfectly happy with my stay. If you want a nice place to stay in Beverly Hills without the high price tags of the Beverly Wilshire, Montage, etc... absolutely consider this one.

PS - Sorry about the crappy photos. They were taken at around 2:00 in the morning with my camera phone so they suck. My digital camera was dead by then as I hadn't charged it, but these are better than nothing. Well, maybe...

I'm Not Dead (Yet.)

I'm still alive. I know I've been MIA. That said, I'm coming back. Things have been crazy in the Blake household lately so blogging has taken a bit of a backseat. Thank you for sticking with me! New SF (and fashion!) entries to come. I hope 2010 has been treating you well thus far!

It Is All In the Shoes

So if you read this blog or know me a bit, you'll know that I love clothing and accessories. Fashion has always been something close to my heart. Well right now, we need to discuss ballet flats. So I've been hearing, "Why would you spend $____ for a pair of ballet flats?!" more and more frequently. I am a bit slow on the take away as to why this is the case. What is the difference between putting money in to a quality heel v. a pair of quality flats?

I will admit, finding flats that are truly comfortable has been far harder for me than finding heels. Obviously this contributes to my feelings on the matter. But you tell me: will you spend money on flats or is this an area where you choose to hold back? Can you answer the question above? What makes you want to spend more on heels?

These are very deep thoughts for 7:30 in the morning people!

Party Like A Rockstar

It is time to say goodbye to 2009. I can't believe it has been a decade since the panic that was Y2K. I don't know about you, but 2009 was quite good to me. I had a few great vacations, those closest to me have remained healthy... of course there were many more memories, but I can't complain. If 2009 has been a hard year for you, I hope next year will be a better one.

Again, thank you for reading. Now let us raise our glasses to 2010! Goodbye 2009, thank you for the memories.

And May All Your Christmases Be White

Christmas time is my favorite time of year. At least for me, there is still some of that childhood magic left in Christmas. I hope this will ring true throughout my life. So tonight, I wish all of you and your families a happy holiday season and a very merry Christmas. Thank you for following me, for being even the slightest bit interested in my life and for wanting to know more about one of the greatest cities in the world. I hope 2009 has been a great year for you and yours. If you have struggled this year, know that my thoughts are with you. Here is to an amazing 2010. Happy holidays.

Please excuse any typos. I'm mobile right now which means I'm sure to have screwed this up!

It's Christmas In San Francisco

Christmas is my favorite time of year. There are also about 8 million other photos I could have put in this post so I am using great restraint.
First up, was the annual lighting of the Christmas tree at Union Square. On the day after Thanksgiving I slept late. No Black Friday sale madness here unless you factor in the damage I did on Amazon.com in the comfort of my bed. That evening I slipped in to the my favorite Burberry coat, which I got as as an amazing Black Friday score in 2008, and finally made my way downtown.


My first stop in an attempt to get some photo was the Holiday Ice Rink at the Embarcadero Center. Unfortunately, the settings on my digital camera were incorrect so my photos didn't turn out at all. I didn't even realize it until later so no photos of that.

I finally boarded the 21 Hayes to make my way to Union Square. The first display I got a photo of was the window at Louis Vuitton. A lot of color there! The crowds were already out in full force. I wanted to get a few shots of Neiman Marcus and their gigantic tree that spans multiple floors but I had to go reserve my spot.

I made my way over to Macy's, which was about half a block away and managed to score a spot at the front of the barricade. It was a good thing I got there when I did because it was packed. We waited. And waited. And waited. You can kind of make out the crowd in some of the photos. I am someone who is not in to crowds. I am really private, I am really low key so this really isn't my kind of evening, but this is one of my favorite activities of the year. Seriously. So finally they start the show, a bunch of songs were sung... someone from American Idol even sang a few. He was actually really good. I don't watch that show so the name meant nothing to me. I should have paid more attention solely for my blog post, but oh well. Just as we were counting down to the lighting, the 38 Express pulled right in front of those of us by Macy's and I thought the people next to me were going to push it over to get their camera shot. Luckily, the bus moved just in time and I was able to get my photo. : ) And that was it. All of the pushing, the crowds, the people for 5 seconds of glory. It was worth it.

The last photos are of some of the decorations at 101 California Street. These are some of my favorite in San Francisco. I love the huge ornaments. These things have got to be about six feet tall.

I have a few other Christmas decoration photos from around the city I'll try to post but I hope you enjoyed these. So, Merry Christmas to those who celebrate. I want to thank all of my readers who have had such a positive response to this blog. I love doing it.

Happy Holidays!

Walking in San Francisco

So, if you live (or visit) SF, hills are a part of life. This is stating the obvious, I realize. Anyway, so I ate a bunch of junk over the last few days. Ice cream sundae, donuts, grilled cheese... things I love but rarely eat and even more rarely do I eat them so close together. So today after a bit of shopping on Union Street, I had to go pick something up at my parent's house. My parents live in Pacific Heights, so not too far from where I was. I decided to walk. The first gives you an idea of how steep the hill was. Try about 3 blocks of that. I'm in pretty good shape but those types of hills test me. lol It was a great workout. I also took a couple view photos because it was so nice. You'd never have guessed it was rainy and yucky, not all that much earlier.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This was how my day began. Well... at least in part. After a very um... long... night, my GH (gay husband) and I ended up at Fisherman's Wharf at Trish's Mini Donuts. These things are seriously the best hangover food ever. Yum. Well worth the trip to Pier 39 and they weren't even busy today so it was quite awesome. It was a nice day so we strolled down to Aquatic Park to eat and I took the above photos. A beautiful Thanksgiving in San Francisco indeed. And yeah, I'm trying to be more like Weemz and drag a camera every where so you'll get more pictures with my entries. See! I play tourist for you people. ;)
Once again, a very happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Can't Stop

This is a song by MoZella. It simply rocks. If you haven't listened to it, you need to... especially if you're like me and in to kind of "indie" sounding chick music. If you like Imogen Heap, Ingrid Michaelson, Natalie Merchant, that kind of thing, you'll like it. Promise. :) You should check it out on iTunes.

Follow me on Twitter?

So, I tend to like blogging... but it seems like all the cool kids are on Twitter. I've never really been that cool. So after many months of resisting, I'm finally on Twitter. What I'm going to say, I have no idea. But maybe you'll want to check me out anyway. You still won't get me on Facebook. So yeah. Come by. We can be Twits together. We'll see how long my Twitter actually lasts.

Answers!

Q: Have you been to Boulevard? How was it?
My hubby and i are planning a trip to S.F in December and we're thinking about going there!

A: Yes, I have been to Boulevard. It is an absolutely fantastic restaurant. One thing that I really appreciate about Boulevard is the fact that it simply isn't pretentious. It very much earns it's Michelin star, but unlike so many similar restaurants, the focus is all about good service, great food and an overall wonderful experience without the attitude that can be prevelant. I think you will be very happy with it. Hopefully I'll get around to posting my own review soon.

Q: Plouf may be too fancy for my parents. Have a rec for something that is very family and old-timer friendly in San Francisco?

A: One that immidiately comes to mind is Tadich Grill. I actually misread this (mild dyslexia! lol) as "Old time San Francisco" somehow but the more I thought about it, the more sure I was that this was still a good rec. This restaurant has been around for years and has remained a solid choice. So many "old school" restaurants survive on reputation but I feel that this one does it right. Cioppino here is excellent. It is casual but there is something for everyone on the menu. Another plus? They make a killer dirty martini.

Q: What are your favorite restaurants in SF? Low, mid, & high-priced.

A: This is a tough one. Hm... For very cheap, I love Chinese food. You could talk to many people and end up with many answers, but my favorites are Kam Po Kitchen, You's Dim Sum (the ladies who work there are always really nice and give me extra food:) ) and U-Lee for their potstickers. The potstickers are such a comfort food for me.

Mid range: I really like the Butler & the Chef Bistro. I actually live fairly close so I know that plays a part as who doesn't enjoy something that is easily accessible? That aside, my meals have always been very solid. They've never been bad. I feel that you get good food for the money.

Bistro Aix is another that I think is awesome. Unfortunately, I should note they are closed for a renovation so you'll want to check on this before just deciding to make the trip there.

Baker Street Bistro. Simply, just YUM!

Pricey: The Dining Room @ the Ritz Carlton is absolutely at the top of this list. It is probably one of the best dinners I've every had. If you decide to come here, you must have the tasting menu. End of story.

Masa's and Gary Danko are two others that are high on my "recommended" list. Gary Danko is nice if you're just venturing in to "fine dining" and as far as the amount of food you get for the price, Gary Danko is the best "deal".

Q: What inexpensive beauty and fashion items do you like?

A: One thing I am really partial to is Avon's Moisture Therapy Intensive hand cream. We ski a lot in the winter and the area in which our resort of choice is located get extremely dry. This isn't kind to my skin. Last year, I receieved a small bottle of this as part of a Christmas gift. I was astounded at how well it worked. I wish I had a before/after picture of my hands. You don't need a consultant, it can be purchased online and a small bottle is only about $2.00. A huge bottle, $6.00. You can't beat this if your hands get chapped during the winter.

I love plain old cherry chapstick. It keeps my lips soft but it adds a hint of color.

I no longer use this b/c I have a horrible time with color matching, but the absolute best foundation I've found in terms of lasting all day without touch ups is Revlon's liquid ColorStay. It simply blows other products out of the water. If you can find one that matches your skin tone, use it. For anyone wondering, I now use Bobbi Brown Oil Free Even Finish Liquid and love that as well. Revlon, however, is about 1/4 of the price.

Q: Some favorite movies and books?

A: I read a lot actually, but I am hard pressed to name a favorite book. I love a variety from crappy chick lit to biographies to the Twilight series. I would say that I am draw to bios most often though. I really like more obscure characters throughout history.

Another book I would say is a favorite is Zorba the Greek. As I said, my reading material is rather eclectic. I really love nothing more than coming home at the end of the day and reading while taking a hot bath.

I am really far more in to TV shows than I am movies... For TV, my all time favorites include Castle, Boston Legal, Ally McBeal, Six Feet Under, Gilmore Girls and... actually, I'll stop as I could spend the evening naming shows.
Castle really appeals to me because of the wit as well as the chemistry between Stana Katic and Nathan Fillion. The dance between the two of them is fun to watch. And as for Boston Legal, that was absolutely one of the best shows on television. I'll end this post with two words: Denny Crane.

Q: What are your favorite stores and designers for day-to-day wear?

A: My favorite stores in general are probably Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys New York, & Lululemon. Lately, my time has been so limited that I like being able to have access to everything I need & having it all in one place has been important. As far as local boutiques, Mingle (this store especially is so cute!), Blu, Cielo, & Susan San Francisco are high on my list.
I really like simplicity in my clothing. Simplicity need not be confused with boring, but I like pieces that can easily transition from work to play. I love Milly and Lanvin. I would say that my closet is very heavy on both of these. James Perse's shirts are a true addiction for me as well. Theory is also very wearable. And finally, Chanel. This actually is more apparent in my accessories. As much as I'd love a closet full of it, I'd need to make a lot more money to fund those clothes on a regular basis!

I hope this provided some insight in to me. I felt like I was blabbering on a few of those, so excuse the length of some of my answers. : )

Wine Gums Revisited

They're here. And while I have shown um... a little... restraint, I need them taken away. I didn't really explain these in my other post. The best way to describe these would be similar to a gum drop, minus the sugar coating and the softness. These are far more chewy. Think gummy bear that has been sitting in the fridge. The flavors are unique. I don't know why it is called a "wine gum" as it doesn't taste like wine, nor gum, however, the hint of wine is there in the fruitiness. They aren't overly sweet like many things of this nature. Simply put, you have to try them.
I am not a chocolate person in general. I can say no to chocolate without a problem. Fruity gummy candy? Not so much.
If you decide to taste them, post and let us know your favorite flavor. Mine is the dark purple one. It probably most resembles wine and has a nice berry-ish taste. Kind of hard to describe but truly addictive. You won't just eat one.
Must work out extra hard tonight... and in weeks following. LOL

Wine Gums

I don't know if any of my readers are Canadian (or British?) but these things are my new obsession. These things are so utterly addictive. I went so far today as to spend $30 USD to order myself some in bulk. And I hope this supply lasts a year, though given the way I went through them previously, I think I'll be lucky if they last 2 weeks. Kidding... well... kind of...
So I have to ask, have you had these? Are you in to them? I have showed amazing restraint on now blogging about them until now but do you remember that little post about "fixations"? Yeah. Here is another of mine. ;)

Photo is a stock photo, but I'm more than happy to photograph my own when they arrive. I am counting down until tomorrow!

Fashion & Beauty

So this blog started out as basically being a "local's guide to SF" which I will maintain. However, I also want to put a bit more of myself out there. One of my other loves aside from the city is fashion and beauty. It is something I know and can talk about. So I'm branching out. I'll be adding a few more "just me"/"f&b" type entries. I hope you'll find this interesting. Trying to keep things well rounded.

Fixations

I tend to become fixated on things. This is really quite beneficial when it comes to work because I am a perfectionist on top of that and so things get done and they get done well. This seems to be a bit of a problem when it comes to well... things. I like clothes. I like make up. I like nail polish. If it is style related, I'm probably in to it. So Chanel recently released this new nail color, Jade. It was seen on the runways and people went nuts for it. Unfortunately, I have to include myself in the ridiculous masses on this one. It isn't a color I would typically go for, but something about this pale green just stands out to me. So I've spent hours trying to find a bottle. Even the world's best SA didn't have one in stock for me. I finally got a bottle today after a few DAYS (yes, I give myself the side eye so it doesn't hurt my feelings that you are too) of searching, a lovely person on one of my message boards was kind enough to let me know where I could find one. It is on its way to me. Finally.

Just a little more insight in to your friendly SF neurotic. Trust me, there are many of us.

I bought a lot of apples this weekend...

The title of this entry makes it sound like I'm ready to launch in to some werid indie song I wrote. lol Anyway, I bought a ton of apples and what better thing to do with them than make one of my favorite fall desserts? I got this cute little pie mold from Williams Sonoma and made a bunch of mini apple pies with them. Then I decided to make one big pie as well. You can really use any standard apple pie recipe... the only thing I add that certain recipes may not include is madacascar burbon vanilla to both my crust and filling. I used a mix of pink lady and granny smith apples. I may have gone a bit overboard, but I had a good time. : ) Happy Fall.