City Tavern Dinner

The boyfriend and I had yet another great dinner last night - this time at City Tavern in Culver City. 

I had heard about their booth taps (and origins) from some source or another and thought it would be right up Brian's alley. We were nearby, hanging with some friends, and decided to change locations on a whim. The hostess, normally a server, was sharp and we didn't have to wait too long before we were seated. The "rustic chic" atmosphere was welcoming with exposed brick walls, reclaimed wood floors and worn wooden tables and chairs. 

The boys started off with Iron Fist's Renegade Blonde while the girls started off with Julian hard ciders. As with all of the Tavern's beers, the cider is California made. It was served in a tall, skinny glass (almost like an oversized champagne glass without the stem) that complimented the lightly carbonated, tart but not sweet, dry cider well. 

We started off with the appetizer special - Squash Blossoms Stuffed with Goat Cheese. Ah-mazing!

Next up was our entrees. I went with the Yellowtail special while the rest of the gang went with the Southern-style Grilled Cheese with pimento cheese. It was all delicious and perfectly portioned. I was so enamored with the tuna that I totally forgot to take a picture. It was lightly seared, served with a slightly spicy sauce and a cool cucumber and grape salad. I tried Brian's sandwich and it was really hard to admit that it was right up their with mine but got comfort food points. To top off the meal, Brian got a taster of the Craftsman Triple White Sage. It's described as a fruit/vegetable beer and tastes very similar to a Belgium White - quite interesting. 
Can't wait to come back - I hear they have fried green tomatoes too!!

A Love of Honey

Honey season is upon us Angelenos!

I found these awesome honeypots on Supermarket by Biodidactic Designs. I love that the designer is a beekeeper, eco-conscious (sustainably raised American maple dipper) and respects the natural geometric design of the hive. How can you decide between the two?!
I'm hoping to get a fresh local batch from my friend's honey harvest. If I'm lucky, and he remembers, I could even get the chance to harvest my own!! (Now, I'll admit this scares me a bit but I'd love the experience!)
These are also available here and here. 

Dinner at Oscar's

Brian and I stopped by a new local hot spot on Friday and had a wonderful date night...

By 6 pm, Oscar's Cerveteca was already busy so we hung out and grabbed drinks while we waited for a table. Brian ordered one of his favorites, Vitus, while I grabbed a cider new to my palatte, Crispin. It was served over ice and quite appropriate for a beautiful summer evening! The vibe of the restaurant was very chill, simplistic, modern with a touch of turn of the century elegance - smooth marble, square tube metal legs, dark wood, high top tables, a long picnic table, mason jars and simple white and wood dishes. 

As we were waiting and soaking in our new hip surroundings, we ordered the Fried Pickles appetizer. I'm a Southern girl so this is one of my favorites when I can find it. They seem to be popping up everywhere recently but these were distinctly different. Not only were they homemade spears but the batter was perfect, the taste unique, and they went well with (or without) the aioli on the side. 
Finally, the waitress whisked us to a wonderful table on the patio where we promptly ordered. 

I went for the Squash Blossom Quesadilla with Roasted Cactus... 

while Brian went for the Chicken & Cheese Empanadas. Both were incredibly delicious and I have to give it up to Oscar Hermosillo (of Venice Beach Wines next door as well) and his kitchen - simply amazing! The servings were just enough to be satisfying and well priced too. 
I highly recommend anyone visiting Venice or even LA make a stop at Oscar's. Wonderful food, great beer/cider/wine selection, with a fun local vibe. (Give me a call and I'll even join you!)

Carmageddon and Crafts

Need something to do while avoiding the 405's upcoming Carmageddon? Why not surround yourself with crafts instead!? The Renegade Craft Fair could be the perfect escape! 

I've met Renegade crafters before through Etsy and other events so I'm super excited to go to my first Fair with so many in one place! Maybe I'll get my Christmas shopping done super early! It may still require driving (though I am hoping to stay with a friend that lives closer and bike) but at least its in the opposite direction of the what will probably be the worst day of driving in the history of Los Angeles. (My bf and friends are confident it'll still be horrendous though.) The event is free, delicious food trucks will be on site, music will be blasting and there will even be drinks to help you further enjoy the California sun! Some of the interesting crafts include hand-thrown ceramics, creative mobiles, 'historical' sci-fi cards and prints, and of course everything in between. So, who's in? Any Silverlakers wanna bike with me?

Word of the Day

You won't believe what today's Word of the Day is at dictionary.com...
cat·a·wam·pus
[kat-uh-wom-puhs]
Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S.


adjective
  1. askew; awry.
  2. positioned diagonally; cater-cornered.


adverb
  3. diagonally; obliquely: We took a shortcut and walked catawampus across the field.

Also, cattywampus [kat-ee-wom-puhs, kat-uh-]

Origin: 

Catawampus arose in the United States around 1840, during a particular vogue in elaborate 

coinages. Cata-stems from cater-, a now-archaic root meaning "diagonal," while the source 

of -wampus is subject to debate.

Quotes:

Very circuitous, I must say- most sidelong and backhanded, cockeyed and 

skew-jawed, catawampus and wonky.

-- Candace A. Croft, Annalia's Simply Splendid Flight: From Another Side of Day

The only traditional touches are the catawampus walls and whichaway entrances dictated by 

Feng Shui, the art of placing things so as to ensure luck and not disturb spirits.

-- P. J. O'Rourke, Eat the rich

The word is available on their Obsolete American Slang flash cards. How funny!

Also one guy offered an alternative definition: "a fierce, imaginary animal, the sort of 

vicious critter that jumps you in the woods shortly before you're never seen again." Haha!

To Buy or DIY: Mason Jar Lights

I love the simplicity but statement making ability of these Energy Preserved lights found on Supermarket. They're sooo simplistic I thought I could create my own DIY version. I have similar power cords for paper lanterns and Mason jars are available at any regular grocery store, right? Not quite so easy - I had trouble finding any colored lantern cords. Color power cords are easy enough to find but I don't trust my electrician skills - especially since I don't have any! I would also be concerned about the large light inside the jar and any heat it may give off.
With the creative juices already flowing, I began to think of other lighting solutions using the Mason jars - either hanging from something or just sitting on a table or bench. Then I remembered a fun project I had always wanted to try - creating LED Throwies. 

The instructions are simple (basically taping an LED(s) to a magnet and a battery), the materials are small and easily found, it can cost as little as $1 a light, and will decorate anything ferromagnetic. Readily available LED battery packs often have 9 or 12 lights and  seem to be a bit bulky for this project. 1 or 2 lights should give off enough lighting to create a fun mood but you can always add more Throwies if needed. The batteries should last about two weeks but with certain mods like on/off tabs or auto on/off, you could probably extend their life. (Don't forget to recycle the batteries when they're all used up. Please!) There's even a Snaggie mod that could be helpful.
Hopefully I'll be able to try this project soon and will repost images of my results!

Foreign Film Posters

I saw these fabulous posters in all their 5+ ft glory in a conference room this week. Being an art and film buff, I just couldn't get enough of them. They reminded me of George Lucas' extensive poster collection that lines the halls of ILM. I'm so fascinated with the beautiful 60s illustrations, especially the women's eyes and lashes, and compositions. If I had more time on my hands, I'd try to dust of my artistic skills and create some faux movie posters of my own. As a film student, I saw several films by these directors but never these in particular. I wonder if they're available on Netflix?

More information on the films can be found here, here and here.