New York, New York

I was on the way to New York City and finally had booked a ticket on Virgin America. Doing the LAX-NYC thing every now in then, I had usually flown on United. I immediately loved the cool mood lighting, brand new clean planes, wireless internet and high tech touch screen, which featured 30 movies, TV, games and over 3,000 mp3s. I tried out the virtual ordering and had a hummus and pita plate with fresh veggies, and a baileys and coffee. No cash is required, and you swipe your card and your done.=)

Staying in a different area of NYC this trip, I tried out a couple of new places; Stanton Social and Morimoto.

It was 12am by the time I got to the hotel and I was in a very unfamiliar part of town.

Step in Stanton Social.

The lower East Side’s choice for the sexiest lounge and restaurant. Modeled after the 1940’s era, you will see the demure influence in everything from the waitstaff’s attire to the herringbone pattern of the 2,000 bottles of wine on display on the main floor, to the fringe and hand mirrors decorating the walls.

The bartender at Stanton was a doll and concocted several drinks for me including The Social Tea (Ketel One Citron, gunpowder green tea and orange-honey marmalade), Strawberry Fields ( Grey Goose Citron, fresh strawberries muddled with lemon-lime syrup, fresh lemon juice and a Riesling floater), and my person favorite, The Basil-Lime Gimlet (Belvedere Vodka, muddled basil leaves, lemon syrup and fresh lime juice.) If you are hungry, I would highly recommend the Grilled Cheese Slider. The size of a golf ball, the mini-sandwich is Jasper Hills Farms Cheddar, house cured jalapeno bacon, fried green tomatoes and lemon aioli. Another option I tried was the Old School Meatballs, with basil and manicotti. Hearty but light, these meatballs literally melted in your mouth. The menu at Stanton is all small-plates-multi-orgin-emphasis-on-comfort-food, so their is something for everyone. Other mouth-watering items included: an array of sliders, grilled pizzette, french onion soup dumplings, braised short rib tacos, crab cake corn dogs and foie gras PB & J.

Unfortunately, Morimoto wasn’t as successful. The restaurant was beautiful, but I have to face the fact that I am not good with raw fish. Especially thick, chewy pieces of raw fish. I started with a beautifully presented beef carpaccio. That was actually pretty good. And edible.  After an order of yellow tail that wasn’t yellow and came with the skin on it, spicy tuna and a tempura crab roll I was pretty much convinced that trying cooked Antelope or Kangaroo might be a little bit more up my alley.  (See Palm Springs trip for that experience!)

After a packed 3 days in the big apple, I headed out a day early back to the left coast.  Changing my flight on Virgin was a nightmare, so I forfeited the return ticket and purchased a one way on Continental. Amazing, they also had the touch screens with over 50 movies, 50 different TV shows and various forms of entertainment. I was happy to see my favorite movie “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” on the menu and had plenty of time to enjoy the 3 1/2 hour “Gone with the Wind”. Something to keep you very occupied while sitting on the runway for 2 hours waiting to take off. =)

All in all, it was a good trip.

The New Gimlet

I have always had a thing for the infamous Gimlet at The Ivy Restaurant here in LA, as well as new boutique drinks, so imagine how thrilled I was when I opened Sunset Magazine this month and found a recipe for the Basil Gimlet.  Refreshing and clean, this is the perfect summer cocktail!

Basil Gimlet

Makes: 2

Time: 5 minutes (plus 20 minutes to steep)

1.) Make basil syrup. In large microwave-safe measuring cup combine 1 cup sugar, 3/4 cup water, and 1 large bunch/coarsely chopped basil.

2.) Microwave on high 3-4 minutes until sugar dissolves.

3.)Let basil steep 20-30 minutes, then strain.

4.)Fill 2 highball glasses with ice, and pour 3 tbsp gin, 4 tbsp. basil syrup, and 2 tbsp. lime juice.

5.) Stir and serve, garnish with fresh basil sprigs. =)

Enjoy!

Channel Islands

Oxnard

Summer

Summer cities:

Paris

Amsterdam

Tel Aviv

Petra

Amman

Istanbul

New York

Partial summer reading list:

The Year of Pleasures by Elizabth Berg

The Art of Mending by Elizabeth Berg

We are All Welcome Here by Elizabeth Berg

Party of One by Anneli Rufus

The Shack by WM Paul Young

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon

Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk

Slider Central

Angelenos have always been crazy about all things small; check out the women, smart cars and studio apartments. Indulge is some of these tasty mini treats featured all around the city.

Chicken and Waffle Sliders

These tasty treats are brought to you by the fine folks at South in Santa Monica. Go for sweet with a topping of syrup, or decadent with a down home style gravy. Southern fried goodness! South Santa Monica, 3001 Wilshire Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90403 310-828-9988

Boar, Lamb and Triple Prime Beef Sliders

For the ultimate in designer dining, head to 8 Ounce on Melrose. (The old Table 8). Celebrity Chef Govind Armstrong pairs his Suds with Sliders, creating the perfect mini-meal of 5 ounce beers and tasty sliders of exotic meats. 8 Ounce, 7881 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, CA 90046 323-852-0008

Kogi Sliders

Decadence is the name of the game with mouth-watering minis from the Alibi Room. When you are done chasing the Kogi BBQ truck around Los Angeles, settle into a cozy bar stool for your choice of short rib, BBQ Chicken or spicy pork. Topped with cheese and spicy mayo. The Alibi Room, 12236 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90066 310-390-9300

Choose-Your-Own BBQ Sliders

Head over to the much anticipated Baby Blues BBQ in the brand new West Hollywood location for these bite sized treats. Choose between pulled pork, brisket,shrimp and catfish. Newly opened March 29th. 7953 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90046 323-656-1277

Breadbar Sliders

Try the most popular crab cake, or the close second of black cod. If you are feeling adventurous, you might lean toward the salmon fillet, chicken or beer battered Brie. Breadbar 10250 Santa Monica Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90067 310-277-3770

Kobe Sliders

Before a night of Hollywood Clubbing, try the oak grilled Kobe sliders from NYC influenced Apple Lounge. Executive Chef Bryan Ogden comes through with simplistic goodness. Apple Lounge, 665 N. Robertson, West Hollywood, CA 90069 310-358-9191

Filet Mingon Sliders

Every gets a happy ending with filet mignon sliders on pretzel bread at this late night Hollywood eatery. Topped with St. Agar blue cheese, chipotle cream and caramelized onion. Mmmm. Happy Endings Bar and Restaurant, 7038 Sunset Blvd. Hollywood, CA 90028 323-469-7038

Wine Tasting at The Four Seasons SFO

Wine tastings are some of the hightlights of living in California, but sometimes 48 hours isn’t enough for a quick jaunt to SFO and then heading off to wine country.

Problem solved, with The Press Room at The Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco. Now, a weekend up North can be complete with some of Napa and Sonoma Valley’s best wineries taking up shop in the subterranean tasting room. Try some of Napa’s favorites such as Pahlmeyer, Miner Family and (my personal favorite) Chateau Montelena. From Sonoma comes Landmark Vineyards, Mount Eden, Fritz, Saintsbury and Hanna.

Dubbed as an “urban tasting room”, experience the full wine-tasting experience with representatives from each winery, tasting bays, social sipping lounges and a full retail store. Try the bite size menu with wine-complimenting “tasting trios”, charcuterie and cheeses as you admire the super modern concrete floors, walnut paneling and teak tables.

For more info: Press Club, 20 Yerba Buena Lane, San Francisco; 415-744-5000 or pressclubsf.com

International Visitors Council of LA

If you can’t escape to other countries and explore other cultures…have them come to you.

It was late Tuesday evening, as I slipped into the back row of the junior league meeting.  As the speaker was lecturing about human trafficking, the conversation soon switched to hosting visitors from Kazakhstan.  What one had to do with the other, I had no idea. The organization being featured was the International Visitors Council of Los Angeles, and its mission was to “increase respect, mutual understanding and cooperation and between Los Angeles and the rest of the world.” Funded largely by the State Department, I caught the part of the speech where it was mentioned that some of the former U.S. hosts included the George W. Bush family, and participants range from Prime Ministers, Dignitaries and government officials from all over the world. (Margaret Thatcher was once a participant).

How Fun, I thought.

Never having been to Kazakstan (and no plans in the near future) how cool would it be to host someone from a place I know almost nothing about.

So, 2 days later, after sending in my registration form and becoming an official member of IVCLA, I will have two women from Afghanistan staying with me May 7th-11th. “A” and “K” are in the United States for a conference sponsored by The United States Agency for International Development dealing with Anti-Trafficking. One is a President for a legal center for woman’s initiatives, the other a chairperson for a public foundation. Both speak fluent Russian, Kazach and Uzbek. I have no idea if they speak any English at all. One does not eat pork. One grew up in the mountains of Tajikistan. Both have advanced degrees.  Not knowing what to expect, I Google Kazakhstan.  Unfortunately, all I know about the country I learned from Sasha Baron Cohen in “Borat”. (I am thinking I won’t show them the movie). Google tells me in is the 9th largest country in the world, is bordered by Russia and China and the primary religion is Islam. I try to completely furnish the guest rooms to make their stay as comfortable as possible, as well as research tips for hosting international visitors. (I come up with almost nothing,  except that when greeting a guest, the host gives the person both hands…to show that they are unarmed).