Unique LA Craft Show

I was very excited to find out about the Unique LA Craft Show on Saturday Afternoon from a store owner on Hillhurst Ave. (post about the amazing store to come...) The show was going on Saturday and Sunday, May 7th & 8th. We decided on Sunday we will go check it out since we had never been.

Show floor

If you are looking for one of a kind jewelry, baby clothes, stationary, clothing and delicious sweets then Unique LA is right up your alley. The show took place in the California Market Center at 110 East 9th Street in Downtown LA. The penthouse suite, which is a usually a big empty commercial space, was lined with decorated booths with to die for views of city.

View from Penthouse of Downtown LA

You can purchase your admission tickets online or in the lobby of the CMC. Admission is $10 which includes free drinks & a hosted bar (IZZE, Honest Tea, Bear Flag wine, Hendrick’s cocktails, and Numi Tea), unlimited re-entry for both days, your very own UNIQUE LA souvenir, free DIY workshops and crafty goodness, plush lounge seating area hosted by H.D. Buttercup, access to giveaways and door prizes all weekend long and a  souvenir copy of the Vendor Directory + Mini Magazine.

We walked the floor for about 2 hours and probably missed a few booths. I unfortunately didn't buy anything but a few things definitely caught my eye.

The next show will be July 30th & 31st at The Barker Hanger (the airport in Santa Monica). 


http://uniquela.com/

It's Not Ice Cream, It's Not Gelato, So Then What Is It?!?

Recently I have been walking Bones on the popular streets of Vermont Ave and Hillhurst Ave in Los Feliz. Since I am forced to slow down and smell the roses, I have noticed so many cafes and stores I would never spot while driving by. A few days ago I passed a bright red store and was taken aback by the name: Paradis (Pronounced Par-a-dees). I decided tonight was the night I will stop in and see what they are all about.

Paradis is a brand new ice cream parlor on Vermont Ave (where Pink Berry used to reside). The shop has only been open for nearly a week. The furniture just arrived today and their grand opening will be next weekend, May 14th. To celebrate the expansion of their second store in the US as well as California and to introduce themselves to the Los Feliz community, they are giving away free ice cream! The place should be complete with decorations and a menu board by that time so I look forward to seeing the end product.

While ordering my $3.50 one scoop cup of ice cream, I got acquainted with the owner and asked her numerous questions about her quaint shop during our time spent there. She offered us samples of each flavor since this was our first time in. I first tried Chocolate Banana Ice Cream. After a quick taste I noticed how light it was. I asked her if it was Gelato and she explained that it's actually lighter than Gelato due to it having a milk base and it's Scandinavian Ice Cream. Well I am now sold!! Gelato is by far my favorite type of ice cream due to how light and fluffy it is and Paradis ice cream blows it out of the water. I went on to try their Strawberry Sorbet (refreshing, light, made with real fruit and no artificial coloring or flavors) and lastly I ordered the Coffee flavor. Brandon got the Vanilla (yes he is boring) but there were fresh vanilla bean seeds in it!

I personally love sprinkles on my ice cream and Paradis didn't have any toppings except for whipped cream and marshmallow. I'm not sure if this is always going to be the case since they have a temporary menu posted on the wall but tonight plain jane was fine by me.

After finishing my ice cream I was curious to find out where the name came from. I spoke to the owner regarding her unique name and found out that the "is" in Paradis is Danish for ice cream! Now it makes sense! She is from Denmark and moved to the US with her boyfriend and later her brother crossed the Atlantic. The three of them own the company and opened their first store in Montrose, CA. Their first store is now booming and the expansion has started with their first stop in Los Feliz. Just only have a week of being open, they have a continuous flow of customers curious to see what they have to offer. I know they will not be disappointed.

Check out their ever changing flavors daily on their Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/paradis-Los-Angeles/197670150557

Craving a Mean Grilled Cheese?!?

The Oaks Gourmet Market

One of the reasons I love Los Angeles so much is because the city is flooded with specialty cafes. These small discreet dining establishments are always a treat to the palette. One of my favorites located just a mile from my house is The Oaks Gourmet Market. This adorable wine and cheese shop has a limited menu ranging from salads, pizzas and sandwiches. Around the shop are unique candies, sodas, and gifts with a Barista making  specialty coffee and serving cupcakes and assorted pastries.

Case of Yummy Treats

Each day at The Oaks Market you will find a section of their menu being featured. Mondays they feature soups, Tuesday on the menu is sausages in a pretzel roll, Wednesday is my personal favorite - grilled cheese with tomato bisque, Friday is tacos and quesadillas and lastly, on Sunday, they feature pizza.

I have become a regular for Grilled Cheese on Wednesdays. The specials menu changes each week with new innovative grilled cheeses coming to life. There are only two sandwiches that are always on the Grilled Cheese Specials menu as they have won the Grilled Cheese Invitational. In 2010 the Grilled Black Forest Bacon & English Cotwald won while recently the Lavender Goat Cheese & Strawberry Thyme Compote won the invitational for 2011.

The grilled cheese on the regular menu..DELICIOUS!

The 2011 Grilled Cheese Invitational Trophy

I usually go to Grilled Cheese Night with a  group of friends so as a precaution: dining with a large group can become difficult as they have a communal table in the middle of the restaurant with around 10 chairs and outside dining consists of a few small tables overlooking Franklin Blvd. 

I highly recommend The Oaks Gourmet Market if you just want to get a quick fresh bite to eat or even have a new dining experience.

 

Wall of Coffee Grinders

Cheese Display, so many types displayed daily

Free Wine Chilling Service

http://www.theoaksgourmet.com/

Eostre, Goddess of Spring and Fertility

While my Spring holiday is Passover, Brandon celebrates Easter which gives me another excuse to spoil my man.

The traditional egg hunt & basket ordeal has been done way too many times in my opinion. I needed to think of  a new way of combining the two customs while adding a witty twist.

"The Gift Hunt"

Most Americans have partaken in an amusing scavenger hunt in their day. I wanted to combine the fun of a scavenger hunt with the typical Easter Egg Hunt in order to create a special experience for Brandon.

First and foremost, I knew I wanted to get him a large gift while adding in smaller presents to make it more comical. I chose to get him Amazing Spiderman Comic Book No. 121 which is a very famous and expensive issue. The smaller gifts included: an Itunes giftcard, homemade coupon for video game playing time, homemade coupon for batting practice at the batting cages, tour of Dodger Stadium, and Baseball cards.

Brandon's Easter Basket

For each item purchased, make the hints for the scavenger hunt in the corresponding theme as the ultimate prize. For instance, the Spiderman Comic Book gift clues were hidden in graphic novels, Comic Con paraphernalia, Clone Wars painting, etc. Another example, the Itunes gift card clues were title of songs with a hint to make it a little easier ("Beat it!" Hint: Best video game ever!). Of course he knew my favorite video game is Wii Michael Jackson!! To make it even more fun, the look of the hints can also be themed. The tour of Dodger Stadium hints had the Dodger Logo (LA) in the background while the batting cage hints were supplies needed to go play baseball such as a bat, helmet and uniform.

His first clue for the Video Game Coupon

In the Michael Jackson Wii case

Another clue in our 2 year anniversary scrapbook (It was for the ITunes gift card - Hint: "Love Story by Taylor Swift"

He is so happy..he found the ITunes giftcard (it was hidden behind my IHome)

Baseball cage hint (The other side is a batting helmet)

The location was in onion (It's a really good topping on Dodger Dogs)

Spiderman Prize Hint..was in Comic Con Scrapbook page (Do you see the golden egg)

Another hint in Watchmen

The egg was hidden in the white box on the left (It was placed in a Spiderman Easter Egg)

The first clue I put in a plastic egg in his easter basket. Some plastic eggs had candy while others had clues. I told him  he had to open each egg one at a time. He grunted  a little :)

This hunt requires a lot of planning. You can always make it more simple by not going with themes but it makes the person hunting per determined to find the prize.

I suggest when planning this hunt to write down the following:
- What is the prize?
- Where will it ultimately be hidden?
- Theme or no theme?
- What are the hiding places for the clues?
- Themed clues or just hints on where the next clue is?

While this may take some work and thought it is a lot of fun. Brandon really enjoyed himself which was so nice to see. If you have any questions about this project, please leave a comment.

Look at the mess we made :)

Let's Make Life Fun Again!

I am not a writer. I am not a foodie. I am not a critic. I am not an expert.

I am just a working professional who enjoys traveling, being creative and good food. Reading through numerous blogs recently has made me realize I have just as much to offer to the general public as the average Joe. Even though I spend 60 plus hours at work each week, I make it a point to take advantage of my weekends and try new restaurants, see new things and let my creative bone run free.

My goal in starting a blog and writing to all of you is to share fun new things I have done in Los Angeles or even worldwide, introduce new recipes and restaurants, show you how to turn normal ordinary things into a crafts project.

The "cooking your way through a cookbook", "countdown of things to do in various cities" blogs have already been done. This blog is a broad spectrum of all things travel, food, and creativity. Let's make life fun again.

Boxwood Cafe by Gordon Ramsay

Orange Tree in Los Feliz, CA

Downtown Los Angeles