Spitz

Wow, this week really flew by. I can't believe it is weekend time already! We both didn't feel like staying in after getting home from work, so we threw the leash on the pug and took to the streets for a family outing. We ended up grabbing a bite to eat at Spitz.

Sangria + doner kebab. A great start to the weekend!

Spice Station

You know why I love Silver Lake? Because it is populated with so many honest, independent shops, cafes, and specialty stores that deliver quality and hard-to-find items. Take Spice Station, for example. If I had the time, I would spend hours here learning about and sampling their huge spice selection.

They have it all. Every spice you've ever heard of and those that you never knew existed.




Rubs, salts, seasonings, and more. I wish I could take home one of each! And this is just the spice room. There's a separate tea room that is equally as impressive.

Can we get one of these in Downtown? ::sigh::

AntiGravity

It's no secret that the husband and I are very much into yoga. So when I found out about this antigravity yoga class a while back, I was immediately interested. The class is described as a mix of yoga, pilates, sculpting, and acrobatics: 4 of my favorite workouts combined into one class! Hellz yea!

I've only gone a handful of times since I don't technically have a membership to the gym where the class is offered. This weekend, though, I took the husband along. While it wasn't exactly his cup of tea, we both agreed that it is a great workout.

The hammocks act as your "wings" during your practice.

If you happen to have a membership to Crunch Gym, love yourself some good yoga, are not afraid of heights or hanging upside down, then I totally recommend the class!

Tea House

Four Leaf Tea Room: the best tea and boba in downtown LA. Real talk.

(try their fruits tea)

Birthday Dinner

For my birthday, the hubs took me on a dinner date. The location was a surprise for me. I didn't know where he was taking me until we pulled up to the SLS Hotel and saw neon lights overhead announcing the entrance for The Bazaar.

To tell you the truth, I had never heard of this place but it quickly won a spot in my list of favorite dining experiences in Los Angeles. The menu offers a modern twist on Spanish tapas. Actually, José Andrés (chef/owner), trained under Ferran Adria in his early days. If this was a taste of what to except for our experience at El Bulli in a couple months (guess who got reservations!) then we will certainly not be disappointed.

Naturally, we started with cocktails.

I ordered the LN2 caipirinha. After ordering, a cart was scooted over to our table so we can watch as the bartender poured liquid nitrogen into a cachaça, lime juice, and sugar mixture. After the liquid nitrogen fog subsided, he poured the half frozen concoction into a glass. I've gotta say it was one of the best caipirinhas I've ever had.

Husband ordered the Liquid Cherry Manhattan. That looks like a real cherry, but it's actually a cherry spherification. As soon as you bite it, it explodes with cherry flavor.

Dinner followed with an assortment of tapas:

Quesos: Manchego (sheep), Murcia al vino (goat), and La Serena (sheep). I'm not supposed to eat this stuff but sometimes I just can't resist, damn it! Hey you gotta live a little, right?

Tuna ceviche and avocado roll. This was so light and refreshing. When is any ceviche ever bad?

Baby beets salad. Beets are our current obsession. The citrus/pistachio/Sherry dressing just made them that much better.

Persimmon and seawood salad. It was an interesting combination, but it worked in the most delicious way.

Sautéed wild mushrooms. This was a pretty safe plate. Nothing crazy going on here. I love me some mushrooms, but these were almost a liiitle bit too salty. Good, nonethless, and we ate them up.

Paddlefish caviar cones. A light cauliflower cream was stuffed inside of the cones. These were yummy!

Buñuelos: codfish fritters with a honey aioli. So, these were good but a bit on the heavy side. They sort of reminded me of fish sticks. They were our least favorite part of our meal, but at least we tried 'em.

Cotton candy foie gras. So goood! Our server recommended that we eat them in one bite for the best effect. At first you get this sweet sensation in your mouth. It slowly melts away as you taste the foie gras hidden in the center. I'm not sure what was in foie gras, but there was something crunchy that added to the texture. It was almost like dessert.

After dinner we of course opted for real dessert. We were moved over to the Patisserie, their whimsical dessert shop. We admired their selection of perfectly prepared confections. Everything seemed too pretty to eat.

We decided on the Apples Carlota: bread pudding with saffron sauce, and a handful of cookies. Yums!

The Bazaar was all types of delicious and so much fun. From the gorgeous decor to the food presentation - we loved it all. The husband knows me all too well. It was the perfect birthday dinner.

Rosa Mexicano

This past weekend the husband and I attended a cooking demo at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants. When it first opened at LA Live we were a little skeptical about Rosa Mexicano. And now, over a year later, it still remains on our list of favorite Mexican food in Los Angeles. Not only is the food legit but I love their decor.


The restaurant hosts cooking demonstrations every few months. We went to one a while ago, but I forgot my camera! I made sure to bring it this time around.


The cooking demo is a chance for the chef to showcase the restaurant's seasonal recipes. While it's not a cooking class, the chef does a great job of making the demo interactive and sharing his cooking tips. Their seasonal special is Mexican chocolate, so he taught us how to make chocolate tamales with picadillo, a chocolate banana bread, choco ice cream and blended drinks.


After the demo we stuck around for lunch. The husband and I have a tradition whenever we go Rosa Mexicano. They have awesome sangria, and one time we ordered a huge pitcher (by mistake...) just for us two. Every time we visit we have to order a pitcher of sangria now. This time we stuck with the smaller sized pitcher.


For lunch we had some ceviche de atún (tuna), tacos de cerdo (pork belly) con chocolate, and tacos de carnitas.




So good! Now if I could only find the time to try out that picadillo recipe...

Lazy Sunday

I've been swamped with school and home projects lately, and this weekend was no exception. I'm in the middle of midterms so I spent most of the weekend studying. Just my luck, Sunday was such a gorgeous day here in LA (albeit a bit cold) that I couldn't resist taking a study break. So we threw on our jackets, grabbed Lola's leash, and headed out on a family outing.


One of our favorite things to do in the city is go for walks. There are so many cool spots to see in downtown and I think that walking is one of the best way to experience it all. On Sunday we took a stroll through Little Tokyo, and then headed north to the Placita Olvera (aka Olvera Street). I've loved visiting this place ever since I was a little one. This little Mexican corridor is so quaint and has so much character. It's def very touristy, but it's nice to visit once in a while. You can also score some good Mexican food on the cheap. Had we not given up meat for lent, Mr. Tortolito and I would have for sure indulged in some tacos de carne asada.


We ended up sitting at the plaza doing our fair share of people watching, all the while wishing we were in Mexico at one of the real plazas. I can't wait to plan another trip to our beloved Mexico sometime soon.

We enjoyed some horchata and tried to keep Lola from running after strangers.

Lola was quite the attention-grabber throughout our little outing. Makes sense, though. How can you not love her adorable pug face?

Favorite Places: LA Flower District

Have I told you how much I love fresh flowers? And did you know that one of the things I love most about living in downtown LA is that I am merely blocks away from the LA Flower District? Can I ask for much else from life? Probably not.

It's true, I'm obsessed with florals. And, I am all about being resourceful. Luckily, Los Angeles is very resource-friendly - especially for wedding goods! All of my decorating needs (flowers, linens, craft supplies, etc) are within walking or biking distance from me, so I am fo sho taking advantage of all the resources.

If you've never been to the largest wholesale flower district in the U.S., or if you just need a fix of some fresh flower eye candy, then read along as I share with you a photo tour of one of my favorite places in my hood.


One of the main attractions of the flower district is the wholesale flower market. This is where you will find pretty much every flower imaginable. They open the market in the wee hours of the morning (2am or 5am) to those with a wholesale license, and 6am or 8am (depending on the day) to the public. I don't have a wholesale license so I've only gone during hours open to the public, although I've been meaning to look in to what is required to obtain a license...

There are actually a lot of smaller wholesale flower markets in the area. This one is just the main market, I believe. It's divided into two equally large markets with entrances on opposite sides of the street. Admission is $1 or $2, depending on the day. You can spend hours browsing through the wholesale posts located inside the markets.





How much do I love you, mini cala lillies? And the black cala lillies...I almost died from the emotion. How about you change your season to include November? Pls?

You can find any and every of dry floral products, including the coveted manzanita trees/branches...on the cheap, too!

As well as plenty of succulents.

Right across the street from the flower market is my all-time favorite craft store: Moskatels. Here, you'll find any supplies you might need for do-it-yourself projects, party supplies, or decorations. There are actually a bunch of craft stores scattered around the surrounding blocks, but this is one of the largest stores and is my personal favorite.

A snapshot of one of the ribbon-lined walls.

Vases in all shapes and sizes.

A plethora of silk and artificial flowers.

And all of your oasis foam needs.

The blocks surrounding the flower markets and craft stores are lined with small floral shops.



There are also a bunch of random art/decoration stores. I swear you can find just about anything roaming these streets.

The best part is that the flower district is open practically all day, especially on special occassions. This photo was taken at 1am the day before Mother's Day. It was just as busy as it is during the day.

See what I mean? Flowers and craft supplies up the heezy! I'd recommend this place to anyone local to the Los Angeles area for any of your floral needs, especially my fellow brides-to-be looking to do their own wedding flowers (holler!) And just a few tips: give yourself some time to roam the flower district and compare prices. Like I said, you can really spend hours upon hours in the ~5 to 6 blocks that makes up the flower district. Also, don't be afraid to bargain! You can always save at least a couple bucks if you're persistent enough. Any other questions, holler at your girl.

What's your favorite resource-friendly spot?