Tag Archives: food

BBQ, Bourbon and Big Hats

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Bonjour, mes bons amis!

We finally made it to the weekend!  It’s been quite a week – but what better way to relax than by getting in the mood for “the greatest two minutes in sports” with Kentucky-inspired cocktails, smoky southern BBQ and of course, a fancy big hat!  (We really need more traditional occasions/reasons for wearing big hats like the Derby…)

churchill downs, kentucky derby, 139th kentucky derby, bbq, bourbon, big hats

Churchill Downs has hosted the Kentucky Derby for 139 years
{photos from top left: pberry / jackiembarr / JoeyBLS Photography / Velo Junior / Nikki McLeod}

Bourbon is a personal favorite of mine, so I enjoy watching the event with friends, pretending to be at Churchill Downs wearing a big hat of my own with a delicious bourbon cocktail in hand.  Needless to say, I needed little convincing to share some of my own Derby inspirations.

bourbon, bourbon bar, whiskey, char no 4, char number 4, brooklyn, bourbon and branch, san franisco, speakeasy, kentucky derby, big hats, mrs lilien's cocktail swatchbook, cocktail recipes, hats in the belfry, polly singer, hat maker, milliner, lexington, hats and veils

We need more reasons for bourbon cocktails and big hats…

  1. Trust a pro like Mrs. Lilien’s “Mrs. Julep” easy and Derby-ready mint julep recipe. While you’re at it, pick up her amazing Cocktail Swatchbook full of ideas for every occasion!
  2. Every trip to San Francisco, I enjoy a number of classic bourbon cocktails at this modern speakeasy – reservations and password required, however, cell phones and prowling strictly prohibited.
  3. You’re bound to find a tasty mint julep at Brooklyn’s Char No. 4, specializing in nothing but bourbon (and oddly, delicious cheese curds!).
  4. Find the perfect fancy big hat for that last minute Derby party or polo match at an online retailer like Hats in the Belfry or from Lexington, KY’s very own Polly Singer.
  5. If you’re looking for BBQ to complement your bourbon cocktail and big hat, here’s a national roundup of the best in the country.
  6. Great snack and app recipes for a Derby Party – direct from the horse’s mouth!

Finally, as old-school and traditional as the Kentucky Derby may be…

kentucky derby, 1955 kentucky derby, african american waiters, racial divide, first black jockey, kevin

Kentucky Derby in 1955

… today’s Kentucky Derby is anything but stuck in the past.

kevin krigger, kentucky derby, african america jockey, run for the roses, 139th kentucky derby, garland of roses

Kevin Krigger, Kentucky Derby jockey hoping to win the garland of roses.

And I’m off!

Have a wonderful weekend, mes bons amis!!

♥ – LBH

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Je Veux Y Manger: The Best Restaurants On The Planet

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Bonjour, mes bons amis!

Restaurant magazine, 50 Best restaurants in the world, world's 50 best restaurants, culinary experiences, Spain, Girona, Denmark, Copenhagen, New York, Chicago, Yountville, Paris, France

Restaurant Magazine’s 2013 List!

In case you haven’t heard, prestigious and international authority Restaurant magazine released its annual list of the World’s Best 50 Restaurants. For the last three years, Copenhagen has proudly been the home of reigning Noma, known for its molecular gastronomic experiments (they make edible dirt…) and breaking the stereotype for what Scandinavian/Nordic food is widely thought of. There ain’t no meatballs at Noma!

But Bravo! to Girona’s El Celler de Can Roca, dethroning Noma’s three year reign and returning the culinary crown to Spain, in the same way legendary El Bulli managed year after year. The three Roca brothers – Joan, Jordi and Josep – have worked to redefine and set the bar for culinary and pastry techniques, creativity, authenticity and overall mind-blowing food. Or so one would expect from the best restaurant in the world.

After reviewing Restaurant magazine’s list, I’ve come to realize that I have a growing list of places to visit, not just because I love traveling and collecting international passport stamps, but for the chance to perhaps enjoy some of these unforgettable transcendental culinary experiences!

The five American restaurants are obvious and easy must-try’s:

  • Eleven Madison Park (5), Per Se (11), Le Bernardin (17) and Daniel (29) in New York are relatively easy if I plan my future trips right!
  • My boyfriend promised that he would take me to Chicago’s Alinea (15) which he said was one of the most exquisite meals he has ever enjoyed.
  • Yountville, CA is still in the Top 50 with French Laundry (47), and is an easy and beautiful six-hour drive or quick flight/shuttle into the Napa wine country. Consider it done!

I can hardly wait to return to France after je laisse mon cœur dans Paris, falling in love with her last fall, and now that I’m determined to parler Français, the universe is paving a road for me to also experience SIX more best restaurants in and around Paris. Not to mention that Spain, Germany and Switzerland are all close neighbors, just a quick plane ride or lovely train ride away…

IMG_5247

Paris, fresh markets, cuisine, culinary experiences, Restaurant magazine, World's Best 50 Restaurants, France, Paris

Paris’ fresh markets are undeniably part of the reason for its culinary reign.

Now, I just need to get that money tree growing in my backyard…

If money were no object, which restaurants and places would you travel to FIRST, SECOND, THIRD, etc?

Je travaille à voyager!!

(Will work for travel!!)

♥ – LBH

A Not-So-Hot Weekend of Music!

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Bonjour, bon ami!!!

It feels like FOREVER since I’ve updated my little space of the world wide web here, because it has been a LONG time!!  I just thought I would pop in with a small update and give you a preview of what will be coming after this weekend!!

coachella indio california music festival logo 2012 polo field

If you’re an independent/house/rock/hip-hop/folk music fan, then you are probably aware that this year’s music festival season kicked off a few weeks ago with SXSW in Austin.  This weekend is the first of two Coachella Music Festival weekends, and like every previous year that I’ve been fortunate enough to attend, I’m packing up my bags and preparing for a fun-with-a-lot-less-sun-filled weekend of music, weirdos and all around craziness!!!!

mexican hat coachella tent desert indio polo field 2011 bathing suit beer party air conditioned

{typical Coachella weirdo}

Fortunately (or UNfortunately) the weather forecast  is extremely undesert-like (hence my more thoughtful packing job).

weather forecast coachella 2012 indio california desert rainy rain cool heatwave

{not-so-hot desert!}

Here’s a quick visual preview of the plethora of musical madness featured this year at the normally quiet Indio, CA polo field:

radiohead live concert coachella music festival 2012 stage show indio california tour

{RADIOHEAD}

One of my ALL-TIME FAVORITE bands, Radiohead… if I could express the excitement through the screen right now, it would look something like this:

excited doggie french bulldog vanity fair bruce weber cute dog smiling laughing

{vanity fair}

WOOHOO!!!

Other bands I’m super-duper-excited to see and hear:

dr dre snoop dogg eminem warren g coachella music festival indio california 2012 hip hop concert tour live show legends on stage

{hip-hop legends Dr. Dre ~ Eminem ~ Warren G ~ Snoop Dogg}

Yes, the legends all on one stage – it’s going to be memorable, needless to say!

And then we round it all out with some good ol’ grimy rock.

the black keys coachella music festival indio california 2012 rock concert tour live stage show

{the underrated Black Keys}

So get ready, bon ami!!!  My Coachella recap promises photos, stories and possibly a few amazing videos of food, fashion and the FABULOUSNESS that IS COACHELLA!!!

And just because we all love it, here is the most classic-to-date Coachella video ever.  You’re welcome… for the second year in a row.  See you in the desert!!!!

♥ LBH

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A Sure Bet In Santa Monica

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Bonjour, bon ami!!!

The last week has been quite crazy and chaotic, and it has kept me away from my blog.  So much has happened, both good, bad and other.  The GREAT news is my mom is feeling better, and we’re hopeful that the doctors can find the cause and best treatment for her blood pressure.  But I’m so very excited about some incredible recent developments!!  My career path has taken a most amazing slight shift towards another one of my biggest passions: music.  So get ready for some fab blog posts about my passion for awesome music, which goes so well with my fashion, design and art loves.

During my week of absence, the boy and I dined at Jiraffe (yes, with a “J”), a fabulous Santa Monica restaurant that should definitely be added to your go-to list for LA dining.

jiraffe restaurant los angeles DineLA california french fusion santa monica giraffe
{jiraffe}

**Apologies for the low quality images – I only had my camera phone with me while dining, but I can assure you the quality of the food was exponentially better than it looks!! :)

Jiraffe has been a Santa Monica sure bet for dining since 1996.  Offering a delicious and inspired menu of French dishes with local Californian influence, Jiraffe manages to pleasantly surprise diners with unexpected and unpretentious flavor combinations.  Here are the mouth-watering DineLA play-by-plays:

crispy potato wrapped big eye tuna appetizer prix fixe dineLA restaurant week jiraffe french california fusion cuisine santa monica
{crispy potato wrapped big eye tuna}

~ delicious with some great unexpected flavor combinations.  Great start to the meal.

stuffed vermont quail mashed potatoes appetizer prix fixe dineLA restaurant week jiraffe french california fusion cuisine santa monica
{stuffed vermont quail over mashed potatoes}

~ perfectly cooked, tender and tantalizing… should have been called an appe-teaser!

wild mushroom and aged gouda ravioli entree prix fixe dineLA restaurant week jiraffe french california fusion cuisine santa monica
{wild mushroom & aged gouda ravioli}

~ although the raviolis are hard to see in my poor photo, I can tell you they were wonderful.  The earthy combination of the mushroom and gouda in a blanket of creamy sauce was delectable.

scottish salmon caponatta entree prix fixe dineLA restaurant week jiraffe french california fusion cuisine santa monica
{scottish salmon caponatta}

~ the salmon was light and moist, and the caponatta sauce was an explosion of fresh basil, parsley, garlic and lemon.  I wanted to lick the plate clean.

choolate truffle cake mousse dessert prix fixe dineLA restaurant week jiraffe french california fusion cuisine santa monica
{chocolate truffle cake}

~ it was like warm molten lava cake, but lighter and not as overpoweringly sweet. Heaven.

fresh baked chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches dessert prix fixe dineLA restaurant week jiraffe french california fusion cuisine santa monica
{fresh baked chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches}

~ moist cookies and creamy ice cream.  We were just missing the cold milk!

caramelized banana cream pie dessert prix fixe dineLA restaurant week jiraffe french california fusion cuisine santa monica
{caramelized banana cream pie}

~ this was by far one of the best desserts I’ve had in a long time.  And this is coming from a proud chocola-holic.  I could eat this dessert everyday.  The bananas weren’t overly ripe or sweet, the cream filling light, and the crust was flaky and perfect.  It was all just perfect!

In case you wondered, the waiter brought the one dessert we didn’t order on the prix fixe menu, but said it was ours to enjoy anyway.  We certainly didn’t NEED the extra dessert, but we definitely didn’t turn it away either!  Not to be forgotten or overlooked was the excellent service we also received.  Our waiter was pleasant and warm, and made our wonderful evening all the more wonderful.

On your next trip to LA, be sure to swing by Jiraffe for a guaranteed fabulous meal.  I can’t wait to get back there soon.  And as a matter of fact, my new career path has brought me within blocks of Jiraffe – this could be a bad great thing!!

See you there for dinner, bon ami!!

♥ LBH

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Eighth Time’s A Charm…

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Bonjour, bon ami!!!  Happy February!!!

I hope your first month of 2012 was a great start to a great new year!  January was definitely eventful – lots of home improvement and organization projects, and even though I still have some work to finish, I am extremely happy about what I’ve accomplished thus far.  After Super Bowl Sunday, I’ll have my Sundays back to finish up more of the projects on the list!

Meanwhile, here in LA we’ve been celebrating DineLA Restaurant Week for the last week, something I’m always looking forward to.  Last night’s treat was an exclusive dinner at one of LA’s hottest nomadic eateries, LudoBites 8.  Although not a participant in DineLA, this is the eighth iteration of the pop-up restaurant.  For any who aren’t familiar with the name Ludo Lefebvre, he was a featured Top Chef Master during its second season, and locally in LA he has been known as a French culinary genius-slash-down to earth rockstar for over ten years.

Thus, until this eighth round of pop-ups, getting a seat or two meant being ready at your computer on the day and minute that reservations opened, and refreshing your page over and over again, hoping you could be a lucky winner (a la Ticketmaster!!).  But FINALLY… my number was called and I was fortunate enough to be one of the 5% who successfully snagged a reservation via raffle (BEST and most fair idea thus far).  LB8 definitely proved to me why this reservation was SOOO difficult to come by.  And the wait was worth it: check out the mouth-watering pictures below!!!

ludobites ludo bites 8 chef ludo lefebvre pop up restaurant los angeles lemon moon dineLA restaurant week menu
{delectable menu}
ludobites ludo bites 8 chef ludo lefebvre pop up restaurant los angeles lemon moon dineLA restaurant week scallops truffles
{bay scallops with truffle}
ludobites ludo bites 8 chef ludo lefebvre pop up restaurant los angeles lemon moon dineLA restaurant week monkfish liver cucumber pickled mustard seeds
{monkfish, cornichons, mustard seeds}
ludobites ludo bites 8 chef ludo lefebvre pop up restaurant los angeles lemon moon dineLA restaurant week big eye tuna somen noodles delicious
{my favorite: big eye tuna over somen noodles with Tahitian vanilla}
ludobites ludo bites 8 chef ludo lefebvre pop up restaurant los angeles lemon moon dineLA restaurant week wagyu beef carpaccio raw pickled radish snow sliced red white beets eel
{wagyu beef carpaccio with radish snow}
ludobites ludo bites 8 chef ludo lefebvre pop up restaurant los angeles lemon moon dineLA restaurant week brioche sweet yuzu butter delicious
{brioche with yuzu butter}
ludobites ludo bites 8 chef ludo lefebvre pop up restaurant los angeles lemon moon dineLA restaurant week jidori chicken parmesan foam walnut sauce tender juicy delicious
{jidori half chicken with parmesan foam}
ludobites ludo bites 8 chef ludo lefebvre pop up restaurant los angeles lemon moon dineLA restaurant week
{pop-up kitchen & great staff}
ludobites ludo bites 8 chef ludo lefebvre pop up restaurant los angeles lemon moon dineLA restaurant week
{lemon moon, host of LudoBites 8}
ludobites ludo bites 8 chef ludo lefebvre pop up restaurant los angeles lemon moon dineLA restaurant week light fixtures
{moon-like light fixtures, appropriately so…}

ludobites ludo bites 8 chef ludo lefebvre pop up restaurant los angeles lemon moon dineLA restaurant week kitchenludobites ludo bites 8 chef ludo lefebvre pop up restaurant los angeles lemon moon dineLA restaurant week kitchen

ludobites ludo bites 8 chef ludo lefebvre pop up restaurant los angeles lemon moon dineLA restaurant week
{executive chef and gracious host Ludo Lefebvre}

 If you happen to get an opportunity to try Ludo Bites during a future iteration, you will thoroughly enjoy it.  The flavor profiles were delightful and very unexpected, a combination of classic with new, all on a platter free from pretentiousness.  AND for those in or around LA, you can always chase down Ludo’s food truck for a taste of his talent.

I have a couple more restaurants on my DineLA list this week, and I can’t wait to share more delicious greatness with you!!

Until then, bon ami, have a wonderful week!!!

♥ LBH

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