What’s Hip & Delicious in Los Angeles? Silver Lake’s Alimento

Alimento

Alimento

Our visit to Alimento in the historic Silver Lake neighborhood ~

If you have visited here before, you know that delicious food and fabulous restaurants are very high on our adventures list. We do try to search out the most talked about and well reviewed restaurants around the U.S. so we can share them with you! Today’s focus is located in our very own La La Land, Los Angeles. We travel a great deal so our Los Angeles restaurant adventure is a little slow going. I did however just go with my friend Keri to Petit Trois for an authentic French bistro experience recently! You can check that out => here.

However, we were able to get a reservation this week to experience another one of LA’s best restaurants. The tiny and hip area of Silver Lake boasts many fantastic restaurants and now that we live in Pasadena, we are less than fifteen minutes away from this outstanding foodie village.

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A Special Cake Baking Class – Seattle Style

cake baking class

cake baking class

A Cake Baking Class Adventure While Traveling ~

Yes, we did it again. Alex and I took a Birthday Layer Cake Baking class at The Pantry in Seattle. When your busy adult child wants to spend time with you… you always say yes! We have found such camaraderie through our common passion for cooking and our son Nick also loves to cook! Lightening struck twice, lucky me!

When I make plans to visit a city, I try to look deeper into activities that most likely are not filled with tourists. I look for things that we (I) have a strong interest in learning more about. We always look for local bookstores, cooking stores, sports related tours, foodie tours, architecture tours, music/record stores, cooking classes, breweries, and distilleries.

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A Crazy Great Meal in NYC : Momofuku Ssam

Momofuky Ssam

Today, I am in a New York state of mind – Our son is leaving for NY on Thursday, my friend Leisa is joining her mom, sister and niece for a girls trip on the 4th, my friend Meg is leaving Friday and Craig and I are leaving on Dec 11th. New York is so fabulous this time of year that many special trips are planned for the Big Apple in December! While in New York City a trip to Momofuku Ssam will impress and delight you.


Oh Momofuku!

Even if you don’t know what it means, Momofuku is delicious in any language. The Momofuku restaurant group was created by David Chang in 2004 with its first restaurant, Momofuku Noodle Bar. As a multiple James Beard award winner, Chef Chang and his team have gained world-wide recognition for their innovative take on cuisine, while supporting local, sustainable and responsible farmers and food purveyors.

Most foodies will tell you they have heard of Momofuku, although they may not “have had a chance to go”. But it will be on their list and Momofuku Ssam should be on yours too! Actually ALL of his restaurants should be on your list!

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My Top 13 Favorite Things to do in New Orleans

things to do in New Orleans
things to do in New Orleans
Eating a fabulous lunch at Butcher near the WWII Museum

 

For those of you who are familiar with New Orleans please understand that this is our first time and we have a lot to learn about this very unique city.  We tried our best to dabble here and there to get a flavor for what the city can offer. 

Go easy on me about the Big Easy! Like any big city you can have a different experience every time you go. I feel like we made a substantial first pass at New Orleans and absolutely need to go back, maybe in the spring time. 

 I really want to encourage all of you to go and see it for yourself! It is truly one of the most remarkable places in the U.S. that I have ever visited and shame on me for not going sooner!


Visit New Orleans to Eat, Drink and Be Merry!

things to do in New Orleans

A visit to New Orleans has been on our destination “to do” list for quite a while and we had actually planned a trip for this time last year, but had to change our plans.

We wanted to go on this vacation with our longtime college friends, Jon and Angela because not one of us had ever been!

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Happiness in the Empty Nest (The nest is full this weekend!)

happiness in the empty nest

photo 4

Happiness in the Empty Nest

Just for Labor Day weekend, our nest will be full! Oh happy day, our kids are coming home for the weekend and I am over the moon. How lucky are we that our busy, adult children want to come home to visit, hang out and attend an event with us.

Partly because there was a free airline ticket, partly because there will be free delicious food and free handcrafted cocktails and partly because they really do love us and want to come home!

Can I get a woo hoo? So often Craig and I attend a really fun event which usually involves very special food and drink and we say to each other, “I really wish Alex and Nick were here to experience this with us.”

The Taste

We said this a couple of times when we attended The Taste, a culinary extravaganza on the backlot (which is super cool) at Paramount Studios. Craig and I have attended this Los Angeles Times event twice in the past four years and missed last year.

We thoroughly loved the experience so much and the kids were able to arrange their schedules to come down to LA and join us this year. Yay!

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A Postcard Perfect Vacation in Kennebunkport Maine

romantic getaway

Where do I begin when there are so many wonderful things to share from my enchanting vacation in Kennebunkport, Maine. The quintessential, early American coastal town with a beautiful chambray blue sky, dotted with cottony clouds, where fresh lobster was on every menu. The Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Arundel Chamber of Commerce hosted my delightful trip to this charming …

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San Francisco: A wine dinner with Jordan Vineyard & Winery at Campton Place

A wine dinner in San Francisco? Yes please! Lately I have been having a blast interacting with great people on Instagram. I adore photography and truly enjoy seeing what Instagrammers (photographers) are capturing. I had a wonderfully engaging conversation via Instagram with the Campton Place Hotel in San Francisco all about our spectacular trip to the …

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Park Hyatt Aviara: The perfect resort for families & Empty Nesters

Are you looking for a great resort to spend the Fourth of July? Imagine the perfect resort that is casual, yet elegant that offers entertainment for families with kids and can also please the discerning Empty Nester. Although this request is a rather tall order, the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort in Carlsbad, California does an amazing job fulfilling …

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Do you have a bucket list?

Lets talk about the bucket list:   Do you have a bucket list? If so, did you write it down? Make it official? It is said that dreams become goals when you write them down. I even found a website where you can create and track your bucket list, get inspired by others’ goals and see …

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