The Penthouse (LV's LA)

 I recently dined at the Penthouse in Santa Monica for a birthday celebration and even though I have been coming here for years, I am always blown away by the scenery. This beautiful rooftop restaurant located in the Huntley Hotel has 360 degree views of the Pacific Ocean from every possible angle. 

The vibe is chic and hip with white on white decor, beach cabanas with flowing white curtains and elegant chandeliers. The beach vibe is relaxing and the setting is gorgeous.  The food offerings are global and tasty and one of my favorites was the truffle grilled cheese and truffle macaroni and cheese. Two great excuses to cheat on your diet.

This is the gorgeous bar area, which has quite a bit of action after 6:00

This gorgeous lounge is perfect for sipping a refreshing libation before you are seated for dinner

We started off with this fried calamari. It looks better than it actually was. But things got much better as the evening progressed. The rest of the tasty tidbits more than made up for this calamari disappointment

 Thyme and Cucumber Amnesia is a signature cocktail at the Penthouse. I was surprised at how delicious this was. The drink has muddled cucumber and Thyme, Aviation Gin, White Cranberry Juice and Lemon. This was a very refreshing drink and tasted like a very grown up lemonade. The hint of cucumber added a great flavor dimension.

The truffle grilled cheese was a delicious appetizer and so  good that I almost wanted to have another one for dinner. Crispy buttery bread with cheese scented with truffle flavor oozing out. Yes Please!

I just can't tell you how good this was

The Penthouse is light bright and full of sunlight. I had to take this shot by the window:-)

These pre dinner watermelon lime agua frescas were compliments of the chef and absolutely sweet and delicious

A delicious Arnold Palmer to have with dinner

There is nothing like celebrating another birthday because each one is a blessing:-)

 Crispy Salmon with Saffron Aioli

Amazing presentation and just as good as it looks

Truffle mac n cheese. We lost our minds when they brought this out

Nothing like mac n cheese. the ultimate comfort food

And this was our view from the dinner table. So Beautiful! I love California:-) And I love anything by the beach:-)

It is just as stunning in person

No matter what part of the restaurant you are in. You will have a gorgeous view

Just when we thought things could not get better out comes the profiteroles, Hot fudge sauce. And the homemade vanilla bean ice cream sandwiched between the profiteroles was perfection. Yum!

And they were even better drenched in fudge

Creme Brulee with a medley of seasonal fruit. Scrumptious!

This gorgeous fireplace really caught my attention

Sun streaming through the windows. I could come here just for the view. 

I love the atmosphere at the Penthouse and I think you will too. They have a great Sunday Brunch and if you just want to take in the view. Have a drink and a snack and enjoy the gorgeous setting:-)

The Penthouse

1111 2nd Street

Santa Monica, CA 90403

310-393-8080

YellowTail Sweet White Roo and Pink Moscato Wine

 There is something altogether lovely about a refreshing cold glass of wine on a summer night. I recently had the opportunity to try Yellowtail Sweet White Roo and Pink Moscato, courtesy of the lovely folks over at Deustch Family Wine and Spirits. I want to thank them personally for giving me two reasons to sip and smile:-)

The Sweet White Roo is pleasantly tart with sweet tropical notes and is a blend of Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillion grapes. This wine is great on its own and would be perfect as the base for a white Sangria. 

The Pink Moscato is a light and fruity blush wine with strawberry notes and a nice fizz.  Both wines are absolutely delicious!

My sentiments exactly:-)

Ever had a wine that was so good, you drank the whole bottle by yourself? Yes, this will make you do that.  Be sure to try these if you love a nice sweet wine. I know I do:-)

Cheers!

Penny Tales + Green and Pink

Happy Tuesday! This week is starting off pretty calm compared to last week. I got a call from my son's school that he had swallowed a penny. So I went into panic mommy mode and rushed him to the emergency room. Would you believe this little guy was more excited about getting  to miss school. 

So as I am speeding to the hospital he says: "Hey mom, I get to miss school and we get to hang out the rest of the day" Um yeah. Hang out in the emergency room. So the staff has a great time joking with my son about being a human piggy bank. The doctor said he sees cases like this all the time and that my son would pass the penny when he went to the bathroom. 

So they give me a supply of popsicle sticks and sent me on my way. The nurses all laugh and tell me to have fun treasure hunting.  So long story short, the next day after I gave my son a fiber bar disguised as coffee cake, a big creamy mound of S**t was waiting for me 45 minutes later. My son was quite excited and then the words no mom wants to hear:

" Hey mom get the popsicle sticks" trust me you have not lived until you have to search through your kids poop for a penney. And then my son started screaming like he won the lottery: "my penney my penney!!!!!! yippeee! So my son learned a valuable lesson about sticking coins in his mouth and I will never look at popsicle sticks the same way.  If you have kids, you probably have some pretty crazy stories too. If you are not a parent yet, trust me, stuff like this is in your future. LOL

And now on to fashion:-) Most of my outfit is thrifted with the exception of my accessories. I am getting pretty lucky finding dresses for under $2.00 at the thrift store. How is that for recession proof shopping?

This dress has an interesting hemline, although I am not quite sure how I feel about it

I got this lovely bracelet at an Indian store

Have an amazing day! And by the way, what crazy stories do you have to tell?

Masa of Echo Park (LV's LA)

I love a good deep dish Chicago Pizza. I have been to Chicago a few times and I know first hand what a really good Chicago pizza tastes like. Masa of Echo Park comes pretty darn close to what I have experienced in Chicago. Thick buttery crust. How thick? How about 2 inches of crust topped with a great sauce and enough cheese and toppings to feed all of your hungry friends. Did I mention that I got full on one slice? 

This pizza joint has an old school meets hipster vibe in the heart of Echo Park and a stone's throw from Silverlake. After our experience at Pizzeria Mozza, I promised my son that  we would venture all over the City of Angels in search of delicious pizzas that tantalize our taste-buds. Masa did not disappoint us, the deep dish pizza was massive and very filling. 

The sauce and the crust were the first things I noticed. The sauce was on top of the cheese and very fresh and flavorful and the crust was scrumptious. The thick  layer of cheese, delicious sauce and a cornucopia of fresh veggies and Italian sausage and pepperoni satisfied our pizza craving. My little guy also wanted his usual cheese pizza, so we tried a traditonal thin crust, which was good, but could not compare to their signature, eat it with a knife and fork deep dish pizza.

 The experience started with a loaf of warm fresh bread

And this farm to table green salad with a variety of mixed salad greens and a Dijon Vinaigrette

How is this for a thick crust?

 Yes, it was soooo good

Much too thick and substantial to eat with your hands. Yep, you need a knife and fork. This is the real deal.

Even my little guy is amazed at this pizza

Deep dish and traditional

My son is on his way to becoming a pizza connoisseur

Whats not to love about Chicago Pizza?

Who knew Echo Park was such a happening area?

Very eclectic vibe.  We liked it:-)

What can I say? good food makes us really happy:-)

The outdoor area on the side and front of the restaurant are perfect for dining out and people watching, but we chose to dine indoors and enjoy the air conditioning.

And of course, I had to linger over a cup of coffee and dessert. I decided to order bread pudding. I have always hated bread pudding. Never liked it.

Until now. This is hands down the best bread pudding I have ever had in my life. Bread pudding made with croissants, a rich custard and hints of chocolate and a whirlwind of caramel. Talk to me now...

Masa is the perfect spot when you want a damn good and filling pizza, but much too indulgent to eat all the time. The cool folks at Masa gave me a tip that if you are dining in, just call in your pizza when you get halfway so that you don't have to wait the 45 minutes it takes to bake your deep dish pizza. Just tell them your name when you arrive and you are seated and your pizza will arrive with perfect timing.  Great advice because by the time we finished the bread and salad, the pizza was on the table.

We really enjoyed our meal and it is the kind of place where you can just relax and linger if you get there before the dinner crowd.

Mini me is thrilled that we get to take some pizza home. This is a great spot to come if you have children. The vibe is relaxed and unpretentious.  Perfect family spot.

Masa of Echo Park

1800 Sunset Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 

213-989-1558