The Lazy Daisy Cafe

We only have an hour for lunch during my motion graphics class so I usually just go to Ralph's and grab a sandwich. Last week, however, a few people from class and I decided to venture a little further out into Santa Monica in hopes of finding a nicer place to eat lunch. We found The Lazy Daisy Cafe in Santa Monica. It doesn't look like much from the road; we didn't even know it was a restaurant except for a small sign. Inside though, this cafe is super cute. They've got a nice patio with wicker chairs and tables. They write their specials on a blackboard with chalk. I ordered the egg white omelet with cheese, avocado, broccoli, and some other veggies and lots of coffee! It was really yummy and came with fruit and home fries. The atmosphere is laid back and it was a nice place to have lunch and clear my brain from motion graphics.

Check it out on citysearch http://losangeles.citysearch.com/profile/163699/

Carpinteria beach

Sometimes the crowded freeways and concrete of LA can get really stressful, but one of my favorite things to do is go to Carpinteria Beach which is up the 126 freeway (toward Ventura) right next to Santa Barbara. I love this beach because it's less crowded and is incredibly beautiful at sunset. It's not as trendy as some LA beaches like Manhattan or Zuma which is why I like it; it's more laid back with couples strolling down the beach and families camping nearby. Last time I was there I saw a couple of dolphins jumping out of the waves near shore. If you go, make sure to visit Giovanni's pizza place down the street from the beach and the little ice cream parlor.

Our next adventure should definitely be a Santa Barbara winery tour.

Hollywood Forever Screenings

I was so happy that all of us could get together this weekend to do one of my favorite things in Los Angeles: The Hollywood Forever film screenings. Hosted by Cinespia, over 1,000 Angelinos gather on the lawn at the cemetery every saturday to watch old, classic movies. This summer I've been there to see Gilda starring Rita Hayworth, Rebel Without A Cause with James Dean and Natalie Wood, and this Saturday all the Cheeky girls came to see Roman Holiday starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. You have to get there pretty early to get good seats, but we arrived at 5pm and were able to be one of the first in line. The gates don't open until 7:30 but it's not boring to sit outside in line because the crowd is really nice and laid back (mostly film buffs and hipster types). We played a board game with a group of people behind us.

It's $10 to get in and the money goes to upkeep for the cemetery which makes sense because they host us each week so it's nice to give back. I don't find it creepy at all to be in a graveyard, I've always thought cemeteries that had the upstanding grave stones were quite pretty and peaceful. You don't watch the film on the graves though, there's an open lawn where everyone sets up their blankets and they project the movie onto the sides of the walls. They allow you to bring alcohol, so we brought a bottle of wine and had a picnic before the film started.

I was wondering why I wanted to drive out to see the films each week and I think the outdoor setup reminds me of a drive-in theater which was my absolute favorite thing to do as a child with my family. We all loved Roman Holiday. Audrey Hepburn was charming and we all have a newfound crush on Gregory Peck, but with the film projected on the wall with the Los Angeles skyline and rows of palm trees made this event amazingly fun and a place I would definitely recommend for anyone looking to do something a little different in Los Angeles.

Here's the website for a list of upcoming screenings:
http://www.cinespia.org/


"I've never been alone with a man before, even with my dress on. With my dress off, it's MOST unusual."

La Creperie Cafe

As the name suggests, La Creperie is the place for crepes and all things French. I went there with Andrey last Saturday after a day at the beach and got the fettuccini carbonara, which was amazing. The fettuccini was al dente and was bathing in a garlicy white wine parmesan sauce. One top of that were chicken, crispy bacon bits and fresh pesto.

For dessert, we had the crepes a la Romeo and Juliet. It's a crepe made of wheat flour stuffed with nutella, strawberries and bananas and topped with whipped cream and more chocolate syrup. The fruit was the perfect balancing partner with the rich nutella, however, the wheaty crepe was a bit too dense for my taste. We also thought that there was not enough nutella in the dish. But overall, it was pretty good :)

http://lacreperiecafe.net/

teaforest

Today, I went to Culver City for the Culver City Artwalk and I stopped by this cafe because I had heard that it was really good. Let me just tell you that it really lived up to its recommendation. The coffee was really good and the apple cinnamon muffin was the best that I have ever had in LA. ( I am a complete sucker for a good muffin and I have yet to find one to my satisfaction, that is until now! )

teaforest is located at 8686 washington blvd, culver city

We need to go here!

Alcove

My friend Ryan took me to this great little cafe and bakery called Alcove. It was really good. I had a portabello mushroom sandwich with feta, bell peppers, carmelized onions and argula. He had the crabcake sandwich. And for DESSERT....we split peanut butter cookies and a piece of butterscotch cheesecake which was to die for.

Here are some links if you want to get a feel for the place.

http://losangeles.citysearch.com/profile/41537962/los_angeles_ca/alcove_cafe_bakery.html

http://alcovecafe.com/

An afternoon in Old Town

Last week Tsz and I went to Old Town Pasadena, which seems to be a favorite spot for the writers of this blog. It's got all the charm of a smaller town outside the grungier areas of LA without feeling too suburban and overbuilt. We had lunch at the charming Cafe Bizou on North Raymond Street. It wasn't very crowded at the time we went but by the time we left it had filled up a bit. We sat nearby the AIGA LA president, or so we thought from overhearing people's conversations.





I had Alfredo pasta with tomato basil sauce and it was delicious. Tsz had the lobster ravioli. But the main draw of the place was in the cute tables and the setup.




After lunch we went shopping at Mimios, the adorable paper/stationary store where I bought my paper to make my graduation announcements. My announcements came out really well, although at the time I was cursing my decision to hand-make them and wishing I had just bought the generic announcements from the university. We also discovered a travel book shop, where I purchased books about Edinburgh, London, and Copenhagen. Seeing all the pictures in the books inspired me to start saving up for travel in the future.

In the afternoon we went to the Norton Simon museum where we only stayed for a half hour but got to see the impressionist paintings and toured the garden, where my flip flop broke! I had to hobble back to the car and drive home barefoot.





Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CANDICE!! I had so much fun at your Benihanas dinner. I hope it was a good day for you.