dineLA Restaurant Week!

IT'S HERE! EASILY ONE OF MY FAVORITE TIMES, LA RESTAURANT WEEK HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN!

(It's even better than Shark Week)

From July 16-27th roughly 200 of Los Angeles' finest restaurants participate in an exciting week in which locals and visitors can discover and explore the unique and wide arrange of cuisine the city has to offer. The best part? Restaurant week is actually an extended week of 12 full days! "12 days, infinite summer eats, 1 mecca. YUMMO! It's really a fantastic opportunity to taste some amazing dishes and enjoy unique atmospheres. I'm excited to try some new places as well as some old favorites.

Overwhelmed by the list of restaurants? Here are some of my personal favorites or ones I'm eager to try.

Check out dineLA Restaurant Week's official website for more information and book your reservations quick through Open Table. Bon appetit!

AOC

Asia de Cuba

Lazy Ox Canteen

POP Champagne & Dessert Bar

STK

Sugarfish

Taste

The Penthouse

Spotless Silverware

The key to keeping you're flatware from tarnishing? Chalk! Who knew?? Tie a few pieces in cheese cloth and store with your best silver. The chalk will help absorb the moisture in the atmosphere and will prolong the tarnishing process. Just a simple prevention measure that will reflect will on you!

Image courtesy of Real Simple

Beautiful Bouquets

Ever wondered how magazines such as ELLE Decor make there flower arrangements look picture perfect? Here's a tip to make them look just right in a low, wide vase. Tie the group of flowers together with a clear rubber band. It will hold them together and splay them out perfectly. Move over ELLE Decor!

Photo courtesy of Real Simple

Easy Entertaining

Though it's fun to go shopping in preparation for events, parties, or dinners you're hosting, entertaining can be as easy as using what's already around your house. Use votive candle holders (which cost about $1 at Target or Michaels) to set out toothpicks in a cute and creative way. Set a tray of cheeses or a bowl of olives next to them for the perfect munchies. Simple as that! 

Photo courtesy of Real Simple

Aaron Stewart: Cooking on the Amalfi Coast

So happy for my dear friend Aaron Stewart who was today's guest blogger on Martha Stewart's blog. In his post he discusses his one of a kind experience in Italy where he lived out his dream of taking an authentic Italian cooking class.

Check it out and tell me you aren't green with envy!

The Martha Blog

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One Kings Lane Summer Soiree Sale

 

I am so excited to be offering a dazzling array of entertaining accessories from my own private stash!

"Summer Soiree" sale starts tomorrow!!

My go to cheese shop

Surfas is a wonderful restaurant supply store in Los Angeles which also has gourmet cheeses, meats and just about everything you could want to eat or use in your kitchen. I have been going to Surfas since I discovered it 13 years ago. I have only recently started to buy cheese there. I am taken with the “cheesemonger,” David who is always introducing me to a new cheese or meat. The other day David had me try San Daniele prosciutto which I loved and I could hardly wait to get home with it for Stevie to try. My new favorite cheese happens to be Etorki which my client, Lexi Wald introduced me to. It was a must have at her birthday. The other two cheeses I came home with that day were the Beemster Vlaskass and talleggio. Recently I found my self stopping by Surfas when I was in the area for a cheese sampling and some of their garlic cheese bread which I am obsessed with. No one makes better garlic cheese bread then Surfas. Yesterday I had to stop at Classic Party rentals to check my order for a wedding I am doing Saturday and guess what is right around the corner...SURFAS. David had me try a prosciutto from Virginia-no nitrates, etc. It's called Ollie Bershire proscuitto and boy oh boy is it delicious! I just had another bite of it with my afternoon snack of truffled popcorn with shredded Petit Basque which David introduced me to too..Tell David Lulu sent you!

Lulu Wins!!!

My idol and me at the US open circa 1980

As a kid Tracy Austin was my idol. I used to wake up at 4 in the morning, 3 mornings a week to play tennis before school. I used to live for tennis. That all changed my senior year of high school. Recently I've gotten back into the sport and even joined the Valentines Day tournament at the Beverly Hills Tennis club which to my shock I ended up winning!!

One of the greats

Julia Child is a continual source of inspiration for me. I met her once but wish I had been able to sit down with her, listen to her stories and enjoy a "sneeky".