Last Friday Night

Hmmmm. I'm still debating my thoughts on the last 32 hours, but overall, I think they were a success. Yesterday, I met my cousin Taj and my Uncle Jay at USC (ew). Taj is applying to colleges soon and toured the camps, so I met them for a quick bite at the Lab Gastropub. It was conveniently right next to their hotel and the ambience was great, although the music was a little loud. I had truffled mac and cheese, but the one at The Farm is far better :-) I did think it was cool that the Lab offered a speciality Trojan ale, although I would never drink. I am a Bruin after all.

But Taj LOVED the campus and the tour and USC is his first choice. Although I am a bit disturbed to have a traitor in the family, if he decides on USC then it would be wonderful to have my cousin close by.

After that, I hit up the gym. I've lost a lot of muscle tone. Let's not talk about it.

I went out with my housemates and company to Malo on Sunset for drinks and dins. Jenaba and I tried the Senorita Angelica, which was tequila with hibiscus and muddled limes and a chili salt rim. PHENOMENAL. I was also a fan of the chips and salsa. (I had already eaten, so I didn't order anything.) From what I heard the food was great. I do have to say the service was a little slow, but they were busy.

Jacy and Me at Malo

 Adam trying Pork Belly Tacos for the first time.

The cutest couple: Jacy and Jefferson

Jenaba and Ellie pose for the camera

Jacy and her bloody mary accessory

  

The Senorita Angelica at Malo (the best ever!)

Then the crew, which include Jenaba, Jefferson, Ellie, Jacy, and Ellie's friend Adam, who is visiting from the Point Loma naval base, hit up Thirsty Crow and ran into a few friends there. But it was hella crowded so we went to the Highland Park bars, Johnny's and Hermosillo. (I'll be back at TC for the jazz soon though :-))  Hermosillo is quickly becoming a favorite with the well-selected craft beer list. I wrote a little review of it earlier - here. Johnny's was a cool place - we had vodka cocktails that tasted like candy and the crowd was diverse. 

Today was a bit of a slow start. Jenaba and I made light mimosas, then I went to Antigua Bread with Ellie and Adam for breakfast burritos and a great iced coffee. I'm hoping to get some work done before Ellie and I head to Hollywood and meet my old roomies.

Renegade Craft Fair

Last Saturday, Jenaba, Lennie, Ellie and I checked out the Renegade Craft Fair. I've been wanting to go to this craft fair for ages and it finally happened and did not disappoint. There are a few things that were incredibly inspirational, including the little hanging plants from Bird and Feather, the cute printed tea towels from Girls Can Tell, and the lighting fixtures from Flea Market RX. I am definitely ordering some stuff off the internet soon, now that I've figured out what I really like. Also aren't those mason jar toppers so cute? I need to find out where they are from! After we shopped around, we recharged with comfort food from Los Lobos, including waffle fries with "Angel" sauce for me, Mac and Cheese for Ellie because she just got her wisdom teeth pulled, and a burger for Jenaba and Lennie.

Okay off to meet my baby cousin at USC (bleh) for lunch! Then workout time, some future planning, and 

Foodie Tuesday

Well I was trying to be good for the next two weeks before I go to Outside Lands (!!!) But then, my fellow externs and I grabbed bacon wrapped hot dogs from a stand on Sixth and Los Angeles and Babycakes donuts at lunch. Babycakes is a bakery that specializes in vegan, organic, gluten-free deliciousness. We had the cookie crumble donut and the maple drizzle donut. Denser than I expected, but delicious. The maple drizzle really impressed me because it had a buttery, rich topping that was butter-free.

As if that wasn't enough, I came home and indulged in part of a Bad Boy sandwich from Marios in Glendale. I inhaled the rest today at work. My roommate always brings home these wonderfully decadent sandwiches and finally, one was brought home for me! Woooo! The bad boy had honey maple turkey and BBQ mesquite chicken with lettuce, tomato, onion, must/mayo, honey mustard, mozzarella cheese, avocado and spicy peppers. OMG delish.

Then I decided to make a chocolate toffee banana flax bread. I used this recipe, but added a bit of chocolate and toffee instead of making the topping. This was my second experiment with flax. I made vegan organic carrot muffins last week, but no fat and mucho flax was not good. They had a dense spongey consistency with very little flavor. HOWEVER, this bread was a hit. In fact, my housemates and friends polished it off rather quickly. I think the eggs and the oil helped moisten the flax and chocolate and toffee always make food better :-)

After that, Evan, Christable, Jacy, Ellie and I hit El Prado in Echo Park and met Greg and other friends. I hadn't been before, but the vibe was just right for a low-key, Tuesday night out.

Saturday at Olvera

It was my first time doing it properly. The snowcone was a win. xoox

A Day in the Life of Lennie

Introducing Lennie - our fifth housemate! Lennie was rescued by my roommate Jenaba last year and he is the sweetest thing around. Part Chihuahua, cocker spaniel and a few other things, he enjoys long walks, table scraps, and jumping around.

This weekend, we took him to the Renegade Craft Fair (more on that later). We smuggled him onto the train in a tote bag and covered him with a scarf. So cute. After traipsing around the fair grounds, digging a few holes, rolling obsessively in the cold grass, and prancing through Olvera St., he was one tired pup. Adorbs.

Banoffee Pancakes

After an 11-hour workday yesterday, I was in need of some relaxation. I hightailed it home to make dinner with Jenaba and Anthony joined us. I made a herbed cream sauced pasta and Jenaba made a salad with blueberries, nuts and poppyseed dressing. Anthony treated us to a Bogle Pinot Noir, which was a lovely pairing, although it went down far too smoothly. Then we headed to Footsies for some hipsters on patio time and ended the night at two different taco stands. YUM.

This morning, Katie came over and I made banana toffee pancakes with honeydew. It was so good to see her and talk about work and life and goals and plans and people and things and puppies and coffee and everything else :-) Plus, her Lululemon shirt was adorbz. Must buy.

Headed to a craft fair - pics to come soon. And then seeing my fam-bam later :-)

Is this a great weekend or what?
xoxoxo

The Hermosillo on York

The Hermosillo, 5125 York Blvd., Highland Park.  

c/o LA Times

My jetsetter amigo, Greg, just returned from a Europe/NYC trip (super-jeal), so V, Evan and I met him at The Hermosillo on York Blvd. in Highland Park. I tried the Firestone DBA - that stuff is strong and has an unique and extremely alcoholic taste. It's not my faves Firestone but as Evan says, it gets the job done. Then I had the Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale, which I had had before but couldn't quite remember. But this second time, I loved it. On the shortlist for the rest of the summer.

The Hermosillo has a Cuban-y, 40s feel. The bartenders are cute, the craft beers well selected, and a cozy feel. I love the lay-out - easy flow, spacious. And it was a wonderful place to catch up with Greg and also to meet the owner's (housemate's) dog - a beautiful choco lab named Frank. He was the highlight of my evening :-)

In other news, I made the most horrendous vegan carrot muffins. They are like carrot-y sponges with an odd, stretchy casing. However, nutella makes everything better.


Off to brief writing. Muchos besos.