A breezy day by the beach...

On Tuesday I headed over to Portofino Hotel in Redondo Beach. My beautiful bride Elizabeth and her mom Vickie were not impressed with their tasting a few months ago. Side story ~ the hotel was trying something a little different ~ inviting all the couples and their family  for a group tasting. In a way it allowed the couples to see what can be achieve at the hotel (lighting, table set up, station displays, etc), but it was a little lacking on the one-on-one attention I think every couples need. I'm happy to say, Portofino will be offering something a little more intimate in the future.

During our meeting, the entree was prepare by the request of the catering manager to alleviate any concerns Elizabeth and Vickie might have. And it was delicious! Chicken linguine with shrimp, squash, mini cucumber, and asparagus. Perfect for a couple that didn't want different entree selections but do want variety in their dish.

Next up, Mary of Ava's Garden presented the sample centerpiece. It was gorgeous! Roses, hydrangea , Queen Ann's lace atop a rectangular vase with black ribbon and a shiny crystal buckle.  

Here's a close up of the flowers. Elizabeth decided to go more pink ~ shades of bubble gum pink and less white and green. I think it's going to be gorgeous with the amber lighting around the room.

And here's a close up of the black ribbons and damask votive Elizabeth and Vickie made. I think it's fabulous ~ modern elegant with a flirty twist. 

I can't wait to see everything come together on their big day! 

Tasting at the Intercontinental Los Angeles

One word to describe the food at this hotel ~ SPECTACULAR! I had the pleasure of attending a food tasting at the Intercontinental Los Angeles - Century City. We had a variety of food choices and I came out of the meeting with a full tummy and a very satisfied palate.

First off the appetizers:
This is the vegetable strudel with baby spinach, ratatouille, chive, herb, ricotta in beef jus. Very delicate and flaky and perfect to start the evening with.


I'm not a big fan of ravioli, unless it's really good ravioli. This butternut squash fit that bill. The skin wasn't too thick and the sweetness of the butternut was a surprise. Included in the dish was toasted pine nut and fried sage. Such an aromatic dish...


We tried two salads but the dishes was devoured prior to me getting a chance to take a photo. The catering manager presented a second dish since the first dish was a little flat (still taste wonderful though). This is the arugula greens, feta cheese, pine nuts, and lemon vinaigrette (I think you can tell now I LOVE pine nuts).


Now on to the Entrees:
First up, brioche & cranberry stuffed chicken. This dish was amazing! The meat was moist and the cranberries were a burst of flavor with every bite.


Also very yummy, chicken breast stuffed with prosciutto.


Filet mignon with roasted beef state tomatoes.


Pan seared filet mignon with Japanese pumpkin ravioli. Nothing against the filet, but the other dishes out shined this wedding staple.


On to the fish...
White wine poached Chilean sea bass with braised artichoke.


Saving the best for last, herb crusted halibut with polenta cake. Hands down, no comparison. This was the BEST dish. And look at the display, doesn't it just make your tummy grumble?


I hope you enjoy this food post. I for one am sure looking forward to this wedding! :D

Saturday Dress Shopping & Birthday Dinner

It's official! My dear friend is getting marry next year. Mr. Friday (his nickname since their date night is always Friday) proposed. The poor guy just had back surgery and really wanted to make the moment special as I'm sure it was. I'm excited to be helping my friend since weddings are what I do best. =)

I think most brides would agree, trying on dresses is one of the most fun aspect of wedding planning. You make appointments at luxury salons, the sales consultant help dress you, and you coming out looking like a million bucks! Our first stop Saturday, Monique L'huillier.

I waited for my friend to change as I enjoyed the fresh flowers and chamomile tea with spices.


This was her favorite from the store..Camelot (same dress Kevin Costner's wife wore).


Initially we were going to Barney's New York, but they canceled since they are currently renovating the bridal salon. So instead we stopped in at Renee Strauss without an appointment. The staff was extremely friendly but we didn't really see anything we liked.

Last stop was Saks Fifth Avenue. She fell in love with this gown ~ simple yet elegant.


After a day of dress shopping, we had a drink at W Hotel before dinner. The hotel is a little small for her 250 people wedding but we enjoyed sitting outside by the pool.


We had dinner at the Little Door Restaurant. Dinner was to celebrate an early birthday for the same friend since I will be leaving for China and she will be heading to Hong Kong.

We started with a bottle of Pinot Noir and the Assorted Mediterranean Appetizers.

I had the Grilled Filet Mignon with Green Peppercorn and Bone Marrow Sauce.

Lemon Roasted Organic Chicken Breast with Baby Artichokes, Garlic and Oregano

Grilled Rib Eye Steak with Sel, Herbs, and Cracked Black Pepper

Duo of Duck with Pomegranate and Candied Walnuts

Someone had the Pistachio Crusted New Zealand Snapper with Couscous (I didn't get a bite or a picture). Use your imagination. =P

We ended the dinner with some champagne and the birthday cake from The Little Next Door ~ Raspberry vanilla cake.

And here is the happy couple. Lucky Mr. Friday. Now hurry up and chose a date!

On Dal 2: It's all about the crab‏

On Friday night, I was able to convince some of my friends to check out this restaurant with me. It's located in Crenshaw, not the safest location, but after reading the glowing report from LA times and had other friends that actually patroned the restaurant; I was really looking forward to dinner.

This is their famous crab hot pot. We ordered the largest pot with 5 crab shells, thin bean sprout, bell cap mushrooms, and other stuff. Hehehe...I only eat, I don't cook. Due to friends weaker than myself, the pot was only 'small' spice. It was amazing even at mild, the pot was pretty spicy.


The service was impeccable. They had a wait staff cut the crabs so the tender meat is easily accessible. As you can see, they also divied up the crab shells. And yes, there was a scoop of rice in the shell with the broth.


We also ordered the pasta to try. The server brought a small round dough which she stretch and pulled until it's thin then teared them into small pieces to be cooked in the broth. I actually took a picture of the end result but my bowl was kind of 'not very clean' so I'll leave it to your imagination. The pasta was chewy but not as good as I hoped.


For the men in our party, we ordered the braised beef since seafood wasn't enough. This dish was mostly tomato based (where our crab pot was more the Korean hot paste) and a little sweet.


The last dish was the fried rice. The owner's son cooked it right in front of us. He used some soup from the braised beef pot, rice and his own special seasoning. It was delicious. We also ordered a large seafood pancake that we all ate before I had a chance to take a picture.


All in all, the food wasn't out of the ordinary. The small dishes the restaurant provided was better than most Korean restaurants ~ grilled fish, raw crab legs, small sausages, dried sweet seaweed. The crab hot pot was good but not extraordinary. The braised beef was sweet ~I don't usually like sweet ~ and included chewy rice cakes that I'm sure I ate a ton of. We all agree the seafood pancake and the fried rice was good, but not something we never had before. So will I go back, probably not. But it is worth a try!

Wine & Food

Adding to my post about signature drinks is a post about wine. First off, let me confess: I love my glass of wine but I am no expert. What I do know is everyone is different, thus my favorite wine might not be your cup of tea (or should I say 'your glass of wine'). Most people insist on sticking to red wine for red meat and white wine for seafood or white meat. I don't agree (might also be because I'm bias towards reds)! A light pinot noir might go well with your chicken or a smokier fish dish. Choosing the wine for your wedding is yet another way to personalize your wedding. Take a chance and buy a few different wines (5 cent sale going on at BevMo) and determine what you like. If you really have no idea where to start, here's a great website about wine pairings. Pick a few wine from the suggestions and have your own wine tasting night!

What's your signature drink?

One way to reduce the headaches of open bar is to limit the different types of drinks. Most commonly done is to have wine, beer and signature drink(s). It's a great way to personalize and save a few bucks ~ best of both worlds! Create a cute bar menu listing the Bride's favorite drink and the Groom's favorite drink. Or a lot of brides create the 'Something Old ~ like a classic martini, Something Borrowed ~ pink cadillac, Something Blue ~ blue hawaiian, Something New ~ lychee martini'menu. Or come up with your own twist! Here's a great link to find recipes or your signature drink!

Birthday food...review

Prior to burger, we went to Ocean Ave Restaurant for their happy hour oysters! Very yumalicious!

Here's the extensive menu


The menu was dated so I took a pic...reminds me of how wedding photog do this on the wedding day


I had the Happy Hour Rogue on tap


Happy Hour oyster are only $1.50 each! Amazing!


Canadian Bay Shrimp Cocktail


Honey looking very content


On to Father's Office for our burger


It was way too dark but I wouldn't give up. This is our sweet potato fries in a little shopping cart - it even rolls!


The burger was a good as they say - caramelized onions, gruyere cheese, arugula on toasted french toast. The meat was extremely smokey and paired with the cream cucumber dip that comes with, it has a kick to it. (Disclaimer: not my picture, it was way too dark, I stole the pic from the web)


Picture of the left over, I think we had one too many oysters.


Wednesday before hubs' birthday, a couple of girlfriends and I went out to celebrate a belated birthday for a friend. We went to one of my favorite restaurants in Old Town Pasadena.


I love sitting outside ~ especially on a cold but sunny day.


The bread they provide is so yummy. It's more like garlic bread, hot out of the oven. You have to be careful not to overindulge since you still have appetizers, entree, and dessert to go.


Clams with grapefruits ~ never had warm grapefruits


Grilled calamari


Red curry paella


Seafood penne


Roasted lamb and baby spinach ~ I LOVE pine nuts

And I'm very sorry there's no picture of the dessert. We ate it before I got a chance to take pictures. We had warm bread pudding with vanilla ice cream and panna cotta with mango syrup. YUM. Oh and I forgot to mention, their red sangria is pretty good too.

And after my own dinner party, I joined the boys at Taiwanese beer house called Indian Cafe. I really shouldn't have gone since the boys were taking hubs out. But how could I refuse free beer? So forgive me for spoiling your plans (NOT)!



Here are a couple pictures of hubster's friend's new puppy Pita. She's a beagle and only 5 months old ~very very affectionate and adorable! I love how she barks (sounds like a fog horn).



And that was our day. Filled with food and friends. =)