Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Savvy or Steep Summer Sandals & Handbags

Now that summer is fast approaching, I thought I'd share some savvy versus steep sandals and handbags. FYI, I tried on all the Target Sandals and Flats and they are super comfy, especially the Sam & Libby ones. And in case you didn't know, the "Sam" in "Sam & Libby" is Sam Edelman, so you're getting the same great designer we love for a fraction of the price! Happy wallets and happy shopping!


 
 

 

 

 

 

 


 

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Savory Discovery - Bear Flag Fish Company

I've been missing Hawaii lately. I used to go almost once a year because I have family there, but that stopped as I got older. The last time I went was in 2008. Anyway, missing Hawaii made me crave some fresh seafood. My go to spot for fresh poke is North Shore Poke Company in Huntington Beach and a friend recommended I try Bear Flag Fish Company in Newport Beach since I love poke. The restaurant is near the Newport Balboa Peninsula, in the same parking lot as Rudy's Pub & Grill. It's a small restaurant with some seating inside and a small patio. There was a small line when I went there, and I heard that's pretty normal, so be prepared for a little wait. Here's a shot of the outside and inside in case you're interested.



APPETIZERS:

  1. Clam Chowder - Don't want to overhype it, but this is the best Clam Chowder I've had in Southern California! Big pieces of clams and fish and not too salty, perfect!!
  2. Ahi & Salmon Poke - Huge chunks of fish. You can't see it well in the picture, but the bottom half is salmon and the top half is ahi. I've never had salmon poke, and so glad I finally have. Super fresh and flavorful
  3. Shrimp Cocktail - This was probably the only thing that wasn't impressive. Shrimps were big, but nothing special. I wanted to try the Crab Cocktail, but they ran out, so I'm guessing it's good.


MAIN COURSE

  • Seared Garlic Butter Ahi Tuna Plate - The ahi was seared perfectly and had a hint of garlic. I could have used a little more garlic and butter though. The brown rice and veggies were a perfect pairing to the fish and made me feel like I was eating healthy.
  • Albacore Burrito - Never had such a fresh tasting burrito! There was rice, avocado, black beans and fresh salsa as well and all complimented each other perfectly. The only thing I felt it lacked was a sauce, but they have tons of sauces there to add yourself. I went for this sweet chili sauce which gave it a little kick but had some sweetness to balance it out.
  • Halibut Burrito - Exactly like the Albacore but with Halibut. The halibut was a little mushy and I think would've tasted better if it was grilled with a stronger fire, to give it a little char and crunch, other than that detail, I still enjoyed it!


Everything was so delicious. It's hard to find fresh seafood that's cooked right, and the place definitely delivers! The location is great too because you can cruise around on your bike, or spend the day at the beach or Balboa Peninsula to work up an appetite. I highly recommend trying this place if you love seafood like I do. Oh and in case you're wondering, I shared all this food with two other people. There's no way I could have finished it all. I always try to go to new restaurants with at least 3-4 people so I can sample a variety of items on the menu.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Foodie & Art Day in LA

I've been meaning to check out the Stanley Kubrich exhibit at LACMA, so I decided to make a whole LA day out of it.

The day started off with brunch at Doughboy Cafe, just down the street from LACMA. I've had it bookmarked on Yelp for awhile, so was excited to try it out. I had the Almond Crusted French Roast with strawberries, and my date had the Breakfast Burrito. The french toast was delicious! It wasn't too sweet, and the almonds gave it a nice crunch and extra flavor. I was pleasantly surprised with the breakfast burrito as well. I kind of gave my date crap because I didn't think a burrito at a non-Mexican joint would be good, but it actually was! It had thick slabs of bacon, avocado, crunchy hashbrowns, fluffy eggs and salsa. We always share food and it definitely satisfied my sweet and savory cravings! Next time I want to try the red velvet pancakes or red velvet cake which they're famous for.

After filling our bellies, we headed to LACMA. We try to come every time there's a new exhibit. The last time we came was for the Tim Burton exhibit, which was amazing. The special exhibits are a little more pricey and this one, like the Tim Burton was $20. A little tip, if you want to see the regular exhibits you can actually check them out for free if you come after 3pm on a weekday. In case you don't know who Stanley Kubrick is here are a few of his movies you might recognize:
  • Clockwork Orange
  • Full Metal Jacket
  • Eyes Wide Shut
  • The Shining
  • Lolita
When you first enter the exhibit, there's a gallery wall of all Kubrick's movies. I recognized the ones listed above, but there were so many that I had never heard of as well. As I went through the exhibit I learned that Kubrick started his career as a photographer for Look Magazine. His photos were very unique in that they captured moments and emotions that most people wouldn't catch. He definitely had an eye for unique images and liked to push the envelope with his noir films. If you watch his movies today, you probably wouldn't think twice about the topics, but back when the movies were originally released, they were definitely controversial. The exhibit had props from his different movies and previews of his films, but it also included interesting pieces such as complaint letters from organizations such as churches who were offended by his movies.


I really enjoyed the exhibit because I learned so much more about Stanley Kubrick and got a glimpse into his thought process for his photographs and movies.Although I've seen the permanent collections already, I still like to do a quick walk through of the other galleries. Above are a few pictures from the Stanley Kubrick exhibit as well as some of the other installations. When you come to LACMA, you also have to take advantage of the awesome photo spots: the Urban Light, the neon yellow string installment, the LACMA Rock, and on top of the Broad Contemporary Art building overlooking LA.

To end our day, we had dinner at Mendocino Farms, down the street from the museum and across The Grove. It was another place I wanted to cross off my Yelp bookmarks. Right when we walked in we were greeted by the friendly staff. I loved the mix of industrial and reclaimed wood decor. Since the hubby and I indulged at Doughboy Cafe, we decided to split a Korobuta Pork Belly Banh Mi Sandwich. They also let you try all of the sides and we settled on half Almond Romesco Shells (has pasta, red pepper, parmesan and spinach) and the Curried Cous Cous (with carrots, artichoke and cauliflower). The sides itself were bomb.com! My favorite was the curried cous cous; who would've thought to mix the two? It was nothing like I've tasted before. It tasted a little bit like Indian Curry, but not spicy, great combo. The almond romesco shells was very light and fresh. Now to the main course. The pickled daikon, carrots, cilantro, cucumbers and jalapenos are all normal banh mi ingredients but the caramelized kurobuta pork and the chili aiolo on the panini grilled ciabatta was a pleasant twist that made my tastebuds sing in joy. Hubby and I agreed we are definitely coming back here. Next time we want to try the Steak BLT and Prosciutto and Free Range Chicken sandwiches.


Sunday, May 5, 2013

DIY Gold Bookshelf

I've been on the hunt for a gold bookshelf and haven't been able to find one under my budget of $100. Maybe because the color is associated with luxury, all gold furniture I've run into seems to be very pricey.... and you know what that means, a DIY project.

Instead of starting from scratch, I decided to do another Ikea hack. I wanted something very simple, and let's face it, cheap. I found the Ikea Vittsjo for $40. Here's what it looks like before I got to it.
All I did was spraypaint the bookshelf frame, but spray painting is not as easy as it sounds. here are the Materials I used: White Primer Spray Paint, Gold Spray Paint, and 180-250 Grit Sand Paper. Optional: mask


DIRECTIONS
  1. Find an open area like a backyard or garage. If you choose to do it in a garage like I did, make sure to keep the garage door open as spray paint fumes are not good for you!
  2. Keep in mind that there will be "overspray" which is spray paint residue that will get everywhere and looks like a light powder, so make sure there is nothing nearby that can get accidentally sprayed in the process. Make sure to put tarp, cardboard or some sort of material to protect your floor.
  3. Assemble the book shelf but do not put the glass shelves on. You can put the 2 top and bottom wood boards, or you can spray paint them separately.
  4. Wipe down the book shelf and make sure it's completely clean and free of dust or other dirt.
  5. Prime the bookshelf with white primer. When you spray paint, the key is to do a very light coat about 6-8" away in an up and down or right to left motion. 
  6. Let the first layer of primer dry (about 10 minutes) and then do another layer or 2 until the bookshelf is white. Again, make sure you don't spray too close or too heavy or else the paint will drip and you will see that texture.
  7. After the primer is dry, lightly sand the entire shelf t make sure the surface is smooth. Wipe down any sanded residue.
  8. Take your gold spray paint and spray one light layer. Again, make sure to stay about 6-8" away and keep it very light or else your paint will drip.
  9. Let the first layer dry and do another layer or 2 until you get the color you like. I did 3 layers. 

DRIP TIP
This was my first time spray painting a piece of furniture and I did mess up in a couple of places where I spray painted too close or too heavy where the paint dripped. In order to fix this, i took a stronger sandpaper (60-80 grit) and sanded off the paint where it dripped and had an uneven texture. Once it was smooth, I re-primed with white and then spray painted with gold. It blended in pretty well, so don't worry too much if you mess up and have to do this. 

Here's the final outcome styled with some of my favorite books, sculptures, and albums!