Small Town Life In Big L.A.

Lunch At Neiman's

It was a beautiful day to visit the Neiman's close to home.

The view from our table was pleasant indeed.

This empty table was soon occupied by Neiman's execs having a lunch meeting. Everyone was dressed in suits.

An "amuse bouche" of chicken broth and a mini biscuit.

These homemade popovers are worth the price of admission. I had to have two.

A delicious vegetable bisque.

The lobster rolls were O.K.

This beautifully presented lobster salad looked better than it tasted.

But we got to park right in front of the store. LOL!

Join Me On A Whirlwind Buying Trip For The Stores

January is a very intense month for us. No sooner the Christmas season is over, which is full of church, retail,  wrapping, and parties, we hop on a plane and head for the major Gift & Ready To Wear Shows. Here is a scene we see everyday on our way to the Atlanta shows. We always happen to be there during Martin Luther King's birthday celebration. It's hard to see, but the sign on the left is a portrait of him.

First stop upon arriving is dinner at LaTivola. It's a cozy Italian restaurant in Virginia Highlands. This is their Warmed Olives appetizer.

Dessert at LaTivola is not to be missed. The special of the night was this delicious Apple Tart with Rosemary Cream. We also ordered a side of house made Vanilla Semi-Freddo.

Here's the view from one of the several highrise buildings that comprises the Atlanta Gift Mart. This was a snowless trip. It was cold but not bone chilling.

A fun showroom stop. It is rare to find sofas to lounge on. Generally you are on your feet...ALL DAY!!!

Every year has a different twist. This year several vendors had craftsmen outside in the halls demonstrating how things are made.

 

The Mart stays open until 8pm on the weekend. We shop, enjoy a nice dinner, and then drop. Atlanta has so many unique restaurants and they believe in dessert. One of my favorite stops, "Wisteria", lets you choose 3 of their homemade desserts for $10. We chose the Coconut Meringue Pie, Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream (Yes, it had a kick!), and Bread Pudding. I wish restaurants here in L.A. would pick up on this.

Being a "foodie" I look forward to the Gourmet Food section of the show where you get to sample everything.

Atlanta is a city that I enjoy. Here, popular "South City Kitchen" (You better have a reservation) is in a remodeled Southern home surrounded by spectacular high rises. Fascinating!

I think the Mussels here were among the best we have ever had. Considering we are from the Chesapeake Bay that is saying something.

As soon as we land in L.A. it's off to our local shows. This was taken as I was enjoying a break in the lobby of the California Market Center, my "home away from home" for the last 3 decades.

With all the lofts being built downtown their are new restaurants cropping up. We enjoyed people watching from our window table at PatternBar.com. You can see the California Mart from the window.

Here is a nice night shot of the L.A. Mart, home to many gift and decor showrooms. We have been shopping into the night on both coasts and had a very successful trip. You will find the fruit of our shopping in Mountain Rose Gifts and Revelation Tops.

A Timely Sail

We recently had the pleasure of sailing with our dear friends. We met them at the Marina on a foggy day.

 

 

What a blessing it was to relax. In just a matter of days I would be very busy leading a Women's Retreat.

Goldfish are always fun to munch on during these outings.

Time to set set the sails!

 

 

Nothing but ocean as far as the eye could see.

The "way out in the ocean" greeting team.

It was hot in the valley but not here.

I zoomed in on the Santa Monica Pier.

The day ended with dinner at the Marina Del Rey Cheesecake Factory.

Corn Fritters!

A peaceful end to a relaxing day.

Thank you dear friends!!!

Valentine's Day Fun

Can you tell I love Valentine's Day? It's such a cheery way to celebrate the month of February. This year my sister and I went to tea at The T Room in Montrose.

What a perfect pot of tea! The T Room has an entire wall of gourmet tea blends. Ours was "Mauritius", a delicious black tea from Africa. It was perfectly brewed and we drank the whole pot.

What joy you feel as this arrives at your table! Our favorite sandwich is the chicken with lingonberry jam.

The rich all butter cookies are made here at The T Room.

Since it was Valentine's Day we were treated to homemade Red Velvet Cake.

Meet Esma, the owner of The T Room. She is such a gracious woman with a rich tea history. She learned the art of tea from her mother who had a tea room in Russia. You can't get more authentic than that!

Later in the evening my wonderful husband made a special Valentine dinner. It started with this Pate, so creatively presented. He then proceeded with Lobster Tail and Curried Rice. It was perfect!

This year I made Cashew Brittle.

We enjoyed eating by candlelight, the end of a relaxing and enjoyable day.

Sunset Dinner At the ODYSSEY

Perched on a mountain top high above the intersection of the 405 & 118 freeways, The Odyssey is the place to go for prime rib as you watch the sunset. If you get there between 4 & 6 pm your dinner, which includes an appetizer and dessert, is only $18.95. How can you beat that! Here is the view from our table when we first got there and as the sun set.

To give you some perspective, we are at the northeast corner of the San Fernando valley. If you head south on the 405, pictured center, it will take you past Sunset Blvd. and the Wilshire district, then to LAX, and beyond. It is one of the busiest freeways in the world.

The view is gorgeous the entire time.

I have to say my prime rib was PERFECT!

On this early evening we had the place to ourselves which is very unusual for the Odyssey. After all the Christmas rush we enjoyed the peace and quiet.

After dinner we walked outside to take in the view. Our table is the cozy one in the center of the pic.

As we ate we watched the fire pit below us. People usually go out here for a light menu and drinks.

Here you can see the view of the valley and imagine how nice it would be to sit out here on a warmer night.

Fun at Taylor's Steakhouse

Doesn't this prime rib look delicious? I think it's one of the best I have ever had! The steak fries, creamed spinach, and horseradish dip were great too!

Welcome to Taylor's Steakhouse in La Canada! We had the perfect table for a cool Autumn night, on the patio, in front of the fireplace.

Here is our view of outdoor tables with little white lights. It was especially pretty as the sun set.

 

 

Warm bread by the fire...

Love the mountains!

 

The wall mural by our table. Wait! Are we in Texas?

I highly recommend this restaurant. All 4 of us raved about our food, the service was excellent, and the atmosphere beautiful. The best part is it's only minutes from our stores in Montrose.

My Birthday Dinner at the Carbon Beach Club in Malibu

I have a WONDERFUL husband! September has been an extremely busy month for us. We attended men's & women's retreats at our church, my husband conducting the men's = work, & time to prepare. We had the grand opening of our new store with all the last minute remodel rush that goes with. Setting up a gift store is much harder than clothes as everything is wrapped about 10 times to keep from breaking, lots of heavy things, moving of boxes, cardboard , etc. We have both done much more physical labor than we are used to, especially Dale. In the midst of all this was my birthday. I suggested we celebrate another time, but Dale being the caring person he is wouldn't hear of it. He had planned a special dinner at the Carbon Beach Club in Malibu, a place we have never been but intrigued us because of it's closeness to the ocean.

Can you believe this table!!! It was very private and peaceful.

You can see the Malibu Pier in the background. And now for the food...

Healthy Ahi Tuna.

I had Maple Glazed Salmon, the evenings special, and it was delicious.

Dale had Fillet Mignon with Truffle Oil.

The evening ended with a special lit birthday dessert & espresso, on the house. What a wonderful time we had! I think this is about as close to the ocean as you can get while fine dining here. It was such a treat.

Fun at Trader Vics in Beverly Hills

Passing The Beverly Wilshire Hotel

Sometimes at the end of a long Gift Market we like to hop on over to Trader Vics. Throughout the years it has been one of our favorite restaurants. There are certain foods you can get only here. Plus it's fun to people watch. One year our good friend Kathi, who loves soap operas, was out visiting from Baltimore. She was dying to see some celebrities but all week, no luck. On a whim we went to Trader Vics. We were given a great table and Kathi had a birds eye view of the door. All of a sudden she stopped talking in mid sentence, her eyes got wide, and her mouth flew open. Would you believe the Soap Opera Awards just let out and all the stars came to Trader Vics along with George Hamilton, the emcee. It was an unforgettable night.

Passing Rodeo Drive

This is all part of the scenery to get there.

The Beverly Hilton

Trader Vics is in the Beverly Hilton, home to all the Academy Awards & Golden Globes after parties.

The BEST Peanut Butter

We get cravings for this peanut butter. It's the BEST we have ever had.

Duck Tidbits

This is the other reason we go, Duck Tidbits.

The Bread Basket

Facing the Pool

Dining Poolside

The Pool

Planning The Golden Globes

Special Cabanas

Outdoor Night Lighting

Beverly Hilton Lobby

Elevator Wallpaper

Surf & Turf At Roy's Hawaiian Restaurant

Delicious!!!

Here's how we celebrated the end of our 10 year lease at Mountain Rose. The Lord's timing is so perfect! We are thankful for His leading in our lives.

Lunch At Bistro Garden In Studio City

The Entrance On Ventura Blvd.

This is a wonderful restaurant for a special occasion. This year we celebrated Valentine's. It's pricey and a bit of a drive so we usually go only once a year. Here's why we like it.

A Light Open Room

The Lobster Bisque

Chocolate Soufflle

Gracious, experienced waiters

Plus it's fun to people watch. Celebrities and studio execs can often be spotted here.