Shop: Army Jackets

I love flea marketing. It is what I look forward to all week. Living in LA I have plenty of options to choose from when it comes to flea markets. The one I look forward to most all month long though is the Rose Bowl flea market which is only once a month. Though, now the flea marketing is becoming a "cool" thing to do they seem to be expanding flea markets. There is now one opening June 21st at Dodger Stadium, which of course I will definitely be at.

One item that is largely popular at the Rose Bowl is army jackets. I found an army jacket there almost 2 years ago and it is a staple item in my wardrobe. Needless to say that the new wave and varied options of army jackets out in stores now make me so giddy. I have my eye on a couple different styles of them:

J. Crew's Boyfriend Fatigue Jacket $148


SMYTHE Summer Surplus Jacket$650



Theor Cotton/Linen Twill Jacket $315


In The Trenches Jacket $108



Or for a very cheap option do what I did and buy an authentic army jacket from a flea market or vintage store and get it fitted to your body type. I paid a large $15 for mine and it is as good as the above jackets. Though of course the shopper in me wants options when it comes to my army jackets.

Eat: Vacation Edition

I just returned from Cabo San Lucas a couple of days ago. It was a week filled with delicious food and lots of sun bathing. Whenever I go on vacations I always look for the little hidden gems and either the locals of my fellow foodie friends lead me there. I was lucky enough to find 2 blog worthy restaurants on this trip. The first was what a local man called "the best breakfast in Cabo." My friend suggested Mama Royale's to me and I am so glad he did. Mama Royale's food was so full of flavor and was well worth the walk from the resort. The restaurant itself was cozy and full of colorful tablecloths and walls. There was a saxist outside playing music while we dined. The waiters were great and very attentive. My boyfriend, our friends and I were starving after our long walk and so we quickly ordered. I ordered a fresh coconut and orange juice mix. For those of you who remember Orange Julius, it resembled there's. I also ordered french toast stuffed with cream cheese and topped with fresh mixed berry compote for the table.

Heather and Chris, both who consider themselves "non-sweet tooth people" loved the french toast too and had more than one bite. For my meal I ordered an eggs benedict that had green onions added to it. The green onions were a tasty addition.

The eggs were perfectly cooked and the potatoes full of flavorful spices. I added some of their house salsa which just enhanced the character.

The others loved their food as well and we all left with a smile on our face, stuffed bellies and a slower walking pace. If ever you venture to Cabo, this little gem is a must.

Shoe Fix: Wooden Heels

I have a sick obsession for all things black. My wardrobe is predominately black. I really try and veer from black when it comes to shoes, but as I was searching for different styles of wooden heels I couldn't help but be drawn to the ones that were black. It is Spring and so choosing more neutral and lighter toned shoes would make more sense, but when it comes to choosing shoes I throw out all the rules of fashion. I figure pairing these black wooden shoes with a flirty floral dress would even out my Spring look.

Here are some of my favorites of the season:

Jeffrey Campbell "Charli-C" $124.95


Elizabeth and James "Greta Woven Pumps" $425


Buckled- Up Sandal from Anthropologie $178



Steve Madden "Danny" $109.95

Eastside Eateries

My idea of a perfect night out is having cocktails or wine and dinner with friends and tonight I did just that. I finally got over to the eastside and met up with one of my dearest foodie friends and brought a westsider friend with me. I took them to one of the best restaurants I have ever been to in my life. It is a vegetarian restaurant and the food is just unbelievable. Whether you are vegetarian or not, you cannot deny that their food has so much flavor that you don't even notice that the meat isn't there. I am stuffed. The restaurant I am talking about is Elf in Echo Park. It is a small and quaint restaurant that is dimly lit and always filled with the eastsides finest hipsters. It is a real intimate setting where you can watch the chefs prepare some of the best food I have ever had. Because the cafe is so small there is almost always a wait and of course tonight was no different and so we walked across the street to the wine bar and had a glass of wine while we waited for our table.


The maître d’ was so great and called me when our table was ready. So, we walked back over and sat down in our own little corner and order some great entrees and shared with one another. We had a Baked Tart with Roasted Tomatoes, Carmelized Onion and Feta:


A Sheep Cheese Crepe with Chevre Butter:



And a Portobello Mushroom with Spanish Rice and Mashed Potatoes:


They also served cucumber infused water which was really refreshing. My friends both loved the food and were talking about the next trip back. It was so good that our dishes were being wiped clean by both of them which resulted in this:



A beautifully, artistic stack of dishes.

5¢ Diner

My favorite meal of the day is breakfast. I could eat breakfast foods for all 3 meals of my day. I feel that finding amazing breakfast spots in Los Angeles is actually a difficult task believe it or not. I mean there are a multitude of restaurants to choose from, but not many that I walk away from being blown away. I have been finding lately that the best breakfast is served at the little gems tucked away in different parts of my big city. The most recent being the 5¢ Diner in downtown. My foodie guru took me there last Sunday after a morning of blissfully wandering around the Rose Bowl flea Market. We started our brunch with a bacon maple glazed donut and a homemade strawberry pop tart. The donut was the best donut I have ever had and the pop tart has rekindled my adornment for the flakey pastry and showed me what a real pop tart should taste like.

After our filling appetizers I order a chicken sausage, goat cheese and roasted tomato scramble. The tomatoes were the best tomatoes that I have had since Greece (those of you who have been to Greece know what I am talking about). They were filled with so much flavor and the heat only emphasized the great taste. I didn't want to stop eating it was so good. My guru had a BBQ pulled pork hash and it was phenomenal as well. I am not a pork girl and I had a bit of it and it was mouthwatering.

Because it had been featured on the Food Network a couple of weeks back the wait was about 20 minutes and well worth every minute. I have not been able to stop talking about it to anyone who will listen. They have 5 different donuts to choose from; 1 being a red velvet donut. They also have a variety of other pastries. This gem is a must for anyone who enjoys great food and pastries.

Easter Carrot Cupcakes

I have a guilty pleasure of sweets. Any kind of pastry is my friend. I like to use the excuse of holidays to bake delicious treats and of course Easter is no exception. A tradition I have created is baking birthday cakes for my friends and I baked a carrot cake for a girlfriend of mine for her birthday. Sadly, it did not turn out as I had hoped and so I felt the need to redeem myself and my baking reputation. The result: Carrot Cupcakes with toasted coconut. They turned out to be so yummy and were a hit amongst my boyfriend's family and my friends. I used a recipe from Martha Stewart and added a couple of my own special ingredients. I wanted them to resemble a easter basket sans the handle and I think I did a swell job. Here is the result.



For the icing I added 1/4 cup mascarpone. Careful not to use too much because it will out flavor the cream cheese and will become too creamy.

For the cake I added 1/2 a banana and mashed it before putting it in and mixed it in well. The banana makes the cake a bit more moist and a boost of flavor.

Martha's recipe doesn't direct to toast the coconut. I think that the coconut toasted adds a great texture to the cupcake and doesn't overwhelm the taste of the carrot cake itself. To toast the coconut: Set the oven to 350 degrees. On a flat baking sheet with a rim spread the coconut evenly. Toast in the over for 15 minutes (or until it is a golden brown) stirring the coconut occasionally. I used green food coloring to dye the coconut. Since Easter has passed, obviously you don't need to dye it.

Most of all... Enjoy!