Posts Tagged ‘The Grove’

Finding America’s Best Restroom

Julian Serrano restroom

Julian Serrano restroom. Photo by Caroline on Crack.

When you’re out and about shopping and eating, finding a decent restroom is crucial. And when you find one that’s actually really nice, it can be a pleasant surprise, right?

Then why not nominate that business for having Cintas’ America’s Best Restroom?

Cintas’ survey editor recently reached out to me to help spread the word about the contest and get nominations for America’s Best Restroom (Canada’s Best Restroom will also be named). A couple of my personal favorites are the public restroom at The Grove shopping mall in Los Angeles with its marble floors and countertops, real towels and plush seating areas, and the restroom at Julian Serrano restaurant in the Aria hotel in Las Vegas, where Spanish language lessons are piped in. Nothing like tapas with a side of education, right?

Here’s the contest info:

Any restroom in the United States that is open to the public is eligible (previous winners will be eligible for reconsideration after one year). All nominations are accepted online through the nomination page. Nominated restrooms are considered by a selection committee based on eligibility, style, comments from the nomination and cooperation with the process. Up to 10 finalists will be announced in September, at which time the public will be asked to cast its votes. The winner will be announced in late fall.

Last year’s winner was the restroom at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis. I’m not a big fan of unisex restrooms, but this one looks pretty cool. I especially like the foot-pedal-as-faucet-control idea. Take a look:

21

04 2014

Sidewalk escape: Della Terra

Della Terra barThis is the first post from ShopEatSleep contributor Houri Parsi, a long-time friend and budding food blogger.

I discovered this new restaurant on Beverly Boulevard a couple of months ago and kept finding myself coming back, if only for the cute waiters and sophisticated owners. Eventually, I invited my friend Maya to have dinner with me there so she could write about it on her blog. But then, because I am a) an over ambitious control freak, and b) an overambitious control freak, I suggested that I write it myself as a guest blogger. So, with much ado, here is the review of one of my new favorite dining destinations in Los Angeles.

To start things off, let me tell the regular ShopEatSleep readers a little about me. Unlike this blog’s author, I am not a fan of Los Angeles. I’m from San Francisco, which makes me bougie enough to say things like, “No thanks, I only smoke in Paris…,” and, “I make it a point to go Europe once a year, and I always stop in New York on the way.” My smug preference for cities with smug dining options makes L.A. a frustrating sea of places that require an hour of research to find and 40 minutes of promising your friends on the Westside that you will give the two hours of their life back to them if they could please just meet you east of the 405.

Then…Della Terra fell into my lap. It fills the void for a spot between a welcoming sidewalk café and a fancy place where you want to match your clutch with your heels. And since I know Maya is always watching the price points for her in-this-economy readers, I should mention that it’s a classy place you can go to without breaking the bank. With the exception of the steak au poivre, which clocks in at an impressive $27, everything else on the menu safely sits between $10 and $20. And most of it is consistently good.

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30

09 2010

Fashion’s Night Out in Los Angeles

Official L.A. Fashion's Night Out shirt designed by FIDM student Marc Blaskovits. From Transmopolis.

There are like a gazillion events happening tomorrow, Sept. 10, for Fashion’s Night Out, and you can find a great list at Mondette. Here are some others that are taking place in Santa Monica, for those of you on the Westside:

Fluxus: The Santa Monica Place store will have a guest DJ, complimentary cupcakes and champagne, an exclusive preview of the Fluxus fall/winter 2010 collection, and a Buy 2, Get 1 Free discount.

395 Santa Monica Place
Santa Monica, CA 90401
6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Fred Segal Santa Monica: While the Melrose location does its thing (see the Mondette post), this store will be hosting giveaways and gifts-with-purchase from JET, Sharon Segal, ICON and Line & Dot. There will also be personal styling by Kahi Lee, a debut wall installation by KSwiss, art by ICON, music by DJ OMG and cocktails.

Fred Segal Santa Monica
420 Broadway St.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

There’s also a bunch of stuff happening at The Grove, which Kelsi of Dedicated Follower of Fashion and Two Point Oh! L.A. has explained. There’s so much going on, I don’t know where to go!

09

09 2010

Test drive a car, get $20 to spend at The Grove

The Grove. From Worship Worthy.

This Saturday, March 13, MOD: Matters on Design, a program that emphasizes style and technology, will be hosting a car and fashion event at The Grove. There will be a test drive event from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with the new Kia Sorento CUV — the crossover utility vehicle that’s featured in that Hangover-esque commercial with life-size stuffed toys. The best part is you’ll get a $20 gift card to The Grove for doing the test drive, which shouldn’t be very extensive considering it’s confined to the valet roundabout. Then, if you’re so inclined, there will be a bebe fashion show at 7:00 p.m. featuring the Kardashians capsule collection and Spring 2010 looks.

11

03 2010

Christmas dinners in L.A. and O.C.

Steak at Morels

Steak at Morels

What, you still don’t know what you’re going to eat for Christmas? Well, don’t worry — check out some of these Christmas Eve and Christmas Day meals in Los Angeles and Orange County. (Note: I have not checked if these places still have available reservations, but I’m sure there will be last-minute cancellations in any case.)

Los Angeles

Christmas Eve

Marino Ristorante: This Hollywood eatery is offering a Feast of the Seven Fishes dinner, a common custom in southern Italy. This 10-course feast will be offered during both lunch and dinner. The menu features traditional dishes such as Insalata di Rinforzo, a pickled cauliflower and vegetable salad that is typically eaten on Christmas Eve; Baccala Fritto and Baccala in Umido, two preparations of salt cod; and Italian dessert Souffle di Panettone.

Price: $59 per person
Address: 6001 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90038
Reservations: (323) 466-8812 or online

Patina: This downtown mainstay will be offering a special four-course prix fixe menu featuring Maine lobster salad, a fall glazed-vegetable mosaic, foie gras ravioli, and a choice of Pennsylvania roasted duck in huckleberry jus or Colorado rack of lamb with baby artichokes. Dessert options are a chestnut Mont Blanc with French meringue or macerated raspberries with chocolate gratin and milk emulsion. Menu here.

Price: $95 per person; $25 for additional artisanal cheeses; a la carte menu also available
Address: 141 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Reservations: (213) 972-3331

More Patina Group restaurants, including Café Pinot, Pinot Bistro, Zucca Ristorante, Nick & Stef’s Steakhouse and Kendall’s, will be having special dinners for Christmas Eve, too.

Christmas Day

Morels French Steakhouse & Bistro: This fancy-but-not restaurant at The Grove is offering two different meals, one at the more casual bistro with a seasonal soup or salad, choice of Chilean sea bass or filet mignon, and choice of a flourless chocolate cake or black & white chocolate mousse. The other meal will be served in the upstairs steakhouse with choice of lobster bisque or spiced butternut squash soup, choice of seared jumbo scallops or a beet and goat cheese napoleon, main courses of filet mignon and Maine lobster tail or roasted duck, and dessert of either molten chocolate cake or Mont Blanc sundaes.

Price: $35 in the bistro; $65 in the steakhouse
Address: 189 The Grove Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Reservations: (323) 965-9595

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23

12 2009

Holiday shopping/gift guide

Still working on that list of Christmas/Hanukkah gifts? Here’s a hodge podge of shopping and gift options for you to consider:

Gap slipper booties

Gap slipper booties

The Grove: I did some of my holiday shopping at The Grove earlier this week, and I saw some decent stuff at the Gap for decent prices. All necklaces were $10 and all bracelets were $4. Scarves with large flowers on them, which apparently aren’t offered on Gap’s Web site, in purple, turquoise and green were $10 (other colors were more expensive). And slipper booties, originally $29.50, were $19.99. J.Crew and Banana Republic didn’t seem to have a lot of sales going on, though there were some jewelry sales at J.Crew, and the sale rack in the back of Banana Republic was pretty full.

Royal/T: This art space and cosplay cafe that is currently hosting the latest incarnation of LudoBites also has a Winter Wonderland pop-up shop just for the holidays. The space has Christmas trees decorated with items from tokidoki, Hello Kitty, The Valley of the Dolls, Be@rbrick, and Momiji that shoppers can pick off and buy. The Hello Kitty one is really cute, I must say. There are other gift ideas in the space, too, including under the Christmas trees, which you can use to create your own customizable holiday gift boxes ranging in price from $50 to $200. And with any $20 purchase, you’ll get a hand-painted gift box for free (you can also purchase one for $5).

Maven Collective: For those of you south of the Orange Curtain, Maven Collective, a company that holds sample and pop-up sales in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Francisco and New York City, is holding just such a sale in Costa Mesa at The Boathouse (1638 Pomona Ave.) this Saturday, Dec. 19, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 20, from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Expect to see clothing from Mike & Chris and B.B. Dakota, shoes from Balenciaga and Lanvin, shoes and bags from Jil Sander, and much more for up to 80 percent off retail prices. Cash and credit accepted.

17

12 2009

Getting fancy at The Grove: Morels French Steakhouse & Bistro

img_1733
I must have walked by Morels at The Grove countless times and barely gave it a second look. I mean, just look at its name: Morels French Steakhouse & Bistro. It just sounds so hoity toity and not exactly my cup of tea. So when Morels invited a bunch of food bloggers (including Esther of e*starLA and Matt of Dig Lounge) and writers for a tasting meal, I figured I might as well try it since I haven’t been in the seven or so years since The Grove opened. And I was right; the restaurant is fancy but not prohibitively so, though some of the prices are pretty high.

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28

10 2009

Some stuff to look forward to

  • Annenberg Beach House. From the beach house's Flickr stream.

    Annenberg Beach House. From the beach house's Flickr stream.

    The Annenberg Beach House opens this weekend in Santa Monica. The former estate of William Randolph Hearst opens to the public after two years of renovation and includes a pool and event space. No membership is required, but there are fees for entry and parking. Reservations are recommended. More at CurbedLA.

  • Starting April 28, Dakota Chop House at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel will be offering a weekly BLT night “featuring specialty bacons from artisanal smokehouses,” per the press release. You can build your own bacon creation or choose from the resto’s creations, which include pizza, pasta and burgers in addition to the traditional sandwich. Maybe Dakota is jumping on Animal’s popularity? A bacon chocolate bar doesn’t sound appetizing to me, but to each his own.
  • “Top Chef” season 5 contestants Fabio Viviani and Stefan Richter will be competing in a cook off at The Grove May 20. Grove restaurants will also be having their own cooking demonstrations and offering samples. The event is free, but you need to RSVP with Los Angeles magazine, which is co-hosting the event.
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04 2009