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Root Beauty deodorant

Do you make it a point to buy and eat organic food? Do you also pay attention to what you put on your body as much as you do to what you put in it? If you do, then Root Beauty is for you.

Root Beauty is a local L.A. company that makes organic facial moisturizer, hand cream and deodorant from recognizable ingredients. For example, the hand cream contains organic shea butter, cocoa butter, jojoba oil and sweet almond oil. That’s it.

Founder Kristin Lauterbach just launched the company in May, but she has been a proponent of living a toxin-free life for years. She started out buying local, organic food but soon realized there was so much more to think about.

“I started reading what was in the [beauty] products I was buying, and I couldn’t pronounce most of the words on the back of the bottle,” she said. “I realized I was putting chemicals all over me all the time. I wanted to know how I could reduce my chemical exposure while still maintaining my urban lifestyle.”

So Lauterbach started making her own skin care products in her kitchen. Through trial and error, and “a little art, a little science,” she came up with products that she would give to friends and family, who encouraged her to sell them. After a while, she realized this was her calling and decided to take a break from the film industry she was working in.

I took the Balance Face Moisturizer and the deodorant for a two-week trial run, both with better-than-expected results.

The Balance moisturizer, which contains organic grape seed, bergamot, niaouli, lavender and vitamin E oils, is formulated for combination and oily skin. Because it’s oil-based, I was a bit skeptical as to how it would balance my already oily skin, but almost immediately I could tell that my skin felt better and looked more balanced. It wasn’t the best option for me when it came to being a bit sweaty, as is the case in this current heat wave, but other than that, I have no complaints. I even used it with a prescription rosacea cream, and I didn’t experience any adverse effects.

When it came to trying the deodorant, I was kind of scared, actually. I’ve never not used an antiperspirant, and I was afraid I would be a sweaty mess without one. But the organic corn starch and the baking soda kept me pretty dry (under normal temperatures, not so much in this current heat), and the organic virgin coconut and rosemary oils kept me smelling almost good enough to eat (not really, but the deodorant on its own smells really tasty). Just remember to keep it cool because if you don’t, it’ll separate due to the addition of coconut oil. The fact that this natural deodorant works nearly as well as aluminum-laden antiperspirant is a welcome development for someone who’s married to the person who made a documentary about our chemical body burden.

Trying to buy beauty products that don’t contain phthalates, which often hide in the names of “DBP,” “DEP” and “fragrance” (try finding something that doesn’t contain “fragrance”!) and have been known to cause disruptions of the endocrine system, is really tough. But Root Beauty makes it easy, and it sounds as if Lauterbach is on to something here — personally and professionally.

“Root Beauty just became a natural progression of my journey,” she said. “I know this sounds cheesy, but I love when people try my products and they not only work for them, but they really enjoy them.”

Note: These products were complimentary.

I’ve been to Louisville before and have even been to the Kentucky Derby. But on this last trip, I tried a bunch of new food, some at old-but-new-to-me places and some at places that have opened since my last trip nearly eight years ago.

First off, I was told that I needed to go to Graeter’s, which specializes in French pot ice cream (dense, custard style). I had both the Bourbon Ball and Black Raspberry Chip flavors, and surprisingly, I liked the Black Raspberry Chip better. Perhaps the best part of this ice cream is the chocolate chips, which are created by pouring melted chocolate into the pot and letting the paddle break up the then-hardened candy into various sizes. If you’re lucky, you’ll get a big piece of chocolate in one of your bites. Since visiting this store, I’ve found Graeter’s ice cream at my local Ralphs, though not all flavors are carried there. They do carry Chocolate Coconut Almond Chip, my new favorite flavor. How can you go wrong with chocolate ice cream dotted with coconut and almond pieces surrounded by those special chocolate chips?

Graeter’s Black Raspberry Chip ice cream

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Simmzy’s Long Beach

Want to have a nice meal with good food and drink but don’t want to deal with having to dress up? Then Simmzy’s is your place.

Founded by brothers Mike Simms, who also owns Tin Roof Bistro and M.B. Post, and Chris Simms, owner of Lazy Dog Cafe, Simmzy’s is a casual pub with an upscale menu — a gastropub, if you will. Chef Anne Conness works it out with creative (but not too creative as to be off-putting) dishes, such as the Bacon & Date Mascarpone Pizza and the addictive Blue Cheese Haystack (shoestring fries smothered in blue cheese dressing, garlic and spicy sauce).

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Clockwise from bottom left: Brandon’s Barbecue Pickled Salad, Minted Macadamia Nut Cole Slaw and Red Pepper Orzo at The Peninsula Beverly Hills’ Roof Garden

What’s better than lounging around outside on a warm summer’s evening? Lounging around on The Peninsula Beverly Hills‘ hotel rooftop while enjoying fancy barbecue and cocktails, obviously. And with the hotel’s Weekend Barbecue at the Roof Garden, you can do just that.

Grab a Speckled Jalapeño Margarita — it has just the right amount of kick — and nosh on some addictive roasted red pepper hummus and pita chips while you take in the view. Then move on to the mains: I liked the Giant Tiger Shrimp served “char siu,” or Chinese barbecue, style and the ribs best. And don’t forget the side dishes — purple Okinawa sweet potatoes; Red Pepper Orzo with roasted corn, cilantro and blue cheese; and Brandon’s Barbecue Pickled Salad are all standouts.

Speckled Jalapeno Margarita

Giant Tiger Shrimp

If you’re still hungry, order the Ahi Tuna Chop-Chop from the rooftop’s regular menu. Accompanied by avocado, crisp pineapple, baby coconut and roof garden-picked herbs, The Peninsula’s take on the ubiquitous ahi tuna-and-avocado starter is a revelation and by far one of my favorites.

Ahi Tuna Chop-Chop

You have until September 2 to enjoy the weekend barbecue, which happens Saturdays and Sundays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Note: This meal was hosted.

Further reading:

BBQ at the Roof Garden, Peninsula Hotel (Beverly Hills) by Gourmet Pigs

Peninsula Beverly Hills’ BBQ and Cocktails on the Roof Rock by Deathbed Food

I’ve never been a big fan of Keds shoes, but its collaboration with American Rag at Macy’s has yielded some pretty cool results: two limited-edition laceless sneakers in purple leopard and grey geometric prints. While the grey triangle print looks very early 90s, as is the style these days, the purple leopard print is just plain fun.

Purple Leopard Keds by American Rag

Grey Geometric Print by Keds by American Rag

There is also a zebra print and a more traditional leopard print available, but the two newer prints are more my style. Also, I love purple! But maybe the best part is these collaboration shoes are totally affordable at $45 a pair.

June Gloom. From Grubstreet Los Angeles.

You’ve spent many a day and night drinking beers at Venice beach — this much is a given. But have you ever thought that Venice should have its own brew? Well, longtime bar manager Tim Benedick and actor Kerr Smith, both Venice residents, recently launched Venice Beach Beer Company to fill this (seeming) void.

But how do you bottle the essence of Venice? Benedick and Smith have come up with two brews: Venice, an American amber ale with a blend of caramel and biscuit malts packed with five different hops, and June Gloom, a white Belgian beer combining the tastes of coriander and orange peel with a “cleaner” yeast than is usually used in this style.

“Venice is more than a laid-back beach town. It’s also a cutting-edge, artsy, in-your-face kind of town, too,” said Smith, perhaps best known for his stint as Jack McPhee on “Dawson’s Creek.” “That’s what we mean when we say Venice in a bottle: a blend of mellow malty flavor with aggressive hops. The two combine for sweet (beach-like) flavor with a hoppy (in-your-face, edgy) flavor.”

Venice Beach Beer Company plans to produce approximately 1,000 barrels in its first year. Find the brews at Venice Beach’s Hinano Cafe, Larry’s, Chaya Venice, Venice Beach Wines and Whole Foods on Lincoln Boulevard, among other places. A third brew, AWOL (Always West of Lincoln) IPA, will be available next year, and plans for a retail location are in the works.

Further reading:

Where to Find Venice Beach Beer Company’s First Two Brews by Grubstreet Los Angeles

La Jolla Cove’s sea lions

To celebrate our first wedding anniversary, Rory and I took a weekend trip down to La Jolla, just north of downtown San Diego. La Jolla, an affluent beach community that’s home to UC San Diego, is just a couple hours’ drive from Los Angeles, so it’s easy to either make a day trip or weekend out of a visit there.

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Strawberry Short Cake at Enoteca Drago

Beverly Hills’ Enoteca Drago, one in Chef Celestino Drago’s stable of Italian eateries, has a new chef de cuisine on board. Garrett Mukogawa, a Drago protégé, has designed a new menu that incorporates Asian flavors and some of classics from the now-shuttered Drago Santa Monica.

Where Mukogawa shines is in the small plates, including the burrata salad, made with mozzarella, green lentil, roasted beets and asparagus, and the lamb belly with honey comb, goat cheese espuma and pickled fennel. An off-menu item of sweet corn agnolotti in brown butter and sage was divine.

When it comes to the mains, stick with the pizza. The Bomba, an enclosed puffy tent of mozzarella, caramelized onions and black truffles, is delicious in its simplicity.

But if you’re going to visit Enoteca Drago, you need to have dessert. Pastry Chef Mario Ortiz works wonders in all mediums, from the chocolate hazelnut crunch bar with the inventive orange black pepper sorbet and marmalade to the butterscotch espresso pudding with rosemary tuile and fleur de sel. But the strawberry short cake, served with Chambord gelato and a sweet balsamic reduction, is a revelation; I’ve never had a flakier, more satisfying biscuit with this dessert.

See more photos from Enoteca Drago:

Note: This meal was hosted.

Chicken liver terrine at Public Kitchen & Bar

Are you sad that you won’t be able to have foie gras in California starting July 1? Well, don’t cry over banned duck liver. Chicken liver can be a good alternative, and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel‘s Public Kitchen & Bar has an amazing chicken liver terrine to sate your liver-loving appetite. Served alongside candied kumquats and grilled bread, the liver is an addictive ultra-smooth spread of savory goodness that will leave you scraping the jar for more. This dish will turn your foie-less frown upside down — that is, until you finish it. But at least you’ll leave Public knowing you can return for more chicken liver anytime.

Tom Gates‘ Wayward: Fetching Tales From a Year on the Road, a collection of travel stories from a music manager-turned-travel writer, is an enjoyable read full of quirky tales of the music business, travel triumphs and mishaps, and musings on all of these things. The vignettes are a little disjointed when strung together, but that’s because many of the stories were originally posts on Matador Network, an online travel magazine. The short stories actually make for a good read while on vacation, when you might just want something short, sweet and to-the-point, all the while being entertained by Gates’ awe at a fancy hotel room, horror at witnessing a child’s death, fascination with new cultures and disgust with himself after trying dog meat. Gates’ writing is funny and clever, to boot; let’s hope there’s more where that came from.