ShopEatSleep

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Ximena Valero, an L.A.-based fashion designer whose signature is the convertible piece wearable in myriad ways. While there are other brands that offer the same idea, Valero’s is the first I’ve actually seen up close and tried on. In fact, she gifted one of her OMG dresses to me, and I’m very excited to wear it. I’ve played around with it, but I haven’t had a chance to actually wear it out because it’s really long — built for leggy models, I guess. So until I can find a pair of suitable platforms, I’ll have to settle for studying this video that demonstrates all the different ways I could wear the dress. Fun!

Momed (“modern Mediterranean”), a new Beverly Hills eatery, offers diners authentic foods from all over the Mediterranean in a sleek space formerly occupied by Rosti Tuscan Kitchen on South Beverly Drive. The fact that nearly everything on the menu comes in under $20 just makes this place an even more welcome addition to the neighborhood. Good food at good prices can’t be beat.

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Cocktails and the Taco de Atun Crudo from Ortega 120

The 4th annual White Light White Night fundraiser event, which benefits Walk With Sally, a non-profit organization that provides free-of-charge mentoring support programs and services to L.A. children who are living with or have lost a parent or sibling to cancer, is taking place Saturday, July 10, at 6:00 p.m. at the South Bay BMW lot and rooftop in Torrance. This year’s event will feature a concert from Rocco DeLuca, an auction, and food and drink from South Bay eateries, including Ortega 120 and the new outpost of Gonpachi in the Miyako Hybrid Hotel.

Last year, the event raised more than $100,000 to sponsor children through the Walk With Sally program. The goal for this year is to fund 60 new kids in addition to the 43 existing mentorships; there are currently 59 children who are waiting to take part in the program.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.WalkWithSally.org. General tickets cost $100 per person, and VIP tickets, which allow access to the silent and live auctions, cost $150 per person.

I don’t know what your idea of resort food is, but mine is that it’s mediocre at best. But Sirocco and CAVA at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa in Indian Wells turned that idea on its head, as I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food and service at both eateries. (Read Part 1 on the resort property here.)

When we arrived at the hotel, it was just in time for the United States vs. United Kingdom World Cup match, so we hunkered down in our room and ordered room service for lunch. I got a tuna salad sandwich, which came on rye bread and potato chips and a salad on the side, and a creamy mushroom soup that was to die for. The menu wasn’t kidding when it said “A House Favorite.” Rory got a standard club sandwich, which he enjoyed. Our Arnold Palmer drinks were nicely mixed, too. The meal was rounded out with extra glasses of water and oatmeal raisin cookies for dessert, which I actually didn’t eat because I don’t like raisins.

Tuna sandwich (that's a side of avocado way in the back)

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A high-profile Disney film wouldn’t be complete without a line of Disney Couture to complement it, and “Toy Story 3” is no exception. For its latest animated feature, Disney recruited designers to come up with a line of fancy T-shirts featuring some of the movie franchise’s most recognizable characters.

My favorites are the Woody tank by Victor Glemaud ($70) and Costello Tagliapietra‘s 70s glam Hamm shirt ($92).

Woody by Victor Glemaud

Costello Tagliapietra's Hamm

House of Holland designed a Jessie-inspired shirt ($108) that’s made out of a sweatshirt-like material, while Cassette Playa made a Buzz Lightyear shirt ($84) light as a feather. There’s also a Jonathan Saunders-designed black-and-white Rex shirt ($84). You can find all the shirts for sale at Revolve.

To launch the T-shirt line, Disney and Revolve hosted a party at the retailer’s shop in West Hollywood complete with tray-passed appetizers, wine and a candy buffet (score!). Celebrities were in attendance, including Cheryl Burke from “Dancing With the Stars,” actress Krysten Ritter and my personal favorite model Agyness Deyn.

Designer Henry Holland and model Agyness Deyn in the life-size toy display box

And there was this fun over-size chair out front where Tara of When Tara Met Blog, Esther of e*starLA and Katelin of Gorgeous Footsteps in the Sand and I took this cute pic:

Katelin, me, Esther and Tara.

My only issue with these Toy Story-inspired shirts are the prices. Nothing less than $70? Really? I understand that these are designer and all, but they’re T-shirts. I wouldn’t pay that much for a T-shirt from any designer, no matter how soft and comfortable it may be (which some of these shirts are), but that’s just me. I could understand the high price tags of the Alice in Wonderland Disney Couture items because of the obvious skill that went into each item, but I just can’t justify paying nearly $100 for a T-shirt. These Toy Story shirts are cute, though…

Going to the desert usually isn’t my idea of a good time. I don’t like long drives, and heat doesn’t sit well with me. So I hesitated at first when the opportunity to spend a weekend in Indian Wells, Calif., presented itself because that’s, like, past Palm Springs.

You see, I was invited by the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa, a Marriott property, to stay a night and experience its restaurants, Sirocco and CAVA. I wasn’t sure about the desert location as I knew very little about Indian Wells other than a big tennis tournament happens there every year, but then I saw this on the hotel’s website

and immediately changed my mind. Indian Wells, here I come!

In this post I’ll discuss the hotel property, and in a subsequent post I’ll feature the resort’s food, so stay tuned.

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I had been meaning to try FIG Restaurant in the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica since it opened early last year, so when I was invited to dinner there, I jumped at the chance. The restaurant’s seasonal, farm-to-table concept sounded good — how could a place that places its emphasis on fresh local ingredients not sound good? The good news is this philosophy isn’t just lip service: Chef Ray Garcia knows his ingredients, and his kitchen can really cook.

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Eva's fried chicken

This Tuesday, June 22, Eva Restaurant is offering an all-you-can-eat-and-drink deal with Eureka North County pilsner and fried chicken for $25 per person. Actually, the special is being marketed as all-you-can-drink beer with “free” fried chicken, but we all know nothing is free. In any case, Eva’s fried chicken is pretty darn good, which I’ve said before, so this should be a great way to experience it. And it’s the only food that will be offered on this night, so hopefully you like it! And if the night is a success, then the restaurant may continue the special deal on a weekly basis.

Eat My Blog, the charity bake sale that benefits the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, is back, bigger and better than December’s inaugural event. This time there will be more than 70 bakers, including the foodies behind the blogs Delicious Coma, Diana Takes a Bite, Eating L.A., Ravenous Couple, plus donations from local chefs, restaurants and mainstream media luminaries Evan Kleiman, Ludovic Lefevbre, Debbie Lee, Drago Centro, Valerie Confections, Starry Kitchen, LAist, Los Angeles Times’ Daily Dish, L.A. Weekly’s Squid Ink, and many more. Check out Gastronomy Blog for a complete list of participants.

The event is taking place this Saturday, June 19, at the West Hollywood Tender Greens from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Look out for noms such as Nutella blondies, carrot cake cookie sandwiches, browned butter brown sugar cookies, matcha mocha bundts with red bean filling, ube cupcakes and much more (complete menu here). There will also be The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf beverages to help wash it all down. The best part? Every is priced between $1 and $4 and all proceeds go to charity.

Courtesy of Pinkberry.

From June 25 through August, Pinkberry will be offering a new flavor, as it tends to do in the summertime. This year it’s watermelon. While I normally wouldn’t bother reporting on a new frozen yogurt flavor, I was intrigued by the news that Pinkberry is recommending this new watermelon flavor topped with watermelon puree, diced watermelon and diced cucumber, which will be offered at stores upon its release. Adding a little savory vegetable action into the mix might not be such a bad idea, though I haven’t tasted it yet so I can’t say for sure. When I do, I’ll let you know what I think.

Oh, and to up the ante in the world of froyo, Pinkberry is introducing a daily happy hour from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. to push its new flavor. Any size watermelon froyo, including swirls and side-by-sides, will be half-price during this time.

UPDATE: I just tried the new flavor, thanks to a special delivery to my office from Pinkberry, and I like it a lot. The watermelon frozen yogurt is nice, especially with the watermelon and cucumber pieces, which seem to cut the sweetness of the froyo a bit (a good thing for me). I’m not sure I’m a fan of the watermelon puree, though, but only because it froze into an icy mass after sitting on the cold yogurt.

Note: The frozen yogurt with toppings that was delivered to me was complimentary.