eatdrinkbsocial

The Oh So Charming Dudley Market

Posted on March 16, 2016 by eatdrinkbsocial

What is better than waking up on a Saturday morning with nothing to do? Waking up with nothing to do and remembering there’s this newish little spot you’ve been dying to try! Run, ride or bike on over and dive right in! We did exactly that.

Of course we grabbed ourselves two seats at the beautiful, white, marbled bar and jumped right in. The menu is carefully constructed of offerings for breakfast, brunch or lunch with the dinner hour starting at 5:00 p.m. It was tough choice for me between the the Crab Louie, the Omelette with soft shell crab and the Croque Madame. However, being that it was Saturday, I decided to get … The Monday. As Alan so accurately described it to us it’s one of those sandwiches you crave on Monday when that Italian deli you love so much is closed. Once I heard “crave” and “can’t get on a Monday” I had to have it! And it was worth every bite. Every. Bite.

The Monday ~ salumi . mustard . arugula . pepper . provolone

I was tempted to have a mimosa, but as you can probably see from the photo I went for a delicious, ice cold beer. If I could remember the name I would share that with you, but again Alan to the rescue! Knowledgeable and quite generous, he gave us a couple things to taste and helped select the perfect combos for our meals.

My husband decided to go with breakfast and selected the Omelette with soft shell crab. The soft shell crab alone would have satisfied me to the core. However you wouldn’t want to miss out on the perfectly constructed, melt in your mouth French omelette either!

Omelette ~ beer battered soft shell crab . arugula . chives

After a breakfast / brunch like this one might expect us to pay our tab and walk out the door. Not so. “Indulge yourself!” said the little devil on my left shoulder. So we did. In the soon to be famous Espresso Shake. Oh my. Think espresso, shake, gelato, affogato all mixed up into one (with overflow enough for two!) served with a spoon and a straw. Done.

The Espresso Shake ~ pure deliciousness

So next time you’re in Venice or in the mood for a quaint little dining spot head on over to Dudley Market and ask for Alan, he’s a gem! Make a rezzie if you’re going for dinner. Or stop in to pick up something to go from the market! Thank you Chef Jesse Barber for sticking with Venice and giving us a delightful corner market and dining option.

Dudley Market . 9 Dudley Ave . Venice . Ca

“Accurate”

The Amazing Bike Ride Day

Posted on March 1, 2016 by eatdrinkbsocial

There’s not a lot to say for being gone so long except that I’m lazy and I hate writing! But… I have been out and about so I promise I will try and do a better job at keeping up with my posting!

Today let’s talk less about the eating, a little about the drinking and more about being social. Last week some friends and I decided to take a day “off” and bike ride through town eating, drinking, and of course socializing. Here’s what we did and where we went:

My latest obsession is Breeze. You know the new bike stations with the green bikes that are now all over Santa Monica? Literally obsessed! I wish there was a station by my house because I would probably ride a bike every day and I HATE bike riding! Don’t know how or why I’ve become addicted to them, but for now I am. I reserve the right to hate biking again one day…

My journey started at the corner of San Vicente and Ocean where I headed to meet my first friend at Neilson Way.

My Breeze bike and me

We took the bike path from her house and rode to Venice ending up at The Venice Whaler. Snagging the perfect table on the rooftop, overlooking the ocean we had (I hate to say it) but a surprisingly tasty lunch. Being a sucker for it I ate the biggest basket of fish and chips you can imagine with an ice cold Hoegaarden Belgium beer to wash it down. Ceci had the cedar plank salmon and it to was quite delicious. Her drink of choice was none other than a skinny margarita (insert margarita emoji here).

Selfie at The Venice Whaler

Next stop back to Santa Monica to pick up our friend Erin. It was about time for an afternoon cocktail so what better place to head to than The Lobster, Santa Monica! Here we had some spicy margarita’s and some other made up, off the cuff cocktails thanks to Ted the fabulous bartender!

Spicy Margarita with salt… always!

Not to tell tales, but one of us …I won’t say who… just HAD to have a corn dog, hmmm. Who am I to say no to that?! And look how cute this place is! Hot Dog on a Stick on the Santa Monica Pier, what more could you ask for?!

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Actually, if I were going to ask for more I would ask for a Carousel on the pier. Wait, what?! Did someone say there IS a carousel on the pier?? Why, yes, yes there is! And guess what we did… you bet your cute little button nose we did, we rode it!

Non-stop giggles on the carousel

There is nothing better than jumping on a carousel (or merry-go-round or whatever you want to call it) to lift your spirits. It will make you laugh and smile and feel like a little kid again. I highly recommend it!

After the up and down on the merry-go-round we still had some energy left and another friend to catch up with. Jumping back on our bikes we decided to head back to Venice and meet up with Maria at The Rose Cafe. if you haven’t been to The Rose Cafe since their reopening in November you should certainly find the time to go! They have several wonderful outdoor spaces, a lively indoor bar area as well as a lovely indoor patio where the colors are happy and bright. You won’t be disappointed. Make sure you check out the dishes and pastries they offer as you make your way to your table. If you’re there for dinner then definitely don’t pass on the Brussel Sprouts. I know, I know, we’re all sick of Brussel Sprouts by now, but seriously, these are too good to miss! They are served in a dashi broth with a poached egg and scallions on top and they are delightful! You’ll want to drink the broth when the sprouts are gone.

Okay, now back to cocktails. My parents always told me not to play with my food, but they never said anything about not playing with my drink! The Rosé All Day made us so happy, we wanted to show you how happy we were…

ROSE ALL DAY – ROSE, GIN, MOSCATEL PISCO, LIME, GRAPEFRUIT, ORANGE BITTERS

This day consisted of 4 good friends and 4 bicycles, 8 stops, 5 dishes, numerous drinks (always drink water in between cocktails!) and 12 miles of riding! Now go grab your friends and get out there and Eat, Drink and Be Social!

Instagram @eatdrinkandbesocial and #eatdrinkandbesocial… See you soon!

SMYC: What We Love and What We Hate

Posted on December 15, 2015 by eatdrinkbsocial

You gotta be fast when taking pics with this crowd and clearly I wasn’t…

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The aftermath of dinner

What do we love about SMYC? Pretty much everything. Chef Andrew Kirschner, the staff, the bartenders all included.

You can see here we had some delectable Mussels with Green Curry and Thai Basil. What you cannot see is Grilled Country Bread which was used to soak up that delicious curried broth, devoured, and reordered! There may have been some Lobster & Burrata Toast – lemon – tarragon – chili flake and possibly even the Charred Octopus – potato – salsa verde – smoked paprika, but you wouldn’t know it from the picture as we inhaled everything the second it was put on the table.

I know I said we loved absolutely everything we ate, and we did. However there is something we absolutely hate now… What could that possibly be you ask? We hate, I mean absolutely HATE that Chef took the number one best item off the menu! I’m sorry, but this post is too late and now you have been denied the most gratifying dish on the menu, the Eel Bento Box. Not only was it rich and melt in your mouth perfection; it also came with it’s own show. The waiter brings a shiny silver box to the table, slowly passes it around to show you the carefully placed contents – picture glazed bbq eel, rice, a golden egg yolk, scallion – then puts a lid on it and shakes it like he’s shaking a cocktail. What emerges is not as pretty a sight, but your tastebuds will be dancing for days in remembrance of that scrumptious box of food before you. RIP Bbq Eel Bento Box, you will be sorely missed.

before and after:

the sunset: vodka, yuzu juice, shiso syrup, lime, soda

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taking selfies, of course…

I forgot to mention what a beautiful setting this place has. It’s legit like you’re sitting in a yacht, hence the name Santa Monica Yacht Club. Thank you Chef and thank you to the SMYC team for a great time eating, drinking and being social!

A Night of Decadence, Imbibing & Merriment

Posted on December 10, 2015 by eatdrinkbsocial

You’ve never had a threesome like this. Okay, get your mind out of the gutter! I’m talking about Food, Wine and Jagermeister??

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Me and Victoria the head wine maker at Mirassol Winery

Mirassou Winery gave us the most delightful wines paired with a specially designed five course tasting menu by Chef Mike Hung at Faith & Flower in DTLA. I must say, they had me at -bone marrow butter- whaaaat?! Oh sorry, I got ahead of myself. The first course of Scallop Ceviche was the perfect balance of mouthwatering tang and gentle spice. Mirassou poured a 2014 California Moscato which you would imagine to be a sweet dessert wine. However, my tastebuds were pleasantly surprised by this dynamic duo.

From there we devoured everything from Pacific Ling Cod paired with a crisp Chardonnay, Winter Chicory Salad and Lapin (rabbit) Risotto coupled with a 2014 Pinot Noir, Chef’s special off-menu Pork Rillette which was partnered with a beautiful Cab Sauv and Oxtail Agnolotti (did I say bone marrow butter?!) served with an extraordinary California Red Blend.

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Lapin Risotto – Crispy Rabbit, Heirloom Carrot, Rabbit Jus

And last but certainly NOT least was the amazing Panna Cotta with pomegranate, puffed wild rice, bee pollen, honey and yuzu granita… oh my! Mirassou repeated the Moscato with this decadent dessert and believe me it once again took my tastebuds to a whole new world!

You’re probably wondering where the Jagermeister comes in. Well, after all that decadence we grabbed our swag and hoofed it over to the Jagermeister Stags Club at HoneycutLA where we continued long into the evening with surprising cocktails, music and dancing. There may have been some shots involved… idk.

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My partner in crime and fellow blogger (This Girl Walks Into A Bar) @girlwalksintobar Jordan!

I’ll never drink my Jagermeister out of anything else!

wins the award for heaviest swag bag eva!

eh hem… Trois Mec

Posted on December 8, 2015 by eatdrinkbsocial

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Ludo Lefebvre … should be “nuff said” and believe me he is, BUT… there’s still so much more I need to add!

Don’t be fooled when you arrive in the parking lot of Yum Yum Donuts and Rafallo’s Pizza joint. Once you walk through those doors your tastebuds won’t know what hit them. See that picture up there, the one that says “snacks”? You’ve never had snacks like this before. The tapioca cube was the best thing I’ve eaten in my entire life. I could’ve eaten the whole tray of them. Not to mention the garlic bread crouton and the buckwheat popcorn.

The five course tasting menu gave us such items as spot prawn with fermented black walnut, grilled eggplant caviar with jamon iberico de bellota (that’s fancy for ham!), radish with burnt bread and fromage blanc, lamb kebab and the most amazing rice pudding! This isn’t just any old rice pudding, this is Carolina gold rice pudding, brown butter and egg yolk…. my mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Trois Mec gets a lot of accolades as well as it’s fair share of naysayers. If your tastebuds aren’t sophisticated you may not enjoy this tasting menu. However, if you like an adventure and the chance to do something 90% of the population will never do, then dive right in! Take the plunge and keep in mind the team here does a great job of pairing the right wine with each course. So, take advantage and choose the wine pairings too!

Oh! Let me also say the staff was beyond friendly and the service perfect! And yes, we did see Ludo. And got our picture with him. And he came and talked to us. And he’s not as scary as he seems…. #imobsessed

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FOOD + friends

Posted on December 7, 2015 by eatdrinkbsocial

The epitome of eating, drinking and socializing right here! A workshop garage with a table set for 45 (we were a party of 6) and the most amazing meal by Foodshop. If you’ve never been to a “dinner with strangers” you have to try it! Foodshop is the place to start. The meal we had started with a lemon rosemary focaccia, then a brussel sprout salad and the most amazing pork chop you can imagine. Think crusty, juicy and mouthwatering delicious! You have to be lucky enough to be invited -which we were, but then you can get yourself on the guest list directly. locations and menus vary and it’s BYOB. Check it out: lafoodshop.com

@LAfoodshop

first post new blog