Tag Archives: BlackboardEats

July 18, 2012 · 10:32 am

Vol. 94

Every few months we decide to treat ourselves to a “special” date night.  This is when we will valet the car, get a bottle of wine, enjoy a nice long dinner, and act like we are blinded to the prices on the menu.

We decided to try Vol. 94 in Pasadena, maybe because I had a BlackboardEats discount for 30% off dinner.  It’s a quant tapas style restaurant and wine bar.  I’m a huge fan of small plates (lets you try more things!) and I also love wine, so this was a definite winner in my book.

I was so sad we didn’t get to use the chopsticks…

Oh, hey, handsome

I didn’t snap any photos of the food because I have this problem lately where when I’m eating, I completely forget to stop.

But if you go, which I HIGHLY recommend, some of our favorites were the Duck Fat Nuts, Korean Pizza, and the Pan Seared Diver Scallops. Ok, now writing this is making my mouth water and I must wrap it up!

And if you haven’t signed up for BlackboardEats yet, here’s another reason to do so:
Our bill should have been around $100. Instead, it was $63 (that included 5 small plates and a nice bottle of wine) and we left STUFFED.

Happy small plates eating to you!

LUV,
Britt

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June 27, 2012 · 6:11 pm

The Slaw Dogs

Ahhh, Chicago style hot dogs. What could be better? Most of my friends in LA are native Chicagoans, including EVERY LAQP except myself, and it seems they are always on the search for the perfect hot dog. Of course, there’s Portillo’s and it’s wonderful. But it’s also all the way in Buena Park. So if you’re looking for something more in the LA area, I suggest to you The Slaw Dogs in Pasadena.

BlackboardEats had a 30% off lunch or dinner deal going on and Andy and Jess ate there and thought it was delicious. Andy declared it the closest thing to a Chicago style dog he had found thus far. In all actuality, I  didn’t even need convincing after scoping out the MENU.

We got the mac and cheese dog, the special pineapple express, sweet potato fries, and of course some tots.  And they had our FAVORITE Bundaberg ginger beer!  SOLD.

The best ginger beers in the world and The Mac and Cheese Dog – Macaroni and Cheese, Bacon, Grilled Onions

The Pineapple Express

Sweet Potato Fries and Tots. PLEASE TRY THE CURRY KETCHUP!

If you’re on that hunt for the perfect hot dog, check out The Slaw Dogs.  And if you’re dissappointed…  Well, you may want to get your head checked out because you’re plain crazy!  Just kidding… But seriously.

LUV,
Britt

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June 21, 2012 · 10:49 am

Simplethings Sandwich & Pie Shop

Pies and sandwiches.  Two of my favorite things.  Then just throw a BlackboardEats deal of 30% off lunch, and now we are talking about THREE of my favorite things!

Simplethings Sandwich & Pie Shop is in the popular area of W. 3rd Street (and there’s parking in the rear, folks!) and it has all things working in its favor:  Great location, tasty sammy’s, and scrumptious PIES.  Even adorable little teeny tiny pies!  I would say contrary to its name, there’s nothing simple about this place… Ohhhh, jokes!

Egg Salad Sandwich on Pretzel Bread

Extreme Close-Up of the French Silk Pie

Can’t make up your mind? Get half and half! Here is half Egg Salad and half Thanksgiving

Unfortunately, the BlackboardEats deal has expired, but there is no reason you need a deal for this lovely restaurant.  ALL IS WORTH IT. Just check out the menu and pie schedule right HERE. Yep, that’s what I thought.  See you there!

LUV,
Britt

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February 4, 2012 · 10:30 am

A Perfect Day in LA

1. Blanket
2. Some soda pop from Rocket Fizz
3. Delicious sandwiches from Moore’s (used a BlackboardEats and got 40% off!)
4. The park at The Brand Library
5. Sunshine and 70 degree weather

Yep, that’s a perfect day.

LUV,
Britt

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January 12, 2012 · 1:01 pm

A Day at the Beach: Venice Beach

People think that when you live in LA you spend most of your time at the beach.  Au contraire, mon cheri.  I have lived here for over 3 years now and I think I can count on all my fingers and toes how many times I’ve been to the beach.  Yes, it is lovely, but you learn qucikly that a weekend trip to the coast may take your money and sanity.  Parking can be costly and traffic can be atrocious.  So my secret to beach voyages?  Go to the beach on a weekday!  (Ah, the joys of freelance and having days off).

I hadn’t been to the beach in over six months, so Bry and I decided to venture to Venice this week.  I also had a BlackBoard Eats for a sushi place on Abott Kinney, so that may have had a little something to do with us venturing to the West Side…

If you haven’t been to Venice yet, I just have one question for you:  WHY?!?!

It does kind of freak a few people out.  From the homeless underground that wander the boardwalk, to the people in green encouraging you to get your medical marijuana card, to the Botox clinic on the beach (yep, it really exist).  Venice is quite eclectic and I think that’s what’s so wonderful about it!  Leave all your cares in the parking lot, pretty much anything goes at this beach!  And if you’ve seen I Love You, Man that’s a great depiction of the beach.  Don’t leave your dogs poo on the boardwalk!

My favorite part is the skateboard park.  We stood there for a good 30 minutes total watching these kids skate their hearts out.  Ok, another question:  Why aren’t any of them in school?!  Whatever, live your dreams, honies.

Skaters gonna skate

Swinging in Venice

Zoltar told my future

After enjoying the beach, we headed to Abott Kinney.  I would say I’m not hip enough for Abott Kinney, but I do love it!  And Bry fit right in with his thick rimmed glasses.  We went in and out of stores.  Drooled over kitchen appliances we could not afford.  It was wonderful.  Then to dinner!

Wabi-Sabi
1635 Abbot Kinney Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90291
310-314-2229

Wabi-Sabi is a sushi place we had both never been too, but like I mentioned earlier, I had a Blackboard Eats code. You know how I am about my BBE! We also got there at Happy Hour (from 5:30-6:30) so we ordered a couple drinks and rolls from the HH menu. Oh man, their edamame?! WOO! We got the soy sauce edamame and it was so delicious! It put a little kick in the usual salted edamame. I also got ginger honey tea because I’ve been feeling under the weather and it was so flavorful, I could taste it through a stuffy nose! Sorry for the TMI… Back to the bill: Let’s just stay between BBE and Happy Hour, our bill went from $62 to $48! HELLO!

I have to say going to Venice and Abott Kinney on a Wednesday afternoon in January is the way to go. We had no trouble with parking at either location, didn’t have to wait for a table at dinner, and weren’t being pushed off sidewalks by crowds.

But if you work weekdays, try going early! I’ve also realized people in LA don’t like to get up early on the weekends… Yes, this is our lifestyle. And I love it.

LUV,
Britt

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January 11, 2012 · 9:13 am

LA essential restaurants, 4 in one week…90+ left!

Jonathan Gold has been writing for LA Weekly for over a decade.  His niche?  FOOD.  Food, food, and more food.  From best dishes, to restaurant reviews, to my favorite, Jonathan Gold’s 99 Essential LA Restaurants.

Now,  I would never call myself a foodie.  Frankly I think the phrase is a bit silly.  I would rather say gurlwhoenjoysgoodfoodandsometimestriescrazythingsIsaidsometimes.  Yea, that sounds about right.

This past week we had a friend in town who LOVES to eat good food.  But then again, he probably wouldn’t be my friend if he LOVED to eat bad food, am I right!? ha… eghhmm… haha… oook. Anyways.  His vacation meant a few things, a lot of drinking, and a LOT of going out to eat.  And where did Jeffery want to go? A LAUNDRY LIST OF RESTAURANTS ON JONATHAN GOLD’S LIST!!!

Due to a slight cold, and well being some what financially intelligent, I limited my restaurants to only 4, which is still a good amount.  But if I want to try and reach all 99 restaurants, I better step it up.

Restaurant #1:

Guelaguetza: Auténtica comida Oaxaqueña

Authentic, delicious, a great kick off to my week of essential restaurant feasts.  Chicharrones, mole, enchiladas, champurrado….my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Food was too good to stop and take a pic. Picture courtesy of Guelaguetza.

Restaurant #2:

Red Medicine: Modern. Local. Vietnamese.

Brussel Sprouts.  If you go and get one thing.  Have it be the brussel sprouts.  Don’t believe me?  Well how does, a guy at a different table came up to us and TOLD us we MUST try the brussel sprouts sound?  Grant it he knew one of the guys at our table.  Whatever. Brussel Sprouts.  That’s where its at.  Oh, and the BÁNH MI.

Brussel Sprouts. Picture courtesy of Darin Dines.

BÁNH MI. Picture courtesy of Flicker.

Restaurant #3:

The Gorbals: It is simply The Gorbals

This is where much of my experimenting came to play.  Usually I steer away from what I like to call “squishies.”  Animal fat/skin, oysters, etc…. not that night!  What she order?….fish fillet foie gras and squid and TONGUE.  Sooo outside of my comfort zone.  But, I realized, I LOVE squid!  And tongue, cooked in a way to NOT feel the taste buds, is delish! And foie gras… yea… I’m 2 for 3, we’ll give that one another try later on in life.

Bacon wrapped Matzoh Balls. Picture courtesy of Flicker

Beef tongue. Picture courtesy of Flicker

Foie gras. Picture courtesy of Flicker

Restaurant #4:

Lazy Ox Canteen: Philosophy is simple, our execution anything but…

This place was offered on Black Board Eats, and us LA Queen Pins, LOVE BBE.  So Lazy Ox on BBE, and the 99 essential list?! SOLD!  We went for Brunch and can’t wait to go back for dinner.  By far my favorite dish, Green Barley Salad, the perfect mix of cucumbers, barley and feta.

Green Barley Salad. Picture courtesy of Yelp.

There are a small handful of other restaurants I have hit up from this list prior to this past week.  But there are still a LOT more…. anyone need a date? :)

xo,

mel

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November 11, 2011 · 10:27 am

A Silverlake Kind of Weekend: The Silverlake Contemporary Ballet and Edendale

The Silverlake Contemporary Ballet

As I mentioned before, a good friend of the LAQP’s was nice enough to tell me all about the Silverlake Contempoaray Ballet and how amazing their first production was. Last Friday, November 4th, the Silverlake Contemporary Ballet kicked off it’s fall production that went through the weekend. Myself, Alyssa, and Bryan were lucky enough to go to the first showing on Friday night and I have to say, you could not wipe the smile off my face the entire show. The dancing was absolutely phenominal, the live bands fantastic, and the energy through the roof.

I didn’t get to go to the summer production, so I really didn’t know what to expect. And it was more amazing then I could have hoped. The dancers were so talented and I had never been to a ballet where the dances were choreographed to live bands.

All of you dancers… PHEW! I used to dream of being a dancer and watching all of you made me wish that my genes didn’t suck and I would have been more graceful, coordinated, and would have grown taller than 5’2. You were all phenomenal, and I know how much sweat, tears, and sometimes blood goes into your work. BRAVO!

And the live music was just awesome! I often forget that I live in LA and live bands are actually really good. So, not only were you enjoying dance, but basically a live concert too! You should check all of these talented musicians out:

The Lonely Wild (I even bought their record!)

The Janks

of Verona

Also a HUGE shoutout to the brains behind it all, Ms. Sheena Sisk. She is a wonderful and talented young lady and to put this show together must have been a lot of work. You go, girlfriend! I will be counting down the days until the Spring Production!

Awesome art you could check out and buy during breaks from the ballet

The Lonely Wild performs and the lovely dancers dance

The Janks perform while the ladies do their Demon Dance

Miranda Louiza Maleski of So You Think You Can Dance did all improvisation. PHENOM.

Edendale
2838 Rowena Avenue
Silver Lake, Los Angeles, CA 90039
(323) 666-2000

The reason my guy and I had a date night at this restaurant was because I had a 30% off Blackboard Eats code. Huh, imagine that!

Ummmm, can you say DA-LICH-US. The pictures are a little dark because of the mood lightning, aka “romantic lightining”, so please bare with me.

A relish tray, on the house.

Appetizer: Mushroom Caps

Mushroom Caps filled with Ricotta, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Fresh Basil, and Cherry Tomatoes

My Entree: Bacon wrapped Meatloaf (YES, you read that right!), fresh broccoli and mashed potatoes. Talk about comfort food...

Bry's Entree: Swordfish

Is that Bry? Or a younger and better looking Woody Allen?

After dinner, we headed out back to their patio because they have a PHOTO BOOTH. If any establishment has a photo booth, I’m SOLD.


Have a safe and wonderful weekend, kiddos!

LUV,
Britt

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August 30, 2011 · 6:40 pm

And We Celebrated A Birthday…

This weekend was a very special gals birthday, and we celebrated it right!  Pretty jewelry from Kendra Scott (my first Kendra Scott experience!), yummy brunch at Momed, and a screening of Psycho at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Kendra Scott Jewelry
9511 S. Santa Monica Blvd.
(On the corner of Rodeo and S. Santa Monica)
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 888-8600

Mel’s post about Kendra Scott got me all kinds of excited to head to the newly opened store in Beverly Hills. And I couldn’t wait for my turn at the Color Bar!

Designing my new favorite necklace

Vee making her creation

Vee's creation

After the intense jewelry making session, we headed over to Momed for brunch… And I totally had another Blackboard Eats 30% off deal. Not too shabby.

Momed
233 South Beverly Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90212-3886
(310) 270-4444

Mmmmmm, Falafel

And last but not least, another trip to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery for some scary movie viewing pleasure. Psycho was the film, and damn is it brilliant. And not to mention, watching it on a mortuary wall makes it all the more fun.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery
6000 Santa Monica Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90038-1899
(323) 469-1181

Laaaaddddiiiiieeeessss

Art

Want to share what you did over the weekend?  We would love suggestions!

LUV,
Britt

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July 4, 2011 · 3:24 pm

Holiday Weekend Adventures

Gobi Mongolian BBQ House
2827 West Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90026-2125
(213) 989-0711
http://gobimongolianbbq.com/

The reason we went to Gobi Mongolian BBQ was because I had a 30% off dinner discount through Blackboard Eats LA.  If you live in LA, NYC, or San Francisco I HIGHLY recommend joining.  It’s FREE and every few days they send out awesome deals for super swanky restaurants that I normally couldn’t afford.

Ghostbusters Screening at The Hollywood Forever Cemetery
6000 Santa Monica Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90038-1899
http://www.cinespia.org/calendar/

My Man and I

Inside with all the dead folks (and herds of live folks)

Yummy wine, cheese, crackers, and snacks from Trader Joe's (of course).

So many palm trees and people

Awwww, Ricky

Some tips for screenings at The Hollywood Forever Cemetery:

1.  Get there EARLY.  The gates open at 7:30 and the movie doesn’t begin until 9:00, but you should get there by 4:45 or 5:00 because it gets PACKED.

2.  BUY YOUR TICKETS IN ADVANCE ONLINE!

3.  Do NOT buy the $10 parking pass.  You can’t park until 7:30 (which is when the gates open).  By the time you park your car, you will miss out on a good place to park your blanket/chairs/etc.  And it’s also a nightmare to get in and out of.

4.  Bring as much food/drink/booze as you want!  You will have quite a wait and they don’t have any rules against any outside yummies.  If you have a large group, it’s also a good idea to bring card/board games.  Because as mentioned before, you WILL have a wait.

5.  Parking is a PAIN.  Getting there early should help with this though.  I suggest looking through the neighborhoods surrounding the area before giving in to parking lots that will charge you $15 per car.

Hope you all have a fantastic 4th of July weekend!

LUV,
Britt

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July 29, 2010 · 1:16 pm

Britt’s Picks of the Week 7/29

Oh, hello again!  Sorry I have been slacking on giving you fun things to do for cheap around LA, I’ve been busy.  Heard that excuse before?  Oops!

1. Yummyness – Versailles Cuban Restaurant
If you love Cuban food, Versailles is the place for you!  Conveniently, it has 5 locations:  Three on the west side and two in the Valley, so you can enjoy it on either side of the hill.  Not only do I love Versailles for their delicious Cuban cuisine and friendly service, but their prices are out of this world amazing!  The meal you get is designed for one, but could actually feed two or more!  Good food, good service, cheap prices, and leftovers.  Could you ask for much more?  *FYI:  Their signature dishes are the #1 (Cuban Style Roast Pork) and the #6 (Versailles Famous Garlic Chicken).  Let me know if you try one or both and how much you love it!*
Check out the website for a location near you!

http://www.versaillescuban.com/

2. Yummyness 2 – A’Float Sushi
Yes, a lot of sushi places are the same and it can get rather boring.  What’s so great about this one?  If you sit at the bar the sushi floats around on little boats and you can take what you want as you please!  Not only is it scrumptious, but FUN!  It also makes going to sushi a little more interesting.  Instead of ordering two different rolls, you can have two pieces of MULTIPLE rolls.  Just one question?  How do they get those boats to move continuously around the bar?  The world may never know…

A’Float Sushi
87 E Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91105
http://www.yelp.com/biz/a-float-sushi-pasadena

3. The Great Outdoors – Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens
Located in the middle of a suburban neighborhood in Pasadena, the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens definitely gives the Getty Center a run for its money.  You can spend the day looking at all types of different gardens (Japanese, Chinese, Rose, Palm, Jungle, and Desert to name a few) and also go into the beautifully structured buildings all over the grounds to enjoy their vast art collections.  Beautiful art and beautiful flowers?  A must!  The only downfall is that it cost $20 a person to get in and that can be kind of hard for the poor and struggling of LA.  That’s why I say save this day trip for when your parents come to visit!  Not only will they love the gardens but most likely they will pay for your way in!  And we all know how much parents love taking pictures, so another plus is that they will lug that camera around and you can steal the pictures as you please :-)

The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA  91108
626.405.2100
http://www.huntington.org/default.aspx

4. Website – Blackboardeats.com
I can’t say it enough.  SIGN UP FOR THIS SITE.  I should just become the poster child for the site because I go around telling everyone about it and I only tend to want to go to restaurants that I have a BBE pass code for.  Blackboard Eats sends out e-mail deals usually every two days.  The deals are for extremely nice restaurants in LA that I normally could never afford.  But they provide both 30% off either lunch or dinner and sometimes other deals!  Like a free bottle of wine, free dessert, or BOTH!  Please sign up and you can thank me later :-)

http://www.blackboardeats.com/los-angeles

ENJOY!

LUV,
Britt

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