Posts Tagged ‘california’
It’s December! This wig shop on upper State Street in Santa Barbara caught my eye…it’s finally that time of the year!
Spring in Malibu, image by Gayle Wheatley.
I’m completely spoiled from the years I spent living abroad in Florence, Italy. When it comes to dining in Italian restaurants in the U.S., it’s a real challenge to find places with true authenticity. It’s not that most Italian restaurants don’t serve tasty cuisine, they definitely do, but it’s the disheartening disappointment I feel when a dish comes and it’s been thoroughly Americanized that deters me. How I wish I could just sit back and enjoy a meal without comparing things to the way they taste back in Italy! And talk about sounding snobby if I were to vocalize my feelings. So more often than not, I simply avoid eating in Italian restaurants, even though it’s one of my absolute favorite cuisines. A sad state indeed.
Enter Olio Pizzeria. I was thrilled to stumble across this tiny gem, hidden away in a quiet little plaza off Victoria Street in Santa Barbara. Just an hour drive from Los Angeles, you’ll find great Italian cuisine well worth the jaunt out of town. At Olio Pizzeria, which translates to (olive) oil pizzeria, you’ll encounter deliciously authentic thin crust pies prepared with abundant portions of olive oil and cooked in traditional wood-burning ovens just like they do back in Italy.
In the heart of Downtown Disney in Anaheim, you’ll find Tortilla Jo’s, a Mexican eatery full of Southern Californian flare. Located next to the Disneyland Resort, Tortilla Jo’s features upscale interior design highlighting rustic chandeliers and painted wall murals. Tortillas are hand-made on the premises, you’ll discover over 100 tequilas, and of course the desserts are delicious.
Looking for ideas to celebrate Halloween? New this year to Disneyland park’s Halloween Time celebration in Southern California is Mickey’s Halloween Party, a special event going on every Tuesday and Friday evening in October leading up to Halloween. Here are the highlights:
Costumed Fun
This is your chance to break out the halloween costumes! You’re sure to see plenty of amazing Halloween outfits as you wander between rides. There’s even a costume parade at the end of the night filled with innovative ensembles, favorite characters, and a sampling of hand-picked costumed partygoers. (Your very own Culture Vixen editors were randomly selected!)
Trick-or-Treating for All Ages
Best yet, each guest receives a trick-or-treat bag upon entry to fill up at various trick-or-treat stations spread out around the park throughout the night. Guests are treated to unlimited candy, and the normal rules don’t apply here—there are no age restrictions and everyone is perfectly welcome to trick or treat, no matter your age! Where else but Disneyland would this be possible?
Spooky Fireworks
Disneyland’s fireworks extravaganzas are known for their sophisticated pyrotechnics, and Mickey’s Halloween Party is no exception. The special Halloween Screams fireworks spectacular features Disney villains with flashy individually spinning pinwheel fireworks and sky crawling blasts of sparkles.
Extra Breathing Room
Perhaps the best part of this event is the crowds—or lack of them. There’s nothing like the exhilarating experience of hopping on and off rides with little or no wait time! (Dependent of course on the night you attend.)
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Seven Definitive Tearooms Making Steam in Los Angeles
If you are as particular about your tea as I am, you already know that L.A. is a mecca for tea lovers. From rose petal elixirs served in tearooms on Melrose Avenue, to sleek tea-based cocktails you’ll discover out on the town, L.A. is stronghold for both unique and classic tea spots. The following are a sampling of the city’s steamiest hot spots:
1. Jin Patisserie
Jin Patisserie takes afternoon tea to the beach—Venice Beach, that is. Nestled behind an orange door on eclectic Abbot Kinney Boulevard, Jin Patisserie’s tranquil garden welcomes tea goers with soothing sounds of fountains and urban forests of bamboo. The owner, Kristy Choo, hails from Singapore and is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. Her teahouse is a fresh blend of Asian aesthetics and fusion pastry concoctions.
You’re not in Denmark anymore…although you’d never know it. For sweet aficionados this side of the pond, European confectionery delight can be sampled just a hop, skip, and a jaunt from Los Angeles. Without having to fly to Denmark to embark on this culinary journey, one can get their pastry fix in Solvang, California, a Danish village located in Santa Barbara county. Downtown Solvang is no ordinary California city. It’s home to Scandinavian shops, wine bars, and eateries that all architecturally appear to have been plucked out of a picturesque village outside Copenhagen. Yes, Danish flags flap in the wind. Yes, store clerks strutt traditional costumes. And yes, Smorgasbord feasts and aebleskivers (Danish pancakes) beckon from restaurant windows. Solvang even boasts not one—but three—historic windmills!
A purple neon crown glows among the fake ivy that blankets the entire facade of Royal/T, a cafe, shop, and art gallery located steps from downtown Culver City. Royal/T is a Japanese-style cosplay (costume play) café, so the staff wear Japanese lolita maid costumes. Inspired by the meido kissa (maid cafes) of Tokyo, this eclectic art space has an equally eclectic menu that includes great dessert items like Matcha green tea flan as well as a long list of coffee drinks and cocktails, a standout being the watermelon chu-hi martinis.
Unlike most cafés, Royal/T displays big name artists. Paintings and sculptures by Japan’s contemporary art stars and other rising starlets line the exposed brick walls. The art is from the collection of Susan Hancock, a collector who has served on several museum councils and is also the owner of Royal/T. You’ll find works by Chiho Aoshima, Chinatsu Ban, Yayoi Kusama, Mr, Takashi Murakami, Yoshitomo Nara, and Aya Takano among many more. It’s quite an experience to sip your tea among Murakami’s and beside hanging anime head sculptures by Mr. Even the walk to the restroom is wallpapered with floor to ceiling Japanese fashion photographs.
Royal/T
8910 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
310.559.6300
