4510

Four little numbers that are going to mean a lot to us for awhile. 

While it hasn't quite hit me in the "I have a new apartment!!!" way, I am getting so excited to move in somewhere new this weekend- in Kensington. From the moment Ross and I drove through this gem of a neighborhood, and better yet, when we saw the place, we knew it was it. The apartment was the one.

It hit us like they say love does...when you least expect it. And boy, were we not expecting it. We were "just looking" and didn't want to/weren't ready to move until November. Sorry. Move in day is October 1. Ok we'll take it!

Yes, it's that awesome.

Can't wait to post photos of the dishwasher (!!!), washer/dryer (!! even though it's downstairs), and dark mahogony wood floors (ahhh..)...It boasts two bedrooms so if any of our friends are contemplating a place to sleep, the answer is YES. 

Although I will miss my mom's cooking (love you Mama), free rent, and so many other luxuries of living with the 'rents, I must say it feels heavenly to look forward to having our own place again. Bussing/cabbing to the Gaslamp, biking most everywhere, and best of all having a million and one restaurants at our disposal--it is going to be fan-freaking-tastic. So, farewell Escondido- it's been real. Can't wait to see what Kensington has to offer: Kensington Grill, Blue Boheme, and Ken Club are known faves...I'll keep you all posted on Ross and my journey in mid-town.

Until then...

xo,

L

Empirehouse

One of the many perks that come with working for bloomspot is that the higher ups like to incentivize we salespeople with bloombucks bloom rewards. I like to use these bloom rewards for a facial or massage here or there, a yoga membership, etc. However, the features I am always drawn to are the restaurant ones. As a self-proclaimed foodie, (but really, who isn't? Do you not like food?) I love me some $39 three course meals including vino technically for free.

 I must say that my favorite experience thus far is with Empirehouse, Hillcrest's little house-turned-bistro that is apparently breaking a famous curse on University. Ross and I started with the sausage bread- warm, doughy french bread stuffed with cheese, spices, and you guessed it- sausage. It was heaven. We decided we will probably go back one day just to get the entire loaf and a couple beers.

As we sipped on our bottle of Carmel Road Pinot Noir- yummy, smooth, and a little fruity- we chatted it up with Susie, the friendliest human/restauranteur ever who knows how to craft a burger (read on). Our server, Farrah was equally as awesome. Basically, I fell in love with the staff over there. Susie- if you're reading this, I want to be friends with you.

We noshed on the Susie Burger (blue cheese, mashed avo, tomato perfection) and nibbled on a couple tacos-pulled pork (for me) and ahi (for Ross). Somehow, we still made room for freshly baked brownies (FOUR of them) and delicious vanilla gelato. Mind you, we had also finished the entire bottle of Pinot at this point.

We walked away with happy hearts and full bellies. As Ross said as we walked away, "That is how you run a business."

Empirehouse, you ROCK.

xo,
L


*img courtesy of: cities2night.com

The Loft

Exposed brick walls, edgy accents, and Snickerdoodle coffee were just three of the things I adored about trying out this new salon today. Plus, I got a sweet new haircut (just a trim) from Erin, and ran into a friend from high school (hey Morgan!). Not bad for a Tuesday morning Loft visit!

The best part was the [included!] "sensory experience"- basically a fancy way of saying "neck and shoulder massage with heavenly smelling aromatherapy oils"....ahhh.

Seriously though folks, if you're contemplating a new 'do or new salon please do yourself a favor and head to The Loft on Grand (between Broadway and Kalmia). There are $10 off coupons online for new clients too. It's also been said that they serve beer on tap and wine (probably for those later afternoon appointments) so grab a brew, a mag, and prepare to be pampered for forty minutes.

xo,
L

Canapes

I love a good happy hour. I would especially love it if the happy "hour" wasn't taken quite so literally (hint hint, Canapes). A couple girlfriends and I went to good old Restaurant Row last night, and got cozy at Canapes, the hippest only wine bar in San Marcos. 

We were greeted by outdoor fire pits, a warm ambiance indoors, and a very friendly staff. Since it was 5:02, our time was ticking away and we ordered three glasses of vino- stat. I stuck to my dear friend Chardonnay, while Emily and Lindsay got down with Chard's darker cousin, the Pinot Noir. We were all extremely satisfied with our choices, especially since they were only $4 a glass. Another plus- they were decent sized glasses. (I hate it when you pay $7 for a "glass" of wine, and the server pours what appears to be a shot of Shiraz.)

While we sipped on our wine, we got a case of the munchies and proceeded to order about six items off their tastes menu. (We hadn't eaten dinner yet, ok?) Plus, they are all meant for sharing so we didn't feel as guilty when we ordered macaroni & cheese, plus a flat-bread pizza, and two dips.

Canapes macaroni & cheese is scrumptious. It's baked to perfection with a few different cheeses strewn in, made complete with bacon bits crumbled in and bread crumbs on top. The spinach and artichoke dip was alright, but with the mac & cheese in front of us, we barely noticed it. The other highlight was the Pesto pizza. It was topped with chicken, sun dried tomato, and Parmesan cheese- some goat cheese would have amped it up a few notches. It was definitely on the smaller side (I think we each got a slice and a half) but savory, and by the time we were done with that we were all stuffed. Oh, but don't worry- not stuffed enough for Red Velvet Cake for dessert. I think we each had two bites of that decadence before passing out in our chairs.

Laundry list of Happy Hour items (sorry for the blur but total cost was $61- not bad for the 14 items we imbibed!)

So, two glasses of wine and two and half hours later (the only thing we ordered after 6pm was the cake), we left happy and full, promising to re-visit Canapes. Next time, we'll go at 4:59, so we don't miss out on any of those precious minutes between 5 and 6pm. 

xo,

L

Feeling inspired by...

...all those cookbooks! hooray design & lifestyle is a fab new blog I discovered, check her out stat.

Planning on whipping up something savory yet inexpensive tonight for the beau and me. Any suggestions? Thinking of classic rigatoni & meatballs or a homemade pizza.

Tomorrow we are braving the oncoming storm and setting out for the Gaslamp to watch the Aztecs beat play BYU. Excited to share a couple pitchers and chow down on some juicy burgers at Nicky Rottens with C&C!

xo,
L

Tait Campbell.

Want to see what talent looks like? Our good friend Tait is an a accomplished photographer, sushi eater, and cyclist (he recently placed first in two San Diego bike races). Holla, San Diego Bicycle Club!

I'm pimping him out to anyone who appreciates a good piece of art. He currently accepts most beers on tap, checks, or cash. If you want to hire him as your wedding photographer, thats fine too. He promises it won't be too awkward when he asks you to gaze lovingly at one another while lying on a grassy knoll.

Check him out.

Oh, and have a splendid weekend.

xo,
L

Snow Days

As my dad chauffered my brother, three of his friends, and me up the windy road to Palomar Mountain in Northern San Diego County, he cleverly remarked that we live in one of the only places in the world where we can drive an hour from the ocean, heading east, and arrive on top of a mountain piled high with snow. In addition, we have a major metropolitan city that is buzzing constantly, as well as a plethora of deserts and lakes for when we need a little relaxation. San Diego truly offers the best of the best. 

After a few stormy days down here, we finally were able to reap the benefits up on the mountain. Aside from a few white Christmas' in Northern California when I was younger, middle school snowboard trips, and a ski lesson when I was four that I'd rather forget (I was "too cold" so I stayed in the lodge and drank hot chocolate all day- I deserved to be left in Big Bear), I don't make it to the snow often. So, I was excited to don my puffy black vest, snow boots, and wooly headband and rough it up with a few 8th graders. 

Notice the one glove? Channeling MJ with that one. (Ok, I needed my right hand to show my dad how to work the camera)

Andrew getting his sled ready...

We got there around 10am when the powder was still fresh and not trampled on. And there was a LOT of it. We trudged our way back through the thickets of trees to find our first spot for sledding. We went down a few steep hills, and one smaller hill with a jump on it (definitely caught some air and my knees got the brunt of it) laughing the whole time. Playing in the snow does not get old, whether you're 4, 14, 24,or 51 years young.

Yours truly plowing down the hill...

Three hours, a couple bruises, and one hurt leg later (sorry Andrew) we made our way back down the mountain, stopped at Wendy's for some chili and Frosty's, and convinced my dad to listen to "that damn rap radio station" the whole way home. It was a good day.

View from the road, heading back down the mountain.

I hope everyone had a nice long weekend!

xo,
L

Hot Yoga

Wednesday night I had the pleasure (actually a mix of pleasure and pain) of going with Emily to her favorite yoga studio, Yoga Tropics. I donned my new yoga shorts and had my purple yoga mat ready for sweat. Walking in, I loved the ambiance and the fact that they have showers for a post-workout refresher. Everyone was chatting it up outside before class- and by everyone I mean the whole gamut- 75 year old men with better bodies than me, hot 18 year olds wearing teeny bandeau tops, and everything in between.

The studio, located at 830 South Coast Hwy and H Street, is known for their hot yoga classes (aka Bikram), where the temperature in the room gets up to 105 degrees. I've done yoga before plenty of times, but never the hot (as in reallly hot and extremely sweaty) kind of yoga.  I have to admit I was feeling a little rusty when I started doing my Vinyasa and Downward Dog poses. All I could think was how badly I wanted to stay in child's pose forever...especially when the temp really started increasing. I just needed to keep reminding myself that I was releasing toxins and impurities, not having a panic attack.

At times, I got a little anxious, knowing that fresh, cool air was only 5 feet away. But, I did not relent. I stuck with the sweltering heat and succeeded! I only had to get my bearings by resting twice during the course- so needless to say, I was pretty proud of myself. The main thing with yoga is to concentrate on your breath- it really does center you.

Had to throw in a little yoga humor.

The instructor Elia, is amazing. He really knows his stuff. My favorite part was at the end (surprise, surprise) when we all just lied on our backs in the dimly lit studio and listened to him speak. I couldn't even tell you what he said- but it was so relaxing and positively motivating that it made the whole experience even better.

I definitely can see how doing hot yoga a few days a week can really put your body in amazing shape. All the sweat and strengthening moves did wonders (I was sore in the best kind of ways), so I'm looking forward to seeing what results it may have after a week or two.

Yoga Tropics has a great promo for first time students, which I gladly purchased- $10 for unlimited classes for one week. Considering one class is usually $16, this is a splendid deal. It's not advertised on their website, so if you go in you just need to ask for the new student special.

Learn more about Bikram yoga here.

Namaste!

xo,
L

Sushi, Shelter Island, and Superbowl...

What a busy (& happy) weekend it was...It started out with sushi with the boys at Umai Sushi in San Marcos. They have a plethora of rolls, and the best part about the joint is they make custom rolls. For someone like me who is still a sushi beginner, that's all it takes to win my approval. The boys (Ross, Tait, and Eric) shared about 10 different rolls, a few of which were the: Pizza Roll, Rainbow Roll, and Tiger Roll. I customized my not-so-scary shrimp tempura, cream cheese, avocado, and soy wrap roll. I think they threw some crab in there but considering I didn't notice until I was halfway done with my plate, it must have been tasty!

Saturday was spent at Shelter Island in Point Loma with the whole family. It was perfect weather for a day by the water. I made my famous berry salad with strawberries, blackberries, cranberries, almonds, onion, and bleu cheese drizzled with a raspberry vinaigrette and convinced people it was healthy.

It looks prettier pre-tossed :)

Aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins, and a couple friendly dogs gathered here for a lovely barbeque, time out on my pop's boat, and to witness an epic ripstick fail. Ask me about that one.

Finally, yesterday's Superbowl festivities concluded the weekend. Some highlights: playing Thirteen in the park, finding out Brett Swain of the Packers played sports with my boyfriend growing up, eating delish homemade guac and carne asada tacos, the Volkswagon Passat commercial with little Darth Vader, my Feta, Artichoke, and Roasted Red Pepper dip (photo below), and of course, the National Anthem (it always gives me chills even if Christina did flub the lyrics!).

Recipe & photo from allrecipes.com.

Happy Monday!

xo,

L

Oh hey weekend!

So happy to be celebrating the reunion of all 11 of us college gal pals. What a great feeling knowing you'll be friends for life with certain people...Luckily, everyone is coming to our lovely hometown of San Diego for the whole weekend! What are your favorite places to go downtown?

Ya, they're pretty cool.

Lookout, Gaslamp...

3rd Corner- Encinitas

I went on a much needed catch up date to 3rd Corner (@Coast Hwy & H St.) a couple weeks ago with my friend Cecily. She had recommended it due to the yummy apps (in particular their baked brie), warm ambiance, and most importantly, their cheap vino.

We arrived around 7 on a Wednesday night, and were seated promptly. As I glanced around, I felt that the place was effusing a familiar air...a uniquely San Francisco air. Not many times have I ventured out in San Diego and felt that way. The specific air I'm speaking of is one reminiscent of San Francisco's Marina district, where I had resided for the past 2 years. You can practically smell the hipness walking those hills. But, the difference is, in SF it's overdone. Here, it's almost refreshing.

Our waiter was witty without being obnoxious. Even better, he didn't come over 7 times to ask if we were ready. Once he took our order, we ventured over to their wine section after leaving our purses on the chairs at the table. I hesitated at first, but Cecily kindly had to remind me I wasn't in Asia anymore. Any place that has a whole room devoted to wine in any price range is my kind of hangout. We opted for a $17 Cab Sav and had our man open it up for us. (Only gripe, $5 corkage fee...wasn't expecting that since it is their

wine...Just sayin'.)

Their Wine Vault- via TLS Images

We quickly decided we were going to be real calorie counters that night: baked brie with toast to start, followed by their delicious Butter Lettuce Salad:  apples, grapes, blue cheese, candied pecans, apple cider vinaigrette (Note: We ordered this crisp summery salad because even though it's winter in the rest of the US, in San Diego it's still 70 degrees), and finished up with the Truffle Risotto with parmesan. Decadent and good for leftovers too. All in all the meal and experience was a solid 9 stars.

Upon finishing [almost] the entire bottle of wine, we rubbed our full bellies and vowed another date night was in order soon. A lovely place for good friends who like good (& cheap) treats.

Cheers!
L