Brunch 05.03.2014 - A Mug-Themed Birthday Celebration

La Creperie, Long Beach

Good Sunday Morning To You Kittens!

Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of meeting up with some of my fabulous ladies for Brunch to celebrate the birthday of one of the most amazing people I know, Stephanie.  I was so excited since we don't all get together very regularly and I was also very excited for the venue.  Stephanie chose La Creperie in Long Beach and while I've been there a few times (even to celebrate my own birthday), it's been a few years.  Like many of you, I'm sure, I very much enjoy a good crêpe and sample them whenever the opportunity presents itself.  Admittedly, those opportunities are rather rare, but I can tell you with certainty that if you are in the mood for a good crêpe (and then some), this is definitely a place to keep in mind!

Located on 2nd Street in Long Beach, this little gem is located in the Belmont Shore neighborhood.  While this area is filled with tons of cute shops and eateries, La Creperie is definitely a standout!  The atmosphere is very Parisian Bohemian with murals painted on the walls, large chandeliers, plenty of mirrors, and a piano.  Another cool aspect is the window where you can watch the crêpes being made!

The large window to the left of the bar is the crêpe viewing window.  So much fun to watch as you pass by! 

Stephanie and Alicia and a lovely chandelier.

The second chandelier was above our heads.

I've always loved the mirrors and the conversation area created by the couches behind Lisa.  Seriously, how fabulous is this place?  Oh, but wait...it gets better!

After we all settled in, we ordered Mimosas, Bellinis, and Bubbly with pomegranate juice.  And toasted the birthday girl.  Cheers!  Santé!!

We caught up and laughed and enjoyed each other's company and before long, our food arrived.  I don't think I've ever been here and had someone unhappy with their order.  Pretty good endorsement if you ask me.  Check out their menus here and prepare to get hungry!

Here is my Al Mare Crêpe.  For some reason it's not listed as part of their online menu, but it is filled with mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, cheese, and shrimp in a lobster sauce.  A-Mazing!!  My favorite thing on their menu!

Lisa ordered the mussels which come with their fabulous garlic fries.  Holy Moly!  So much garlicy goodness happening here!

Britni got the Crepe Carbonara which has chicken breast, smoked bacon, and mozzarella in a creamy garlic and Parmesan sauce with pesto.  From what I understand, it was delicious!

 Alicia ordered the Belmont Eggwhite Omlete.  Spinach, mushroom, tomato, feta, and ricotta.  Looked and smelled fantastic!

And then the Birthday Girl's mystery crêpe.  I have NO idea what she ordered.  But if I remember correctly, her plate was licked clean just like the rest of ours, so while I don't know exactly what it was, I have it on good authority that it was delectable.

After we'd finished, we were all in varying stages of food coma, so we took a breather for presents.  This was by far the most interesting present opening that I'd ever seen.  

Let me preface by saying that Stephanie has something of a mug fetish.  She likes coffee mugs and tea cups.  Like she loves them.  A lot.  To be fair, she has a thing for stemware in general, but cups hold a special place in her heart.

So, when I came across these super fun, vintage inspired coffee mugs, I knew I had to get them for her!

 I also found these awesome cocktail napkins!

 I added a bottle of bubbly and thought it was a fun little package!

Evidently, I wasn't the only one who thought of mugs when they thought of Stephanie.  She received a set of these beauties from Anthropologie.

And this beautiful package contained even more mug-y fun!

 Seeing as how Stephanie runs the Darling Loves Dapper Etsy shop, this was beyond perfect!

So every gift that she opened contained a mug!  Seriously, what are the chances??  

Then it was time for dessert.  Stephanie selected the Martinique crêpe which was filled with bananas flambéed in dark rum with brown sugar and butter.  (It was DELICIOUS!!)  I also let our server know that it was Stephanie's birthday, and that we needed two candles.  Britni's birthday is just a few days before Stephanie's and we'd already celebrated, but there were no candles involved, so I thought this was a good time to rectify that little faux pas.  The staff here is absolutely amazing and this was brought to the table.

When in Paris (or a Parisian restaurant)...

J'aime these ladies so much!

 For a multitude of reasons.

Was this a fabulous way to spend a Saturday morning?  

I think so.  And I believe Stephanie would agree.

The moral of this story is to pop into La Creperie Cafe at your next opportunity (but make sure you type the actual 2nd Street address into your navigation since this restaurant was formerly located elsewhere in Long Beach and Google maps directed two of us to the previous location when we simply typed in the name).  Oh, and also mugs are a great gift.  So, I suppose this story actually has two morals.

Happy Brunching, Kittens!  I hope you consider this place the next time you find yourself stumped for a location!

XOXO!!

Iconic Los Angeles - The Dresden Room

Hello there Lovelies!

It's been quite a while since I've done a non-Book Club post.  Or a post about something other than asking you to be patient with me because I haven't been able to pay The Vintage Project the proper amount of attention (and I'm so grateful you have!), so I thought that the perfect subject to welcome everyone back to regularly scheduled programming would be another FABULOUS Iconic Los Angeles excursion!  Are we all excited and in agreement?  Good!

In addition to this being another Iconic Los Angeles post, this is also the first birthday post for this year.  While things have settled a bit at work, I have been keeping very busy this past week as Thursday was my birthday (!!) and in addition to having numerous things on my calendar, one of my best friends, Kim, drove down from the Bay Area for a long weekend.  She arrived on Thursday and on Friday, a group of lovely ladies came together for an amazing night of dinner, drinks, and laughing so hard that on many occasions, simply breathing was difficult!  I could not have asked for a better night!

So...The Dresden Room...

The Dresden Room is amazing.  And my company that night wasn't half bad either.

Located on Vermont Avenue in Los Feliz, The Dresden (Room) has been operating as a restaurant and bar in this incarnation since 1954.  In this town especially, a run that long is seriously impressive!  While I wasn't able to dig up much on its history, I did find that the building was originally a paint store and was then turned into Pucci's Cafe in the 1930's.  In 1954, Carl and Sara Ferraro purchased the building, remodeled a few years later, and The Dresden has essentially remained the same since.

While it's been featured in MANY movies over the years, including That Thing You Do, What Women Want, and Anchor Man, it was Swingers that really brought the most attention to this enduring gem.

 Now that you've heard the history of The Dresden, let's go inside.  We'll just follow Jessi.

As if it wasn't completely obvious from the exterior, upon walking through the doors, it's as if you are walking into a different time.  In most other places, this would be kitschy and dated, but here you get more of that teleportation feeling...you know the one.

The dining room has fantastic white booths lining the space and fantastic wooden slat decorative elements down the center of the room.

The aforementioned white booths were incredibly spacious and comfortable.  The restaurant is even considerate of those patrons who have a need for clearly defined personal space.  I've never seen pull out arm rests in a dining establishment before and Jessi was kind enough to provide a demonstration for everyone at home.

There was plenty of love around the table, so we put the armrests into their full, upright, and locked positions.

Naturally, we started things off with cocktails and this seemed like the perfect setting for a Sidecar.  This was the best Mad Men Cocktail Hour Bridget and I could have ever had!  Knowing about this tasty cocktail has come in handy on MANY an occasion!

We daintily sipped our classic cocktails, ate off of a tasty old school menu, and laughed so hard and so loud that I'm honestly surprised we were not politely asked to leave.  Seriously.

 If you pay The Dresden a visit, you will definitely want to check out their dessert options.  Each one sounded fabulous!  We ordered two different ones - a divine chocolate offering and a non-chocolate option - and eight forks!  One of them arrived with a candle in it.

 I was so happy I could cry.  I am truly one of the luckiest girls in the world.

 When you have such a fabulous night with such fabulous ladies, there isn't much to wish for.

Except maybe going over to the bar area to enjoy another cocktail or two while listening to the sweet sounds of Marty and Elayne.  Who are Marty and Elayne, you ask?  Well, for starters, you should kind of be ashamed of yourselves for not knowing about the house musical act.  This husband and wife team have been performing at The Dresden every night except Sundays since 1982.  Do the math - that's over 31 years!  Which has them holding the title of the longest running act to play in one place in Hollywood history!

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And they're fantastic!  I don't care how great of a time you're having, Marty and Elayne will make it better.  That's a guarantee!  They do standards, jazz classics, and random pieces of nostalgia...such as their version of Stayin' Alive!

Aside from the nightly entertainment, the bar area is beautiful.  I've been to The Dresden three times but have yet to figure out how to surreptitiously grab a few of these lanterns and bring them home with me.

The lanterns...

The art...

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The interior windows...

Does it get any better?  Oh right - it totally does!

My only regret that night is that I didn't know about the house cocktail, the Blood and Sand which, in my research I've seen referred to as 'the world's most tantalizing drink'.  Quelle dommage!  I guess that means I'll be forced to pay The Dresden another visit...

And then it was time for this fabulous group of ladies to call it a night.  We headed outside to wait for our Ubers.

Until next time, Dresden.  We all had a fabulous night!  What a spectacular birthday celebration!!

I've heard said many times that you are not a TRUE Angelino if you haven't paid The Dresden a visit.  I might have to agree, so earn your stripes as soon as possible.  You'll kick yourself if you miss the opportunity to see Marty and Elayne in action.

There's much more birthday and non-birthday fun to come, Lovelies.  It's good to be back and on track!
XOXO!!