I am soo sad I was not able to attend the LA Mag Food Event in person. I ended up doing a very impromptu trip to China. I was really looking forward to it. Instead, I sent my husband and the official FOODECALL representative. The risk in doing that is that he actually drinks all the wine, which could mean you’ll end up with the best…or the worst pictures, depending on how you look at it. Just scroll and you’ll see what I’m talking about. In the meantime, I’m just gonna home that I get to go next year because it looked like so much fun!

I recently had the pleasure of venturing out all the way to Newport Beach just to attend the Newport Beach Festival. The Pacific Sales Newport Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Jaguar Land Rover, one of Southern California’s most intimate and highly-acclaimed food and wine events, wrapped its fifth annual extravaganza on Sunday, October 7, 2018. The four-day epicurean event drew over 6,000 guests who enjoyed tastings from over 40 of Southern California’s best restaurants and more than 250 varieties of wine, as well as access to their favorite celebrity chefs. This year’s festival attracted top talent from the culinary world, including Michelin-starred chef Michael Mina, Food Network and Bravo stars Duff Goldman, Richard Blais, and Jet Tila, as well as contestants from Bravo’s Top Chef television series.

CHEAT DAY LAND (CDL) pop-up museum is a celebration of the foods we all dream about and all deserve after a hard week’s workout. The interactive experience officially opened on October 1st and received overwhelming response from the public and the media, selling out several weekends in row. A Red Carpet Preview Party was held on Sept. 28 and attended by over 350 VIP guests.

An Evening With The Mayor is an annual event hosted by the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce. Held at the iconic Greystone Mansion, it was definitely an evening of elegance that one often only gets to experience in a movie.

We were first picked up by Starline Tours, the official shuttle service of the evening. Then greeted by two luxury vehicles provided by O’Gara. Upon entry, you come across the first photo opportunity of the evening, on the staircase overlooking the entire terrace. However, it’s the soft melody from a harp that invites you in. The live music was provided by Kirschner Creative Artists’ Sasha Boldachev.

The hubby and I spent a day in Laguna Beach at The Montage Hotel. We sometimes go there when we want to feel extra fancy. The views there are unlike any other. But today’s post is about a restaurant that we found in the area after we left the Montage. I had to yelp this one, and it had to have vegetarian options because my mother-in-law is vegetarian.

I love checking out bars, from really fancy ones like the rooftop at the Waldorf, to the the diveyest of all places. I love how every bar has its own vibe, ambiance, specialties, etc. On this particular day, I visited The Craftsman Bar in Santa Monica. It is located on Broadway, and if you are not familiar with the area, I would say this in a decent central location, which also gets more brownie points because it happens to be right near the ocean as well. I imagine it is quite beautiful during the day time.

Wild and Free is...Rotisserie chicken with a bang! Their mission is to take rotisserie chicken and make it flavorful and fun. They have 4 different unique flavor profiles: Smokey, Wild, Savory, and Original. But being the phatty that I am, I went straight for the fried chicken because...fried chicken. Some things just don't need an explanation. I tried three sides that day, the cous cous, crispy potatoes (triple fried, garlic, parmesan, herbs), and the mac and cheese. Of course my favorite was the mac and cheese. As our second entrée, we did the Caribbean bowl. I liked it but the rosemary did overpower the whole dish. That didn't matter to me because I like the flavor of rosemary, but just a warning to those who don't care for rosemary. Check out all the pictures below and if you've ever been, let me know what is your favorite dish at Wild and Free!

For authentic Greek food, you must try Jimmy's Kouzina. Brother and sister Andrew and Natalie, along with their mom Julie run this restaurant, named after their late father Jimmy. I almost teared up after hearing about their story. Their dedication to serve day in and day out, since they were children is quite remarkable.

Commerson has a very large and airy space, with floor to ceiling windows, allowing for plenty of sun to come through. I had the pleasure of having brunch here and loved everything from the atmosphere, to drinks, and the food. The food was inventive and most importantly tasty. Presentation was on point. And everything we ordered was so Instagram Worthy. The next time you find yourself looking for a new brunch spot with all you can drink specialty mimosas, then check out Commerson.

Atomic Liquors is the oldest free standing bar in Vegas. Been around since the 40's. During the wartime, people used to come here to watch bombs go off. It was later bought out from the son of the original owners, and during remodeling, they located a secret safe. It ended up being full of receipts, no cash, but still he overall history is actually quite fascinating. It was frequented by celebs like the Rat Pack, Clint Eastwood, and Barbara Streisand who wanted to get away from all the attention from being on the strip.

Get ready!!! Because the World Cup 2018 is soon approaching!  I recently teamed up with The FoodBall Network to host a few of their FoodBall: Street Edition. In these episodes, we explore the food and culture of the countries that made it to the World Cup. England without a doubt made it to the World Cup and is being represented by London's Pub and Grill in Artesia, California.  I was basically able to sample the most popular dishes from England, and even learned a thing or two about how there is a very prominent Indian population. The Indian food and culture is now so interwoven that people recognise Indian food as a main food you will now find in England.

I love trying ethic food, particularly so when it involves dishes that are totally new to me. I recently had the opportunity to try Harissa, a Tunisian restaurant that also happens to be Kosher. Call me stupid, but to be perfectly honest, I had to look up where Tunisia was on the map. Hey, I bet I'm not the only one out there that didn't know that. Did you?