OK, one of my NYE party girls mentioned Xenii (”Ex-ee-nee”) in passing as a countdown option, and having never heard of it before, it just went over my head like a mathematical formula. It wasn’t until I checked out Daily Candy’s New Year’s Eve guide that it sunk in. “A private members-only society, not open to the public”? Excuse me? You mean like the freemasons? Intrigued, I went to their site.

Yup, there it was in black and white: “Individuals are accepted into Xenii based on the strength of their relationships with trusted members and the qualities and attributes they bring to the Xenii community.” Which I found to mean, perusing their press clippings, “If you ain’t rich, drop-dead gorgeous or well-connected, go away.”

Xenii looks to be a secret society of partying A-list celebs and their various hangers-on in L.A.’s solution to keeping Jane Schmoes away from Leonardo DiCaprio and Average Joes from Lindsay Lohan. And no, you can’t talk your way into THIS party, invite only! Agents expense the membership fee and modeling agencies have their clients work the parties, all to keep the social circuit so fresh and so elite with a higher caliber of starfuckers.

And since it’s a traveling after-hours soiree with a new venue every time, these velvet rope dodgers never get bored with the digs du noir and party well into 5am, past the regular last call for the rest of L.A. For them, it’s only premium cocktails at all the best clubs where merely standing in the room raises your social standing up several notches.

So, countdown at a Xenii party? Er, right. Not when you have to be Paris Hilton or at least her bff Kimberley Stewart to get in. And who’d wanna?

If you feel like Xenii can benefit from your membership…and you have a referral from an existing member…and think you can pass the membership board’s scrutiny, apply here.

A friend was throwing an impromptu gettogether at Wilshire Restaurant. I had never been and quickly researched it, cuz, you know, that’s my thing. Hmm, organic food. That doesn’t sound like the usual sort of place where her and her friends like to hang. They like Hollywood “hot spots” i.e. the Cabana Club, LAX and Avalon. Why would they go to this former brats-and-beer German restaurant in Santa Monica for drinks? All the city guides that reviewed it raved about the menu and back patio but never said a word about the bar scene.

From Epicurious:

The wine list spotlights organic and biodynamic bottles. Hipsters love the setting, which includes fireplaces, a multilevel cigar lounge, and a huge alfresco dining area with towering trees and fountains. Dining with a conscience never felt so sinful.

But I found out why this was the watering hole du jour as soon as I walked in. The designer behind fab WeHo restaurants, Koi and O-Bar, did up this place. A brick wall covered with votive candles casted a warm flattering amber glow throughout the room. There were chocolate brown leather sofas and ottomans everywhere. And as soon as my two girlfriends and I swished through the door, a crowd of both young and old gave us the once-over and then turned back to their drinks.

It definitely had a Hollywood feel with respect to the attitude-y scenesters, but the occasional groups of old(er) men checking out the ladies around the bar made it feel very Santa Monica. The bar crowd was mixed with the collection of cute gay guys at the bar, the gaggle of PYTs lounging on the couches, the gang of urban cougars circling the room and the herd of gray-haired businessmen hovering by the door, all with the purpose of seeing and being seen…oh, and waiting for their dinner tables to open up.

Not feeling too lovely myself, I wasn’t up for this place. But the girls seemed to enjoy it and if I had known that I should have dressed for Sky Bar instead of a Santa Monica organic foodie restaurant, I might have, too. Nah! At least, the old guy with the stringy gray hair done up in a ponytail didn’t seem to mind my none-too-hip attire.In any case, here’s the quick and dirty: appetizers run from $6 olives to $8 truffled potato chips to a $15 cheese plate; Jack & Coke will cost you $10; valet is $5.50.

And as I had mentioned above, guides like LA.com and CalendarLive love the food and say the back patio scene is a must-do, especially for a date night. Very romantic apparently.

2454 Wilshire Boulevard
Santa Monica, California 90403
(310) 586-1707
Cross Street: 25th Street
Bar hours: Mon-Sat 5 pm-1 am
Sunday 5 pm-10 pm

With another year ending and a new one around the corner, I’m filled with trepidation about my future. Fortunately, there’s MASH to show me how everything is going to turn out for me.

Remember, Mansion Apartment Shack House? Where you come up with three options of whom you’re going to marry, what kind of car you’re going to drive, how many kids you’ll have, where you’ll live and what your job will be…plus the Shack-equivalent choices?

Apparently MASH can see the future! My sister dug up her results from way back in 2002 and 50% of her “predictions” came true by 2005. If that’s the case, I’m really excited about my results…well, except for the “shit load of kids” part:

You will live in a Mansion.
You will drive a Silver SLR McLaren.
You will marry Keanu and have a shit load of kids.
You will be a travel writer in San Francisco.

And yes, I did include gag-inducing choices like an ex-bf and a pink ox cart. But how awesome is my future? I’d be happy with 50% of that–minus the kids part.

It’s only three days until NYE and plans are STILL not finalized. I’ve got the dinner plans down but where to countdown? My friends can’t make up their minds about where they want to go. And looking at all the “hottest” NYE events in L.A. I’m feeling overwhelmed myself and am this close to signing up for the Sierra Club’s New Year Hike & Party if it doesn’t rain. Not that that’s a terrible alternative.

Anyhoo, here are the options we narrowed the plans down to:

Gridlock 2006: This was the one the girls had settled on, even though I said with Pamela Anderson hosting and the Pussycat Dolls performing I have a feeling that this is going to be “scantily clad women and lecherous men” night. I know, it’ll be like that with EVERY NYE event, but this particular one has a 5,000-person capacity since it’s taking place on the New York City streets of the Paramount Studios backlot. Tickets range in price from general admission $125 to $1,000 where you get a backstage pass among other things. There will be four city streets and different music for each block ranging from ’80s to hip-hop to live performances. PCD hits the stage at the stroke of midnight and there’s an after party with them at the Avalon in Hollywood from 2 am to 9am. Party time: 9pm-4am.

Pros: Partying on NY city streets, tons of street vendors serving food, tickets get you free parking and all-night open bar.
Cons: 5,000 people, sounds like a crowd of sport jerseys and baseball caps.

Roaring ’20s Dollhouse NYE 2006: Now this is the one I had suggested we go to. It’s at the Day After Complex in Hollywood and it’s presented by the likes of Ed Hardy, MTV and Universal Pictures. There are four levels, 15 bars, five dance floors as well as casino tables and it’s all done up a la 1920s so that means there’s a $3,000 prize costume contest. Crowd capacity is 3,500 but hyped turnout is 4,000. Music ranges from European house, hip-hop to ’80s/old school, and tickets cost from general admission $60 to Renaissance VIP $2,000 which includes two nights at the Renaissance Hotel across the street. Party time 9pm-3am.

Pros: Partying decadent 1920s style in a historic venue complete with underground casino and renovated grand ballroom, with big backers it sounds like a hot ticket.
Cons: No open bar with general admission (in fact you don’t seem to get much with gen. admission), having to dress up as a flapper (see, I think this is a pro but my friends will have none of it)

The Lobby Supper Club New Year’s Eve Bash: In my search I found this party so I haven’t discussed it with the gang yet but check out all the goodies: open bar, midnight champagne toast, balloon drop (wee!) and only a 700-person capacity (sigh!) at a hot club. Tickets are $100 and there is no VIP anything which is fine by me. The thing is, this party is said to be hosted by MTV and Kristin Cavallari of Laguna Beach and therefore promises an A-list hip Hollywood crowd. Will $100 get you in? Party time is 9pm-9am.

Pros: Only 700 people, free alcohol until midnight with only $100 admission.
Cons: More hot girls than hot guys? “Too cool for school” attitude? What to wear?

But, shhh, truth be told, I’d be happy spending NYE in front of the tube watching the ball drop with close friends, takeout and champagne.

What: “The Sunshine Underground” by The Chemical Brothers

Who: Stay-at-home NYE revellers.

When: At 11:56 pm, a little before the countdown begins.

Where: Wherever there’s a broadcast of that big Waterford crystal ball dropping in Times Square.

Why: Hit “Play” at about 11:56:07 pm and you have a great soundtrack to the ball dropping. Trippy. The music almost seems to be in sync with the 696 flashing lights. There’s the buildup of the drums which sound almost tribal whipping you up into a frenzy, and then the transition in music seems to signal when the ball hits 2006. The song continues for another 4 minutes, but you’ll be dancing and jumping around in elation. Happy New Year!

After Christmas, I usually feel like I was run over by a truck. After the stress of holiday shopping, the grueling roundtrip in holiday traffic to NorCal, and family visits galore, I just want to do nothing but hit snooze well into the new year. Fortunately, friends told me about the little piece of heaven on Melrose, Elixir Tonics & Teas, right across the street from industry schmooze central, Urth Caffe.

Elixir has great tonic drinks and tea. I like the Depth Recharger, perfect for the terribly exhausted. Virtual Buddha is also good for a calming state. You can get these hot or sparkling cold and enjoy it in the zen sanctuary out back, complete with fountains and a Buddha statue.

Not only is Elixir well-known for its apothecary wonders and in-store herbalist, but this little tea house also offers reflexology and chair massages as well as tarot card readings.

Reflexology: A well-orchestrated massage of the feet, hands, and for maximum effect, the region of the ears as well, quickly induces a luxuriously deep sense of release, relaxation and well being.

Chair Massage: Lean into a seated fetal position while the practioner releases the tension from your back, neck, shoulders, head and arms.

Tarot Card Reading: You have three psychics to choose from: a certified Reiki master/hypnotherapist, a studio reader for KIIS FM, and a clairvoyant whose readings have been likened to psychic massages.

Nothing sounds better to me than resetting myself for the new year by going over to Elixir for a sip of calming Virtual Buddha, a stress-relieving foot massage and perhaps a tarot card reading about what I’ll have to look forward to next year.

8612 Melrose Avenue
West Hollywood, California 90069
(310) 657-9300
store hours: Mon-Sat 9am-12am; Sun 10am-10pm
Mini-Spa hours: Mon-Fri 1pm-7pm; Sat-Sun 12pm-7pm

Price: for massages–$30 per 20 minutes, available in 20-, 40-, 60-minute increments;
for tarot card reading–$25 for 15 minutes

If you light it up, they will come.

I keep hearing about this living sculpture in the middle of L.A.: a cornfield located on a 32-acre stretch of land north of Chinatown and south of Lincoln Heights. L.A. artist Lauren Bon created Not a Cornfield to “challenge notions of urban public space and inspire community action” (LACityBeat.com). Meant to last just one agricultural cycle, it’s now in its “blue phase” before the corn will be harvested in January. The fully grown cornfield awashed in blue light can be viewed for free nightly from 4pm to 10pm. Sounds like quite a sight to behold.

From LACityBeat.com:

…the interactive and evolving art installation has become a constellation, the fully grown stalks surrounded by towers of blue lights that map the stars in the current night sky. In addition, nearby buildings and landmarks are also bathed in blue tonight.

To volunteer to harvest the corn, check out their Web site.

Other Not a Cornfield events:

January 1st: Drum Circle + Working Sunday, where from 4-7pm, artists and drummers will come together and beat the drum, lead by premier African drummer Malik Sow. Everyone is invited just as long as you come bringing your own drum or other instrument. Corn harvesting with gardener Jaime Lopez takes place from 3-6pm and harvest organizer Olivia Chumacero from 7am-4pm.

1201 N. Spring Street
Los Angeles, California
(323) 226-1158

Not BevMo, Dad’s liquor cabinet.

I wouldn’t be a procrastinator if I didn’t save my Christmas shopping for Christmas Eve now would I? At this point, I don’t have time to scramble around the mall looking for the gift that says “I knew you’d love this” rather than “This is all I could find.”

That’s why I love Beverages and More. OK, this last resort only works if your giftee is a fan of the drink and NOT a recovering alcoholic. But for that wino in your life, that burgeoning bartender, or even that lover of fine rare soft drinks, BevMo is the way to go. A well-chosen bottle can be a thoughtful way to say, “Because I remember how much you love [insert drink type here] so I got you the best.”

But there’s not just drink, there are bar accessories, gourmet food, snacks and gift baskets to choose from. You could assemble a theme gift together. Is your friend a big martini drinker? Why not get a fine bottle of Ketel One ($12.99), a jar of stuffed olives ($4.99) and a set of martini glasses ($14.99)?

Or if they’re building their own bar, BevMo has ice buckets, barware and martini stirrers. Winos will enjoy a bottle from the store’s extensive wine collection. Soda freaks will go ga-ga for a gift of hard-to-find soft drink. (AJ Stephans Raspberry Lime Rickey, anyone?) There’s even a professional poker kit ($49.99) complete with silver carrying case, cards, chips, etc. for that big World Poker Tour fan.

My favorite? The cubbies up near the registers offer a variety of mini liquor bottles. You can make your own premium mini bar kit with mini Grey Goose vodka, Bombay Sapphire gin, Maker’s Mark whiskey and so on.

Go to Bevmo.com to find a store in your area.

“Cigars are the perfect complement to an elegant lifestyle” - George Sand

I don’t smoke and even if I did, I wouldn’t smoke cigars–so ’90s, so Ah-nold–but my friend, whose birthday is coming up, loves those big, fat smelly stogies and wants to celebrate old-gentlemen style. So she asked me to find an appropriate venue for her bday celebration where she can light up and sip a cocktail.

I thought it would be easy because I vaguely remember seeing the occasional cigar lounge around L.A. but just couldn’t remember where. However when I searched through my usual city guides, there weren’t many local cigar bars. Rather, they were in such far-off, exotic locales with wonderful names like Long Beach, Alhambra, and Pasadena. Apparently California’s ban on smoking in bars and restaurants required the adios of humidors and with it the pastime of lighting a stogie after a meal and/or with a drink.

Beverly Hills used to be a haven for cigar lounges but not much pops up on CitySearch now. However, after much scrounging, I was able to find the seemingly last of the red hot cigar bars for anyone interested in this sorta thing:

Buena Vista Cigar Club and Lounge: Founded by cigar-poster-boy George Hamilton in 1995 and bought by Rigo Fernandez in 2000, this lounge provides a full bar in a relaxing hunter’s cabin-esque setting. With Cuban music and TV screens of sporting events, you’ll be entertained while you sit back and enjoy your cocktail and cigar.

9715 S. Santa Monica Boulevard
Beverly Hills, California 90210
(310) 273-8100

Conga Room VIP Cigar Lounge: This plush, intimate space in the 1950s Havana-themed Conga Room can be booked for small cocktail parties of up to 30 guests and offers premium cigars and brandies for good-life enjoyment.

5364 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90036
(323) 938-1696

The Grand Havana Room: The only way to get into this ultra exclusive smoking lair is to either already be a card-carrying member or be the guest of one. Membership is invitation only and is limited. Whatever! The Grand Havana Room’s membership roster apparently reads like a who’s who in Hollywood.

From Cigar Aficionado:

Once inside the elegantly furnished domed room, you may admire the vast, glass-walled walk-in humidor (with 340 private lockers rented to members, including Tony Danza, Mel Gibson, Joe Mantegna and Milton Berle), sip a cocktail at the bar, lounge in a leather-upholstered armchair or dine on an outdoor balcony.

301 North Canon Drive
Beverly Hills, California
(310) 446-4925

The Hideout: This newish bar on West Channel Road in Santa Monica is constantly surprising me. First it went straight, then it started having karaoke nights and now I see that it offers a cigar menu, which includes Davidoff and Montecristo cigars. However, last I remember, the smoking patio didn’t have chairs. Hopefully that’s changed with the appearance of the humidor.

112 W Channel Road
Santa Monica, California 90402
(310) 429-9920
Cross Street: Pacific Coast Highway

Schatzi on Main: And of course, an L.A. cigar bar list wouldn’t be complete without that famous stogie-toking politician/ex-action star’s contribution. Schatzi has a cigar-friendly outdoor bar and even hosts a cigar night every first Monday of the month, where for $85 you get dinner, wine with dinner and dessert, and two cigars, as well as a magic show and your shoes shined.

3110 Main Street
Santa Monica, California 90405
(310) 399-4800
Cross Street: Marine Street

Like many other Angelenos, I have to make the dreaded trek up north via car for Christmas. Living in L.A. all these years and having to do this every year, I’ve experimented with different routes–all to avoid the hassle of holiday traffic or at least minimize it.

Interstate 5: This is the straight shot to where I’m going. Unfortunately, it’s a two-laner for 90 percent of that way and slow-moving semis (so many! I wish they had their own highway) usually take up the right lane, and on most occasions sweep over to the “fast” lane to pass each other. This slows EVERYONE down. However, the benefit of traveling on the 5, besides the 70-mph speed limit, is that there aren’t many towns so there isn’t much intercity traffic. But I have noticed that with the growth of many rest stops along the way (including three Starbucks), the 5 has gotten a lot busier. I try to avoid that noise, though, by traveling late at night. That way a lot of the truckers are asleep on the side of the road and there aren’t many family minivans unloading at the gas station bathrooms.

Highway 14 to 58 to 99: The one time I took this was when I drove up in the middle of the day on the eve of Christmas Eve, apparently everyone’s big travel day. The 5 North was at a standstill near Santa Clarita and I saw that the 14 was wide-open. So I thought I was so smart taking this alternate route. Sure, I was moving but this detour added a couple of hours to my drive and slowed it down further with its 65-mph speed limit and many on-ramps and exits on the 99. Never took this way again.

Highway 101: I love this route but only if I have lots of time to kill. Along this way, and unlike the 99, there are all these quaint little towns and one time I’d like to just stop at every one of them and explore. You can go wine tasting around San Luis Obispo, antiquing in Cambria, stop off at Hearst Castle in San Simeon… But usually all I have time for is a drive through, and a quick stop at the Madonna Inn in SLO to pick up one of their colorful water goblets (it’s my tradition). Because there are so many wonderful towns and a ton of CHP patroling the highway, only take this way if you’re not in a great rush but want a lovely, leisurely tour of California.

So tonight I’m taking the 5. We’ll most likely leave L.A. at 8 or so to avoid rush-hour and other holiday travelers and get to our destination at 1 a.m. Don’t worry, we have a thermos of black coffee and our tunes to motivate us. I’d rather do that than spend eight hours on a normally-5-hour drive.

What: “Santa Baby” by Kylie Minogue Who: Those who consider video iPods to be just another stocking stuffer and want to coax a lot more from their “Santas.” When: Now. There are still 5 shopping days until Christmas! But of course that special-ordered Mercedes SLR McLaren will have to wait til next year. Where: In the privacy of your Santa’s beach house/mansion where sufficient coaxing can take place.

Why: Kylie Minogue’s rendition of “Santa Baby” is the sexiest. Madonna’s homage to Betty Boop is more comical than sexy and Eartha Kitt’s is a bit old-fashioned and staid compared to this version. Kylie seems to have fun with it. You can just see the seduction of Santa taking place through all her breathy Marilyn-esque ad libs.

Perusing through Daily Candy this fine morning, I saw a write-up of a new-to-me cupcake store in Burbank that’s sure to rival my beloved Sprinkles!

It’s uncreatively called Yummy Cupcakes (of COURSE they’re yummy!) and is touted as “Delicious New York-Style Cupcakes,” whatever THAT means. And apparently they have a fancy cupcake bar where you can customize your treat with frosting, sprinkles, etc. They also offer more exotic flavors than Sprinkles, like:

FRENCH TOAST $3
Vanilla, maple, cinnamon cupcake frosted with vanilla, maple, cinnamon buttercreme with a powdered sugar dusting

BANANAS FOSTER $3
Vanilla rum flavored cupcake frosted with fresh banana chunks and cinnamon folded into banana buttercreme

KEY LIME $2.50
Key lime cupcake frosted with cream cheese whip topped with graham cracker crumbles

…as well as cocktail-inspired flavors like Cosmopolitan, Island Breeze, Pina Colada and Margarita. But none of that was good enough to convince me to drive all the way out to the Valley. It just seemed like they were trying too hard to better all the other cupcake places out there.

However, I stopped questioning Yummy’s innovation when I saw…the ELVIS CUPCAKE! It’s a peanut butter cupcake frosted with chocolate banana buttercreme topped with chocolate chips, get it? Cuz he ate peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Clever bunnies!

Also, Yummy Cupcakes can custom-design your goodies for any special occasion. There’s even a kids party pack ($38) so that young uns can build their own sugar high with six different toppings including crushed cookies and gummy worms. But why let them have all the fun? I’d order that up for my own party.

2918 West Magnolia
Burbank, California
(818) 558-1080
Cross Street: Hollywood Way

It’s almost New Year’s Eve and I still don’t know how I want to spend the countdown. Do I wanna do it at a low-key celebration at someone’s house? “…3, 2, 1. Happy New Year. Yay.” Or go the total opposite route and do it up big with 20,000 other Angelenos in Downtown L.A.? “Happy New Year” with an exclamation point.

I know it sounds like a nightmarish prospect but with performers like The Black-Eyed Peas, The Flaming Lips, Crystal Method, Death Cab for Cutie and Jason Bentley, Giant Village NYE 2006 will definitely be the hottest place to countdown. A party that’s five years in the making and growing with every New Year celebration, the Village (a.k.a. L.A.’s Time Square NYE party) takes up six blocks, six stages and three lounges, and this year’s event promises to be the biggest ever.

General admission is $80 and you can enjoy a pretty swell evening on that ticket. Or you can go VIP. Apparently there are two VIP sections. The one in the Pegasus Indoor Lounge for $150 gets you: a separate VIP entrance, open bar in the Pegasus Indoor Lounge with music by John Digweed, and in & out privileges to all three Giant Village Hotels and complimentary access to their New Year’s Day Party on January 1, 2006, from 12 noon to 10pm.

The $120 VIP party in the Grand Pavilion gets you access to the 3,000-capacity VIP Pavilion covering an entire block of Grand Avenue and overlooking the Grand Stage (where the Black Eyed Peas will perform), as well as private entrance, premium open bar, private lounges and restrooms and direct access to the Village.

The only thing keeping me from this event? I can’t think of how to get there. With 20,000 people converging on downtown, where does one park? The Giant Village Web site offers parking lot suggestions (under “Details”) but I can just imagine the horrendous traffic with 20,000 people on all those one-way streets trying to get home at the same time. I don’t want to kick off the new year with road rage.

There are four hotels surrounding the Village (three offering direct access to the festivities) but at $200+ a room? Eesh! I suppose I could count on making fast friends and crash in theirs. I’d have to since there’s no way I’m driving myself and Metrolink doesn’t offer service for New Year’s Day. (WTF? You’d think with an event this huge generating lots of revenue for the city, they’d make an exception, but nope.)

The more I read about Giant Village, the more I want to go. Maybe I’ll just buy my ticket and worry about how to get there later. If anyone wants to go, let me know. Maybe we can carpool. :)

I haven’t gone to Westwood in ages so I jumped at the chance to drop by the Westwood Brewing Company when invited. All right, it was more like, “Really? There? OK.” My friends knew one of the bartenders so we were set for drinks, meaning we drank hard liquor and not any of the beers. But apparently a lot has changed at “Brewco.” They filled up the place with more neon beer signs so it’s brighter now and they got rid of their house beers, but from what I read this is just as well since their house brews were reviewed to be unimpressive and watery.

There are still many beers like Fat Tire Beer as well as other not-so-well-known ones on tap for your round-the-world, beer-drinking pleasure. However, I hear they are overpriced and that you can get drinks for the same price at the W down the street. I’m just sayin’.

The place was “kinda dead” for a Friday night because of finals/Christmas vacation but there were still lots of college dudes in the main area watching some sport games on the many TVs. Outside I could see an empty patio behind the bar but it slowly filled up through the course of the evening. Apparently there’s also a spiral staircase that leads to another patio. So it’s a huge venue that I had to imagine filled with co-eds.

My favorite things about this place? The buffalo popcorn chicken ($7.50) and French fries ($3.95). The former came with spicy bell pepper buffalo sauce as well as ranch. Dip, swish, pop. Yummy! And the thick French fries weren’t greasy. I think they were baked. Perfectly seasoned and the right balance of crispy and tender.

Overall, I still would shy away from this bar simply because of the intimidating parking situation–finding street parking is a bitch and the public parking garages seem a trek away–and there aren’t enough good bars in the area for a pub crawl.

1097 Glendon Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90024
(310) 209-2739
Cross Street: Kinross Avenue