By fauxLAhipster

Since Caroline had to go out of town for her bf’s Lemons race, she asked me to cover this apparently uber-strict-guestlisty opening (only the opening was guestlisty; the exhibit is open to the public right now) of “In Bed Together” right off the heels of Royal/T’s insanely popular Hello Kitty Three Apples exhibit.

I was excited for this event for many reasons.

1. I would finally get to taste Chef Ludo‘s “mouth orgasm” inducing treats
2. It was technically an art opening and I’m always a big fan of anything arty
3. It boasted the holy trifecta of parties: free booze, food and goodie bags

I am not a difficult sell. Although I arrived just a few minutes after the 7pm start time, there was a rather slow-moving line with velvet ropes and the requisite clipboard girl. A friend noted, “I feel like I’m at a Hollywood club except that everyone is old.”

Once inside, it was already packed with roving people. I was amazed at how all traces of Hello Kitty that had filled this place from floor to ceiling just a few days ago were gone and replaced with pieces representing the “In Bed Together” theme. But the thing was, I wasn’t really getting this “In Bed Together” theme.

Sure, there was the little side room with a big bed and the screen projecting a variety of animated dildos which I found quite cute and engaging. And Polite in Public’s photobooth even had scantily clad models to serve as photobooth props. But the whole “sensual,” “erotic,” “somnambulist” or whatever theme they were going for was not resonating for me. Here’s a blurb from their press release:

By bringing together all these key characters in the arts community, In Bed Together will highlight each specific role within the art world that is critically dependent on and supportive of each other.

Huh? I spoke with several bloggers on this evening who were just as confused as I was. If you’re able to figure this whole exhibit thing out, please do let me know.

As for the food, since I knew I’d get to try Chef Ludo‘s creations, I made sure to come nice and hungry. He and his sous chef were busy working in their fiberglass box so that attendees could observe them dishing up buckwheat crepes with goat cheese and bacon marmalade (not sure if that’s what they called it, but that’s what it tasted like to me). The tang of the goat cheese cut through the full-bodied smokiness of the bacon and all wrapped up in a fluffy crepe blanket. YUM!

Also served was scallop ceviche with chopped macerated tropical fruits (mango and kiwi) and a dusting of squid ink powder. I couldn’t really taste the squid ink powder, but it’s always interesting to eat something you don’t know and trying to figure out what’s in it! It was also my first time experiencing ceviche that didn’t taste citrus-y. I enjoyed this as well, but since I’m not a raw food fan (no oyster shooters or sashimi for me!) I favored the crepe.

BTW, thanks to HC of LA/OC Foodventures for breaking down all the mysterioso ingredients for me. Chef Ludo is doing his second LudoBites event at Royal/T during the exhibit for December but unfortunately it’s completely sold out.

However, Royal/T’s kitchen serves up many yummy treats and this event was no exception. The tuna tartare atop a crispy wonton chip was fresh and flavorful. There were many yummy drinks being poured including a pomegranate mimosa, Kirin Ichiban Lager and a crisp, refreshing iichiko shochu that was well accentuated by a small wedge of lemon. No surprise, since lemon juice is the most popular mixer for Korean soju.

Despite my confusion over the current exhibit, I will always admire Royal/T Cafe and its continued efforts to bring a bit of creativity using a variety of mediums palatable for the masses to the Westside.

EVENT: NOW THROUGH JANUARY 30, 2010

Royal/T Cafe
8910 Washington Boulevard
Culver City, California 90232 (map)
(310) 559-6300

By fauxLAhipster

When Caroline invited me to the code.ai beauty event at Fred Segal my initial reaction was “meh” until I heard a few words that DID catch my attention “cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.”  The event was the launch of code.ai, a new product that claims to extend lashes and brows. You might ask, “Isn’t there already a product that does this?” But code.ai has a few major differences from Latisse.

1. It does not require a prescription. You can pick it up from Fred Segal or from the code.ai Web site.
2. It does not have several of the side effects associated with Latisse including eye skin darkening or eye irritation.

At first I was skeptical of its efficacy since it’s not an FDA-approved cosmeceutical (I used to work in the pharma industry), but when I saw When Tara Met Blog‘s bushy eyebrows (yes, they make a brow booster, too), I was sold! I also liked that the code.ai Web site provides full disclosure of the purpose behind each of their seemingly mysterioso active ingredients. Ever wonder what diethanolamine does? Go to their Web site and find out!

The event itself was at the Studio at Fred Segal. U’Luvka Vodka was shaking up lychee martinis that I actually enjoyed quite a lot! It didn’t have any of that harsh bite of cheaper vodkas and the lemon zest garnish was a perfect complement to the sweetness of the lychee. I was majorly digging this drink.

The only drawback was that both Caroline and I didn’t even feel a slight buzz after three of these babies. So we headed to the back of the Studio where La Parra Loca Sauvignon Blanc – Verdejo was being poured. I’m more of a red wine gal, but I actually thought this white was pretty good and it’s available exclusively at Fresh n Easy for just $7.99. Sweet!

After getting adequately boozy, we got makeovers courtesy of Le Metier De Beaute (pronounced “leh meh-tee-ay deh byoo-tay”). My makeup guy schooled me in what makes them so special. Apparently all their powders and shadows are “quadruple milled” as opposed to the double or triple milling of traditional makeup allowing for a finer grained texture and smoother application. And their liquid eyeliner is made by the same folks as Mont Blanc (you know, those $200 pens).

The prices of the different products ranged from $40-$70 which is probably a bit more for a non-makeup-wearing gal like me, but if you’re into the fancy stuff like Chanel and La Mer, it’s probably very reasonable.

After we got all prettied up by the makeup artists, we jumped at the chance to get our brows groomed by celebrity eyebrow threader Marco Ochoa. His clients include folks like Khloe Kardasian and Janice Dickinson. I was slightly taken aback by handsome Marco and his perfectly straight and flowing hair. But once I sat in his chair, I knew he would take good care of my brows. The process is so much less painless than waxing and it lasts longer, too.

I was a bit peeved when a beautiful young Latina gal interrupted my threading session to chit chat with Marco in perfect Spanish, but in researching this blogpost, I realized that she was the Fernanda Romero of Telemundo fame.

Once I was finished, all I could say was “Wow, my eyebrows are so…symmetrical!” I was definitely digging my new brows and wanted to squeal like a little girl! You can make appointments with Marco at Vert salon on Abbott Kinney.

The entire event was also a fundraiser and awareness-raiser for Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), a non-profit organization supporting advances in cancer research and funding. It is headed up by a Hollywood bigshot producer and cancer survivor Laura Ziskin who produced a few little movies you may have heard of called Spiderman. One woman shared her tale about how she lost all her eyebrows and eyelashes during chemotherapy and how code.ai helped restore not only her lashes/brows, but also her dignity.

On our way out, they gave us a little goodie bag with a small sample of code.ai’s Brow Boosting Shaper product. We’ll see how that goes!