But this weekend my friend Shelley and I found ourselves wandering around in Culver City. We had just finished a bland, uber healthy breakfast at M Cafe when I had remembered passing the kawaii cafe on my drive in to town. Since neither of us had been there before we decided to walk on over and check it out.

On a Saturday afternoon, the place seemed quiet. The arty stores selling t-shirts and toys out front were empty but the tearoom further in was buzzing. Almost all the tables were taken by tea-sipping patrons. But just as well since we were still too full from breakfast to consider a tea service.

We were about to just order something to go when the owner of the place, Susan Hancock, said that we were welcome to sit down at the picnic table past the tea room; apparently her favorite place to sit. And we could instantly see why. It had a huge table perfect for a party of eight or for community seating, and it was surrounded by art. Huge portraits of Harajuku girls and a collection of ceramics affixed with googly eyes, a light box on the floor that asked you not to stand on it, etc.

Just past this open room was a closed-off room furnished with salon couches and a huge TV screen that Susan said could be used to display whatever the party-goers want — family videos, Breakfast At Tiffany’s, slideshows. The best part is that it’s just $100 to throw a private party there, 20-person max but no minimum on food. PLUS she said guests were allowed to BYOB! Such a deal.

She also mentioned that she’s currently trying to get a liquor license for the place, hopefully within the next six weeks, but even then people could still BYOB to their private parties.

Susan seems like a really cool lady. She went on to tell us that she had always wanted to open a tea house and that when she got a divorce and her ex took their house in Malibu, she was stuck with a place too big for just her in NYC. So she sold that New York home, took her art and bought this place. The art on display, hers, is not for sale but guests are free to admire it all they want.

In the back was yet another room where guests could enjoy their tea, but when we were there it was closed off for a Mercedes-Benz fashion week media party. Boo. In any case, Shelley and I tried to come up with an excuse to throw a party in that smaller room.

As we dreamed up a party theme, we ordered a chocolate espresso cake to split and Shelley got the ginger lemonade while I chose an iced Moroccan Mint tea. Both were so refreshing and were served in those insulated Bodum glasses to keep them chilled and our hands warm.

The cake itself was thick, almost chocolate bar thick where the fork snapped against the plate with a loud clink! as we tried to break off a piece. The brick o’ cake was served with some lemon curd, blueberries and raspberries, so perfect with the richness and coffee bitterness of the dark chocolate. And our unsweetened beverages offered a delightful palate cleanser after the snack.

We were surprised by the Royal/T, that it was a lot more than the maids and it’s a place that we would definitely return to again. I can’t wait until Susan is able to extend the cafe hours. As it is the cafe is only open til 6pm Tuesday through Sunday. But til then we’ll definitely have to come back to try that high tea ($19.50) which includes your choice of tea with small pastries, mini quiche, egg salad, kappa maki, and California and spicy tuna finger sandwiches. Or perhaps just a simple lunch of ponzu salmon with pan-seared edamame in a rice bowl ($11). Mmmm!

BTW, if you’re still on the lookout for something interesting to do for Halloween, Royal/T will be throwing a Lolita-themed Halloween tea party on October 26 from 12 to 5pm where girls are invited to become living mannequins and pose for photographer Neil Sharum. So arty! Admission is free but it’s $25 for the tea and snacks.

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

When I first heard about the home and design shopping event, the 3rd Annual Domino Bazaar, taking place at HD Buttercup in Culver City this coming weekend, I pooh-poohed the $20 admission fee. There isn’t even going to be any cocktails like there usually is at some of those cool fashion sample sales! But then when I found out that you get a 1-year subscription of Domino magazine (normally $10/year on Amazon) with your admission, it didn’t seem too bad of a price to pay.

Plus there would be over 80 hip home decor vendors, like Jonathan Adler and Superdeluxe, as well as complimentary master classes led by Domino experts and editors and designer consultations (both of which are first-come first-serve). Having just moved into a fab new house myself, this event spoke to me. I could use some cute stuff for my new digs as well as some help on how to make it look all pretty.

The best part about this event, besides the fact that a portion of sales will benefit AIDS Community Research Initiative of America (ACRIA), is that they only accept credit cards. No cash, which is great cuz I only pay with cards. You also don’t need to bring your own reusable shopping tote as one will be provided for you with your ticket purchase, however supplies are limited so get there early.

I already got my ticket for Saturday and have the decorating and cooking master classes on my to-do list. Hope to see you there!

EVENT: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17 to SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19 from 12pm to 6pm

HD Buttercup
3225 Helms Avenue
Culver City, California 90034

It seemed like everyone of my newsletters I subscribed to and blog I read made a mention about the debut of Laurel Tavern, the gastropub in Studio City, this week.

Daily Candy: “Industrial and rustic, with brick and wood detail, Butcher block tables and blackboard menus we hail. Laurel Tavern has filled the Valley with good cheer!”

Eater LA: “As one commenter put when we tipped you off last week, it sounds like the York, Village Idiot and the Other Room all rolled into one, but that’s kind of OK considering Studio City doesn’t have anything like those.”

Rare Daily: “Refuel from all that shopping with a solid Tillamook cheddar burger and twice-fried steak fries at the just-opened Laurel Tavern. Wash it all down with an artisanal beer, cherry-picked by the Beer Chick herself, Christina Perozzi.”

The Guide: “Wood ceilings, spiral exposed aluminum ducting, windows that open up onto Ventura Blvd. and blue chairs that look like something out of a middle school cafeteria circa 1950 all conspire to make the experience here a classic.”

UrbanDaddy: “If a few of the menu items (Steak Fries in Pork Fat) look familiar, that’s probably because they are. One of the owners also operates Library Bar, which, as you know, just built a kitchen to serve a few of the same favorites you might find here.”

My review after the jump…

I shrugged it off. Another gastropub and in Studio City at that. Meh. But my friend John of Social Domain said that he really really wanted to check it out instead of go to Musso & Frank’s as was our original plan for the evening.

So I braved that horrendous 405 traffic and made my way there. Arriving at around 6, the warmly lit restaurant was buzzing but not packed as we were thankfully able to grab a butcher block table along the wall.

The center table with its metal chairs for those there to drink more than eat just didn’t look all that comfortable. After sitting for about five minutes watching the wait stuff bus tables but not come around to us, we figured out that we were supposed to place our order at the bar.

But what to eat? The chalkboards on the wall told of three different burgers but didn’t list why they were different. We went up to the bar to ask for a menu but found there was only a thin stack of papers stapled together and it was the bar’s copy. I guess they don’t have menus yet since it just opened.

• Old School Burger ($8): meat, bun, ketchup
• Laurel Burger (aka house burger, $9): caramelized onions, homemade pickles, Gruyere, arugula
• Hickory Burger ($9): caramelized onions, Tillamook cheddar, iceberg, hickory sauce

Thing was, I thought I was craving a burger but then I saw these and wasn’t really feeling ‘em so I chose the pork belly sandwich ($10) which came with arugula, bread and butter pickles, heirloom tomatoes, garlic jam, cheese bread and thick slices of roast pork belly. I think it was the garlic jam that got me. We also ordered some peppered steak fries ($6) coated with hot pork fat, sea salt and pepper and served with hickory sauce.

The sandwich was OK. The thing is by the time it got to my table, along with the fries, it was kinda cold. Nothing like heat to make food taste extra savory. And that wasn’t the case here. And I didn’t really taste any garlic jam. I was also a bit disappointed that the steak fries didn’t taste strongly of the pork fat that was promised. Actually, John’s order was a little bit better than mine but not by much as he had just had these at the Library Bar (same owner) last week and said his order had come drenched in pork fat. Mmmm. Not so here. Again, we’ll just chalk this up to opening night. Maybe I’ll come back in three months.

I love the fact that there’s a full bar here, so if for some reason you’re not in the mood for something from the awesome beer list, you can always order a Manhattan. Another thing that was interesting was that all the beers are on tap, and there are a lot of beers. No bottled beers here, no sirree. There’s my beloved Craftsman (four different types at the moment), North Coast Pranqster, and Anderson Valley Oatmeal Stout to name a few. All only $5-$6!

I consider it a good sign when a place has Craftsman because Mark Jilg, owner of the brewery, only supplies his beer to establishments that take beer seriously, meaning the bartenders have to be well schooled in it. So yeah, the beer was good (Craftsman Oktoberfest yummm) and my Maker’s Manhattan following that was decent.

So Laurel Tavern is nice enough but honestly I wouldn’t cross into the dark side for it when there are plenty of gastropubs like it or better that are more readily accessible to me, i.e. downtown’s Library Bar, L.A.’s Father’s Office, The Bowery in Hollywood. But for the fine folks in Studio City and surrounding environs, here you go.

Laurel Tavern
11938 Ventura Boulevard
Studio City, California 91604 (map)
(818) 506-0777

Yay! My first free weekend in a lonnng while. But rather than staying home and polishing furniture, which I’ve been looking forward to since I moved in, I may do some or all of the following.

Friday, October 10

Pasadena ArtWeekend
Not so cultured? Now’s your chance to bone up on art, music, museums and more at this arty weekend in Pasadena. Kick off things with the ArtRide — a guided bike tour of the museums and events — on Friday’s ArtNight. Saturday will feature over 40 visual artists and their work at ArtWalk and Sunday showcases an outdoor music event as well as ArtMarket, an open-air fine arts sale.

• Friday through Sunday. Old Town Pasadena (Raymond & Colorado), Pasadena (map).

Soul Sessions 4-Year Anniversary
Celebrate the 4th anniversary of experimental music event Soul Sessions with live art, upstairs and downstairs dancing and an outdoor sound system. And hip artist and creator of those Hope Obama posters/stickers Shepard Fairey will be guest djing along with Jeremy Sole, King Most and Just Max. First 200 people will get that limited-edition Obama poster. And there will also be giveaways by my fave Goorin Bros. Hatmakers. Still not good enough for you? $2 Long Islands til 11pm. Ta da!

• 9pm. $10. Grand Star Jazz Club, 943 N Broadway, Chinatown (map). (213) 626-2285.

Saturday, October 11

The Hills: A Staged Reading at Upright Citizens Brigade Theater
Man! The advanced reservations for this hilarious-sounding show are sold out but there will be a stand-by line that I’m thinking I definitely need to get in. Everyone’s guilty pleasure as interpreted by some really funny folks: Janeane Garofalo as Lauren, Jerry O’Connell as Brody, to name a few.

• 10pm. $8. Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, 5919 Franklin Avenue, Los Angeles (map). (323) 908-8702.

Sunday, October 12

Last Day for Fred Segal 50% Off Sale
I know, you thought you’d still have some time to hit this sale but it’s almost over! So get your booty down to Fred Segal and stock up on some half-priced (and more) fashions before they return to their regularly scheduled high prices on Monday. Keep in mind that although the complex’s sale ends on Sunday, a lot of stores, which are privately owned, may end their sales sooner, i.e. today (Thursday). Just call ahead.

• Santa Monica (310) 458-9940; Melrose (866) 654-4577.

Vote for My Favorite Bartender: Travel and Leisure Beverage Arts Challenge
My fave bartender and creator of yummy cocktails, Damian Windsor, needs your help. He’s in this Travel and Leisure contest with nine other top bartenders where they are charged with creating the best Grand Marnier cocktail. His concoction is the intriguing Montresor & Fortunato. Just vote for him by registering. T&L has no qualms about you hitting the back button and resubmitting either.

2008 AIDS Walk: Donate or Join  Team Crackhead!
The AIDS Walk is just a week away, folks, and I need your support. Either come walk with me next Sunday the 19th where we will hit the Abbey afterward for post-Walk drinks and food or please donate whatever amount you can to my team to help us reach our $2,000 goal. Thank you so much!

Me and a bunch of bloggers were invited to the Ritz-Carlton Residences sales room downtown earlier this week to check out the new, impending L.A. Live, the huge downtown entertainment project which was kicked off by the debut of the Nokia Theatre last year.

We (i.e. LAist, Blog Downtown, Experience LA, 5th and Spring and The Delicious Life to name a few) were fed fancy nosh created by Wolfgang Puck (carving station included!), treated to an open bar, allowed to romp around in the residences’ “model vignettes” and were invited to blog on the spot via a WiFi connection.

We were taken on a tour of L.A. Live in miniature before being shown a slick video about the project followed by a short fieldtrip to the Nokia Plaza where we were told how and where things would be. We listened skeptically about the grand plans to draw Angelenos to the city’s center for sports events, concerts, dinner, movies and even New Year’s Eve.

They didn’t want this to be for the tourists but a destination for the natives. And they’d entice us from every SoCal locale, from the Historic Core to the Inland Empire, with a 14-screen Regal Cinemas movie theater, 12 restaurants, Club Nokia (a 2,300-person venue), the Conga Room, Lucky Strike Lanes, ESPN Zone and ESPN West Coast Broadcast headquarters, the Grammy Museum, in addition to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and Residences.

Yup, lots of stuff; although I found the restaurant choices a bit too hoopla (read: expensivo) for my taste — The Farm of Beverly Hills, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Katsuya, a Wolfgang Puck venue, Yard House, Rock’N Fish and Trader Vic’s.

And none of the bars were all that intriguing to me (Trader Vic’s included). I mean, the Rock’N Fish serves a chocolate-covered banana cocktail fer crissakes. I’m thinking the Edison needs to add a junior location.

But of course my first question was, “What’s the parking situation?” Because I know that’s my big issue when coming downtown. Even as it is, I choose street parking over the expensive Staples Center garages.

Apparently the plan is to create 3,500 parking spots (to add to the already existing Staples and convention center garages and the surrounding lots) which are divided into a section for the restaurants, movie theater and clubs and another section for the big venues. Anticipated flat rate for the former is $10 on weekend nights. And there’s a plan to have Dash shuttles on weekends as well.

For those who don’t want to deal with parking or the massive traffic this entertainment center is sure to draw, there’s always the Metro. A Gold Line station is located a couple of blocks from Nokia Plaza.

We bloggers stood in the plaza while the Ritz-Carlton developer described where everything was going to go. “There’s no way you can fit everyone in here for New Year’s,” said LAist’s Elise as we tried to imagine a sea of Angelenos counting down in the space between the Staples and Nokia. No way, indeed.

The man brought up the point that crowds are always an issue for Times Square during New Year’s. True, but doesn’t Times Square have a bunch of metro stations in the vicinity? And even then, since this is a new project, couldn’t measures be taken before development is completed to make it more accessible and crowd friendly? No one asked those questions out loud, though, as we were busy taking everything in…and taking lots of pictures.

So the plan is to open the restaurants and nightclubs later this year while the Ritz, Regal Cinemas and the Marriott will debut in 2010 (L.A. Live’s final phase).

After the outdoor presentation, we returned to the Ritz salesroom where we resumed the party with more eating and drinking. Lindsay, Elise and Andy from LAist as well as Sarah from The Delicious Life and I went over to the Residences’ bedroom replica to goof off, posing in pictures evocative of a very luxurious blogger lifestyle. The joke being that none of us could ever afford to live at the Ritz. One hundred of us in one condo, maybe. But one blogger? No way.

“It’s very mean of them to show us this place when it’s not something we could ever afford,” I complained to Sarah. “I know! They should have a resident blogger!” she said excitedly. I call “Dibs!”

Sarah went on to admire the Juicy Couture-esque Lakers handbag on the nightstand while Elise had food served to her whilst sitting in the deep bathtub and Andy accidently spilled Sarah’s vodka soda at the foot of the bed. Later we all Twittered during yet another presentation.

As for what I think of this entertainment center. I’m still very skeptical. It sounds like quite a lot in a small, congested space and that’s just not appealing to me. Add to the fact that these are restaurants that I couldn’t afford to patronize and neither would I brave traffic just to see a movie here.

Despite what the developers said, I can see L.A. Live drawing in a lot of tourists; people who want to be in L.A.’s center and experience all that flash in one place. This is another Hollywood and Highland, another Universal City Walk. If you like those places, you’ll be thrilled.

Flicker Set of L.A. Live blogger party.