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 Beth Fisher (vlog and site)

Tucked away just off the main drag of West Hollywood, The Gardens of Taxco has been a West Hollywood institution since 1971. As a child brought there for special occasions, I thought that with its muted lighting, multi-course meals and spoken menu, this restaurant was the epitome of fancy. While I now know that fancier places exist, I still get an unparalleled thrill from the prospect of enjoying their dining experience.

Upon being seated they bring you freshly fried chips and a very yummy salsa along with pickled veggies. After bringing your drinks (at one time I would have recommended the Shirley Temple, but now I go with the margaritas) your waiter comes over to tell you what’s on the menu.

This is an integral part of the dining experience at The Gardens of Taxco. Personally, I like to make him go through the entire menu every time, but if you’re impatient then do what you will. Even if you’re a vegetarian, have him at least tell you about the chicken. You’ll learn that the sauce of the Pollo a la Crema tastes “like the chicken was booorrrrrrrnn in it.” And, it does.

After placing your order, you’ll be brought albondigas soup (veggie version is available if you ask) followed by a small quesadilla topped with guacamole (words cannot describe the joy that this little piece of heaven brings me). Next you’ll get a tiny enchilada (what kind depends on what you ordered) and then your main course (served with rice and beans).

Once you’re stuffed, a small glass of sherry appears along with a supremely delightful creamy banana dessert served in a glass that should be three times the size. If you can get me that recipe, you’ll have a friend for life.

Amazingly this five-course meal costs only $23.95 + tax per person. If you like to eat dinner before 7pm, log on to their site www.gardensoftaxco.com for a coupon to get this meal for only $14.95. Fill out their comment card and they periodically send an offer for a free meal (party of 2 or more) with no expiration date.

Their margaritas are wine-based, but they’re tasty and they work just fiiine. The flavors are either strawberry or mixed fruit. I like them better than the sangria. A carafe is $13. It’s a far better deal than the half carafe, which is $9.

Dinner is served Tuesday-Thursday 4:30-11pm, Friday and Saturday until midnight. Don’t go on Monday, ’cause they’re closed.

The Gardens of Taxco
1113 North Harper Avenue
West Hollywood, California 90046 (map)
(323) 654-1746

By Bourbon & Bleu

When Hatfield’s announced that it was moving out of its cozy Beverly Boulevard spot, we thought that a once loved dining destination would be cast by the wayside. Enter Mark Gold. Boasting a resume including Patina Group and Water Grill, Gold took over the Hatfield’s post and opened his first restaurant: Eva Restaurant. Gold loves to please his customers, and with his “no limits” style of customer service, Eva is sure to become a local favorite.

We’ve dined at Eva’s Sunday Dinner Party twice now (here’s the rundown) and thought it was about time to give the restaurant’s seasonal menu a go. The month-by-month menu is short and sweet, with less than 20 items on the whole thing. The prices are also affordable: appetizers are in the $9-$15 range, sides and desserts are $7, and entrees fall around $16-$24. The wine menu is well-rounded and offers a full page of glass selections with prices from $8 to upward of $30. Bleu was pointed in the right direction towards a Ladera Cab from Napa Valley. Bourbon opted out for a cocktail and was thrilled with his r1 Manhattan (stirred, thank goodness!).

We started off with the burrata ravioli appetizer — Eva’s most ordered dish. Burrata cheese in homemade pasta finds a nice compliment in the earthy winter truffle shavings and sweet corn foam. But when it comes to anything involving the gooey goodness of burrata, where can you really go wrong? We overheard the server telling the table next to us that you can even order an entree-size portion of this dish. Great option for a vegetarian or anyone, really.

Gold seems to be a fan of the deconstructed style of food; all the entrees came on oversized plates with scattered piles of goodies that were a feast for the eyes. He also focuses on bringing out the quality of what he’s cooking with — no overpowering sauces or unnecessary flavors. It’s good, simple food that anyone can appreciate.

For the main event, Bourbon chose the braised lamb shank — special of the day — and Bleu went for the halibut. Bourbon’s lamb shank had an amazing flavor thanks to the slow cooking process that allowed the fat to melt into the meat. The buttery richness of the lamb was paired with a side of hearty quinoa and mint, wilted kale, potatoes, and carrots. The perfect cooking technique was further exemplified by how the meat fell off the bone. Bourbon’s only qualm with this dish was that it was served warm, but definitely not as hot as he would have liked.

Bleu’s halibut was gently crisped on top and served over a delicate mustard sauce with potatoes, artichokes, and wild mushrooms. The fish was tender and flaked away easily with a fork, evidence of Gold’s tenure at Water Grill.

To accompany our entrees, we ordered the butter-glazed mushrooms as a side despite Bourbon’s uneasiness (he’s never been a big fan of them). Much to his surprise, and Bleu’s delight, the wild assorted mushrooms were meaty and flavorful. Bourbon swears they reminded him of fried chicken. Success!

We rounded out the meal with the lemon pudding cake. The citrus cake was accompanied by sweet meringue and thyme. The dessert reminded us of a super moist lemon bar in cake form.

The service was spot-on throughout the evening. Gold dropped by to check on our meal and when we raved about the ravioli he brought over samples of the new winter ravioli recipe he’s testing — pumpkin brown butter (on the menu as of November 7). Our server was also a gem, playing hostess, waitress, and bartender all without missing a beat.

Gold jokes that he would drive elsewhere if the customer asks for something he doesn’t offer. But with the quality we have seen from Eva so far, we aren’t worried about anyone taking him up on that any time soon.

Eva Restaurant
7458 Beverly Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90036 (map)
(323) 634-0700

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!

Now, I rarely, if ever, do this but I’ve asked my brother, G, to do up a review of the Thom Yorke concert at the Orpheum in Downtown L.A. last night. G’s a huuuge Radiohead/TY fan so I know he’d do an awesome job of covering it.

Thom performed some of his old solo songs and several new ones often accompanied by his new band which consists of Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, Beck/Elliott Smith drummer Joey Waronker, Brazilian multi-instrumentalist Mauro Refosco and even Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea.

Anyway, take it away, G.

Thom Yorke by guest blogger, G

Last night at the Orpheum, Thom Yorke performed all the songs off of his 2006 solo album Eraser for the first 50 minutes of the concert. At every moment I was expecting to hear some of the new tracks he has been working on in L.A. with the new band. It left me a tiny bit, uh, let down (couldn’t resist) at first, but they finally played these much-anticipated new songs in the second half of the concert. That didn’t mean I didn’t get to enjoy my favorite tracks from that album: “Eraser,” “Analyse,” “Black Swan” and “Cymbal Rush.” All of the tracks were brought to life in a bass-heavy way gratz to the new band.

You may notice that many recordings online (shot by concertgoers on their iPhones with not-so-great microphones) ended up sounding distorted due to the big beats and bass coming from the speakers. The band Middle Eastern-ized the track “Skip Divided” with Flea playing some exotic flute (the kind to bring out snakes), and the building hypnotic tribal percussion made the crowd wanna writhe and gyrate their hips along with Thom Yorke onstage.

Thom’s got some sexy little moves, too, inciting the females in the crowd to go, “WOO!” with his serpentine dancing limbs. Flea’s trademark bass-slap happiness was hotly evident when they played “Harrowdown Hill”…it was a joy to behold as a long-time-ago fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Having never seen the Chili Peppers play live before, it was a thrill watching Flea burst forth with the same boundless energy he had 20 years ago (!?!) during the Mother’s Milk album. Except this time with a shirt on.

They closed the first set with “Cymbal Rush,” which had built up in intensity when the band improvised a Flea-funky jam session at the end of the song.

The second set began with Thom offering to the crowd, “You can come to our party, if you like.” ::sigh:: He played the first few new songs sans the new band. The first one, a classic beautiful guitar ballad, he said was called either “Moon Upon a Stick” or “Lotus Flower,” a song he said he was currently working on with Radiohead.

The other two piano ballads, “Open the Floodgates” and “Super Collider” (based on Large Hadron Collider?) were the kind of aural gorgeousness you’d expect from the front man of Radiohead, even causing the biggest jerkholes in the crowd standing in front of us (when almost everyone in the crowd finally elected to sit down…OK I won’t go down that negative path) to sway together romantically.

The band returned to Thom’s side for the last few new songs, which were kickass numbers that only made me impatient for the final recorded versions of the new material!

There were a sea of brightly lit recording gadgets in the crowd, so you’re very likely to find this concert on YouTube now (at least until the record company lawyers come and take away all the fun) for viewing.

Seems Thom Yorke has a lot of material stored for the future in remakes/rewrites of songs already released, as evident in two of the new tracks: “Judge, Jury, Executioner” seems to be a sequel to “Myxomatosis” which was on Radiohead’s Hail to the Thief; and the last song on the setlist “Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses,” which according to some fan sites previously was what became “Reckoner” on Radiohead’s In Rainbows.

It’s fascinating to see his (and Radiohead’s) creative evolution over time, and I can only guess what half of these songs mean or how (if possible) they might be linked.

Probably the biggest treat of the night was walking past Colin Greenwood as I went into the refreshments area of the Orpheum theater.  It’s been a long time in my 15 years in L.A. that I’ve been starstruck. OMG I just brushed by Colin — I could see the smile-wrinkles in his face — WOWW he’s human!

BTW, you can check out some of the new songs here on At Ease, a Radiohead fan site.

SETLIST

1. The Eraser
2. Analyse
3. The Clock
4. Black Swan
5. Skip Divided
6. Atoms For Peace
7. And It Rained All Night
8. Harrowdown Hill
9. Cymbal Rush

Solo encore:

1. Lotus Flower (Moon Upon A Stick)
2. Open The Floodgates
3. Super Collider

Encore with band:

1. Paperbag Writer
2. Judge, Jury & Executioner
3. The Hollow Earth
4. Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses