NOT YOUR ORDINARY "PIKNIC"

I decided to gather my West Coast fam together for an intimate dinner to celebrate my birthday. After all, little Preston is a tad too young to shoot-back shots of Grey Goose with his Uncle Wen at Libertine this coming Saturday. I wanted to try someplace that I hadn’t been to, and definitely wanted to keep the dinner as simple and “local” as possible. The logical choice: Piknic in Playa Vista.

Now this wasn’t a “let’s sit on gingham sheets underneath weeping willows” kind of picnic. Piknic is actually a homely spot in the planned Playa Vista community situated where Jefferson and Lincoln meet (right outside Playa/Marina). It is the brainchild of the family who owns the popular (and somewhat overrated) Toast in West Hollywood, and is a fusion of hip/chic style and classic restaurant comfort. We were seated at a table in the middle of the room, and most of the time I felt like I was at dinner at a friend’s house – never minding the bus boys and servers milling about. The small and intimate dining area was dotted with dark wood tables and chairs, giving it the air of a classic NYC bistro, sans the intimidating white table cloths. Frosted plexiglass squares encasing dried maple leaves hung cleverly from the ceiling, which added to the coziness of the little space. It gave off an air of “fall” despite the obvious spring greenery screaming at us from the outside. The natural “Earthy” tones that highlighted the space made me want to curl up in a blanket and watch the Lakers game that was playing in the bar area.

The dinner menu was filled with everything from tasty appetizers to pasta dishes, salads, creative burgers, and some classic dishes (think Chicken L’orange, steaks, crusted ahi fillets). We started off with a spinach artichoke dish that did the job, but was reminiscent of the stuff you’d find at your local Applebee’s (we probably should’ve ordered the calamari, which gets rave reviews). But since I was hungry, it served its purpose. Other dishes that were ordered included: capellini in a light tomato herb sauce with grilled chicken (which totally hit the spot for me), an interesting “mac n’cheese” dish made with orichette pasta (plus grilled chicken, bay shrimp, and Italian sausage –not your ordinary mac n’cheese), miniature sliders with sweet potato fries, and the Randy Steak Salad made with grilled Niman Ranch top sirloin. The mix of dishes ranged from excellent to just “ok,” but in essence the overall meal was nice. The highlight – a tantalizing dessert tray, of which we ordered a white-chocolate walled strawberry shortcake, and a fun cappuccino mousse/cake dessert… a great end to a nice time with family and friends.

While the food didn’t exactly scream “come back and eat me again,” I would probably go back for the ambience and the decently diverse wine list. Eating at Piknic reminded me of being in those nice neighborhoody spots that are found all over the Arlington area back in Northern Virginia, or the Bethesda area of Maryland. Playa Vista gives off a certain vibe that screams “suburbia,” yet you know that the beach is actually just a hop, skip and a jump away. That definitely added to the overall experience. While I may not go out of my way to make reservations in the main dining room, I’d definitely be down for casual eats and drinks at the bar.

All in all, it was the company that made the experience at Piknic really “pop.” It definitely was a nice way to celebrate another year with people that I love.
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Piknic, 13020 Pacific Promenade #1, Playa Vista, CA 90094, 310-496-3966

BIRTHDAY SUMMARY

Here's a summary of my birthday this year...

1) Intimate dinner for four: $125.00
2) Happy Hour drinks (two-days running): $200.00
3) Scoring a pair of $245-John Varvatos aviator sunglasses for about $50 at Loehmann's: PRICELESS!!!

(You can really tell what matters in my life, can't you? LOL! Oh, I got brown frames... not these boring black ones...)

There’s debauchery to come this Saturday night at Libertine (on Sunset). See you there…

FOOD COMA

Being that my blog is supposed to have a specific concentration on "food," I have to make special mention about the lunch I had today with my co-workers. Too bad this post will be super boring since I didn't have my camera or phone to take snapshots of the culinary yum-ness that was our lunch. Anyway. I am in a food coma right now, and I'm crashing hard and fast. My co-workers and I decided to go to lunch at Panini Cafe here in Bev Hills. It's a little spot on a corner of Little Santa Monica, just a road or two west of Rodeo. I had never been before, but one of my co-workers has taken this place under her wing... calling it a sure-bet regular spot in her lunch scene. Sure enough, the food and spot lived to its expectations.

We got to the cafe just before the place started to fill-up. The tables outdoors were pretty much packed, and there were only a few choice tables left in the dining area and bar. Luckily, we were seated right away, and the road to food coma suddenly got shorter. Everyone ordered something amazing: chicken or turkey paninis, an open-faced panini sandwich/salad, and a falafel wrap... with sides of freshly cut fruit, an amazing couscous salad, and/or field greens. I have been having a hard time finding a decent Mediterranean restaurant in the L.A. area, but that search has finally come to an end. I can't even begin to explain how yum the food was, but that is more so because I want to pass out right now.

So whatever. Just know - you should definitely hit up this place if you're looking for a yum, easy, and nicely-prepped meal. Who needs The Farm of Beverly Hills when you can get food that is just as good for decent prices?! Check it out, kids: Panini Cafe, 9601 Santa Monica Blvd. South (Little Santa Monica), Beverly Hills, CA 90210, 310-247-8300.
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I really want to blog about the fun times I had last night, but I'm sleepy. So wait for it... wait for it... (snore)

LOOKING BACK: RAMIELE

I never really watched the episode where Ramiele Malubay got voted off American Idol.



While I honestly feel that she could've brought more to the table, I am absolutely certain that little girl has a great voice. She certainly has been the best Filipino to represent on AI. Like seriously, if you think Jasmine Trias was better then you've got to be kidding me. Ramiele can sing Jasmine off the map any day. Jasmine was too lucky to have gotten as far as she did.

But this post isn't a "let's bash Jasmine" one, because I don't dislike Jasmine (I just think she's super cheesy). But I think Ramiele could've gotten far had she pushed the envelope a little harder each week. She definitely was too mahinhin. Being that way will not get you far in showbiz, people. Let's face the facts. But, all is well that ends well.

I must admit that I will throw-up if David Archuleta wins. It's NOT that I don't think he can sing, because he can. But he's got a ticket to the Elysian Fields of "easy listening."

OH, MY NIECE...

My mom left me a voice mail this evening, which almost made me have a heart-attack. In a funny way --don't get me wrong! So my mom leaves her message, then puts Lexie on the phone. So Lexie starts talking, "Hi, Ninong!" And then she continues on with "I miss you" and other things that I can hear Joie dictating to her in the background. You know - the typical thing that moms do when they put their kids on the phone. But then out of the blue, and taking her own queue, Lex decides to add in: "And can you please send me more shoes, and dresses? Thank you, Ninong!" All I heard after that was Joie trying to stop her, and urging her to end the message with, "Love you! Bye!"

I almost fell to my knees in laughter! HAHAHAHA! I let the roomies listen to the message, and then it was over. We were all sent into a mixed-frenzy of shock and uncontrollage laughter.

So it seems that the apple does NOT fall far from the tree. Between my siblings and I, when it comes to shoes and clothes I am a different kind of animal. And apparently, so is Alexis Aureinna. (ahahahahhahaaha...)

I love my niece to pieces.

IRONMAN

Me and the fellas from work (JB, TK, and TJ - ahaha... sounds like boy band members or something, huh?!) peaced-out at 4pm - on the dot - this afternoon. We caught the 4:40pm showing of Ironman at Century City. I am, by no means, a follower of the Ironman story/franchise. When it comes to super heroes, I'm all about the ones with the super crazy powers --- like the Fantastic Four characters (although the movies for that franchise sucked ass). I went into this movie with no expectations. Thankfully, it turned out to be great. No annoying-ish characters portrayed by the likes of Kirsten Dunst, or some poor story-line a la the Incredible Hulk (sorry, Eric Bana...). And there wasn't the cheesiness factor of Fantastic Four, nor the "what the f---" lacklusterness of Elektra. Ironman had a simply-done, straight-to-the-point storyline, befitting of its PG-13 rating.

Robert Downey, Jr. was a very good Tony Stark/Ironman. I had my doubts about this guy when I first heard he got the lead role. But then again, it wasn't as bad as Nick Cage being cast as Constantine. RDJ delivered. (Rehab is a pay-off!) Jeff Bridges was villanous as usual as the very-wily Obidiah Stone. (Jeff Bridges bugs me, though. What a creepy-ass.) It was good to see Gwyneth Paltrow back on-screen, and I was super-excited that Leslie Bibb snagged the role of reporter Christine Everhart. (I'm just a huge "Popular" fan.)

I think the rum (which Justin stealthily kept in his backpack) in my diet coke helped a lot. Ha.

Watch the movie, if you haven't already...
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Um... Celeb (eh, sorta) sighting at Century City: Jose Canseco. Yes. Mr. Baseball. What can I say about the guy (uh, I tried to sneak a pic thru the cellie, but stopped myself)? Well, for starters, dude is SUPER tall. I'm talking TREE-tall. Couldn't really pay too much attention, but I do remember thinking his legs were super-skinny. Yes, for a huge dude, he's got some skinny-ass chicken legs.
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Alcohol is wearing off. Time for my date with the elliptical. "What a sad Friday night," you must be thinking. Fuck you. I'm over it. (Oh, and I got paid today, and then paid bills... ahahaah.) But I'm not over the fat, so I've gotta handle that. Ha. Living in L.A. has reduced me to a fat-fearing numbskull.