A big thanks to Today.com for featuring my french toast recipe as one of their 5 recommended Mother’s Day recipes! Haven’t planned on what you are whipping up for Sunday brunch yet? Be sure to check the contenders out here!
In honor of Cinco de Mayo we are mixing up Fun Drink Friday to Tipsy Tuesday (ok that was a stretch… Toast to Tuesday!? whatever.). I whipped up some cucumber tequila a few weeks ago (infused tequila with persian cucumbers for a couple of weeks then strained) and haven’t been sure what to make with it… enter – the Cucumber Rose Margarita… as pleasant for your eyes as it is your tastebuds.
Cucumber Rose Margarita
- 3 oz cucumber infused tequila
- 2 oz fresh lime juice
- 1 oz Grand Marnier
- 1 oz rose water
- Combine above ingredients in an ice filled cocktail shaker. Shake until icy.
- Strain into an ice filled glass (be sure to rim with lime juice/salt if you are so inclined).
- Garnish with dried rosebuds, cucumber spears and/or jalapeño slices.
* For a spicy spin either muddle some jalapeño in the bottom of the cocktail shaker or let soak for an hour or so in the cucumber infused tequila.
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
For more Cinco de Mayo menu inspiration click here!
A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to have a girl’s weekend in one of the most fab cities in the world – Beverly Hills. For those of you that join me in Bravo’s reality obsession with all things BH – Real Housewives, Rich Kids, Shahs of Sunset, etc. I was pleased to see the town is pretty well depicted. Fabulous restaurants, amazing shops and no car on the road under $100k. It’s like a movie set you can live in! If you ever have the opportunity to spend the day there (or the weekend!) here were some of our highlights:
Hotel:
This place is next level (I mean Kourtney Kardashian had her baby shower here and Kim even stayed there during her wedding to Kris Humphries – RIP.) – it personifies luxury. From the amazing cheese plate with candied bacon and champagne upon arrival, to the personalized monogrammed pillows at turndown service this place leaves no detail untouched. The chocolates on your pillow? Hand painted. No seating at the pool and they accidentally seat someone before you? Right this way to your complimentary cabana! Oh and did I mention we had access to a Rolls Royce to cruise around town in during our stay? Our driver Sean even helped us pose for cheesy pictures at the end of the night. They really pull out all of the stops… If you are ever in the mode to treat yo self, this is the place.
Restaurants:
Urth Cafe – This was a great little spot for breakfast sandwiches and the most massive smoothies. They are known for the organic coffee and teas, and their pastries looked amazing. Despite its relaxed vibe there was a line out the door, so apparently everyone else is into it too.
Il Pastaio – Our driver had mentioned this restaurant as being a hot spot on our way to dinner one night and after seeing a popular blogger had recently dined there I knew we had to try it. We shared a heaping bowl of pasta and it couldn’t have been a better cheat meal. I’m still dreaming about it. PS wait for a patio seating… the people watching is worth it.
Crustacean – The hotel had recommended this restaurant and it apparently has been on some Housewive episodes, but E and I found it underwhelming. The decor was a little cheesy (i.e. the floor has a fish tank river throughout the restaurant), and while the food was delicious (their garlic noodles are world famous and rightfully so), there are too many great spots to try before this one if you are only there for a limited time.
Spago – This was our “fancy” meal, which is hilarious considering we ate at so many fabulous and gorgeous restaurants, but Spago is one of those places where everyone is celebrating something. Wolfgang Puck really outdid himself with his menu and our waiter did a great job of guiding our ordering. We loved their cocktail menu, and really enjoyed the tuna tartar cones (on their secret menu… just ask for them), oysters and innovative sea bass. We REALLY enjoyed the surprise chocolate and cookies that we are still confused why we were lucky enough to receive them but who are we to turn down free dessert?!
Vanderpump 3 – We were those girls and were sure to hit all 3 of Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurants our first night there. Villa Blanca wasn’t very lively so we grabbed a drink (from our very sweet bartender) and headed on Pump where the outdoor dining space looks magical but the bar area, not so much. We spent the majority of our time at Sur where Jax made us cocktails and we tried to track down the rest of the cast of Vanderpump Rules.
Polo Lounge – If you like brunch this is the spot for you. One thing we learned is BH likes to sleep in. Sadly in our attempt to cram in as much fun as possible our timing wasn’t always ideal of maximum people watching aka celebrity sightings, but we were so happy to enjoy the gorgeous garden, old school vibe and delicious belinis at the Beverly Hills Hilton. A live jazz trio plays on Sundays which was really lovely.
Sugarfish – We meant to go here for dinner Friday night but heard it wasn’t a “dress up” place, which is true… but I am almost happy we kept pushing back this meal (until lunch the day we left) because I would have struggled not going back multiple times (my sister’s last visit to LA resulted in her going 3 times… and I don’t blame her). They are known for their “Trust Me” menu option which for $25-30 gets you a multi course lunch/dinner of sashimi, nigiri and hand rolls. The fish was the best I’ve ever had and I am convinced it could convert any non-fish eater. SO GOOD.
Activities:
Walk down Rodeo Drive – And if you are lucky enough, treat yourself to your Pretty Woman moment and score something from the best stores in the world!
Olive & June – We enjoyed the best mani/pedi’s we’ve ever had at Olive & June, and couldn’t get over how lovely everything was… from the time spent perfectly shaping our nails, to the amazing scrubs/lotions/polishes, you really can’t go wrong spending a couple of hours here.
Walk the neighborhoods – Window shopping for houses has never been so fun. We took a long walk home from brunch one morning and really enjoyed how fabulous it was it look at the insane houses and landscaping. If you are like us and looking for a way to burn off one of your 75 meals, take a walk down any of the neighborhoods and be prepared to be amazed!
Pool – If you’re hotel has a pool, use it. We crammed in a few hours before dinner, after a day of eating and shopping and it was so fun to enjoy LA from multiple stories up.
I’ve had this gorgeous cocktail from Waiting on Martha pinned on my Pintrest board for years but have yet to getting around to making it. But now that I’ve been in a “grapefruit for breakfast” kick, I had a couple extras lying around and decided to (finally) whip this up!
Bruleed Grapefruit & Gin Cocktail
recipe via Waiting on Martha
- 2 grapefruits, halved
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 2 oz gin
- 4 oz bruleed grapefruit juice (1 large grapefruit = 4 oz of juice)
- 1 oz club soda
- spritz of lime juice
- sprig of thyme
- Place grapefruit halves (fruit side up) on a cookie sheet.
- Sprinkle with sugars (I eye balled this, sprinkling closer to a couple teaspoon of sugar on each rather than a tablespoon).
- Broil in oven for about 10 minutes or until the sugar begins to caramelize.
- Remove from oven and let cool.
- Combine ice, gin and grapefruit juice and stir until cold.
- Strain into a glass and top with club soda, spritz of lime and spring of thyme.
* this could also be great over ice!
For Taylor’s 22nd birthday we had the most amazing meal at Cut in Las Vegas. One of the highlights of that meal was this delicious cocktail made of cucumber/tequila cocktail, so I jotted down the basic ingredients in my phone with the hopes of recreating it when I got home. 4 years later and I finally got around to the task… and boy was it worth the wait.
Cut Cucumber Cocktail
serves 1
- 1 persian cucumber
- 5 basil leaves
- juice of one lime
- 3 oz high quality tequila
- 1 tsp agave (possibly more)
- Slice cucumber and transfer it to a cocktail shaker.
- Muddle cucumber with lime juice, agave and basil leaves until cucumbers are fully broken down and the juices have released.
- Add tequila and ice and shake until cold.
- Strain into a martini glass (or in a low ball glass with a cucumber ice cube) and enjoy!
