Putting this back up at the top because it is what most people are asking us about.
Crate and Barrel
under Melissa Marriott or John Vassallo
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/Gift-Registry/Guest/ViewRegistry.aspx?grid=4295905
Bed Bath & Beyond
under Melissa Marriott or John Vassallo
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/regGiftRegistry.asp?order_num=-1&wrn=%2D1354382581&
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Fires
Here in lovely southern California we are blessed with some of the best Mediterranean climate in the world. John and I always say the easiest job on earth is weather girl for a Los Angeles news station. "Well, its going to be sunny and about 70 degrees for the next eight months".
Unfortunately what we lack in seasonal crappy weather, we make up for in wildfires. As if LA needed any extra junk in the air right? Well right now there are a four fires burning in the area, probably due to pyro kids or some jerk smoking on the golf course as usual.
Don't be alarmed. They are nowhere near us. Fortunately Santa Monica and LAX are right by the beach and thoroughly encased in concrete. The closest fires to us were the Malibu fires last year and they were easily 40 miles away.
Usually the wind blows most of the smoke up over the Santa Monica mountains and into the valley. Good for us ... bad for the valley. The only thing I would caution about is if you have asthma or something like that to bring any medication you might need in case the air quality adversly effects you.
If you are staying in the South Bay you might have a little more smoke to deal with as one of the fires is in Palos Verdes. If you choose to go to Hollywood or Downtown be prepared to smell like BBQ when you get back because one of the larger fires is in the Glendale/Pasadena area just north east of Hollywood and north of downtown. I think my parents are the only ones headed out east but please check the local fire updates if driving out to Riverside or Palm Springs because there is a fire burning right around Banning as well.
Here are a few sources of information.
http://www.fire.lacounty.gov/
http://cbs2.com/
http://cbs2.com/firewatch#socal_fires
Most of us won't venture beyond the westside though. So for us the only effect of the fires should be a pretty interesting view from our flights in and out of LAX and from the Delfina Ballroom at our reception.
Unfortunately what we lack in seasonal crappy weather, we make up for in wildfires. As if LA needed any extra junk in the air right? Well right now there are a four fires burning in the area, probably due to pyro kids or some jerk smoking on the golf course as usual.
Don't be alarmed. They are nowhere near us. Fortunately Santa Monica and LAX are right by the beach and thoroughly encased in concrete. The closest fires to us were the Malibu fires last year and they were easily 40 miles away.
Usually the wind blows most of the smoke up over the Santa Monica mountains and into the valley. Good for us ... bad for the valley. The only thing I would caution about is if you have asthma or something like that to bring any medication you might need in case the air quality adversly effects you.
If you are staying in the South Bay you might have a little more smoke to deal with as one of the fires is in Palos Verdes. If you choose to go to Hollywood or Downtown be prepared to smell like BBQ when you get back because one of the larger fires is in the Glendale/Pasadena area just north east of Hollywood and north of downtown. I think my parents are the only ones headed out east but please check the local fire updates if driving out to Riverside or Palm Springs because there is a fire burning right around Banning as well.
Here are a few sources of information.
http://www.fire.lacounty.gov/
http://cbs2.com/
http://cbs2.com/firewatch#socal_fires
Most of us won't venture beyond the westside though. So for us the only effect of the fires should be a pretty interesting view from our flights in and out of LAX and from the Delfina Ballroom at our reception.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Registry
Hola!
I realize as the day gets closer a lot of you need our registry information. Probably best that I put this at the top of the blog so it is easy for you to find. Here you go! Thank you all for your generous gifts. Our little home is more put together by the day.
Crate and Barrel
under Melissa Marriott or John Vassallo
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/Gift-Registry/Guest/ViewRegistry.aspx?grid=4295905
Bed Bath & Beyond
under Melissa Marriott or John Vassallo
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/regGiftRegistry.asp?order_num=-1&wrn=%2D1354382581&
I realize as the day gets closer a lot of you need our registry information. Probably best that I put this at the top of the blog so it is easy for you to find. Here you go! Thank you all for your generous gifts. Our little home is more put together by the day.
Crate and Barrel
under Melissa Marriott or John Vassallo
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/Gift-Registry/Guest/ViewRegistry.aspx?grid=4295905
Bed Bath & Beyond
under Melissa Marriott or John Vassallo
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/regGiftRegistry.asp?order_num=-1&wrn=%2D1354382581&
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Exploring the local goods
John and I have been exploring our hood lately. We fell into a rut where we would only go to the same three restaurants and order the same three things over and over. This is really a shame considering there are a million places to go within walking distance. Our top picks include the following....
http://www.orrisrestaurant.com/
Orris is a tapas joint on Sawtell that is kinda French and Asian fusion/kinda "How the heck did they come up with this?" For example one of the dishes was grilled romaine lettuce with shaved parmesan on top. Strange sounding but really good! We went there with Irene, Dave and Dave's brother the other night. I love tapas because I always want one bite of everything on the menu. Plus tapas is fun to have with a group of people.
http://www.qusqo.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/qusco-gallery-and-bistro-los-angeles
I think I was drawn to this place because I misread it as Queso which is cheese in Spanish LOL! After reading the blurb on the front of their menu "Qusqo" is a kind of language spoken by the descendants of the Incas in Peru. We quickly found that this restaurant leans towards rustic Peruvian dishes. They also attempt to be an art gallery but what they lack in artistic taste they make up for in their food. After eating so much Mexican food it was nice to have a different spin on Latin grub. For instance I had a tamale appetizer that instead of carnitas or cheese was filled with roasted peppers and hearts of palm. Good stuff. We also enjoyed the oldschool pre-Snow White Disney cartoons they projected on the wall. Be warned though, the lemonade is not free for refills, we won't be making that mistake again.
This is a dumb one but ....
http://www.yogurt-land.com/
I have been having serious cravings. If my dress fits tight I have this place to blame. I can't help it. They are 3 blocks away and open till 12:00am on weeknights and 1:00am on weekends. I don't understand why everyone has to sample every single flavor though. It takes us 20 times longer than it should to get through the line. But its worth it :)
One place we tried that didn't quite make the cut was ...
http://www.sawtellekitchen.com/
It was ok and actually at the time it was part of a perfect evening for us but the blend of Japanese and Italian was a little disjointed. We like being able to sit outside on a summer night though.
http://www.orrisrestaurant.com/
Orris is a tapas joint on Sawtell that is kinda French and Asian fusion/kinda "How the heck did they come up with this?" For example one of the dishes was grilled romaine lettuce with shaved parmesan on top. Strange sounding but really good! We went there with Irene, Dave and Dave's brother the other night. I love tapas because I always want one bite of everything on the menu. Plus tapas is fun to have with a group of people.
http://www.qusqo.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/qusco-gallery-and-bistro-los-angeles
I think I was drawn to this place because I misread it as Queso which is cheese in Spanish LOL! After reading the blurb on the front of their menu "Qusqo" is a kind of language spoken by the descendants of the Incas in Peru. We quickly found that this restaurant leans towards rustic Peruvian dishes. They also attempt to be an art gallery but what they lack in artistic taste they make up for in their food. After eating so much Mexican food it was nice to have a different spin on Latin grub. For instance I had a tamale appetizer that instead of carnitas or cheese was filled with roasted peppers and hearts of palm. Good stuff. We also enjoyed the oldschool pre-Snow White Disney cartoons they projected on the wall. Be warned though, the lemonade is not free for refills, we won't be making that mistake again.
This is a dumb one but ....
http://www.yogurt-land.com/
I have been having serious cravings. If my dress fits tight I have this place to blame. I can't help it. They are 3 blocks away and open till 12:00am on weeknights and 1:00am on weekends. I don't understand why everyone has to sample every single flavor though. It takes us 20 times longer than it should to get through the line. But its worth it :)
One place we tried that didn't quite make the cut was ...
http://www.sawtellekitchen.com/
It was ok and actually at the time it was part of a perfect evening for us but the blend of Japanese and Italian was a little disjointed. We like being able to sit outside on a summer night though.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Meals
My foodie bridesmaid Ryann would not take the description "Beef" or "Chicken" for an answer which made me realize I should probably put the whole menu on here for the rest of you to make your choices with. Sorry about that. We obviously couldn't fit all of this on the RSVP card.
First Course:
- Organic Mixed Greens Salad
(Farmers market vegetables, white balsamic vinaigrette)
- Dinner rolls and Fresh bread
Second Course:
- Telicherry Pepper Crusted Chicken
(Glazed russet potatoes, swiss chard and pomegranate glaze)
- Top Sirloin
(Cheddar-leek potato puree, haricots vert and madeira jus)
- Organic Grilled Vegetable Roulade
(Fire roasted tomato sauce)
Third Course:
- Spice Carrot Cake
(Buttercream frosting and cream cheese or pineapple mouse filling)
First Course:
- Organic Mixed Greens Salad
(Farmers market vegetables, white balsamic vinaigrette)
- Dinner rolls and Fresh bread
Second Course:
- Telicherry Pepper Crusted Chicken
(Glazed russet potatoes, swiss chard and pomegranate glaze)
- Top Sirloin
(Cheddar-leek potato puree, haricots vert and madeira jus)
- Organic Grilled Vegetable Roulade
(Fire roasted tomato sauce)
Third Course:
- Spice Carrot Cake
(Buttercream frosting and cream cheese or pineapple mouse filling)
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
What's a Hotpocket?
We kid we kid!!!!
As you may have seen there is a hotpocket option for our meal service. It amazes me that some of you have never experienced this culinary marvel of our grab-and-go society. For those who haven't let me explain ....
A hotpocket is really neither a pocket nor hot but claims to be both. It is a lard-based pastry containing a variety of mystery meat and punched-out vegetable shapes suspended in some kind of genetically enhanced dairy sauce which is then frozen and individually wrapped for consumption many years in the future after it is stored on some freezer shelf at Costco with 67 of its friends.
When one decides that real food just isn't good enough, the consumer unwraps this morsel of modern technology, inserts it into the provided "Crisper Sleeve", which is really just a piece of cardstock with holes in the side that spew out geysers of molten dairy sauce, and nuke it in the microwave for a few minutes. When the bell rings what you find is a mess of split-seam pastry and sauce that now has to be surgically removed from the paper sock it has bonded to. You must be careful though! Only take small bites because the edges are comparable to the surface of the sun and can burn the skin off the roof of your mouth. Just when you get beyond the outer lava ring you will find an equally unpleasant core of solid ice.
Clearly we would not subject you all to such torture. We were devising a plan to actually have the servers bring hotpockets to the tables for the smartasses who selected that option but we don't have any more time to plan it. Either way I hope you are entertained by our little sarcastic joke. I know were are! haha! John and I can never be accused of taking ourselves too seriously. :)
As you may have seen there is a hotpocket option for our meal service. It amazes me that some of you have never experienced this culinary marvel of our grab-and-go society. For those who haven't let me explain ....
A hotpocket is really neither a pocket nor hot but claims to be both. It is a lard-based pastry containing a variety of mystery meat and punched-out vegetable shapes suspended in some kind of genetically enhanced dairy sauce which is then frozen and individually wrapped for consumption many years in the future after it is stored on some freezer shelf at Costco with 67 of its friends.
When one decides that real food just isn't good enough, the consumer unwraps this morsel of modern technology, inserts it into the provided "Crisper Sleeve", which is really just a piece of cardstock with holes in the side that spew out geysers of molten dairy sauce, and nuke it in the microwave for a few minutes. When the bell rings what you find is a mess of split-seam pastry and sauce that now has to be surgically removed from the paper sock it has bonded to. You must be careful though! Only take small bites because the edges are comparable to the surface of the sun and can burn the skin off the roof of your mouth. Just when you get beyond the outer lava ring you will find an equally unpleasant core of solid ice.
Clearly we would not subject you all to such torture. We were devising a plan to actually have the servers bring hotpockets to the tables for the smartasses who selected that option but we don't have any more time to plan it. Either way I hope you are entertained by our little sarcastic joke. I know were are! haha! John and I can never be accused of taking ourselves too seriously. :)
Recap
Date:
September 5th 2009
Labor Day Weekend
Ceremony:
Time: 3:00 pm *sharp* (please arrive at 2:30)
Location: St. Monica's Parish
Address: 725 California Avenue Santa Monica, CA 90403
Ph: (310) 566-1500
Reception:
Time: 5:00 pm - 12:00 am (If you arrive early no worries, they will direct you to the Lobby bar)
Location: The Sheraton Delfina
Room: Penthouse Ballroom
Address: 530 Pico Boulevard Santa Monica, California 90405
Ph: (310) 399-9344
Flights:
To: LAX - Los Angeles International Airport
When: 9/4 arrival (one day early, flights are often delayed)
Hotels:
Sheraton Delfina (888) 627-8532
Seashore Motel (310) 392-2787
Lowes Santa Monica Beach Hotel (866) 563-9792
Shutters on the Beach (800) 334-9000
Registry:
Crate and Barrel - under Melissa Marriott or John Vassallo
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/Gift-Registry/Guest/ViewRegistry.aspx?grid=4295905
Bed Bath & Beyond - under Melissa Marriott or John Vassallo
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/regGiftRegistry.asp?order_num=-1&wrn=%2D1354382581&
September 5th 2009
Labor Day Weekend
Ceremony:
Time: 3:00 pm *sharp* (please arrive at 2:30)
Location: St. Monica's Parish
Address: 725 California Avenue Santa Monica, CA 90403
Ph: (310) 566-1500
Reception:
Time: 5:00 pm - 12:00 am (If you arrive early no worries, they will direct you to the Lobby bar)
Location: The Sheraton Delfina
Room: Penthouse Ballroom
Address: 530 Pico Boulevard Santa Monica, California 90405
Ph: (310) 399-9344
Flights:
To: LAX - Los Angeles International Airport
When: 9/4 arrival (one day early, flights are often delayed)
Hotels:
Sheraton Delfina (888) 627-8532
Seashore Motel (310) 392-2787
Lowes Santa Monica Beach Hotel (866) 563-9792
Shutters on the Beach (800) 334-9000
Registry:
Crate and Barrel - under Melissa Marriott or John Vassallo
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/Gift-Registry/Guest/ViewRegistry.aspx?grid=4295905
Bed Bath & Beyond - under Melissa Marriott or John Vassallo
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/regGiftRegistry.asp?order_num=-1&wrn=%2D1354382581&
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