Good Food Happy Hour: Mesa, Costa Mesa

If you're a fan of KCRW and OC weekly you're going to love this post. 

I have been a fan of KCRW for a while now and love their DJ's and Programs, they are hosted by really interesting people. Being they're studio is located in Santa Monica I think it's really cool that they have listeners all over the country and the world. 

One of my favorite shows they offer is Good Food with Evan Klieman. Her voice is really cool and her topics are all over the map and are mainly about food culture (duh) so it makes for an interesting listening experience.  My favorite segment of hers features the Pumpkin Stuffed with everything good. This weekend I finally got around to making it. Going to post it soon (promise). 

Back in March I attended KCRW's GOOD FOOD Happy hr @ Crosby and it was a great night of food and drinks. So when I heard that Evan and KCRW  and Gustavo Arrelano of OC WEEKLY would be hosting another Happy hr this past month I couldn't wait to go! This time it was held at Mesa which is located at the Camp in Costa Mesa, CA. 

It was my first time going to Mesa and I heard good things about the decor and the hot bar tenders. So I brought my boyfriend with me and we hung out with the OC celebs Delilah Snell owner of Road Less Traveled, Raya Belna former chef for Seabirds, Gustavo Arellano of Ask A Mexican, Tanya& Mark  owners of Avanti Naturals and of course Evan Kleiman of KCRW's Good Food!

Here are photo's from that night. ENjoy.

 Raya, Delilah, Tanya and Myself. 

Evan and Gustavo calling out raffle numbers. There were lots of great prizes.

 One lucky winner!

 Looks like we have a winner! Raya will surely make something tasty this this gift basket. 

 Happy Winners! Is that a photo bomber to the left?

 Walking to the restroom was a sight to see. 

 Texting by firelight, how romantic. Not. 

 A blurry and busy shot of Mesa.

 Check out the roof. It's alive!

 There is a vast mix of expressions on everyone faces. Must be all the alcohol. 

 Either he didnt eat all day or the food is just "that" good!

 Photo op of all of the beautiful people of OC and LA! 

Movies were playing on the walls. 

At the end of Happy Hour I went up and spoke with Evan and she remembered me from last time! Gasp...I get star struck sometimes especially around people who I think are talented and hard working. 

Evan if you're reading this I just wanted to say thanks for coming down to our neck of the woods and making just another Thursday into a KCRW Happy Hour experience! 

Playing Catch Up

After a few weeks of being busy with cool events, RLT, school, work  :) I finally bought myself a new memory card reader for my camera. I have no clue where the old one went. Is it under my pile of homework?

Later this week I will be blogging up a storm with all of the cool places I went to and had a shoot out with my camera!

In the meantime check out...

My Beautiful friend Izumi has recently started a blog Hybrid Hunter, and I'm addicted!

 If you're a fan of the following fashion trends: Utilitarian-Minimalista-Nor-Cal-Grunge-Sweaters you need to check out her blog stat. 

LAST CHANCE

Delilah Snell, owner of Road Less Traveled Store will be teaching one more Holiday Gifts In A Jar workshop on December 4th. This class has a limited amount of students so sign up soon!

I might be the only person I know that absolutely loves Christmas music! I have been listening to it for a week now. Crazy- I know! 

I have discovered the Electronic Holidays Radio station on Pandora and cant get enough. Check it.

My middle name is Elaine but it should be changed to Espresso because I hearts it so much :) I'm constantly on the look out for independent coffee shops that offer a great ambiance as well as my addiction "espresso drinks"!

 I had heard of this cafe "Milk+Honey" before and I ventured in the other day. Loved loved loved the look of their shop and the taste of their earthy Pumpkin Spiced Latte. I will drive out of my way for a "coffee experience" and I reccomend you do the same. 

Dont forget to go to Patchwork Holiday Show Santa Ana! ITS FREE

This Sunday November 27th from 11-5pm 

@ Main street&Buffalo in Santa ana near Bowers Museum!!!!

I will be working at the show so say hi if you see me :)

Winter Woods-Holiday Window Display

Im very proud to present to you 

The Road Less Traveled Store's 

Holiday 2011 window display! 

Thank you to interns Amy & ELiosa for helping me put together an awesome window display! 

Theme: A glimpse into a snow filled winter woods

Inspiration: Outdoors, cool calming colors, winter, holiday's, magical.

Time line: A weeks worth of gathering materials and one day set-up. 

Materials: Branches,paint,pipe cleaners, cardboard, wooden snow flakes, paper lanterns, lights, prop's from home and the shop. 

We began to gather all of our materials and props to start the transition of displays. Eloisa was a pro when it came to painting those branches! 

 After a day of creating the window I was very happy with how it all came out! There is something magical about it I can feel it. 

I decided to add a Nicki Mcclure "Winter" towel into the mix. I have one more trick up my sleeve for this window if I can get around to it! Hope you all can stop by and see the display in person! Thanks again to my wonderful team at Road Less Traveled!

Bagette

It's time to introduce you to yet another interior design project! 

Challenge: Design a vendor shop for a nationally advertised coordinated line of up-scaled hand bags appealing to young women from the ages 18-30. Located on the floor of a major department store, the shop is contained within 1,000 sq ft. The foot print is open to the design concept.  

This was a very interesting project to get my hands on. I feel as if it was one that I had fun doing and yet was challenging. I really loved the way it came out and noticed that symmetrical designs can work really well in retail spaces. Took a while to get a good flow for the shop since it has 3 different entrances and features 36 handbags on display. 

I created a theme and logo for my project. The handbag store's name is Bagette, a play on words as you see it is not spelled correctly. I decided on using the "Quatrefoil" motif for my logo and used it throughout the store. They say in design repeat, repeat, repeat! I chose a super neutral color scheme with taupe, cream, tan, brown and bronze so that the bags would be center stage. 

As an added challenge for this project we made a white on white study model of the space at 1/4" = 1'  so that the client could have a better understanding of the space.

Oh yeah, and I tried my best to dress along with my presentation, a tip I read about from successful Business woman Jill Mceever of For Strange Women.

"Gettin myself cultured"

Seems lately that the only culture I have had around me was in the yogurt parfait I ate on my lunch break. I can't remember the last time I went to an art show...well that's not true. I went like 2 years ago. But you see, that is my point. I want to get back into that scene. So when my boss lady Delilah said she was going to be working her Jam Van at an opening for a show at CSUF I figured it must be something cool. I saw the flier and was intrigued... AQUIRED TASTE: Food and the art of consumption. Perfect. I'm already becoming a so-called foodie. So meshing foodie with arty you got my attention. 

So off I went. I brought along my mother and my food enthusiast boyfriend who begs me to branch out a bit more food wise. Hey look look I have had Tripe before, does that count as eating outside the box? Anyway let's look at what fun stuff was going on at the show. 

Delilah Snell was in full force with her "Backyard in a Jar Line" along side her moving pop up shop aka the Jam Van. She had two hot sellers that night "ginger peach" and "passion fruit". My mom will be serving the passion fruit @ thanksgiving with our cheese plate btw. 

Throughout the outside of the art buildings there were projections of faces on the walls, tree's and floating boxes to promote unity. 

Here we go with Acquired Taste! My absolute favorite part of the show was the Curry Powder Wallpaper! Walking in you immediately could smell it and wondered where it came from. And then you see it on the walls. Very cool and something I appreciate as an aspiring interior designer. I wont say much more about the exhibit because I think you should experience it for yourself!

 The next building over was also having an opening exhibit HAZE. The man seen in the photo below documented the Los Angeles Air quality through photos taken every day on top of Signal Hill in Long Beach, CA. He then matched the skys color to different paint swatches and the outcome was pretty spot on. Go check it out!

EXHIBIT LOCATION :

Begovich Gallery, California State University, Fullerton

800 North State College Blvd., Fullerton, CA (just north of Nutwood Avenue)