Wedding Bliss

Babies! We were babies!This year Jason and I will be married 10 years. That means that it's been about 10 years since I've obsessed over weddings... well, with a reason to. I am the woman that IF I have 10 minutes to myself will sit alone at Barnes and Nobel, sipping a coffee and thumbing through Martha Stewart Weddings and if I *happen* upon a wedding website, just may stop and take a look around. 

*SIGH*

I loved my wedding. The only thing that I slightly regret was that I was a little too young to really get into the WHOLE WEDDING THING. I didn't truly love paper yet, and I was 100% thrilled with my $60 Nina shoes and no name dress and didn't have the slightest clue about flowers. Luckily my mom worked for an event planning company and I ended up with a positively perfect day. These days, I would probably be the snootiest bridezilla ever. 

So, for the past few years I've been content to glance in from the sidelines and wonder.. wonder how my day would be different if I was getting married August 5, 2010 rather than August 5, 2000. But who are we kidding.. I would be walking down the aisle in Christian Louboutin's at this age.. 

But then a few months ago something wonderful happened - wonderful in SO MANY WAYS - one of my dearest friends got engaged.. and.. and.. she's letting me help! I don't think Carrie understands how excited I am about her allowing me to send her daily emails with flower ideas and pretty dresses. I'm not taking over her wedding - or trying to relive mine through hers - but I'm loving having a reason to look. And I swear that I am one of the only people in the world that can sit and talk weddings for hours upon hours.

But it has been awhile, and I am a bit out of the loop of wedding websites. As I hate to even admit, back when I got married the web was still pretty new. We had AOL dial-up and the only real site was the Wedding Channel.com. That being said, scouring the web for wedding ideas is a new thing for me.

One of the ones that one Carrie's other friends stumbled upon is 100 Layer Cake. A site who's pictures of real weddings make the photographer wanna-be in me squeal. And of course there is the blog from the QUEEN of the dessert tables, Amy Atlas, and my go-to party inspiration mama Hostess With The Mostess. But who else?

When you need ideas, or inspiration, where do you look?

iPhood; The Fish Tacos and Chevys Experience

When Chef Jason Neroni was interviewed recently about why he chose to leave San Diego and the restaurant Blanca in Solana Beach, he was quoted as saying "The running joke other chefs told me was that all San Diegans want is fish tacos. It was funny for a moment, and then it got annoying because it was true."

Ouch. But... well... true?

Down in San Diego, we are known for a few things: perfect weather, obscenely high housing costs, and fish tacos. So when I was offered the change to test out 4 of the best Fish Taco spots in San Diego with the Chevrolet Best Of Tours - I jumped at the chance. A beautiful sunny day, 8 different fish tacos and the chance to drive a Camaro?! Who wouldn't?

Stop #1 - South Beach Bar and Grill in Ocean Beach

When we all first met up, we were encouraged to drive or drive in each of the 5 different Chevys lined up to take us to our 4 stops. I immediately leaned over to La Jolla Mom Katie and said "That's all you, I get nervous test driving cars..." {note: foreshadowing} With that she hoped into the front seat of the Malibu and drove us to our first stop. 

Fish Taco Talk: I would have been happy staying there all day. The sun was shining and the ocean was right there, and the tacos were light, crispy and perfectly cooked. There was a little hint of spice to them and the white sauce was enough to give you the flavor but not enough to drown your food. I wanted to devour them, but being this was only stop one, I ate one and politely pushed the other away {sob}.The only thing missing was a beer. But since we were encouraged to drive, we were asked not to drink. That's fine - I needed to be smart and professional anyway. HA. 

Stop #2 The Brigantine, Shelter Island.

We step out from the loud bar buzz of South Beach Bar and Grill to a line of Chevys waiting for us. The one that I was actually very interested in was the Traverse, Chevy's 3 row "crossover". Somehow the keys ended up in my hand and I hopped into the front seat to drive 7 of us to "The Brig" in Shelter Island. 

Last year Jason and I thought it may be time to start looking at a new car to replace my Audi A4 (which i love love love, but alas is a tad small these days). We were getting to the mindset of carpools, lugging crap, 2 kids + dog, etc, and while there is NOWAYINHELL I will drive a mini-van (sorry MiniV moms. While the sliding doors are enticing, I. Just. Can't. Do. It.), we still need something with some size. Enter in the "crossovers" - the SUV/MiniVan mix - for the mom that wants the minivan perks without the mini-van. The selling point - many of them have 2nd row captain seats! GENIUS! Last year when I went to test drive the 3rd row Pathfinder, my first question was "How does Grandma get to the 3rd row with 2 carseats in the 2nd row?" Car seats pretty much render 3rd rows useless, because if you have ever had to install a car seat you KNOW you can't be doing that at every stop you make. Okay. Rant over.

As we learned as I carefully drove through the narrow streets of OB, the Traverse was actually designed by female engineers and many of the ideas for features came directly from mothers. So THATS why the 2nd row is captain seats - because a MOM had some say! In quick 10 minutes I drove it, I liked it. It seemed huge on the inside but didn't look that big on the outside. It's definitely a car I will revisit. 

Fish Taco Talk: The fish taco part of this story - well, it was The Brig. Been there, done that. Good, but nothing special. Moving on...

#3 Blue Water Sea Food, lower Mission Hills area.

Feeling a bit more confident, once again I hopped in the drivers seat - this time in a HUGE Hybrid Silverado. This thing was ginormous. When I first got in, my feet didn't even touch the ground. I felt little driving this thing - like I was a kid driving in my parents car. If you need a big truck, this is a good option. Although I did get a little nervous when it slid back a little on a step hill - something that happens in the slight lag it takes the hybrid to click in. 

Fish Taco Talk: This place was packed. So crowded there was no place to sit down, so we picniced in outside on the back of the Silverado. Maybe it was the hot sun, maybe it was stop #3, but this one really didn't do it for me. But the last stop...

 #4 The Green Flash in Pacific Beach.

Having driven two other cars, I got cocky and decided to go for the win and drive the Camaro. With thoughts of Lucas screaming "BUMBLEBEE" and Jason singing "Bitchin' Camaro, Bitchin' Camaro..." in my head, I happily took this set of keys. 

This car is hawt. I kept trying to think of a way I can justify it.. hey, the backseat isn't that small...with memories of days I used to have my Hoopty (1984 Nissan 300Z), I actually got to pick up a little speed on our short freeway jaunt. When we got out of the car in Pacific Beach, I think there were actually cat calls. Strangers stopped on the street to admire the utter coolness of the new Camaro. HipMamaB lived up to her name. 

Fish Taco Talk: I knew that the Green Flash tacos would be good. An old favorite from "back in the day", the shrimp taco was delish and just what was expected. Too bad I was already so stuffed from the previous 3 stops!

All in all, it was a fun day. Fish tacos, sunshine, cool cars and new friends is a great way to spend a day in San Diego. 

Think happy thoughts, happy thoughts...

Over the past couple of weeks, there have been a few things that have have just made my day a little (or a lot) brighter. Sometimes you just have to focus on the simple things...

Happy thing #1: Shiny, clear glasses 

PET PEEVE: My glasses were coming out of the dishwasher all white and chalky. I changed the type of soap I used, added more Jet Dry, nothing helped. So I went online and did a little research and found that this is actually a combination of hard water stains and using too much detergent in your dishwasher. Most of the sites mentioned that you should only use powder detergent, and then only use 1/2 of the recommended amount. WHO KNEW?! Additionally, every site also suggested using Lemi-Shine to solve the problem.

Since I will try (almost) any piece of advice once, and since they had it at my local Target (right there too, how I had never noticed it before was baffling) I bought it. 

On the bottle it says to use 1/2 powder, 1/2 Lemi-Shine - so we did. I will say that it took 2-3 washings, but now my glasses are sparkling. And while I sound like a 50's housewife commercial, I'm actually super excited about it and smile every time I pull out a sparkly, clear cup to use. 

Happy Thing #2: Not having to go to my Dr's office!

My sister-in-law Heather has told me about the clinics in her local grocery store for years, but for some reason this idea took awhile to make it to Southern California.  

Recently, I had cause to use one - I needed a simple Rx ASAP. My PCP suggested urgent care since he couldn't squeeze me in, but we all know that urgent care is anything BUT urgent. Not to mention it's about 15 miles away. AND for some reason is $100 co-pay. FAIL. FAIL. FAIL. Then I remembered seeing something about the "minute clinics" at CVS. 

Low and behold, my local CVS has one and even more shocking - they take our insurance so it was only my normal Dr. visit co-pay. I was in and out with meds in hand in 35 minutes. I normally WAIT 35 minutes to see my doctor. This actually really excited me for a few reasons - it was quick and easy for me and it will be quick and easy with the kids. Also, from a larger view point, clinics like this can really help the Health Care issue in this country. Knowing from experience, an out of pocket Dr's appt would have cost $100 for the visit and additional $50 or so for any lab tests. This place offers a range of services (with basic lab work that they can do in the office) for a flat rate. Easier. Cheaper. What is not to love?

Happy Thing #3: Clothes. Of course.

Spring. Spring. Spring. Suddenly I want a little color, I want something a little lighter, a little flowier. Thank GAWD for It's a Luv Thing.  I know I talk so much about this store that you are all bored to death of it, but really, I love this store. I think I wear an item purchased there daily. A t-shirt, necklace, hat, shorts... it's so my happy place. 

<--- This shirt, over there to the left. I have 3 of them now. I'm pretty much just alternating between colors at this point. It's just so casual and cute. Looks great with jeans or sweats or shorts or a long skirt. Really, I've worn it will all of the above.

If you have seen me in the past 2 weeks (or plan to see me in the next few weeks) there is a good chance I will be wearing this shirt.

And I may even being wearing it with my new lululemon reversible Wonder Unders. 

Oh yes, I do have a bit of a Lulu addiction. I admit that. But since Juicy Suits have been deemed passe what is a girl to wear if she wants to just be uber casual, comfy and stylish? Oh, and with the good intention of going to the gym? (Gym, gym, remember the gym...)

I'll be honest here, since I work from home, I wear Lululemon daily. I get up, I brush my hair and I figure out which pair is clean (or, on some days, the least dirty) put on a tank top or t-shirt and voila! Dressed for the day. I can wear my Lulu's daily and always feel like I look good. And if I can escape to work out, even better since I'm already dressed. 

While I normally wear a looser yoga-type pant (my FAVE being the Be Still), this year I've become used to wearing tighter legged pants (skinny jeans, leggings, etc) so moving to a fitted pant was a natural transition. The Wonder Unders are fantastic. The fit is great and just like all Lulu pants, I swear they make me look 5lbs lighter. I've been wearing them with a looser, little longer tank or t and they are perfect for pilates or picking up Lucas from school. And being that they are reversible (gray and black) it's like 2 pants in 1.

If you haven't splurged on lulu's yet, JUST DO IT. (er, Hmm.. using the tagline of one athletic company to promote another...yikes) But really, people. Lululemon is to athletic wear what Seven Jeans are to denim - at first you are horrified by the price and say you will never do it, then you realize the quality and fit is SO much better that you break down and by a pair and then you are hooked and before long the thought of spending $100 on work out pants barely phases you. Hey, don't hate the player - hate the game.

Embrace it. Love it.

*oh and just to mention - none of these are product placements. They are all MY buys and finds. No freebies have been given or taken. No deals struck. No shiny new cars magically appeared in my driveway. And no children or animals were harmed in anyway. #Justsaying

iPhood

The other day I was going through the photos on my iPhone to show someone a picture of how big the kids have gotten. Scrolling through the stream of images I noticed that I had a bunch of blurry, out-of-focus shots of the kids, but nestled in between these soon-to-be-deleted memory wasters were tons of pictures of, well... food.

Food from various restaurants. Delicious food. Beautiful food. Food I tweeted about. Food I posted pictures of on FB. Interesting, lovely dishes and pieces of items I've consumed. I think I may have a problem. Or, at the very least, a new blog feature.

Join me - as I give you a tour of my iPhood.

 YU ME YA Sake House

The first stop on HipMamaB's iPhood Fest (HMBiPF) is Yu Me Ya Sake House. A local Leucadia GEM of a restaurant, this is a tiny little place right on HWY 101 which boasts one of the LARGEST Sake collections I've ever seen. 

Did you know in Japan, sake is served cold? And did you know that much like wine variations, all sakes have a distinct taste to them based on region and water? All things you will learn at this amazing little place.

And little it is. Unless you make a reservation (which they only take Tues-Thursday) or get there as they open at 5:30, there is a good chance you wont get in. I think they can seat about 40 people at a time, and with the tapas style menu, people tend to hang out, savor the food and sip sake and take their sweet time. No matter how hard you glare at them from the waiting bench. 

If you are one of the lucky ones to get in - you MUST MUST MUST order the spicy tuna tartare (pictured to the left), the BBQ Beef salad and fried yams. And just a warning, while the serving of the Spicy Tuna tartare includes 2 wantons filled with YUM, order one serving per person...or you will just get mad and want to throw your chopstick at your partner. 

Ono Sushi at Eat.Drink.Read

A few months ago Jason was tapped to help out the San Diego Council on Literacy for its annual fund raiser, this year called Eat.Drink.Read. This culinary event for literacy was a perfect fit for us as it involved 3 of our favorite things - good food, good wine/beer, and raising money for Literacy (if you've ever seen our bookshelves, you are nodding your head in agreement). 

Many of San Diego's top restaurants were in attendance, offering up some mouth watering bites. One that particularly impressed me were these yellowtail sushi rolls on a stick from Ono Sushi. 

Honestly, I have no idea what it was. But it was crunchy in the middle and had a hint of truffle/truffle oil and I ate about 10 of them. 

Another winner from the night was Urban Solace's watermelon mint salad and duck on a cracker amuse bouche (yes, I learned that from Top Chef). 

The event was a great success and lots of money, and awareness of what the council does for San Diego, was raised. 

Counter Burger, Carlsbad

A few weeks ago Jason and I managed to escape for lunch on a day when Zoe is at her sitter and Lucas is at school. Wanting a GOOD BURGER, we headed up to Counter Burger.. or "The Counter. Custom Built Burgers" our new fave burger joint. I pull out my iPhone and "checked-in" on Foursquare and up pops a message:

"CONGRATS! You are the new mayor of Counter Burger, Carlsbad!"

I duck under the table horrified while cursing the stupid app that really has no good reason to exist. Other than, of course, the competition between a few of us trying to oust Rock on Mommy as mayor of Target Encinitas. Alas, my reign was short lived (THANK THE GOD OF Embarrassment and me having to admit that I eat wayyy too many hamburgers) and now I solely rule over Paper-Source. 

Since we know the menu at Counter Burger like the back of our hands, we kinda just order the same thing each time - and on the side the 50/50 fries and sweet potato fries. We really don't deviate much. Then something caught our eye: "Parmesan French Fries".. do we break tradition? We went for it and OHMALORD were they divine.

Needless to say, I really need to stay away from that place. 

Flippin' Pizza 

When Jason and I went to NYC a few months ago, we were prepared to be blown away by the pizza. I mean really, IT'S NEW YORK CITY! Unfortunately for the Big Apple, but lucky for us, we did not think anything we had there was as good as our local NYC-style pizza place up the street - Flippin' Pizza. 

Our friends from NYC turned us onto this place when the La Costa branch opened last year. It's a small place, but super kid-friendly, serves beer and wine and you can order pizza by the slice. This means we no longer have to fight with Lucas over his wanting "cheese, no sauce". Also, for the past 6 or so months they have $1 slices on Tuesday nights. Since it's across the street from where Lucas and Jason do karate on Tuesday nights - it's become a no-brainer dinner option. Until word got out. See, while I love to see my local faves be successful, the line OUT THE DOOR the other night forced us to have to chose another option. And now things are really going to get bad...

Last week Jason and I went to an event where they officially introduced their new item - the Pinwheel - to the public. With a choice of a meat pinwheel or a veggie one packed with spinach, these are pretty much rolled-up pizzas minus the sauce. Wanna know how good they were? Lucas, age 6, ate FOUR of them. He wanted a 5th, but the rest of us had finished eating 30 minutes prior so we put the kabosh on that request. These Pinwheels are ridiculously delish. And that's a good thing because they are going to be replacing the $1 slice night with $1 pinwheel nights...but it may also be a bad thing since now we may NEVER get in again. 

***

And yes, there are more to come...This weekend I took part in Chevy's Best of Tours where we roamed the streets of San Diego looking for the BEST fish taco (and driving snazzy cars!). And since proclaiming myself a "wanna-be foodie" I think I'm going to have to make this a regular blog feature.

Although, maybe I should really start thinking about reviewing various work-outs around town to counteract all this yumminess.

Delicious Dish

Jason and I are self proclaimed "foodie wanna-bes". We love food. We love to eat and we love to go out and enjoy a good meal. I guess the wanna-be part is due to the fact that we are not snobby about it as I think "foodies" are. Sometimes we are just as happy with a $5 burrito from Roberto's as we are with a $100 meal from a "top restaurant". 

Each week we watch Top Chef or Top Chef masters in awe of what's going down in those kitchens. Amazed by the transformation that food can take under the right hands. And each week when they list the restaurants and locations in Southern California we think "Why haven't we been there?!"

I grew up in LA and my parents still live there. While family togetherness is nice, let's be honest, my parents just want to see the kids. And do things like feed them cookies before dinner and let them stay up until 10 watching TV. While I may curse this the next morning when my over tired, oversugarded kidlet is throwing his/her fifth tantrum of the morning, it's a special bond that my parents have created with my kids..and one that we appreciate greatly. It also allows Jason and I to have a very valuable "free night out". See? A win-win situation for everyone involved. This past weekend we were up in LALALand to see an old friend and Jason and I decided that one-by-one, we are going to hit all of the Top Chef Master's restaurants. First on the list was Mark Peele - and we had two choices Capanile or his new place, the Tar Pit Bar.

I think the Tar Pit Bar won out mainly for the animal characters on it's menu.

I kid. Actually the term "supper club" and "bar cum restaurant" was the interest peaking points for us. And it was a delicious choice. The Art-Deco inspired atmosphere was perfectly put together and the signiture cocktail list was interesting and mouth-watering at the same time. I opted for a champagne cocktail and seriously may have squealed out loud when it was delivered to the table in a vintage saucer glass. 

I'm a tapas kinda girl - and when socially acceptable always choose multiple apps over a main course, which is encouraged at this eatery. Everything I read talked about the duck sliders, which were nothing like I imagined them to be. They were actually sweet and melted in your mouth. I could have had 3 orders of them to myself. We also shared steak tartare and fried artichoke that were equally amazing. As a "main course" Jason ordered the streak and kidney pie and I ordered the Lobster bisque.. oh, and an order of that huge plate of French Fries that kept passing our table. Every item was delicious, unique and flavorful in it's own way.

We felt as if we ate like kings and were actually surprised at the bill in the end - mentally thinking it was going to be a good $30 more than it was. For the past two days all I can think about are those duck sliders... and how I want to yell "GIT IN MA BELLY" to them as I caress them ever so gently.

I guess we need to go back soon.