Upcoming Events: Food, Drink, Crafts & More! - Spring 2015

It's April, and that means all of the fun spring and summer events are starting up again!  Last year, I shared my plans, and I dare say that the next few months are even busier!  There are some old favorites that I visit every year, plus a few new kids on the block that I'm excited to see for the first time.  If you plan on going to any of these events, let me know!


Jump to:

• 4/16 = Oh Joy! Book Launch Party
• 4/18 = Whitney Port Appearance
• 4/25 & 4/26 = Jackalope Arts Fair
• 4/25 & 4/26 = Artisanal L.A.
• 4/25 = Newport Beach Beerfest
• 4/26 = Vintage Bouquet
• 5/2 = Sabroso Craft Beer & Taco Festival
• 5/9 & 5/10 = Unique L.A.
• 5/16 = Bite at the Beach
• 5/24 = Patchwork Santa Ana
• 6/6 = Tacolandia
• 6/7 = Penelope Lane Boutique
• 6/27 = Patchwork Long Beach
• 7/11 = L.A. Street Food Fest
• 7/11 & 7/12 = Renegade Craft Market

Oh Joy! 60 Ways to Create & Give Joy Book Launch Party!

Joy Cho is one of the bloggers, and I'm look forward to checking out her new book at next week's launch party!

Oh Joy! 60 Ways to Create & Give Joy Book Launch Party at West Elm LA!
Date:  April 16, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Location:  west elm, 8366 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90048
More Info & RSVP:  https://ohjoyla.eventbrite.com

Whitney Port Personal Appearance

My friend and I just had to go to this because it's so L.A.!  She'll be showing off her latest Whitney Eve designs and sharing some fun freebies too.  Fun!

Whitney Port Personal Appearance
Date:  April 18, 2 pm - 4 pm
Location:  Nordstrom The Grove, 189 The Grove Drive Los Angeles, CA 90036
More Info & RSVP:  http://shop.nordstrom.com/st/nordstrom-the-grove/Whitney-Port-Personal-Appearance-for-Whitney-Eve/64026

Jackalope Arts Fair

This is a totally new art fair that I am pumped to check out!  Over 200 local artisans, crafters, and DIY enthusiasts will be bringing their locally handcrafted goods to the community over two days!  They have two other locations in Denver and Phoenix, so my readers from those cities will be able to find the quality artisans that have been curated by the talented founders of Jackalope Arts.  Nice!

I found some of my amazing Shop Small Saturday Showcase features on their vendor list, so I will definitely be catching up with Clay & Fabric, Foxboxes, Hallo Jak, Kheel's, Squshies, TeaDrops, Wood Brain, and Zazu Faure.  Then, I will be sure to find some fresh new shops for future features to share with you all!  So excited!

Jackalope Arts Fair
Dates:  April 25 & 26, 11 am - 6 pm
Location:  275 S Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA 91105
Tickets:  FREE
More Info:  http://www.jackalopeartfair.com

Artisanal L.A.

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Weekly Wrap-Up: L.A. events & O.C. shopping!

I had so, so much fun this week!  A couple of amazing events in L.A. and so much fun with friends and family.  Let's get to it!


Precap (jump to):

• Sights:  Crave Expo, The OC Mix
• Eats:  Lobster Roll Rumble, N'ice Cream, Long Beach Cocktail Hop, Industriel

Crave Expo

Mid-week, I went to the Crave Expo, a food expo with a fun mix of chefs, event planners, media, and individuals looking for inspiration.

I was just a bit more interested in the food than anything else, of course.  :)

However, I found some great desserts that may be destined for my sister's engagement party, bridal shower, or wedding some time soon!

It was a fun time with some serious party atmosphere!

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Weekly Wrap-Up: Sake Express, Renegade Craft Fair, and more!

Last weekend was so much fun, because I was REALLY looking forward to Renegade for the longest time.  At the last moment, I thought that I wouldn't be able to make it yet again... but luckily I did.  :) Let's get to the wrap-up!


Precap (Jump to):

• Sights:  National Dance Day, Renegade Craft Festival
• Eats:  The Oinkster, Sake Express, Fugetsu-Do

I was stuck way out in the middle of nowhere (a.k.a. Sierra Madre) and dinner plans had changed.  So, we visited one of my favorite spots: The Oinkster!

Besides the awesome burgers, a pastrami sandwich, piggy fries, and an ube milkshake, we had this banana split cupcake!  To see more delicious photos and one of my favorite signs of all time, head over to The Episodic Eater.

On Friday, we went to Sake Express, a fundraiser held at the iconic  Union Station!

There was tons of sake, beer, and plum wine to try.  :)

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Wrap-Up: Food Fun! (Part 2)

I'm back with Part 2 of all of the food fun that you might have missed over the past 6 weeks on The Episodic Eater.  (For Part 1, click here)  Once again, I had a sneak peek of a few new restaurant menus, attended two of the best food events in L.A., and had a dessert that is so popular that some are calling it the next Cronut.  There are lots of delicious food photos ahead, so be warned!

Alegria Cocina Latina (Long Beach, CA)

The newly revamped menu at Alegria Cocina Latina is packed full of dishes that are lovely and colorful.  Not to mention that the dishes taste amazing too!

Tacolandia (Los Angeles, CA)

The second annual Tacolandia was just ridiculous!  Catch a taste of the 43 different tacos from vendors around California and Mexico.

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Wrap-Up: Food Fun! (Part 1)

Oh my goodness.  In the time that I have been studying for my exam, lots of new, exciting things have been happening on the blog.  Not this one, but The Episodic Eater.  First of all, there's a new redesign, so check it out!  Second of all, I had lots of food over the past month and a half.  Yes, I haven't posted one of my weekly wrap-ups since May 30th, so I had to split up the food fun into two posts.  Lastly, I started being recognized as a member of the media via food blogging, so that means more events and tastings.  Yay!

So anyways, I don't want you to miss a moment on The Episodic Eater, so here is Part 1 of the food fun.  :)

La Parolaccia Osteria Italiana (Long Beach, CA)

This restaurant is one of the busiest restaurants filled with locals, so you can imagine how wonderful the pasta is!  Take a peek here.

Spago (Beverly Hills, CA)

Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck began serving wonderful food at his Spago restaurants over 30 years ago, and I remember many amazing brunches and dinners here over the years.  We had an amazing dinner for my mom's birthday, but I had my first really big blogging fail here...

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Weekly Wrap-Up: Exploring L.A.!

Originally, I had zero plans for this weekend, but then my friend and I decided to catch a last minute craft fair and have fun being tourists in our own city!


Precap (jump to):

• Sights:  Echo Park Craft Fair, Echo Park, Carroll Avenue, Grand Park, Walt Disney Concert Hall
• Eats:  Oaxacan Quesadilla Cart, Bouchon Bistro, Lucille's Smokehouse BBQ, Creme de la Crepe

I invited my friend to go to the Echo Park Craft Fair, which was not in my original upcoming events post.  It seemed like it might be cool and had some shops I hadn't seen before, so we met up!

It was kind of a strange craft show: very crowded, dark, and not conducive to showing off the best of the goods.  Still, I did find some awesome features for Shop Small Saturday Showcase!

However, outside the craft fair was something pretty awesome: the Oaxacan Quesadilla Cart!

The fresh, handmade blue corn tortillas were shaped and formed for a long line of hungry people.  To see the whole process and where to find the cart, check out The Episodic Eater!

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Weekly Wrap-Up: Delicious food & Unique LA show!

This was one action packed week!  We celebrated, ate, shopped, and really had a whirlwind of a time.  Let's get to it!


Precap (jump to):

• Eats:  Forage, Brite Spot, Guisado's, Providence, La Tavolata, 85°C Bakery Cafe
• Sights:  Dad's wine birthday, Unique LA, Banksy in L.A., Driving in L.A., Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

This week was my dad's birthday, so he decided to open up a ton of his wines.  This is only 1/3 of the bottles, but I know how much fun they had.  My guy was especially excited to try some of these, since he is becoming an amateur connoisseur, following in my father's footsteps.  :)

I was more interested in the pickles, olives, and corks that my father's chef friends brought.  I always have dibs on the corks and I may have pilfered a jar or two.  :)

The next day, my friend and I went to Unique LA!  I loved the holiday show a few months ago, which I recapped here.  :)  I actually think this one was better!

It was held at the California Market Center on the penthouse floor, with a pretty fantastic view all around the L.A. skyline!  By the way, for any of you street art lovers, my friend pointed out the Banksy at the bottom of the photo.  There was a second one that I was unsure about though on the roof.

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Weekly Wrap-Up: Artisanal LA & more!

This weekend was really fun and the start to the craft show season, as I mentioned in last week's post of upcoming events.  Let's get to it!


Precap (jump to):

• Eats:  Casa Inka
• Sights:  Artisanal LA

On Saturday, my guy went to a beer festival with some of his friends and although it would have been fun, I ended up catching up with my friend.   We spent a ton of time chatting about blogging and how to get started.  Sometimes we are crafty and cook together, but it was just a major gabfest!  P.S. - She is the one I mentioned in my Blogging 101 series post yesterday.  :)


Afterwards, we met with my family at Casa Inka and had yet another Peruvian meal!  This time it was much more casual and traditional.  :)  This dish was absolutely fantastic!

And how could you go to a Peruvian restaurant without ordering ceviche!  For more, including the beautiful and tasty fish, chicken, and vegetable dishes that we ordered, visit The Episodic Eater for the full meal and photos!

The next day, my guy and I hit up Artisanal LA.  I was extremely excited to go because this was my first show and I could finally make it!

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Weekly Wrap-Up: Exclusive TEAVANA Oprah Chai sneak peek, Delicious treats & Retro row !

This week was totally fun-filled with so much to do!


Precap (jump to):

• Sights:  Retro Row, TEAVANA Oprah Chai sneak peek
• Eats:  Honduras Kitchen, Candle Light Bakery, Greenspan's Grilled Cheese

You might have noticed in my precap above that we went to Honduras Kitchen again!  We went with one of my guy's coworkers who is half Honduran.  It passed the test and it's easy to see why...

I have been there so often that I m now the Duchess on Yelp.  Ha!  Check out the whole delicious meal on the The Episodic Eater!

Then we went for a stroll down Retro Row, which is always fun!  So much to see, like sewing patterns...

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Weekly Wrap-Up: SO. MUCH. FOOD.

Can I just say how busy I have gotten these past few weeks now that it's spring?  Craaaaazy!  Add to that my sister's wedding planning, and it seems like I constantly have a million invitations to eat out.  Uh oh, time to hit the gym!


Precap (jump to) : 

• Eats:  The Attic, nékter Juice bar, The Boiling Crab, Beard Papa, Urth Caffe, Mo Chica
• Sights:  Meeting with Miss Lulu, wedding updates!

A few weeks ago, my friend from Miss Lulu Sews (whom I met at mimi g's conference) mentioned that she would be in the area.  Since she likes out of the way places, I suggested one of my favorites, The Attic!  For the whole meal (including a delicious Boxy Benedict) check out The Episodic Eater.  :)

Later that day, we had some juice from nekter Juice Bar.  The one on the right is called The Cure, with beet and tons of greens.  Want to know about my drink and why it is so pink?  Find out on The Episodic Eater!

We went out to The Boiling Crab for my aunt's birthday and it is just a crazy restaurant!  See it all at The Episodic Eater.  :)

As if we weren't stuffed enough, I convinced everyone to hit up nearby Beard Papa.  So many sweet treats, including their famous cream puffs!

But they had some very bright, delicious-looking macarons as well.  Sooo tempting!  Check out the rest of the pretty desserts on The Episodic Eater!

Also this week, we went to Urth Caffe to meet my sister's potential wedding planner.  It's such a pretty building, a good place to meet up with someone for the first time, and grab a coffee or some food.  Check out a few more photos on The Episodic Eater!

By the way, it was a great fit with the wedding planner, so "It's a Match!"

Source

Then, we went to Mo-Chica, another fantastic restaurant.  We pretty much had one of everything: fun cocktails, quinoa salad (below), grilled artichoke, a light & lovely seabass appetizer, hearty beef filet, portobello with plantain, fried egg & beans, chicken stew, braised short rib, a unique creme brûlée, and...

...sweet potato and kabocha beignets!  It was a fantastic meal, and to see all of the dishes above plus a gorgeous bar area, check it out on The Episodic Eater!

Well, that was pretty much a food-filled week, right?  Time to drink some water and hit the gym!

What do you have planned for this weekend?

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Weekly Wrap-Up: New Food Adventures!

This weekend, we had a bunch of fun things to do and I tried three new restaurants for the first time. Triple fun!


Precap:

• Sights:  Registering for my sister's wedding with a not-so-fun moment
• Eats:  Cucina Enoteca, The Grilled Cheese Spot, Cafe Gratitude

On Saturday, we went to a beautiful restaurant called Cucina Enoteca to meet up with some of my guy's high school friends.  It was very inspiring for the future garden!

We ordered this amazing pizza.  Just delicious!  I seriously can't pick out what the best dish of the day was, and if you want to see the whole meal along with gorgeous tablescape inspiration, click on over to The Episodic Eater!

I was inspired by someone's delicious grilled cheese, so we hit up The Grilled Cheese Spot on the way back.  It was the restaurant that I actually wanted to go to when we went to Izalco a couple of weeks back.  Boy, was it worth the wait!

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Weekly Wrap-Up: Fun followed by a health scare...

This week had a bunch of highs and lows, including a real health scare, but it looks like everything is just fine now.  Whew!  Thank goodness, and let's see the rest of my week!


Precap:

• Sights:  American Cinematheque at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre
• Eats:  L'Opera, Stefano's Pizza

Saturday

That night, the whole family went to L'Opera, a great Italian restaurant in Long Beach.  It was so great!  I mean, check out the Cappellacci di Zucca below and the pretty Panna Cotta above.  See even more delicious dishes on The Episodic Eater, like the Lamb Agnello Ai Carciofi and a heavenly Sacchetto di Cioccolata (a chocolate dessert filled with Zabaione).  Delicioso!

See more on The Episodic Eater!

Sunday

It was the Superbowl, so you know what we did!  I started it off with a Easy Green Smoothie and made a big pot of Quick Big Game Chili for later!  Yum!

From my Instagram feed!

Unfortunately, someone brought these cupcakes that did not last very long around here...

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Handmade Gift Feature & Promo with Kheel's!

For today's "25 Days of Handmade Gifts" feature, I am sharing the really original work from Kheel's!  From all that L.A. has to offer, the artist is inspired by everything, including something extra unique: L.A. strip mall signs and local street art!  He also does custom work on any of his items, including his pillows, hats, and "Profane Pennants."  One of my favorites would be the script felt words, which would be a great personalized gift for anyone!

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Tell me a little bit about yourself!

The first time I worked with fabric was for an art piece I created about Oakland Raiders Superfans (which can be seen on my Etsy page).  I decided to use felt as the medium and immediately felt something click. I think it might be a connection to my recent ancestors who were in the New York garment trade (and whose company was housed in the Kheel Tower, which still stands in NYC).  Once I began using fabric I took a wide range of classes around Los Angeles (Blue Rooster, Sew LA, Art Center, ACP) to learn more about the medium and how to use it.


Where did the name of your store come from?

My last name, Kheel and the connection to my family history.

Why did you start making goods for Kheel's?

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