Culturistas

Friday, April 25, 2008

Davis Picnic Day 08- WORD TO YOUR MOTHER

Last weekend this Culturista went back to college...seriously. It was Davis, CA's annual Picnic Day and let me tell you it was no small affair! We made our way to Davis quite early in the morning to partake in the festivities. The events I speak of can basically be better understood as going out at 10 AM. Not kidding. It was a grand reunion minus some medical mishaps. All in all it was a great time and everyone looked amazing.

Picnic Day Trend Report: BLACK AND WHITE

Leah: Tunic- Urban Outfitters, Lame leggings- American Apparel
Michelle: Tunic- Forever 21
Meli: Cute dress- not sure...

With a splash of color...

Unfortunately, I could not find any elongated pictures

Emily: the WHITE dress
Danielle: WHITE babydoll dress with button adornment. Forever 21
Stacey: Ed Hardy floral and butterfly tunic with hood

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

The Amazing Caroline Trentini

This cracks me up---and you other fashionista's will agree: Caroline no more jumping in Vogue!! But then again, if Anna Wintour told me to jump I would too. ;)

Eat your heart out Pinkberry...it's all about BIG SPOON!

After months of hearing about the illustrious "Big Spoon" frozen yogurt joint I finally had the opportunity to experience the yogurtgasm everyone in the greater Sacramento area has been talking about. I had barely gotten off the plane in Sacramento and Big Spoon was destination #1. With over 75 toppings, big spoon is what you get if you merged the Big Chill yogurts and the candy bins at the supermarket together. The best part is, you get unlimited toppings and you pay by the weight of your yogurt which ends up being 1/3 of the price of Pinkberry. Now don't get me wrong...I am an x-treme PB fan...but my big spoon experience was phenomenal. I got a chocolate/vanilla swirl with raspberries, cookie dough, reese's pieces, and fat free fudge (HA!) While the toppings were a little more indulgent than Pinkberry, it only cost me $2.65. AMAZING. All in all it was everything I would have hoped for and more. Thanks Danielle!

Monday, April 21, 2008

Santee Alley Trip

Went to Santee Alley over the weekend-- for those of you not familiar-- it is in the fashion district of downtown LA. (Around Olympic and Maple st) Its a few square blocks of streets and an alley way that has loads and loads of cheap finds. There are shops one after the other selling the clothes I've seen in stores like forever 21, victoria's secret, and image, hats, knockoff bags and sunglasses, and shoes. And usually for much cheaper. If you want to take the trek down there I would advise you:

1. bring cash (since most vendors don't take credit card)
2. don't be afraid to bargain!!
3. be prepared to keep the items you bought (not many do returns or exchanges)
- on that note dress in layers to easily try things on in public, there aren't typically dressing rooms
4. get their as early as possible--preferably during the week.
5. use the restroom before you get there! I didn't see ONE while I was there

Here is a madras plaid shirt dress that I found in the alley for 17$ Unfortunately when I got home I did NOT like the way it looked on me--but some rolled up sleeves and a belt made it cute!

I finally found my gladiators!! They are from a little store off the alley for $20.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Mozza = marvolous

I was anxiously awaiting my meal at Osteria Mozza for 2 weeks, since that is how long in advance you need to make a reservation. But I am thrilled to say it was worth the wait. Nancy Silverton, Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich unite their talents into this delicious gem of a restaurant.

The decor and ambiance is very simple and under stated, quite different than I would expect it to be. It was also quieter than I had heard - but lively and friendly at the same time. And the service is impeccable (almost too much so--we were asked the second we sat down what we wanted to drink)

After we got seated and settled in we were given an amuse bouche aka a little appetizer "compliments of the kitchen" which was a nice surprise-- it was a spiral of mozzarella rolled with sweet basil leaves, dried tomato and olives drizzled with olive oil. It was very flavorful and a nice start to the meal. But I have to say- I was a little overwhelmed by the wine list and the menu but the waiters are very informed and help you make your selections.

My boyfriend and I tried a few dishes one being a fabulous antipasto from the mozzarella bar (yes, they have a mozzarella bar!!): Ciliegine with iceberg, salame, pepperoncino & green olive tapanade. Basically I would like to sneak into the kitchen and steal this recipe-- so fresh and tasty we couldn't stop ourselves from enjoying the entire plate. Next we had Garganelli with ragú Bolognese (one of our favorites when we lived in Italy so of course we had to try it). Well, fresh pasta is always delicious to me and the bolognese ragu was just like Italy :) Although it was very filling, it was a smaller portion than I expected (compared to the Americanized Italian joints in LA). So lastly we shared the Grilled Beef Tagliata, rucola and Parmigiano with aceto balsamico-- which is a sliced steak marinated in an aged balsamic vinegar. Needless to say we left nothing on our plates :)

Although the restaurant is in the pricey range- it was well worth it. I've been to too many overrated, overpriced restaurants and I am happy to say this is NOT the case with Mozza. I hope it is around for a long time b/c i will probably want to go there for every special occasion. Happy Anniversary baby :)

Thursday, April 17, 2008

I love my Lame Leggings!

I want to start by saying that Lame (LA-MAY) leggings are by no means l-a-m-e. I have had a crush on these for ages and I finally bit the bullet and got them. Word on the street is they rock. I chose the Vegas Legging in Night Fever Black. They also come in a variety of brighter colors...the purple and copper were two of my favorites. I was a bit timid at first thinking they were a little much but then I embraced my inner legging goddess and paraded around Hollywood sporting gear so sparkly they practically glow in the dark. At least, that's what Lady D said. I wore them with a dress and my gladiator heels, but a tunic or simple top with the leggings are a great option. I searched high and low and unfortunately they can only be found at American Apparel and are a bit pricey for leggings, ($42) but well worth it! Hopefully I've inspired some of you to be LAME.

American Apparel Website