A “stripped down” scene at decadent Bardot

August 14, 2010

LOS ANGELES, USA – When a bar shares a name with French siren Brigitte Bardot, you know there’s going to be some serious va-va-voom involved. Such is the case at Bardot in Hollywood, a sexy 1920s-themed nightclub where Brigitte’s signature fashion statement–various states of undress–can be seen at every turn.… (more)

Relishing renegade roast duck at Li Qun

February 24, 2011

BEIJING, CHINA – When an imperial chef smuggled the emperor’s closely-guarded roast duck recipe out of the palace and passed it off to the plucky founders of restaurant Quanjude in the 1860s–and thus finally making Peking duck accessible to the masses for the first time–it sparked a national craze. But… (more)

Tempting Tuesday: Flying High to Seattle and Beyond

November 23, 2010

LOS ANGELES AND SEATTLE, USA- Want to jet from one hot Purple city to another? JetBlue can make it happen for $82 each way! Right now, on the deals portion of their website, JetBlue is showing this rate from Long Beach near LA to Seattle. We’ve all seen these great… (more)

Supremely Caffeinated at Intelligentsia

February 27, 2010

VENICE, USA – Yesterday we mentioned Stumptown’s delicious brew. Today, we tackle another brewmaster familiar to coffee connoisseurs everywhere: Intelligentsia. Coffee and its purveyors in the urban landscape have long been associated with the intellectually and culturally elite (the intelligentsia, if you will). It was only a matter of time,… (more)

A mansion for the masses at Hollyhock House

August 27, 2010

LOS ANGELES, USA – A quick glance at the real estate listings in the most exclusive pockets of Los Angeles will clue you in to the types of amenities that come standard with your average Tinseltown mansion: in-home movie theaters, grand ballrooms, domed glass spas, and even discoteques. These posh… (more)

Pretty in pink (and green) at C. Orrico

April 10, 2011

PALM BEACH, USA – If you grew up in the 1980s (or just fancy the current nostalgia for the decade), you know that “preppy” was once synonymous with the color pairing of pink and green. Whether it was a pink cardigan draped over a green polo shirt or a pair… (more)

More than just a nod to Hollywood’s heyday at Tower Bar

September 9, 2010

WEST HOLLYWOOD, USA – The Hollywood nightlife scene of today can’t seem to get enough of referencing the Hollywood of yore. Overrun as it is by show-it-all, do-it-all starlets and tell-it-all 24-hour streaming TMZ videos, it’s no wonder there’s a nostalgia for a more demure day, when a spirit of… (more)

A dead ringer for a Rat Pack hang at Mastro’s Steakhouse

February 20, 2011

BEVERLY HILLS, USA – Walking into Mastro’s Steakhouse in Beverly Hills, I swore I had just entered a place where Ol’ Blue Eyes and his Rat Pack cronies had once tread.  Tuxedoed waiters glided about with platters under gleaming silver domes, well-coiffed couples murmured sweet nothings over decadent chops, and… (more)

From femmes fatales to Violent Femmes at Bordello

March 30, 2010

LOS ANGELES, USA – A rainy winter night, driving amongst industrial warehouses, looking for an unmarked door…it all sounds like the beginning of a pulpy noir film. In actuality, this was my introduction to downtown L.A. nightlife darling Bordello, which occupies the former Little Pedro’s space in the gritty grotto… (more)

Be there or be square: brilliant cuisine and swish surrounds at The Square

March 2, 2010

LONDON, UK – As far as geometric shapes go, squares tend to get a bad rap. Triangles (especially of the love variety) hold a certain intrigue; circles have that 360 degrees of completion thing going for them, with all the attendant symbolism of coming full circle. Squares, on the other… (more)