Scarpetta (Beverly Hills, CA)

Scott Conant's Scarpetta was one of the hot restaurant openings last year, and his famous spaghetti became one of the must-try items in town.

Spaghetti, tomato, basil ($24)

On a nice day, sit on the patio, overlooking the courtyard and fountain of the Montage. The dining room is equally pleasant. Spacious with its high ceilings, and quiet.

Dive in early into your bread basket to find the bread wrapped around salami and cheese.

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How Girls Roll: Beer, Cupcakes, and Beauty Treatments

When The Beer Chicks throw an event with a female brewer, it was only natural to gear it towards the female bloggers out there. That was exactly what happened with Veronica Vega, the only female brewer at Deschutes Brewery (from Bend, Oregon) - and it was a blast.

My fave Deschutes: the Black Butte Porter

Our little party took place at Benefit Cosmetics in Santa Monica, where we also got beauty treatments while sipping beers.

OK, first thing's first: the beers!
My favorite of the Deschutes beers was the Black Butte Porter (5.2% ABV). I personally prefer this type of beer, rich and malty. This particular porter is rich in flavor and creamy, yet pretty light and smooth, which makes it a good entry point to darker beers. Christina Perozzi, one of the Beer Chicks, said that she wanted to clear up the misconception that women have that dark beers are heavy and bitter by introducing them to dark-yet-light-and-crisp like this porter.

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Fun Finds at Artisanal LA Spring Show

Going to Artisanal LA with their close-to-100 local vendors can be dangerous indeed. Going in you think you don't need anything, but you inevitable leave with a bag anyway, because there are just so many amazing goodies in there!

Here are some of my favorite discoveries from the last Spring Show at the Santa Monica Place:

Bacon chutney from Cast Iron Gourmet. It's spreadable bacon!!

Shortbreads from Shortnin Bread Bakery. They had some cute shapes like these mustache ones. I ended up buying the chocolate with sea salt shortbreads.

The vegetarian sandwich from Daily Dose Cafe (opening soon in downtown LA). The vegetable sandwich was my favorite? Yep, I was surprised, too.

And last but not least, a tea with my name on it from Sugarbird Sweets and Teas! (It's a blend of rooibos and raspberry)

Did you guys get to go to the Spring Show? If you didn't, be sure to check out the next one. The pre-sale tickets were only $10 and included drinks from VeeV, Greenbar Collective, and some interesting demos and panels. Oh, and a portion of that $10 went to benefit St Vincent Meals On Wheels.