Go Here. Now.

I am a huge fan of watching movies in the great outdoors. We are blessed here in Los Angeles, to have a great climate and very little rain. Because of that, outdoor movies can and do happen all year long. I've been a die-hard fan specifically of the Cinespia screenings at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. For our wedding, we even registered for a rolling picnic basket, two low lawn chairs, an outdoor blanket and a pair of Snuggies. But now, I've found something even better. The Outdoor Cinema Food Fest. It is a weekly food truck festival and a screening of a fantastic movie (last week it was in La Cienega Park and the movie was "the Princess Bride"). I went with an army of friends and family and every single one of us is going back.
The huge inflatable screen is large enough so that everyone has a great view.

This lavash caprese sandwich from the Vizzi Truck was remarkable and succulent. It was filled with green heirloom tomatoes, a soft feta cheese and basil. They served it with truffled popcorn with figs and scallions and it was the best movie popcorn in the universe. I could have eaten a big box of just the popcorn and been a very happy girl.

For desert, I got these meyer lemon and thyme shortbread cookies. I am going to try to replicate these because they were super yummy.

And then there was the watermelon juice from Uncle Lau's that I washed it all down with. It was by far the best thing all night. I had to keep myself from drinking it all down at once. I cannot wait to have another.

Best of all, you can bring your dog. She kept me warm when the night got chilly and she flirted with the boys all night.

Trust me people, I wouldn't let you down friends, GO. You can thank me later.

Fries On The Side - Tonight

Once again, we're putting up a great show. Fries On The Side is tonight with host Brianna Brown from General Hospital. I think it's sold out but it's always worth a try.



I wrote a sketch about poop, so yeah, seeing this show will make you really think.

Ovi Part Quatre

What can I say, I'm behind, but yes, here is more from Nokia.

Ovi Part Trois

More of us from the kind people at Nokia.

From Women's Debauchery Auxiliary

Seattle - Wedding and Food

The wedding day came and The Husband and I were lucky enough to officiate the ceremony. It was the greatest honor that the two of us had ever been given. We read poems and stories pasted to the inside of cookbooks and saw a hundred and fifty people come together with one single purpose. When we walked down the isle after the I dos were done, our hearts were racing. I've never seen two people more in love than Liam and Audrey. There were times during the ceremony when I felt like I was eavesdropping on someone's private moment. I had to remind myself in the middle that I was an integral part of the whole marriage ceremony instead of a voyeur.

But now, I'm sharing photos with you, so voyeurism is welcome.

Audrey's Mom made her dress out of a silk/hemp blend, it looked beautiful on her. And Liam, well, the man can wear a suit with the best of them.

The ride was a gift from a friend who knew the bride and groom all too well.

The reception was held in the backyard of Audrey's childhood home. These trees dotted the property and gave us dappled light all afternoon.

The cake with the little mushrooms on top.

Audrey and Liam cured and smoked the fish themselves. It was the best smoked salmon of my life. I think only the heads were left at the end of the night.

Hey buddy, how ya doin'?

At a Greek wedding, yes, we roast meats. As a matter of fact 'roasted meats' were mentioned on the invitation to this wedding. We even made a note during the ceremony about how much the groom loves Lamb. Here you see a whole lamb and six lamb legs that were tended to by a crew of Greek and Armenian friends/chefs.

Roasting an animal on a spit is always somewhere between cooking and construction.

Liam and Audrey made this potato salad with fresh dill and mustard seeds.

A dramatic bowl of tzadziki.

Brilliant colors and loads of local produce were on every table. Those cherries are Lapin Cherries, that grow on a 70 acre farm and are only harvested one month out of the year. They were crisp and explosively juicy and I loved them so much that I probably ate an entire pound.

Heirloom tomato salad that may have changed the way I feel about tomatoes or maybe just reminded me what a tomato should really taste like. And I love tomatoes but these, these were on a whole new level.

My dinner clockwise; heirloom tomato salad, feta cheese, french bread, potato salad, herbed cream cheese, smoked salmon, grilled corn medallions marinated in herbs and oil, tzadziki, Greek olives and roasted red pepper hummus (I think). I ate it with a really nice, dry glass of rose (well it was a wedding, so probably like 4 glasses). I don't eat lamb but The Husband is still talking about how remarkable it was. At the end of the night, I found him sitting in the corner by himself. He was eating another plate of food, but this one was piled high with only tender lamb goodness. Again, I had that feeling of cutting in on someone's private moment.

As the night died down, we danced into it. Our, belly's filled with some of the best food I've ever eaten. I hugged my cousin and thanked him for an amazing day, for letting us be such a big part of it, for his friendship, for everything. He paused and said "How was the food...?"

Yeah, he's got his priorities straight.

Seattle - Walk

So, the post-doughnut walk wasn't an ordinary walk by any means. We, the mob of sugar-filled, marauding, Greek cousins covered all of downtown Seattle in an afternoon. One of the highlights was our trip to the market. Pike's Place Market is one of those special places in the world where tourists actually mingle with locals. True, tourists may outnumber the locals, but the fact that a destination so famous, still maintains such street cred with the natives is incredible. My cousin's wedding flowers came from Pike's. It's a beloved place, it's not hard to see why...














After the market we walked to the most remarkable library in the world, the church of books.












The night concluded with a rehearsal dinner on the lake and a view of the space needle in the sepia tone of a sodium light. The wedding was the next day and I was ready, Seattle never lets me down.

Seattle - Doughnuts

Our 2nd morning in Seattle we went all the way. I'd been wanting to try Top Pot Doughnuts for a while. We Don't have them in LA. When The Husband and I found out that there was one walking distance from our hotel, well it was pretty clear what breakfast was going to entail. We took a group of cousins on the brief trek to Top Pot. We walked into the place like an angry/hungry Greek mob and proceeded to buy out the store.


Best apple fritter of my life and it was huge, the size of a CD. This and a cup of coffee, forget about it.









I couldn't finish mine, I'm ashamed to admit. It was the largest most amazing doughnut ever. I've got a sugar intake max before my body goes a little crazy. But the Greek mob took care of the rest. After breakfast, we took a three hour walk through Pikes Place Market and to The Seattle Library to burn off all the calories that we ingested. Hardly a punishment, more like a reward for rewarding yourself. Hey, it's vacation.

Ovi Part Deux

Here is another installment of the Nokia shoot that I did with The Husband. And again, he is actually a smart man, I promise.



Ovi Blog

Audrey's Seattle Shower

Once I landed in Seattle, my Mom and Dad picked me up at the airport and whisked me off to a beautiful bridal shower for my cousin Liam's betrothed. There is something special about Seattle in the Summer. All that rain pays off I guess...
The shower was held on Audrey's friend's porch. After this, yeah, I want a porch.
We all gathered around and showered the bride. She made out. I bought her three pairs of Hanky Pankys (best underwear in the world).
She was glowing. I know it's a cliche but she was. She's also just awesome, so one might argue that she's always like this.
Audrey's mother gave her a silver art deco tea set. The same tea set that Audrey's great grandmother gave to her grandmother and that her grandmother gave to her mother on their wedding days. There were tears... all around.
The flowers were provided by our lovely host. I think they were from Pike's Market. Please understand that the flowers in the summer in Seattle are better than anywhere in the world. These Dahlia's took my breath away.
Our hostess made a blackberry sauce that we added to Prosecco. Blackberry Belinis. My goodness they were fantastic. I had four.
And the food was, a green chili and chicken strata...

Spinach and goat cheese strata,
Bacony-potatoes,
There were berries growing everywhere up there, I ate blackberries off a bush at the park. I hope they weren't poison. These obviously weren't but my god, the climate in Seattle is perfect for berries.
The favors were so cute and creative. Our hostess was a wonderful cook and she made these...


Adorable cupcakes. I brought one home for the husband, marshmallow frosting and a cute little bride and groom. After the shower, my belly loaded with brunch-wonderful, I perfected the art of stealing shit. Audrey and Liam are both professional chefs. So, I had the idea to perform their wedding ceremony out of a chef's bible...
I broke into Audrey's apartment and stole her copy of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" and then the husband and I taped the ceremony inside and prepared ourselves for the most delicious wedding-weekend of all time. Because when chefs get married, everyone wins.