Currently...

A few things I am obsessed with at the moment:

1. Kale - This leafy superfood has had me hooked ever since I went through my 30 day cleanse.  It is such a versatile green, and is eaten in almost every single country.  It is one of the most nutrient-packed greens you can eat!
2. Mark Fry - My friend Camille recently introduced me to the 70's psych-folk music of Mark Fry and I am absolutely smitten.  He sounds like a mixture of Donovan and Nick Drake, and he is so ridiculously adorable it kills me.  His paintings/travel stories are wonderful.
3. The Dead Sea - I will be visiting Israel in September, and I can't wait to float in The Dead Sea.
4. The Vintage Book Of Modern Indian Literature - I'm currently (slowly) reading this book when I find the time, which is a collection of Indian Literature from the last 50 years (short stories from varying authors).  The story collections in this book are so beautiful I could get lost in them for days.
5. My bathroom - My bathroom is finally finished and I think it's my favorite room in my house!  I was so happy taking my first bath in the clawfoot tub.
6. Colorful Huaraches - The perfect shoe for summer.  I could use one in every color.
7. Apriums - Apriums are finally in season again, and I get so happy when I can buy these delicious apricot-plum hybrids at the Farmer's Market.
8. Tie Dye - All I want to do this summer is tie dye/dip dye everything I own and drape it all over my body.  I might be insane, but I can't get enough of it. (Tastefully done, of course).
9. London - My bff and I recently decided that we are going to London (and Rome) right after our trip to Israel in September.  I couldn't be more excited about pubs, gorgeous parks, fish n' chips, art museums, and of course, Top Shop.

Birthday

It was my birthday yesterday, so on Sunday I threw a big picnic in Elysian Park to celebrate.  It was a gorgeous day, perfect for lounging outside with a group of lovely people eating delicious food, playing charades, drinking mimosas, and hanging out with all the cute dogs in attendance.  I went a little crazy making food for the day which included my dream cupcakes with edible flowers on top, home made caramel with Cyprus sea salt, chocolate covered strawberries, sun-dried tomato pasta salad with mozzarella and basil, cous cous salad with Marash pepper & chocolate chip cookies with oreos inside of them.  It was laid-back and relaxing, which was exactly what I had in mind when I planned the day.
Yesterday, Brian (the most amazing boyfriend in the world) surprised me and took me on a ferry to Catalina Island for the day.  I had never been to Catalina before, so I was really excited.
After a smooth, hour long ferry ride, we arrived in Avalon.  As we pulled up, the town reminded me of a quaint seaside village in Italy, but with colorful, old California style buildings.
We spent our day eating ice cream, making friends with seagulls, speeding around in a golf cart in the cliffs above the town (nobody in Catalina has a car...everyone drives golf carts!), drinking strawberry mojitos, eating freshly shucked oysters and clam chowder, and enjoying the lazy quietness of the Island.
We watched the sun set on the Pacific Ocean on the ferry ride back home, and I wished that the day didn't have to end.
I saw some beautiful campsites on Catalina Island, and I definitely need to go back soon for some camping (and maybe grill some freshly caught seafood!).
It was a really fun & special day that I couldn't have asked for a more enjoyable birthday.


On another note, Scout & Pine is now on Facebook!  'Like' the page to get updated every time the blog is updated, or when I share other points of interest that otherwise won't be on the blog.

Restaurant Review: Waterloo & City

My brother took me to Waterloo & City for an early birthday dinner Wednesday night (I stopped my cleanse early, after completing 20 days without alcohol, caffeine, sugar, dairy, flour, gluten, red meat or salt, but that's for a later post!).  The casual atmosphere was different than I expected and the food was delicious and innovative.  Here are some photos, with a review to follow.

I was expecting the atmosphere at Waterloo & City to be more upscale and stuffy, given the original, farm-fresh gastronomic cuisine that had me drooling all over their menu.  It felt more like a cool, casual pub with a large dining space and a long bar full of boisterous patrons, rather than a pretentious 'see and be seen' type of place, which was really refreshing.   It's always nice to go to a restaurant where you can actually focus on your food & your immediate company and not have to worry about being fancy.
I immediately ordered a Pimm's Cup (such a treat), and my brother and I perused their mouth-watering menu and chose a few stand-out dishes to share.
We started things off with the Pork & Truffle Pate w/ Madeira Jelly, Cornichons and Toasted Brioche.
The Pate came in a small jar, with a thin layer of the Jelly on the top.  The Pate on it's own was subtle and delicious, and the sweetness of the Jelly added a nice touch, although when spread on the Brioche, I could barely taste the Pate.  I would have preferred a crusty baguette rather than a buttery Brioche, which stole the flavor away from the Pate.
We then shared the Yellowtail Crudo w/ Shallot & Ginger Dressing and Shishido Peppers.  At first we thought it would be weird to introduce a Japanese-influenced dish into a rather hearty meal, but we decided to mix-and-match flavors rather than stick to one genre.  The Yellowtail was absolutely delicious.  The Shallot & Ginger dressing only enhanced the flavor of the fish, rather than overpower it and the Shishido Peppers added a nice, spicy crunch.
For our Main Course we had the Rotisserie Lamb w/ Crispy Shepherd's, Sunchokes & Gremolata.   This was probably the best-cooked Lamb I've ever had.  It was so incredibly juicy and tender and packed full of flavor.  The Lamb sat on three crispy, fried Shepherd's Pies, which kind of blew my mind.  If I could eat fried Shepherd's Pie every day of my life, I would die happy.  I'm usually really picky with sunchokes- they have a really distinct flavor that definitely is not for everyone, but these were seasoned & cooked perfectly.  We also shared the House Fries w/ Harissa Aioli, which were good.
For dessert we each had a glass of the Moscato di'Asti, a very sweet, almost honey-flavored dessert wine.   We also had the Raspberry Neopolitan w/ Pistachios & Basil Lime Sorbet.  I am a fan of very tart desserts, and this was definitely very tart.  The buttery crunch of the Shortbread underneath the lemony sweetness was delicious.  The Basil Lime Sorbet was so refreshing, I wish I could eat this everyday during the summer.
Overall, Waterloo & City is a great place to experience thoughtful, beautifully-plated and innovative food while enjoying a casual, unpretentious, relaxed environment.

Withdrawals...

It's only day 4 of my cleanse, and I woke up this morning feeling like crap.
If I could explain what my body feels like, I would say that it feels like I'm one of those crazy people who tries to reach spiritual enlightenment by standing on one leg and not moving for 90 days...except I don't feel enlightened at all.
My body feels really weak and my brain is having trouble focusing.
If you haven't seen the movie 'Super Size Me,' it's basically a documentary following Morgan Spurlock, a vegan health-nut who decides to eat only McDonald's for 30 days to see how it would change his body/mind.  On the second day, after eating a McDonald's breakfast, he says he feels like crap.  His body feels weak and sluggish, and his mind can't focus.   I feel the same way now, except it's the exact opposite (not that I eat at McDonald's, like ever.  Gross).  I went from eating what I consider is an average diet (not super unhealthy, but definitely not the healthiest.  I love food, and I can't pass up a delicious sandwich, pasta dish, burrito, or cupcake) to eating an extremely health-conscious diet that has completely eliminated everything I'm used to.
My Mom, who is a doctor, told me that my body is going through a healing reaction.  By eliminating foods that were in my every-day (or weekly) diet, (caffeine, sugar, red meat, dairy, gluten, processed foods, alcohol), my body is freaking out now that it has been shaken up with a completely new diet.
I was shocked when I woke up this morning feeling this way, because I just assumed that by eating lots of kale, broccoli, avocados, carrots, quinoa, apples, oranges, plenty of water, etc, that my body would feel amazing immediately.  I guess your body needs to go through the initial shock of cutting things that you are used to consuming out of it's system before it can allow the nutritional powers of new, healthy foods kick in.
It's very interesting to me how one's body/mind is attached to certain foods.  I wonder if I was 'addicted' to certain foods (cheese? sandwiches? pasta? steak?).
I really hope that I feel better in a few days.  There is no way that I am giving up on this experiment, but I would like to believe that eating the freshest, most nutritional foods truly does make you feel better.

Palm Springs Photo Diary

I just returned from my 2 night stay at The Ace Hotel in Palm Springs for Brian's birthday.  I have to say, it was truly one of the few vacations I've taken in my life where I actually felt like I got to relax and enjoy doing absolutely nothing.  I feel completely rejuvenated!
Here are a few of the photos (with descriptions below):

The drive to Palm Springs was beautiful- the desert landscape was just beginning to bloom with color.
It was Brian's 30th birthday.  Besides the stay at the hotel, I bought him a David Sedaris book & an organic old-fashioned shave jelly (it smells like whiskey & pine trees!) from Portland General Store.
Our first night was spent drinking beer & playing Bingo, which was hosted by an amazing older woman who serenaded people in-between games.  We didn't win (we would have won if the girls next to us hadn't been cheating!), but it was still really fun.
The following morning we woke up early and rented bikes from our hotel (rooms at The Ace include free bike rentals!) and took a 5 mile bike ride around town.  It was a great way to start the day.
We got ready for a day by the pool (lots of sunscreen, straw hats, sunglasses, 'The Collected Stories Of Lydia Davis', film camera, and of course a leopard print swimsuit) and then had brunch at King's Highway.  I had the breakfast ALT, & Brian opted for 2 eggs any style.
After brunch, we spent the entire day by the pool.  Brian even took a 2 hour nap (and I took creepy photos of him while he slept).   Later, we snacked on a mezza platter & a chicken salad.
It was hot outside, but the heat was offset by a cool, spring breeze.  The pool was also pretty much empty, which was ideal for us (and it didn't hurt that they played great music outside).
That night, we were tired from sitting in the sun all day, so we stayed in our room and watched movies & ordered room-service.  We pretty much spoiled ourselves.
This morning we checked-out and had brunch at my favorite Palm Springs breakfast spot, Cheeky's.
Brian had oatmeal (boring!) and I had the smoked salmon & avocado eggs benedict.  It was the perfect end to a great mini-vacation.
Driving away from Palm Springs reminded me just how much I love living in Los Angeles.  Visible in the distance, away from the palm-tree studded, 80 degree desert roads, were mountains covered with snow.  It's pretty amazing that LA is surrounded by so many beautiful and different places that are so easily accessible.  (And the fact that at the beginning of this week I was in Palm Springs and this weekend I will be skiing in Mammoth, is amazing!)
Coming back home is never, ever hard when you have the 2 most adorable kittens waiting for you...I still can't believe how big they are getting!