Guest Post!

Check out my guest post at friend, designer, and fellow blogger Cori Busch's site Pretty Haute Mess.  I'm doing a periodical piece called Haute Spots about some of the restaurants and bars that I recommend. 

 This week's Haute Spots is about Cafe Stella in Silverlake.

Restaurant Roundup

Restaurants I've been to recently that I recommend

Auntie Em's Kitchen- great brunch on Eagle Rock Blvd.  Amazing baked goods, local ingredients.

Little Flower Candy Co- sandwiches, salads, baked goods and of course candies on Colorado Blvd between Eagle Rock and Pasadena. I haven't tried the candy yet, but have heard it's amazing.  Great hostess gifts.

Cafe Stella  - Little french Bistro in Sunset Junction. Great ambiance and outdoor patio.  Stop in at the Silverlake Cheese shop next door. And make sure you order the escargot.

The York on York - Highland Park. Great bar, great burgers.  cool industrial vibe.

Bacaro Wine Bistro - in the West Adams area. Fun little place in an interesting up and coming neighborhood. The food was surprisingly good.  The decor could use a little help, but it was definitely worth it with a Groupon.

Lazy Ox Canteen - tapas style gastropub in Little Tokyo.  Stopped in her for apps before a ramen dinner. Excited about going back for a real meal.

More to come.  Have any recommendations for future nights out?  Let me know?  Need any other recommendations?  Let me know as well.

Sew LA!

So I recently came across Sew LA through Jamie Mears blog Isuwannee.  The funny thing is I'd heard about this place and then forgotten about it and it's right in my backyard.  Sew LA is a sewing education space in Silverlake.  Following in the footsteps of other DIY trends (pickling, composting, IKEA hacking), Sew LA offers sewing classes focused on clothing as well as some home decor such as pillows and quilts.  Their online store front sells sewing tools and patterns and fabrics from small independent companies and designers.  Most of the fabrics are under $5 a yard (a steal!) and so many are truly unique.  I'm loving the following:

Alexander Henry's Gallo Tea-Dye

His Imperial Kiku-grey

Phillip Jacob's Full Blown - Carmine

Liberty Art Fabric's Fordwych Mauve

 Anna Maria Horner's Nouveau Bouquet - Teal

And of course Kokka's Squirrel on Mushroom - purple - I mean, it's kind of impossible not to like squirrels on mushrooms.

Salvage!

So Scott and I took a vacation day last Friday and somehow with out any prodding on my part, he came up with the idea all on his own to do a tour of LA Architectural Salvage Shops.  How could I say no to such a wonderful activity for a day off?  Now, there are several in Pasadena that we mean to hit up at a later date but this time we just did LA. 

First stop on the list was Silverlake Architectural Salvage.  In a strange sloped lot / warehouse behind Sunset Junction, you find this little Salvage shop.  It's packed to the brims, including the outside. A bit disorganized, but a lot of everything - doors, knobs, sinks etc.

Second stop - Intelligentsia Coffee and the Cheese Store of Silverlake.  If we hadn't been on our way to more locations in a hot car we would have surely bought our weight in cheese.  We were sad that we couldn't do so, but we did get to try some amazing samples.  One day I hope Eagle Rock will be so gentrified as to have its own Cheese Shoppe spelled with two "p"s and an "e".

Third Stop Sunset Bazaar.  This is not an architectural salvage shop so much as a series of 3 small antiques stores in Silverlake specializing in mid century modern furniture.  And there are a few guys in the alley behind that make casegoods and do other sorts of furniture refinishing. Always good to know about. 

Fourth Stop Olde Goode Things.... in a not so goode neighborhood.  Down by the LA mart south of Downtown, this outpost is way more organized than Silverlake Architectural Salvage.  Probably a bit pricier but had some pretty cool stuff. And if you're in the market for a any sized reclaimed tin tile mirror, then you've found the right spot.

Fifth Stop, Freeway Building Materials.  The most haphazard of the bunch.  A funny little place where the 10, the 5, and the 101 freeways all join, I think the guys that own this place pretty much make enough to squeak by and pay the rent so they can spend the rest of their time sitting on their stoop watching the traffic.  You'd have a hard time finding something specific here and you'd probably be run out by the yellowjackets that seem to have taken up residence among all the old toilets, vintage wheelchairs and the like. 

Sixth Stop, Urth Caffe at the Barker Block Live/Work lofts.  I found this a year or so ago when they were still building the cafe.  All sustainable and organic ingredients, the chilled gazpacho was just what the doctor ordered on this hot day.  I wonder what other interesting businesses will spring up in this loft district just East of downtown.

Final Stop  Disneyland!  Nuf Said.

El Tres Inn!

The proprietors of local Silverlake wateringhole and delectable Mexican restaurant have spread their wings in the hospitality world and opened El Tres Inn upstairs of their restaurant location. 

The Inn features only  3 rooms and a "salon".  Uno, Dos, and Tres are all unique rooms with a funky vibe.  Not a bad place to crash after a few too many margaritas downstairs!

OK Silverlake

Our friend Larry Schaeffer has opened a Silverlake branch of his West 3rd Street store OK. Check out the new location at 1724 1/2 Silverlake Blvd.  It's a great spot for unique home accessories, art and design books, jewelry, gifts etc. And it was just featured in the New York Times Home and Garden Section!