In celebration of my actual birthday, hubby took me to Venice. He knew I had been wanting to try out the French macaroons at Jin Patisserie so that was our first stop. They are very small compared to others I've tried but the price you pay is well worth it as the quality of these babies are top-notch. I wish I had pictures but I gobbled them down faster than the camera shutter.
Ok, maybe not that fast as I got caught eating my last & favorite one-Hazelnut!
I have this bad habit of eating dessert before the main meal. As we were heading to the car, we spotted an organic gelato place called N'Ice Cream. I had a delicious scoop of the special which was some concoction of the following: peanut butter, rum, hazelnut, pistachio and chocolate. I would go back to Venice just for that! Too bad they don't pack to-go pints!
After strolling down Abbot Kinney and scarfing down our delicious sweet treats, we headed to C&O Trattoria for lunch. This is one of my favorite Italian places and it hasn't disappointed me yet.
Killer Garlic Rolls (a signature C&O treat)
Penne Spinaci
After a heavy carb-filled meal, we walked the stretch of the Venice boardwalk for what seemed like eternity. But, we had to burn the calories somehow, right?
Venice Boardwalk
An electric pole on Electric Ave.
Spent the rest of the afternoon shopping and relaxing. I wouldn't have it any other way! Thank you Marc for a fun-filled day! I love you!
I honestly think this is our first 'mirror shot.' lol!
Fast forward.....
Claudine spent Thursday night at my place because she had a conference to go to in the area. She wanted to take me out to dinner the following evening for my birthday so I had to pick a place. Thanks to Yelp reviews, we ended up at Sundried Tomato in Laguna Beach. To add to the celebration, Gem and Samantha showed up so we all went out to dinner together. I have to say that this place has made it to my list of favorite restaurants in Orange County. They have the best gourmet macaroni & cheese I've ever had! (Sorry, Beecher's) Imagine penne pasta with spinach and mushrooms topped with a light creamy tomato sauce and three cheeses including gorgonzola. I'm honestly debating on going back tonight for some! They also have a very light and fresh garlic & spinach ravioli. One of my favorites was actually the complimentary olive bread with sundried tomato butter. I cannot wait to go back and try the other yummy dishes this place has to offer.
I had a great time catching up with my girls. No doubt, it was the perfect way to start my weekend. Check out what Samantha gave me for my birthday present:
Presenting: Persian Ice Cream & Sorbet
From Mashti Malone's
Samantha has been trying to take me to the actual ice cream shop in LA but our schedules have always clashed. So instead, she brought the frozen goods to me! Marc and I just had a sampling of each of the flavors and my favorite will have to be....Herbal Snow! It seriously tastes like snow with sweet herbs. I'm having a hard time describing it but it's really good and addicting and supposedly healthy too?!
Tomorrow is a special day. I'll tell you why...tomorrow! But feel free to make a guess by commenting on this post. = )
Camera update: The girls helped me figure out the camera! Can't wait to get my roll developed! 36 more shots! Yay!
