McCormick and Schmick's - Downtown L.A.

Who knew that on the 4th floor of one of the most prominent buildings in Downtown L.A. you could find the BEST happy hour deal ever!  During a quick trip through the City of Angels I met my gal pal and her co-workers for happy hour at McCormick and Schmick’s, and was floored by the deal.  A restaurant with gorgeous wood paneling, a huge bar with just about any concoction, a happy hour menu with treats at $1.95 and $5.95, and yummy business men all over the place!  From what I can tell, Thursday night is the best night to hit this place up.

Typical bar food fills the happy hour menu (I recommend the fish tacos and the spiders and fries), but buyer beware of the drinks!  The standard libations are your best bet.  Some of the specialty cocktails are a bit dicey (they have a martini Bellini that I would NOT advise)

Cheers!

McCormick and Schmicks

633 West Fifth Street, 4th Floor
Los Angeles, California 90071
(213) 629-1929

Happy Hour – 5 pm to 7 pm

“Taking Ali’s advice… I’ll be there Tonight”- Hillary!!

“Fraiche” is french for “Fresh” and if chocolate could ever be described as fresh then Fraiche Fine Gifts has the freshest chocolate there is!  Located on West 3rd Street in the heart of L.A. (not to be confused with 3rd in Santa Monica) you will find the finest chocolate confections!

Heaven on earth is a box of chocolate truffles!

The chocolate truffles sold here are worth every ounce of guilt. They are that good.  You just know that nothing this delightful could possibly be good for you, but it does not matter.  And if you dare indulge in these chocolates with champagne, then you’ll realize that heaven on earth does exist.

But Fraiche Fine Gifts has many more gifts, aside from chocolate, all of which are top quality and make fabulous presents for corporate clients, friends, family, or yourself!

Fraiche Fine Gifts
8361 W. 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90048

In January I took a jaunt across the Atlantic to London and Paris. Yes, Paris. London is fun, but for me Paris is Fabulous (my cakenotcoke cohort will argue this point). So the brief time I was in Paris (it was a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it trip), I searched for a handbag. A handbag that I could say, “oh! Thank you! I bought it while I was in Paris.” A handbag that could NOT be purchased in the United States. I looked at Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Chanel, but none of the bags were me. And then I stumbled upon Lancel. Lancel!

Courtesy of Lancel Paris

A French maker of beautiful leather handbags in classic colors and textures as well as fun ones! I loved the supple leather of the bags and almost indulged in the most outstanding pink handbag I had ever laid eyes on. However, the lovely sales girl sold me on the more subtle blue and I have never had a love affair with a bag like I have had with this one. I cherish it. AND, you cannot buy Lancel in the United States!*
And if you don’t believe how covetable these bags are, check out the Lancel love on this site.

*Unless you are at O’hare Airport, JFK Airport, or the duty-free shop at Dupont Circle in D.C. or in Honolulu (but they don’t have all the fab options as they do across the sea!)

I know nothing about the Sears Tower, but I cannot see how it could have anything that can compete with the Signature Lounge at the Hancock Tower.

For those in the know, you don’t have to pay $12.00 to get a view of Chicago from the Observatory Deck of the Hancock Tower (and risk being surrounded by screaming children and pesky tourists).  Instead, you can ride the elevator up (past the observatory deck!) to the 95th and 96th floors where you will find the Signature Room and Lounge.  For the cost of entrance to the observatory, you can buy a cocktail sit and chat and take in the view of Chicago.

96 Floors Up - Signature Lounge

View from Hancock Tower

Lake View from the 96th Floor

They have a fabulous menu of martinis like the Raspberry Royale (yum!) and other cocktails, as well as a superb wine list!

I wish I could tell you about the food, but all I did was drink!

Signature Room - Hancock Tower – Chicago, IL

Even their logo looks sweet!!

We got a comment from a reader about Sweet Mandy B’s, so during a recent foray to the windy city we made the trip!

Now, Sweet Mandy B’s is located in the very cool Lincoln Park neighborhood.  Its one of those unheard of places where you see families walking and where people seem to actually know each other!  And in this neighborhood you find a throw back to the days of June Cleaver…Sweet Mandy B’s!  Walking in the smell of home baking wafts through the bakery.  Cases filled with goodies with calorie counts one should not think stretch through the store.  It is too good to be true!

Now, since cupcakes are my thing, that’s what I tried.  The orange cupcake is like a Dreamsicle!  The cupcake itself was tasty (not too dry) and the frosting was impressive!  It looked like it would be so overloaded with sugar I would no doubt feel sick, but I was wrong.  The frosting was just the right amount of sweetness and orange-ness that I actually ordered a four pack to go (the box fit snugly in my carry on bag for the plan ride home).

Sweet Mandy B’s is definitely worth the visit!