Villa Blanca

My best friend and I started a new tradition this year. Instead of giving each other birthday gifts, we agreed to treat each other to a day of fun on our respective birthdays. So this year, we kicked off our new tradition by trekking every square inch of LA, getting lost, missing freeway exits, pampering our nails, and feasting on some of my favorite foods. One of our stops was at Villa Blanca, a charming dining room in Beverly Hills that serves the best calamari I've ever tasted. After stuffing ourselves, we headed over to La Provence for, what else, macarons.

Life-like and sparkly Bvlgari advertisement spotted in Beverly Hills on our way back from Villa Blanca.

A Dose of Red Medicine

Coconut Bavarois - the most unique dessert I've ever had.

Any place that's been approved by Anthony Bourdain is a certified winner in my book. Red Medicine is a dim Vietnamese restaurant discreetly tucked away in the heart of Beverly Hills, and it was the perfect spot to top off a Dine LA girls night out. The ambiance at Red Medicine is dark and sultry and - surprise surprise - the room is accented with a ton of red lights. We chatted over drinks at the bar but couldn't resist ordering this one-of-a-kind dessert - a coconut, halva, thai basil, and peanut concoction that's pretty impossible to describe. The odd pairing of creamy and buttery halva with coconut bavarois and droplets of thai basil somehow resulted in a fabulous dessert with only a subtle hint of sweetness. Definitely not your average dessert, but perfect for open-minded dessert enthusiasts because the flavors and textures are sophisticated and anything but traditional.

La Provence (Mac Heaven)

the cutest candle i've seen.
contemplating splurging for one.

salted caramel, rose, pistachio, lavender, raspberry. 

overwhelming. La Provence