Beginning today I will be sharing a quick monthly recap of what I have been up to near the end of each month. I realized early in the month of May that I should be sharing more than fleeting glimpses into the delicious eateries and bars I discover and of the exciting events I attend on Instagram and Snapchat (kasiechelanne). Each month will be a little different as my calendar and life evolve and some months there likely won’t be as much to share, but that is not the case in this inaugural post! May has been jam packed full of mind blowing food, cocktails and concerts and I’m excited to give you all a sneak peek into what the last four weeks have brought into my life.
The interior of the Anaheim Packing District
SEEN AND HEARD
KROQ’s Weenie Roast
My husband and I had been wanting to attend KROQ’s Weenie Roast, KROQ being a local radio station and Weenie Roast being a yearly festival they put on, for several years but tickets always sold out at a mindblowingly fast rate and would be on the resale market for a borderline offensive amount of money. No thank you! This year it just so happened I was at home sick when they on sale and I was able to scoop a few up. We knew the lineup would be decent, at worst, and purchased them prior to knowing which bands would be there.
The view from the top of the Irvine Meadows Amphitheater where Weenie Roast was held.
Fortunately for us the lineup did not disappoint! The lineup was excellent start to finish and I was particularly looking forward to seeing Bishop, Miike Snow (who I missed at Coachella), Fitz and the Tantrums (who always put on an awesome high energy show), The Lumineers, Empire of the Sun (we see them at least once a year…they’re kind of our unofficial band and “Alive” is the closest thing to a song that we have), Weezer (they also always put on an incredible show), and Red Hot Chili Peppers. The sun was shining, Orange County, where the event was held, offered weather warmer than LA and I was 100% ready for our one-day Coachella makeup fest!
Enjoying some sun and warm weather together.
As it turned out the Red Hot Chili Peppers cancelled at the last minute due to Anthony Kiedes being taken away from the festival in an ambulance. People got REALLY angry about it but I wasn’t fazed at all because the news came right after Blink 182 made a surprise appearance, playing an entire set. Childhood dreams fulfilled! Honestly I wasn’t that huge of a fan growing up but one of their songs in particular, “Feeling This”, was the soundtrack to the last summer I spent working at camp with my best friend who passed away. I was so caught off guard and unprepared to hear it live that I got really emotional and cried. Not quite the evening I was expecting!
It ended up being a really wonderful day spent with my husband enjoying music that we love. We met some awesome people who we hung out with for hours (festival buddies are the best!), got coated in beer more than once by crazy underage drinkers and had an all around memorable experience.
One Hell of a Night with Joe Walsh and Bad Company
Once upon a time, close to the time when CDs were first on the market to the general public, The Eagles put out “Hell Freezes Over”, the first album they released following a 14 year break from one another. The album ended up being the most definitive work of my childhood and turned me into a life long fan of theirs. I missed seeing them several times due to scheduling conflicts, being a broke post-grad and lack of interest from people I wanted to go with. I always assumed I’d have time to catch them again, after all all the bandmates were fairly young.
Sadly that wouldn’t be the case as Glenn Frey passed away in January of this year. I mourned his death and have kicked myself ever since for not making a bigger effort to see them. Sidenote: Don’t put off seeing aging musicians assuming you still have time…the regret is real! Needless to say, when we saw that Joe Walsh, a remaining member of The Eagles, was coming to The Forum with Bad Company we knew we had to attend.
Bad Company opened and brought it in a way that I’m always astonished 60-something year old hard living men can, setting the bar pretty high for Joe Walsh. Joe delivered guys, he really, really delivered.
It turned into another highly emotional evening for me as he played Eagles songs that took me back to my childhood and paid tribute to Glenn Frey. It was such an amazing show that I essentially streamed the entire thing to my parents because I’m cool like that and text my mom at concerts. I’m so incredibly happy we made an effort to go to the show…it was made even more magical when an older couple offered to trade us their floor seats for our not-so-floor seats! It was such a wonderful gesture and unexpected surprise that really made the night feel incredibly special.
The Who North America Tour
We hadn’t planned on going to The Who but as their tour dates neared we talked each other into it. Man, am I ever thankful we did! The Who was supposed to tour beginning last September but had to cancel when Roger Daltrey came down with viral meningitis. Once he was well enough The Who released a new tour schedule, bringing them to California this May.
I can’t possibly keep calm knowing The Who are coming!
We initially purchased tickets for the Anaheim concert and were so blown away by what a spectacular show they put on, and my newly discovered obsession with the talent that is Pete Townshend, that we attended the LA show at Staples Center just three days later. THAT show was so excellent that we considered a third show in San Diego two days later and a Vegas stop over Memorial Day weekend. We ended up capping it at two shows but the fact we were willing to travel that far and spend money on four sets of tickets should say something!
I wasn’t a huge fan of The Who going into the shows but came out totally and completely obsessed with them. If they’re coming to your town please go see them, you won’t regret it! They’re playing in Birmingham when we are in Paris and we are seriously considering popping over to see them yet again.
TASTED
We don’t generally go out to eat all that often, as I normally prepare all three of our meals for us each day. This month we made an exception and were rewarded by some truly wonderful culinary experiences!
First up was Della Terra, an Italian-esque spot on Beverly nearish to The Grove. My friend and I chose it for a couples brunch based on their stellar reviews and bottomless mimosas and bellinis. My husband and I wisely Ubered there and were able to fully partake in delicious never-ending cocktails and even more incredible food!
The ambiance of the place is quite cozy and reminds of restaurants I’ve frequented in France. It has an old world vibe to it. My friend and I have decided it will be “our spot” for brunch together and are excited to return again and again.
Recommended: The smoked salmon pizza and prosciutto pizza were both to die for. My friend and her boyfriend ordered them and my husband I were blown away when we tried them.
Knuckle & Claw, a little Silver Lake gem, is becoming my go-to for authentic New England-inspired seafood. I first dined there when my best friend was in town from Boston. We thought we were being ironic by going to a “New England crabshack”, but in reality the joke was on us because the food was REALLY delicious! After going to dinner with her there I knew I had to take my oyster-loving husband back to check it out.
The Atlantic Flight at Knuckle & Claw
The two of us went on a Thursday so we could partake in their beer deals and ordered a combo order of lobster, crab and shrimp rolls along with twelve oysters and a flight of three mini-beers. It is such a charming little spot, offering indoor and outdoor dining, and everyone who works there is so friendly and outgoing. The staff is really half the appeal to the place!
The food was as amazing my second time around as it was on my first visit and by the time we left my husband was already talking about the next time we could return. I will mark that as a win!
Recommended: The Atlantic Flight or The Maine Event so you can sample all their best offerings.
The Bad Company and Joe Walsh show fell on a Friday, necessitating that my husband travel from Hollywood to Santa Monica to meet me after work so we could drive to The Forum together. He took a ride on the new Metro line that extends to Santa Monica on the first day it was open to the public and met me at a charming little spot called The Brixton. We initially planned on getting dinner there but thanks to the lack of parking were limited to a drink a piece.
The Bogey and Perry at The Brixton
We sipped on The Bogey and Perry, both of which I highly recommend. They had fantastic happy hour deals on food and I have been dreaming of several of their menu offerings since we missed out on tasting them. We will definitely be returning to take full advantage of their delicious and unique menu.
Recommended: The Bogey (vodka, St. Germain, grapefruit, prosecco); Perry (gin, rosemary, lemon, strawberry, Serrano peppers)
After leaving The Brixton we headed straight to The Forum, knowing we would need to find a place to grab a bite to eat pre-show. Thanks to Yelp I discovered Ms. B’s M & M’s Soul Food, a restaurant a block away from the venue.
We knew we couldn’t go too wrong with anything we chose off the extensive menu and selected their BBQ beef sandwich and chicken and waffles. I’m partial to my delicious BBQ sandwich and fries but did sample the chicken and waffles and can attest to the fact that both were unbelievably flavorful and filling.
Ms. B’s M & M’s Soul Food’s famous BBQ beef sandwich.
We ultimately ended up parking at the restaurant (they offer $15 event parking which is less than on-site) and were fully planning on stopping in for dinner #2 post-show. Sadly they were already closed by the time we returned to our car and we have been forced to dream sweet dreams of BBQ and fried chicken ever since. This is definitely a spot we will travel to Inglewood for in the future…it’s THAT good! If you’re heading to or from LAX try to swing by for a bite to eat!
Recommended: BBQ beef sandwich, chicken and waffles
Prior to our first time seeing The Who in Anaheim we checked out the Anaheim Packing District, an original citrus packing house built in 1919 that has been restored and converted into a food hall. A coworker of mine had recommended it and since we were in the area we decided it was the perfect time to check it out.
All I can say is…WOW! We sampled A LOT of different food and cocktails and each item we tasted was better than the last. The restaurants range from BBQ to Southern to Mexican, each offering unique and delicious options. We ultimately tried a BBQ sandwich, jambalaya, macarons and cookies, along with the finest Moscow Mule I have ever sampled.
The best Moscow Mule I’ve ever tasted from Hammer.
Go into the Packing District with an empty stomach because you will inevitably want to try every restaurant in sight.
Recommended: The Kroft for garlic fries and a braised short rib melt; The Chippy Fish & Grill for spicy jambalaya and garlic bread; Black Sheep Grilled Cheese Bar for artisan takes on the classic comfort food; Hammer Workshop & Bar for the best Moscow Mule you’ll ever taste and an unending offering of hand crafted cocktails; Crêpe Coop for authentic and delicious, though overdone, crêpes; Pandor Artisan Boulangrie & Cafe de Provence for macarons, freshly baked cookies and candies you’ll scarcely find outside of France
That’s it…my jam packed month of May in review! We crammed so many adventures into the last four weeks and experienced so many wonderful things together as a couple. I’m incredibly thankful to live in a city that has so much to offer and am excited that we have started to really take advantage of that fact and explore as much as we can.