Ad Hoc Sucked

You know how you look forward to something for a long time? And you get everyone else to look forward to it also? And then it sucks??? Well, that's what happened to me on our vacation!!


I am a FOODIE with a capital "F". I love to eat, to cook, to go to restaurants, to look at food blogs, etc...


About two months ago I decided to make dinner reservations at Ad Hoc in Yountville. The restaurant is owned by Thomas Keller (of French Laundry fame). I figured that if his name was behind it, it would have to be great.


When I made the reservation I told them that I didn't eat pork, and didn't mix meat and dairy. They assured me that it would be no problem and that they would accommodate me.


They called me 2 days before our reservation to check if we were still coming. I reminded them again that I didn't eat pork, and didn't mix meat and dairy. Once again, I was assured that they were aware of my restrictions and it would be no problem.


We got there and the menu consisted of:
*Prosciutto wrapped melon - they put the prosciutto to the side and the melon was actually quite good.
*Steak with a mushroom, cream and cognac sauce - I didn't eat this but my father asked for A-1 steak sauce and my friend said that the meat was tough. The side vegetables were actually quite good, ESPECIALLY the fried cauliflower.
*Cheese Board - 3 types of cheese, small portions.
*Chocolate Ice Cream with brownies pieces in it - this came with whipped cream, candied walnuts and a strawberry sauce on the side. It was nothing special - the ice cream was no better or worse than what I can get at the grocery store.


I told them I would not be eating the steak. They asked if I wanted to have the vegetarian meal. Two of us chose that option. So....they brought out a couple of pieces of fennel and 6 tiny peppers stuffed with something.


That was how this restaurant, whose owner is one of the best chefs in the world, "accommodated" me. A restaurant of this quality should have made an effort to make me feel "at home" instead of as an "after-thought" by throwing a couple of vegetables at me. Especially since they charged me full price for the $2 worth of vegetables.

I was so disappointed and shocked that I didn't even put up a fuss or ask to speak to a manager. I paid the outrageous bill and left. I may still call, but don't really see the point.

Dirty Dancing, The Musical

On Saturday I took my mom to see Dirty Dancing at the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles. It was her belated Mothers Day gift.

Truthfully, I had VERY LOW expectations for this show. I loved the movie and did not think that the musical could do the movie justice.

Boy was I wrong!! The musical was AMAZING!!

My background is that I have been involved with theater since I was a sophomore in high school, where I was on Stage Crew. During college, I stage managed, produced, back stage managed, etc... our college theater. I have seen plays and musicals in London, New York, San Francisco, Vegas and LA. I have had a passion for theater for the last 18 years.

Dirty Dancing, the musical, blew me away. It is FOR SURE in the top 5 musicals I have EVER seen. I can not say enough good things about it. And my reaction is NOT unique. Every person I talk to feels the same way, including my mother.

The sets - unbelievable. They were able to employee mediums I had never seen used in such unique ways. The rotating stage gave a three dimensional quality to the performance, that many times is lacking in stage shows. The way that they showed Baby and Johnny in the lake was unexpected and amazing.

The voices - unbelievably good. And strong. And powerful. The musical numbers were enhanced by the voices to the nth degree!

The dancing - WOW!! That is the only way to describe it. The dancing encompassed ballroom and free style. As in the movie, much of the story was told through dance, and what amazing dancing it was!! Maybe the best I have ever seen.

The acting - very good. The actress who plays baby really has the role down pat. The actor who plays Johnny has an AMAZING body. He is a very good actor (aside from trying VERY hard to get the American accent just right).

Overall, I would give the show an unequivocal 10!!

I would urge anyone who can get to the Pantages before the end of June to definitely see this show!!

Out to dinner

On Saturday night we went to my Father-in-Law's birthday. We went to the restaurant we usually go to.

It is extremely tasty, the service is fabulous and (oddly enough) very child friendly.

This restaurant is Tanino Restaurant in Westwood (this is near UCLA, in Los Angeles). They serve home style, refined Italian food. The chef is Tanino Drago, of the famous Drago brothers. They have restaurants all over LA, and this restaurant is a very good representation of why.

Their soup and appetizers are to die for. The Pappa al pomodoro (Thick tomato and bread soup) is one of the best soups I've ever tasted. I have never been able to re-create this either. The Burrata caprese (Buttery mozzarella cheese with organic heirloom tomatoes,roasted bell peppers basil and olive oil) is phenomenal. The rest of the appetizers are just as good.

Moving on the entrees, a couple of my favorites are the Tortelloni di zucca e salvia (Tortellini stuffed with pumpkin and ricotta in a cream and sage sauce), Stinco d’agnello (Ossobuco style lamb shank served with saffron risotto) and the Risotto ai funghi misti di bosco e mascarpone (Arborio rice with mixed wild mushrooms and mascarpone cheese). No matter how many times we go, and how many people in our party, people always order these dishes!

For dessert, we constantly get samplers of pretty much any thing the chef wants to make us. Wow!! I can't choose a favorite.

For parties (at least 12 people) we get the upstairs room, where we are usually the only party. The service is impeccable. The kids are treated like honored guests. It is a very nice restaurant, but you can easily tell that the wait staff, the management and even the chef (when we are lucky enough to have him come out) truly loves children.

I would recommend this restaurant for a romantic dinner out, a girls night night, dinner with friends AND dinner with the family.

Here are some pictures the big monkey took at the restaurant:

And last, but not least, a picture of my mom and I after dinner (my dress looks so much better in person):

2nd Day of Girls Trip

On Saturday we woke up and the girls in my room drove to Coffee Bean to grab coffee for all of us. Coffee Bean is like Starbucks, but SOOO much better. There are a couple of Coffee Bean's in San Francisco, but not many.

We headed down to Robertson Blvd. for some breakfast and shopping. Breakfast was at The Newsroom. Its' biggest claim to fame - being right across the street from THE IVY (the famous celebrity restaurant with so-so food). The Newsroom has REALLY good food, regardless of whether you go there for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

I had:
Monja's Scramble eggs scrambled with spinach, bits of broken vegan sausage, caramelized onions & Parmesan - roman w/ciabatta toast.

Amazon Power Smoothie Acai...natural brazilian rainforest energy fruit with antioxidants, amino acids and essential omegas. guarana...increases stamina. vitality, heightened awareness. sambazon acai blended w/apples, strawberry, banana

The omelet was wonderful. The "vegan" sausage tasted just like REAL sausage. Very tasty. The smoothie was SO YUMMY!!!

After lunch we went to Kitson Kids (an off-shoot of the infamous Kitson boutique/store that celebrities seem to flock to for no real good reason). We all got the kids some really cute gifts (come on, we're a group of moms, we have to get the kids gifts). Some of my friends stayed on Robertson to continue shopping and some went to the Beverly Center to continue their shopping. Sadly, I had to take out a couple of hours to get my taxes done in the middle of the day.

I came back to my friends and drove some of them to The Grove. Stars come here too, but so does EVERYONE. There are cute boutiques, regular stores, an amazing American Girl multi-story store, restaurants and a farmers market. Also, there are fountains and constant concerts and other events here. If you are in LA, especially with kids, I would HIGHLY recommend coming to The Grove.

I left 45 minutes later and drove to meet 2 of the girls at a spa on Santa Monica. Voda Spa is a clean, spacious, relaxing, wonderful Spa right in the heart of the Russian part of West Hollywood, on Santa Monica Blvd.

I got the Voda Platza:
Platza master massages the warmed and relaxed skin with the venik branches, using a series of rhythmic taps and strokes. This motion both generates heat over the body and releases the essential oils from the leaves. The platza is said to draw out impurities, improve circulation, prevent premature aging of the skin, improve metabolism and refresh the spirit.

Truthfully, during the treatment, this felt like Chinese Water Torture. The heat is almost unbearable when the "master" is "beating" you with leaves and branches. Once the treatment is done, he makes you stand under a freezing "shower", then FULLY dunk in a "freezing" pool, then jump in a regular pool, then stand under a very cool different shower twice!

Somehow though, the complete treatment is WONDERFUL (I know - I can't believe it myself :) ).

I will definitely come back to Voda. It's like a little oasis in the middle of Santa Monica Blvd.

We got back to the rooms at 7pm and started getting ready for the evening.

Saturday night deserves its' own blog post...tomorrow.

Here are some pictures to tide you over until then.

This is us chilling by the pool on Friday night:


Here are 4 of us posing at The Grove: