Rum really isn’t everyone’s spirit of choice. There are those who rarely venture beyond vodka (it does go with many a mixer), then there’s the club of gin drinkers who favor a more sophisticated set of mixers. Let’s face it; Red Bull isn’t exactly made for developed palates. There are the wily tequila drinkers who have a similar temperament to redheads and the old-fashioned whiskey lovers. Rum has gotten somewhat of a short stick – limited only to daiquiris, mai tais, mojitos, and other sweet concoctions that many times come with an umbrella in the top. Cue La Descarga – a new speakeasy style bar on Western Ave that celebrates rum like no one else has.
Designed to make you feel like you’ve illegally made your way down south to Havana, La Descarga has no sign on the door, but once you’ve checked in (reservations are strongly encouraged), you pass into a world of Latin-fueled wonder. The team behind La Descarga includes bartenders Pablo Moix, direct from Bacardi, and Steve Livigni, formerly of The Doheny. Their drinks are serious business, as is the music, to which dancers will shake what their mama gave them after dropping from the ceiling, or so we hear.
Did we mention the cigar room in the back? This is living la vida Cubana – and just like when you snuck into Cuba all those years ago, no one needs to stamp your passport.
La Descarga officially opens February 2 and is located at 1159 Western Ave in Los Angeles. To make reservations, visit their website.
As is expected, Fred Segal Fun was a premiere shop stop in the awesomeness that is the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. Mega celebrities such as Jessica Alba, America Ferrera, Marisa Tomei, Wilmer Valderrama, Joan Rivers, Adrien Grenier, Kristen Bell, and many others were in attendance. Owner and resident fashion maven Jackie Brander brought the famed line to the festival for the second year in a row.
The fashion stop offers VIP’s exclusive access to the most sought after brands in the country such as Affliction Clothing, Desigual, Dockers, Dillon Rogers, Gina and Lucy, I Heart Ronson, and GoodLife American Clothing. What’s more, for each item given away, a donation was made to a not-for-profit Sundance Institute. It’s a win/win situation!
Plenty of Paps were in attendance as the stars stopped by and picked up their swag. America Ferrera and her director boyfriend of five years arrived early Friday morning and picked up some bracelets from jewelry brand Dillon Rogers. Joan Rivers arrived and immediately got down to business, with a Desigual multi-colored coat and leather bags for her and daughter Melissa in tow.
Adrien Grenier wasn’t so lucky. The Entourage actor and his girlfriend stayed for a brief 10 minutes, and anytime Grenier had some picks in hand, his publicist was right behind him, saying, “you don’t need that.” The one item he got away with, however, was a Parish Nation plaid button down. That was something he just had to have.
Kristen Bell, lookin’ as sweet and friendly as she always does, stopped by and got some Dillon Rogers leather bracelets in multiple colors. After about 20 minutes of chatting up the owner and gushing about, “her favorite place in all of Sundance,” her famed beau Dax Shepard called and was waiting outside, and she rushed to be by his side.
It’s easy to see Fred Segal is the premiere shopping experience, from the beaches of Santa Monica to the mountains of Park City. When can we get in on some of that action?
Photos by: Chris Weeks and Alex Wyman
Adrian Grenier
America Ferrera
Chris Ashworth
Jackie Brander and America Ferrera
John Legend and Model Chrissy Teigen
Kerry Washington
Terrell Owens
According to his Web site, the New York University School of Law and Princeton University alum promises to “revitalize Suffolk County’s economy, protect jobs from being outsourced overseas, end this period of over taxation, and make sure those tax dollars are well spent.” During the 2008 presidential election, Cox served as executive director of John McCain’s New York campaign. He has never held elected office.
Mr. CNN himself Anderson Cooper has purchased (for $4.3 million) and is renovating a fabulous old firehouse nominated for a spot on the National Register of Historic Places in New York.
The globetrotting Cooper, who recently stepped out of his role as reporter and rescued a Haitian boy caught in the middle of a looting that turned violent, had been spotted by neighbors visiting the firehouse regularly since it was sold in September for $4.3 million by the New York Board of Fire Underwriters, which operated the private Fire Patrol 2 out of the building beginning in 1906.
Construction crews have already begun work inside the building on West Third St., taking down partitions and ripping out old plumbing fixtures. Features of the new pad include original, sinewy spiral staircases, massive ceiling beams, wall murals of firemen through the ages, gleaming brass poles, a two-story stable filling out the rear and a strong-jawed bust of Mercury over the giant ground-floor doors.
Taking food to go used to be a much different experience than the plush options we have today. For women hoping to impress a date with her “home cooking,” the best option was to bring food home from Koo Koo Roo and throw away the tin foil just in time. Today, we are blessed in Los Angeles with many more types of takeaway spots offering up many different types of cuisine. To be clear, this isn’t a list of the best (read: cheapest) Thai takeouts in the city. This list is of the haute five places where takeout has taken on a whole new dimension: chicness and deliciousness.
Joss Cuisine
Let’s start with something we know we like to have at home: Chinese food. The menu at Joss Cuisine in Beverly Hills, however, is nothing like your local Chinese delivery of choice. There are the staples like Kung Pao Chicken with Rice, Shrimp Wonton Soup, and Canton Spring Rolls. But Joss, known for their delicious dim sum, also offers items like West Lake Peppery Chowder, Singapore Curried Rice Noodles, and Red Peking Prawns. Cracking the fortune cookie at the end of the meal won’t seem entirely necessary once these flavors have enticed your palate, but go for it. A little good fortune never hurt anyone.
Joss Cuisine is located at 9919 Santa Monica Blvd. in Beverly Hills (310) 277-3888
Mozza2Go
Yet another classic takeout item just yearning to be upgraded by the likes of Mario Batali and Nancy Silverton: pizza. Rather than getting carried away in Pizzeria Mozza, which only ends in some hipster catching a glimpse of you with mozzarella and tomato stuck to your cheek, order from Mozza2Go, around the corner. Eating an entire pizza on your own is much more acceptable at home. From the simple (Tomato, Olive Oil, and Oregano) to the next step (Prosciutto, Rucola, Tomato, and Mozzarella) and the deliciously complex (Fennel Sausage, Panna, and Red Onions), their menu has an option for any kind of pizza lover. It’s highly recommended to call and order in advance – way in advance.
Mozza2Go is located at 6610 Melrose Ave. in Los Angeles (323) 297-1130
Little Dom’s
For the eastsiders among us, it was a great day when the owner’s of West Hollywood’s Dominick’s opened their Little Dom’s to service their Los Feliz fans more readily. Offering a menu with many similar options to Dominick’s, Little Dom’s really is like the ambitious little brother – you can still get the mouth-watering Rice Balls and Italian Wedding Soup here, but you can also procure a Wood Grilled Hamburger with Buratta or a Fried Oyster Sandwich with Crispy Speck. Moreover, during the day Little Dom’s Deli is the perfect place to get a lunch to go – Nutella Panino, anyone? Perhaps something savory like a Pork Cheek Sandwich?
Little Dom’s is located at 2128 Hillhurst Ave. in Los Feliz (323) 661-0055
Joan’s on Third
When Joan’s on Third expanded their space, allowing more than, say, 12 people inside at once, it was sort of like falling in love with the catering company/marketplace/café all over again. When you walk in and are first met with that enormous cheese display, it’s like walking into exactly where you’re meant to be. Breakfast on the run? Their New York Breakfast Sandwich is ridiculously good – Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Bacon on Country Bread – as is their coffee. Planning a picnic? We think everyone will love their Tarragon Chicken Salad Sandwich or their Butter Lettuce Salad with French Feta for the non-carb-eaters. Those same health-conscious folk will reconsider their position when you whip out the Mini Lemon Bundt Cakes or their Chocolate Roulade.
Joan’s on Third is located at 8350 West Third St. in West Hollywood (323) 655-2285
Santa Monica Seafood
Talk about an expansion. Santa Monica Seafood, once a haven for anyone looking to buy Southern California’s freshest catch to cook at home, recently underwent a major move and facelift. Now with a café off to the side, a seriously large counter filled with raw cuts, an Oyster Bar, and a wide selection of already prepared and frozen dishes, you can walk in empty handed and walk out with a fresh and delicious dinner for four – assuming everyone eats seafood. You wouldn’t want to bring home Kumamoto Oysters, Chilled Lobster Tail, or Steamed Mediterranean Mussels to that squeamish someone. Well, actually, more for you!
Santa Monica Seafood is located at 1000 Wilshire Blvd in Santa Monica (310) 393-5244
Who would’ve thought Nicolas Cage’s home would’ve sold so fast? Actually, it’s not surprising. A real estate broker confirmed that the Las Vegas mansion once owned by the Oscar-winning actor sold for nearly $5 million in its first day on the market.
Kenneth Lowman, owner of Luxury Homes of Las Vegas, says the 14,300-square-foot, bank-owned home sold for close to the asking price of $4.95 million. Lowman says the sale is expected to close on Wednesday.
The home was foreclosed on account of Cage’s tax woes, but not for long. The actor supposedly owes millions of dollars to the IRS in unpaid taxes, and has had to sell numerous assets because of it.
Cage has sued his former business manager in October for $20 million, saying the man’s advice led him toward ruin.
A finance director in Rhode Island said this month that Cage owed roughly $128,000 in unpaid taxes on a mansion there.
In 1928, J.P. Morgan’s daughter constructed the original building where the Hudson Hotel now stands. In 2000, Ian Schrager and Phillipe Starck re-opened the space in its current incarnation. 2010 seems be another big year for the building. This weekend, celebrities lent their faces to a photo shoot at the 58th Street spot. DJ Mark Ronson and models Pat Cleveland and Julie Henderson were among the participants in the Patricia Field project. The hotel’s Good Units are also about to open soon. Next month, party promoter Susanne Bartsch will host a Fashion Week party in one of those new units.
Jeffrey Cerciello, the Laundryman’s (Thomas Keller) right hand man and co-author of Bouchon’s cookbook, is reportedly flying solo. Cerciello has been the Director of Casual Dining for a decade at the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group.
During that time, he’s launched AND run all three Bouchon restaurants, plus Ad Hoc in Yountville. The San Francisco Chronicle was the first to drop the bomb about his solo project.
Cerciello is reportedly looking to open a casual restaurant somewhere north of San Francisco in Marin County, plus a “gourmet market and cafe” down in Southern California. However, he’s staying on in various capacities until June, “helping Keller flesh out any outstanding project. We have to admit, it is pretty notable because it implies that Thomas Keller might have some new projects in the works this spring.
It appears fraud is genetic, and boy do those genes show in this au pair. Ponzi King Bernard Madoff’s brother is under criminal investigation for the multi-billion dollar fraud as well.
Peter Madoff’s lawyer Charles Spada said in court papers made public Wednesday that Madoff is a “subject” of their wide-ranging probe and his “career, assets, and family all are under intense scrutiny.”
The other brother was senior managing director and chief compliance officer at Bernard L. Madoff Securities, LLC. Spada disclosed the probe as he explained why his client refused to answer questions at a deposition in a lawsuit brought by a charitable foundation of New Jersey Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, and said Madoff had “a reasonable fear that his statements might be used against him in that investigation.”
The foundation is seeking damages for money lost because of the fraud Bernard Madoff revealed in 2008. Bernard Madoff is serving a 150-year sentence after pleading guilty to the fraud. Authorities have also prosecuted two of Madoff’s firm’s computer programmers and his longtime auditor.
Irving Picard, a court-appointed trustee in the New York lawsuit, is seeking $198.7 million from Peter Madoff, who worked in the investment firm since 1965, and from Bernard Madoff’s sons, Mark and Andrew. Picard said the family used the family used the business like a “piggy bank.”
Where the New Jersey suit is concerned, Ronald J. Riccio, the Lautenberg Foundation lawyer, has sought sanctions against Peter Madoff after he invoked the Fifth Amendment for most of the 290+ questions asked in the three-hour period November 12.
“Given the circumstances and intensity of the criminal investigation, one can hardly question defendant’s constitutional right not to answer questions about his brother … and virtually any related topic for fear that such answers might `furnish a link in the chain of evidence’ for a criminal prosecution,” Spada wrote.
Janice Oh, a spokesowman for prosecutors in Manhattan, had no comment on Spada’s filing.
Katie Lee, the famed ex-wife of musician Billy Joel, has put the Perry Street Townhouse her and her ex-hubby once shared. For $12.9 million, you can have the cookbook author and Padma predecessor’s four bedroom, four bathroom, four fireplace, elevator, pool, landscaped garden and terrace, kitchen, six-burner stove and wine storage. Whew, what a mouthful.
Billy Joel himself is said to have sold his share of the flat for $3 million. The couple bought the house for $5.9 million five years ago, when the times were happier. Lee’s kitchen was even used for cookbook shots. This deal could be more profitable than any of her cookbooks. We suggest you get the steppin’, Lee; time is money, girl!
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San Francisco
Jan/Feb 2012
