neighborhood faves: Beverly Hills

spending the last eleven months in beverly hills (with a stellar resident tour guide bee tee dubs), I definitely have my fair share of favorite places. whether it's the perfect chicken sandwich, or the best rooftop for drinks, I've got you covered. I've founded up a list of my favorite places & spaces that are must sees the next time you're in the neighborhood.

food:

honor bar was the first restaurant we hit when I visited LA last summer, and home of the best chicken sandwich (currently tied with another neighborhood favorite, but that's for a different day). love the ambiance, the great location, and of course the food. their french fries are amazing, and there's even a liquor store attached where you can buy a bottle of bubbly and share it at your table. I've heard great things about their sushi, but you'll have to take other people's word on that (my relationship with the whole raw fish thing is touch and go.)

urth caffé can be a total zoo (equal parts tourist trap & hip spot) but totally worth it for brunch and great people watching. inside is cutesy, but try and snag a table outside in the sun. 

il tramezzino is a tiny little panini restaurant not too far from work that makes a nutella and banana croissant that will make you weep (pressed in a waffle maker to melt the nutella and bananas, crisp up the outside, and then topped with powdered sugar- holy yum.) I'm pretty partial to the chicken dijon (avocado & dijon/honey mustard is always a winning combo in my book), but the chicken special is also great (hint hint it's the basil garlic sauce that seals the deal).

sirtaj was the go to spot after a grueling day of soccer practice all season. amazing indian food, great servers (the bartender on Monday nights was the best), and mellow vibe. order the chicken tikka masala, garlic naan, and the potato croquette (but make sure it's a Monday & ask for it to be extra spicy). and if you have room (ie make sure you have room) order the chocolate samosa- so good.

mulberry street is the LA equivalent to Boston's Ernesto's (check out my north end neighborhood faves here) and THE place to go to for a slice. chicken parm is my favorite, but be sure to try the garlic knots with a side of sauce to dip.

shop:

planet beauty is california based beauty boutique that is like a baby sister to sephora. less total brands, but amazing quality. shop big names like stila (my favorite eyeliner of all time here), OPI, Essie (check out my favorite picks from either brand here), Sarah Happ (amazing lip scrub and treatment), sigma brushes (rival MAC quality brushes), or smaller like ahava (great line from Israel made from Dead Sea minerals) and nuxe paris (their dry oil is my go-to for taming my curly hair post brushing, and the shimmer version is amazing for summer goddess skin). plus they have amazing buy two get one free deals (jump on that bandwagon sephora!) that are perfect for stocking up on your favorite products or trying something new.

kyle by alene too is the boutique owned by real housewives Kyle, which would usually make me run in the other direction, but their window displays always draw me in. they carry typical LA girl wardrobe staples, but also manage to incorporate amazing pieces from Elizabeth and James, Mara Hoffman, Tolani, and Rebecca Taylor to keep it interesting. the boutique space is the former home of a bank, so the back room features a vault loaded with past season goodies that they open up for sales at different points of the year. 

planet blue is great for fun bathing suits, cheeky wild fox pieces, and dainty accessories. while I'm not the biggest fan of the shopping experience there (think sales associates who are more interested in appearing cool vs. helping customers), their buyer does a great job having a good mix of trendy pieces and lust investments.

go:

SIXTY Beverly Hills (formerly known as the Thompson hotel) has my favorite rooftop for cocktails and enjoying a beautiful day. it's the go-to spot for showing out of town visitors (amazing views of the hills and all of LA), bungalows and a great pool for lounging, and mellow music & people. my go-to is the Beverly Hills lemonade, but swap out the vodka for tequila- amazing.

the Beverly Hills farmer's market is every sunday morning/early afternoon and is such a fun way to start a sunday funday. great people watching (may or may not have seen a celeb or two before), picking up fresh and organic fruits & veggies for the upcoming week, tasting some amazing food (the chilaquiles are RIDICULOUS but literally the hottest thing I've ever eaten. get their early, before the guacamole is gone, or else you'll be crying like a little baby), and jamming out to the live music on a beautiful morning.

xx,
marissa 

beverly hills whatta thrill

it's been exactly twenty three days since I made the hop, skip, and jump from boston to los angeles, and I'm still in that weird "I feel like I've been here forever" slash "it feels like it's been 5 minutes" phase. I jumped right into work the second day I arrived (#whatwasIthinking), and have been attempting to adjust to the time difference/jet lag/settling in phase ever since. I feel like Thanksgiving, with it's sleeping in/laid back vibe/good food/humbling attitude, has given me just what I needed to get my butt into gear. what an incredible opportunity for me to be here in california, with one of my best friends, in a city with so many amazing opportunities, and limitless adventures. in these twenty three days I've managed to cross quite a few things off my LA bucket list; lunch at Lemonade (order the arnold palmer with mac & cheese- so good!), visit the urban lights at the LA county museum of art (expect a post with pictures soon because it was just too pretty not to have a mini photo shoot), shopping on melrose (surprise visit from my cousin who decided to drive down from san fran for the weekend), santa monica (celebrated a very Persian thanksgiving with Nikki's family at her grandmothers by the beach. less traditional, more rice- but amazing), but there are still plenty of adventures to be had :)

xx, marissa

bye bye la la land

getting back to LA after a four day bender in Vegas was amazing. it was great to unwind with nikki's family (since she had to head right back to work)- having lunch with her mom and her sister, sharing stories from our time together at college, getting to know them better, and taking my final stroll around Rodeo. we decided to spend the late afternoon/early evening before my flight just the two of us, and (of course) she knew the perfect spot.

I had been yammering on about how I wanted to visit the Beverly Hills Hotel, see the quintessential palm leaf wall paper, and have a drink at the Polo Lounge basically forever, but after hearing some appalling information about the owner of the hotel (the Sultan of Brunei- yes, seriously), it didn't seem to high up on my to-do list. instead we opted for the retro Avalon Hotel that is everything I could have ever dreamed of. the 60's have been one of my favorite decades for as long as I can remember, and it was like going back in time stepping into the Avalon. the decor was a mix of graphic prints, white and mint with gold accents and minimalist everything. the cabanas around the pool were perfect little bungalows, and since the hotel doesn't have a roof over the pool, we were able to soak up the last bit of Cali sunshine before my red-eye, munch on incredible pizza (which I was told is a good example of a "california pizza", as opposed to east coast pizza) and sip on pretty cocktails. it was beyond amazing to be able to spend a birthday with one of my best friends, finally be able to meet her family after hearing about them (and basically knowing them) for seven years, and have the perfect Beverly Hills/Vegas experience.

don't worry LA, i'll be back before you know it ;)

xx, marissa

california here we come

back from a bit of a blog hiatus, but traveling across the country and spending 4 days in one of the biggest party destinations will do that to ya! to say that California was amazing would be an understatement. even to say it was one of the best weeks of my life wouldn't quite do it, so lets just say I fell in love, and leave it at that.

what would a trip anywhere be without the standard cloud and wing pic? flying over all of the desert between boston and LA was amazing- I love deserts. but nothing compared to the palm trees that were waiting for me in La La land. everywhere I looked it was like a postcard. since it was a standard work week for nikki (I got there around noon on wednesday), i entertained myself for couple hours before we met up for lunch. my first stop in any city? cupcakes, of course. since sprinkles claims to be the original cupcake bakery, I knew the true cupcake connoisseur in me had to try them, and it was on my LA bucket list. tasted the chocolate marshmallow and the salted caramel, and let me tell you, HOLY YUM. the chocolate marshmallow was the best cupcake I have ever eaten, hands down. and isn't the cupcake ATM the cutest?! we spent the rest of the day exploring Beverly Hills, doing a bit of shopping for a much needed California accessory and enjoying the gorgeous sunshine before jet lag set in and I needed rest.

Beverly Hills was my playground for day two; window shopping on rodeo drive, popping into cute boutiques, and ducking into hotels and out of the sun for pretty drinks. as a self respecting julia roberts fan, I knew I had to make a stop at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel and have my own Pretty Woman fan girl moment. the Blvd Lounge was the perfect place to rest my feet, sip on a pretty cocktail (the 20th Century Fox was my go-to), and people watch. after meeting up with nikki after work, we went to the Honor Bar for their amazing chicken sandwich, since we both have a chicken sandwich obsession.

that night we headed up the hills into Hollywood (which side note- those hills are HUGE!) to kick off the birthday celebration with margaritas and nachos with one of nikki's best friends from high school and ending up at Saddle Ranch. cotton candy at the bar (which we carved into faces as the night progressed), a scandalous bull to ride and Israeli men buying us roses- the perfect way to wrap up part one of LA. next stop, Vegas.

what's your must see spot whenever you're in LA?

xx, marissa