Thursday, August 13, 2009

ummm...What??? Gotta Have it!

B or Not QB, That Is the Question
QB's Ice Cream Treats
friend request!

When you said so long to Kitty Fuzzlebottoms and sent Brenna the Unicorn — er, sorry, Pegasus — packing, you thought you’d never make another imaginary friend.

Then you started following Esquival on Twitter.

You know he’s just a snack, right?

Okay, maybe not just a snack, but a QB, which is to say a good-looking hunk of ice cream inside a rice crispy treat shell. (Yes, we see the difference.)

Made with all-natural ingredients and kosher to boot, Esquival’s vanillaness will surely charm you. As will the rest of his frozen munchie QBFFs: Suzy Cube, a sweet but not too sweet strawberry-flavored number, and Dave, a classic chocolate kind of guy.

When they get together, it’s like a party in your freezer.

Just don’t get too attached; it won’t take them long to disappear.


Available at Whole Foods Markets. For store locations, go to
wholefoodsmarket.com. Follow at twitter.com/esquival, twitter.com/suzycube, and twitter.com/daveqb.

Top Chef Timmy!













your fave top chef winner, ilan hall, opens the gorbals, named for the glasgow 'hood where his father grew up. think affordable small plates inspired by his travels, israeli mom, and scottish dad, who taught him to cook. pass the bacon-wrapped matzo balls, lobster hummus, haggis burgers, gefilte fish, and have an identity crisis on the side. opens mid-august. 501 south spring street. at 5th. downtown. 213.488.3408. www.thegorbalsla.com


Life's a Beach!

Your Exclusive Beachside Hookups
Now that August doldrums are under way, we thought you could use a little pre-Labor Day pick-me-up. And so did a few ocean-adjacent getaways, who agreed to offer you, as one of our favorite UD subscribers (we promise), some exclusive beachside bargains.



UD - Two-for-One Malibu Martinis

Two-for-One Malibu Martinis

Head to the Malibu pier after work, take a seat at either the Beachcomber or the Malibu Pier Club, and tell them the Daddy sent you—magically, all drinks will be priced two-for-one. Agave Margaritas, martinis, beers, wines by the glass—just about anything that doesn't come in a keepsake glass. You can work with that.


411:
Mon-Fri, 3pm-close, through Sept 7, 23000 Pacific Coast Hwy, 310-456-9800


UD - A Venetian Rooftop Finale

A Venetian Rooftop Finale

Head over to Hash, inside Venice Beach's new Hotel Erwin, and mention UD for a three-course prix-fixe dinner for $30. You can't see the ocean yet—but that's where the gratis rooftop cocktail afterward at High comes in.


411:
Reservations required, Mondays through Sept 7, 1697 Pacific Ave, 310-452-1111


UD - Drinks on the Water, Literally

Drinks on the Water, Literally

After sunset on the patio of the Malibu Beach Inn's Carbon Beach Club restaurant, the waves will surge up underneath you. And if you've mentioned UD when you make your lunch or dinner reservation, the first round of Cruzan cocktails surge up to your table on the house.


411:
Mon-Fri through Sept 7, 22878 Pacific Coast Hwy, 310-456-6444


UD - Su Casa

Su Casa

And over in the Veranda at Casa Del Mar, settle into a table by the windows and tell 'em the password—it's "Sea Spa." Yes, they're trying to promote health via hypnosis, and yes, the password grants you your choice of $5 beers. Order two bottles and they'll come with gratis sliders and a whiskey shot. You feel better already.


411:
Mon-Fri, 5-8pm, through Sept 7, 1910 Ocean Way, Santa Monica, 310-581-5533


UD - New Ports

New Ports

But if you're in the mood to call in sick and really get away, our friends at The Resort at Pelican Hill have arranged the "Endless Summer Package" for those who mention UD. The 20-percent-off retreat includes a bungalow with private balcony, three-course dinner for two at Pelican Grill (complete with bottle of prosecco) and late checkout. We're sure you'll find a way to pass the extra time.


411:
$795, available Sun-Thurs through Sept 8, 22701 Pelican Hill Rd S, 949-467-6800

Cute Place on Abbot Kinney

Lemonade
What:
Salad and sandwichery celebrates its new Venice location with specialty take-out boxes packed with your choice of edible picnic essentials.
Why: You can squeeze it in.
When: Venice, daily, 8:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.; Beverly, daily, 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m.
Where:
1661 Abbot Kinney Blvd., at Venice Blvd., Venice (310-452-6200); 9001 Beverly Blvd., at Almont Dr., West Hollywood (310-247-2500). Map It

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

For the Puppy Owning Peeps in San Fran

Dog Days
The Hot List: Drinking With Your Dog
In a city where dogs outnumber kids, odds are your dog time and your booze time overlap by a fair amount. Here then, our list of spots where you can freely mix hooch and pooch—and perhaps attract a few female fans along the way...
UD - Elixir
BOWLED OVER
Elixir
You probably recognize the regulars from the Dog Wall of Fame who paved the way for other canines to hang out at this corner spot. Bring your bulldog and down a few handmade sazeracs—or get your gratis first pint of the day if you're a member of the Mug Club. Being that it's a saloon, you'll be hard-pressed to find a Chihuahua in the mix.

411:
Elixir, 3200 16th St (at Guerrero), 415-552-1633

UD - Lucky 13
POLAROID PICTURE
Lucky 13
The dog to human ratio is just shy of one-to-one at this neighborhood dive known as "The 13." So whether you duck into the photo booth, set up in the beer garden or stop inside at the ridiculously long bar for Pliny the Elder or Racer 5, rest easy that someone will give your dog a bone.

411:
Lucky 13, 2140 Market St (at Church), 415-487-1313

UD - 500 Club
BACON BITS
500 Club
The only thing that might beat being dog friendly is being dog friendly and having a generous hand with the vodka and the bacon. Which is why you'll want to walk your dog straight to Guerrero every Saturday to get Bacon Bloody Marys for you and milk bones for your four-legged buddy.

411:
500 Club, 500 Guerrero St (at 17th), 415-861-2500

UD - Market Bar
EYE CANDY
Market Bar
The tables in front of this Ferry Building restaurant and bar are magnets for people-watching imbibers on a sunny day. Score a two-top closest to the street and position your pup to catch the eye of a passing, long-legged runner. The rest is up to you…

411:
Market Bar, 1 Ferry Building # 36, 415-434-1100

UD - Absinthe
HAUTE DOGS
Absinthe
Some of the city's best cocktails are made behind the bar here, not to mention the gourmet hot dog with Guinness mustard. Being that the sidewalk seating is pretty narrow, you might reconsider this spot if you own a Great Dane. But feel free to bring anything pug-sized.

411:
Absinthe, 398 Hayes St (at Gough St), 415-551-1590

UD - Ducca
FIRE HYDRANT
Ducca
If you find yourself downtown and thirsty, order a few Peronis or cocktails by the fire pit at Ducca. Since the patio is especially busy during happy hour on a sunny day, we think you'll find that your four-legged wingman will come in handy.

411:
Ducca, 50 3rd St (inside the Westin Hotel), 415-977-0271

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

CHILD'S PLAY

Juiced up for foodie flick julie & julia? hit cézanne resto at le merigot beach hotel in santa monica to celebrate the culinary queen's birthday with a three-course prix fixe menu ($40) from childs' seminal cookbook, mastering the art of french cooking. the francophile fare includes scallops and mushrooms in wine sauce, beef braised in red wine, and a carmelized apple puff. august 15th. cézanne at le merigot hotel and spa. 1740 ocean avenue. near pico. 310.395.9700. www.lemerigothotel.com

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Aced Out Have a drink at Manhattan's hippest new hotel bar

ACE BAR @ ACE HOTEL, LES NYC







Ace Hotel





Photo: Douglas Lyle Thompson
Despite the buzz surrounding the arrival of the hyper-hip Ace Hotel (located in a former SRO planted on grubby lower Broadway, no less), the recent unveiling of its Breslin lobby bar has slipped under the radar.

Consider this your good fortune. Before the fashion-forward hordes invade the soaring, mosaic-tiled space, claim a broken-in suede couch, eye the curios (taxidermied critters, mercury flasks, science posters) and get acquainted with the chalkboard drinks menu, which includes fresh twists on classic cocktails and vibrant new concoctions.

The Hound on Fire adds a lip-tingling chile-salt rim to the standard gin-and-grapefruit Greyhound, while the Flatiron is a bracingly aromatic blend of ginger beer, lemon-whiskey bitters, basil and a hefty bolt of Rhum Clément. Even the Ace Old-Fashioned--in which smoky aged tequila stands in for bourbon--is new.

Although the hotel's forthcoming Breslin restaurant (from Ken Friedman and April Bloomfield of The Spotted Pig and The John Dory fame) remains under wraps, you can keep hunger at bay with the bar's offerings of salty scratchings (fried pork rinds) and crunchy potato chips flavored with malt vinegar and sea salt.

Or try crafting one of the Ace's lively cocktails yourself; this thirst-quenching riff on lemonade is an ideal summer sipper--perfect at home or far from it.

The Bitter Lemonade
Recipe by Dennis O'Connor, Breslin
Makes one drink

½ ounce Aperol
½ ounce fresh lemon juice
¼ ounce simple syrup
Ice
4 ounces Prosecco, preferably Nino Franco Rustico
Lemon twist, for garnish
Pour the Aperol, lemon juice and simple syrup into a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice, shake gently and strain into a Champagne flute. Top off with the Prosecco and garnish with a lemon twist.

Ace Hotel, 20 W. 29th St. (at Broadway); 212-679-2222 or acehotel.com