POCKET LINT.

LA (AND BEYOND): THE BEST WEEK TO BUY GIRL SCOUT COOKIES (BEFORE THEY DISAPPEAR AGAIN!)

Contrary to what some CRAZY people might think (yeah, K.L., I mean you!), Somoas are not only the best Girl Scout Cookie; they're one of the best cookies PERIOD.  I mean, the truth is--with all the caramel and coconut and such--they're basically candy bars masquerading as cookies.

Anyway, I happened upon a cookie stand outside my local grocery this weekend and I've decided that it's my civic duty to tell the rest of you peeps that this is the last week to buy them before they once again disappear into the girl scout cookie-free abyss.

Also, I would feel better about all my cookie-related weight gain, if the rest of you looked a little fatter too.

So, do a good deed and eat a box, please.  Seriously.  There's room for you on the couch.

xo - N.

 

LA/NYC/PARIS (AND BEYOND): THE BEST BAGS TO COVET PATHETICALLY FROM AFAR

 

It's that time of year again ... soon to be a seasonal shift, when I start coveting new accessories and clothing. Eh, who am I kidding?  That's all year round.

But here are some beautiful bags that j'adore.  That's French for: I love it, but it will never be mine. LAME.

The above bag is by Maya Yogev of Grai (you might know her signature leather jackets--see below).

Anyway, back to bags ... 

I am ALWAYS a Jerome Dreyfuss fan (and wife Isabel Marant is pretty gifted too!) and I love this bag, especially in bright blue.

These above Bare Collection bags were instant classics.  I mean, look at the colors and the beautiful, original silhouettes!  Who wouldn't dream of toting one of these?

 
This Kooba "Sophie" bag coming out in spring is a thing of beauty and it's actually on the (relatively) affordable side, supposedly at around $325.

Sigh.  Something to ponder all weekend long.  Happy Friday!

xo - N.

LA (WEHO AND BEYOND): THE BEST WAY TO EAT COMFORT FOOD AND STILL FEEL VIRTUOUS

Now, you know I'm not ALWAYS sold on "meat-free" food.  And by that I mean that I don't always go vegan calmly.  So, when I headed to Veggie Grill at Sunset 5, I was half expecting  to eat and then go eat real food elsewhere.

But then I met co-owner, Kevin Boylan, who insisted I try like, well, the entire menu.  He explained that in an economy, where most restaurants can barely stay afloat, they've been lucky enough to grow.  He also explained that, until just now, they didn't offer any cheese items because they couldn't find a cheese substitute that was good enough.

Well, now they have "cheese" for nachos, cheeseburgers and such.  The restaurant itself is a counter order spot, but it's pleasant in a sort of more organic Pink Berry kind of way.  And actually, the restaurant does have a unique angle: vegan comfort food.  Yup.

My favorite item of all is probably the blackened chicken sandwich topped with guacamole and such, which tasted--well--like blackened chicken (somewhat like the above southern fried chicken sandwich). Of course, the sweet potato fries are just regular sweet potato fries, so what could be bad about that?

As a lactard, of course I'm also into the nachos.  The fake cheese tastes a lot like movie theater "cheez" (or so I recall) and everything is good with jalapenos, chili and guacamole.  And the brownie sized carrot cake?  BRING. IT. ON.

Yeah.  I know.  With all my bad talk in the past about vegan chow, I'm a bit of a hypo (hypoCRITE, I mean).  But at least after chowing down on vegan food, I feel like a little less of a hippo.

xo - N.

  

LA (LA CIENEGA): THE BEST SHRIMP COCKTAIL

Shrimp cocktail is just one of those purely good things in life.  It's not bad for you really (well, okay, cholesterol).  But it's not fattening.  It tastes fresh and good.  It's sort of special occasion food, but it is hardly forbidden.  Shrimp is the perfect mild vehicle for cocktail sauce.  Basically, it rocks.

And, with that, I've pretty much exhausted what I have to say on the subject.

EXCEPT, I had the pleasure of lunch at Tres in SLS last week and ended up tasting the above innovative shrimp cocktail incarnation.  First of all, the presentation is obviously beautiful, but it's functional too.

See, you put the shrimp in your mouth and squeeze the capsule as you eat.  The sort of toothpick thing that spears the shrimp is actually hollow, so as you eat, the spicy red liquid (which tastes like the world's best bloody mary mix) squirts into your mouth.

I mean, SHUT. UP.  And voila: the best shrimp cocktail!

And that is (sorry I have to) Tres bien.

xo - N.

P.S.  Apparently, the restaurant also just launched tea service and brunch.  Do you think the scones will have cream capsules attached?

P.P.S.  I also tasted these mini-short rib sandwiches and the chicken and dumpling soup and I highly recommend!

  

ONLINE (AND BEYOND): THE BEST FREE COSMETICS GAME I'VE FALLEN FOR HOOK, LINE AND SINKER

I am a sucker.  It's true.  And I'm not afraid to admit it.

Last year, when Subway started up their Scrabble marketing ploy, I began eating regular six-inch turkey subs. When McDonald's periodically reintroduces Monopoly, I suddenly start craving french fries with BBQ sauce.

So, when I found out about Philosophy's new birthday game, where you fill in your email address daily to potentially win prizes like free cosmetics, I went STRAIGHT to the website.  And I'll probably do it everyday until the promotion ends.

You can judge me.  Or you can join me.  Your choice, but we both know which is more fun.

xo - N.

LA (THIRD ST & BEYOND): MORE SHAMELESS SELF (AND FELLOW BLOGGER) PROMOTION

Well, folks, another weekend, another loooong Oscar show (but worth it though for the Alec Baldwin/Steve Martin Paranormal Activity parody), another really bizarre dress and hair choice by Sarah Jessica Parker.

Yeah.  That's right.  I said that about vintage Chanel.  I'm not afraid.

Oh yeah ... and another LA Times story by me (not that there have been SO many), this time about the re-launch of Blackburn + Sweetzer as the bigger and better Mondette.

So, happy Monday, happy reading, happy you didn't wear that crazy pink and purple boob dress like Charlize.

xo - N.

LA (CRUMPLED TWENTY): THE MOST HILARIOUS MOMENT IN BACHELOR HISTORY

The Best Link Today:

Just when you thought The Bachelor's marketing machine couldn't top itself, Nintendo is launching a Bachelor video game.  While playing, according to US Weekly, you can fight to win Jason Mesnick's heart (which is a little messed up BTW, since he just got married).

That's all well and good, but I want to play a game where you can tell him to kindly take his skeevy hands off you in the hot tub or ask him what kind of hotdog he likes.  Right, Jillian?  He likes whatever kind makes him seem like less of a Jew it would seem, at least based on the way they avoided the topic during his season.

I wonder if you have to listen to Mesnick drone on and on about his son Ty and how much he loves exploiting him on national television?  Zzzzzz.  What?  Oh, sorry.  I just fell asleep even THINKING about that snooze fest.

Apparently, you can sabotage other people's dates.  I wonder if you can have sex with a crew member and then deny it like the world is really stupid enough to believe your trashy ass on "The Women Tell All"?

Either way, I'm sure all the bachelorette avatars are there for the right reason: To get famous!  Why else would you let Jason Mesnick touch your boobs?

xo - N.

LA (AND BEYOND): THE BEST OSCAR DE LA RENTA VET

When my fellow book club member L.T. wrote a blog post recently about whether all women could wear red lipstick, she included me as one of the subjects.  In addition to the fact that a debate ensued in the "comments" section about whether or not I could actually pull off the cherry lips (very edifying for me--I think the upshot was no), one reader also asked for deets about my shirt (see above).

So, it occurred to me that that maybe I should highlight the designer, Adam Lippes, here.  Basically, he's a Polo and Oscar de la Renta alumna whose cashmere has won the attention of Oprah and such.  His eponymous line ADAM has been hitting the runways since 2007.

Recently, I came across a bunch of his tops and dresses and just loved that they didn't look like everything else out there.  I even bought the above shirt, although I'm pretty sure it's a size too big.

But who can resist the combination of taffeta and tie-dye in any size?  Not this PL.

xo - N.

P.S.  Don't you love the "polaroid" effect that R.L. brought to the above pic?  There's an app for that.  Yup.

NYC (AND BEYOND): THE BEST SQUISHY BATH MAT

 

I want this bath mat BAD.

Blame it on a love of all things spongy and an even deeper love of all things memory foam (bring on the Tempurpedic!).  Or blame my recent sleep deprivation for making me extra susceptible to suggestions like "BUY NOW."

Either way, I think this seems like the coolest Micro Dry bath mat ever.  And bath mats can be pretty cool, don't you agree?  I can just imagine my instantly dry feet sinking into its cozy depths.  Think of all that happiness for like $20.

On second thought, maybe this is a really lame blog topic.  If so, blame it on the fact that I recently threw out my old bath mat after my cat Mina unceremoniously puked on it and have bath mats on the brain.  Or just blame it on little old me.

xo - N.

LA (AND BEYOND): THE BEST RESCUE (AND I'M NOT TALKING FACE CREAM)

Okay, not to tug at your heart strings ...

BUT I got an email about this adorable three-month-old lab/pit puppy yesterday and I just had to share. Partially, I'm posting this because I hope someone will see it, contact me and take him home and partially because nothing is better than waking up to a face that cute.  I mean, how cheery are you now that you read PL today?

Not that I'm not always a ray of sunshine, but you know.

ANYWAY, if you're looking for the cutest puppy this side of the Mississippi, just shoot me a message and I'll get you in touch with the right peeps.  Apparently, his temperament is as sweet as his face.

I know this is a bit unorthodox for the blog, but sometimes cute stuff is just cute stuff.  Speaking of cute stuff, have you seen this new Charlotte Ronson/Shoshana collaboration bag?  I think it's kinda good for the beach this summer (at least in the picture).  It's practically sold out on Shop Bop right now, but don't be sad (or if you do feel sad, look at the puppy again).

I have a feeling that it will be reappearing soon.  And I will let you know when that happens.  Just as soon as I secure one for myself.

Yeah, I said it.

xo - N

SHUT UP!  SHUT UP!  How cute is this dog???