L A X | Hollywood

Now there's the airport, and then there's the club. Both of them will attract crowds of people, and both can take you on a journey. I was celebrating my friend DJ Tina T's birthday here on Sunday night and the energy of the crowd was ah-mazing! I remember coming here when it was Las Palmas and I had to wait behind a velvet rope and see how people swarmed around Helen Hunt, who was popular at the time. Well time has changed and Las Palmas has evolved to the futuristic LAX. The club is owned by celebrity deejay Adam Goldstein, aka DJ AM. Now you've probably heard of DJ AM in the media, once being known to date Nicole Richie, but DJ AM is a celebrity in his own right. Witnessing him spin was absolutely awesome.


I realize last night that being a DJ was a true art form. They are artists that use music to make a painting for your ears. The spirit of the room was off the hook. The crowd was a mix of the normal Hollywood club scene, mixed in with the artsy hipster crowd, mixed in with poster girls of American Apparel. It's amazing how a DJ can control the atmosphere and the people. I haven't been this amped to hear music so new to me since watching M.I.A. at the Wiltern. DJ AM had an amazing set and I was blown away by how he went from M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" to Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" to Oasis' "Wonderwall." All in the matter of 5 minutes. I realize then, that DJ AM was more than just a name, he was a true artist.


My friend DJ TINA T followed soon after and kept the crowd going with her set. It was so good to see her up there doing her thing. If you want to talk about multi-tasking, she defined that. Going from turntables to the computer and back and forth and scratching the records. It's almost as fun watching the DJ at work as it is dancing to them. There are more males to females when it comes to DJs, but I have to say after hanging out with Tina and watching her spin big venues like LAX to smaller places like the Circle Bar in Venice, Tina stands her own ground. You can now find her spinning at TAO in Las Vegas.


If you do go to LAX, Sundays seem to be the night to go. I must warn you that you will spend money if you decide to drink. One cocktail and one Corona can cost you up to $19. And parking in Hollywood is easy if you valet it, but if you decide to find it on your own be ready to look for half an hour. There was no cover, but I do recommend getting there early, the lines were still long, but if you are on a list that absolutely helps. I found the staff really nice and sexy, particularly the bartenders. The front bar gets really crowded, I suggest going to the back bar just left of the futuristic bathrooms, where there is no crowd.

1714 N. Las Palmas Ave.
Hollywood, CA. 90028
Phone: 323.464.0171
www.laxhollywood.com

Fat Fish | West Hollywood

Fat Fish is probably one of my favorite places for sushi in West Hollywood. Situated on the east side of Robertson Boulevard between Santa Monica Blvd. and Melrose, Fat Fish is a great place for sushi if you are on a date, or celebrating a birthday, or if you are catching up with a friend as I did. I remember back in the day when this place was called the Cobalt Cafe, and I remember no one went there. But I always thought the restaurant was in prime location. Well then they built Fat Fish, and to take the famous words from the film Field of Dreams, "if you build they will come." And they built it and they sure came. There's a few places in the West Hollywood area to get sushi. There is Umai, a block away, but I love the vibe of Fat Fish.

It's got a pretty cool staff, and the outdoor patio is really nice. I would almost pick sitting outside than inside, if you want to avoid smelling like fried food by the end of your meal. And let me tell, no matter how much cologne or perfume you spray after your meal, you are still going to smell like fried fish. Last night I ate here and had a mojito of course. They've got a creative list of drinks from wine to saki to specialty signature cocktails. They give you a complimentary bowl of edamame beans which come steamed and lightly salted. And being a restauranteur of L.A., finding anyone, especially in West Hollywood to give you free edamame is extremely rare. I then ordered two sushi rolls: the Las Vegas roll and the teriyaki beef roll. Both were ah-mazing. The Las Vegas roll consisted of eel, avocado, cream cheese, & crab served tempura style...yum. And the teriyaki beef roll, was just fantastic too, except instead of seaweed wrapper, they wrapped this roll in soy paper. And it was the first time I ever had red meat in a sushi roll. it was great. After two rolls, two mojitos, two bowls of edamame, and miso soup I was pretty full. It's no wonder they call the place Fat Fish, because the food is so good, you will get fat.

Now if you are on a budget and you don't like to valet like myself, there are tons of parking around the corner of Melrose and Robertson. If you go just 20 feet east of that intersection on the north side of Melrose you can find the "secret alley," which houses a bunch of metered spots which are free after 6pm, and right behind a row of tennis courts. Now if you envision a spot, the law of attraction (thanks to The Secret) will 75% of the time will help you snag a spot, just be ready to put your parallel parking skills to the test. Oh yeah and one more thing, if you really are on a budget Fat Fish has a great happy hour daily from 5-7 pm where you can find sushi rolls starting at $4 or less, and a $3 margarita.

616 Robertson Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA. 90069
Phone 310.659.3882
www.fatfishla.com

Asia De Cuba | Mondrian Hotel

So last night I went out to one of my favorite restaurants in Los Angeles, Asia De Cuba. I was celebrating my friend Aisha's birthday. Everything was fabulous! I must say I have been here a few times, and a lot of the times I have gotten pretentious service. But I was so happy to have a new experience this time around, the staff was so courteous and friendly. I was amazed. It was a beautiful West Hollywood night, with a slight chill in the air. I got us dinner reservations at 7:30pm on a Friday night. Now this was a perfect time to go. The sun was setting, and you can feel the energy of nightlife slowly creep in. Now if any of you have experienced the drama that is Sunset Blvd. You all know how expensive it is to park your own car, let alone valet it. Here's a tip, the meters on Sunset Blvd. just west of La Cienega are free around this time, we found lots of parking, and since we were only going to be in the area for two hours, I parked my car at a meter, and paid $2 in quarters, not bad in comparison to $15 to park your car in a lot. We walked half a block to the Mondrian Hotel, which in my opinion is one of the most beautiful hotels in L.A. The lobby is gorgeous, something out of a dream.


We slowly walked to Asia De Cuba where we were greeted by our lovely maitre'd Beatrice, she guided us through the sleek modern jungle as we passed by cell phone talking patrons, American Idol's Randy Jackson, beautiful people, and believe it or not Jerry Springer. Who of course came wearing a suit and an accessory, a hot young blond wannabe starlet. It was slightly chilly outside and we were lucky to sit by a heater and be given a beige blanket for the lady. The view was amazing, pop music played at Skybar above, and the view was the L.A. skyline. It was a gorgeous night. Jeff our server introduced himself to us, but we were delighted to meet a fellow server Michael, who was fun and flambooyant! He reminded me of Chris Tucker in "The Fifth Element." There was a moment where I felt like we were in a scene from "Sex in the City." Michael was so nice, he acted almost like a second waiter to us. Asia De Cuba is a mix of Latin and Asian food fused together, what a perfect combination.

To start we got their famous Calamari Asia De Cuba salad. This salad is off the hook. Lightly fried calamari tossed in greens, bananas, hearts of palm, in a light vinaigrette. Amazing. I had to try their white sangria which was recommended over their red sangria and that was tasty too, although it was a little weak. The food portions are big here, so I do encourage sharing. For our entree we ordered the Butterfish which just melted in your mouth. Garnished with tempura peppers and beans, this seafood dish was to die for. I realized how lucky we were to be eating this food, being in this environment, we were truly blessed. The energy was great, and it seemed to the more good energy we put out, the more that came back. Later Michael arrived with two free shots of a cosmopolitan, which was so sweet of him. We passed on dessert even thought it was her birthday, but we were headed over to another restaurant, Falcon, where a birthday cake awaited. Dinner was great, and we left our tables so happy, with just enough food to feel full but not enough to feel like you needed to be rolled out of there. We passed by Jerry and Randy and proceeded to leave the Mondrian. What a freaking cool night.

8440 W Sunset Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
Phone: 323.848.6000
www.mondrianhotel.com

Where Will Life Take You?

I thought this was the perfect video to start things off.  When I first saw it, I just thought it was so beautiful.  It captures everything I think of in a journey, and in life.  Enjoy.

"Out and About" | Origin

  When I was just a young kid, I had early memories of my sisters asking me where I was going off to when I went out to play.  I remembered always responding "oh...out and about!" This phrase always stuck with me because it triggered the beginning of an adventure that was going to be unpredictable, exciting, and fun.  I remember never quite knowing where my imagination would take me that day, whether it was building cities with Legos with my childhood friend Josh, or playing "restaurant" make believe out of Play Doh.  Fast forward 20 years later, I never quite thought of the term "out and about" again, until recently at a trip to San Francisco with my friend Jonathan.  I was having one of those exciting and creative brainstorming sessions as we walked from Union Square to Pier 39.  (And if you live in L.A. that is a long way to walk, and if you live in New York that's just well...normal.)  As we walked, I had one of those light bulb moments.  For a few years I've always had this idea for a show, but I didn't quite specifically know what, I just knew I wanted it to be a mix of 5 things I know about: travel, food, hosting, photography, and entertainment.  And as we walked slightly hung over in the beautiful San Francisco sun, I randomly started thinking about my childhood days and then it hit me, "I've got it!  The title of the show is going to be 'Out and About.'  And it's going to be a travel show that speaks to people like me, young and adventurous!" All those years playing with my imagination would now come back to the surface in a whole different light.  Building cities with Legos would now turn into the Hong Kong skyline, and all the hours playing "restaurant" out of Play Doh would now turn into an amazing meal at a restaurant.  I've always liked travel shows, but none of them really spoke to people like me.  "Rick Steve's Europe" was a little boring and dated for me. "Globe Trekker" was cool but cheesy at times.  And Tara Ried's  show "Taradise" was, well... Tara Ried.  So now I welcome you to the origin of "Out and About." A travel guide for the young and adventurous.