Sweet Review: Milk Bar - Los Angeles

MILK BAR LOS ANGELES

Location: 7150 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046

Website: https://milkbarstore.com/

Soft Serve Ice Cream

Milk Bar LA opened on Melrose last September and Angelinos couldn’t be happier! With wait times from 30 minutes to 2.5 hours, Milk Bar treats have proven they are worth the wait! Fortunately, the wait times aren’t as detrimental these days!

With the first Milk Bar location opening in 2008 under the Momofuku Restaurant chain, LA marks #14 with 9 stores in New York, and other locations including Washington, DC, San Diego, Las Vegas, and Toronto.

This award winning bakery was started by Chef Christina Tosi. You may know her as the dessert wizard from the PBS show and can also be found on Netflix, where she creates dreamy desserts along side Chef David Chang. You can even find her as a judge on Masterchef with Gordon Ramsey! She’s all over the place!

MILK BAR MENU

The menu is full of many delicious sweet options, I was kinda glad there was a 35 minute wait to figure out what I wanted.

Milk Bar is built on a world of possibility: we make our cult-favorite treats with unexpected combinations & impossible flavors. We’re on a mission to make the ordinary extraordinary – grab a cookie and come along with us!

Menu

Menu

After hearing their motto, the menu seemed to make more sense. I decided to go with some cookies and ice cream… Soft Serve Ice Cream with Birthday Dough Bites and SPRINKLES! ALWAYS GET SPRINKLES ON TOP! ;-D

Soft Serve Ice Cream

There were only 2 soft serve options: Cereal Milk or Pineapple Fo Sho’ Whip… I dare you to try the twist of those. Supposedly it’s tasty. Right around Valentine’s Day there was a Red Velvet soft serve!

Toppings

All of the cakes looked so good! You can buy a whole cake or just a slice!

We were all completely satisfied with our selections!

MILK BAR CLASSROOM

The classroom is available for individuals to sign up or a great place for a group event!

For about $95, you can make the best cake you’ll ever make in your life!

In our cake classes we’ll show you all the steps for assembling our most popular layer cake flavor combinations (an irresistible balance of cake, spread, frosting, crumbs, and crunch!), and how we transform our cake scraps and turn them into bite sized cake truffles! Or join us in making our signature item, crack pie®, from start to finish with a bonus lesson on turning cake scraps into truffles while your pie is in the oven!

At the end of class all participants take home everything they make, plus recipes and other bonus info! All ages and all levels of expertise welcome.

Classes are offered in our Logan Circle, DC Flagship and Los Angeles flagship locations as well as our Brooklyn HQ

Sign up here: https://milkbarstore.com/events/classes/

SO. MUCH. PINK!!

Don’t have time for a class? Try making treats at home:

And make them in style:

Don’t live in New York or Los Angeles? Goldbely can help and deliver these tasty treats to your door! Check it out here: Milk Bar on Goldbely

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Restaurant Review: Alameda Supper Club - Downtown Los Angeles, CA

Alameda Supper Club

Address: 757 ALAMEDA ST,LOS ANGELES, CA 90021

Website and Reservations: https://www.alamedasupperclub.com/

After opening their doors less than 2 weeks ago, the Alameda Supper Club should be added to your restaurant bucket list! Located in ROW DTLA as part of the Manufactory group along with Tartine, Chris Bianco’s new dinner restaurant is spectacular! Although pizza is not served here, there are plenty of appetizing dishes with an Italian flair!

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Our food menu is inspired by Chef Chris Bianco's Italian origins with influences from Chef Lee Foden-Clarke's English background, combined with inspiration from the California Farmer's Market. It is is designed to be shared, emphasizing the true meaning of the word “supper”. 

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Location

Part of ROW DTLA near the Arts District, this trendy area has tons of warehouses, and is home to merchandisers such as Splended / Ella Moss, NationBuilder, Nasty Gal, Colony Capital, Steelcase, rhubarb studios, and Gensler. On Sundays (especially during summer), Smorgasburg LA is the place to be, filled with LA’s best food joints!

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Dining Room

The dining room design is very modern, bright and I loved the wood tables in this warehouse space.

Dining Room

The Bar

We had the best table in the place, right next to the kitchen!

Our Table at the Alameda Supper Club

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MENU

Alameda Supper Club - Drink Menu

Alameda Supper Club - Food Menu

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Drinks at the Alameda Supper Club

SO many great cocktail options with the best names! I loved my Celine Dijon, light and refreshing complete with a huge rectangular shaped ice cube and a metal straw!

Celine Dijon - Pineapple Mostarda, tequila reposado, lilet blanc, seltzer

Apricot Sour - Apricot 4 way, hazelnut, egg white, Japanese gin

Romance Language - mole spices, mezcal, citrus, basil, finochietto, averna

Barley Legal - Fermented Barley, single malt whiskies

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Appetizers at Alameda Supper Club

We tried almost all of them! Our favorite was the ham and cheese toast! Almost paste like in a crispy toast, we ordered another round!

Cheddar and Smoked Ham Toast

Grilled Country Bread and Cultured Butter

Bread and butter… always a good choice.

Pork Crackling - Smoked Paprika

The pork crackling was so different, the texture was almost like a chip. Still worth a try.

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Entrees at Alameda Supper Club

Let’s start with the pasta. IT WAS ALL AMAZING! The strozzapreti and ravioli were the highlights. The strozzapreti melted in your mouth with a buttery finish and pepper after taste. We discussed how the peas in the ravioli are not your mom’s peas in a can, and so delightful.

Strozzapreti - Sheep’s milk, lemon, black pepper

Ravioli - English Peas and ricotta

The ribeye was also a great choice, the garlic butter gave off so much flavor and not too rich.

Bone-in Rib eye - garlic butter

We weren’t going to order the Fermented Pearl Barley, because it sounded so strange but our waitress, Andrea, recommended it! It was good, but we did prefer the pastas!

Fermented Pearl Barley - turnip

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Desserts at Alameda Supper Club

OMG, GET THE ICE CREAM. If you know me, you know I would say that anyway, but I mean it here! So many weird things together, but it was SO good. Hazelnut, Balsamic, olive oil, orange-anise crumble, maldon.

Ice Cream - Hazelnut, Balsamic, olive oil, orange-anise crumble, maldon

Alameda Supper Club Dessert Menu

Buckwheat Cannoli - pistachios

We also enjoyed the buckwheat cannolis with pistachios. Very fitting in the Italian setting. We also ordered the Insalata di Agrumi but weren’t blown away by it, we found it very sour and tart.

Insalata di Agrumi - fresh citrus, lemon cream, tangerine granita, mint

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Hope you get down to DTLA and try the latest and greatest restaurant Los Angeles has to offer!

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More Los Angeles

St Patrick's Day Ice Cream & Events in Los Angeles

HAPPY ST PATTY'S DAY! Let's celebrate with a wee bit o'ice cream! 

O’Venice Sign in Venice Beach

Here are some other great events in Los Angeles to celebrate St Patricks Day in Los Angeles:

Hermosa Beach St. Patrick’s Day Parade

St. Patrick’s Day 5K in Redondo Beach

Casey’s St. Patrick’s Day Street Festival Downtown LA

Rock and Reilly’s Annual St. Paddy’s Day Block Party West Hollywood

St. Patrick’s Day Celebration at the Original Farmers Market

Flogging Molly at the Hollywood Palladium, Hollywood

Time Out LA’s The best Irish pubs in Los Angeles to raise a pint

Popsicle: St Patrick's Day - Summer is here! Rick's Pool Bar @ Hotel Figueroa

Downtown LA St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl and Beer Garden!

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St Patrick’s Day Ice Cream

Salt and Straw features many different unique flavors that you won't find in most ice cream shops. 

Monthly, they rotate seasonal flavors relating to the season or a holiday! For instance, see the weirdest flavors we tried last November:

November Menu

The buttered mashed potatoes and gravy was interesting to say the least. For March, they have some of the best flavors I have ever tried!

The real winner here was the classic: Pots of Gold and Rainbows, which has come back every March since 2013.

Pots of Gold and Rainbows

Mixed with chunks of lucky charms, ice cream makers spend over 600 hours this month separating out the Lucky Charms marshmallows from the cereal to create this fabulous edition. They then seep the cereal in cream for the ice cream base and the marshmallows transform into perfect frozen gooey nuggets that are blended into the cereal goodness.

Stop everything that you're doing and get to the nearest Salt and Straw! Locations and local flavors can be found: HERE

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The Venice Beach Sign - St Patrick’s Day

The Venice Chamber has been in the holiday spirit, adding elements to the iconic VENICE sign at Pacific St and Windward Ave! The Venice Sign Committee is responsible for the maintenance of the sign and started the Adopt-a-Bulb program.

Venice Beach Sign - O’Venice

At Christmas, there were red and green bulbs, for Valentine's Day they added a heart with purple lights. See more holidays on their website, Venice Sign Committee. For St Patrick's Day they add the "O" and green lights! So cute! 

Hope you enjoy your St Patrick's day! :)

Everything you need to know about Disneyland's Food and Wine Festival 2019

Disneyland Food and Wine Festival 2019

Runs from March 1 to April 23 at California Adventure

Chocolate Crunch Cake

For the past few years, the Disneyland Resort has hosted the Food and Wine Festival along the walkways of California Adventure! Booths are setup along the stretch from Carthay Circle down to the end of PIXAR Pier with a different theme at each one. Items range from food to drinks (with and without alcohol) as well as dessert. All food is served as small portions, appetizer like, and priced from $5-$9 each.

This year, we indulged many great items that I MUST share with you! Here we go…

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Get the Sip and Savor Pass!

Sip and Savor Pass - Food and Wine Festival 2019

First off, we purchased the Sip and Savor pass giving 8 tickets for $49, which was the discounted price for Annual Passholders and Employees, otherwise it is $56. Tickets are good at all booths and good for all items except for alcohol. You have to break them off as you purchase your items, otherwise they yell at you. Ok, maybe not yell, but just show them you’re breaking it off. It was a good deal since most of our cuisine averaged out to about $7!

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The Food and Wine Festival 2019

There’s a great menu available on the Disney Food Blog site. I saved their free downloadable doc to my phone for easy reference. You can also grab the menu and map at the start of the Food and Wine Festival, I just needed to do my research ahead of time!

Fiscalini White Cheddar Lager Soup served in a Mini Boudin Sourdough Bowl

The first stop on the Food and Wine tour is the Nuts About Cheese booth where we tried the Fiscalini White Cheddar Lager Soup served in a Mini Boudin Sourdough Bowl and the Ham and Vella Jack Cheese Pinwheel with Smoked Pistachios. I LOVED the soup! So creamy and the bread was so fresh and delicious!

Ham and Vella Jack Cheese Pinwheel with Smoked Pistacios

Pepperoni Pizza Egg Rolls with Marinara and Pesto Sauce

Next, we picked up some Pepperoni Pizza Egg Rolls with Marinara and Pesto Sauce at the California Craft Brews booth. Such an interesting texture when you’re used to pizza, nonetheless, they were delicious.

Esquites Sweet Corn Nuggets with Bacon Lardons

Chocolate Crunch Cake

My favorite booth was the Garlic Kissed booth! Not only did they have Esquites Sweet Corn Nuggets with Bacon Lardons and Creamy Mac & Cheese with Garlic Bread Crumble but also the Chocolate Crunch Cake.

Creamy Mac & Cheese with Garlic Bread Crumble

Creamy Mac & Cheese with Garlic Bread Crumble

Salt and Vinegar Parmesan Chicken Wings

Cluck-A-Doodle Moo served up some mean Salt and Vinegar Parmesan Chicken Wings which didn’t taste too much like vinegar. My favorite food of the night was definitely the Harris Ranch Grilled Beef Tenderloin Slider with Chimichurri Sauce. The meat was perfectly cooked topped with extraordinary chimichurri sauce.

Harris Ranch Grilled Beef Tenderloin Slider with Chimichurri Sauce

Ghost Pepper Mac & Cheese with Chili Cheese Corn Chip Dust

We had already tried the Garlic Kissed Mac & Cheese so we had to compare the Peppers Cali-Ente’s Ghost Pepper Mac & Cheese with Chili Cheese Corn Chip Dust. Personally, I preferred the Garlic over the spicy. The garlic had a better flavor and we were expecting the Ghost Pepper to be a little spicier. Either way, it was still superb but if I had to choose one, it would be the Garlic Kissed Mac & Cheese.

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Beer Garden

We finished the night with one more beer in the beer garden where live music was playing both Disney tunes and popular songs today.

Beer in the Beer Garden

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That’s it! Basically try everything you can and you really won’t be disappointed!

Chocolate Crunch Cake

More information about the Food and Wine Festival, visit the Disneyland website: Click Here

Again, there’s a great menu available on the Disney Food Blog site. I saved their free downloadable doc to my phone for easy reference.

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Don’t forget to bring these guys:

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Malibu Wines and Beer Garden in West Hills - Los Angeles, CA

Malibu Wines and Beer Garden

Address: 23130 Sherman Way, West Hills, CA 91307

Hours: Open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. most nights, with an extension to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday

Website: https://www.malibuwines.com/malibu-wines-beer-garden/

I was ecstatic when I heard Malibu Wines was opening a tasting room in West Hills of the San Fernando Valley! I've been to their tasting room in Malibu and on the Wine Safari so I knew I would automatically like their new wine and beer garden. 

Check out our related post: Malibu Wine Safari

The venue is a historic 1930's mission-styled mansion initially owned by 1930s-era actor Francis Lederer, and was declared a historic cultural monument in 1978. For years it has been utilized as an event space but is now licensed to serve beer and wine to the public. No reservations required!

Walking in, I was excited to see their signature WINE sign just like the one in Malibu.

The garden is full of tables and chairs with areas also to put down a blanket on the grass. Near the tasting area there are barrels with tops so that you can enjoy flights or a glass of vino. I found it so enchanting with all the lights hanging from the willow trees. 

A band was setup on stage, playing live music all afternoon.

We had trouble finding a table so we posted up around one of the planters.

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WINE AND BEER SELECTION

The Semler family own the garden and serve their signature Saddlerock Ranch brand as well as the Selmer branded wine from their vineyard set in the Santa Monica Mountains. Wine and beer are served as flights, by the bottle or by the glass.

Ales from local breweries such as 14 Cannons, Modern Times, Cellador Ales, and Five Threads Brewing are served on tap. 

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FOOD

Two Doughs food truck is located just off the entrance providing pizza and charcuterie plates for guests. They even have salads! Note they only serve Friday nights as well as all day Saturday & Sunday.

Cheers! Will definitely be back soon!

Here are our some of our favorite things:

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Need more California Wine? Try these posts:

10 Best Brunch Los Angeles Restaurants - with map!

Santa Monica Pier

10 Best Brunch Spots around Los Angeles - Map included!

Brunch is my favorite meal! I love meeting with my friends all over LA for some breakfast food and a couple of drinks. Let me guide you to great food, bottomless mimosas, outdoor seating, and who takes reservations! It will be the perfect weekend brunch!

Here is a map made with the Wanderlog Travel Planner, so you can follow along, add to your Google maps account, or create your own personal map! Wanderlog allows you to create great maps and guides for any vacation! 

Map courtesy of Wanderlog travel planner

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WESTSIDE BRUNCH

26 Beach

Address: 3100 Washington Blvd, Venice, CA 90292

($$) With beach umbrellas out front and a mix match of coffee mugs this is such a unique and fun restaurant! I love it because you can have ice cream for breakfast and Mom won't get mad!

Must Haves:

• Polar Bear French Toast - Croissant french toast topped with ice cream and berries! Sometimes its not on their menu but you can still order it! 

• The Peach Melba - 2 "croissant" French toasts, caramelized peaches, vanilla ice cream, melba sauce. Melba is pureed raspberries thickened with powdered sugar. 

• Reese's Piece's - Stuffed with peanut butter, chopped Reese's, served with Callebaut chocolate sauce on the side

Speaking of ice cream, see our other local ice cream suggestions in our Best Ice Cream in Los Angeles post 

The Details:

• Outdoor Seating?: Yes and a covered patio - can get hot on warm summer days!

• Parking?: Street Parking - I usually park in the residential neighborhood across the street

• Takes Reservations?: Yes, Opentable

• Bottomless Mimosas?: YES!

• Menu: 26 Beach brunch Menu

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 SALT at the Marina Del Rey Hotel

Address: 13534 Bali Way, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292

($$$) Located in the Marina on the water, this place has stunning views of boats floating by and great brunch dishes!

Must Haves:

• Croque-Madame - Fra’mani ham and gruyere cheese on brioche, sunny side up farm egg, sauce morna (MOUTH IS WATERING) Morna sauce is like an aioli 

• Buttermilk Pancakes with Berries and Cream - reminds me of the Starburst commercial every time

The Details:

• Outdoor Seating?: Yes, usually pretty sunny - bring sunscreen! Firepits are available too for those cold mornings!

• Parking?: Valet parking only ($4 for 4 Hours)

• Takes Reservations?: Yes, Opentable

• Bottomless Mimosas?: Nope, by the glass

• Menu: Click Here

Nighthawk: Breakfast Bar

Address: 417 Washington Blvd, Venice, CA 90292

($$-$$$) Jeremy Fall has concocted a special menu incorporating breakfast items into almost anything, even cocktails! The restaurant was inspired by serving breakfast to musicians after finishing their sets during the wee hours of the morning on the Sunset Strip in the 80's and 90's.

Must Haves:

• Spiked Cereal Milk - I loved the Cocoa Puffs and Vanilla Vodka. Just like it sounds - cereal milk with the cereal strained out and add alcohol! Why didn't I think of that?

• Benedict Fries - the only funky thing was the gruyere cheese - it smelled bad and I picked it off. 

• Chicken and Biscuits - the gravy is perfection, phenomenal dish

• Nighthawk Breakfast Sandwich - maple bacon sausage, scrambled eggs, gruyere cheese, arugula, peppercorn mayo, champagne vinegrette, pretzel bun

• Stack O'Bacon - Sweet Tapatio candied bacon! Kinda pricey for bacon.

The Details:

• Outdoor Seating?: Not exactly, but there are seats by the windows that are wide open

• Parking?: Valet or Street - valet would be easier

• Takes Reservations?: Yes, Opentable

• Bottomless Mimosas?: I don't think so. but get the Spiked Cereal Milk

• Menu: Nighthawk: Breakfast Bar

Whiskey Reds

Address: 13813 Fiji Way, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292

($$) Family owned and located in Fisherman's Village in Marina Del Rey, just before the boats hit the channel! There are plenty of covered tables outdoors to enjoy the sea lions swimming and boats sailing by. On Sundays, they offer a brunch buffet. 

Must Haves:

• Breakfast burrito with a side of tots! 

• Eggs Benedict - a classic and always great

The Details:

• Outdoor Seating?: Tons of outdoor seating with plenty of umbrellas and fire pits if its cold

• Parking?: Valet Parking or lot next door (free with validation)

• Takes Reservations?: Yes, Opentable

• Bottomless Mimosas?: YES

• Menu: Whiskey Reds Brunch

Killer Cafe

Address: 4213 Admiralty Way, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292

($) Our favorite place to stop for a quick breakfast burrito and hash browns or to nurse a hangover. As a sister to Killer Shrimp and just next door, this has a nice cafe atmosphere complete with a long counter where coffee constantly flows to your cup! 

Must Haves:

• Breakfast Burrito with avocado and Hash Browns! The hash browns are sooo goood - thick slices of potatoes and a huge brick serving! 

• Scrambles - huge portions! 

• I'm not a shrimp fan, but there are a lot of Shrimp items on the menu!

• Coffee is great, you can get a free cup if you check-in on Yelp! 

The Details:

• Outdoor Seating?: There are a few tables on the patio but they are usually in full sun in the morning

• Parking?: Parking lot in front

• Takes Reservations?: Nope, but you can order from Grubhub if you really can't wait!

• Bottomless Mimosas?: Nope, but you can get them by the glass

• Menu: Killer Cafe Brunch

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Huntley Hotel - Penthouse Restaurant

Address: 1111 2nd St, Santa Monica, CA 90403

Must Haves:

• b a c o n w a f f l e s t a c k - Bacon Waffle Batter, Topped with Two Eggs Any Style, Maple Syrup

• e g g s b e n e d i c t - Two Poached Eggs, Canadian Bacon, Classic Hollandaise

The Details:

• Outdoor Seating?: Nope, but beautiful Penthouse views!

• Parking?: Valet Parking in the hotel or Street Parking

• Takes Reservations?: Yes, Opentable

• Bottomless Mimosas?: Sometimes? They didn’t offer it last time I went.

• Menu: Penthouse Brunch

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The Rose Venice

Address: 220 Rose Ave, Venice, CA 90291

($$) Properly named, located off Rose Ave and Main St, Rose Cafe had a major facelift a few years ago. Chef Jason Neroni (formerly of Superba) has brought back life to this cafe presenting local Southern California cuisine with an international influence from his world travels. Inside you'll find a gorgeous bar designed with a local touch from Studio UNLTD and a bakery with an impressive selection of baked goods on the front counters. 

Must Haves:

• Pasteries! Served in threes this is a perfect start to your meal

• Classic Quiche - Leek, toma, honey nut squash, garden salad with poppyseed vinaigrette 

• Avocado Toast - So LA, but with a twist - Fried duck egg, pickled fresno chillies, pistachios 

The Details:

• Outdoor Seating?: Yes, lots, both covered in the beer garden or open air out on the front patio

• Parking?: Valet Parking in the back or Street Parking

• Takes Reservations?: Yes, Opentable

• Bottomless Mimosas?: Nope, but you can get them by the glass or a carafe of Rosé

• Menu: Rose Cafe Brunch

HOLLYWOOD Brunch Spots

Norah 

Address: 8279 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90046

($$$) Fancy brunch for fancy friends! Note: If you go for a birthday, they don't have dessert at brunchtime! 

Must Haves:

• Cast Iron Corn Bread - YUM

• Breakfast Sandwich - so basic, but the combo of egg, sausage and american cheese is pure genius! 

• Duck Confit Hash - was very popular among the table! Yukon gold potatoes, poached eggs and chili sauce

The Details:

• Outdoor Seating?: Yes, if you count a large open window creating a patio atmosphere

• Parking?: Street Parking

• Takes Reservations?: Yes, Opentable

• Bottomless Mimosas?: Nope, but try the seasonal spritzer! 

• Menu: Norah Brunch
  

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Hamburger Mary's

Address: 8288 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046

($$) Enter if you're looking to have a good time! On weekends the drag queens come out and put on a great show at this famous hamburger stand! 

Must Haves:

• Chocolate Chip Pancakes! 

• Mac 'N Cheese Hamburger

• Cookies and Cream Milkshake - spectacular!

The Details:

• Outdoor Seating?: Yes, there is a patio off of the street

• Parking?: Street Parking or a garage across the street 

• Takes Reservations?: Only for large parties

• Bottomless Mimosas?: Yep, the Bloody Mary's are also amazing 

• Menu: Hamburger Mary's Menu
  

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MALIBU Brunch Places

Malibu Farm Pier Cafe

Address: 23000 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90265

($$) This spot is located at the end of the Malibu pier and has great farm to table options!

Must Haves:

• Breakfast burrito - scrambled eggs, chicken sausage, black beans, cheese, peppers, onions, guacamole

• Fried egg sandwich - bacon, arugula, baby potatoes, havarti, country wheat toast, lemon aioli

The Details:

• Outdoor Seating?: Yes, lots of patio seating!

• Parking?: Lot just before the pier

• Takes Reservations?: No, you order at the registers and take a number

• Bottomless Mimosas?: Nope, they only have beer and wine, the Malibu Farm Restaurant at the beginning of the pier does have a full bar.

• Menu: Malibu Farm Menu
  

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Don’t forget the brunch essentials:

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Thanks for reading! 

Love and ice cream,

Kathleen

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More to do in the City of Angels

Best Star Wars Themed Bar in Hollywood: Scum & Villainy Cantina

Scum & Villainy Cantina

Location: 6377 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, California, CA 90028

In Los Angeles there are many pop-up events to go to that are only around for a limited amount of time, such as restaurants like the Saved by the Bell - Saved by the Max, the Museum of Ice Cream and now there a Star Wars themed bar, Scum & Villainy.  Now it is staying as a permanent fixture in Hollywood! We all remember the cantina scene in A New Hope, where Han shot first, right?

If not here it is:

I love the Star Wars movies, but I'm not an expert like my friends are. Although, I did rock a 40th Anniversary shirt from the GAP! Disneyland has also opened Star Wars land called Galaxy’s Edge complete with Oga’s Cantina, see more here: 10 Things to do at Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge

Everyone dresses up for the Star wars Bar, Scum and Villainy

We made reservations by buying tickets online a month in advance. Since they are now permanent in Hollywood, tickets are no longer required and its FREE to visit! Operating hours are from 6p-2am and they often have special events such as karaoke, LA Game Night, see more on their Facebook page for more info: https://www.facebook.com/scumandvillainycantina/

We had a designated check-in time at 8:30p. We arrived around 8:15p and lined up in an alley among ewoks, princesses and other charming characters. There wasn't a marking or anything on the building, just someone standing by the door checking people in. Oh and Han on the wall across from it.

Han SOlo Street Art in Hollywood

We entered the bar and were amazed how it looked!

Everyone was let in at once and we had a little over 2 hours to enjoy our time at the bar. The drink tokens were exchanged for one of their three pre-made mixed drinks (which weren't bad and pretty strong) or a beer. I don’t think this is the case anymore, it was more for their ticketed event.

Drink TOkens

I REALLY WANTED THE GLOW STICKS TO BE STRAWS!

We managed to get a booth in the corner (just like Han Solo). 

I WAS REALLY EXCITED I HAD A LIGHT SABER.

There were a lot of lights and fog machines, but what really make this bar great? The patrons. Those who came in costume gave this bar its charm, feeling like you stepped into a galaxy far far away... 

2 STORM TROOPERS WALK INTO A BAR...

And here's a little video to see the inside...

For bar snacks, they were served quickly and not bad for bar food. Portions were a decent size and sharable. We got a couple of orders of the AT Tots and the Carbonite Queso.

AT Tots at the Scum and Villainy Bar

Here are the menus known as “Liquids and Solids” instead of Drinks and Food. Clever.

On our way out we got some merchandise, a pint glass and a challenge coin.  

 I really had a great time being a Star Wars nerd for a night! May the force be with you!

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More things to do in LA:

11 Hella Cool Things to do in San Francisco, California

San Francisco Skyline

11 Best Things to do in San Francisco, CA

San Francisco is such a great city! We've been so many times, yet there is something new to do every time. With all the hills and located on the coast, there are spectacular views! We love being a tourist and they have some pretty great food there too! Here is a list of our FAVORITE things to do in San Francisco:

1. Ride a Cable Car

I always think of Full House when I see the cable cars. Your trip would not be complete without a ride on these guys! There are three cable car lines: the Powell-Hyde Line, the Powell-Mason Line and the California Line. There's even a cable car museum! It's about $7 to take a ride. Check out San Francisco’s official guide: How to ride a Cable Car

Ride a Cable Car

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2. See the Painted Ladies

Address: Steiner St, San Francisco, CA 94117

Check out these iconic brightly colored Victorian beauties. Alamo Square Park, located directly across from the ladies, is the perfect spot to sit and enjoy them! If you're not singing the theme song to Full House in front of these houses, there is something wrong with you. Speaking of, the actual Full House house is located: 1709 Broderick Street, about a mile away. We walked to the Mrs. Doubtfire house instead see #10.

Painted Ladies in San Francisco

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3. Check Out Alcatraz  

This famous prison is in the middle of the bay, once home to Al Capone. Make sure you buy your tickets a couple weeks in advance, the earlier you go, the less crowds there are. Day tickets to The Rock are only $45, including the ferry to get there and the self guided audio tour. I dare you to try the night tour! Buy tickets here: Alcatraz Tours or Viator offers great bundles and you can get into Alcatraz and the Aquarium for $63!

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4. Visit Lombard Street

Address: Lombard St, San Francisco, CA 94133

Check out the 8 crazy zigzag turns down the hill on Lombard Street. It’s fun to drive down!

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5. Visit the Sea Lions at Fisherman's Wharf - Pier 39

Address: Beach Street & The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94133

Grab a bite to eat, do some shopping and then come see these guys! There are hundreds of sea lions at times, swimming, barking, and splashing. I could sit and watch them for hours!

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6. Visit the Golden Gate Bridge

Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Presidio of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94129

You can drive, bike, and even walk across this massive bridge, or enjoy from a beach nearby. Any way you choose, you can appreciate the beauty of this iconic art deco bridge. If you get to the other side, there is a park/lookout area to snap a few photos. This was taken from the Crissy Fields East Beach:

GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE FROM CRISSY FIELDS EAST BEACH

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7. Walk through the Palace of Fine Arts

Address: 3601 Lyon St, San Francisco, CA 94123

Take a walk through the Palace of Fine Arts walking distance from the Crissy Fields beach in #7! Appreciate the Greco-Roman architecture and lookout for turtles and ducks!

See if there are any events while you are there: Palace of Fine Arts Events

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8. Get Ice Cream and Sit in the Park

Bi-Rite: 3692 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Bi-Rite is one of the best ice cream establishments in San Francisco. There is always a wait, but it is well worth it. Dolores Park is right across the street, which is a great place to enjoy city views and have some ice cream. The park isn’t always so crowded, it had rained all week and it was a warm beautiful day!

See our full BiRite Ice Cream Review here

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9. Go Shopping in Union Square

Address: 333 Post St, San Francisco, CA 94108

Shopping is one of my favorite activities and Union Square has some of the best stores: Macy's, Saks 5th Ave, Tiffany & Co, Nike, Apple, Williams-Sonoma, to name a few. Stop at the Burger Bar in Macy’s for Union Square views and a milkshake! If you go down Powell there are even more shops and a mall off of Market Street. 

TONY BENNETT'S "I LEFT MY HEART IN SAN FRANCISCO"

Milkshake at the Burger Bar

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10. Find the Mrs. Doubtfire House

Mrs. Doubtfire House Address: 2640 Steiner St, San Francisco, CA 94115

"Steiner Street. Oooh how lovely!" Quote from Mrs. Doubtfire, one of my favorite movies of all-time. There's even a Robin Williams tribute with people that have signed rocks in the planter. Here's what it looks like: inside the house.

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11. Catch a Giant's Game at AT&T Park

Address: 24 Willie Mays Plaza, San Francisco, CA 94107

Check out their schedule and buy tickets: Click Here

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Other things to do in Northern California:

Saved By the Max - Saved by the Bell Pop-up

SAVED BY THE MAX

Address: 7100 Santa Monica Blvd #185, West Hollywood, CA 90046

Website: http://www.savedbythemax.com/

Tickets: $40 per person (Come with an Appetizer and Entree!)

Limited Time Left: Hurry and get there soon preppy, the pop-up is only available until April 2019 before it moves to Vegas!

I'm sooo sooo sooo excited to tell you all about our trip to Saved by the Max! I loved and still love Saved by the Bell the series and when I saw the pop-up in Chicago, I wished it would come to LA... and it did! 

OUR BOOTH!

Now, we love us some pop-ups like the Star Wars Scum and Villainy bar in Hollywood which is now a staple (see out Blog post here: Star Wars Pop-up Bar) to Hollywood Boulevard! 

DINING ROOM

Saved by the Max is like stepping onto the Saved by the Bell set of the Max, it looks JUST like it! What really takes these pop-ups to another level are the customers. When everyone dresses like they are from that era or show or movie, it really gives the full effect that you have stepped into another realm. I was just waiting for Zack Morris, Kelly Kapowski, Screech, Slater, Jessie and Lisa to walk through the door!

Saved by the Max - Bar

Reservations are available until April 2019 and I heard they were moving to Las Vegas next! Tickets are $40 and include a reservation date & time with an appetizer and entree. I'll get into the food below. 

Make your reservation here: SavedByTheMax.com

Get ready preppy for some fun pictures! 

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THE VENUE - THE MAX

You can't really just walk into this place, you have to get past the hostess first! We checked in and only waited for a few minutes since we arrived on the early side. 

Immediately after stepping inside you walk along the lockers of all your beloved characters, with everything associated with that personality! 

I was already in awe just by the lockers and then we stepped in the restaurant and I lost it! 

I love all the 90's squiggles and designs that match the shows main title. I especially LOVED the bright colors, I fit right in! 

They say you have 2 hours to stay to enjoy your meal and walk around. We were to anxious to wait until after our meal that we walked around and took a bunch of pictures before our meal! Overall I think we spent about an hour and a half there.

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Mr. Beldings Office

Mr. Beldings office is designed to host larger parties or just regular tables if they don't have a big party. Soooo we went in and sat his desk of course! 

No detention given today!

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THE MENU & FOOD REVIEWS

The menu had more than I thought it would! It was typical diner/cafe kind of food and it wasn't terrible! 

Drinks didn't come with the ticket and were paid for separately. I of course had a Mark Paul 75 because I just can't resist champagne. It was good, but boy was it sweet.

We tried to diversify our food choices to try everything between the four of us, but we doubled up on certain things. I loved the clever food names!

Appetizers

1. AC Sliders - Pork sliders with a mustard sauce. We weren't fans of the mustard

2. Mac and Screech - pretty good for noodles and cheese!

3. Snow White and the Seven Dorks - Wings that were devoured by the husbands... they seemed to be fans!

Entrees

1. Bayside Burger - Diner style with a double patty! YUM!

2. Preppy Pastrami - on rye bread

3. Beat Valley Buttermilk Pancakes - they serve brunch on weekends but why not have breakfast for dinner?

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We had so much fun! Trish and I want to go back any day, any time! 

GOOOOOO BAYSIDE! 

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See more travel tips and fun things to do in Los Angeles:

Winery Review: Chappellet Winery - Great views and even better wine!

Updated January 24, 2026

Photo Courtesy of Chappellet - Chappellet's vineyard on Pritchard Hill from the midst of Molly Chappellet's garden

Chappellet Winery

Address: 1581 Sage Canyon Rd, St Helena, CA 94574

Website: https://www.chappellet.com

With thousands of wineries to choose from to taste wine in Napa and Sonoma up in Northern California, it extremely hard to pick which one(s) to visit. Although the big distributers such as Kendall Jackson or Mumm are some of my favorite, I also like to look for wineries that aren’t as mainstream, that might have a nice view, and great wine. My research this year found Chappellet atop Pritchard Hill with stunning views and some of the best red wine I’ve ever had! I loved the history of the land and learning about the Chappellet family, owners of this breathtaking winery. We had such an amazing experience, I can’t wait to go back! Now to the details…

Book your wine tasting tour here: Chappellet.com

Related Posts: see our Napa Winter Itinerary post

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FAMILY OWNED: The Chappellet Family

Chappellet - Close Up of Vineyard and Lake - Bob McClenahan photography

The Chappellet Family has owned the land on Pritchard Hill for 50 years and have pioneered their way to grow crops at a higher elevation and produce a luscious red wine. Dated back 4 million years, the area was once occupied by a 14,000 foot volcano! Over time and much erosion, the area has sculpted into what it is today with dramtic slopes and rocky volcanic soils. Rising between 800 to 1,800 feet with a variety of different exposures and soil types, the Chappellets along with the help fo David Pirio (vineyard manager) have worked hard to perfect farming techniques as well as practicing environmentally conscious farming methods. In 2012, Chappellet Vineyard was awarded organic certification from California Certified Organic Farmers.

Donn and Molly moved their family to Pritchard Hill in 1967 after discovering the beautiful vista views and an opportunity to make a living off of the land. The tasting room and production end are in a triangular shaped building that looks like it was built into a hill. The structure inside was upholstered and decorated with the most beautiful wood.

Chappellet main room - Holiday event

Today, their children Cyril, Carissa and Dominic Chappellet, now oversee the day-to-day operations. Cyril and Dominic deal with the management and logistics of business, where as Carissa is a lawyer as well as an artist, overseeing all legal affairs of the company as well as applying some of her artistic talents. She loved to draw dragons as a child, and wanted them to be put on wine labels. Donn told her that dragons didn’t have anything to do with the winery, so Carissa wrote her own book about the Dragons of Pritchard Hill.

Every year wine club members look forward to a new dragon design with a story to go with it on the back of the label!

Related post: See our Napa packing lists - Fall/Winter or Spring/Summer

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RED, RED WINE

If you like red wine, THIS IS YOUR PLACE! The Chappellets were inspired to create a world-class wine such as a Bordeaux. Of the vineyard’s 102 planted acres, approximately 65 are Cabernet Sauvignon, with the remainder consisting of small blocks of Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Chenin Blanc.

Wine Tasting and Tour

Chappellet's extensive 90-minute Vineyard Tour and Tasting includes a walk through the organic vineyards and a seated tasting of new releases. As I mentioned, it was POURING down rain so we got a quick tour of the facility and had a lovely tasting. Theo was our guide and she was unbelievable! So knowledgeable about the process and the Chappellet family, she really made the tour fun and interesting.

Book your wine tasting tour here: Chappellet.com Ask for THEO! :)

Wine tasting in the Rain = cover your glass!

We started with their 2014 Signature Chardonnay which had a creamy texture instead of the buttery oak taste I was expecting. Aromas of citrus and apricot went well with the notes of sweet oak and spice.

Then we proceeded through the bottle processing area to where the wine is stored and aged!

wine waiting for me to drink at Chappellet

Here Theo thoroughly explained how they cultivate and store wine, sprinkling in details of the land and environmentally conscious farming methods, as I had previous mentioned. We would have taken a tour of the vineyards but it was too wet and muddy so we moved into the tasting room.

Chappellet Wine Tour Seating

We tried a few amazing wines in here including:

• 2013 Chappellet Napa Valley Zinfandel - aromas of ripe berry, fig & plum, and layered black pepper, sage, cedar & briary spice. Very nice and smooth for a Zin! I loved the pepper taste to it, leaving a very earthy flavor to it.

• 2014 Chappellet Napa Vallet Malbec - aromas of cherry, creme de cassis and anise, with French oak-inspired hints of clove and nutmeg. On the palate wild berry, grenadine, chocolate and coffee.

• 2015 Chappellet Napa Valley Las Piedras - aromas of black cherry and cassis with a palate of dark berry, plum, and cedar. This was my favorite of them all! As a blend of 55% Cabernet, 20% Malbec, and a mix of Petit Verdof, Cab Franc, and Merlot, IT WAS PERFECT! Definitely ordering more bottles.

The art around the winery was so unique and beautiful. Most of the art was painted by the family or hand picked by the family.

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VIEWS

Chappellet Garden View - photo by Molly Chappellet

Of course the day we went it was pouring down rain so we didn’t venture out too far but the grounds were still beautiful! We got some great moody rainy pictures:

Chappellet Winery - best vineyard with views

Chappellet Winery - best vineyard with views, dramatic winter

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I would go back to Chappellet in a heartbeat for the wine, views and company! Thanks so much to the Chappellet team for hosting us!

Book your wine tasting tour here: Chappellet.com Ask for THEO! :)

Looking for great suggestions as to where’s to stay in Napa?

Andaz Napa Review

Hyatt Regency Sonoma Review

Cabernet House - Bed and Breakfast in Napa Review

Alila St Helena

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Need another glass? Try these spots in California:

Christmas in Los Angeles - Lights in the Venice Canals 2022 Update

California Christmas - Celebrate the holidays at the beach!

Venice Canals Holiday Boat Parade (December 3, 2022)

Another great way to enjoy Venice Canals Christmas lights is to attend its long-running and popular boat parade. It usually runs on the first Saturday of December. The Annual Venice Canals Holiday Boat Parade has been held since 1983. It starts at 3:30 pm at the intersection of Eastern and Carroll Canals. Watch the brightly decorated boats from one of the bridges or bring your own festive vessel and join the parade!

KICK OFF THE HOLIDAYS AT THE 11TH ANNUAL HOLIDAY LIGHTING OF THE VENICE SIGN ON DEC. 3RD  This year’s sign lighting is presented by Fat Sal’s!

• Saturday, Dec 3, 2022

• 6:15 – 10:00 p.m.

• For all Dec. 3rd event details: VeniceChamber.net

Related: Marina del Rey, CA - Marina Lights Boat Parade December 10, 2022

On the second Saturday of December, join the Marina del Rey community for their most festive celebration of the year. The fun begins at noon with the family-friendly Burton Chace Park. At 5:55, fireworks precede the parade, which begins at 6 PM and runs until 8 PM. More info here.

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We discovered a new area filled with Christmas cheer, the Venice Canals! I start my hour long commute most mornings through the Venice Canals and love watching the ducks and boats float in the water as I drive by. I noticed last year that a few houses looked decorated during the day, but never really saw them in all their glory lit up at night. After dinner one night, we decided to walk through the canals to check out the Christmas spirit and we were pleasantly surprised to find there is a light competition among the houses for the best in show!

Venice Canals CHristmas Lights

History of the Venice Canals (per Wikipedia)

The Venice Canal Historic District is a district in the Venice section of Los Angeles, California. The district is noteworthy for its man-made canals built in 1905 by developer Abbot Kinney as part of his Venice of America plan. Kinney sought to recreate the appearance and feel of Venice, Italy, in Southern California.

The canals are roughly bounded by Eastern Court on the east, Court A on the south, Strongs Drive on the west, and Court E on the north. There are four east-west canals (Carroll Canal, Linnie Canal, Howland Canal, and Sherman Canal) and two north-south canals (Eastern Canal and Grand Canal). The lit canals with gondoliers and arched bridges drew widespread publicity and helped sell lots in the development.

Celebrities such as Lenny Kravitz have lived in the Venice Canals.

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Location & Parking for the Venice Canals

There is a parking lot located at the end of Venice Blvd (just before Pacific Ave). If you walk southwest you can enter on the walking paths on the sides of the canals off of Canal Street.

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Venice Canals Association - Best Dressed Homes Contest

Apparently there is an annual contest among the homes in the neighborhood for “Best Dressed.” All the homes are very different in design, color and shape, and so are their holiday decorations. This house was the first place winner of 2018, second year in a row!

Venice Canals Christmas Lights

Yup, that was all on one house! My personal favorite was the house with the flags that matched the bridge with the Eiffel Tower:

Venice Canals Holiday Lights

Venice Canals Paris Eiffel Tower

We found the third place winner around the corner with a lovely bright display!

Venice Canals Christmas Lights

We fell in love with so many of these charming homes!

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Bridges in the Venice Canals

Most of the bridges had a specific theme to them, Peace, Wish, Flags, all relating to the overall theme of “It’s a Small World” and “Peace on Earth.”

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Boats with Christmas Decorations

There were a couple of the paddle boats decorated but I like the big boats in Marina Del Rey better!

Even the ducks decorated the boat! How cute! I’ve see the neighborhood library book exchanges where you take a book/leave a book but I’ve never seen it on a boat with a bench to enjoy your book on:

Venice Canals Book Exchange

There is also an annual Venice Canals Boat Parade, which had a theme this year of “It’s a Small World” see more here.

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Other great places to go see Christmas displays in Los Angeles:

Descanso Garden’s Enchanted Forest of Light

We first went to this beautiful display 2 years ago and it has definitely become more popular! Waltz through the one-mile garden and enjoy the fabulous lights! 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge. Tickets $30. See more in our post: 5 Reasons to Visit Descanso Gardens: Forest of Light

El Segundo Candy Cane Lane

Candy Cane Lane lights up on the second Saturday in December and has been known to have the flashiest neighborhood displays in SoCal. El Segundo police have been known to block off the street during prime times to create a safe, pedestrian-only viewing experience, and you may even spot Santa posing for photos with kids. East Acacia Avenue and California Street, El Segundo 

Woodland Hills Candy Cane Lane

Going strong since 1952, the home-owners of this Woodland Hills neighborhood are known for going crazy with Christmas decor! I used to go every night during the holidays as a kid. Nowadays there can be tons of traffic as visitors are encouraged to drive slowly and safely through the area. Lubao Street and Oxnard Street, Woodland Hills

Or there is ALWAYS Disneyland! :)

Disneyland Christmas Castle Lights

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Here are some more posts about Los Angeles:

Christmas in Los Angeles - Descanso Gardens Enchanted Forest of Light

5 Things You Must See at Descanso Gardens Enchanted Forest of Light

Descanso Gardens: 1418 Descanso Dr, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011

I LOVE Christmas! I mean LOVVEEEEEEE Christmas! We went to Descanso Gardens to see their holiday lights, although it wasn't quite Disneyland spectacular, it was an enchanting evening and a perfect night out with friends! We went December 2016 so there may be some slightly newer enhancements this year!

General Admission is $30 or save $5 if you are already a member. Buy tickets here.

Parking was free and there were plenty of spots. Don't forget your coat though, it was pretty chilly for Los Angeles! 

Here are the 5 gardens you CANNOT miss this Holiday season!

1. Color Changing Tulip Garden

There were little food stands and bars throughout so you could sit and have cocoa or wine or wine cocoa! There is also a restaurant called Maple but all reservations were booked up the week we were going, so plan ahead! 

It was about a mile walk all the way around. It was a few more steps if you were circling around trees and jumping on lights! :)

2. Hanging Lights on Trees

The colors of the reflected lights added extra enchantment here. This was my favorite part! 

Sing it with me... "IIIIIIIIII wannnna swingggg from the chandelierrrrrr"

It’s hard to see, but these beautiful shimmery lights looked like millions of colored stars! 

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3. Lights you can step or JUMP on

Ok, sometimes the lights were too bright, but these did make fun sounds when you stepped on them!

These lights were even better! The lights lit up as you stepped (or jumped) on them!

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4. Japanese Garden

Next up was the Japanese garden filled with glowing red lanterns.

5. Enchanted Forest of Light Garden

My favorite part was the Enchanted Forest with the pretty trees lit to look like fairies or some kind of majestic creature lived there! 

Don’t miss out, buy your tickets today! General Admission is $30 or save $5 if you are already a member. Buy tickets here.

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Stumped what to get that special someone? See our holiday gift giving guide here!

See other LA related Posts here:

5 Reasons to Visit Fa La Land Christmas Pop-up in Los Angeles, CA

My sister and I went to the MOST WONDERFUL place of the year! We went to Fa La Land, a Christmas Pop-up in Downtown LA! This place was overboard festive filled with everything Christmas from elves on shelves to ball pits to SANTA! It was like the Museum of Ice Cream but filled with CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS instead!

GET TICKETS HERE: https://www.falaland.com/

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Here are 5 reasons why you must visit FA LA LAND ASAP:

1. VISIT MRS. CLAUS

As you enter and pass the colorful swirly twirly gumdrops you enter Santa Land and meet Mrs. Claus! She helps you write a letter to Santa and put it in the mailbox. If you ask nicely, she’ll even take a selfie with you!

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You must choose your fate… Naughty… or Nice…

Once you enter the room, you are greeted by a very friendly elf and have a golden ticket stamped with 1, 2 or 3… we’ll get to what that means in the end. Then you spin the Naughty or Nice wheel which definitely says everything about your behavior. Trish and I both got “Nice.” Wahoo!

2. SPIN THE NAUGHTY OR NICE WHEEL

Other items in the room included a countdown to Christmas, oversized Nutcrackers and a wall of Elves on Shelves!

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Next you enter the forest of bright colors filled with creatures!

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After we hopped on through the Christmas tree room, we entered Candyfornia which reminded me of Candyland and jumped into the gum drop ball pit!

3. JUMP IN A CANDY BALL PIT

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Next, we had a dance party at Fa La Fest… it was better than Coachella!

4. DANCE LIKE NO ONE IS WATCHING

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Last but not least, we met the big man himself! SANTA! I KNOW HIM! Side note, ELF is the best Christmas movie EVER! I could quote it all day.

5. MEET SANTA CLAUS

He asked what we wanted for Christmas and took pictures and selfies with us then gave us gifts! Santa is the best! The ticket we received from the first room indicated which box our present would come out of!

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We left smiling and our cheeks hurting from smiling so much! You MUST visit Fa La Land before it leaves LA!

GET TICKETS HERE: https://www.falaland.com/

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Latest on the blog from LA:

Wine Tasting in Napa and Sonoma Weekend Itinerary with map!

Where to go Wine Tasting in Napa and Sonoma - map included

For my 31st birthday, I couldn't decide what I wanted to do. Gathering all my friends at a loud bar doesn't have the same ring as it did when I was 21. People told me I would slow down at some point, but I think I've just figured out better use of my time. ;-) So Josh and I decided to explore wine country! Now we go back every year for my birthday!

Here’s my map that I made to see which vineyards/wineries (Instagrammable for sure) I wanted to go to:

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Getting to NorCal Wine Country from Los Angeles

We just did a weekend getaway leaving Los Angeles late Friday night and coming back late Sunday afternoon.  Since it was a such a quick trip, we decided to stay in Santa Rosa and Napa instead of San Francisco because the commute to San Francisco is about an hour each way.

Oakland had cheaper and more desirable flights times on Southwest, so of course we used points and our companion pass that we earned with points. We got a decent rate on a rental car from Alamo and by 9:30p on Friday night, we were on a crazy rainy road to Santa Rosa. 

There was a toll bridge for $5 which was well worth not driving the extra hour or so that google maps suggested to avoid toll roads. It took us about an hour to get to Santa Rosa from Oakland (not bad)!

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RESTAURANT & BREWERY: Third Street Ale Works

Address: 610 3rd St, Santa Rosa, CA 95404

We drove straight to the Third Street Aleworks before it closed for a bite to eat (and maybe a beer or two). It reminded me of a grungier BJ's Brewery, with a bigger selection of their own brews made in-house. For a little over $20 they brought out their taster collection of 18 beers in 4-ounce glasses. I, of course, liked the IPA's and made Josh drink everything else, especially the sours. 

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Where to Stay in Santa Rosa, Sonoma County

HOTEL: Hyatt Regency Sonoma Wine Country

Address: 170 Railroad Street, Santa Rosa, California, USA, 95401

We checked into our hotel for the night, the Hyatt Regency Sonoma Wine Country which had been renovated recently. The lobby had a lodge feel with a beautiful Christmas tree in the center of the room. They even had warm apple cider for guests! The hotel rooms were very modern and beds were pretty comfortable. Had a perfect night sleep for a full day of drinking. 

See our full review here: HOTEL REVIEW: Hyatt Regency Sonoma Wine Country

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RESTAURANT & BREWERY: Russian River Brewery

Address: 725 4th St, Santa Rosa, CA 95404

The next day, we were contemplating on going to breakfast or getting in line for the Russian River Brewery. We went RRB! Business opens at 11a and there was already a line for people to run in and get their Pliny the Elder supply for the weekend. We couldn't decide what beers to get so we decided to taste them all (it was cheapest that way, at least that's how we looked at it). It's 5 o'clock somewhere.

We consumed Pliny the Elder, Belgian Sours, IPAs, all before noon! After some tasters, some pizza bites (they were so good), and a purchase of 12 bottles or so, we left satisfied and happy.

PRO TIP: we brought bubble wrap and a wine travel case to bring back on the flight, which meant we had to check our carry-on but it was worth it!

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Best Wine Tasting at Santa Rosa Wineries

See our full post of our favorite Sonoma County Wineries here: Best Wineries to Visit in Sonoma

WINERY: Korbel Champagne Cellars

Address: 13250 River Rd, Guerneville, CA 95446

• Reservations Required?: Nope, but click here for their free tour hours!

• Cost?: $ FREE! That's right, free tastings! No purchase required! 

• Food?: There is a little cafe that has snacks and sandwiches.

Champagne is my favorite type of wine and you can always find a bottle of Korbel in my fridge! For over 135 years, Korbel has mastered making the perfect bottle of champagne. Free tours are offered throughout the day and FREE wine tasting are provided in their tasting room. 

Afterwards, we went to my favorite place in the land of a trillion bubbles, Korbel Champagne Cellars. Apparently, their Natural champagne has been served at the celebratory presidential inaugurations since 1981 and the actual winery has been in existence for over 132 years.

Korbel offers 4 complimentary champagne tastings. Beware of their red Rouge champagne. It's different. They even have an organic champagne! 

They also offer tours but we didn't really care to walk around the grounds for hours (it was cold), we had other places to explore and it was getting dark fast. 

WINERY: Kendall-Jackson Winery

Address: 5007 Fulton Road, Fulton, CA 95439

TASTING COUPON: Click here to print a Two for One Tasting Coupon for our Estate Tasting. Offer available for up to 4 guests.

• Reservations Required?: Nope

• Cost?: $$ Wine flights range from $15-25 - try their Stature! 

• Food?: Wine and Food pairing available by Appt or there is always a chocolate or cheese pairing available.

Our next stop was the Kendall-Jackson Winery. We almost skipped it but it's one of my Dad's favorite wines, so we had to get him a bottle or something for Christmas. We stepped up to start tasting and looked at all their different options. We explained to our host how we'd like to get a special bottle and he recommended the Stature Chardonnay which was $100 a bottle and probably the best Chardonnay I've ever had. Compared to their everyday Chardonnay, the Stature was smooth, fruity and had a rich taste. We ended up buying a bottle for my Dad and signed him up for their wine club for the year!

KENDALL-JACKSON WINERY

Josh and I are a bigger fan of red wine, especially Cabernet Sauvignon, so we asked what was the best of the 8 or so that they offered. Of course their Stature version was the best, but we were looking for a more affordable price point. We ended up loving the Hawkeye Cabernet which had a deep cherry taste with some Earth taste to give it full body. We ended up liking it so much and because we signed up for the wine club, we bought 6 bottles and 2 of the Stature! 

It was getting dark and late, so we drove to our hotel in Napa to take a nap-a. Haha ;-)

NIGHT APPROACHING KENDALL-JACKSON WINERY

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Where to Stay in Downtown Napa Valley

BED AND BREAKFAST: Cabernet House - Old World Inn $$

Cabernet House, Old World Inn is the best place to stay in Napa, California. Not only is it affordable, but their prime location gives you access to everything - restaurants, shops, and of course wine tasting rooms! Their rooms have different themes, my favorite was the Starlight Room which had a skylight above the bed!

See our full review on the Cabernet House here: HOTEL REVIEW: CABERNET HOUSE

HOTEL: River Terrace Inn - A Noble House Hotel $$

Address: 1600 Soscol Ave Napa, California, 94559

The location of the River Terrace Inn was perfect. Located in downtown Napa Valley, walking distance from restaurants and shopping, and also along the river. The only problem was the walls of the room were a little thin, but if you have enough wine, you won't notice. They had a great outdoor area with wine and fire pits! 

Andaz Napa Hotel

HOTEL: Andaz Napa - Hyatt $$$$

Address: 1450 1st St, Napa, CA 94559

The Andaz Napa is designed like a boutique hotel and doesn’t look like your typical Hyatt property. Located in the heart of Downtown Napa, this gorgeous hotel is the perfect place to unwind at the end of the day. The rooms are large with a cozy fireplace separating the living room and bedroom.

See our full review on the Andaz Napa here: HOTEL REVIEW: ANDAZ NAPA

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Restaurants in Napa, California 

RESTAURANT: TORC

Address: 140 Main St, Napa, CA 94559

Their wine selection was full of great choices including many from the local wineries and their food was very farm to table from local farmers prepared in an open kitchen that is part of the restaurant. We sat at the bar and enjoyed some cocktails, jamon (cured ham) and cheese. For dinner, we enjoyed an amazing steak, mac n cheese, pork, and some excellent ice cream for dessert (of course).

I made our reservation about a month in advance through Opentable.

 RESTAURANT: COLE'S CHOP HOUSE 

Address: 1122 Main St, Napa, CA 94559

We love a good steakhouse, Cole's Chop House, was our kinda place! I made the reservation about 2 weeks in advance through Opentable. Ribeye steaks topped with sides of a delicious Red Wine Veal Reduction sauce and the Peppercorn Sauce along with a side of Yukon Gold Mashed potatoes, were the ticket here.

Not to mention a very sweet Birthday dessert - brownie sundae with caramel gelato. Mmmmm.

RESTAURANT: JAX DINER

Address: 1122 1st St, Napa, CA 94559

For brunch, we went somewhere to get a big breakfast and we were successful. Jax had amazing beignets covered with powdered sugar as well as free tater tots if you showed the coupon on Yelp. So we got both of course on top of their special of the day on the chalkboard: Bacon Eggs Benedict (which you would think you couldn't have enough bacon, this was a little over the top, delicious but filling).

We also got the French toast bites but they were more of a crouton consistency instead of bread like.

You're probably thinking, how many people came to breakfast? Oh, just the two of us. Smart thing we did was take some of the food to go to eat after wineries. ;-)

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Favorite Wineries for Wine Tasting in Napa

I recommend picking 3 wineries to stop at on your last day. This way you can spend some quality time at each one and enjoy your tastings!

BEAUTIFUL FALL IN NAPA

ME: WHAT IS THAT? JOSH: A BUNNY WITH A LIGHTSABER. DUH!

WINERY: Hall Wines - Wine Tasting Room

Address: 401 St Helena Hwy, St Helena, CA 94574 (St Helena Location)

• Reservations Required?: Not required but recommended 

• Cost?: $$$ Tastings: $40, Tours starting at $40

• Food?: Not really

I was excited for Hall since they specialize in Cabernet Sauvignon, winning many awards for their 100 point cabs! Also, not going to lie, I love bunny foo foo, especially when he is holding a light saber (Star Wars was released in theaters that weekend). Speaking of, they had amazing art throughout the winery, in the gardens, in the tasting room, everywhere!

This vineyard had more of a modern flair with an artistic eye, making it more unique. Their tasting bar was setup on the second floor near floor to ceiling windows with spectacular vineyard views. 

WINERY: Mumm Napa

Address: 8445 Silverado Trail, Napa, CA 94558

• Reservations Required?: Reservations are recommended but not required for fewer than six guests. Call 866.783.5826 to make a reservation. Limited walk-in seating is available on a first-come first-served basis.

• Cost?: $$ Tastings are $25 to $35 on the patio/salon; Tours are $40 

• Food?: Cheese/Crackers and snacks

Mumm Champagne is one of my favorites and couldn't wait to visit. I loved my visit and tasting so much, I even joined their wine club. The grounds are beautiful and the staff is very friendly. I can't wait to come back again and again! 

We walked up around 11a without a reservation and were seated immediately. Since it was December and on the cooler side, we opted to sit in the salon for our tasting.

WINERY: Castello di Amorosa

Address: 4045 St Helena Hwy, Calistoga, CA 94515

• Reservations Required?: Not required but recommended - 707-967-6272

• Cost?: $$$ Starts at $30 just to get into the castle and comes with a tasting. Designated Drivers also need to pay an entrance fee, even if they aren't drinking! There are guided tours and food pairings as well.

• Food?: Yes, see the Royal Pairings Menu

This 13th Century Tuscan inspired castle is picture perfect! You can visit the knight’s hall and their flagship cabernet sauvignon is a must try. Animals from goats to chickens surround the castle, including some gorgeous peacocks! Not something you see everyday in Napa.

The tour seemed worth it if we had more time: Reserve a tour with a guide through the Castello, including the lower levels which feature our Torture Chamber, Armory, and Grand Barrel Room, followed by a tasting flight. Of course the torture chamber and armory semi appealed to us, we will definitely come back to this one.

WINERY: Del Dotto Venetian Estate Winery

Address: 1445 St Helena Hwy, St Helena, CA 94574

• Reservations Required?: Yes, call: (707) 963-2134

• Cost?: $$$ Bar Tasting – $45 or Cave Experience & Barrel Tasting (90 min) $60 per person Mon-Thu, $75 per person Fri-Sun

• Food?: From house-cured salumi and slow braised meats to vegetables from their garden and Grandma Dee’s handmade ravioli, Chef Joshua and the entire culinary team collaborate on a unique menu that embodies the season and pairs perfectly with the wines.

Had to make a reservation for this one, but since it was December and not too crowded I called a coupe of hours before and was able to get a reservation. The tasting was more expensive than other vineyards, it was $45 per person, at least it included cheese, bread and olive oil! I highly recommend venturing into their gorgeous Venetian caves the tour with barrel tasting is $75. Check out that chandelier! The wines were good, but I think they were overpriced. The tasting room is beautiful decked out with venetian paintings, tiling, marble pillars and expensive wines.

Currently, our family produces cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, sangiovese and sauvignon blanc from our Napa Valley vineyards, as well as pinot noir, chardonnay and limited amounts of syrah, sauvignon blanc, sparkling grenache and mourvedre from our Cinghiale (wild boar) Vineyard in the King Ridge region of the Sonoma Coast.

WINERY: Domaine Chandon

Address: 1 California Dr, Yountville, CA 94599

• Reservations Required?: Not required but recommended - call 1-888-242-6366, Opt. 2

• Cost?: $$ Tastings $20 and up 

• Food?: Snacks are available

The grounds here looked like a giant beautiful park. Upon entering the winery there is a wall of upside down wine bottles artistically designed and lit. The tasting room gets pretty busy but just elbow your way up to the bar and you'll get served. The servers also make specialty cocktails if you ask nicely!

This was our last stop of the day and I love my bubbles! I felt like I had tasted most of the champagnes Chandon had to offer, but our bartender had a special drink he makes that tastes like apple cider.

ME IN MY HAPPY PLACE!

The specialty drink, called Spiced Apple Punch, had the following in it:

·       2 oz Spiced Simple Syrup (1 cup water; 1 cup granulated sugar; 2 cinnamon sticks; 1 small piece nutmeg)

·       2 1/2 cups apple cider (unsweetened)

·       1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

·       2 oz honey

·       750ml (1 bottle) Chandon Brut Classic

After our 3rd winery, the trip was over and it was time to head to Oakland airport for our 7p flight. I was sad that it was over but had a wonderful birthday weekend! Thanks, Josh! :) 

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Please note this is not a sponsored post and based on my own personal experience, all thoughts are my own.

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WINERY REVIEW: Scribe Winery in Sonoma, California

WINERY REVIEW: Scribe Winery

Address: 2100 Denmark Street, Sonoma, California

Reservations Required?: Yes, must be made in advance - Call: 707.939.1858

Cost?: $$$ but includes a meal and tasting for $60 per person

Food?: YES! Awesome food at that.

Website: http://scribewinery.com/

There are so many options when looking at Napa and Sonoma for wine tasting it’s overwhelming! I’ve been to Napa quite a few times and there is always a new place to discover and tons of wine to try! We went to Scribe on our last trip and it was divine! Food was served, wine was poured, good times were had by all!

With a drive-way lined with palm trees, this is a true California vineyard! A beautiful house sits atop the property with a fabulous patio to enjoy wine along with a few courses AND a stunning view! Inside, the house was so cute and chic, looking like it came straight out of a home and garden magazine. 

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ABOUT SCRIBE

The history of the winery is interesting. The winery was founded in 2007 on a property that pioneered pre-prohibition Sonoma Valley winemaking. As stated in their About section on their website:

Managed by fourth-generation California farmers and brothers, Andrew and Adam believe that the best wines are a result of a healthy relationship between man and nature, and that a vineyard managed in harmony with the greater ecosystem results in more site-specific wines that represent a sense of time and place. When vinified with non-interventionist methods, the result is a distinct wine that faithfully reflects what the vineyard naturally expresses.

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FOOD AND WINE

Scribe was on my list of wineries to visit last year but for the price of the tasting it seemed too expensive. Wrong! Not only do they have generous pours, but a delightful meal that goes along with the tasting at cute picnic tables.  

Scribe is known to produce vibrant, terroir-driven wines, my favorite wine was the estate Chardonnay, not too buttery and rich, but refreshing.

For $60 per person, we tried the Hacienda Menu including 4 wines paired with the perfect food. We started with olives, almonds and radishes with our first course. We were pleasantly upgraded with a second course including salad, then a third course with a chicken dish and focaccia bread!

The wines were pricey, but we did get a bottle of their sparkling wine and it was one of the best I’ve ever had. 

We’ll definitely be back!

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ICE CREAM REVIEW: Bi-Rite Creamery in San Francisco, California

ICE CREAM REVIEW: Bi-Rite Creamery

San Francisco, California  

3692 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94110

San Francisco is known for many things and ice cream is definitely one of them. One of the most popular ice cream destinations is Bi-Rite Creamery. Part of the Bi-Rite family, the Bi-Rite Market opened in 1940 and eventually opened their own creamery in 2006. They serve homemade organic ice cream and also have a soft serve window. We went on a warm day in February and the line was about 20 mins long wrapping around the street corner. Go with cool friends, it makes the line go faster.

Once you take a step inside, it's very small, the ice cream freezer case is right there, but the faces behind the counter are warm and friendly! See all flavors here: MENU

They not only make the ice cream in house, they also have a bakery attached and make all brownies, marshmallows, toffee in the ice cream. They also make toppings such as peanut brittle and hot fudge. If you're lactose intolerant, don't worry, you can join in on the fun too, they offer a vegan, dairy-free ice cream daily! SO MANY OPTIONS!

Happiness is definitely one scoop at a time.

I took my delicious coffee toffee, Cookies & Cream, chocolate cone and decided to eat it in the park across the street. I texture had the perfect balance of creamy and soft. My favorite was the cookies and cream. I tried the rose, salted caramel, and a peanut butter fudge type.

Since it was so warm, my friends and I walked across the street and decided to enjoy our ice cream, and the views, from Dolores Park. 

Related Post: 10 Hella Cool Things to do in San Francisco

We were definitely a fan of Bi-Rite and will come back next time we are in SF! 

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Looking for more things to do in NorCal? Try these:

5 Best Wineries to Visit in Sonoma County for Wine Tasting (with map)

GUNDLACH BUNSCHU WINERY in Sonoma Valley

5 Best Wineries in Sonoma, CA for Wine Tasting (map included)

We love visiting Sonoma and Napa but are always overwhelmed by where to go in our short time we are there! So many wineries, so little time! What is the most picturesque winery? Which winery has the best wine? Is Sonoma far from Napa? It can get confusing, so let me give you a little tour! Also, I suggest you check out the 7 Best Kept Secret Wineries in Napa! Open that in a new tab to check later!

Sonoma County borders Napa County and encompasses Sonoma, Santa Rosa, and Russian River Valley. See the google map below!

We knew we wanted to stop in Santa Rosa to go to the Russian River Brew Company, so we decided to spend the night at the Hyatt Regency Sonoma on Friday night so that we could have a full day in wine country! 

From Santa Rosa, there are 2 ways to get to Napa:

1. Up the 101 through Russian River and come around via the 128 through Yountville, Callistoga, and Rutherford.

or

2. Drive through Sonoma on the 12. Either way, you will find wine, see our favorite wineries in Sonoma County!

I even made a google map to help me lay out the land to see where the vineyards are:

When we head up to the Napa/Sonoma area, we love staying at the Hyatt Regency Sonoma or the Cabernet House! Also, check out our perfect weekend itinerary from last year: Wine Tasting Weekend in Northern California

ONTO THE WINERIES! :) 

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BEST SONOMA WINERIES FOR WINE TASTING

Scribe Winery - Sonoma

SCRIBE WINERY

Address: 2100 Denmark St, Sonoma, CA 95476

• Reservations Required?: Yes, must be made in advance - Call: 707.939.1858

• Cost?: $$$ but includes a meal and tasting for $60 per person

• Food?: YES! Awesome food at that.

See more in our detailed post on Scribe: Winery Review: Scribe Winery

With a drive-way lined with palm trees, this is a true California vineyard! A beautiful house sits atop the property with a fabulous patio to enjoy wine along with a few courses AND a stunning view! Inside, the house was so cute and chic, looking like it came straight out of a home and garden magazine. 

Scribe Wine was on my list of wineries to visit last year but for the price of the tasting it seemed too expensive. Wrong! Not only do they have generous pours, but a delightful meal that goes along with the tasting.  

My favorite wine was the estate Chardonnay, not too buttery and rich, but refreshing.

For $60 per person, we tried the Hacienda Menu including 4 wines paired with the perfect food. We started with olives, almonds and radishes with our first course. We were pleasantly upgraded with a second course including salad, then a third course with a chicken dish and focaccia bread!

The wines were pricey, but we did get a bottle of their sparkling wine and it was one of the best I’ve ever had. 

I would definitely go back to this one!

See more in our detailed post on Scribe: Winery Review: Scribe Winery

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GUNDLACH BUNSCHU WINERY

GUNDLACH BUNSCHU WINERY

Address: 2000 Denmark St, Sonoma, CA 95476

• Reservations Required?: No, but they are recommended. Make yours today: GunBun.com

• Cost?: $$ Range of flights $20+

• Food?: Cheeses and snacks can be found at the Donkey bar (no reservation required)

Not only fun to say but great wine too! Call it GunBun for short!

We had some time to kill before our tasting at Scribe, so we stopped at GunBun right next door, no appointment required. It’s the oldest family owned vineyard by 6 generations and is bonded winery #64 in California. They know what they're doing here. 

Kathryn, our wine hostess, was lovely and went into great depth of the history of the vineyard and its founders. With 320 acres, the grounds were gorgeous and they even have cave tours seasonally ($45 per person). 

Specialties included more red wines, we especially liked the Cabernet and Malbec best, but also really enjoyed the cuvée as a bonus tasting! If it had been a tad warmer, we would have loved to sit on the patio.

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BEST RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY WINERIES FOR WINE TASTING

Korbel Winery

KORBEL CHAMPAGNE CELLARS

Address: 13250 River Rd, Guerneville, CA 95446

• Reservations Required?: Nope, but click here for their free tour hours!

• Cost?: $ FREE! That's right, free tastings! No purchase required! 

• Food?: There is a little cafe that has snacks and sandwiches.

Champagne is my favorite type of wine and you can always find a bottle of Korbel in my fridge! For over 135 years, Korbel has mastered making the perfect bottle of champagne. Free tours are offered throughout the day and FREE wine tasting are provided in their tasting room. 

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BEST SANTA ROSA WINERIES FOR WINE TASTING

Kendall-Jackson Winery

KENDALL-JACKSON WINERY

Address: 5007 Fulton Rd, Fulton, CA 95403

TASTING COUPON: Click here to print a Two for One Tasting Coupon for our Estate Tasting. Offer available for up to 4 guests.

• Reservations Required?: Nope

• Cost?: $$ Wine flights range from $15-25 - try their Stature! 

• Food?: Wine and Food pairing available by Appt or there is always a chocolate or cheese pairing available.

Kendall-Jackson makes my favorite Chardonnay so we had to check it out while we were there! Also, take a stroll through their garden and say hi to the chicken coop! 

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Paradise Ridge Winery

PARADISE RIDGE WINERY

Address: 8860 Sonoma Highway, Kenwood

• Reservations Required?: Nope

• Cost?: $$ Tasting Fee: $15 -$20 refundable with a 2 bottle purchase

• Food?: Wine and Cheese tastings. There are tables outside for picnics! 

Unfortunately, the Russian River Estate is closed as most of the vineyard was lost in the Tubbs 2017 fire. Their Kenwood location is up and running as they rebuild! 

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Planning a Napa Valley Trip?

If you’re visiting Napa for the first time, these guides can help you plan the perfect trip:

- Where to stay in Napa Valley

- Best time of year to visit Napa

- Napa Valley itinerary (2–3 days)

When we head up to the Napa/Sonoma area, we love staying at the Hyatt Regency Sonoma or the Cabernet House! Also, check out our Wine Tasting Weekend in Northern California itinerary and the 7 Best Kept Secret Wineries in Napa.

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HOTEL REVIEW: Hyatt Regency Sonoma County

I love our annual trip to Napa for my birthday weekend! It’s a great way to relax and enjoy some tasty wine. Having a Hyatt Credit Card gives us an annual free night and spending it in Napa is definitely the way to go. We fly into Oakland on a Friday and drive to Santa Rosa to stay at the Hyatt Regency Sonoma County.

When staying in Sonoma, the Hyatt Regency Sonoma County is the best place to stay. Located in the heart of Santa Rosa, this Hyatt is not far from wineries and walking distance to many restaurants and shopping areas. Most importantly, it is a quick 5 minute drive from Russian River Brewery, our favorite place to stop for good brews! I know it’s wine country and I love it all, but this brewery is one of the best!

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Lobby

The lobby has a rustic outdoor chic decor with shovels above the fireplace and wooden sticks holding up lamps. In December, a beautiful Christmas tree is placed in the middle of the lobby for all to see and admire! Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree…

Also, coffee is available in the morning but in the afternoons there was usually Apple Cider or Hot Cocoa out for guests (free of charge)! Such a great perk!

Just off the lobby is the patio with an enormous fire pit, perfect to enjoy a glass of wine from the vineyard you stopped at that day. ;-) This is the view for most rooms, there isn’t much of a view otherwise!

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Bedroom

The rooms are a decent size for 2 people with a very clean and modern design. I love that there are outlets EVERYWHERE and even USB ports to charge almost anything. Your standard amenities were available: safe, big TV, iron, and mini bar. The room is fairly quiet, you can hear people in the hall if they are talking by your front door, but it wasn’t too noisy.

Had a nice sized closet for a weekend stay! I always think it’s weird when they put the hair dryer in the closet!

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Bathroom

The bathroom renovation makes the bathroom feel twice as big with their fresh design. With a standing shower and a sink in the corner, this bathroom had all the space I needed.

Nothing makes me happier than a nail file! I ALWAYS need one!

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If you go to Russian River, you must try Pliny the Elder and order their pizza bites!

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HOTEL REVIEW: Cabernet House, an Old World Inn - Napa, California

Napa has quite a few options of places to stay and I loved our stay at the Cabernet Inn. This bed and breakfast had a different theme for every room.  It wasn’t quite like the Madonna inn, but still a nice place to stay! 

Related Post: Sonoma County Wineries

Located near the heart of downtown, nothing was too far! Restaurants, shops, wine tasting rooms all found within walking distance!

Also, the room rate was under $200 a night and came with breakfast! What a steal! We ALWAYS find THE BEST rates through Booking.com. See deals of up to 50% off! You can save a bunch of money if you book a bundle flight+room+rental car! They even have apartments, lodges, and houses you can rent, just like AirBnB or VRBO! By booking through this link, I receive a commission at no additional cost to you! PLEASE support our blog and bookmark this link!

This post contains affiliate links in which if a room is booked, I receive a commission at no cost to you. Please save this link! 

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Related Post: Napa and Santa Rosa Weekend Itinerary

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Starry Night Room

We chose the room, Starry Night, which had a skylight above our bed! At night we saw the stars and even the moon orbit from window to window! 

There was also a patio that had a jacuzzi tub. Not a whirlpool jacuzzi, a bath tub. Weird, right? 

We probably would have used it if it wasn't 40 degrees outside. Speaking of bathtubs, the bathroom had a footed tub with an old fashioned toilet where you pulled a lever to flush! 

I loved this room, I would definitely stay in here again!

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Bella Tuscany Room

The house had multiple bedrooms upstairs, but there were only 3 bedrooms downstairs. It was perfect, our friends picked the Bella Tuscany Room and it happened to be right across from us. 

Decorated with an Italian flair including some fine Tuscan accents, this room was a fairly good size! But it also had a bathtub in the middle of the room. Again, weird, right?

But these hedges and doors were adorable! This room had very little natural light, but was fine for a quick night stay!

Check out more themed rooms here: Cabernet House Rooms

Find the BEST rate for a room at the Cabernet House here: Booking.com

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Common Areas

Since this is a bed and breakfast that used to house a family (see the history toward the bottom of this page), it is basically a large house with the works including a family room, dining room and kitchen. Since we went in December, it was decorated for Christmas and felt like home!

There was fresh coffee in the morning and hot water for french presses, hot cocoa, or tea available 24/7.

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Breakfast

Served from 8:30-10am

For breakfast, we waltzed out in our sweats and socks and sat at the dining room table. There were a couple of ladies who had prepared the food and were serving the dishes. It was almost like a restaurant except everyone gets the same thing. I grabbed a coffee and when I came back to my seat a place setting was setup for me. Minutes later, one of the ladies brought me a plate that had an egg souffle, a cranberry muffin, and fresh fruit. DELICIOUS! 

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Happy Hour

The inn hosted a wine and cheese party at happy hour in their wine cellar from 5:30-6:30pm at their main location, Hotel Napa Valley, featuring local Napa wines. As we were finishing up, the power went out. Not creepy at all when you’re alone with your friends in a dark basement. Emergency lights lead us to the first floor and we discovered the whole block was out! 

Extras!

1. For a small fee, the Cabernet House can provide massages in your room, wine, flowers, and even offer breakfast in bed!

2. Room service hours are from 8:45-10:00am and from 3:00-11:00pm.

3. At 7:30pm, small handmade chocolate nibbles (made from Ghirardelli and Callebaut dark chocolates) are provided until they run out! 

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Parking

There was a parking lot in the back but there weren't any spots available. Luckily, there was a ton of street parking and we parked right in front.

History 

This hotel is rich in Napa history! Per the Cabernet House website, it was built in 1906 by E. W. Doughty, a master craftsman responsible for building many of Napa’s landmark homes and churches, including the Noyes Mansion, current home of Wine Spectator Magazine. Doughty also built Napa’s library and train stations. Many of his buildings still stand more than 110 years later, a testament to Doughty’s skill and expertise. 

Doughty built it to house his family and as such, it is a classic contractor’s home, full of rich architectural detailing he could show to potential clients. 

In the 1970's, a spa tub builder added a few spas in the shape of grapes and years later her actually purchased the house! He began the extensive restoration and renovation to convert the home into one of Napa Valley’s very first bed and breakfast inns.

One of the inn’s first guests back in 1980 was Paul Newman, who stayed here when he raced his cars at Sears Point.

Read more here: Cabernet House History

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Convinced yet?! Find the BEST rate for your stay at Cabernet House just like we did by clicking here: Booking.com

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Indulge in the Hidden Delights of the Museum of Ice Cream: A Sweet Wonderland of Art, History, and Unforgettable Experiences - Los Angeles, California

Update: Please note as of January 2025, the only locations open are in Austin, Boston, Chicago, New York, and Singapore. The location in Los Angeles, California, is no longer open and closed in 2018.

Check out the official Museum of Ice Cream website for current locations and tickets.

We went to my happy place, aka the Museum of Ice Cream, on April 30th, 2017. I loved everything about it since it was slathered in pink and involved ice cream and other sweet novelties. It's an Instagram haven, a social media dream, and a place to play in plastic sprinkles. Did you miss your chance to purchase tickets? I'll give you the grand tour!

Also, check out the best ice cream in Los Angeles ranked with a map: Best Ice Cream in LA

Welcome to the Museum of Ice Cream, where art, history, and unforgettable experiences swirl together in a sweet wonderland. Indulge your senses and embark on a whimsical journey through this delightful institution that celebrates the iconic frozen treat. With its vibrant and interactive exhibits, the Museum of Ice Cream invites visitors of all ages to dive headfirst into a world of pure imagination. Step inside and be greeted by a sensory explosion of colors, flavors, and textures. From a magical candyland, a sprinkle pool filled with joy awaits you, offering the ultimate Instagram-worthy moment. Explore rooms inspired by ice cream flavors like mint chocolate chip, strawberry, and vanilla, each one carefully curated to immerse you in the essence of these tasty treats. Gain a deeper understanding of the history and cultural significance of ice cream through fascinating exhibits that showcase its evolution over the years. Whether you're a die-hard ice cream fan or simply looking for a unique and interactive museum experience, the Museum of Ice Cream promises to deliver a memorable and delightful adventure. Come, indulge your senses, and let the magic of ice cream transport you to a world of pure sugary bliss.

Last summer I saw the Museum of Ice Cream in New York and thought, "I MUST GO, would it be unreasonable to buy a plane ticket just for it?" I didn't end up going and I'm SO GLAD it came out here. I started seeing rumblings on Facebook and my dear friends from all over tagged me in the Museum of Ice Cream post is coming to LA. My next question was, "WHEN/HOW DO I GET TICKETS?!" Luckily, we are platinum American express card holders and I was able to purchase my tickets on presale for $29! I ended up purchasing tickets a month in advance and for the next month anytime someone tagged me in a Museum of Ice Cream post, I simply let them know they were not to worry, tickets were sold out, but I was all set. 

Hot Pink Telephones

I sat with my sister the night before picking out the perfect outfit to represent my love and affection for ice cream, saying, "the shirt with popsicles, strawberries, or plain bubblegum pink?" The big decision was the ice cream backpack or my Kate Spade ice cream purse. I feel like I chose wisely. 

NOW ENTERING THE MUSEUM OF ICE CREAM!

There was a long line outside, which went relatively fast since they would let 12 people in at a time. You have a guide for the first 2 rooms and then you are on your own. There is a guide in every room to give samples, information, and make sure people are flowing from room to room. The only thing was, once you enter a new room, you can't go back. 

We were given our first ice cream tasting of the day, and I was excited it was McConnell's ice cream. The flavor was earl gray and biscuit, it wasn't amazing and kinda disappointing.

There were many rooms, here is a collection of those rooms to get the coolvibe:

VEN-ICE CREAM... I GET IT!

THIS ROOM IS BANANAS.

The next room had banana wallpaper that was banana scented and cute swings!

Hanging yellow and pink Bananas at the Museum of Ice Cream art sculpture

Ice Cream CONE textured WALLpaper TO MATCH MY sweet Ice cream BACKPACK.

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Next up, the mint chip room, where they are literally growing mint chip. “A fresh start is always an option. This room is for you.” So true! Also start fresh with the mochi! YUM!

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This room had a fun house mirror and an arcade game with sun block. Didn't seem ice cream enough to me but it had lots of PINK!

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The Popsicle and Gummy Bear Room

MELTING POPSICLES art exhibit at the Museum of Ice Cream

Trying to pull a popsicle off the wall

I WANT A PINK ONE! 

Giant Gummy Bear sculpture Art

MY NEW FRIEND!

In the Gummy Bear Room, there were giant gummy bears, and they give you a sample of gummies! They lady running the room had 3 fun trivia facts about Gummy Bears, and Josh knew the answers to all three questions! When was the Gummy Bear invented? Where? What flavor is the green gummy bear? 

IF YOU PRESS THE BUTTON THE LIGHTS ALONG THE WALLS OF THE ROOM CHANGE COLORS RAPIDLY.

RELATED POST: Check out the best ice cream in Los Angeles ranked with a map: Best Ice Cream in LA

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Charcoal Ice Cream Exhibit Room

Black Charcoal Ice Cream Sculpture by Abel Bentin

Peruvian Artist Abel Bentin designed this room, expressing the corruption of the world. Pretty dark and depressing for an ice cream museum if you ask me. 

Black Charcoal Ice Cream Sculpture by Abel Bentin

In this room, they served cones with charcoal cookie dough. It didn't taste very good. It was warm and the consistency was weird.

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THE SPRINKLE POOL

There was about a 10-minute wait for the sprinkle pool, which they let you in 8 at a time. Upon entering the room, you take off your shoes and put your belongings into their lockers on the side. You then have about 3 minutes in the sprinkle pool. They are made of plastic and aren't actual sprinkles! 

Sprinkle Pool - PLASTIC SPRINKLE filled pool at the Museum of Ice Cream

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Finally we made it to the last room where they serve ice cream sandwiches. Instead of cookies they used pancakes and put vanilla ice cream in between - I Scream for Breakfast. 

There was a gift shop at the end that had a few things, but nothing worth buying really. I was hoping for a spot to buy ice cream or a cone, but that didn't exist either. We took pictures of the merchandise instead.

I think I need an Ice Cream Sandwich swing for my porch!

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RELATED POST: Check out the best ice cream in Los Angeles ranked with a map: Best Ice Cream in LA

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