A La Jolla New Year's Eve!!!

A Blonde, Brunette, and Redhead....

Tiny Bubbles of Fun!

Edible Skinny was lucky enough to be in La Jolla is New Year’s Eve dining with the vivacious Gina Elise and Julia Reed Nichols of Pin-Ups for Vets!

We started the night out Right, sipping some delightful Perrier-Jouët House Grand Brut Champagne housed in an “Enchanted Nature” Cooling Case designed by Tord Boontje!  Hello tiny bubbles!!!

After toasting the impending 2015, a redhead, brunette, and a blond walked into the Crab Catcher restaurant (which totally sounds like start of joke), a fresh California and Pacific Rim seafood inspired restaurant.  Set high on a cliff overlooking the spectacular ocean view of La Jolla Cove with breathtaking views of the caves and Pacific Ocean.

The Crab Catcher

Being Veg, I dined on delectable Brussels Sprouts with Shallot and Slow Roasted Garlic ($10) and Locally Seasonal Vegetables with lemon, shallots, cilantro-garlic butter ($8).

Brussels Sprouts

The brunette and the redhead, went with the more classic seafood route sharing bites of Crab Ravioli and Main Lobster.   According to the Pin-Up Gals the Crab Ravioli was the perfect balance of lump crab stuffing, locally farmed oyster mushroom, savoy spinach, and Meyer lemon garlic cream ($30).  The 1 ½ lb. Live Maine Lobster was super succulent with garlic- chive fingerlings, local seasonal vegetables complimented by a Grand Marnier blood orange butter sauce ($62). 

Crab Ravioli

After ringing in the New Year and dancing ‘til in the wee hours of the morning, a New Year’s Day brunch sounded like the perfect compliment a night of debauchery.  The Cottage is located in the heart of La Jolla, a quaint house with outdoor seating it was the perfect New Year’s Day event. 

Lobster!!!

This hidden La Jolla gem is the perfect place for relaxing morning over coffee and a newspaper and sample a bite of their signature scone with homemade jam.   The Pin-Up Gals shared the Stuffed French Toast (considered the best in town), a country style French Toast with strawberry compote and mascarpone cheese ($14).   I concocted the Wild Mushroom Medley, a blend of 4 wild mushrooms, goat cheese, spinach and roasted shallots substituting black beans for eggs, it was totally divine ($14).   Our Cottage meal was the perfect start 2015 with some super sassy and successful dining companions!   

Celebrate!!!!

And speaking of those Pin-Ups Gals, they’ve got quite a big event coming up on January 17th with the Dollface Dames!!!   The second annual Hollywood Cantina: Salute & Shimmy will raise funds to support hospitalized Veterans and Deployed Troops!  From the moment guests enter the event, they will be treated to an event that would make Bob Hope proud.  The Hollywood Canteen’s goal is to recreate the grandstand magic of the Hollywood Canteen that operated during the 1940’s as a club offering food, dancing and entertainment for servicemen, usually on their way overseas.

 

So don your spiffiest outfits and join them (and me as I’ll be performing a brandy new Poi Routine for it!) for a WWII-Style party, open to the public and FREE for Veterans & Active Duty Service Members to attend at the Historic American Legion Post 43 in Hollywood.

Reserve your tickets HERE: Hollywood Cantina: Salute & Shimmy

Happy 2015!!!

Food Tank's 21 Projects Helping Vets Through Food and Agriculture

This Veteran’s Day, the non profit Food Tank brings you 21 organizations from around the world that are working to help veterans heal their wounds through farming and agriculture. These organizations are working to improve the lives of veterans and create a sustainable food system by educating veterans to be sustainable vegetable producers, providing job and skills training, and helping families rebuild their lives after civil war.

In the United States alone, there are 19.6 million veterans. According to the Independent Voter Network, approximately 3.6 million veterans have a service-related disability, 7.6 percent of veterans are unemployed, and veterans make up 13 percent of the adult homeless population. The National Coalition of Homeless Veterans finds that 1.4 million more are at risk of homelessness due to poverty and lack of support. Additionally, up to 20 percent of Iraqi War veterans have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and 30 percent of Vietnam War veterans have suffered from PTSD at some point in their life.

Fortunately, farming can have a positive impact on the lives of veterans around the world. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), gardens offer many benefits for both physical and mental health. Not only do they provide healthy food, but they also help people to engage in physical activity, build marketable skills, improve social well-being, and decrease violence in neighborhoods.

To check out all of Food Tank's 21 organizations that help veterans through farming and agriculture you can go to:

http://foodtank.com/news/2014/11/veterans-day

Food Tank's is a 501(c)3 non profit organization who's mission is focused on building a global community for safe, healthy, nourished eaters. They spotlight environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable ways of alleviating hunger, obesity, and poverty and create networks of people, organizations, and content to push for food system change.