Food Network: "Best Thing I Ever Ate" Challenge

The Food Network has a show titled "The Best Thing I Ever Ate". It is a 30 minute interview style type show that features several acclaimed chefs, restaurant owners and biggest food stars discussing the best food they have ever had. It is the ultimate guide to the country's most amazing meals as told by the pros that spend their days obsessing over food. Now 4 seasons deep and over 40 shows with themes such as "Filled with Envy", "Sugar Rush" and "With Bacon", there is no shortage of variety. The restaurants featured on the show span across the whole US with cities like New York City, Atlanta, Seattle, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Memphis and Dallas.

Spotlight: BLD (Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes)

As I was watching one episode called "Wake up Call", I came across one chef's top pick this particular show. Aida Mollenkamp's choice for the best thing she ever ate were these blueberry ricotta pancakes from a LA based restaurant called "BLD". She went on to describe these pancakes in full detail. Soon after the show was over, a friend of mine called me and asked if I wanted to have brunch the next day. I very quickly agreed and told her I knew just the place. On a rainy Saturday afternoon we made our way over to BLD on Beverly blvd. in West Hollywood. There was a 45 minute wait for a table inside. The skies cleared up for just a moment and we decided to take our chances and sit outside. We ordered the pancakes as a sort of appetizer if you will. Fresh off the grill, the pancakes come with a small maple syrup bottle in the shape of a log cabin. They were the BEST pancakes I have ever had! They were just the right balance of textures. Light and fluffy on the inside, yet crisp on the outside. There is a perfect amount of sweet and fresh blueberries mixed with the ricotta cheese, that was surprisingly not overwhelming. Amazing pancakes paired with a savory egg dish and a vanilla latte made for one of the very best breakfasts of all time. Since that day, I have made it a mission now to try some more of the dishes mentioned on the show. I have now compiled a list of about 35 Los Angeles restaurants & dishes that were featured in the show. Chic & Culture's challenge is to hit up each of these eateries and post about the food we sampled along with pictures. It may take some time and money to make our way through the list, but we are determined to complete our task. Please stay tuned for the reviews to come.

For information about BLD go to- www.http://bldrestaurant.com/

For more detailed information about the food featured on the show & a complete episode guide go to- http://www.foodnetwork.com/

Artvist Film Festival

"Founded in 2003, "ARTIVIST" is the first international film festival and awards dedicated to raising awareness for Human Rights, Children's Advocacy, Environmental Preservation, and Animal Advocacy. Our mission is to strengthen the voice of socially conscious artists - "Artivists" - while raising public awareness for social global causes. "- Artivist 


The Film that was screened was called "How The Weed Won The West." A very interesting documentary on legalizing marijuana, which got even more interesting when the director and people involved in the film did a Q&A after the film. 

The festival also brought live music, organic food and the CSA (organic produce) which sells organic fruits and vegetables and gives proceeds to schools. 

Favorite things series

So I have decided to begin a new series of post that feature a few of my favorite things. Everything from films, art pieces, music, activities, clothing, accessories and all things chic! Some of my absolutely favorite things in life, I cherish and therefor do not use too often because they are so rare to me and I like to save them for special times in my life. Along with that, I feel as though when you start doing your favorite activities all the time, they may loose it's value a bit.

I will begin with a small, but very favorite piece of jewelery. As I was packing for my trip home for the holidays, I came across this bracelet. It is a vintage teal colored cuff with a white stone embedded inside the middle. It somehow reminds me of "She-Ra". She was a fictional character from the 80s cartoon show "She-Ra: Princess of Power". Come to think of it, I in fact dressed up as the her for Halloween once when I was a child. She-Ra wore these long gold cuffs when she transformed, and as a kid I felt as though her powers came from the cuffs. I do some times feel empowered when I wear it, considering that the stone is pretty sharp and could be used as a weapon need be. I suppose it was a hidden message locked away in my childhood brain when I discovered this bracelet in a vintage shop on the infamous Telegraph street in Berkeley, California more than 8 years ago. It remains my absolute favorite bracelet that I have every purchased and I hold dear to it because it has meaning and it is a great find.

127 HOURS

127 Hours is the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston's remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah. Over the next five days Ralston examines his life and survives the elements to finally discover he has the courage and the wherewithal to extricate himself by any means necessary, scale a 65 foot wall and hike over eight miles before he is finally rescued. Throughout his journey, Ralston recalls friends, lovers, family, and the two hikers he met before his accident. - Synopsis from imdb.com

Academy Award winner director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) reunites by writer Simon Beaufoy and composer A.R. Rahman to bring this true story to the screen. James Franco, who plays the lead character Aron Ralston is incredible beyond words. His portrayal of the real life hiker that the story is based on, is nothing short of amazing. I have been a fan of Franco and Boyle's for many years now and I am over joyed to have seen this collaboration come to play in this avenue. One of the film's tag lines- "There is no force more powerful than the will to live" can be felt through out the entire film.
Weather you go jumping through canyons for fun or not, this film will make you wonder what you would do if you faced this situation. "127 Hours" has screened at several prestigious film festivals, received many great reviews and has Oscar buzz surrounding it. I recommend this to anyone and everyone. Go see it now!