FTC

I have a funny little story about my best friends and I, 

or "FTC", as we like to refer to ourselves. 

It's a silly little nickname really, 

something we came up with several years ago while road-tripping back from a wild weekend in Vegas. 

We got to talking about how nice it is to share an affinity for the luxuries in life - 

food, travel, fashion,

why don't we just call ourselves the Finer Things Club? 

We had a good laugh about it, 

but the term kind of stuck. 

We try to live up to the name as much as possible, 

considering that we're all in different stages of our lives and don't even live in the same state. 

To us, the term luxury doesn't always have to be synonymous with spending a fortune.

Sure, we can all appreciate a ten-course meal at a Michelin star restaurant,

but we can be equally as pleased to spend hours in the kitchen, 

mocking up a tasting menu of our own as long as our friends are by our side.

In fact, that's how we decided to spend the holidays several weeks ago,

taking advantage of the short time we had together.

We researched hundreds of recipes, matched up some wine pairings to each course, and even crafted up an official menu. 

We were delighted to see how well everything turned out! 

It was a beautiful night that I'm hoping to recreate in the very near future.

Because in the end, laughter is all that matters. 

That is the true luxury of life. 

Love these girls so much!

Double Date Night

Date nights are fun,

but you know what's even more fun?

DOUBLE date nights.

Last weekend the husband and I decided to take a break from our kitchen renovation project from hell,

to go out for some dinner/movie action.

Our friends met up with us for some pre-dinner cocktails <reads: a couple of bottles of wine>,

and then we were off to the beatiful land of La Jolla.

Our dinner destination for the evening was Amaya,

the newest addition to the glitzy pavement of Prospect Street.

Little sister to her namesake at the Grand Del Mar,

Amaya Jr. had quite a reputation to live up to.

The theme?

Dressed up American without the dress code.

"Soooo.. what do I wear?", asked the husband.

In reality, the place is very nice -

a type of joint where you don't necessarily want to stumble into after a day of beach lounging at the adjacent La Jolla Cove.

But, to be fair, it's not stuffy..

Picture the scene from the restaurant where Jack Nicholson takes Helen Hunt in As Good as it Gets,

one of my all time favorite movies, right before he gives her the greatest compliment ever.

No, Amaya is not like that at all.

It's classy enough to impress a fancy-pants date, yet there are no table cloths, meaning - no jackets required.
Perfect.

One of the great benefits of doubling your party size, (besides great company, of course),
is the fact that you get to order twice as many dishes, which means you get to try more items from the menu!
Unless your friends don't like to share... in which case you may want to look into new friends.
Luckily, this scenario worked out in our favor,
and after ordering a few bottles of wine and a good range of items from the menu we were all happy and stuffed.
Some standouts?
The sweetbreads were very tender, and the duck with the cornbread puree? Spectacular!
I was a little dissapointed with the fried quail,
which I've heard people raving about on multiple occasions.
It wasn't bad by any means, but I wouldn't call it groundbreaking either.
Tasted... well.. just like chicken.

Sautéed Skate Wing and Veal Sweetbreads - Braised Romaine, Veal Jus 

My dress and clutch are both from ASOS.

Buttermilk Fried Quail - Smoked Mac and Cheese, Coleslaw

Angus Beef Carpaccio - Pickled Vegetables, Parmesan

Friday Special: Lightly Breaded Market Fish - Hush Puppies, Tartar Sauce 

Cheddar-Herb Biscuits, Jalapeño Cornbread and Deviled Eggs served with every order of the Daily Rustic Southern Specials

Maple Leaf Farms Duck Breast - Cornbread Purée, Butter Beans

After a well-fulfilled meal, and some excellent conversation,
we proceeded to the Arclight Cinemas in La Jolla.
It was our first time to this theater,
and although it's not as glamorous as Cinepolis Del Mar,
they still had a bar that offered up stiff cocktails and assigned seating which just takes the average movie-going experience to a whole other level.
Our movie of choice?
The Great Gatsby.
Can I just say that I am so sad to hear that it's been getting mixed reviews?
I thought it was amaaazing.
The glitz, the glam.. the hard contrast between the classes.. all there!
And Leo? In 3D?
Case closed.
Best movie of the year!

Postcards from Hawaii - Part I

You may have seen through my Instagram feed that I was in Hawaii a few weeks ago.

It was kind of a spur of the moment decision..

we saw a flash sale on flights, somehow finangled our friends into coming along, booked a condo on the beach, and boom,

we're sunning our fannies on some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

Erik and I have been to Hawaii a couple of times before,

so the loveliness of the tropics wasn't too much of a surprise for us.

My friend on the other hand, was a Hawaii virgin,

so we opted to participate in all the touristy goodness that Oahu has to offer.

The photos above capture some moments from the first two days of our stay.

Gorgeous sunrises over Diamondhead, crystal clear water of Kailua beach, traditional Luau at Germaine's, and long walks along Waikiki beach... that's what life is made for.

Oh and that last snapshot?

Yeaahh... that's our expression after getting struck by a monsoon after dinner one night.

Welcome to the tropics baby!

A Great Gatsby Kind of Night

If you follow me on instagram (@inlovewsandiego),

you probably saw that we were out and about again this weekend. 

On Saturday my friends and I got all dressed up for my bestie's Great Gatsby themed birthday celebration. 

We kicked the night off with dinner at Bice,

a super chic Italian restaurant in the center of the Gaslamp district. 

I've been wanting to try this place out for a while,

mainly for their cheese bar and salumi,

and I'm so glad that I got to come here with a large group, because it gave me a chance to sample from everyone's plate.

Capesante con Verdurine Croccante e Salsa allo Zafferano - seared sea scallops with crispy vegetables, saffron sauce and squid ink dressing

With the beautiful birthday girl!

Tortellini di Manzo alla Crema di Parmigiano Invecchiato 24 mesi, Prosciutto e Piselli - beef tortellini in a 24 month aged parmesan cheese sauce with green peas and prosciutto

After dinner and a few dirty martinis,

the gang geared up and proceeded to the Pussycat Dollhouse,

where we had a table with a few bottles waiting for us.

We danced into the early morning, and had an overall amazing night. 

How was your weekend?