Last week we celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary and spent a long weekend completely isolated from the outside world- hidden away in a cozy cottage in the small town of Sewanee, Tennessee. Sewanee’s quaint shops and small town charm reminded me of another small town, Stars Hollow! :) (From Gilmore Girls) And even though we had *zero* cell reception the entire time we were there, it was so nice to be unplugged for a few days… I didn’t want to leave and I’m ready to go back! :)

Day 1… We arrived early Saturday morning and our gracious hosts at the Red Oak Hollow Cottage allowed us to check in early so we could enjoy a full day in the beautiful mountain town. When we arrived there was a sweet note on the whiteboard that read “Welcome Kevin, Amanda, Miley & Howie to Red Oak Hollow!” We found freshly baked brownies, two chilled bottled waters & two Snickers bars waiting in the cottage for us- and Miley and Howie found a big, fresh doggie bowl of water & Pupperoni treats waiting for them. :) Talk about being pampered! :) The cottage was spacious and gorgeous, with a full kitchen, fenced-in backyard, and lush gardens all around. We had fresh sweet basil, peppery arugula, spearmint, cilantro, and so much more growing right outside the back door.

Our first stop after we settled in was the Natural Bridge. This was a fun little stop; Miley and Howie got such a kick out of running back and forth across the bridge- although Miley wouldn’t get too close to the edge!

Our next stop was the Buggytop Cave Trail. This was a nice little hike with plenty of rocks. Miley and Howie wait patiently for us to catch up! ;)

Buggytop Cave has a huge opening with a creek, waterfalls and cascades flowing out of the entrance. We didn’t go too far in the cave,  but you can follow the water and hike all the way through the cave and come out the other side if you want. We walked down a bit following the creek flowing out of the cave. The cascades were gorgeous!

Definitely the perfect spot to sit and have a picnic… courtesy of my super cool new skull lunch sack! :D

On Sunday our first stop was Foster Falls. This was a really fun trail, complete with a swinging bridge over the creek. :)

The path down was basically just a ton of rocks that formed natural stairs all the way down to the base of the falls.

Our next stop was the Stone Door trail, a giant passageway 10 feet wide and 100 feet deep, with natural rock stairs leading from the top of the cliffs above to the gorges below. This was beautiful hike with some of the most spectacular overlooks in the entire state.

Howie was apparently not too impressed with the overlooks? ;)

Just a few miles down the road was Greeter Falls. I loved this fall!!! It was an easy hike and had trails to the upper and lower falls.

The upper falls were my favorite- the area was flat and open. You could walk right up to the falls and stand underneath them- or right up to the edge of of the lower falls and  look over the dangerously high cliff as the water splashed into the plunge pool below.

The lower falls were pretty cool too, with a neat little swimming hole right underneath the falls. :) Although it was definitely a bit of a challenge to get to! :) We had to carry Miley and Howie down that rickety spiral staircase! :O

Sunday was a long day of hiking- 6.9 miles total!

Monday was a sweet, special day… Our 8th Anniversary. It’s been 8 wonderful years. Here’s hoping for 68 more! :)

We spent the day at the quintessential southern swimming hole, Rutledge Falls.

You could walk right up to the falls, dive in, swim under the falls, and climb all over them.

Sitting on top of the falls… :)

Miley and Howie got a huge kick out of running all around the waterfalls. Later we packed a picnic lunch and took them downstream where they could run, play in the creek, and chase sticks. All with this in the background… :)

Tuesday was our last day in Tennessee. I was so not ready to leave! :) Our hosts at the cottage told us to take our time checking out- we squeezed in one final 4-mile hike. :)

The map at the trailhead described the Fiery Gizzard trail as one of the most beautiful and diverse trails in Tennessee… and one of those difficult and rugged! :)

But with the gorgeous scenery following the Fiery Gizzard creek, it was probably one of our favorites. Definitely a beautiful hike! Blue Hole Falls & Black Canyon pictured above.

Before heading back home we had to make one more stop… :) In our short trip, this ice cream cafe (with free WiFi) quickly became our favorite hangout! :)

If you are ever near exit 134 on Interstate 24 in Sewanee/Monteagle, TN, you have to stop here and get a waffle cone. The Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream was my favorite of course, but the waffle cone.. Oh my.. Made fresh daily, they are so sweet, buttery, and flaky. I could live to eat these waffles cones. Wishing I had one right now! Definitely going on my “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” list! :)

Planning your own southern escape?? :)

Where to Stay:

Red Oak Hollow – A gorgeous, 30-acre private estate. Two distinct accommodations. Guest Suite Sleeps two, cottage sleeps four. Rates starting at $100 a night. Cottage is Pet-Friendly, although it was so clean I couldn’t tell any pets had ever stayed there before!

Where to Go:

Natural Bridge & Buggytop Cave – Easy afternoon side quest. After checking out Natural Bridge, head 3.5 miles south down Hwy 56. You will see a small pull-off on the right where about 4-5 cars could park. Park here, cross the street and walk down the hill a few steps. You will see the trail on your left, follow it less than 1/4 mile to the trail head and map. Click here for the Google Map of where to park. About 3.5 miles of hiking, plan for about 3 hours for Natural Bridge & Buggytop.

Foster Falls, Stone Door, Greeter Falls – Day trip. First check out Foster Falls. Gorgeous 1/2 mile trail. Head back to Tracy city and grab some pastries (like the Whisky cake) from The Dutch Maid Bakery. Then head for Stone Door. Easy trail, breathtaking overlooks. On your way back from Stone Door, walk behind the Ranger’s station and check out the short loop trail to Laurel Falls. Then head back south to Greeter Falls. (You probably passed the sign on your way to Stone Door.) Definitely check out both upper and lower Greeter Falls. Optional side quests are Blue Hole Trail and Boardtree Falls. If you do ‘em all, like we did, it’s a little under 7 miles total hiking for the day! :) More Info.

Rutledge Falls – Gorgeous, picturesque falls. Bring a picnic lunch, towels, drinks, and water shoes. And a bathing suit, if you’re so inclined… ;)

Fiery Gizzard Trail – Beautiful and rugged trail. Follows the Fiery Gizzard creek. Lots of fun bridges and rocks to cross. Pick up a map at the trail head for points of interest to keep an eye out for, like the 500-year-old hemlock tree, cave springs, waterfalls, and house-sized pillars & rock formations. Length of trip is optional- we walked 2 miles down to the “Fruit Bowl” and turned around. At least go 1 mile in to the Black Canyon- definitely the coolest part. :)

Where to Eat:

Lorena’s Gifts – Sleep in and grab a late brunch here. Breakfast is served all day. Their omelet and waffles are to die for. Come back and try their lunch menu another day!

Mountain Breeze Cafe – Craving an afternoon sweet snack after a long day of hiking? Stop in for a delicious waffle cone! :) Ready for dinner? Definitely try the pizza- seriously so good! :)

Papa Ron’s Italian Steakhouse – Steak, Pasta & Seafood. Huge menu and everything on it sounds delicious. It’s a good thing we discovered this place on our last day or I would’ve eaten there every day! It’s only an hour and a half away from my house…. I would seriously consider driving there just for dinner one night! :)

Check out this interactive map from Google listing the addresses and directions to all the must-see places mentioned above. Put this in your GPS and you’re ready for your own Tennessee mountain vacation. :)

View { Southern Escapes } Tennessee Mountain Hideaway Vacation in a larger map

P.S. Like the handwriting font I used up there? :) It’s Pea Kar Kar… Look for it on the next font update! ;)

© kevinandamanda.com, 2010. | Link to this post | Stumble Upon | Comment on this post | Share on Twitter | Share on Facebook |

Arriving in style… Being picked up at LAX by a driver, holding my name on a sign!

My Sneaky Husband… When I got to the hotel, my guest Jenny and I were chatting about what to do with our afternoon. But I kept getting distracted and glancing over at my open suitcase- there was some kind of tissue paper sticking out that kept catching my eye. I hadn’t packed anything with tissue paper? It was right next to the TSA inspection notice.. did they leave something in my bag?? Finally I stopped, mid-conversation, and walked over there. I tugged on the tissue paper and discovered a neatly wrapped present tucked underneath my jeans. It was this scarf. This soft, delicate, hand-knit, organic cotton scarf. Sometime, between 4 am and 5am on Monday morning, between getting ready to leave for the airport and loading my bags in the car, my sweet husband hid this thoughtful gift for me to find in LA. It was perfect for the breezy weather we had that week. You may remember me tweeting about this scarf a few weeks ago… I think I have a sneaky new follower on Twitter! ♥

Room Service Pajama Party… THE best pajama party I have ever attended! Hands down! :) Pajama Parties are SO much cooler as an adult- I’m convinced! No drama, just fun & FOOD! ;) And oh, the food… :) I’m totally craving another grilled cheese with tomato & basil right now! ;)

Meeting new friends and fellow bloggers… Not too many people I know in real life blog, so it was really awesome to just be able to spend some time with fellow bloggers – sharing ideas and inspirations, highlights and vents, hearing their stories and learning from their experiences! On Tuesday, after dinner with Rocco DiSpirito, we all met back in my room and swapped memory cards from our cameras- so we could all have a copy of each others pictures! They got so many awesome pictures, views, and angles that I would’ve never thought to get. Coming home and looking through all their pictures and seeing LA through someone else’s lens made me feel like I was there all over again. :)

This is Mandy, on the left. She was the winner of Picky Palate’s giveaway. I am so honored I got the opportunity to meet her! She got in late Monday night, right as we were wrapping up our pajama party. I had not talked to her at all before the trip, but she came bearing gifts- she brought Jenny and me these adorable matching muffin tin and measuring scoop necklaces! I had seen them on her blog and thought they were the cutest thing ever- what a precious gift.

On Tuesday, she had on the cutest, most stylish outfit- complete with a flower in her hair! :) And she had the COOLEST bracelet I have ever seen- I couldn’t get over it! :) I even took a picture! *blush* It came from H&M, a store we don’t have where I live, but I knew I’d be going to Atlanta soon- and they had one there. I totally had to get one for myself! :) On Tuesday night, right before bed, there was a soft knock on my door. It was Mandy… with the bracelet!! She wanted me to have hers. I couldn’t! …But she insisted. I gave her the biggest hug ever. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mandy! :) I am totally humbled by your generosity. And I have to be honest- I have hardly taken them off! :) They go with *everything* I own. :)

Oh! And guess what. :) Mandy is a professional opera singer! :) On the way back to the hotel, after dinner with Rocco, and our long day in LA, Mandy serenaded us with the most beautiful Italian aria I’ve ever heard. We were all completely mesmerized- she has the voice of an absolute angel. Mandy- it was an honor! :)

The Best Thing I Ever Ate – Part 1… Breakfast at The Griddle Cafe!! Pictured above are the Recess Time Buttermilk Hotcakes (a huge, indulgent cinnamon streusel topped pancake) and Mom’s French Toast. Next time I go back- I am totally ordering both. No doubt. :)

Meeting Sarah… So glad we got to meet Sarah from Tastespotting and The Delicious Life! She helped Bertolli plan our day in LA and it completely rocked. I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect day! As we were riding around in the limo, Sarah was pointing out all the other awesome landmarks and points of interest. Jenny and I asked for some suggestions on what to do on our couple extra days out there, and Sarah took the time to plan a complete, 2-day itinerary for us, with several options and suggestions, hitting all the highlights of LA. Best trip to LA ever. Thank you so much, Sarah! :)

Desserts from the World Fare busTAURANT! The brownie & red velvet cupcakes were incredible! Outta this world. So soft, so chewy, so decadent. Wishing I could ship these in by the truckload!

The Best Thing I Ever Ate – Part 2… And OMG. The Butterscotch Bread Pudding from World Fare. We were all completely shocked by this bread pudding- totally speechless! It was SO good. I have had some good bread pudding in my day, but this. Wow! It was rich, and soft, and melt-in-your-mouth… Incredible!

LA Farmers Market, The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills & Scoops! I want to spend an entire day at the Farmers Market and The Cheese Store- with a stop at Scoops in between! I’d have “the best coffee and doughnuts in LA” at the Farmers Market for breakfast, souvenir shop at all the little stores (like the hot sauce store and Three Dog Bakery!), have some Korean BBQ & gumbo for lunch, stop at Scoops for some afternoon ice cream, then spend my entire life savings at the Cheese Store. ;)

El Matador Beach… Gorgeous. Definitely want to go back here when I have two full batteries and two full memory cards! ;)

The Best Thing I Ever Ate – Part 3… Snickers Cake from Joan’s on Third. I’m still having dreams about this cake. Rich, chocolaty, delicious dreams.

The Best Thing I Ever Ate – Part 4… Peanut Butter & Jelly Shortbread Cookie Bars. I didn’t know what good was until I had one of these. And the awesomest (or should I say most dangerous!) part ever? I can make them at home- any time I want! :D Try them. Try them, try them, try them. :D

The Best Thing I Ever Ate – Part 5… Kouign Amann from BLD. I’m sorry I didn’t get a very good picture of it- it’s that delicious little cake in the bottom left-hand corner. I went on Saturday for brunch right before my flight left LA to take me back home. So I just snapped a quick pic with my cell phone. It’s a sugary, buttery, caramelized cake with insanely chewy, flaky layers. I wish wish wish I had gotten a picture of the layers for you! But seriously, after I took one bite, I just went to this whole other place…. Oh, the chocolate chip croissant and coffee cake were pretty good too! ;)

Coming home… :) The plane was so tiny, it didn’t even pull up to the tunnel to de-plane. We just used the stairs! Kevin was waiting for me at baggage claim and grabbed my luggage. When I got home, these were on my desk. :)

You.. Keeping in touch via Twitter and Facebook, and reading your comments, feedback, and suggestions while I was away was definitely my favorite highlight of LA. If it weren’t for you guys I wouldn’t never been given this opportunity. I owe you just as much gratitude and thanks as I do Bertolli. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Next time I’ll just have to insist that you all come with me. ;)

Thanks so much for looking! :)

© kevinandamanda.com, 2010. | Link to this post | Stumble Upon | Comment on this post | Share on Twitter | Share on Facebook |

It had been an amazing, whirlwind week in LA- I’d met wonderful new friends, experienced so many unique flavors, and traveled to places I’d only dreamed about- or seen in movies! On my last full day in sunny CA, I drove down the coast from Santa Monica to Newport Beach. I drove through the seaside towns of Venice, Playa del Ray, Redondo Beach, Long Beach, Huntington Beach, and many more.

I was headed to Orange County with one destination set on the GPS… the Picky Palate kitchen! :)

The *very* first thing I did after finding out for sure I was definitely going to LA was email Jenny at Picky Palate and ask… “Are you going too??!” I was so excited to meet my fellow blogging buddy- and when I found out she was only an hour and a half away from where we were staying, the very next thing I did was say… “Let’s get together and BAKE!” :)

Have you seen all the amazing, jaw dropping treats on Jenny’s blog? I have like every single one of them bookmarked to try. Like this. And this. And this. And this.

I was too excited to be baking with Jenny, and especially getting to taste one of her yummy treats- made by Jenny herself! :)

We had been thinking about what we could make all week, but suddenly, while we were in The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills, inspiration hit us: The Ultimate LA Cookie. Everywhere in LA we’d been seeing chocolate, caramel and sea salt. Like the Salty Chocolate & Salty Caramel gelato I had at Scoops. Or the Smoked Salt Milk Chocolate Caramels I’d gotten at the Farmers Market. I’d even picked up a gourmet sea salt assortment.

And then at the cheese store, we came across this burnt caramel sauce. And some extra, extra dark chocolate. And combined with my sea salt from the Farmers Market? We knew what we had to do. :)

Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies… Jenny came up with the Ultimate LA cookie!

We combined the softened butter & sugar, then swirled in the delicious, decadent caramel sauce.

Photo via Jenny

Then added tons and tons of mini chocolate chips!

Okay, now this was the coolest thing ever. Jenny baked our cookies in this awesome Muffin Top Pan!! Look at these huuuge scoops of cookie dough! :D

Adding our freshly ground sea salt… Don’t be afraid of the salt! :) This is about how much we added, but we were wishing we’d added more! :) Love the sweet & salty combo!! :)

Jenny even let me borrow her sweet macro lens, the 100mm f/2.8, for some super close ups of the salt. Love this lens!! :)

After the salt, we topped with our large chunks of super dark, super delicious chocolate.

Ready for the oven!

Photo via Jenny

The result??! :)

Photo via Jenny

Giant, perfectly round, insanely soft, delicious cookies.

Chewy & Caramel-y…

Beautiful, gooey dark chocolate…

And perfectly round & stackable! I totally have a muffin top pan on my wishlist now! :)

These cookies were so incredible (and soooo LA ;)), they were even
featured on Tastespotting!!! :)

Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies – The Ultimate LA Cookie
Courtesy of Jenny Flake, Picky Palate

2 sticks softened butter
3/4 Cup granulated sugar
1 Cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 Tablespoons pure vanilla
1/4 Cup burnt caramel sauce (you can use any caramel sauce here, like Smuckers)
3 3/4 Cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
12 oz bag mini chocolate chips
1 1/2 Cups chopped good quality chocolate

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a stand or electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until well combined.  Beat in the eggs and vanilla, and swirl in the caramel sauce until well combined.

2.  Place the flour, salt and baking soda into a large bowl and mix.  Slowly add to wet ingredients then add the chocolate chips.  Save chunks for later.

3.  Place a 1/4 cup scoop of cookie dough into muffin top cups.  Press down, then sprinkle with a pinch or two of sea salt then press the chocolate chunks over top.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until just golden around edges.  Remove and let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.  Serve with milk!!

Makes 18 Large cookies

Photo via Jenny

And guess what else Jenny had baking that day… :)

Photo via Jenny

Peanut Butter & Jelly Shortbread Cookie Bars…

I’m not really sure how Jenny was able to pour on the delicious, sugary glaze, take pictures, and restrain me from leaping over the table and consuming every last delicious bite… all at the same time.

It must’ve involved duct tape. But I’m not entirely sure because I think I fainted after I saw these come out of the oven.

Photo via Jenny

I took one bite and honestly just about died. They were the softest, buttery-est, most decadent cookie bar I had ever tasted. And the PB&J on top?? Perfection!! Loved it! :) The best thing I ever ate. If I were ever on that show, I would totally proclaim these PB&J shortbread cookie bars, The Best Thing I ever Ate.

I came home and made them immediately. Jenny sent a whole truckload back with me, to take home and share with Kevin, but uh, they never even made it back to LA. I ate them all. On the way back. In one sitting. Hey, what can I say? I was driving back to LA on the 101 in 5 o’clock traffic… on a Friday! I needed sustenance. :D

But some cookies did make it home with me! And look what I did with them…… :D

These giant cookies are the perfect size for a scoop of ice cream… or two! :D I heated the cookie in the microwave for about a minute- just until the cookie was soft, warm, and the chocolate on top was alllll nice and melty. Then added my sundae toppings. :D

Thank you so much for having me, Jenny! I had the best time ever! :) Thank you so much for the wonderful lunch, the decadent treats, the giggly girl-talk, and all the blogging advice. I can’t wait to do again. :)

Definitely check out Jenny’s blog for her account of our day!! :) She wrote the sweetest post ever, and her photos are AMAZING. I just copied everything she did. :)

Oh! And Mandy, one of the other amazing ladies we met in LA was there with us in spirit while we baked! The first night we met in LA, Mandy gave us these adorable, matching muffin tin and measuring spoon necklaces!!! How sweet!! I just about melted. Thank you, Mandy! :) Check out a better pic on Mandy’s awesome blog.

There’s More??!

Up next! Highlights from LA – a post about my very, very favorites… What I’ll never forget, where I’ll definitely go, and what I’ll definitely eat again… next time! :)

Thanks so much for looking!! :)

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Wednesday afternoon, after our big day with Rocco in LA, Jenny I drove up the coastline on the PCH from Santa Monica to Malibu.

We took a little side trip up into the canyons to get a better view of the beautiful seaside town.

Stopped for some afternoon milkshakes on the pier! :) Then…

El Matador Beach.

The most gorgeous beach in LA.

It was low tide, so there were rocks to climb on, little caves to explore, tide pools with colorful ocean organisms…

And here’s where my camera battery died.

*facepalm*

I had another battery in the car, but it was a long, steep climb back down to the beach, and we were losing sunlight… So thankful I got these pics… but totally wishing I had gotten more! :) Next time, definitely. :)

We made our way back to Santa Monica to watch the sunset.

We walked on the beach, toes in the sand, people-watched and girl-talked.

On Thursday morning we had a new itinerary from Sarah! We started with brunch at The Waffle in Hollywood. We were right across the street from Nickelodeon Studios.

The Brown Sugar Sticky Bun Waffle… :D

We drove down to Hollywood & Highland for some shopping, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Kodak Theatre, and Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

Then… Lunch @ Pink’s! We couldn’t not stop by here! I had seen them on Throwdown with Bobby Flay on Food Network, and just about everyone I talked to said we had to try it! :)

After lunch we drove around Hollywood, the Sunset Strip, Melrose Ave, and through the Hollywood Hills.

The homes were gorgeous- and what an incredible view these lucky residents have!

Afternoon snack: Snickers Cake from Joan’s on Third.

Oh. my. Gosh. As soon as I can figure out how, I am totally replicating this cake. Decadent layers of chocolate cake & chocolate mousse, topped with… I don’t even know how they did it. It’s like they melted the Snickers bar right on the cake for the icing??! That chocolate icing you see on top was definitely the Snickers chocolate from the candy bar… You could totally tell. But it was like.. a layer. Not just broken up and crumbled on- know what I mean? Maybe they used one of those mini blow torches like for crème brulée! But then the peanuts & caramel from the candy bar were perfectly scattered on top. I don’t know. I ate the entire thing. I let Jenny have a bite. A small bite. I regretted it. I pretty much hogged the entire thing. Shamelessly.

I’m still having dreams about this cake.

Stay Tuned!

Up Next! I drove down the coast from Santa Monica to Newport Beach and spent the day with Jenny baking in the Picky Palate kitchen! And guess what. I got to eat these. From Jenny herself.

:D :D :D

Thanks for looking! :)

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I didn’t get too many pictures of our hotel, but fortunately, Pat, one of the other lovely ladies on the trip got some incredible shots of our room, the hotel, our view from the rooftop and the luxurious streets of 90210 as we stepped outside the hotel lobby.

Our very mod rooms.

Of course, the one picture I *did* actually take of the rooms?? The mini bar! *rolled eyes*

The swanky rooftop pool with private cabanas…  This is where we crashed the very private red carpet rooftop party!

The 360º views from the rooftop were just breathtaking.

Especially at sunset!

Just doing a little shopping on Rodeo Drive… :)

Check out this post from Pat for some more awesome shots. OMG, it’s hard to believe we were right there! Thanks, Pat! :)

While we were out in sunny California, Jenny & I decided to rent a car and drive down to Santa Monica.

Wednesday morning we walked down to the car rental place and picked up a car. We just walked down there- Loved that it was within walking distance! That is so totally foreign to me, living out in The Middle of Nowhere, Alabama.

We stopped for brunch at Huckleberry. Since we had no idea what to do with ourselves LA, Sarah from Tastespotting, graciously planned our itinerary for Wednesday and Thursday. She told us the best places to eat,  best places to shop, and even the best beach & sunset view in LA!

Sarah told us we had to try the Maple Bacon Biscuit- “everyone in LA is talking about it!” Of course when we saw all the freshly baked pastries in the cases above, we had to try several other items as well. ;)

Maple Bacon Biscuit, Prosciutto & Gruyere Croissant, Cinnamon Bun, & Doughnut Holes!

After brunch we shopped on Santa Monica’s 3rd Street Promenade & sampled our way through the Farmers Market. This was more like the traditional Farmers Market that I was expecting when we went to the LA Farmers Market. There were golden raspberries that were delicious! There was also a sign that said “Sweetest Strawberries in LA” – and they truly were! We sampled a *ton* of strawberries! :)

We had lunch outside at the Blue Plate Oysterette- right on Ocean Ave, overlooking the coast. I had the Lobster Mac & Cheese with gruyere, fresh herbs, truffle oil, and large chunks of lobster. To. Die. For. The guy sitting at the next table saw mine and said, “I’ll have what she’s having!”

*Dorky pic alert!*

After lunch, we walked down to the beach & Santa Monica Pier.

Excuse my winter parka- It was like in the 60s! The lowww 60s. This southern girl is used to 80º beach weather!

Gorgeous mountains in the background.

I really wanted to ride that rollercoaster! ;)

Up Next…

We drove up the coast to Malibu and found the most gorgeous beach in LA. Then: We hit Hollywood, Sunset Blvd, & Melrose. We may or may not have bought a map to the stars home and we may or may not have found Courtney Cox’s house. ;) But we did drive through & gawk at all the houses in Hollywood Hills!

Thanks for looking!! :)

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The grand finale of our “Into the Heart of LA” culinary experience with Bertolli was a private, intimate meet and greet with celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito. After a whirlwind day full of pampering, limos, celebrity treatment, meeting new friends, tasting new foods, exploring LA’s unique culinary scene and uncovering its passion for food, Bertolli saved the best for last.

We were taken to Culina, the newly opened Italian restaurant at the Four Seasons’ Beverly Wilshire, and escorted to a private back dining room where we all waited anxiously for Rocco to arrive.

Photo via Briana

We were in for a treat with the special small bites tasting menu designed especially for us.

And then came Rocco. He sat down, and I was within wine glass clinking distance!

Rocco asked us about ourselves, our blogs, and our day in LA.

He told us about his recent trip to Italy with Bertolli, his passion for fresh, local ingredients, and where he finds inspiration.

Deep in conversation with Jenny from Picky Palate about food, family, and flavor.

Culina’s sommelier, Brick, explains our wine pairings with each course. Lucky for you, Briana gently explained to me what a “sommelier” was. I was just gonna call him “Brick the Wine Guy”. *blush*

Culina’s new modern Italian chef, Victor Casanova (love his name!), came out to greet us and tell us about our courses.

Plate One

Involitini Di Manzo
Kobe A-5. Delta Asparagus. Enoki Mushrooms. Parmigiano Reggiano.

Wine: Nebbiolo d’Alba. giacosa fratelli. 2007 piedmont.

Photo via Jenny

Melt-in-your-mouth, buttery Kobe beef wrapped around a spring of asparagus, tiny enoki mushrooms, and Parmigiano Reggiano.

Rocco asked Chef Victor to show us his prized Kobe beef, a delicacy cut from cows that are massaged daily to produce this highest quality of flavor, tenderness, and marbled texture.

Photo via Shelisa

Plate Two

Caponata Di Carciofi
Baby Artichokes. Castelvetrano Green Olives. San Marzano Tomato.

Wine: Pinot Bianco. haberle. alois lageder. alto adige 2007.

Plate Three

Suppli Al Telefono
Saffron Risotto Croquette. Mozzarella Di Bufala. Tomato Sugo.

Wine: Mamertino. cru timpanara. vasari. sicily 2006.

Photo via Jenny

Gorgeous photo of our third plate by Jenny. It was as incredible as it looks.

After our dinner with Rocco (it lasted about an hour!) we each got to sit down and chat with him, have our pictures made, and get our books signed. Bertolli had given us all copies of his newest book, Now Eat This, in our welcome gift bags.

Apparently Rocco was quite charming. Do I look smitten? *blush*

I also brought along an extra book for Rocco to sign… Can you tell what it says? I’ll give you a hint…

“To a fellow Kevin and Amanda fan. Congratulations! Rocco XO”

Rocco asked if my readers were mostly female, and when I said yes, he added the XO. ;)

Photo via Pat

Giveaway!

If you’d like this copy of Rocco’s new book, Now Eat This, dedicated to a special Kevin & Amanda reader, just leave me a comment on this post by 7pm, Saturday, May 22nd. :) I’ll announce the randomly chosen winner on Monday. :)

Winner!

Congrats to #416 Becky! “Thanks for sharing your amazing pics. I would love love love to win his book. He’s a cutie.”

There’s more…

My trip to LA didn’t end here… I stayed an extra 3 days in California and took in the gorgeous beaches of Santa Monica, Malibu, and Venice, the glitz of Hollywood, Sunset Blvd, & Melrose, and even drove down to the OC to bake with Jenny in the Picky Palate kitchen. :) Stay tuned… :)

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We had one more stop on our wonderful, whirlwind tour of LA before meeting Rocco: the amazing Cheese Store of Beverly Hills.

Walking into the Cheese Store, I was utterly blown away. (Get it?? Udderly? Snarf!) You could totally smell all the wonderfully pungent cheeses way before you entered the store. :)

Photo via Briana

It completely exceeded all my expectations. It was a tiny little store that you could barely turn around in, (especially with 15 other girls! :)) but I could’ve easily spent an hour or more in there. It was just like I imagined walking into the cheese store in Lucca, Italy (that I’d seen in the Bertolli video before my trip) would be.

Much to our excitement, the owner, Norbert, had a little challenge for us: 3 different types of cheeses made from 3 different types of milk- goat, sheep, and cow. We got to sample all 3 and try to guess which milk they were made from!

Let me just tell you right now- I could not tell at all. All I knew is that they were delicious. They were soft, smooth, & creamy… and heavenly. just like Rocco said, I just want to keep eating them- why do I need to know where they came from?? :)

This one I do know- Gorgonzola! Norbert also brought out the finest extra virgin olive oil, bread, and Italian prosciutto for us to sample. *faints*

I couldn’t leave without a souvenir. I got this jar of Strawberry Preserves with Balsamic Vinegar. It is to die for. I’ve been having it on warm, buttered toast every morning this week and remembering L.A. It even came in this cute little reusable cooler pack- for keeping cool on the long trip home.

Okay, so I look totally cheesy (cheesy! snort.), but this picture was actually Norbert’s idea! He was such a cutie. :)

***

Stay tuned!

The perfect ending to our perfect day: an intimate wine tasting and small bite pairing with Rocco DiSpirito at the Four Seasons.

Thanks for looking! :)

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After our larger-than-life sized breakfasts at The Griddle Cafe and quick stop at the Farmers Market in LA (where I wanted to sample one of everything), we were ready for- what else? Lunch, of course!

We hopped in the limo & grabbed our phones where we checked the latest Tweets from popular gourmet food trucks to track down their lunchtime location.

Our guide to experiencing the LA “street food” scene was Sarah, owner of a little site you may have heard of, TasteSpotting.com (!!!) and TheDeliciousLife.com

Sarah is so sweet, super adorable, and I’m so glad we got to meet her! She helped Bertolli plan our itinerary for the day, and it couldn’t have been more perfect! I loved every single experience she planned for us.

Photo via Pat

With Sarah’s help, we found a block on the Miracle Mile with nine different food trucks parked all in a line- and more were on the way!

Mandy, Jenny, Amanda, Jenny, & Briana

Our first stop was the World Fare “bustaurant”, a double decker bus with the roof removed, complete with stairs leading to rooftop access & open air, upper deck dining.

Photo via Shelisa

Finally, all the lovely ladies from our trip in one group pic! :) 5 food bloggers, 4 lucky winners, and our delightful hostess from Bertolli.

From left to right (see if you can follow along here with me): Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti (Claudia’s winner), Briana @ Blisstree.com, Jaclyn @ Bertolli, Claudia @ Journey of an Italian Cook, Shelisa @ Big2Beautiful.com, Mandy @ Gourmet Mom on the Go (Jenny’s winner), Amanda (that’s me!), Brittney @ Just Call me B! (Briana’s winner), Jenny @ Picky Palate, and Jenny (my winner).

Got that? :)

Photo via Briana

Enjoying the view of Hollywood Hills, the Miracle Mile, fabulous food & charming company atop the World Fare busTAURANT.

Photo of Chef Andi via Jenny

WorldFare’s specialty is Bunny Chow, a slang term for a kind of South African street food. We sampled just about one of everything on the menu!

Photos via Jenny & Briana

Short rib, chicken curry, BBQ pork, & vegetarian chili bunny chow.

Photos via Jenny & Briana

Teriyaki Flank Steak with tempura mushrooms, Truffle mac & cheese balls, and (not pictured) Strawberry basil lemonade & lemon orange tea.

Red velvet cupcakes photo via via Mandy

Then my favorites… The desserts! Red velvet cupcakes, brownies, & chocolate chip cookies.

Photo on right via Briana

Butterscotch bread pudding with butterscotch Pot de crème (loved this!!)

Photo via Shelisa

After we had thoroughly stuffed ourselves at World Fare, it was time to move on to the next truck!

The Shrimp Guys: here we sampled the garlic butter shrimp, coconut lime shrimp, spicy coconut lime shrimp & spicy garlic butter shrimp.

Photo via Shelisa

Next Truck: The Flying Pig and their delicious duck confit taco.

Photo via Brittney

Then… We tried the Gogi beef & spicy chicken tacos from Lee’s Philly Gogi Truck. Outstanding!

I’ve never seen such a collection of easily accessible, exotic, gourmet meals to-go, all utilizing fresh, local ingredients. How awesome. Gourmet trucks, do you think you’ll be traveling to Alabama anytime soon? :)

Outside of Scoops, Photo via Brittney

The next location on our whirlwind tour of LA was an unforgettable Italian gelato shop, Scoops.  If you are in the area, you must, must, must go here. If you’ve never heard of it, you might just walk on past it. It’s a tiny little shop, it doesn’t have a webpage, Twitter, or Facebook, but every day the Korean art-house chef, Tai Kim, makes 18 new flavors of sorbet, gelato, frozen yogurt and ice cream from the most unbelievable combinations.

Everything sounded so fantastically tempting- I sampled a scoop of 7 different flavors: brown bread, salty caramel, salty chocolate, black truffles, vanilla coffee marscapone cheese, guinness chocolate, and ricotta marsala Oreo. There’s no way to choose a favorite. They were all simply incredible. Light, smooth, creamy and delicious- I ate every. last. bite. All 7 scoops. Easily. Heaven!

Photos via Pat

Other flavors that were available for us that day were blueberry plum wine, pistachio jasmine, Thai iced tea, goat cheese basil, banana coconut, apricot tiramisu, and lavender honey (Jenny’s favorite!)

Photo via Mandy

As we were leaving, the sweet Mr. Kim blushed and told us everything was on the house for our group of beautiful ladies! So sweet! We couldn’t stop smiling.

Next!

Just one more stop on our tour of LA before we met Rocco!! Tomorrow I’ll post about our visit to The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills, where we sample 3 different types of cheese and guess which milk they were made from: goat, cow, or sheep! Then: Our wine tasting and “small bites” dinner with Rocco at the Four Seasons.

Thanks for looking! :)

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Our first day in LA! Last Tuesday morning I was waking up in L.A. & getting ready for our amazing, all-day event with Bertolli. We all met in the lobby first thing in the morning and were officially introduced to the other bloggers, their guests, and our hostesses from Bertolli.

Photo via Briana

Of course most of the day, we all looked like this! ;)

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect on our “culinary tour of the city”, but after reading the itinerary I found in the gift bag Bertolli had sent to our rooms (and seeing our massive stretch limo!), I knew we had an extremely exciting (and tasty!) day ahead of us!

Photo via Jenny

Jenny, Brittney, me, Mandy, Jenny
Photo via Jenny

First stop: the famous (and delicious) Griddle Cafe. We were escorted to a back room with a private entrance and exit out the back- how LA!

Their giant-sized pancakes were at least 10″ across! It was so hard to choose between all their incredible selections from the griddle: the Nutella Stuffed French Toast, Black Magic Oreo Pancakes, Espresso & Chocolate Chip…

French Toast photo via Jenny

Finally I settled on the cinnamon streusel topped buttermilk hotcakes. I can’t resist a stresuel topping. I go weak in the knees. Heavenly. Brittney ordered “Mom’s French Toast”- the waiter told us it was the best thing on the menu. She graciously shared an entire piece with me and Jenny- and I’m definitely inclined to believe him! We loved it! Seriously YUM! :)

After our huuuuge breakfasts, our limo picked us up at our private back exit and we headed out for a morning at the LA Farmers Market! I totally didn’t know what to except- it was so much more than just fresh fruits and vegetables!

There were soo many delicious looking desserts, cakes, and treats, sugary stuffed delectables piled high with chocolate, cherries, and whipped cream…

Ice cream, smoothies, and hot fudge sundaes…

Candy & candied apples…

There were even treats just for Boston Terriers. :)

Lots of shopping & souvenirs- There was an entire store devoted completely to hot sauces. The names of most of which (while not entirely appropriate to repeat in polite company *blush*) sent us into a fit of uncontrollable giggles.

Tons of restaurants. You could easily spend an entire day here. I really, really wanted one of those doughnuts!

***

Next Up!

Gourmet food truck craze! We grab our phones, hop in the limo and track the location of popular traveling catering trucks via Twitter. Then: The most amazing Italian gelato ever. Have you ever had Vanilla Coffee Marscapone Cheese gelato? Well let me be the first to tell you. It’s delicious!

Thanks for looking!!

© kevinandamanda.com, 2010. | Link to this post | Stumble Upon | Comment on this post | Share on Twitter | Share on Facebook |

I’m back from LA! Last week Bertolli sent me (and one of my lovely readers!) on an all-expenses paid trip to Los Angeles to experience an unforgettable culinary tour of the city and meet celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito.

Everything happened so quickly- Bertolli asked me on a Monday if I was interested in participating, and the next Monday at 6:30 am, I was on my flight to LAX! I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, but it turned out to be an amazing, extraordinary trip of a lifetime. I’ll never forget the the food, the flavors, the friends, the fun. Bertolli truly rolled out the red carpet and treated us like royalty.

My flight landed in LAX at 11 am. When I got to baggage claim, there was a driver holding a sign with my name! And he had a luggage cart! He quickly whisked my carry-on luggage on the cart, grabbed my checked bags from the conveyor belt, and escorted me to my car. There were mints and chilled bottled water waiting for me in the backseat.

Photos via Brittney & Mandy

We stayed in the boutique Thompson Hotel of Beverly Hills, located just steps from Rodeo Drive.

The 360º view of Beverly Hills, Hollywood, & Los Angeles from the rooftop was spectacular. We could see the Hollywood sign!

My reader, Jenny, was already there, and we were starving! We walked down to Crustacean, a restaurant I’d heard about on “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” to try An’s Famous Garlic Noodles. I don’t know how I didn’t end up with a picture of the noodles!? But pictured above is the special appetizer plate the server brought out for us. It wasn’t on the menu, but it was 2 of every single appetizer on the menu- just for us to sample! :) Oh, and check out that FLOOR! Yes! That is a huge fish tank! On the floor! We followed the fish tank path through the bar area and walked over a little bridge to the seating area. Very cool.

Right across the street from Crustacean was… Sprinkles Cupcakes! We had to get several to sample! Clockwise from top left: chocolate marshmallow, cinnamon sugar, vanilla, black & white, mocha, and milk chocolate.

Just two short blocks from Sprinkles was Rodeo Drive!

Me & Jenny

We shopped, gawked at all the excess and got our picture taken with the sign. :)

After we had thoroughly worn ourselves out shopping, we headed back to the hotel to meet up with the other girls who were arriving. But first we stopped at Pinkberry for some frozen yogurt!

I was super excited to meet Jenny from PickyPalate! She is as sweet & precious as she looks in pics. :) We all had rooms right next to each other and we were as giddy as school girls. We also met up with Brittney who won the trip from Briana of Blisstree.com. Brittney is hilarious and the life of the party! She smooth-talked the very large security guard into letting us all into a very swanky, very LA, private party on the roof. It was a premiere party for a new show called Haute & Bothered. We crashed the red carpet and had our pictures made- just like we were supposed to be there! (Yeah right!)

Jenny, me, & Jenny @ PickyPalate

We didn’t stay long- it was way past dinner & we were starving again! My guest Jenny had the most brilliant idea- as soon as we got back to our rooms we all changed into our PJs and ordered room service for a PJ Party! Bertolli graciously told us- “Whatever you want, charge it to the room.” ♥

We ordered practically one of everything from the entire menu! It all sounded so delicious- how could we choose?? :) There were 5 girls, but the room service waiter kept bringing in plate after plate!

We needed one whole tray just for the water, utensils, and condiments!

I loved these tiny ketchup bottles!! :)

Of course we had to have sushi! Baked King Crab Dynamite Hand Roll, California Roll, and Seasame Crusted Shrimp Roll.

and tasty Parmesan Truffle Popcorn…

Delicious Kobe Beef Mini Sliders

Chicken Club – I can never resist a club sandwich! Loved the fries.

Lobster Tacos (incredible!)

My absolute favorite from the night: Grilled Cheese with Tomato & Basil

Penne Bolognese

Jenny @ PickyPalate, me, & Jenny

Here’s just half of what we ordered! :) We put it all on the bed and tried some of everything.

We also ordered house-made vanilla & espresso ice cream and fresh baked cookies & milk… but I guess we devoured those too quickly before we got a pic! :)

We ate, chatted, got to know each other, and speculated about our big day in the morning.

Best. PJ Party. Ever.

***

Stay Tuned!

Tomorrow I’ll post pictures of our incredible day exploring L.A.’s unique culinary scene- starting with our amazing breakfast & tour of LA’s oldest and original Farmers’ Market.

Thanks for looking!! :)

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