Ramen, pho, soups.....there are oodles of noodle dishes to make you feel cozy and happy on these cold nights. This past weekend, to celebrate the Lunar New Year, the First Annual Noodle Bowl Festival took place at the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica. From traditional noodle houses to others who put their spin on noodles, seven restaurants from around Los Angeles served warm bowls of noodles to a full crowd. While slurping and filling our bellies, proceeds were raised for My Friend’s Place, a Hollywood-based charity dedicated to assisting and inspiring homeless youth to build self-sufficient lives. Noodle Bowl Fest 2013 100_2390
Every year for my birthday I try to find a new restaurant to try with my family. What better way to celebrate than to enjoy a new place with family while getting to try lots of dishes and sharing. In perfect timing, David Myers' Hinoki and the Bird opened just in time to be the restaurant of choice. I had been sad when Sona closed as some of my first real foodie experiences were at Sona. But, David is back with Hinoki and the Bird, located in the basement of a luxury condo building in Century City that is not so easy to find (my GPS was confused and I had to make 2 calls to the restaurant to make sure I was in the right place).  We arrived and were greeted by the valets, still not sure what to expect. But, once the big wooden doors opened, we stood looking out over the entire restaurant.  From the bustling bar to the open kitchen, the room was filled with energy. Chef David Myers100_2376
A birthday is a perfect excuse as any to go out to dinner. It is a guarantee to have a group of people which means ordering lots of different dishes and sharing. So, for this year's birthday, I picked Josef Centeno's newest restaurant Bar Amá in downtown LA that recently opened. Inspired by the memories of the women who raised him, Josef Centeno has created a menu of elevated Tex-Mex favorites that he grew up on. Bar Ama
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