• All
  • *
  • Cocktails
  • Food
  • Lifestyle
  • Podcasts
  • Syndicate
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Videos
  • Wine
The Little Door restaurant is like a little secret hideaway, but it's not a secret. The space on 3rd Street in West Hollywood has been known as a romantic French restaurant since it opened in 1996. It seems  to be tucked away but it's actually on a busy street and easy to find, if you are looking for it. In September (2014), The Little Door opened a second location, tucked out in the open on 26th Street, just south of San Vicente, in Santa Monica (across the street from the Brentwood Country Mart). The Little Door Santa Monica With ornate wrought iron fencing covering the entrance on 26th Street, it is easy to miss The Little Door Santa Monica, if you are not looking. There are no signs that pop out as you drive by. But, located in the former space of Mimi's, enter the "little door" and you are in a large open patio area. To the right is indoor dining and bar and there are two private rooms in the rear [who hadn't been to a bridal shower, baby shower or birthday lunch in those spaces when it was Mimi's?]. But what the Little Door Santa Monica offers is lots of outdoor dining space that will make you feel like you have been transported to a French Mediterranean village.....white washed walls with blue accents and lots of fresh greenery. While the space may be a perfect romantic destination at night, it is an ideal spot for a weekend brunch.
What do you know about Mezcal? Perhaps you think of it as similar to tequila but with strong smoky flavors? That's what I had thought. But, after a Mezcal Monday night led by Gia St.George at Tacoteca in Santa Monica, I learned that Mezcal is a ritual drink that was created to take care of your soul. It is used to heal the body, celebrate life and death and to enjoy the pleasures of life. And, that smokey flavor comes from overcooking the agave. Gia St. George at Tacoteca On the Mezcal Monday night that I attended, I was introduced to Bruxo Mezcal, where I met Brand Ambassador Irais Monroy. Bruxo is prononced "brew-hoh" and is a play on the word "Brujo", which is synonymous with a wizard, sorcerer or shaman. By changing the "j" to an "x", there is a connection to Mexico in the name. Bruxo Mezcal is known for "bringing to earth the complexity of agave flavors, the magic and the heritage of the master Mezcaleros and the “wizards” and "witches”, the Mezcal makers", Irais explained, but it is also known as the mezcal that changed my mind about the category.
Even if you live in Santa Monica, you might not know about breakfast and lunch spot Tiato. Located on the ground floor of an office building on Colorado Blvd at Harvard Street, it is a daily destination for people who work in the area. But, even if you don't work in this area, Tiato is worth a stop for breakfast or lunch. Tiato
Copied!