say CHEESE!

my sister is visiting from mexico city. I've spoken of her before. she's rad. so smart. so silly. in addition to being an editor for a think tank with the world trade organization out of geneva switzerland, she is a foodie with a food blog and a culinary radio show on public radio out of switzerland entitled 'caitlin's kitchen'. what better way to show a foodie a good time but by taking them to a grilled cheese contest!? I had read about the grilled cheese invitational in several papers and heard their announcements on NPR. however, with all of the press they did, there was no mention of a location. turns out, this group of grilled cheesers are quite the Illuminati. they choose to keep the location a secret so as only the diehard grilled cheese fans will find it. caitlin and I were steadfast on eating that cheese so we took to the streets and after several stops on the web, we took a drive over to the cheese store of silverlake. we walked in calmly showing no signs of the hope we held inside. 'do u know the location of the grilled cheese initiative?', I asked an employee. with a chesire cat smile, she replied with a very clear she knew where it was, 'nope'. thwarted! the shop owner overheard our request and came over with the address xeroed on the back of a piece of paper. he carefully slipped it to us and disappeared back amongst the roquefort and camembert. eureka! we got it. we rushed to the car with little time to spare and made our way to griffith park where the contest was being held. as we walked from our car to the clearing we saw hundreds of people dressed in orange and outrageous costumes. there was a mad max-style thunderdome set up in the round with the chefs in the cooking up their cheesy creations in the middle and then around that were the hundreds of visitors who act as judges. when a new sandwich comes off the pan, the person or part of the group yelling and chanting 'CHEESE' the loudest will be awarded with a sample to judge. upon getting a sandwich , there is a ballot attached to the paper plate in which you judge the grilled cheese on presentation, cheesiness, uniqueness of ingredients and of course, how it tasted. we screamed for cheese as loud as we could and ended up with a lovely pecorino with truffles, an undercooked american, a gloppy and oily cheddar and a pizza-like mozz with oregano. after several pieces and several hours of shouting we were wiped out. on the way to the car, we dreamt up which ingredients we would use to take the grand prize. but we can't tell you that here. you'll have to find it for yourself next year.

house call

last night I attended the 'after the flood: building on a higher ground' exhibition at the museum of architecture and design on wilshire. co-sponsored by brad pitt and his make it right foundation, the traveling exhibition is a series of architectural blueprints of homes that can be built in new orleans in the wake of hurricane katrina. all houses are sustainable and come equipped to brave the strongest of winds and water. it is a spectacular undertaking and the night was beautiful (including the new orleans caramel turtles they passed around for dessert). yummo.

pink flamingo

Can't afford a CHANEL suit? Try a limited edition Le Vernis Nail Color - to some it's just as chic. Do you recall the vampy dripping dark red that Uma Thurman wore in Pulp Fiction almost a decade ago? Of course you do. It was Chanel's Vamp and it instantly became part of our polish pop culture. How about last year's pandomium that followed Chanel's Black Satin polish? Before the store's were stocked up, the limited edition color had sold out. Each season, Chanel comes out with a Limited Edition color that sells for $19 a bottle and you can you bet your twice monthly Mani/Pedi that the color sells out before the season even starts. Right now, Chanel Le Vernis Nail Color is offering a Limited Edition Blue Satin for Spring 2008 but this month the Summer 2008 collection is released and with it, a bright pink polish named Flamingo and the frosted golden-brown, Antilope.

be the change

did you see american idol gives back last night? it was incredibly moving and gave my hope, hope that small change (literally and figuratively) from one person can make a big difference. I gave, did you? www.americanidol.com

l.a. happenings from la.com

I just received a newsletter from la.com’s clotheshoarse blog and figured I would share with you these fun fashion Hollywood happenings...

New Trouble in Old Chinatown April 5
Get on the front lines of Downtown's gentrification from 10pm-2am at Mountain Bar on April 5. Fashion-forward art crew The Status Faction is partnering with our Eastside source for the hippest threads from across the pond, Welcome Hunters, to showcase its newest works. Witness the creation of live art while DJs Phylo, Sara T, Biff Chitlins and Toks provide the tunes. Free, open to the public and, of course, LA.com sponsored.

The Way We Wore Pop-Up Store Through May 15
Vintage designer duds at 60-95% off, with dresses starting at $22 and most prices ranging from $40-$60. Kids vintage is now available too.

The Warehouse Sale April 5-6
Sat.-Sun., 10am-4pm. The mega denim sale is back offering 80% of Rock & Republic, Diesel, True Religion, Frankie B, Genetic Denim, Citizens of Humanity, 575 Denim, J Brand. Christian Audigier, et al. RSVP at: www.thewarehousesale.com

Last Chance Boutique Winter Clearance
This Culver City boutique is clearing out its winter wear with 50-80% off designers like Cynthia Vincent, Phillip Lim, Diabless and even 40-65% off new spring arrivals.

Costume Exhibit at the Gamble House April 13-June 8
FIDM and the Gamble House are pairing up to showcase costumes from the Fashionable dress movement which pays homage to the era (circa 1908) the historic house was built.

Blowdry 101 at Borrelli Beverly Hills May 7
Wed., 6:30pm. On the first Wednesday of every month Borrelli Beverly Hills offers classes teaching you how to blowdry your own hair like a pro. Bring along your stying tools and dry your hair as usual and a stylist will correct you as you go. A fee of $20 per person includes a shampoo, a lesson,a product kit and cocktails.