Vino for Uno!

Oh, yummy wine! How much do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

I wish I could say that I was writing this post in the midst of a good swirl and sip, but I'm not. However, that might make for some interesting word choices on my end. As I mentioned in my bio, I'm a wine addict. Not in a wino kind of way but in the sense that I pretty much only drink wine instead of liquor and I love cooking with it! It has a presence in my weekly life, especially on the weekends whenever there's a gathering of my fabulous ladies. But, overall, I really just love drinking it... No hangovers, an endless variety to choose from, the way it compliments my favorite eats, the way it makes me feel.... How can you not love wine?

While I drink a seriously wide variety of wines- I love to try something new whenever possible, checkout my  top faves that are always on repeat along with my pairing suggestions.

* And please for the love of Dionysus, do not expect to find Moscato on my list.

We Tasted: Louie! Louie!

Not the Louie sung about by the Kingsmen in 55' but the Louie on the corner of 7th and Grand in DTLA.

The downtown eatery, Bottega Louie, is amazing! If not only for their sumptuous, delectable, mind blowing french macarons. I've had the pleasure of indulging in four different flavors: Passion Fruit (only carried during the Fall/ Winter), Lemon Raspberry, Raspberry, and Vanilla. Oh, and let's not forget my Orange Passion Fruit cupcake, Passion Fruit Custard cup, and Passion Fruit Chocolate bar. Yes, I have a passion for Passion Fruit. However, Courtney and I have enjoyed actual food there as well, such as their perfectly crispy and seasoned calamari served with a tangy marinara sauce.

Although I can rave about the eats, what really adds the cherry on top of Louie is the beautiful ambiance. Already it looks like a marble and gold gem sitting on the busy downtown corner, but once inside you can't help but feel as if you've elevated your class level. "Pristine" is the first word that comes to mind, and after you take that in "unprententious" comes next, followed by "Hip" because of the awesome music that's always playing at any given time of day.

So the next time you're downtown, Louie will be waiting for you....

LP&S!

Irene

Located: 700 South Grand Los Angeles, CA 90017 (213) 802-1470
Website: http://www.bottegalouie.com/main.html

Chocolate & Wine

more than just macarons

My heart stealer... the Passion Fruit Macaron

Another Louie fan

The deli section. They actually carry Volpi salami which is made with wine!

and course one of Louie's biggest fans...

Photography by Irene and Courtney