brew me another cup

cognoscenti

i love lots of things. fashion, food, art & more, but i truly heart coffee. i’ve been drinking coffee since i was a kid. yes, a kid. i didn’t have milk with my breakfast & thank goodness my mother never took away the mug that i would steal sips from. i just loved the taste of it. the strong jolt & deep, rich flavor poured in every mug. so now as an adult nothing has changed.

“the happiness i feel sipping a great cup of espresso or an artfully poured latte is one of my great moments of the day, especially when you’re experiencing the work behind the process.”

so as the world continues to embrace the many growing roasting & speciality coffee shops sprouting in los angeles, i will keep enjoying the friendly people that gather & share my love for this special art form… 

handsome roasters single origin short cake coffee plus food cognoscenti coffee go get em tiger paper plastik cafe

a list of my favorite instagram coffee shops/roasters: 
handsome roasters
go get em tiger
cognoscenti coffee
wrecking ball coffee
verve coffee
oakwood roasted
sqirl coffee
bar nine coffee
intelligentsia venice
caffe luxxe
blue bottle coffee
la coffee club
g & b coffee
bru coffee bar
dripp coffee
ritual coffee
coava coffee

monica is…all about that plant life.

purple house plantso after a stressful start to the year (some swift changes were made to get back on track!), i decided that i really wanted to commit to “relaxing”. although it is not always easy to get back & simplify, it was an important thing i wanted to at least try to do. i shifted my diet, exercise came back into my life, & gardening. yes, gardening. as a child, it was a first love and something that was a fun thing to do with my family. we were & still are a lover of plants, the outdoors, & anything your bare hands can cultivate and grow. after i was given a small pot with the most amazing specimen of succulent, alas the desire came back! its the little things. i’m a few weeks into my hobby & now my fashion haunts have turned into lowes trips, which i’m loving more everyday…

a beautiful mess

image from a beautiful mess

 from the brickhouse

image from the brickhouse

tumblr_mpl4jlUFG81qzec1no1_1280

image from the brickhouse

image from the brickhouse
image from the brickhouse

 

summer loves…

summer loves

summer is in full effect & these lazy days are filled with warm nights, bbq’s with friends, & endless daydreaming. perfect for those pinterest nights where you just can’t stop pinning. (here’s my profile & join in on the fun!) i’ve been on a kick & for those who still aren’t on or don’t get it; you don’t know what your missing!

  who doesn’t want to be endlessly inspired?

here are three loves that i stumbled upon & can’t stop wishing i could wear as my uniform… 

\\   one  \\  two  \\  three  \\ 

gramercy york in culver city…

gramercy york gramercy york 6 gramercy york 5 gramercy york3gramercy york2 pommes frites candles

driving through culver city’s arts district is a weekly occurrence since i love visiting cognoscenti coffee (delicious cortados!), but this time after noticing their eye-catching storefront, i finally stepped into gramercy york. an airy space filled with carefully curated finds of indie & well known designers, like clare vivier, malin & goetz, wolverine, it is a welcoming change to this ever booming street. the inviting centerpiece table houses gifts, housewares & an enviable selection of leather goods to make any accessories junkie swoon. i had to snag this pair of intoxicating candles from long beach’s pomme frites candle co. & couldn’t stop sniffing them on the ride home. keep this boutique on your radar westside… 

gramercy york | 8568 washington blvd culver city, ca 90232 | 310.280.1102 | twitter @gramercyyork | instagram gramercy york 

red hot shot…

chegoIMG_2905ooeygooeyfries

made a quick stop in downtown la’s chinatown for the newest addition of roy choi’s chego. (just in case you unfamiliar, the chef behind the koji bbq food trucks. pure magic!) chubby pork belly bowl & ooey gooey fries were the two things i had to order up, plus tubs full of hot sauce seemed only fitting. with all these familiar mexican, chinese, & korean flavors, this native angeleno girl was in a state of bliss. this will be “my summer jam”. pulling up a seat on the patio, with the best rap music playing, & waiting for a steaming bowl to appear. yup, count me in…

chego east | 727 north broadway, #117, los angeles 90012 | twitter @eatchego