Caroline Pardilla

With high gas prices, the sales in scooters has risen. We should know. We've been trying to buy a Vespa for the past three months in the height of summer and found that most SoCal Vespa dealerships had a hard time holding onto their stock. Not that they were complaining as they were able to easily charge a premium for the much sought-after scooters boasting fuel economy 78 mpg and up. Case in point,...

We attended the relaunch party of Tart, restaurant of Farmer's Daughter Hotel across the street from The Grove in West Hollywood, earlier this week where we were invited to sample the redone menu of new executive chef Lauren Kyles, formerly of Hollywood's The Green Door. We had arrived at the party starving for dinner but fried green tomatoes, crab cakes, crawfish spring rolls, bourbon glazed beef sate, and fried chicken sliders to name a few...

In, er, celebration of its anointment as the real-life stand-in for the new West Bev High kids' hangout, Kokomo Cafe will be serving some of its Peach Pit/90210-inspired specials for free on Tuesday, September 2 (the day the teen soap opera premieres on the CW) from 2 to 4pm. Specials include: Leggo My Eggold -- a Belgium waffle with two eggs and bacon; Mr. Wilson Burger -- double beef burger with cheddar and bacon; and...

With mini spa treatments galore, sweets to your heart's content and a swank downtown Los Angeles loft setting, who wouldn't enjoy being a girl at the Pamper Yourself Fabulous event last week? We were lucky enough to be one of the 100+ attendees at this sold-out spa day, a girls' day out unlike any other. No sample sales to stress over or wine tastings to get sloppy during, it's all about rest and relaxation here....

Many drinkers find absinthe an acquired taste, that's why we were reluctant to try the new absinthe cocktail at South in Santa Monica, the Southern Spell ($12). The green liquor tastes like black licorice, our least favorite thing in the world but since this cocktail is new we thought we'd give it a shot in the name of research. Made of Lucid Absinthe, peach schnapps and ginger ale, it sounds like the nasty taste of...

Ever since we first heard of it we've been dying to try out the Root Beer Float Martini ($10) at Kitchen 24 in the Cahuenga Corridor in Hollywood. Is it a cocktail or is it dessert? This concoction shows up at your table as a small scoop of vanilla ice cream in a martini glass and a mini shaker filled with Three Olives Root Beer Vodka and creme de cacao. You pour the sweet dark...

When we first heard about Upper Manhattan Lounge in Manhattan Beach, we had to check it out. Apparently, they have a long martini list. Sure it's not a list with anything really intriguing on it (just one Manhattan cocktail) but it IS something unusual for MB. The lounge opened up this past July but we weren't able to get there til just this Friday. Hey, MB is FAR! Farther than downtown is from us. There's...

This coming Sunday, treat yourself to a body bronzing by Sunset Tan, a mani by OPI, a massage by El Leon Spa and perhaps a makeover by Artform Studio. That's just a few of the beauty treatment options you have at this coming Sunday's Pamper Me Fabulous event held in Downtown's Ford Brady Loft. Plus enjoy free-flowing champagne, food by Ciudad and sweets galore. Every guest also gets to take home a swag bag with...

Ever want to experience what a speakeasy must feel like? Descend the depths of underground downtown bar the Edison for its new weekly bar night called Speakeasy Sundays. Only the bar's Radio Room will be open (entrance is a couple of doors down from the regular entrance in Harlem Alley) while the main bar area will be closed. This means that there's only a 125-swank-person capacity so get there early as doors will close...

That's right, tomorrow SusieCakes will be giving away free slices of its yummy red velvet cake to all comers in celebration of its second birthday. This special goes from 10am-7pm in all three locations -- Brentwood, Calabasas and Newport Beach....