busy bees

Hey everyone!

You haven't been forgotten about, but life is busy lately and sadly haven't had much time to dedicate to Bundts. Should be back in action next week. Hope you all have a superb long labor day weekend!

Revisting a Classic- Ford's Filling Station

After an embarrassing guffaw in an attempt at a romantic date night in where I made reservations at a downtown Culver City restaurant intended to surprise my husband, showed up at the restaurant only to be told they did not have me on their list. I retrieved my OpenTable confirmation only to see that I made a reservation for Sunday night...this was 7pm on Saturday night. WOOPS! The restaurant was packed, so we needed an alternate plan. I even dressed up and wore heels and a nice dress.. fail. We decided to head over to Ford's Filling Station to feet our stomachs and our souls. We have been going to Ford's Filling Station for a few years and while we don't make it there on a monthly basis, we've always been rather pleased with our meals, the laid back yet quality ambiance, and the friendly staff.

Krome the Dome, a huckleberry cocktail

Devilled eggs

Smoked pork taquitos

Heirloom tomato salad with burrata (my fave!), green
chickpeas, chickpea pesto, and hazlenuts

Cubano flatbread

We are always looking for new restaurants to try and would love to hear your recent favorites. Please share!

Loafin Around Town

I love Lucy loafers! I bought a pair of python loafers last fall and I never looked back. I bought the loafers because I knew I loved them, but I was surprised at how versatile they ended up being. I love them with skinny jeans and an over sized sweater, with skirts and sweaters, and with dresses at the office.  Take advantage of the warmer weather with simple shorts and tops and then add some edge with spiked loafers or these colorful kelly green ones. I'd love to hear if you are into loafers- or not, and how you wear them!

 

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La Otra Taqueria Escuela

These summer nights make it tough to stay in doors when there's still a few hours of light out. I was itching to get out and try some place new and enjoy the evening a bit. La Otra Taqueria Escuela was the perfect solution to my quandary. I had been to Taqueria Escuela once and only once for the sheer purpose of trying their churros, a task I highly recommend to you. Well, Taqueria Escuela since moved around the corner to La Otra Taqueria Escuela into a bigger space. It's a cool space, but still small. There are shoes trees hanging from the ceiling, white tiles lining the walls, an open kitchen, and maybe 15 tables fill the space. The menu definitely differs from your average taco shop with the addition of fillings such as branzino (which we loved, pictured below), lobster, and pork ribs, but still maintaining classics like carne asada and carnitas. The tacos are small, but served with two to an order which was perfect for me- and perfect for sharesies! We paired our tacos with chips and salsa, and a side of beans. Big fan of their beans which had a great slightly smokey flavor. I love Mexican food and La Otra Taqueria Escuela is a great addition to the area.

Chips and Salsa

decor

Branzino tacos

Carnitas tacos with a touch of guacamole

Side of refried beans

I definitely want to go back to try their Chicken Tinga Burrito. Have you been? What did you get?

Lately Loving: Kate Spade Sample Sale

At Bundts of Steel, it's important to us to keep you posted about the best food we find, quality beauty products, trends we love, and well...really good sales! Today is the last day of this Kate Spade sample sale and we'd be remiss if we didn't spread the good word. I've already scored a really great bag and am highly anticipating it's arrival.Which bag you ask? Well, you'll have to wait and see! With prices marked down from the 400's to the 100 range, it's an impossible task for us to turn our backs on this hot little sale. There are some great looks in here to get you ready for fall and winter, so we'd be excited to hear you took advantage of this one. Whether it's a bag, jeweler, a saucy t-shirt, a dress, or maybe stationary, we are pretty sure something in this sale will strike your fancy!

Go ahead..click on in and get your shop on!

So, did you treat yourself? You know we're big on treating yourself..come on, YOU deserve it! Tell us about your score- we are dying to hear what you got!

Laurel Hardware

If you're like me it's a tough task to hear about a new restaurant that sounds like it's right up your alley and it kills you to wait hours if not days to go check it out. Such was the case with  Laurel Hardware and it pained me to wait about a month to try this place. I wanted to go the second it appeared on my radar. By the time I finally was able to go, I was fully aware that the back bar was the place to be, I knew all to well I'd NEED to try their pizza,and that their cocktails are a must. Burrata is my dairy kryptonite, I really can't not order it if it's on a menu, and I don't see why anyone would want to forgo burrata. Shame on you! In a world of bigger is better, I was pleased to see the size of their pizzas are perfect for sharing for a party of two paired with a few other treats. We opted in for the apple cider glazed pork belly and just the mere mention of this makes me salivate. I'll have to go back another time to try their cocktails and I think I'll revisit this burrata board when I do. Mixed with avocados and heirloom tomatoes, it was probably my stand out of the night.

heirloom tomatoes, burrata, avocado, plums

marherita pizza- those sea salt flakes are an awesome touch!

apple cider glazed pork belly

I remember going into Laurel Hardware when it actually was a hardware store and I'll definitely be back to it's new delicious incarnation. Have you made it over and sampled the fare? What did you think?

Camel + Black

As we look ahead to fall one of my favorite color combos for this time of year is camel paired with black. It's chic, classic, and these colors are incredibly versatile to pair with other pieces in your wardrobe (think navy, white, leopard prints). This combo is really set off with gold accessories and worn in classic silhouettes. All this fall talk is making me wish temperatures were a little cooler today so I could throw on an oversized sweater and pants and curl up with a chai tea latte (one of my favorite fall necessities!) without breaking into a sweat.

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What are your favorite color palettes for fall? What are you looking forward to with the change in seasons?

Farmshop

It pains me to admit to you the following to two pieces of information: 1) I had never been to the Brentwood Country Mart until last week which leads straight into 2) I had not been to Farmshop until last week. Maybe it's more painful for me because I was missing out on the cuteness and fabulosity of the Country Mart and the delicious freshness of the food from Farmshop. Farmshop looks like a restaurant set straight out of a Nancy Meyers movie and I was waiting for Meryl Streep and Steve Martin to walk in at any minute and peruse the cheese counter and gourmet market. Sadly I didn't have any Meryl or Steve sightings, but I was pretty impressed with my meal and my lovely surroundings. I have never been more sincere in saying I wanted to order every dish on the menu. I settled on sharing a corn and avocado salad followed by the Maine Lobster Roll, a sandwich I could not resist if I tried! I didn't splurge on any baked goods as I had my sights set on stopping by for a little ice cream treat from Sweet Rose Creamery, but I have a sneaking suspicion that I will be back to get my hands on a cookie or peanut butter chocolate tart!

 

Corn & Avocado Salad:

 herbed farro, poached cherry tomatoes, mizuna & bellwether dairy’s pepato cheese

Check out those gorgeous watermelon radishes

Maine Lobster Roll

toasted brioche, bread & butter pickles with french fries

Those white clouds are meringues and I need to try one!

yes to all of it please

 

 Please tell me you've been to Farmshop. If you haven't I promised you won't be disappointed. Put on your Brentwood's best and head on over for a treat!

Lately Loving: Ms. & Mrs. Mini Emergency Kit

Over the holidays I did a little gift swap with a friend and I was the recipient of this Ms. & Mrs. Mini Emergency Kit. Little did I know how this little kit would save the day more times than I would like to admit.

Without the help of this kit I would live in a bubble of shame..seriously. Let me recount for you a recent story of how it saved the day. Humiliating Scene: Walking into work in a cute orange skirt and pink and white striped sweater, pleased with my preppy and peppy outfit choice and ready to take on the day. As I'm riding up the elevator to my office I catch a glimpse of my backside in the mirrored elevator walls. OH NO..what is that? Um..I think my skirt seam right above the slit has split. Shock horror! No sarcasm here, actual shock and actual horror. My bum is almost visible and maybe it was as skirts have a tendency to ride up on occasion. Who saw my butt? The possibilities of the hundreds of people who walk and drive by on Wilshire Blvd right before 8am flash through my mind. Want to crawl into a hole and not come out for the rest of the day, please! After several expletives said under hushed breath as I scurry from the elevator to my desk I remember that I have a sewing kit on me and I can salvage the situation. I break out my mini sewing kit and rushed to the bathroom, dropped trow, and stitched up the backside of my skirt while hiding in a stall. Alright, the day might be redeemable..or at least no one else is going to see me bare it all from this point forth! Had I not had this on me at work I probably would have had to change into my yoga pants at my desk, which sounds pretty nice, but wouldn't look too cute with the striped sweater.

Seriously, this kit saved my day! It also comes with breath freshener, nail file, nail polish, nail polish remover, hair spray, tampon, deodorant, stain remover, and a few other goodies. You like to think you won't be needing to rely on the contents of this kit any time soon, but you never really know. You might want to stock up on these for your pre-holiday shopping as they make a great gift and come in a variety of colors, oh, and treat yourself to one too. You never know when the world might see your butt if you don't have this on your person at all times!

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Compact: A Review

I have been a faithful user of Laura Mercier’s Oil Free Tinted Moisturizer for many years. I was a convert ever since I was displeased with Stila's Tinted Moisturizers lack of coverage. LM's Oil Free Tinted Moisturizer (OFTM) had great coverage. It was also a little dewy, which is a look I LOVE. So, when Sephora alerted me to Laura's new product, her tinted moisturizer in compact form, I was sold even before I heard about the hefty $45 price. This is a common happening in my life: I decide I need a specific product, sell myself on it, convince myself that no matter what I'm going to purchase it, and then find out the price. Shopping fail. Please note that the OFTM is $43. What's with the $2 difference Laura Mercier? Strange.

The liquid tinted moisturizer is perfectly easy to apply. I used to use a foundation brush to apply, but realized my hands were quicker and actually a better tool. Application took less than a minute. But, could this compact form of the tinted moisturizer cut that LONG minute in half? And, more importantly, would it save me from making tinted moisturizer hand stains on my white walls when I'm trying to keep my balance while putting on my flats in the morning? Trust me, even after a thorough hand washing I still manage to make smudges on my once crisp white walls. THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS!

To make a long review short, I will tell you this: Those expecting an identical product to the liquid tinted moisturizer will be a tad let down, but also pleasantly surprised. The dewy look is gone and the coverage is a bit less than the liquid version, but I actually really liked the product. I went ahead and bought the OFTM along with the new compact so I didn't have to choose between the two. Options are always nice.

But, I would be cautious if you are prone to dry skin. The compact might not be too forgiving to people with dry spots or acne. I had a small blemish that was healing and therefore very dry. The compact version didn't look so good over it. I had what looked like a small ring of dry skin at the spot. So, that's something that should be considered. Also, he compact is not oil free. They haven't made an oil free version yet, so this is also something to consider. As of yet, I haven't broken out. And I feel less shiny. Points for the compact.

Overall, I'm digging the product and I'm happy with my purchase. I think it will be an even better product on the nights where I'm leaving work to go to a ball or gala or movie premiere, don't have time to stop at home and need to do my makeup in the bathroom on the fly. Yes. That's my life. Always leaving my beige cubicle at 5:30 to make it to some $40,000 a plate fundraiser.

White Jeans Through the Seasons

Forget Labor Day, white jeans can be worn all year round and we're here to show you how. I had always been nervous to buy white jeans because I was scared that A, they would not flatter my figure, B, that I couldn't keep them clean, and C, that I could only wear them from May to September. Reasons A and B still concern me even though I know have 2 pairs of white jeans, but C, not even a worry. White jeans can be really be worn year round and we're here to help you learn how to wear white from Labor Day through Memorial Day.

In the summer we like to pair white jeans with bright tops for a crisp look. In the fall and winter months we are into wearing white jeans in similar ways to wearing blue or black denim, with navy  and gray tops, sweaters, chambray button downs, blazers, and jackets.

Fall-Winter

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White jeans are a chic staple all year round. What are your favorite white jean looks? Have you braved white jeans through the cooler months.