love and art.

Okay: two posts so far, both about friends, food and adventuresome eating experiences. You've seen the inside of our home, had a glimpse of our wacky fashion sense and have been fed nothing but honesty. But somehow, I'm going to get even more personal with you, which is going to tap into the surface of my ... *wait for it* ... love life. The best part about that is that this also goes along with one of my other favorite things to do (and if you couldn't tell, I have a lot of favorite things to do, like italicizing words for dramatic emphasis). 


I have been super blessed in my life, despite some very hard challenges. I am surrounded by the best of friends, one of which who lives with me, many who are still living back home in Cali, a few sprinkled across the U.S., and a handful that I have had the pleasure of meeting out here in Las Vegas; I have a wonderful, cooky family that has supported me emotionally with every decision I've made thus far, and have had many forms of inspiration come into my life. Denise has a heart bursting with ideas of cooking and traveling, both of which fuel my own desires of learning and seeing the world. She is also very artsy, which is the direction I'm getting to in this post. I have been fortunate enough to know some very talented artists, especially in the field of drawing - which is where I find myself when I put on that art cap (I would call myself a writer before an artist). I've also dabbled with charcoal, which is the medium I am using for my current project, a piece from a scene in my unfinished novel. I really enjoy using charcoal because it is messy and so full of possibilities; every stroke, purposefully or on accident, is a gateway to another way in which to bring one's original idea to life. 


I bet right now you're wondering what my love life and my love of art have to do with each other. As I mentioned twice before, I've been blessed with knowing and coming to know some artsy, inspirational people. One of which is my boyfriend - or rather, "manfriend" as I call him, as he is a man, not a boy ;) His name is Rey (also my nickname from back home, spelled differently) and we met through our work in Las Vegas. There are many things I love about this man including all of our almost-creepy similarities, but here are three things I love about him most and that stick out to me right now: 1. I know it sounds cliché, but he honestly loves me for me; 2. He genuinely shines in our field of work, which emulates the kind of person he is - compassionate and with a heart of gold; and 3. He inspires me in my art. He is genuinely interested in my love of writing and drawing, and he requested one of our last hang outs to be an art session. Rey loves to water color paint. He loves to paint eyes and create characters from curvy, abstract lines. This past week I had the pleasure of watching him paint while I worked on my own piece, each stroke of his brush calculative and spontaneous at the same time. I didn't know where he was going with it at first but I knew somewhere behind those brown eyes that he did ... mostly. The beautiful thing about creating art is that the destination, which can be hinted in its skeletal form, is never completely known until the piece is finished. It's all about the journey there, that is what makes the piece so much fun to work on. Neither of us have finished our pieces yet, but I'm excited to be working with him. I've never really had the opportunity to actually work in that way with a significant other before, and the fact that we share a common interest in art - and, thankfully, so many other things - makes doing them together that much more fun and with little distraction from one another. We sat in his bathroom, the unofficial art studio, in verbal silence while our hands worked separately, allowing the melodies of Anthony Green, NIN's Ghost Album and some Circa Survive provide the tempo for our works. It was a purely lovely way to spend a Monday evening together doing something different from the norm, bonding and creating together in an unconventionally romantic way.


Here are some glimpses of what we have finished so far:

Do you have an idea of what it could be?

Tools of the trade.

Mine.

Outlining.

Hopefully we'll finish these pieces soon and then I will post the finished products for you guys to see. But for now, I shall leave you with a picture of my and my darling manfriend. He always puts a smile on my face <3 

Staying creative for life,

Rae.

At New York New York ... I love you, babe <3

food and the city.

While making food with friends is a fun and insightful way to spend a day like Sunday Funday, there is always the curious joy of stepping out into the unknown and enduring the sights and unique dining experiences of a city in which one is still quite new. Having only lived in Las Vegas since the end of August, I am still at glorified tourist status. I drive around only knowing how to get to certain places more so by sights rather than actual street names; I still have to ask if Vegas houses certain restaurant chains - and no, there are no Black Angus's or Chik-Fil-A's out here :[ - and the only way I know in which direction I'm headed is by using the Strip as a compass. So it is a bit intimidating when I want to try a new place to dine but really don't have any clue as to where a good place to go would be. It's also less congenial when one's palate has become accustom to equating fine dining with the French experience and one is definitely not in France (and yes, I often refer to France because of how much that vacation has influenced my life, so I apologize if the reference gets old ... but then again I don't as it has forced me to be a lot more brave and even pretentious in many ways that I will not get into at the present time).


Thankfully for me, I live with a woman with a passion for cooking and a knack for finding fresh places to eat; I also have a friend who has lived here for six years and knows of a few yummy local spots. The three of us combined share a passion for foreign foods and experiences. For those of you who crave something a little different in your own dining experiences, here are a few places we've enjoyed, complete with a delectable menu and the savory atmosphere highlighted with European shazam ;)


The first is from a place called Patisserie Manon, a French bakery on Charleston.

a latté, a tart, two élcairs, an espresso and a cup of black coffee.

Secondly, my dear friend Denise found this awesome Caribbean style restaurant called DW Bistro, located on Fort Apache, and of course we had to have a meal there. Thanks to Anthony Bourdain, we were inspired to have a plate of jerk chicken - or rather, she had the jerk chicken. 

Finger lickin' fun.

My plate went a little something like this:

Nicoise - tuna and the fixins. 

And you can't enjoy a Caribbean brunch without the following - mimosas and Merlot :) (*disclaimer: who wants to find me that wine glass? Because I'll give you my right kidney for it ...)

I guess you could include me to that list.

The third place was recommended to us by Cesar after we took a trip to Total Wine ... and left with three bottles of that liquid gold (or red). This place is called Leoné Café, and it is an Italian style joint located in Tivoli Village. The entire center is enclosed like its own little section of an Italian town, complete with cobblestone walkway and plenty of outdoor seating - perfect for relaxing with a cup of Joe, a pastry, light conversation and a bit of people watching.

Warning: sugar coma eminent. 

Rich environment.

Even the bathrooms reminded us of our peasantry. 

Even among the bright city lights and hustle and bustle of Las Vegas, it is possible to find those hidden gems where life slows down, the company is perfect and every bite is a reminder that even a place as barren as the desert can deliver a jackpot of culinary bliss. See you in the next post!

Staying hungry for life,

Rae.

food, friends, and food - a beginning.

Hello, 2012 - I've been expecting you. 

Funny thing, really, as the beginning of this year has been different from anything I could have ever expected; it has been unique and full of adventures that have allowed me to build an excitement for things yet to come. I won't bore you with too many irrelevant details, but I've been a busy human being as of late. The first part of the adventure, and what I will hit upon solely for today's post, comes in the form of something very near and dear to my ... stomach. Yes. Food. Like any other sane human being, I very much adore food; but what I really adore is trying new types of foods. However, the absolute best thing about food (that I have come to recognize and treasure) is the experience of cooking and eating delicious new foods with friends.


So to begin this blog, I will introduce you to the little idea that started the tradition that I hope will carry on for the remainder of the year and the rest of my Vegas-living experience: Sunday Fundy. Or as we like to call it on BBM and Twitter, #SundayFunday.


Sunday Funday started out as a hang out between my best friend and roomie, Denise, and our friend Cesar. Cesar and I enjoy wine; Cesar and Denise enjoy cooking; and Cesar, Denise and I enjoy eating, so we arrived at the conclusion that hanging out together should consist of wine, laughter, Julia Child and a kitchen filled with delectably foreign smells to get our palates watering for something fresh. This enlightenment of culinary feats has also sparked the desire to find some relaxing hang-outs for different meal choices as well, especially with my personal want to find a place to sit down, people watch and enjoy something light - having been inspired by mine and Denise's summer escapades in France. Thankfully, we have been able to secure a few locations in our Las Vegas area that is far enough away from the lights and dazzle of the Strip to give us a vague re-connection with our time in France.


Okay, with all of that said, nothing is more stimulating than actually seeing what it is I'm talking about. Food lovers, travel enthusiasts and those who simply need an excuse to spend time doing something different, fun and generally economical with those you love, here are some highlights of our first three Sunday Fundays. There will be many more blogs to come about this topic and I anxiously await every week like a child anticipating Santa on Christmas Eve to know what kind of yummy shenanigans we will subject ourselves to.

Introducing: (with our sexiest cooking faces while preparing the cacio epepe and garlic and herb chicken)

     Denise, the Julia Child

Cesar, the wine-induced Cook

And your host, blogger and "professional eating and wine connoisseur": Me.

Here are some of the culinary feats thus created from our crazy, French-inspired way of "life":

Tarte Aux Pomme

Cacio epepe and cabernet sauvignon

Our other three best friends.

Denise takes a delicious stab at a caramel cake, inspired by the movie The Help.

What is our "French way of life"? This:

Pray no butts end up in the pan.

And this:

The burdens of being a penniless writer in Las Vegas.

This is the beginning of our Sunday Fundays. In the next post I will show you some of the yummy things we've consumed at some yummy new places, so stay tuned!

Staying hungry for life,

Rae.