I ♡ date night

I've mentioned in the past my man and I love a good date night (who doesn't). Even though we've been living together for quite some time now, it's nice to make an effort to get out and about and enjoy each other the way we did when we first got together.

We made our way down to Venice to our favorite 'dirty' BBQ place, Baby Blues. We stuffed our faces with their C-RAZY ribs, spicy shrimp, cornbread and their "knock your socks off" mac and cheese, without thinking twice.

Upon entering this Southern styled eatery, you wouldn't be wrong for assuming that you had been transported to another State entirely... Surely there can't be this much butter and oil in health conscious LA?! With the sweetest smelling meat being BBQ'd to perfection and an array of beers both light and dark to compliment this stomach swelling meal, you can't go wrong. There's something about this family style low key dining that rings true to me. By now I'm sure you've all figured out that I love a good fancy feast but sometimes it's fun to eat off plastic plates and use your hands!

the combo plate that we demolished

After a walk along the beach contemplating life in Venice, we headed home to sleep off our bbq 'baby' and dream of our perfect beachside home...

I ♡ date night

Every Tuesday (or there abouts) my boyfriend puts together our weekly date night. Whilst I sometimes feel a little guilty about my lack of planning our sultry rendezvous, he always assures me with, "babe, you plan every night of our life, surely I can handle one night a week". Bless.  So, in an effort to encourage his romanticism, I'll be reporting the fabulous little LA locations he takes me to.

Last night was Hollywood's Vinolio.  With its raw and exposed cement walls, (that look like they've seen an earthquake or two) dark and intimate lighting provided by rustic iron chandeliers and plenty a 'nook and cranny' for LA lovers to stow away in, this appears to be a fusion of LA's famous dive bars and an old italian wine bar.  Sound alluring yet?  Well upon entering the 'dine' bar (get it, wine and dive makes d.......sigh....never mind) you're blasted by a fabulous jazz musician belting out some good ol' jazz riffs on his strikingly colored cornet, blatantly reminiscent of many an LA patron's pearly whites. 

As soon as we sat down I could smell fresh lemon being squeezed onto some piping hot fried calamari and I was sold. The menu is not extensive, which is always a plus in my book and the specials were seasonal and sounded fresh and diverse.  Although the sheer volume of 'ol' mate jazzy McGee' was a little too much for a first date, (he literally came to our table at one point to hit a couple of those big notes) it was a fun way to experience the cultural side of LA...  My boyfriends heading off to work now and I'm pretty sure he didn't just say "left shoe and call me gator".. then again it could be a side effect of being serenaded by a trumpet.