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Ocean and Vine
Experience our new restaurant and lounge located at Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel. With its beachfront setting, sleek furnishings, and fire-pit bar area, it promises to become "the hottest place on the beach."
> Click here for info!
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Life's a Picnic (Basket)Remember back in the olden days when nothing said "I fancy you" like a big ole' brimmin' basket of portable goodies? We've got everything you need to bring the picnic back. By Eric Rosen Abra-Cadabra is all gift baskets all the time. What’s nice about them is that though they break their baskets down into several categories like Gourmet Delight, Fresh Baked Goods, and Taste of Italy, they will customize each order and make sure that you get exactly what you want based on how much you want to spend. Just be sure to steer away from some of their cheesier options, like the plush teddy bears and the scented bath crystals. Abra-Cadabra is also the only retailer on our list that now offers a new “Romantic & Erotic” gift basket section that gets rather racy—you have to be over 18 to even look at the options. Our eyes were covered the whole time. We swear.
Rather than your ordinary gift baskets, this fabulous French eatery on the border of
A neighborhood café-cum-basket-bakery, Clementine is a little Century City/Westwood gem whose produce and goods come from local farmer’s markets and prepared from scratch. They have a variety of gift and picnic baskets. What’s great about Clementine’s baskets is that they are all customizable. The basket menu suggests options like the “Clementine in a Basket,” which comes with your choice of homemade soups, macaroni and cheese, chicken pot pie, meatloaf, specialty salads and baked goods. The choices of soups, salads, main dish and goodies are up to you. So throw together your favorite combos and experiment with new ones. Just keep an eye on the tab since if you’re anything like us, you’ll be inclined to include everything that sounds delicious, and that adds up!
Cheerio, criminy, bloody hell! Whip out all your anglicisms because this iconic British brand is finally establishing a foothold. Now, not only will you be able to order classic English sundries like assortments of “biscuits,” teas, and something called “cognac butter” (we have no idea what that is, but it sounds brilliant, doesn’t it?), but F&M’s fancy gift baskets will also be available to U.S. customers via their web site. Only they’re called hampers. You know, because they’re British. You can assemble a basket from their Gift section, which is divided into sections for men, women and children. Or choose from one of the pre-arranged baskets like the Ultimate Chocolate Tin; the quintessentially British Whitehall Hamper with marmalade, relish and shortbreads among other English specialties; or the absolutely adorable Children’s Tea Time Hamper, which comes with a tiny tea set. That one is designed to “teach them (children) to take tea seriously and a lifetime of satisfaction awaits.” Due to the value of the dollar sinking against other currencies, these comestible cadeaux are pretty expensive, but once you take a look at the web site, you won’t be able to help yourself. God bless the Queen! http://www.fortnumandmason-usa.com/ Fraiche provides an assortment of different gifts, from fresh organic fruit baskets to candle and beauty product sets. Try one of the new Berry Baskets, like the one that comes with a bottle of champagne and a chocolate fondue set. If you want to skip the berries and get right to the chocolate, Fraiche offers nine different chocolate baskets filled with truffles, fudge, pastries, cocoa and baked goods. For a different sort of buzz, there are coffee and tea hampers, both available with cookies. What most intrigued us, however, was the Epicurean section, where we found such items as the Charcuterie Hamper (both large and small sizes), the Les Fromages packed with gourmet cheeses, the Prosciutto Hamper, the Salmon Hamper, and the Epicurean Hamper, which combines them all along with tasty treats like
One of our favorite mid-city bakery cafes also features an impressive array of gift baskets for occasion both personal and professional. Try the crisp white
An appropriately named outlet since their wares are so good, you’ll eat every last crumb. With such tinseltown titles as the Red Carpet, Bling Bling The Board Room baskets, the Last Crumb offers locale-appropriate products for a predictable audience. We say, go for the understated Mr. Chairman basket, that comes in a bamboo box filled with elegant truffles, chocolates, cheeses and crackers. All the Welcome to LA baskets are lovely, and feature fine foods centered around a nice bottle of wine. The more fun entries on the menu include the candy-rrific Food Junkie basket and the cutesy Baby’s First Bath basket.
One of the city’s best wine stores—with rare vintages from all over the world that usually only sommeliers at the finest restaurants can negotiate—Wally’s also has an excellent selection of gift baskets that feature foods that complement wines best, like nuts, crackers and assorted sweets. Based on the vintages that are included, the baskets range in price from $59-$995. That last one is the Limited Edition #23, with two sparkling wines, a French white, and Californian and Italian reds. We dare you to order it. For those looking for something less oenological, there is a macho Patron tequila basket complete with special margarita mix. Salud! Wally’s Wine and Spirits
Tender greens is a cozy little café and restaurant specializing in farm-fresh, locally produced organic food. Now, thanks to the advent of their "Beach Baskets" (boxed in biodegradable containers, of course), you can enjoy their selections of salads, soups, sandwiches and desserts in whatever setting you choose. Boxes for two people start at $35 and include a "simple salad" like the red and green butter lettuce with tarragon dressing, a main course like a free-range chicken sandwich or an angus flank steak with Yukon gold mashed potatoes, and a dessert like the Aztec brownie or the strawberry almond cookie. You can add a bottle of one of their boutique wines to your basket, and they will include two glasses and a corkscrew. The only drawback is that this food is meant for you to enjoy somewhere other than the lovely restaurant that prepares it!
Tender Greens 9523 Culver Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 (310) 842-8300
Blue Plate
This quintessential Santa Monica eatery has launched a series of "care packages." Starting at $50, each package contains your personal choice of Blue Plate's tasty soups, salads, sandwiches and desserts for two or more people. The "care packages," also come in a family-style meal option if you're aiming to feed your posse. Try the hearty lentil or split pea soups. The Tortilla Salad with romaine, chicken, black beans, corn, guacamole and homemade mango dressing is also a favorite. One of their wraps like the turkey avocado wrap, or their special Montana Club sandwich, are also good choices. No matter what you order, though, a package from Blue Plate really will show that you care.
Blue Plate 1415 Montana Ave. Santa Monica, CA 90402 310-260-8877 -Eric Rosen
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