Peek at the Week - August 6

Peek at the Week - August 6 

Two weeks ago on the Peek of the Week, I mentioned the opening of Target City in Westwood. Today, I am delighted to have a wonderful guest piece written by the talented and extraordinary Erica Sardarian on Target City. Thank you Erica for your fabulous piece! Enjoy!!!!   

Expect More. Pay Less.  

By Erica Sardarian 

I need to make a confession. I’m slightly obsessed with Target. Okay, more than slightly. The bright lights and the wafting smell of buttery popcorn as I enter consume me. The convenience of finding everything from laundry detergent to cereal to nail polish is all very fascinating. You can imagine my disappointment when I moved to New York and discovered Target wasn’t the popular kid in school. Culture shockaroo. I could cope with walking instead of driving, extreme climate changes, and even the cost of living, but I wasn’t prepared to say sayonara to my $1 bins. Duane Reade, a mediocre store with overpriced products and a poor selection of sanitary items, was the star quarterback. I would trek the 30-minute train ride to Brooklyn just so I could get my fix. I got lost once and ended up in the Bronx, but that didn’t deter me from my once a month visit. No sacrifice was too large for my loyal friend. It wasn’t about the products. It was about the experience. The familiarity of the aisles and the signature sign that made me feel like I was back at home.

I recently moved back to LA and was thrilled to hear a City Target (Fact-The first City Target in the world) opened in Westwood, only two miles from me. I let the crowd of college students simmer for about a week or so before I made my strategic move. I drove over and was excited to discover a parking structure connected to the store. Parking in Los Angeles is a pita (pain in the ass). A sign read, “Two hours free parking with validation” as I approached the gate. Amazing. I walked in. There it was…the sign that made my heart flutter. The double doors opened and I pranced right in. Nearly 100,000 square feet of awesomeness. I contemplated getting a small basket or a large cart. I opted for the cart. I went in only wanting one item; my moroccan oil shampoo and I walked out buying nearly everything in the store. I had to refrain from buying the underpriced bike. There was also a big selection of UCLA gear from t-shirts, to hats, to baby attire-no surprise there. The cashier, who rang up my items and was secretly eyeing my eggbeaters and nightly facemask, was very friendly. He was probably a young college student taking on a summer job to pay off his excessive loans early. I left with six shopping bags and a smile on my face.

Overall, my experience was fantastic. It wasn’t crowded and they had a great selection of everything, except for home good items. That is the one and only downfall. There IS, however, a Starbucks located at the entrance in case you’re craving a caramel macchiato. Trader Joe’s, my second favorite store, is right across the street. Two buck chuck and four cheese pizza. Convenient and delicious! Check it out if you haven’t already done so.

Happy Friday everyone! Today, I must start with very important news, it is National S'mores Day! My head is filled of thoughts of fluffy marshmallows, crispy graham cracker and sinful chocolate. First appearing in the 1927 Girl Scout handbook, these little gooey treats are my personal staple for any outdoor fire. Traditional, s'mores brownies, s'mores ice cream, s'mores cake, s'mores cupcakes, s'mores cheesecake, I could give you "s'more" s'mores ideas all day. I do have to admit, Todd and I recently had a week full of s'mores on our vacation where I discovered he is a slow roaster and I am a char type of girl. I never thought of s'mores as an avenue for relationship insight, but it did indeed highlight Todd's incredible patience. I'm very particular about my s'mores, I have to use Hershey's milk chocolate (the only thing I will use Hershey's for, I'm a die hard Milka and Scharffen Berger dark gal) only Jet Puffed marshmallows and Honey Maid graham crackers, I always think I can taste the difference but perhaps it is nostalgia.  I'd love to hear your s'mores tactics or interpretations on the classic, feel free to comment or message!  

Last night was the kick off for the Los Angeles Food and Wine Festival. I was lucky enough to attend as Erica's (yes, the amazing Erica who wrote the Target piece) plus one where we navigated tasting offerings of 200 wines and noshes from 151 stellar chefs. Our minds were blown. I will be blogging about this extensively in the coming days. This is a must do for anyone who loves food, wine and amazing people watching. The below link takes you to a bevvy of events that are happening until the 12th of August. I'm so excited for tonight's Asian Night Market.  

http://www.lafw.com/

I'm in love with this photo Todd snapped while we were at Crafted (which I promise, a post is coming). 

It is so very summer in L.A. 

It's extremely hot here this week, which is the perfect time to cool down with frozen treats. This is red rose and saffron pistachio ice cream from Saffron and Rose in Westwood, one of my favorite treats!  

Have a great rest of the week!