B-Side Blog

Rush Street in Culver City Offers Up Clambake Fun

Ah, the clambake. If ever there was a dish that spoke of summers in Cape Cod, it’s the clambake. I say this as if I’d spent every summer of my youth on the shores of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. That’s hardly the case. However, I did spend significant stretches of my youth gazing at J. Crew catalogs, and that’s nearly the same thing. Either way, I like to subscribe to the Cape Cod lifestyle in my head from time to time, and when I was invited to a media-comped meal at Rush Street to promote the restaurant’s summer clambake special, I knew I had to grab the nearest pair of khakis, unfurl a linen shirt, and make my way to Culver City.

Note: I wore neither khaki nor linen. Spiritually, however, I like to think my soul was looking like a long lost character from Wings.

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REAL HOUSEWIVES PHOTOCAP: New Year, Old Mooks

The Holiday Season continues on The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Christmas is over, and New Years has arrived. This can only mean one thing: mass drunkenness. Yes, the entire cast gathered at the Brownstone to ring in 2011, and despite what the previews had suggested, there was very little by way of drama. Richie and Joe Giudice called each other names, but it turns out it was all in good (drunken) fun. And I mean VERY drunken fun. Joe Giudice looked positively wasted. It’s shocking that no fist fights broke out. It’s even more shocking that Joe didn’t try to drive home and then convince us he fell asleep at the wheel (and then chugged a keg because he was so rattled).

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The Kim Zolciak Text Controversy

This just in from the Real Housewives of Atlanta rumor mill. It’s a gossipy item featuring love, lust, jealousy, and text messages.

Here’s the story, fresh from our very own Jennifer#####, who writes:

This morning I had a flat tire, and the roadside assistance guy told me a great story. Last night they were called to the house of Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann. She had locked her keys in her car. They were filming for RHOA.

After the keys were retrieved and the guys left, kim texted my dude’s co-worker saying thank you. He responded, “you’re welcome, it was a pleasure to meet you.” She then forwarded the message to Kroy, but added on the line “and you are so beautiful.” Kroy got the message and went ballistic. He has called the service company trying to get the guy fired. And Kim is just letting this happen! They were going to her house this afternoon to confront her and make her show them the real text message she received.

This has the makings of a Law and Order episode.

Dunh dunh DUNH. Now, this is all based on the yarn that this service man told Jennifer#####, but I like to think that rumor is fact, and as far as Kim Zolciak shenanigans go, this sounds right up her alley. Right?

What do you all think? Did Kim instigate a love triangle? And is Kroy perhaps WIGGING out (get it?) a bit too much?

An Evening with Wonderful Pistachios

Last week I was invited to participate in a pairing concepts program by Wonderful Pistachios, the company that has found mascots in the likes of Snooki and Chad Ochocinco (two of my favorite celebrities, it should be noted). The purpose of the happy hour event was to pair pistachios with food and beverages at Ray’s & Stark Bar, a swanky open-air spot housed in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art — all in an effort to reimagine the humble pistachio and its culinary potential. Or something like that.

Pics of the pairings after the jump…

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REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NYC REUNION PHOTOCAP: Money Can’t Buy You Maturity

Everyone knows I love me some Real Housewives of New York City, and I love me some reunion too. But this madness has reached a new low. I thought last week’s ninety-minute bitchfest represented a new low for the franchise, but it was nothing compared to last night’s parade of squabbling, which managed to make every single woman on screen look more idiotic than ever before. I’d be embarrassed to be related to, work for, or associated with any of them… but of course, I’d be thrilled if I ran any one of them on the street. What can I say? It’s all very love / hate.

There was something horrific in watching the women go at it last night. I think it was the rampant lack of self-awareness. It all played out like the worst schoolyard fight of all time, and while I understand that many of them had things they wanted to get off their chest, surely they could have found more productive ways to do so — like… maybe using indoor voices?

The whole thing was just more of the same. Alex was bonkers with rage once again, but I gotta admit, the brunettes were so obnoxious with their snide comments and upfront mockery of the blondes, that I felt some sort of empathy for the blondes. Sonja wisely stayed out of the fray for the most part this week, but Ramona more than made up for it with her usual combination of staunch self-defense and vicious attacks. One that outed Jill as a former AA attendee (allegedly) was particularly below-the-belt.

Amusingly, with all the harsh words being sent back and forth, when the scrutiny finally landed on LuAnn, she brushed off all her condescending and obnoxious comments by saying she was just having a little bit of fun. For someone who seems ready to take umbrage at the slightest offense (ie. a pregnancy test on a boat), she seems pretty quick to take on the role of casual jokester. Even more curious was LuAnn’s refusal to admit that she makes little digs at people. Perhaps that’s because she seems to think digs are only digs when they’re said behind one’s back. Who knows? Nevertheless, props to LuAnn for her passive-aggressive praise for Bethenny, to whom she referred as finally catching up to the rest of the gang money-wise. Not to burst LuAnn’s bubble, but methinks Bethenny has caught up, run circles around, and left all the gals in the dust.

Anyhoo… this second ninety-minute reunion special gave me a headache, and I can barely even remember anything that happened during it. At attempt at a photocap after the jump… Continue reading “REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NYC REUNION PHOTOCAP: Money Can’t Buy You Maturity”

THE GREAT FRESH TEST: Part 3, Reaching an Epic Conclusion

A few weeks ago, I embarked on an exciting journey that would have me comparing the freshness of veggies stored in regular plastic bags vs. Clearly Fresh Bags, which promise to keep produce fresher for up to 50% longer than traditional methods. Well, it’s been an intense, emotionally harrowing journey, and now I’m prepared to show you the final results. I didn’t make a movie this time because I was lazy, but it’s really too bad because I had some very serious reactions to what I discovered in my crisper.

Nevertheless, with the help of my dear friend Sly, we inspected each bag and passed final judgment on the state of the produce. Pictures after the jump… Continue reading “THE GREAT FRESH TEST: Part 3, Reaching an Epic Conclusion”

A Fond Farewell To Kim G

The rumors are true. Kim G is no longer part of the Real Housewives of NJ. However, our favorite kooky neighbor isn’t going quietly. On the blog Celebrity Magnet, she writes about her last, traumatic appearance on the show, which she calls “one of the worst experiences of my life. No lie. We’re talking top ten trauma list.” Keep in mind this is a woman who’s had brain surgery, and yet Melissa’s Christmas party still ranks right up there on the trauma list. Aw, Kim G. What will we do without you.

After the jump, read Kim’s farewell blog post, originally published at Celebrity Magnet. Might I also suggest grabbing a glass of wine and perhaps playing the seminal Vanessa Wiliams / Brian McKnight duet, “Love Is.”

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REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NJ PHOTOCAP: On The Twelfth Episode of Christmas, Bravo Gave To Me…

If I’m not mistaken, Sunday night’s episode marked the end of Christmas on The Real Housewives of New Jersey. I never thought it would happen! However, just because it took weeks upon weeks to slog through the holidays, I have to admit that I actually kind of enjoyed all of it. I don’t think a reality show has actually captured the Holiday season quite as well as this one has, and while I tend to be something of a cold hearted fellow, even I had to admit that watching the kids open up their presents was pretty cute. Even more than that, I loved watching all the Manzos — Caroline, Cookie, Uncle whatshisface — all gathered together celebrating. It actually reminded me of Thanksgiving or Passover with my extended clan: the white folding chairs, the matriarch slaving away in the kitchen, and the Christmas tree in the foyer. Well… uh… maybe more of a menorah in my case. Nevertheless…

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THE QUAFF: Ginger Cocktail Showdown

Recently, I purchased the book Left Coast Libations, which proudly culls cocktail recipes from a wide swath of mixologists in Los Angeles (way too under-represented), San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver. I absolutely loved the concept of the book — finally, I could emulate cocktails from The Roger Room here in LA or Bourbon and Branch up in SF. Too bad that nearly every recipe employs amazingly esoteric ingredients; so much so that for the past several months, the book has collected dust on my shelf, occasionally migrating to my coffee table where I would toy with the idea of making one of the recipes. Finally, this past weekend, I declared to my cohort Sly that we had to finally delve into Left Coast Libations. I ordered her to select a recipe, and after many minutes of leafing and perusing, she finally chose not one but two options, both ginger-centric. And so the ginger showdown was born.

Sly and I immediately tromped off to the supermarket to fetch supplies (including a flashy new bottle of Canton) and then an hour an a half later (we got sidetracked by an impromptu stop at a foot massage place), we were ready to go ginger crazy. Results after the jump…

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Win Your Very Own Beauty Express Brow Kit from Anastasia of Beverly Hills!

“Beauty Express” brow-kit instructional video from Anastasia Beverly Hills on Vimeo.

Ladies, do you like to pluck? Then this contest is for you! Just write a haiku about brow plucking in the comments, and the best one will win a free Beauty Express Brow Kit from Anastasia of Beverly Hills (as seen in the above video).

You have until Monday at noon, West Coast time. Go get ’em!