Recently in Los Angeles Category

A Slate.com business columnist thinks the rise of cupcakes is a bubble heading for a crash. I say who cares when we all profit from the irrational exuberance! Here's a round-up of tasty cupcake options near Starwood hotels around the country.

Your first order of business in LA, after checking into the Westin Los Angeles Airport, should be to head to Cupcakes Couture in Manhattan Beach. The shop creates some of the fanciest cupcakes I've seen, including such treats as the "Sunday Mimosa," (pictured) a champagne sponge cake filled with orange curd and topped with citrus frosting and blood orange "caviar," and the "Little Miss Sunshine," a strawberry cake with strawberry jam, vanilla frosting and topped with a vanilla macaroon.

Sweet Revenge, a few blocks north of the Four Points by Sheraton SoHo-Village, knows its customers aren't kids: it offers wine and beer pairing suggestions for its cupcakes. Try pairing the decadent "Dirty" with a Peroni or another pale lager.

Up in Seattle, you can order online from Cupcake Royale and have a dozen delivered to the W Seattle, or have them waiting for you when you swing by the Capitol Hill location. Sadly, it's too late to get the "Deathcake Royale," but the chocolate mint gets high marks and is available all year 'round.

[image via Cupcakes Couture]

Valentine's Day is coming up — have you made your reservations yet? Chances are you have if you're spending a romantic weekend at the newly open W Hollywood, but just in case, here are a couple suggestions for a lovely night on the town with your special someone.

Start the evening with a visit to the Bliss spa, then cocktails in the Living Room Lounge in the hotel. For dinner, book a table for two at The Little Door, one of LA's most romantic restaurants. Through its, little front door are several dining rooms centered around a cozy courtyard. Try to get a table in the Blue Room and order a bottle of champagne from their special Valentine's Day list to help set the mood; it'll pair beautifully with the French menu, too.

Or, if you're daring, you could try dining in the dark at Opaque, where the room is pitch black and the servers are all blind or visually impaired. Your other senses — touch, taste, smell — will be heightened by the end of the meal, preparing you for whatever comes next.

The Bazaar, the restaurant in the SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills, has garnered plenty of attention in the year since it opened — the latest was the Wall Street Journal's declaration that it might be a peek at the future of fine dining. Whether it's the future or just a trend, it won a four star review from the LA Times, which means it's definitely worth exploring, whether you're staying at the SLS or live in the city.

And yes, exploring is the right word, because The Bazaar isn't just one restaurant, it's multiple. Chef José Andrés — well known in Washington DC for his Café Atlántico and minibar — including two tapas bars, a patisserie, a private dining room and even boutique design stores, sprawled over the entire first floor of the hotel. The focus is on small plates, with prices that make grazing easy (though they'll add up quickly) and inventive dishes that also make it fun.

For instance, order the "dragon's breath" (available only when Adrés is present) and you'll be treated to caramel corn bites "cooked" in liquid nitrogen — the name refers to the plumes of cold smoke you'll breathe out once you pop it in your mouth. Similarly, olives take the form of gelled balls of olive oil, and "Philly cheesesteak" turns out to be airy bread infused with liquid cheese and topped with thin-sliced wagyu beef. (It's amazing, says our editor! ) Andrés' signature foie gras lollipops are on hand to merge sweet and savory in one whimsical bite. Don't forget to save room and peruse the glass-domed desserts in the Patisserie, including their beloved chocolate pop-rocks.

Sometimes it seems like Hollywood is the center of the universe (particularly around Oscar season), and if the center has a center, it'd probably be the corner of Hollywood and Vine. So when you eat near there, you eat in the heart of it all. Within a four block radius are some of the most varied dining options you can imagine.

Right at Hollywood and Vine is Katsuya. If you like a side of celebrities with your sushi, this is the place. Fortunately, the fish is as fresh as the Philippe Starck-designed room.

At Sunset and Vine you'll find the Hungry Cat, where the cocktails are inspired and the raw bar is untoppable. (I've mentioned it before.) Not far from there on Sunset is Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles, purveyors of that infamous sweet-savory combo that tastes even better at 2am on the way back from the bar than it does at 9am. You can even get your organic produce nearby: the Hollywood Farmers' Market sets up at Ivar and Selma avenues every Sunday.

So you see, it's no coincidence the new W Hollywood is opening right here, nor that Las Vegas restaurant and lounge Drai's decided to bring its French-inspired menu and tinsel-tinged bar to the W. No coincidence whatsoever.