Winning Loteria Ticket

Today constituted a perfect afternoon. I met one of my besties, Missy Suicide, for lunch at one of my favorite restaurants, Loteria Hollywood. Is there any better way to fritter away a lunch hour than nibbling on griddle-toasted cheese wrapped in corn tortillas, followed by spicy shrimp tacos with avocado and crema (above)?

The restaurant, per usual, was packed. LA Weekly‘s Jonathan Gold was enjoying a michelada at the next table with Los Angeles Times Magazine editor, Nancy Clare. Owner Jimmy stopped by and said the new Studio City location will be getting a liquor license any day now. (Word on the street is there’s a 45 minute wait to get in—go early!)

After lunch, Missy & I walked back to the new Suicide Girls offices off Hollywood Blvd., where the crew was preparing for their celeb-studded premiere tomorrow night. As if the day could get any better, Missy gave me an adorable SG baby doll nightshirt (ooh la la!) and this saucy deck of cards. Score! You can purchase SG gear on the website by clicking HERE. Thank you, Missy!!!

CSI: LA

You know you’re living in LA when a dinner party is planned around a bottle of wine that your friend got as a gift when her company, Suicide Girls, was featured in an episode of CSI:NY. (For the uninitiated, SuicideGirls is an alternative pinup site featuring punk rock, goth and indie girls.) CSI creator Anthony Zuiker is a fan of the girls and wrote an entire episode around them back in 2006. The episode was pretty awesome, and my dear friend Missy Suicide, who appeared as herself in the episode, was fantastic. And, holy hangover, so was this wine! This wasn’t just any bottle—but a magnum (1.5 liters) of 2005 Quintessa Red Wine. It’s a Bordeaux-style blend of primarily Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Cab Franc and Petit Verdot—velvety smooth with lots of spice, smoke and dark cherry flavors. In a word: seductive, much like the vixen who shared it with us all. Missy uncorked it last night in honor of her husband’s and Mr. Foodinista’s recent birthdays. Our friends Brooke, Jill and Dan, and my sister, Claire, helped bury the evidence, glass by delicious glass. Here’s the crime scene:

Happy Hour with Suicide Girls

Photo via SuicideGirls.com

The Foodinista is flattered to get a link back to my Pimm’s Cup cocktails from the always saucy Suicide Girls. My friend Missy Suicide founded the site (featuring pin-up photos of naked punk rock, goth and indie girls) in 2001, about a year after we met and discovered a shared love of louge. It’s pretty awesome how big a brand it is now. And even more awesome that the girls are throwing a little love the Foodinista’s way! Cheers, ladies!

Photo via SuicideGirls.com