little next door

My Maid of Honor and sister Saori planned a wonderful day for me and bridesmaids Maya and Tiffany on Friday. This was our version of the Bachelorette Party, but a PG version, compared to the crazy ones that usually involve naked men. Call me square, but my definition of uber fun does not involve certain male strippers from Down Under, so what she planned for me couldn’t be more perfect.

The day started out with a massage at Korean Spa. I guess you can say the day involved naked bodies, but this definitely wasn’t that kind of naked. We got our bodies scrubbed and polished there, before heading over to Little Next Door for delicious lunch and dessert. We initially planned to have a light lunch and save room from the Rehearsal Dinner that night but we ended up going all out with food and desserts!

We shared Leek and Gruyere Tart to start (pictured above) and I had …

Ahi Tuna and Avocado Tartare

Soufflé au Chocolat

Mille Feuilles

Opera Cake

Assorted Macarons

Afterward, Saori and I went to a nail salon in West Hollywood for a mani / pedi session. My nails must have been so neglected because the guy brought out surgical devices to conquer my cuticles! It took a while but we got back just in time for our rehearsal dinner in Pasadena.

It was busy but incredibly fun day with the girls. Thank you, Saori, for the wonderful Bachelorette Party and treating me to such blissful afternoon!

My Easter Sunday began with the trial session with the stylist who will be helping me with hair and makeup at the upcoming wedding … and she was ah-mazing. She was fun to talk to, and completely understood what I was looking for (even before I even knew what I was looking for). She’s someone I totally want to be friends with, and I’m so excited that I get to work with her on the big day.

Special thanks to Shannon, my style guru, for snapping photos and giving me much-needed tips during the two-hour session!

After the makeover session, we headed to Little Next Door for brunch. The place was quiet in the morning, probably due to Easter, and we got to enjoy the place all to ourselves.

We split Quiche Lorraine …

And I had Salad Nicoise, with a glass of Riesling. Shannon had Peruvian Omelet with gruyere cheese, ham, and wild mushrooms. You just can’t go wrong with this place.

For dessert, we shared chocolate éclair. The shell had a distinct, cookie-like crunch that I’ve never tasted in choux pastry before. I really enjoyed this, a lot!

And I can never leave this place without having its amazing macarons. Since I had no more room, I took some home to be enjoyed later.

Now, time to resume my Sex and the City marathon. I recently purchased the complete DVD set, and I have been glued to the TV ever since, catching up on older episodes. In fact, I didn’t get out of my pajamas all day yesterday, and ordered Chinese food delivery for dinner. The series is very dangerous, I tell you.

Happy Easter, everyone!