woodland hills

What an amazing Saturday it was! Kevin and I got to hang out with not just one but two expecting couples in one day (more on the second outing on a separate post).

We had a lovely lunch with Kerry and Carmela over some good French food at La Frite in Woodland Hills. It was so nice to catch up, since it has been a while since our last outing at the Kings Championship parade in June. Since then, Carmela and I have both became blessed with bundles of joy! Time for a happy dance!

As for food, I was completely jealous over the Champagne brunch that Kevin and Kerry ordered.

Their brunch came with a selection of salad / appetizer (Kevin selected a generous portion of smoked salmon salad), and a hearty selections of a main dish (this is his mushroom and ham omelet). I would have totally ordered this too, if I can drink Champagne and indulge in Lox!

Instead, I ordered the La Frite salad – greens, walnut, white asparagus, and grilled chicken (extra), tossed in tangy vinaigrette dressing. It wasn’t a plate full of my favorite smoked salmon but I love this salad! Oh, and of course, I had a side of Fries that I downed in less than 30 seconds!

Three and a half more months for Pon Pon to say hello to the world, and six more months or so for Carmela and Kerry’s little bun. I have a feeling that we’ll be dressing our babies up in hockey sweaters together very soon! Can’t wait!

My friends Roxanne, Mary Lee and I used to go to Maggiano’s for lunch religiously for a few years (not everyday but about once every two weeks), partly because it was a walking distance from the office and mostly because we were addicted to its fried zucchini. But one day, realizing that we’ve probably had enough share of the family-style Italian fare for the next 100 years, we decided to seek a new place to satisfy our hungry bellies. Even we habit creatures need to change things up sometime!

So we bid farewell to our local Italian place and welcomed Gaucho Grill as our new home. I’ve been a fan of this place for years and frequented the Woodland Hills location when I lived nearby because the food here is just right. It’s nothing fancy but I really like the atmosphere and meat-heavy Argentinian selections. My favorite is Pollo Deshuesado, grilled chicken breast with Dijon mustard sauce, with side of salad, rice, and extra pico de gallo (pictured above)!

the girls

We met up for lunch this afternoon for our year-end celebration. It would have been nice to celebrate this special day with a glass of wine, but we toasted to a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2013 with a glass of passion fruit ice tea and diet coke instead!

Cheers to many more lunches to be had with my special friends. I love you girls!