Couture Central

Recently, Barack Obama claimed his Democratic Presidential nomination. Given all of the publicity celebs have been offering their opinion of Barack. Recently in US Weekly they collected quotes from some from Barack’s most famous supporters.

• “He’s an extraordinary guy, but I also think his consistency on the war vote is most important to me.” Ben Afflek
• I just think he’s the right one. He really, truly represents the face of America.” Kate Walsh
• “He’s incredibly inspiring and intelligent and has great visions for where he wants to take this country.” Amy Smart
• “Obama is awesome.” Pete Wentz

The benefits of tea are well documented and a health nut city like San Francisco would be home to some great tea rooms in Northern California. If you find yourself in San Francisco on a cold and foggy day, you may want to stop by any of the tea rooms listed below.

• Lovejoy’s Tea Room
  1351 Church St.
  San Francisco, CA
• Secret Garden Tea House
  721 Lincoln Way
  San Francisco, CA
• Tal-y-Tara Tea and Polo Shoppe
  6439 California St.
  San Francisco, CA
• Samovar Tea Lounge
  498 Sanchez St.
  San Francisco, CA
• Imperial Tea Court
  1411 Powell St.
  San Francisco, CA

The Los Angeles downtown area has a ton of hot spots. When visiting downtown LA for business or pleasure you need to make a quick stop to some of the trendiest bars in town.

• Bordello
  901 E. 1st St.
  Los Angeles, CA
• Traxx Bar
  800 N. Alameda St.
  Los Angeles, CA
• J Restaurant & Lounge
  1119 S. Olive St.
  Los Angeles, CA
• O Bar & Kitchen at the Orchid Hotel
  819 S. Flower St.
  Los Angeles, CA
• Golden Gopher
  417 W. 8th St.
  Los Angeles, CA
• Redwood Bar & Grill
  316 W. 2nd St.
  Los Angeles, CA
• The Edison
  108 W. 2nd St.
  Los Angeles, CA
• Casey’s Irish Bar & Grill
  613 S. Grand Ave.
  Los Angeles, CA
• Weiland Brewery
  400 E. 1st St.
  Los Angeles, CA
• Broadway Bar
  830 S. Broadway
  Los Angeles, CA
• Bluevelvet
  750 S. Garland Ave.
  Los Angeles, CA
• Veranda Bar
  939 S. Figueroa St.
  Los Angeles, CA
• Seven Grand Whiskey Bar
  515 W. 7th St.
  Los Angeles, CA
• Rooftop Bar at the Standard Downtown
  550 S. Flower St.
  Los Angeles, CA
• Library Bar
  630 W. 6th St.
  Los Angeles, CA

Welcome to “This Week in Hollywood”.

• Brad Pitt is jetting off to Italy to see Radiohead.
• Britney Spears is working on a new album, there’s talk of her even having a Las Vegas show!
• Paula Abdul and her restaurateur boyfriend J.T. Torregiani have broken up.
• A tax warrant has been issued against Katie Couric for $210.
• Doctors have discovered that Amy Winehouse has emphysema.
• Comedian George Carlin passed away.

Los Angeles has a reputation for having great nightlife. Whether you just want to go to cafes, clubs, bars, or movies there are endless possibilities. Los Angeles Magazine published a great list with some of these possibilities that we will share.

• Club For People Over 40
  • Bordello
• Cowboy Bar
  • Cowboy Country
• Drag Show
  • The Plaza
• Foosball
  • ChaCha Lounge
• Lounge Act
  • Midnight Madness at the Rialto
• Midnight Movies
  • Midnight Madness at the Rialto
• Sea Chanty Sing-Along
  • The Whale and Ale
• Soccer Cafe
  • Euro Cafe
• Speakeasy
  • Bedlam
• Tango Club
  • Culver City Milonga
• Ultra Lounge
  • Stone Rose Lounge

Concierge has put together the top 10 sexiest penthouses from across the globe. The most secluded of the penthouse suites listed must be the Private Reserve, Soneva Gili Report & Spa in the Maldives. The Maldives is an small island chain in the Indian Ocean. The most affordable suite is The Gray in Milan which charges under $1000 a night, the is definitely worth the price of luxury.

• Penthouse Suite, Raleigh Hotel, Miami Beach
• Skylofts, MGM Grand, Las Vegas
• Presidential Suite, Intercontinental, Hong Kong
• Perivolas Suite, Perivolas, Santorini, Greece
• Penthouse Suite, Cavalieri Hilton, Rome
• Private Reserve, Soneva Gili Resort & Spa, Maldives
• Howard Hughes Suite, Eden Rock, St. Barths
• Royal Suite, The Carlyle, New York
• Imperial Suite, Palazzo Versace, Gold Coast, Australia
• The Gray, Milan

The San Francisco Bay Guardian, a free local city paper, recently posted their 33rd annual Best of the Bay issue. Here are some of my personal favorite best chill spots.

• Best Art Gallery
  City Arts Gallery
  828 Valencia, SF
• Best Museum
  de Young Museum
  50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, SF
• Best Mixed-Use Arts Space
  CELLspace
  2050 Bryant, SF
• Best Jazz Club
  Yoshi’s
  510 Embarcadero West, Oakland
• Best Salsa Club
  Cafe Cocomo
  650 Indiana, SF
• Best Happy Hour
  Jade
  650 Gough, SF
• Best Dive Bar
  500 Club
  500 Guerrero, SF

Last year we high lighted the Top Five Restaurants in San Francisco. This year we have a whole new list of our favorite dinning hot spots in the City by the Bay.

• Gary Danko
• Dining Room at Ritz Carlton
• Fleur de Lys
• Chez Panisse
• Quince

I am just now catching up with news regarding the Sao Paulo Fashion Week in Brazil. here is a colorful creating by designer Andre Lima during the Fall/Winter show at the Sao Paulo Fashion Week 2008.

This is the creation of Brazilian designer Reinaldo Lourenco from his collection during the Fall/Winter Sao Paulo Fashion Week 2008.

There is a great article at Travel Blizzard regarding several chocolate festivals accross the United States and Canada. The list of chocolate festivals include Ghirardelli Square Chocolate Festival in California, St. Stephen Chocolate Festival in New Brunswick, Chocolate Lovers Festival in Virginia, and Burlington ChocolateFest in Wisconsin.

You can read more here. Write in if you know of any other chocolate festival!