The Penthouse, Santa Monica

The Penthouse located on the 18th floor (rooftop) of the Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica is a gorgeous restaurant with incredible coastal views, perfect for a special celebration. I came here for brunch on Sunday with my family and had a great time, taking advantage of the Gilt City Los Angeles deal which allowed us to have bottomless mimosas, pick one entree and one dessert.

The View from our table

The interior designed by Thomas Schoos, is white with turquoise accents. If you have guests visiting this summer The Penthouse should definitely be on your list of places even if you just go for drinks. Our table was next to the window with a sweet view of the shore.

Perfect window Seat

My husband and I are vegans, but we don’t limit our dining experiences to vegetarian restaurants. We enjoy trying new places and have become experts at tweaking menus to fit our needs. Our first course was a delicious kale, walnut, cranberry salad.

Amani and Reggie had traditional brunch fare, eggs benedict and blueberry pancakes which they both enjoyed. Our voucher included two desserts which was more than enough. We selected the profiteroles and the meyer lemon panacotta.

Dessert Menu

Gigi, Hubby, Daughter & Son

I would definitely come back for brunch, or dinner. If you like amazing views (even from the restroom), then you should check out The Penthouse.

view from the ladies room

Gigi

Thanks for stopping by…

Gigi

Commencement

Amani Graduates

Com-mence-ment

1. an act or instance of commencing; beginning

2. the ceremony of conferring degrees or granting diplomas at the end of the academic year.

3. the day on which this ceremony takes place.

This past Memorial weekend my daughter Amani graduated from Wesleyan University. Of course there was all the pomp and circumstance one would expect, but what moved me most was the community of friends my daughter had amassed. At times I was overcome with emotion, the feeling one has when with each breath a tear begins to form a puddle, only to have a heavy wink quickly swallow it back.

Kennedy Odede ’12 addressed the class with a moving story of his against all odds journey from the Kibera slums of Kenya to Wesleyan. My discomfort of sitting in the beaming sun for two hours were minor compared to the obstacles Kennedy overcame.

By now most of the tears have been dried, suitcases unpacked, and those of us whose graduates have decided to return to the family nest are settling in.

The commencement of my blog parallels my daughter’s graduation. As she ponders on what her next step will be, I too will stumble here and there as I discover my “blog” voice.

GIGI

Sunday Brunch at The Penthouse

Commencement

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