Ross Matthews in H&M at the SAG Awards

Commentator Ross Matthews showed savvy style in his H&M ensemble. "Yes, it's true! " he tweeted.  "I really was wearing an @HM tuxedo on the SAG Awards red carpet!" He looked great, cheap and cheerful style at it's best. As he said on Twitter, Holla!

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Valentine's Giveaways from The Recessionista Blog. Enter Quick!

The Recessionista Blog, our sister site,  is running two Facebook giveaways to help you get ready for Valentine's day. There are two fabuless giveaways you may wish to enter on Facebook. One for sweets from Cheryl's cookies, the other for hair at the Sassoon Salon at South Coast Plaza in Orange County, CA.  Following are the details, click on the links to enter.

Like The Recessionista on Facebook to be entered in a Valentines Giveaway of Cheryl's Cookies 

Enter to win a $25.00 Gift Card for Cheryl’s Cookies/Mrs. Beasley’s to order Valentines Day goodies for your family, best friend or true love. Cheryl’s offers gift baskets, delicious brownies and cookies all in the shape of heart!

 Enter Sweepstakes Invite Friends

 Hair Care at Sassoon Salon South Coast Plaza

If you live in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego or Southern California, enter our Facebook Giveaway for a fabuless new do for the New Year!  LIKE The Recessionista on Facebook to be entered for a chance to win a fabulous hair care treatment at SASSOON Salon, Costa Mesa, CA. The winner will receive a gift certificate for a color, treatment and blow dry from SASSOON Salon in South Coast Plaza! Click here to go to Facebook to enter now.  Contest is open until Jan. 27th,  11:59 PM PST.

 

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Los Angeles: DineLA Restaurant Week

If you live in Los Angeles, you may want to take advantage of DineLA Restaurant Week coming up next week.  Some terrific restaurants are offering meals for $26, $34 or $44.00, that would usually cost much more.  It's an opportunity to eat at some great spots, for less than regular prices. The dates are Jan 22-27 and Jan 29 to Feb 3. You can get discounts are both lunch and dinner.   Click here for details.  As part of LA Restaurant week, link your Foursquare account with you American Express account for a $5.00 credit.

Some of my favorite places on the list are Bluewater Grill Redondo Beach, Akasha,  Bouchon, Valentino and BLD Restaurant. Be sure to make reservations during restaurant week, as these top restaurants will fill quickly!

Coming Attractions: The Shops at Target

Pictured: The Webster at Target dress, priced at $42.99 US

Big Box retailer Target is announcing a new retail marketing approach called, The Shops at Target.  Much like more upscale retailers like Saks, Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus and our Los Angeles store Fred Segal, Target will now offer various boutique stores within their store selling specialty goods.  Pictured below are various items from Target's  new boutique shops which will be in stores and online in May.

Pictured: Sample "Shops at Target" items.

 The Shops at Target, will launch on May 6 at all Target stores and Target.com. For launch, the shops will feature five exclusive collections across five different product categories, from five different U.S. specialty stores: The Candy Store, Cos Bar, Polka Dog Bakery, Privet House and The Webster.

Los Angeles Restaurant Review: Zane's at the Beach, Delicious Food at the Right Price

There’s seems to be a myth in Los Angeles that all the best restaurants are in West LA, Santa Monica or Beverly Hills, and that the trade off for great food is an expensive bill.  While it’s true that Los Angeles boasts many fine restaurants north of LAX, there are a few overlooked gems in South Bay.  Zane’s Restaurant in Hermosa Beach is a culinary delight offering great service, delicious food and the atmosphere of a family run restaurant like you might find in Europe.  Seating is small and intimate and you can expect that at any time, the owner and chef Zane or his wife, might stop by your table to ask how you are enjoying the food.  The menu includes seafood classics like fried calamari, Ahi tuna tartar (lightly seasoned with a twist of citrus), pesto shrimp and a show stopping spicy Cioppino ( a light touch of red pepper gives the fresh seafood just the right accent.)  They also offer lightly grilled Chilean Sea Bass brushed with olive oil and spices as well as perfectly cooked steaks.  I was lucky enough to try all these dishes at a recent blogger “Taste and Tweet” dinner.  The panel of tasters at this seven course dinner included the host of Food Network's Extreme Chef  TV show, Marsh Mokhtari,  SassySEO.com founder Kristin Rohan, DeathbedFood founder Diane Wagner,  Jacqueline Howard of the Hermosa Beach Patch plus writers from the Daily Breeze and the Easy Reader.  It was a unanimous thumbs-up on the Zane's tasting menu from this esteemed panel of epicurious, social media experts. We found each course well prepared and flavorful, without processed additives from a can or heavy sauces.

Pictured: Zane's epic Cioppino.

But how is the restaurant when the team of press and reviewers isn’t there to perform for? That's the real test. I returned to Zane’s a few weeks ago to find out and to talk to other dinners.  The answer is the quality of the food at Zane's is consistently good, even during the cheap and cheerful “Social Media” Happy Hour where appetizers are priced from $5.00 to $9.00.  I asked visiting New Yorker, and fellow dinner Victoria Renner, for her opinion of Zane’s.  Ms. Renner was impressed by the “ light and delicious fare and the atmosphere -- it is both warm and upscale.  Zane's reminds me of 'inoteca- one of my favorite restaurants on the Lower East Side of New York City.” That's quite a compliment for Zane's as 'inoteca is one of the hottest spots in New York at the moment, lauded by Gourmet for their "easy going Italian fare."  Zane's definitely has a similar easy going neighborhood vibe plus the Italian fare.

Pictured: The Ahi Tuna Tartar has just the right touch of sesame and citrus.

Other highlights at Zane’s include the homemade bread derived from a family recipe for pizza dough, the blood orange martini, the cucumber mint martini (perfect for fashionistas) and homemade Tiramisu.  For those looking for simpler fare, the burger and sweet potato fries is simply delicious.  The only word of caution I must offer about Zane’s is that the restaurant is a small space, so you may wish to call for reservations before you drive to the beach for dinner.  Even if you have to brave LA traffic, Zane’s makes the trip worthwhile.

Jason Wu for Target Ads

Lucky Magazine and the Daily Mail in the UK have both published Target's new advertisement for their forthcoming Jason Wu collection.  The ad shows a cute dress with horizontal stripes, ie: ribbons, with a Jason Wu bag from the collection displayed on the table.  What do you think readers? I have to be honest, I'm not in love with this one, it's rather bumblebee like and won't be flattering on many women.   To read more about the collection and see a few more preview pictures, check out The Recessionista.

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If you're looking for some new make-up to start out the New Year, then check out  Sephora's Sale on Sale Event. Extra 20% Off all Sale Items! Use Code: EXTRA. Ends: 1/3/2012