Figaro Bistrot from “Made of Honor”

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As I mentioned in my post about Le Petit Bistro back in early August, one location that I have been longing to stalk for quite some time now is Figaro Bistrot, an adorable little French cafe that has appeared in numerous productions over the years, most notably the Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2009 advertising campaign which featured pop star Madonna.  For whatever reason, though, the Grim Cheaper and I had just never made it out there.  Until this past Saturday evening, that is, when we found ourselves in Los Feliz and I suggested stopping by for a cocktail.  The sandwich board sign out in front of the restaurant proclaimed that Figaro offered “the very best Happy Hour in Los Feliz” and, let me tell you, it was not an exaggeration!  Not only did the GC and I absolutely stuff ourselves silly, but we managed to get out of there for under $45!

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As you can see in the photographs above, Figaro Bistrot is an absolutely ADORABLE little spot.  Decorated with authentic French antiques, flower-shaped chandeliers, tiny sidewalk bistros, gilded mirrors, and a zinc-plated bar, the setting could not be more magical.  Walking through the front doors, one is immediately transported to Paris.  Not real life Paris, but a fantasy Paris – the Paris of the movies, the Paris that Bogey and Bergman so fondly reminisced about in Casablanca.  And the food!  Oh my god, the food!  It was quite simply out of this world!  The GC and I both ordered two items off of the happy hour menu, each of which were priced at around $5.  The GC opted for the Beef Carpaccio and Moules Gratinees aux Fromage (mussels gratin with parsley butter sauce), while I ordered the Mini Burger, which was quite simply the best burger I have ever had in my life, and the Croquettes de Crabe (crab cakes), which were also divine.  The GC was so insanely happy over the large portions, inexpensive prices, and fabulous fare that I can pretty much guarantee this is one spot we will be stalking again and again.

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The Spring/Summer 2009 ad campaign for Louis Vuitton, which was directed by fashion icon Marc Jacobs and shot by legendary fashion photographer Stephen Meisel, featured the café quite prominently, most notably the bar area and the red leather banquettes located in the rear of Figaro’s southern-most dining room.  And even though I am not a fan of Madonna – like at all – I have to admit that Meisel’s pictures of her are absolutely stunning.  (The photographs above do not belong to me, but are the sole property of photographer Stephen Meisel and Louis Vuitton.)

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As I mentioned in my post about Le Petit Bistro in August, the exterior of Figaro was featured in a brief establishing shot in the Season 3 episode of 90210 titled “How Much is that Liam in the Window”.  It was used as the exterior of the French restaurant where Charlie Selby (aka Evan Ross) took Annie Wilson (aka Shenae Grimes) on a date.  For some reason, though, the interior scenes were shot about six miles away at Le Petit Bistro in West Hollywood.

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Our super-nice bartender informed us that Figaro had also made an appearance in the 2008 flick Made of Honor and I just about died of excitement.  You see, I have always had a very special place in my heart for that movie because when I first asked my non-celebrity-obsessed best friend, Robin, who is male and lives in Switzerland, to stand up for me at my wedding, he sent me an email which stated, “I would do absolutely everything to be at your wedding.  I just don’t know what the best man has to do.  I’m not so familiar with the American rules of marriage.  I went to watch a really bad movie last Spring with Steffi [his girlfriend].  I, of course, don’t know the name of the movie or of the actor in it, but it was with the guy who plays the doctor in Grace [his spelling, not mine – love it] Anatomy.  Anyway, he had to organize the bachelor party for women and stuff like that.  So you will have to give me a summary of the duties of the bride’s best man.”  So incredibly cute!  I immediately printed out that email and have carried it around in my wallet ever since.  Smile The “really bad” movie he was speaking about was, of course, Made of Honor, which I had actually never before seen.  So after our dinner at Figaro, the GC and I headed right on over to Blockbuster to rent it.  And I have to say that it was not half bad.  It is not great, mind you, but it is a cute, little lightweight romantic comedy.  Anyway, Figaro Bistrot was featured a few times in the flick.  The exterior first pops up as the supposed Manhattan bakery where Hannah (aka Michelle Monaghan) tries to guess what dessert her best friend Tom (aka Patrick Dempsey – the guy who plays the doctor in Grace Anatomy Winking smile) is going to order.

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It later pops up in the scene in which Tom, who has since realized that he is in love with Hannah, takes a random date out for dessert and tries to get her to play the guessing game, which she fails miserably at.  While there, she also complains about the long line, to which Tom says, “This is the best bakery in the world!  That’s why it’s worth waiting in line.”

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And, finally, the interior pops up in the scene in which Tom, while eating two pieces of cake, thinks about Hannah, who is on a business trip in Scotland for six weeks.

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Figaro Bistrot is also something of a celebrity hot spot.  Just a few of the stars who have been spotted there include Katherine Heigl, Josh Kelley, Isabel Lucas, Lindsay Price, Jessalyn Gilsig, and Keifer Sutherland.  The GC and I also once spotted Archie Panjabi dining at one of the restaurant’s sidewalk tables while we were walking by after grabbing a bite to eat at nearby Fred 62.

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: Figaro Bistrot, from Made of Honor, is located at 1802 North Vermont Avenue in Los Feliz.  You can visit the restaurant’s official website here.  Figaro offers Happy Hour from 5 to 7 p.m. daily, including Saturdays and Sundays!

Esperanza Resort

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Another celebrity hot spot that my husband and I stalked while honeymooning in Cabo San Lucas last week was the world-famous Esperanza Resort hotel – a place my girl Jen A. has checked into frequently over the years.   The 17-acre property, which is a member of the Leading Hotels of the World, is consistently referred to as Cabo’s most luxurious and exclusive resort.  The hotel is made up of only 57 rooms – fifty individual casitas and seven over-sized suites – so it truly offers its guests, many of whom are movie stars, the ultimate in privacy – and service.  Just a few of the amenities offered at the resort include a private beach, an award-winning spa with steam caves and waterfalls, an infinity pool overlooking the ocean, a yoga and Pilates studio where the classes are free, an art gallery, loaner iPods, and coconut-milk popsicles which are doled out regularly to those guests lying poolside.  Needless to say, the hotel, which is part of the exclusive Auberge Resort chain, has won countless awards over the years, including three of Travel + Leisure Magazine’s 2010 “World’s Best Awards” – #1 Resort, #1 Spa, and #1 Service for their Best in Mexico section.  It truly is a remarkable and absolutely beautiful place!

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I absolutely fell in love with Esperanza’s The Signature Restaurant, which is pictured above.  The restaurant is composed of three different levels of terraces, all of which overlook both the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez, and is breathtakingly beautiful.  I SO wanted to grab dinner there during our stay in Cabo, but the Grim Cheaper was having none of that.  🙁

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Esperanza’s extensive celebrity guest list reads like a Who’s Who of Hollywood.  Just a few of the stars who have been spotted there include Fergie and Josh Duhamel (the Esperanza was where the famous 2008 picture of Josh D. painting on the beach was taken), Chelsea Handler, Debra Messing, Courteney Cox and David Arquette, Sheryl Crow, Ashley Simpson and Pete Wentz, Jennie Garth, Usher, Owen Wilson, and Will and Jada Pinkett Smith.  In 2003, Elizabeth Berkley married Ralph Lauren’s nephew, Greg, at the Esperanza.  That same year Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin honeymooned there, as did Katherine Heigl and Josh Kelley in 2007.  And according to this Forbes.com article, the Esperanza gifted a free weekend stay to all of the 2002 Academy Award winners. 

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And as proof that visiting the hotel almost guarantees one a celeb sighting, while we were there my husband and I spotted LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian, who were in town to celebrate LeAnn’s 28th birthday.  To clarify, I should say that I actually spotted the two stars – the Grim Cheaper was absolutely clueless.  He had gone to the restroom immediately upon our arrival at the hotel, while I grabbed a seat in the resort’s outdoor lounge.  Shortly after I sat down, who should walk into the bar area but LeAnn Rimes followed by Eddie C.  I recognized the two of them immediately and just about had a heart attack I was so excited!  When the GC returned from the restroom, he told me that he wanted to head down to the beach right away to search for the rocks where Jennifer Aniston recently posed for the ad for her newly released perfume (the rocks were our sole reason for visiting the Esperanza and I will be blogging about them on Monday) and grab a drink afterwards.  I started making faces at him to alert him to the fact that we were in the presence of celebrities, but he remained clueless.  I finally grabbed some paper out of my purse and wrote the above-pictured note.  GC took one look at the note, glanced over towards LeAnn, and then said, “Oh OK.  Well, come on, let’s go down to the beach.”  LOL  Needless to say he was not at all impressed.  We stayed at the bar for a few more minutes while I debated about going up to LeAnn and Eddie to ask for a photograph, but I ultimately decided against it.  They were on vacation at an ultra-exclusive and ultra-private resort and I felt that it would be inappropriate to bother them.  And I was happy enough just to have seen them in person, anyway.  🙂  When we returned from the beach about an hour and a half later, we again spotted LeAnn and Eddie swimming and eating nachos at the resort’s pool.  And I have to say that while I’ve never thought LeAnn was especially attractive in photographs, she is absolutely GORGEOUS in person.  I’d even go so far as to say that she was luminous.  Needless to say, seeing her was one of the highlights of my honeymoon.  🙂

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And, of course, the Esperanza is also a filming location!  The hotel stood in for the Cabo San Lucas resort where Eddie (aka Ben Stiller) and Lila (aka Malin Ackerman) honeymooned in the 2007 movie The Heartbreak Kid.

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On a side note, one of my former acting teachers, Roy Jenkins (pictured above), played the role of Buzz in The Heartbreak Kid.  So darn cool!

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Until next time, Happy Stalking!  🙂

Stalk It: Esperanza: An Auberge Resort is located at Carretera Transpeninsular KM 7 in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.  You can visit the hotel’s official website here.