It’s fitting that I’ll be spending the last two days of March on an airplane because that’s exactly the kind of month it’s been. Eventful.

Not that I’m complaining, mind you, I like eventful.

As we speak, I’m (finally) updating my blog from my hotel room in Beverly Hills. I’m making what’s basically a glorified cameo in California for a press junket for The Lucky One.

Since I got here today at 10:00 a.m. PST and am leaving tomorrow at 4:00 p.m., I’ve been packing in as much fun as I can in the meantime.

After making my way from the airport down the perpetual parking lot that is the 405 and checking into my room, I ventured over to Robertson Blvd. in search of sustenance. And since I’m a creature of tradition and wasn’t dressed nearly fancy enough for a power lunch at the Ivy, I couldn’t wait to eat the chicken quesadillas w/jalapeño pesto and charred corn salsa that I always order from the Newsroom.

Now if you haven’t been to the Newsroom before, lemme tell you, it’s an absolute treat. Not only are the bulk of menu selections a lot healthier than your average restaurant fare (but still incredibly tasty, which is a total bonus), but the people-watching is absolutely priceless. To wit, I’ve seen burger eaters and wheatgrass smoothie lovers peacefully co-exist, and unlike most places with a decidedly free-spirited vibe, it doesn’t smell like hummus or patchouli.

Thank goodness.

But as I walked closer to the Newsroom, I discovered something thoroughly unsettling—no lights, no people and a typewritten sign taped on the door. Yep, they were CLOSED today. For renovation.

Sigh.

So with a grumbly tummy and no quesadillas or mindless magazine reading in my immediate future (yet another perk of eating at the Newsroom), I was forced to try some place new.

And when you’re trying some place new, it’s never, ever a bad thing if the restaurant specializes in Italian food, right?

As it turns out, Cuvee was a fantastic find. While it took a gargantuan amount of self control to resist the specials that included penne with a pink peppercorn mascarpone sauce and pappardelle with lobster and cream, I opted for something light and delicious.

First off, was an Italian chopped salad with a light and zesty vinaigrette. In addition to the usual salad accompaniments like tomatoes, cucumbers and homemade garlic croutons were a sprinkling of exotic olives and oooey gooey boccaccini, which are basically the cheese equivalent of heaven.

Since I was so responsible in ordering a salad rather than the pasta I really wanted, I decided to order a half panini to round out the meal. Filled with juicy grilled chicken, basil pesto and the admittedly un-Italian avocado which took it waaaay over the top, it was pretty much the perfect sandwich.

Aside from my passionate love of any sort of pasta, what I’ve always loved about Italian cuisine is how the simplest, freshest ingredients are elevated to new heights. For the record, the food at Cuvee totally fit the bill, and I’ll definitely be eating there again.