after what i considered a fairly intense workout, katie and i strolled down to westwood for some good eats. we decided that showers were unnecessary when both people were sweaty AND hungry. (FYI that the logic doesn't necessarily apply to boys, though it depends on whether their sweat smells like rose petals.)
as we were walking and talking, we somehow ended up at the corner of le conte and westwood w/no idea of what we were going to eat. even though i hate feeling rushed, since i had to be on VC at 3pm, i really couldn't linger anywhere for too long. so it was awesome when katie suggested bella pita, a little falafel place on gayley that i'd yet to try.
i swear i'd heard that mac's gf's dad opened the place, but i'm still not positive. (i'll have to ask him when he gets back from turkey.) i do remember thinking every so often that i hope it doesn't close. i mean, it's just such a hole-in-the-wall sort of place that the food really has to be damn good to keep it open what w/all the rent prices soaring in westwood.
when we walked in, katie gave me the rundown. (honestly, i was just going to order what she ordered, so i wouldn't have to think too much.) you place your order, they put it in a pita, and then you go to the adjacent salad bar and load it w/veggies (like lettuce, roasted cauliflower, cucumbers, and tomatoes) and douse it w/sauces (like hummus -- and yes, i know it's not really a sauce, but it fit in this section, so shut up already -- and tahini).
even though the place was HOT as anything, the order was cheap, quick, and delicious! i got three little well-browned falafels (that were totally not greasy) in a thin pita shell (thereby minimizing the bread-ey quality). i threw in lots of veggies first (mmm....), including lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, and the last 3 shreds of roasted cauliflower left in the bin (i just couldn't wait for more). and then i threw on lots of hummus (which katie raved about), as well as some tahini, some red/orange sauce (which could've been roasted red pepper something or other), and some white sauce (which katie thought might be tahini, but had to have been different since it was in a separate bottle).
the whole stuffed pita fit nicely in a piece of wax paper, which fit nicely in my hand. we'd originally decided to take the food to my apt, but realized that we probably wouldn't make it over there w/much left in our hands. i suggested pinkberry, so we sauntered down there, simultaneously digging at (w/my dainty fork) and munching on our falafel pitas.
it's been a while since i've had falafel (and i daresay this might've been my first time, though i swear i've had it before in NY, which means this might've been my first time in LA). katie and i were talking about falafel king on broxton, where i think i've only had yummy roast chicken. i guess i've just never been too into chickpeas. but now that i'm trying to eat lighter and more vegetarian, this whole chickpea idea is really appealing. especially when they retain their grainy texture and they're fried to a crisp!
i thought my falafel pita was absolutely scrumptious. since i piled the veggies on high, i got several nice bites of those w/all the sauces before i even got near the falafels themselves. thankfully, the sauces made a nice dribble down to the bottom along the inside of the pita. (go sauces! they were probably racing each other for some hot falafel action.)
when i bit into the falafels, they were the perfect consistency of crispy outside and crumbly inside. the only thing that weirded me out was how green the insides were. i asked katie and she thought it must be an herb addition that made them that color. and she mentioned that the place had probably toned down their initial color b/c she'd heard that the falafels were almost neon green initally. now THAT would've been disturbing.
we topped off the afternoon w/some yummy pinkberry and great catch-up convo, both of which are fabulous treats. i'm ending this blog entry by giving a special shout-out to katie's bf kevin (at least i think that's his name), who was nice enough to give us time to catch up (even though he was in westwood), but would've been totally welcome to lunch w/us!
bella pita
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/395024
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
anisette & SM farmer's market
after a flurry of FB chats, jeannine and i decided to check out anisette, a new brasserie apparently being raved about by the likes of jonathan gold. after skimming through some online reviews (which i almost never do), i got myself all psyched up for breakfast at this new santa monica spot. and i must admit, in no way was i disappointed by this dining experience!
as soon as we walked into the restaurant, i was floored by the architecture and design of the space. the ceilings were so high that they seemed almost unreachable. the mirrors were delightfully antiqued by light smudges of faux smoke. the wood was dark, the bar was long, and the booths were comfortable enough for diners to lounge in for hours and hours. more than anything, i loved the airiness of the space. perhaps this was due to the early hour (we walked in around 9:30am), but i appreciated not bumping elbows with adjacent guests and having lots of space above my head. yes, midget that i am, there's something about having lots of head and leg room that really does it for me.
not only was the atmosphere everything i'd hoped for, but the food was absolutely amazing. after some deliberation over the delicious menu (which took longer than usual since none of the menus have been posted online for pre-meal perusal), we decided to go family style and order to share. jeannine made a fabulous point about the challenge of choosing between sweet and savory for the first meal of the day. so we decided to order one of each! for our sweet option, we decided on the french breakfast, which consisted of 3 different pastries (croissant, chocolate croissant, soft roll), a cup of coffee or hot chocolate (she chose the chocolate), and a cup of juice (i chose the grapefruit). for our savory option, we picked the savory croissant sandwich that came w/eggs, spinach, a bit of turkey (i think), and a bit of cheese (i think). (this is the problem with not blogging right after the meal -- and with not having a snazzy new digital camera to record my gastronomic adventures. *hint hint*)
what i do remember is that the pastries were absolutely phenomenal. the croissant was light and flaky (probably due to an incredible amount of butter, but who cares, right?). the chocolate croissant was similarly so, and encapsulated just the right amount of warm chocolate (not too firm, not too melty, pretty much just right -- and yes, i totally feel like goldilocks right now). i think the roll could've been slightly moister, but otherwise, it was quite delicious. the savory croissant was yummier than i expected, especially since i'm not the biggest fan of sandwiches. i'm not sure how people eat croissant sandwiches generally, but i'd definitely consider it a fork-and-knife venture, especially since really good croissants will most likely soak up all the moistness from the rest of the ingredients. just so i don't leave them out, the hot chocolate was yummy and the grapefruit juice was perfect with just the slightest bit of tang.
as an aside, i must admit that i wished i'd been hungrier b/c the english breakfast looked amazing and had received rave reviews. i'm thinking i *have* to go back and try the blood sausage. anyone up for some hearty fare??
anisette brasserie
http://www.anisettebrasserie.com/
to walk off some of our breakfast, we decided to check out the SM farmer's market that was going on just a few blocks away. i must've been here on a weekend the first time b/c it was *so* much less crowded on a weekday! there was tons of produce (more so even than the union square farmer's market in nyc, which tends to be slightly more bread-heavy) and everything was soooooooo fresh! and god how i love samples.... despite being stuffed, i couldn't help myself to some delicious strawberries and peaches. mmm....
SM farmer's market
http://www.smgov.net/farmers_market/
as soon as we walked into the restaurant, i was floored by the architecture and design of the space. the ceilings were so high that they seemed almost unreachable. the mirrors were delightfully antiqued by light smudges of faux smoke. the wood was dark, the bar was long, and the booths were comfortable enough for diners to lounge in for hours and hours. more than anything, i loved the airiness of the space. perhaps this was due to the early hour (we walked in around 9:30am), but i appreciated not bumping elbows with adjacent guests and having lots of space above my head. yes, midget that i am, there's something about having lots of head and leg room that really does it for me.
not only was the atmosphere everything i'd hoped for, but the food was absolutely amazing. after some deliberation over the delicious menu (which took longer than usual since none of the menus have been posted online for pre-meal perusal), we decided to go family style and order to share. jeannine made a fabulous point about the challenge of choosing between sweet and savory for the first meal of the day. so we decided to order one of each! for our sweet option, we decided on the french breakfast, which consisted of 3 different pastries (croissant, chocolate croissant, soft roll), a cup of coffee or hot chocolate (she chose the chocolate), and a cup of juice (i chose the grapefruit). for our savory option, we picked the savory croissant sandwich that came w/eggs, spinach, a bit of turkey (i think), and a bit of cheese (i think). (this is the problem with not blogging right after the meal -- and with not having a snazzy new digital camera to record my gastronomic adventures. *hint hint*)
what i do remember is that the pastries were absolutely phenomenal. the croissant was light and flaky (probably due to an incredible amount of butter, but who cares, right?). the chocolate croissant was similarly so, and encapsulated just the right amount of warm chocolate (not too firm, not too melty, pretty much just right -- and yes, i totally feel like goldilocks right now). i think the roll could've been slightly moister, but otherwise, it was quite delicious. the savory croissant was yummier than i expected, especially since i'm not the biggest fan of sandwiches. i'm not sure how people eat croissant sandwiches generally, but i'd definitely consider it a fork-and-knife venture, especially since really good croissants will most likely soak up all the moistness from the rest of the ingredients. just so i don't leave them out, the hot chocolate was yummy and the grapefruit juice was perfect with just the slightest bit of tang.
as an aside, i must admit that i wished i'd been hungrier b/c the english breakfast looked amazing and had received rave reviews. i'm thinking i *have* to go back and try the blood sausage. anyone up for some hearty fare??
anisette brasserie
http://www.anisettebrasserie.com/
to walk off some of our breakfast, we decided to check out the SM farmer's market that was going on just a few blocks away. i must've been here on a weekend the first time b/c it was *so* much less crowded on a weekday! there was tons of produce (more so even than the union square farmer's market in nyc, which tends to be slightly more bread-heavy) and everything was soooooooo fresh! and god how i love samples.... despite being stuffed, i couldn't help myself to some delicious strawberries and peaches. mmm....
SM farmer's market
http://www.smgov.net/farmers_market/
Sunday, July 6, 2008
jack n' jill's & sprinkles
while i was in kickboxing this morning, i realized that i've been an absolute horrible host, barely seeing my lovely guests this whole weekend! granted, they showed up last-minute, but that doesn't mean i shouldn't make the most out of their visit. i mean, who knows when i'll get to see them again? (*sniff* *sigh* *sniff*) so i decided to shift my plans around so that i could take them out to one of my favorite brunch places in LA, jack n' jill's in beverly hills. i mean, who wouldn't want to end their oh-so-so-cal trip in 90210?
after some quality directions from moi (confirmed by their garmin GPS), we found our way to a not-too-packed jack n' jill's. (thank god for late risers!) i've taken folks to both the beverly hills and santa monica locations, but i must admit to enjoying the beverly hills space much better. when we first walked in, we were directed by a waitress to a table toward the front of the restaurant. neither i nor michelle were pleased w/the location. after beckoning the most-likely-semi-deaf waitress several times for assistance, we were quickly helped by a not-deaf waiter, who showed us to a lovely booth upon request.
once we were comfortably seated (w/soon happily bouncing up and down), we were able to soak up the menu. michelle went light and chose the yogurt parfait, which she was surprised to receive in a tall glass. but aren't all parfaits served in tall glasses? i do believe they are! at any rate, the waiter was quick to bring us a bowl upon request. soon went halfway b/w light & heavy, going w/a veggie omelette & some delicious cornbread. i decided on the pecan citrus salad & some mini blueberry muffins. however, i was floored when i realized my half-portion could've fed a small family. thank god for to-go containers.
jack n' jill's - http://www.eatatjacknjills.com/
even though jack n' jill's pastries are AMAZING, the crowds were getting a bit nuts and we decided to stroll off our calories instead of taking in more. except for a few streets, beverly hills is generally pretty dead, especially on a sunday. however, we did manage to run into several scantily-clad santa clauses on our way down rodeo drive. i'd wanted to say 'only in LA,' but god knows that could just as easily happen in NY. as we wandered through the streets, we found our way to sprinkles, which i've been meaning to check out for MONTHS. the flavors all sounded absolutely delectable, but i ordered the chocolate coconut and the black & white to go. S&M were super generous and offered bites of their red velvet & vanilla. both were SUPER moist, and not too sweet. in other words, DELICIOUS. no wonder bridget's so into them!
sprinkles cupcakes - http://www.sprinklescupcakes.com/
as soon as our sweet teeth were satisfied, we roamed the streets a bit more, being drawn in by all the sale signs. (well, at least i was.) i swear it's a fight to keep myself from whipping out the credit card these days. i don't know how i delude myself into thinking i can afford stuff. (*sigh*) in fact, as i waited on the anthropologie line, i decided to drop everything in my hands and make a bee line for the door. soon seemed shocked that i didn't put everything back in their places, but i don't think he realized my state of anxiety at that point. plus, i'm sorry, that's what salespeople are for. they're not just there to occasionally help people. they're there to put stuff back when people like me freak out about spending their non-existent funds. and i'm glad i saved myself too, b/c we walked into lululemon next and i found fabulous workout pants for less than $60! YAY R&D discount! better yet, i think i can even reverse these babies, thereby essentially purchasing TWO pairs of pants for $60. yes yes, i know i'm a rock star.
since S&M left a few hours ago, i've been sitting here @ iso working on my blog, when i really should've been working on board stuff. it's another half hour or so till dinner time though, which hopefully means i can get some work in. otherwise, it's going to be a long night tonight. thankfully, it's been a lovely weekend, so i really can't complain. it's all about taking life one day at a time. why fret? you're just going to go grey faster. (sorry, mom.)
after some quality directions from moi (confirmed by their garmin GPS), we found our way to a not-too-packed jack n' jill's. (thank god for late risers!) i've taken folks to both the beverly hills and santa monica locations, but i must admit to enjoying the beverly hills space much better. when we first walked in, we were directed by a waitress to a table toward the front of the restaurant. neither i nor michelle were pleased w/the location. after beckoning the most-likely-semi-deaf waitress several times for assistance, we were quickly helped by a not-deaf waiter, who showed us to a lovely booth upon request.
once we were comfortably seated (w/soon happily bouncing up and down), we were able to soak up the menu. michelle went light and chose the yogurt parfait, which she was surprised to receive in a tall glass. but aren't all parfaits served in tall glasses? i do believe they are! at any rate, the waiter was quick to bring us a bowl upon request. soon went halfway b/w light & heavy, going w/a veggie omelette & some delicious cornbread. i decided on the pecan citrus salad & some mini blueberry muffins. however, i was floored when i realized my half-portion could've fed a small family. thank god for to-go containers.
jack n' jill's - http://www.eatatjacknjills.com/
even though jack n' jill's pastries are AMAZING, the crowds were getting a bit nuts and we decided to stroll off our calories instead of taking in more. except for a few streets, beverly hills is generally pretty dead, especially on a sunday. however, we did manage to run into several scantily-clad santa clauses on our way down rodeo drive. i'd wanted to say 'only in LA,' but god knows that could just as easily happen in NY. as we wandered through the streets, we found our way to sprinkles, which i've been meaning to check out for MONTHS. the flavors all sounded absolutely delectable, but i ordered the chocolate coconut and the black & white to go. S&M were super generous and offered bites of their red velvet & vanilla. both were SUPER moist, and not too sweet. in other words, DELICIOUS. no wonder bridget's so into them!
sprinkles cupcakes - http://www.sprinklescupcakes.com/
as soon as our sweet teeth were satisfied, we roamed the streets a bit more, being drawn in by all the sale signs. (well, at least i was.) i swear it's a fight to keep myself from whipping out the credit card these days. i don't know how i delude myself into thinking i can afford stuff. (*sigh*) in fact, as i waited on the anthropologie line, i decided to drop everything in my hands and make a bee line for the door. soon seemed shocked that i didn't put everything back in their places, but i don't think he realized my state of anxiety at that point. plus, i'm sorry, that's what salespeople are for. they're not just there to occasionally help people. they're there to put stuff back when people like me freak out about spending their non-existent funds. and i'm glad i saved myself too, b/c we walked into lululemon next and i found fabulous workout pants for less than $60! YAY R&D discount! better yet, i think i can even reverse these babies, thereby essentially purchasing TWO pairs of pants for $60. yes yes, i know i'm a rock star.
since S&M left a few hours ago, i've been sitting here @ iso working on my blog, when i really should've been working on board stuff. it's another half hour or so till dinner time though, which hopefully means i can get some work in. otherwise, it's going to be a long night tonight. thankfully, it's been a lovely weekend, so i really can't complain. it's all about taking life one day at a time. why fret? you're just going to go grey faster. (sorry, mom.)
catching up over katsuya
so i apologize to all of my loyal readers for disappearing from the blog world over the past three weeks! to convey my physical and emotional exhaustion, here's a detailed breakdown of my travels, trials, and tribulations starting on the 13th of june:
6/13 afternoon - happy hour w/the FIT folks @ el cholo - fun folks, never enough time together, didn't even get to order a sweet corn tamale (what a travesty)
6/13 evening - dinner w/jenee & dad @ buddha's belly - our last meal together for a very long time (*sniff*)
6/13 night - friendship miscommunication & meltdown w/a certain miss j (*sniff*)
6/14 - sanja's wedding in LV w/some ice ice baby action (check out TLC's rock the reception on 7/26 - FYI that i may be on TV!)
6/15 morning - brunch @ farm house cafe in SD w/jerry & teresa (& teresa's tummy) followed by my first baby registry trip ever (yeah, yeah, don't get any ideas)
6/15 afternoon - kim's graduation brunch w/kim in full blueberry regalia and most folks in tears
6/16-6/18 - a way-too-long (in so many ways) trip to lake arrowhead, made worse by the thought of not seeing most folks again (or at least not for a very long time), made ever-so-slightly better by a trip to green field churrascaria in west covina
6/19 - a so-not-long-enough day of rest ending w/dinner @ C&O w/eri & camelia, a last-minute run for travel toiletries, & a red-eye (thank god for ambien) @ 2AM to costa rica
6/20-6/27 - a week of heat, humidity, and high schoolers - no comment necessary
6/28 - casey's wedding in menlo park, which was lovely, though i got no sleep due to heavy snoring in my hotel room (totally uncontrollable, but it sucked anyways)
6/29 afternoon - lunch @ cafe borrone w/shilpa & saurabh followed by swimsuit shopping @ the santa clara ross (totally random, i know)
6/29 evening - a nice catch-up dinner w/kel @ tomodachi
6/30 - FINALLY settled back into things, and thrilled by my first swim class @ the SAC pool
7/1 - excited by my first GSO meeting of the summer, but saddened by my last visit to kim & de'sha's apt in palms (*sob*)
7/2 - a way-too-short relaxtation break w/amy (who i've decided is way more tolerant of annoying people than i'll ever be)
7/3 - a way-too-short jamba break w/julie (who's off to help build a church in riverside - talk about humbling the rest of us) followed by my first FIT class of the summer, a long day @ the office, & 2 back-to-back transfer workshops (as well as a frantic call from a stressed SP nixxing my ride to T&D's bonfire @ dockweiler)
7/4 - THANK GOD FOR ALONE TIME (@ cafe 50's) AND POWER NAPS (2x in a day), especially when out-of-town HS friends can't make decisions (though who am i to talk?) and last-minute houseguests roll in at 2AM (damn that holiday traffic)
before i end on today's activities (a happier note), let's highlight some key eats (not mentioned in previous blog entries):
el cholo
http://www.elcholo.com/
relaxing atmosphere, delicious guac & chips, the most amazing sweet corn tamales EVER (which de'sha & i had @ the last TWO taste of SM events)
buddha's belly
http://www.bbfood.com/
yummy asian fusion, nice decor, adorable waiter - this place is running head-to-head w/PF chang's (which everyone knows i love)
farm house cafe
http://www.farmhousecafesd.com/
really creative food for the hungry (including a yummy pain perdu w/lavender honey that tersa ordered and a pretty luscious lobster eggs benedict that jerry inhaled) - if you're not hungry, you're up shit's creek b/c there's nothing light here but fruit salad (WTF?!)
green field churrascaria
http://www.greenfieldchurrascaria.com/westcovina.htm
who doesn't love a good meat buffet? - if you're a vegetarian, no worries b/c this place has an immense (and delicious) salad bar; if you're a carnivore, just make sure not to fill up on all the veggies & carbs before the meat comes (mmm....)
C&O trattoria
http://www.cotrattoria.com/
yummy italian just 10 steps from the beach, made all the better w/delicious garlic knots & random singing of "that's amore!"
cafe borrone
http://www.cafeborrone.com/
huge menu, vast amount of outdoor seating, hilarious order-taker who suddenly had flashbacks to his previous night of debauchery - shilpa & i had delicious omelettes and shared an alice's-teacup-worthy scone (see previous blog entry), saurabh had a fabulous veggie melt that we all decided to partake of (thanks saurabh!)
**********
as for today, i must say that i had a very lovely (and exhausting) social butterfly day. it started w/brunch @ ford's filling station w/soon & michelle -- a last-minute selection stemming from soon's desire to try something "californian" (little did he know that his mention of "zagat" and his questioning of "gastropubs" would bring on my look of severe disdain). we lunched al fresco (which soon considers "californian" enough) and admired the hardwood ceiling w/the rotating fans. i went the lighter route and ordered the split pea soup (w/yummilicious bacon bits) & my favorite lentil salad. soon enjoyed his first baguette-based french toast w/strawberries & bacon. michelle made a nice dent in her flatbread w/shrimp & hummus. both partook of some yummilicious cocktails as well. (damn my intolerance of alcohol!) after our lovely catch-up lunch, michelle suggested some coldstone (which i haven't had in ages), but we were happily sidetracked by gelato @ ugo. i loved being able to get 2 flavors in the kids cup and i decided to try the coffee & conetto. totally delicious w/o being too sweet. a perfect way to end lunch on a hot summer's day. good call, good call.
ugo - http://cafeugo.com/
S&M (oh what a combo) dropped me off just in time to catch seok-kwee & aida @ mr. noodle. it's been almost a decade since i've seen my first piano teacher (and the only one to which i ever had any loyalty). i was procrastinating from working on my dissertation proposal one night several months ago and decided to google seok-kwee in the hopes of locating her whereabouts. after perusing many pages, i realized that she might still be at creative labs (where she started 17 years ago, i found out @ lunch). i emailed the HR director w/my info, asking her to pass it along if seok-kwee was still w/the company. and lo and behold, i got a lovely reply from my beloved piano teacher just a few days later! we've been in communique the past several months and we decided to meet up while she was down from SF this weekend. especially since she's heading back to singapore soon for work! i grazed on some of the chicken from her noodle dish, while she, aida, & i laughed over random stories and updates from the past 17 years. who would've ever thunk?
mr. noodle - http://www.misternoodle.com/fmain.htm
after that, i raced over to border's to find em, who was in the area earlier than expected. we decided to head over to brentwood and catch up over drinks @ coral tree. it's been AGES, so it was great to fill each other in on the latest happenings, including em's decision to stay out west for b-school!! WOOHOO!!
coral tree cafe - http://www.coraltreecafe.com/
after swapping stories for an hour, we decided to walk around the neighborhood to locate our dining destination. i was truly not hungry at all, but as soon as we spotted katsuya, i decided i could definitely eat. i'd heard about katsuya for months now and it was cosmic that our random stroll took us here. it was also cosmic that em needed to eat early b/c the place was pretty much packed by the time we left. (FYI that i've never seen so many teenage guys in fedoras before!) at any rate, the decor was cool & minimalist, as were the waitstaff, who were all dressed in gray jersey outfits. it was really quite fascinating. our waitress was quite reserved, but very efficient, which is key.
i decided to kickstart the night w/a nice cucumber & watermelon fruit elixir. i'm always quite impressed when non-alcoholic drinks are available, especially when they're not just fruit juices. my fruit elixir was highlighted w/a bit of mint, which made it a nice palate cleanser throughout the meal. em & i went family style, picking the eggplant stuffed w/miso & almond (which had a great mix of textures), the miso-marinated black cod (which was perfectly cooked), and the spider roll (which was delicious in all its eel-ness). the whole meal was amazingly delicious and well-presented. em even captured the food on film, so hopefully she won't keep the photos hostage for too long. we decided to end the meal w/a creme brulee trio (coffee, vanilla & hazelnut), w/coffee being my absolute favorite. (em was afraid of having too much, for fear of not getting to sleep.)
one of the things i liked best about katsuya was the fact that anyone could go in. em & i were dressed in summer dresses & skirts, some folks rolled through the doors in sweats, and other folks were dressed to the nines. an older lady had her dog sitting on her lap and pawing the table. there were couples and families -- and tons of kids even! (FYI that i love that kids have been trained to eat sushi. btw, whoever hasn't read ruth reichl's magazine piece about her son & sushi should definitely seek it out.)
katsuya revels in coolness on multiple levels. which makes it a DEFINITE returner. for a more relaxing time (and some good people-watching), make sure to get there early. em & i were able to get in on a whim w/o reservations, but calling ahead of time may be a good idea. we were also able to dine al fresco, which was lovely for summer, though the interior seemed quite amazing, based on quick glances on my way to the ladies room.
katsuya - http://www.sbeent.com/katsuya/
6/13 afternoon - happy hour w/the FIT folks @ el cholo - fun folks, never enough time together, didn't even get to order a sweet corn tamale (what a travesty)
6/13 evening - dinner w/jenee & dad @ buddha's belly - our last meal together for a very long time (*sniff*)
6/13 night - friendship miscommunication & meltdown w/a certain miss j (*sniff*)
6/14 - sanja's wedding in LV w/some ice ice baby action (check out TLC's rock the reception on 7/26 - FYI that i may be on TV!)
6/15 morning - brunch @ farm house cafe in SD w/jerry & teresa (& teresa's tummy) followed by my first baby registry trip ever (yeah, yeah, don't get any ideas)
6/15 afternoon - kim's graduation brunch w/kim in full blueberry regalia and most folks in tears
6/16-6/18 - a way-too-long (in so many ways) trip to lake arrowhead, made worse by the thought of not seeing most folks again (or at least not for a very long time), made ever-so-slightly better by a trip to green field churrascaria in west covina
6/19 - a so-not-long-enough day of rest ending w/dinner @ C&O w/eri & camelia, a last-minute run for travel toiletries, & a red-eye (thank god for ambien) @ 2AM to costa rica
6/20-6/27 - a week of heat, humidity, and high schoolers - no comment necessary
6/28 - casey's wedding in menlo park, which was lovely, though i got no sleep due to heavy snoring in my hotel room (totally uncontrollable, but it sucked anyways)
6/29 afternoon - lunch @ cafe borrone w/shilpa & saurabh followed by swimsuit shopping @ the santa clara ross (totally random, i know)
6/29 evening - a nice catch-up dinner w/kel @ tomodachi
6/30 - FINALLY settled back into things, and thrilled by my first swim class @ the SAC pool
7/1 - excited by my first GSO meeting of the summer, but saddened by my last visit to kim & de'sha's apt in palms (*sob*)
7/2 - a way-too-short relaxtation break w/amy (who i've decided is way more tolerant of annoying people than i'll ever be)
7/3 - a way-too-short jamba break w/julie (who's off to help build a church in riverside - talk about humbling the rest of us) followed by my first FIT class of the summer, a long day @ the office, & 2 back-to-back transfer workshops (as well as a frantic call from a stressed SP nixxing my ride to T&D's bonfire @ dockweiler)
7/4 - THANK GOD FOR ALONE TIME (@ cafe 50's) AND POWER NAPS (2x in a day), especially when out-of-town HS friends can't make decisions (though who am i to talk?) and last-minute houseguests roll in at 2AM (damn that holiday traffic)
before i end on today's activities (a happier note), let's highlight some key eats (not mentioned in previous blog entries):
el cholo
http://www.elcholo.com/
relaxing atmosphere, delicious guac & chips, the most amazing sweet corn tamales EVER (which de'sha & i had @ the last TWO taste of SM events)
buddha's belly
http://www.bbfood.com/
yummy asian fusion, nice decor, adorable waiter - this place is running head-to-head w/PF chang's (which everyone knows i love)
farm house cafe
http://www.farmhousecafesd.com/
really creative food for the hungry (including a yummy pain perdu w/lavender honey that tersa ordered and a pretty luscious lobster eggs benedict that jerry inhaled) - if you're not hungry, you're up shit's creek b/c there's nothing light here but fruit salad (WTF?!)
green field churrascaria
http://www.greenfieldchurrascaria.com/westcovina.htm
who doesn't love a good meat buffet? - if you're a vegetarian, no worries b/c this place has an immense (and delicious) salad bar; if you're a carnivore, just make sure not to fill up on all the veggies & carbs before the meat comes (mmm....)
C&O trattoria
http://www.cotrattoria.com/
yummy italian just 10 steps from the beach, made all the better w/delicious garlic knots & random singing of "that's amore!"
cafe borrone
http://www.cafeborrone.com/
huge menu, vast amount of outdoor seating, hilarious order-taker who suddenly had flashbacks to his previous night of debauchery - shilpa & i had delicious omelettes and shared an alice's-teacup-worthy scone (see previous blog entry), saurabh had a fabulous veggie melt that we all decided to partake of (thanks saurabh!)
**********
as for today, i must say that i had a very lovely (and exhausting) social butterfly day. it started w/brunch @ ford's filling station w/soon & michelle -- a last-minute selection stemming from soon's desire to try something "californian" (little did he know that his mention of "zagat" and his questioning of "gastropubs" would bring on my look of severe disdain). we lunched al fresco (which soon considers "californian" enough) and admired the hardwood ceiling w/the rotating fans. i went the lighter route and ordered the split pea soup (w/yummilicious bacon bits) & my favorite lentil salad. soon enjoyed his first baguette-based french toast w/strawberries & bacon. michelle made a nice dent in her flatbread w/shrimp & hummus. both partook of some yummilicious cocktails as well. (damn my intolerance of alcohol!) after our lovely catch-up lunch, michelle suggested some coldstone (which i haven't had in ages), but we were happily sidetracked by gelato @ ugo. i loved being able to get 2 flavors in the kids cup and i decided to try the coffee & conetto. totally delicious w/o being too sweet. a perfect way to end lunch on a hot summer's day. good call, good call.
ugo - http://cafeugo.com/
S&M (oh what a combo) dropped me off just in time to catch seok-kwee & aida @ mr. noodle. it's been almost a decade since i've seen my first piano teacher (and the only one to which i ever had any loyalty). i was procrastinating from working on my dissertation proposal one night several months ago and decided to google seok-kwee in the hopes of locating her whereabouts. after perusing many pages, i realized that she might still be at creative labs (where she started 17 years ago, i found out @ lunch). i emailed the HR director w/my info, asking her to pass it along if seok-kwee was still w/the company. and lo and behold, i got a lovely reply from my beloved piano teacher just a few days later! we've been in communique the past several months and we decided to meet up while she was down from SF this weekend. especially since she's heading back to singapore soon for work! i grazed on some of the chicken from her noodle dish, while she, aida, & i laughed over random stories and updates from the past 17 years. who would've ever thunk?
mr. noodle - http://www.misternoodle.com/fmain.htm
after that, i raced over to border's to find em, who was in the area earlier than expected. we decided to head over to brentwood and catch up over drinks @ coral tree. it's been AGES, so it was great to fill each other in on the latest happenings, including em's decision to stay out west for b-school!! WOOHOO!!
coral tree cafe - http://www.coraltreecafe.com/
after swapping stories for an hour, we decided to walk around the neighborhood to locate our dining destination. i was truly not hungry at all, but as soon as we spotted katsuya, i decided i could definitely eat. i'd heard about katsuya for months now and it was cosmic that our random stroll took us here. it was also cosmic that em needed to eat early b/c the place was pretty much packed by the time we left. (FYI that i've never seen so many teenage guys in fedoras before!) at any rate, the decor was cool & minimalist, as were the waitstaff, who were all dressed in gray jersey outfits. it was really quite fascinating. our waitress was quite reserved, but very efficient, which is key.
i decided to kickstart the night w/a nice cucumber & watermelon fruit elixir. i'm always quite impressed when non-alcoholic drinks are available, especially when they're not just fruit juices. my fruit elixir was highlighted w/a bit of mint, which made it a nice palate cleanser throughout the meal. em & i went family style, picking the eggplant stuffed w/miso & almond (which had a great mix of textures), the miso-marinated black cod (which was perfectly cooked), and the spider roll (which was delicious in all its eel-ness). the whole meal was amazingly delicious and well-presented. em even captured the food on film, so hopefully she won't keep the photos hostage for too long. we decided to end the meal w/a creme brulee trio (coffee, vanilla & hazelnut), w/coffee being my absolute favorite. (em was afraid of having too much, for fear of not getting to sleep.)
one of the things i liked best about katsuya was the fact that anyone could go in. em & i were dressed in summer dresses & skirts, some folks rolled through the doors in sweats, and other folks were dressed to the nines. an older lady had her dog sitting on her lap and pawing the table. there were couples and families -- and tons of kids even! (FYI that i love that kids have been trained to eat sushi. btw, whoever hasn't read ruth reichl's magazine piece about her son & sushi should definitely seek it out.)
katsuya revels in coolness on multiple levels. which makes it a DEFINITE returner. for a more relaxing time (and some good people-watching), make sure to get there early. em & i were able to get in on a whim w/o reservations, but calling ahead of time may be a good idea. we were also able to dine al fresco, which was lovely for summer, though the interior seemed quite amazing, based on quick glances on my way to the ladies room.
katsuya - http://www.sbeent.com/katsuya/
Friday, June 13, 2008
ramblings about fatigue
i am soooooooooooooo tired now. i'm sitting at the window covering eva's shift and i'm so glad i have all the wonders of technology to keep me awake right now. i'm not quite sure why i do this to myself. this meaning staying up till 2AM and waking up 5.5 hours later. i've done this twice this week and i'm, simply put, a hot mess.
i suppose i always think i can get more in a day than i actually can. which causes me to end up flaking right and left when my body decides to tell me that i can't get it all in. so apologies UP FRONT to any and all of my lovely friends that i've ever done that to -- and will likely do to again. (i'm sorry, but seriously, this is an inherent fault that won't be disappearing anytime soon!)
it's not that i appreciate doing this to myself, especially when my eyes slowly start to droop and my perfect posture (LOL) is impossible to maintain (sorry, elisa!). and i have a headache. and my contacts won't go in. (no thanks to kelvin for his granny glasses comment the other day. BRUTAL, i tell you, BRUTAL.) and i'm crabby pants. i hate being crabby pants. (unless i seriously hate you, then i don't really care. AND i can blame it on no sleep!)
OMG. i need a nap so badly. AAAHHHHHHH!!!
i suppose i always think i can get more in a day than i actually can. which causes me to end up flaking right and left when my body decides to tell me that i can't get it all in. so apologies UP FRONT to any and all of my lovely friends that i've ever done that to -- and will likely do to again. (i'm sorry, but seriously, this is an inherent fault that won't be disappearing anytime soon!)
it's not that i appreciate doing this to myself, especially when my eyes slowly start to droop and my perfect posture (LOL) is impossible to maintain (sorry, elisa!). and i have a headache. and my contacts won't go in. (no thanks to kelvin for his granny glasses comment the other day. BRUTAL, i tell you, BRUTAL.) and i'm crabby pants. i hate being crabby pants. (unless i seriously hate you, then i don't really care. AND i can blame it on no sleep!)
OMG. i need a nap so badly. AAAHHHHHHH!!!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
chan dara thai & top chef chicago finale
after many many MANY rounds of emailing, lisa (god bless her) successfully rounded up the ladies for a yummy celebratory meal at chan dara thai tonight. lorelle (our resident fashionista) was unable to attend due to a last-minute, all-expenses-paid trip to BARCELONA. yes, i repeat, BARCELONA. her presence was missed, but thankfully, we were able to find a last-minute addition in the form of dr. jenee. who was back from her brazilian paradise to walk the walk at the GSE&IS graduation this weekend. alongside her will be the absolutely amazing dr. kim. who's yet to try on her blueberry garb, but who'll look more fabulous than a cherry on top of a sundae i bet. the rest of this glam dinner party included myself, miss d, and miss jenn (along with muffin, of course). as we like to say (fairly regularly i might add), our table was (as always) the epitome of benetton ads. hot and mod. LOVE IT.
considering that i'd been up till 5 in the morning configuring my new and adorable sony vaio, i was pretty much exhausted ALL day. i felt awful meeting up w/miloni before dinner (awful for her, i mean, considering i was so moody) b/c i was already a complete mess and definitely in no mood to walk around. unfortunately, that's exactly what we ended up doing! and i had no energy (or will) to ask whether we could sit still for a while. hopefully, we'll get to touch base again before she heads to singapore b/c i was a total bore! (i mean, one can't be socially upbeat ALL the time, right? *sigh*)
thankfully, lisa was lovely enough to pick me up from westwood for dinner. and it was absolutely amazing to see all the girls together again. i don't remember the last time we'd all been in one place at the same time. especially what with jenee gallavanting off to brazil and all. (oh, how we miss you!!) to top things off, we all looked super cute (moi especially b/c i needed a pretty little outfit to offset my limited brain function) and were ready for some yummy eats! jenn, de'sha, and i had been to chan dara before for her bachelorette dinner (which was OH SO YUMMY) and all of us had been back at least once already. plus, lisa had actually made the reservation in person when she herself checked out the restaurant several weeks earlier. (i love it when people enjoy my recs!)
we kickstarted the night with two orders of the peking duck rolls (which de'sha and i have been raving about FOREVER) and one order of the shitake shimp. both were delicious, but the duck rolls DEFINITELY deserved a standing ovation. in fact, dr. kim and dr. jenee were quite infatuated with the sauce (which miss d suggested might be a mix of plum and hoisin sauces). aside from jenn (who had a slightly reserved palate b/c of muffin and decided to focus her taste buds on the panang curry w/chicken), the rest of us decided to go in family style with: the pineapple fried rice w/beef, the seafood pad thai, the crispy mango chicken, and the roasted duck (my pick over the spicy pork shop, only b/c i'm in love w/all things duck).
the pineapple fried rice was AMAZING -- totally infused w/tropical flavor. the pineapple wasn't too sweet and the dish was a perfect blend of sweet and savory. seeing as how noodles really aren't my thing, i didn't have too much of the seafood pad thai, though i did notice that it looked very monochromatic on the plate. a big wash of taupe i'd say. thankfully, the flavors were good, though the presentation definitely needed some tweaking. the crispy mango chicken and the roasted duck were both very scrumptious -- well-seasoned, well-cooked, and well-decorated on the plate. the chicken wasn't all gross and breaded (a.k.a. panda express) and the duck was perfectly crispy w/quite a bit of meat (as in, it wasn't all skin). and w/some room left over in our tummies, we decided to end the night on a sweet note, w/some sorbet and creme brulee. i was a bit shocked when they ran out of the coconut cake (especially since we were eating at a super early 6pm). but, in retrospect, it was probably a good thing -- to keep my tummy from ballooning out even further! (and yes, i DO care about my figure!) all in all, the meal was DELICIOUS. and definitely worth paying extra for fancy thai food. i mean, we should all treat ourselves every now and again, right?
before i forget, the highlight of the night was the fact that JULIE ANDREWS was at the table RIGHT next to us. in a white cap and track suit!! OMG. ok ok, breathe breathe....
chan dara thai restaurant
http://chandarawestla.com/
after i got home, washed up, and prepared myself mentally, i got to watch the top chef finale! thank god i posted a note making sure that no one i knew would even THINK of telling me who won before i got to watch! b/c all i can say is that steph TOTALLY DESERVED THAT!! woohoo! HALLELUJAH! i can't believe lisa even THOUGHT she could beat steph and richard. i mean, she's clearly delusional and should've been off the show many episodes ago. i mean, who enjoys being around negative energy like that? ewww....
before i fall asleep on my computer, let me say that this was the funnest night of girl gab in AGES. and FYI that i think folks need to dish out regularly. not even for the sake of gossip being shocking and juicy. (though that's always a bit of a perk!) but honestly, what you're thinking is what you're thinking. don't feel guilty about it. guilt is a wasted emotion.
exit dr. ngai.
considering that i'd been up till 5 in the morning configuring my new and adorable sony vaio, i was pretty much exhausted ALL day. i felt awful meeting up w/miloni before dinner (awful for her, i mean, considering i was so moody) b/c i was already a complete mess and definitely in no mood to walk around. unfortunately, that's exactly what we ended up doing! and i had no energy (or will) to ask whether we could sit still for a while. hopefully, we'll get to touch base again before she heads to singapore b/c i was a total bore! (i mean, one can't be socially upbeat ALL the time, right? *sigh*)
thankfully, lisa was lovely enough to pick me up from westwood for dinner. and it was absolutely amazing to see all the girls together again. i don't remember the last time we'd all been in one place at the same time. especially what with jenee gallavanting off to brazil and all. (oh, how we miss you!!) to top things off, we all looked super cute (moi especially b/c i needed a pretty little outfit to offset my limited brain function) and were ready for some yummy eats! jenn, de'sha, and i had been to chan dara before for her bachelorette dinner (which was OH SO YUMMY) and all of us had been back at least once already. plus, lisa had actually made the reservation in person when she herself checked out the restaurant several weeks earlier. (i love it when people enjoy my recs!)
we kickstarted the night with two orders of the peking duck rolls (which de'sha and i have been raving about FOREVER) and one order of the shitake shimp. both were delicious, but the duck rolls DEFINITELY deserved a standing ovation. in fact, dr. kim and dr. jenee were quite infatuated with the sauce (which miss d suggested might be a mix of plum and hoisin sauces). aside from jenn (who had a slightly reserved palate b/c of muffin and decided to focus her taste buds on the panang curry w/chicken), the rest of us decided to go in family style with: the pineapple fried rice w/beef, the seafood pad thai, the crispy mango chicken, and the roasted duck (my pick over the spicy pork shop, only b/c i'm in love w/all things duck).
the pineapple fried rice was AMAZING -- totally infused w/tropical flavor. the pineapple wasn't too sweet and the dish was a perfect blend of sweet and savory. seeing as how noodles really aren't my thing, i didn't have too much of the seafood pad thai, though i did notice that it looked very monochromatic on the plate. a big wash of taupe i'd say. thankfully, the flavors were good, though the presentation definitely needed some tweaking. the crispy mango chicken and the roasted duck were both very scrumptious -- well-seasoned, well-cooked, and well-decorated on the plate. the chicken wasn't all gross and breaded (a.k.a. panda express) and the duck was perfectly crispy w/quite a bit of meat (as in, it wasn't all skin). and w/some room left over in our tummies, we decided to end the night on a sweet note, w/some sorbet and creme brulee. i was a bit shocked when they ran out of the coconut cake (especially since we were eating at a super early 6pm). but, in retrospect, it was probably a good thing -- to keep my tummy from ballooning out even further! (and yes, i DO care about my figure!) all in all, the meal was DELICIOUS. and definitely worth paying extra for fancy thai food. i mean, we should all treat ourselves every now and again, right?
before i forget, the highlight of the night was the fact that JULIE ANDREWS was at the table RIGHT next to us. in a white cap and track suit!! OMG. ok ok, breathe breathe....
chan dara thai restaurant
http://chandarawestla.com/
after i got home, washed up, and prepared myself mentally, i got to watch the top chef finale! thank god i posted a note making sure that no one i knew would even THINK of telling me who won before i got to watch! b/c all i can say is that steph TOTALLY DESERVED THAT!! woohoo! HALLELUJAH! i can't believe lisa even THOUGHT she could beat steph and richard. i mean, she's clearly delusional and should've been off the show many episodes ago. i mean, who enjoys being around negative energy like that? ewww....
before i fall asleep on my computer, let me say that this was the funnest night of girl gab in AGES. and FYI that i think folks need to dish out regularly. not even for the sake of gossip being shocking and juicy. (though that's always a bit of a perk!) but honestly, what you're thinking is what you're thinking. don't feel guilty about it. guilt is a wasted emotion.
exit dr. ngai.
Monday, June 9, 2008
literati, rustic canyon & air conditioned supper club
after staying up till 2AM to write a super funny blog entry, i was DEVASTATED when i lost the WHOLE thing. i must admit that this wasn't the first time it's happened, so i really should've been more careful. but seeing as how i'd had the loooooooongest day (what w/taking my uber challenging PT exam at 8:30 in the morning, not eating anything substantial until 2PM, and being out at bachelorette activities ill 1AM), i was soooooooo not having any of this blog entry being erased business. ARGH!!
needless to say, i'm feeling a bit calmer now, but definitely not as excited as i was last night about writing. plus i'm groggy from only 5.5 hours of sleep, seeing as how i'd been up so late. (ARGH!! lingering bitterness. can you tell?)
let's start by saying that my PT exam was TOUGH. not that i'd expected any less, but it was HARD. i wish i could've left saying i aced it, but god knows that wasn't going to happen. the biggest thing was that i was STRESSED OUT. i don't think any of us seriously thought we'd need the whole time. but when the old guy next to me left w/30 minutes on the clock, i started to worry. and that's when most of the second guessing happens. i wish i'd stuck with some of my instinct answers, but then again, when your instinct doesn't read all the answer choices (*sigh*), that's not always the best way to go either. all in all, i think it went OK. but i wished i'd left feeling more confident about it. when you're left counting how many questions you might've gotten wrong and wanting to go through your textbook, that's just not a good sign. at any rate, i'm prepared to re-take the exam in glendale this summer. i'm just not as prepared to dish out another $285!! i mean, that's a whole plane ticket! *sigh* at least i know this will all blow over before the summer's out! or at least i hope so.... AUGH! i wish i could get it out of my head! like eri says, maybe i need hypnosis....
anyways, moving on.... considering that i took the exam on 1/2 a mocha and a biscotti, i was starving by 2PM when i met up w/netta for a late lunch. we decided to head to literati, which i found out later she'd never been to before! i guess mel and i had been talking it up at some point, so i'm glad we settled on going there, especially since i hadn't been in AGES. i decided on the iced tea and the portabello panini w/roasted red peppers on wheat. a PERFECT summer veggie combo. we sat outside in the sun and gabbed about all the nonsense in our lives. of course, we were simultaneously distracted by the nonsense in the street (wilshire & bundy, i believe) where a BARQ's 2-tiered monstrosity sat in the middle of the intersection for a VERY LONG TIME. worse became worst when the idiots on the top tier started squirting stuff from the top windows onto the passing cars below. CAN WE SAY JUVENILE?! i swear i was up in arms and totally ready to call the police. unfortunately, i only had the UCLA PD on speed dial, so i guess that was that. eventually, the bus moved. thankfully, my back was turned, so i wasn't even paying attention after a while. i swear i can't stand idiots. (like the one in my PT class, who shall remain nameless, though anyone who from class who reads this blog should know FULL well who i'm talking about. UGH!) at any rate, back to my food tale. the last thing that i want to mention about literati (beyond the fact that i've never had anything NOT yummy here -- love the double negative) is that the desserts are AMAZING. i was still hungry after i inhaled my lunch, so i ran back in and picked up the chocolate chip banana bread, which i swore to netta that i wouldn't finish, but which inevitably i found room for in my tummy. totally moist and deliciously filling. mmm....
oh! before i forget, literati has an adorable fine dining restaurant in the back of the cafe. i've been and it's delicious. if you go, you MUST order the duck. you MUST.
literati cafe
http://www.literaticafe.com/
after getting through several loads of laundry (WOOHOO!) and a quick run (which i SO needed), i was out of the house again for casey's bachelorette activities. after asking me for some recs, casey settled on rustic canyon, which i'd been waiting FOREVER to go to. considering that the plans had been on the calendar for a while, i really should've saved more room in my tummy. thankfully for my wallet, i was still pretty full from lunch and settled on a lighter meal for dinner. btw, considering that we were 30-60 minutes late for dinner (don't even ASK), i found the waitress to be quite helpful and accommodating. unlike the hostess who came off as an uppity sorority girl when she advised us that we needed to be out before the 9PM seating (who didn't even show up on time! if at all!) btw, why does EVERYONE eat so late?? isn't it bad for digestion??
at any rate, the food was DELISH. i chose the sweet corn soup and the baby gem lettuces, both of which were perfectly light and summery. amy and jenny both went for the homemade pastas, which the waitress had warned would be quite small, so they both ordered the soup as well. the waitress was definitely NOT lying about the portions. even though they were quite miniature, the girls definitely enjoyed the flavors and i definitely enjoyed the scent of the bolognese wafting over from amy's plate! since we were in a bit of a rush to get out of there, casey and megan decided to end w/the cookie plate. considering that amy was still hungry, normally i would've gone all out for dessert. but given the state of my tummy and wallet, it was probably a good idea that we stuck with the cookies. there was enough for everyone to have 2 bites, and i decided on the shortbread and the chocolate -- both of which were quite delectable.
even though the food was good, i must admit that i found the menu quite uninteresting. i mean, i must've been impressed by SOMETHING if i'd wanted to go there so badly. but i'm guessing the inconsistency is due to the fact that the menus change over the seasons. granted, any good restaurant should really have menu items that appeal throughout the year. however, i'm willing to give rustic canyon another chance -- provided that i won't be disappointed!
rustic canyon wine bar
http://www.rusticcanyonwinebar.com/
after many attempts to find the address for this place (umm.... i believe some folks were in serious need of blackberry tutorials. i mean, what ever happened to 411?!), we finally located the air conditioned supper club in venice. granted, we COULD'VE gone to the one in SM if i'd actually KNOWN about the one in SM. (of course, i only found out that there when i was googling the website for this blog entry.) thankfully, our little adventure to the venice location was QUITE memorable. aside from casey being decked out in a tiara, a boa, and a "write on me" pink t-shirt, the rest of us were also nicely attired by megan in fluffy boas and blinking bracelets. yes yes, we were QUITE the crew. we spent much of the night going up to random gentlemen to ask whether they'd perform bachelorette-worthy tasks and sign off on casey's shirt. thankfully, we did get SOME dancing in. especially at the end of the night when some really fun tunes came on. my one goal for the night was to get casey and the girls up on stage -- and it was MISSION ACCOMPLISHED, BABY. WOOHOO!! anything to not have to watch the she-man show off his/her non-existent rhythm. ick! to be honest, the club was actually quite fabulous, considering that there was no cover before $10, the music was totally awesome, and only a few of us were randomly groped by disgusting men. (i mean, that's inevitable, right? oh, how i hate that that's true. *sigh* it's just so gross!) plus, casey ended up getting the attention of this really REALLY hot guy. i swear all of us were breathing a little heavy -- single or not!
air conditioned supper club
http://www.airconditionedbar.com/home.html
needless to say, i'm feeling a bit calmer now, but definitely not as excited as i was last night about writing. plus i'm groggy from only 5.5 hours of sleep, seeing as how i'd been up so late. (ARGH!! lingering bitterness. can you tell?)
let's start by saying that my PT exam was TOUGH. not that i'd expected any less, but it was HARD. i wish i could've left saying i aced it, but god knows that wasn't going to happen. the biggest thing was that i was STRESSED OUT. i don't think any of us seriously thought we'd need the whole time. but when the old guy next to me left w/30 minutes on the clock, i started to worry. and that's when most of the second guessing happens. i wish i'd stuck with some of my instinct answers, but then again, when your instinct doesn't read all the answer choices (*sigh*), that's not always the best way to go either. all in all, i think it went OK. but i wished i'd left feeling more confident about it. when you're left counting how many questions you might've gotten wrong and wanting to go through your textbook, that's just not a good sign. at any rate, i'm prepared to re-take the exam in glendale this summer. i'm just not as prepared to dish out another $285!! i mean, that's a whole plane ticket! *sigh* at least i know this will all blow over before the summer's out! or at least i hope so.... AUGH! i wish i could get it out of my head! like eri says, maybe i need hypnosis....
anyways, moving on.... considering that i took the exam on 1/2 a mocha and a biscotti, i was starving by 2PM when i met up w/netta for a late lunch. we decided to head to literati, which i found out later she'd never been to before! i guess mel and i had been talking it up at some point, so i'm glad we settled on going there, especially since i hadn't been in AGES. i decided on the iced tea and the portabello panini w/roasted red peppers on wheat. a PERFECT summer veggie combo. we sat outside in the sun and gabbed about all the nonsense in our lives. of course, we were simultaneously distracted by the nonsense in the street (wilshire & bundy, i believe) where a BARQ's 2-tiered monstrosity sat in the middle of the intersection for a VERY LONG TIME. worse became worst when the idiots on the top tier started squirting stuff from the top windows onto the passing cars below. CAN WE SAY JUVENILE?! i swear i was up in arms and totally ready to call the police. unfortunately, i only had the UCLA PD on speed dial, so i guess that was that. eventually, the bus moved. thankfully, my back was turned, so i wasn't even paying attention after a while. i swear i can't stand idiots. (like the one in my PT class, who shall remain nameless, though anyone who from class who reads this blog should know FULL well who i'm talking about. UGH!) at any rate, back to my food tale. the last thing that i want to mention about literati (beyond the fact that i've never had anything NOT yummy here -- love the double negative) is that the desserts are AMAZING. i was still hungry after i inhaled my lunch, so i ran back in and picked up the chocolate chip banana bread, which i swore to netta that i wouldn't finish, but which inevitably i found room for in my tummy. totally moist and deliciously filling. mmm....
oh! before i forget, literati has an adorable fine dining restaurant in the back of the cafe. i've been and it's delicious. if you go, you MUST order the duck. you MUST.
literati cafe
http://www.literaticafe.com/
after getting through several loads of laundry (WOOHOO!) and a quick run (which i SO needed), i was out of the house again for casey's bachelorette activities. after asking me for some recs, casey settled on rustic canyon, which i'd been waiting FOREVER to go to. considering that the plans had been on the calendar for a while, i really should've saved more room in my tummy. thankfully for my wallet, i was still pretty full from lunch and settled on a lighter meal for dinner. btw, considering that we were 30-60 minutes late for dinner (don't even ASK), i found the waitress to be quite helpful and accommodating. unlike the hostess who came off as an uppity sorority girl when she advised us that we needed to be out before the 9PM seating (who didn't even show up on time! if at all!) btw, why does EVERYONE eat so late?? isn't it bad for digestion??
at any rate, the food was DELISH. i chose the sweet corn soup and the baby gem lettuces, both of which were perfectly light and summery. amy and jenny both went for the homemade pastas, which the waitress had warned would be quite small, so they both ordered the soup as well. the waitress was definitely NOT lying about the portions. even though they were quite miniature, the girls definitely enjoyed the flavors and i definitely enjoyed the scent of the bolognese wafting over from amy's plate! since we were in a bit of a rush to get out of there, casey and megan decided to end w/the cookie plate. considering that amy was still hungry, normally i would've gone all out for dessert. but given the state of my tummy and wallet, it was probably a good idea that we stuck with the cookies. there was enough for everyone to have 2 bites, and i decided on the shortbread and the chocolate -- both of which were quite delectable.
even though the food was good, i must admit that i found the menu quite uninteresting. i mean, i must've been impressed by SOMETHING if i'd wanted to go there so badly. but i'm guessing the inconsistency is due to the fact that the menus change over the seasons. granted, any good restaurant should really have menu items that appeal throughout the year. however, i'm willing to give rustic canyon another chance -- provided that i won't be disappointed!
rustic canyon wine bar
http://www.rusticcanyonwinebar.com/
after many attempts to find the address for this place (umm.... i believe some folks were in serious need of blackberry tutorials. i mean, what ever happened to 411?!), we finally located the air conditioned supper club in venice. granted, we COULD'VE gone to the one in SM if i'd actually KNOWN about the one in SM. (of course, i only found out that there when i was googling the website for this blog entry.) thankfully, our little adventure to the venice location was QUITE memorable. aside from casey being decked out in a tiara, a boa, and a "write on me" pink t-shirt, the rest of us were also nicely attired by megan in fluffy boas and blinking bracelets. yes yes, we were QUITE the crew. we spent much of the night going up to random gentlemen to ask whether they'd perform bachelorette-worthy tasks and sign off on casey's shirt. thankfully, we did get SOME dancing in. especially at the end of the night when some really fun tunes came on. my one goal for the night was to get casey and the girls up on stage -- and it was MISSION ACCOMPLISHED, BABY. WOOHOO!! anything to not have to watch the she-man show off his/her non-existent rhythm. ick! to be honest, the club was actually quite fabulous, considering that there was no cover before $10, the music was totally awesome, and only a few of us were randomly groped by disgusting men. (i mean, that's inevitable, right? oh, how i hate that that's true. *sigh* it's just so gross!) plus, casey ended up getting the attention of this really REALLY hot guy. i swear all of us were breathing a little heavy -- single or not!
air conditioned supper club
http://www.airconditionedbar.com/home.html
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
top chef chicago goes to puerto rico
all i can say right now is: WTF?! lisa gets to stay?! UGH!! oh how i want steph & richard to be the last two standing....
sex and the city - the movie!!
ummm.... what can i say? i was at the midnight show. i paid to see it a second time. i cried over and over. and it was set in my hometown. who CARES what the reviewers think?! i loved it! who couldn't use a little bit of fairy tale romance? *sigh*
thanksgiving in june & taste of the nation
i'll be quick b/c i wanted to make sure to plug these two things before i totally and completely forgot about them! FYI that this was THE most amazing weekend of eating possible. i had my (now) annual thanksgiving in june party (which was almost in june but had to get pushed up b/c of scheduling issues). once again, it was AMAZING. yet another perfectly brined bird (c/o MOI) and lots of deliciousness all around. highlights included: yummy yams c/o jenn, amazing butternut squash soup c/o dani, and a perfectly light cucumber & tomato salad c/o kim. the rest of the food? FABULOUS. *sigh* and a happy half birthday to me!
i rounded out the weekend w/taste of the nation in culver city. i'd been waiting MONTHS for this event (especially after last year when i was full before i got there and dealing w/heatstroke), but i got caught up w/maria at corner bakery for brunch, which put me at the event later than i expected. and considering that i'd forgotten it ended at 4 (and not 5!), a bunch of restaurants were already packing up their stalls by the time i did my second loop! sadness. thankfully, i'd gotten some SERIOUSLY delicious bites in my first loop -- OMG. and honestly, i could barely fit any more food in my tummy, so what the heck am i complaining about? i guess i'd preferred to have had ALL the options available to me, but other than that, i had an amazing time. aside from touching base w/dani & mark really quickly, i saw kirk cameron MC'ing, antonia (c/o top chef) competing, and cat cora (c/o iron chef america) judging! talk about being slightly starstruck!
http://taste.strength.org/site/PageServer?pagename=TOTN_homepage
i rounded out the weekend w/taste of the nation in culver city. i'd been waiting MONTHS for this event (especially after last year when i was full before i got there and dealing w/heatstroke), but i got caught up w/maria at corner bakery for brunch, which put me at the event later than i expected. and considering that i'd forgotten it ended at 4 (and not 5!), a bunch of restaurants were already packing up their stalls by the time i did my second loop! sadness. thankfully, i'd gotten some SERIOUSLY delicious bites in my first loop -- OMG. and honestly, i could barely fit any more food in my tummy, so what the heck am i complaining about? i guess i'd preferred to have had ALL the options available to me, but other than that, i had an amazing time. aside from touching base w/dani & mark really quickly, i saw kirk cameron MC'ing, antonia (c/o top chef) competing, and cat cora (c/o iron chef america) judging! talk about being slightly starstruck!
http://taste.strength.org/site/PageServer?pagename=TOTN_homepage
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