You are currently browsing the archives for the Dining category.
I’m more of a Bridgehead guy, but there is actually a Starbuck’s within walking distance of my house, and the service there is quite excellent. Although I generally avoid coffee+flavoring of any sort, on a Slashfood-inspired whim I tried a Starbuck’s Dulche de Leche Latte this morning. The sound that escaped my mouth when I first tasted it caused the next three people in line to order one. So yummy, and highly recommended.
Need something to do next Saturday? I recommend the following progression:
Hot->Cold->Rest
Hot->Cold->Rest
Hot->Cold->Rest
Hot->Cold->Rest
Massage
Port
Chocolate Fondue
Two thumbs way up for Le Nordik spa, just outside of Ottawa. Gladly would I give greater praise would but that I possessed more thumbs.
Every once in a while, it’s nice for Kristina and I to remind ourselves that we’re quite adept in the kitchen.
For our Valentine’s Dinner last night, I made a pair of recipes from the Susur cookbook, specifically the eggplant caviar tarts on corn and parsley polenta, with black olive dust, and quail with chanterelle mushrooms on goat cheese pastry, with spicy tamarind sauce, caramelized pears, and wild walnuts. As is her specialty, Kristina took care of dessert, making a chocolate-glazed hazelnut mousse cake, the cover recipe from the current issue of Gourmet.
Yum!
While at brunch on Sunday — Mmmm…Stoneface Dolly’s — Kev was talking about the Chronic(what)les of Narnia skit from SNL. What he failed to mention is that it has doper beats and tighter lyrics than most legit rap songs I’ve heard recently. Also, it’s hilarious, although perhaps not as funny as me trying to say “doper beats” with a straight face.
After some much needed sleep catchup and some tasty dim sum, Ian took me out to Santa Monica.
My tour of the promenade was highlighted by a crew of breakers. Their performance was itself punctuated by a dwarf-like Hawaiian who just about floored me when he did a headslide across the concrete in an old school skate helmet. I wish the crowd hadn’t been so ginormous that I was able to get a picture.
From the promenade, we ventured over to the pier. In what is truly an example of polar extremes, the volunteers of Arlington West set up and dismantle a field of crosses every day in the shadow of the midway, one cross for every U.S. soldier killed thus far in Iraq. Needless to say, their job takes them a little longer each day. A sobering experience.
Rather than eat out yet again, we opted instead for some home cookin’. On the menu tonight: seafood soup with wood ear and enoki mushrooms, steamed red tilapia and dungeness crab. Diagnosis: delicious!
Note: no Ian’s were harmed in the making of this meal, although that wasn’t for lack of trying on the crab’s part.
Perhaps understandably, we woke up pretty late today. After lunch, I convinced Chris, Sarah, and Ian to visit the one thing in Vegas, I really wanted to see: Celine Dion. Erm, I meant to say, the Shark Reef aquarium at Mandalay Bay. The exhibit was very well done, with much more scientific and conservation merit (read: any) than I was expecting from Las Vegas.
After thanking Chris and Sarah for their hospitality, Ian and I headed back to L.A. once the sun went down to avoid the heat.
Dinner tonight was at Ajisen Ramen in San Gabriel. Mr. Noodles has done the world of ramen a great disservice; fresh ramen is quite fantastic.
Oh, and if anyone offers you some harsmar to drink, it is perfectly safe, even tasty when mixed with mango and coconut, but all things considered, you probably shouldn’t be eating it.
I can’t remember the last time I was in a casino prior to this trip, if in fact I’ve ever been in one at all. I’m pretty glad that someone “arranged” the Casino Job because it gave me a chance to visit the cultural icon that is Las Vegas without any of the necessary pretense of gambling or strip clubs. I was doubly thankful that we were staying with Ian’s friends, Chris and Sarah, rather than on the Strip, because it helped put the whole Las Vegas phenomenon into context. Real people do live here too.
I use the term “arranged” above to describe the Casino Job very loosely because there was a depressing lack if organization. I guess we know now why the Browncoats lost. If Chris hadn’t stepped in at the last minute and arranged the midnight showing, the whole thing would likely have fallen apart.
Ian and I did not attend the midnight showing on Thursday, of course. We arrived in Vegas late in the afternoon the next day. We met up briefly with the remnants of the Browncoats pool party (honestly, I think I’m glad I missed that part), made plans to see Serenity with a few of them later that evening, and then set off to wander the strip.
As a monument to excess, the Las Vegas strip is without parallel. From the Imperial Palace, we wandered north up the Strip towards the Stratosphere before catching the mono…d’oh! at the Sahara back down to the MGM Grand. Chris is right: the MGM Grand is the fricking Death Star. It just goes on and on and on…
It was dark by this time, and though the Strip is impressive during the day, the lights at night are spectacular. With our meeting time for the Serenity premiere looming, we made a quick jaunt south to take some pictures of the Luxor at night, before hoofing it north again to get back to the Imperial Palace and our car.
As luck would have it, just as we were sprinting past the Bellagio, the music blared and we got to have our own little Ocean’s Eleven moment, only to the tune of Elvis instead of Debussy.
Despite the delay (as if we weren’t going to stop for the fountain), we made it to the Palms with fully 10 minutes to spare. I was disappointed to note that the theatre was only about half full. I guess there are too many distractions in Vegas for plain-jane movies, even big damn ones, to be a very big draw.
My thoughts on Serenity after a second viewing: awesome. Despite it’s initial awesomeness, I had some problems coming to grips with the way things played out after seeing the preview screening. All I can say to people who feel the same is this: see it a second time. With the shock value gone, you’re able to fully appreciate the movie.
Meanwhile, back in Vegas, our intrepid heroes were lured by the evils of poor Casino Job planning to the Karaoke bar at the Imperial Palace. Unable to endure more than one horrible Jimmy Buffet cover, we quickly escaped with some like-minded Browncoats to more mellow surroundings at a bar just off the casino floor.
We bid the other Browncoats adieu around midnight, and headed home. I don’t know what time we finally went to bed though, because sleep got pre-empted by a full prime rib dinner at Jerry’s Nugget at 1:30am. Vegas is always open for business.
I met lots of nice people at the Landmark Education session Ian brought me along to tonight, but I really don’t think it’s for me.
Despite multiple doubleshots, I was famished by the time the session let out. Dinner in Koreatown solved that nicely.
Ian and I headed out to Venice tonight, largely to fulfill my White Men Can’t Jump fantasies. Shortly after arriving, we passed by a restaurant called Bite that billed itself as serving Asian street food. This piqued our interest enough to get us in the door, and the sake samplers and excellent nibblies kept us there for a good while. Sadly though by the time we left the restaurant, Muscle Beach, the courts, and well, just about everything else was deserted. We wandered the canals for a bit before heading home, marvelling at the eerie glow from the fires that lit the horizon to the north.
Ian took me on a little driving tour tonight, complete with traffic on the 101. To all those wondering why I chose to take my life in my hands by going driving with Ian, he’s really gotten a lot better since high school. Also, he’s moved to a state where everyone drives worse than he does, so he tends to look good by comparison.
We ended up on Mulholland Dr. just after the sun went down and took in some pretty spectacular views of the valley at dusk. From there, we headed down Laurel Canyon to Hollywood and cruised up and down The Strip for a bit before meeting up with Ian’s housemate, Henry, and friend, Andrew, at Thai Palms for dinner. Sadly, Elvis had already left the building.
Ian and I returned to the Strip after dinner and wandered around in front of the Chinese Theatre for a while, taking pictures and star-gazing, before finally heading back home for a rest.
(Yes, I’m in L.A. this week, for those who hadn’t already clued in.)
