1st Annual Food Truck Fest

If you have a short attention span here's my recap of the 1st Annual Food Truck Fest.

Holy bad planning Batman.

If you have a slightly larger attention span, I'll expand.

Ok, so if you've been here before you know I have a deep unexplainable love of the food trucks. I find it obvious, even if most of the people in my life think I'm crazy - good food, cheap and in not huge portions. Seriously, its like a dream come true for a foodie girl who doesn't cook. So, imagine my glee when one of the creators of Unique LA (one of my favorite events) teamed up with another person who does this sort of thing to create the 1st Annual Food Truck Fest AND she was going to have some Unique LA vendors there too. WIN!

I was able to control myself and not buy the $30 VIP tickets. (Yes, I did strain my shoulder patting myself on the back, thankyouverymuch.) But, I did jump at the $10 pre-sale tickets. Duh, an extra $5 so I don't have to stand in line. Easy. So, in true me fashion, Todd & I left at 10am for this extravaganza. It was set to start at 11am but since I didn't know exactly where I was going or parking, I felt a little extra time wouldn't hurt.

We scored $5 parking right across the street from our pre-sale entrance. However, when a group of us were wandering, looking for the pre-sale entrance, we were all a bit worried of what was to come since there wasn't a sign. Seriously, no sign. We didn't need a big one, just something that said "Pre-sale Entrance" or "Bike Valet Entrance." We're not picky. We just hoped for a sign.

Being the bright people we are, we figured out which unmarked gate to stand at. And we stood. And I stared at the volunteers on the other side of the big black padlocked gate. And I relayed their announcements to the waiting pre-sale masses. And we waited. After the fire marshall did his walk through, at 11:20am, we stormed in.

First up, Ludo Bites. Ok, all you Top Chef people know this dude. I've read about him but, uhm, yeah, we got in that line first because we knew it would be the longest. And, let me tell you, this was the best planned truck of the bunch. They served ONE THING. Freakin' brilliant for this crowd. $5 = two balls o' fried chicken. It was good. It didn't change my life, but it was good.

Komodo. Yes, those of you who are subject to my tweets know I've been hunting the elusive Komono for weeks. And by hunting I mean I've been waiting for them to show up within 5 feet of wherever I am. Finally! Todd & I accidentally double ordered at this truck. But, neither of us minded. I would totally go there again. They weren't serving burritos on Saturday (tacos only), but I hear the siren-song of the burrito. It must be mine. Yes, their "signature" taco had beef and guac good enough for me to wistfully dream meeting them again in burrito form. Not that the chicken didn't rock my world. It did. Twitter. Web.

QZilla. I don't think these boys knew what they were in for when they signed up for this event. Don't get me wrong, they had the best potato salad I've ever had IN MY LIFE. Yeah, it was that good. But if they had known what they were in for, I think they would have modified their menu just a touch. But holy crap, the potato salad? And their smack'n'cheese was darn tasty too. If you held a gun to my head and told me I had to pick a food truck that would appeal to EVERYONE I knew, foodies as well as picky-non-adventurous eaters. This one would be my choice. Besides, I'd be able to have their potato salad again. Twitter. Web.

Cool Haus. What? Why am I mentioning a truck I've already blogged about? Because, they get 1st runner up for proper planning for this event. Though I didn't understand the menu (thankfully Todd was on hand to explain it to me in small words), their plan of having mini-ice-cream-sammies in groups of two with pricing to mix & match the twosomes was freakin' brilliant. These ladies rock my world again, first with edible wrappers (with advertising no less) then with fabulous ice cream sammies and finally, their fabulous handling to this event.

But wait Jenna, why are you talking about trucks you've already had. Why are you not regaling us with tails of Japanese hot dogs and other trucks you hadn't yet tried.

I'm so glad you asked that.

Uhm, I think the THOUSANDS of fans on the Facebook should have tipped off these crazy kids that they might be over their head. That the 30 or so trucks/vendors they had might not be enough to serve the masses. Yeah, we were there for about an hour and a half, walked the whole space, ate, got our free drink (pre-sale tickets AGAIN FTMFW!) and knew that if we got into one more line, it would be at least an hour before we would get food. And really, I don't roll like that.

I felt bad. I was full, Todd wanted a hot dog. And really no one should attend an event like this and leave wanting a hot dog. That's just cruel. There are Japanese hot dogs just steps from us and yet the wait would have been an hour. Yeah, event fail.

With our positive attitude and love of the food we had already eaten, I promised Todd a hot dog for Valentine's Day and he was fine with that.

Food Truck Fundraiser - Part II

Hi! See, I made it back, two posts, ONE WEEK. I can hardly stand myself.

Eat Phamish - I'll admit, before NomNom I'd never even heard of Banh Mi. But, now that I have, I'm hooked and apparently picky. We asked the kids on Eat Phamish which of their sandwiches was their favorite. (Vegetarians, skip down to the Buttermilk write up). Steak. Sold. I never thought I'd use the words "light" and "steak" in the same sentence without the help of Mad Libs, but here we go. This was, no joke, the lightest steak sandwich I've ever had. And, I make the statement with nothing but love in my heart. It was wonderful. I loved it. It would have been the perfect lunch today. Or tomorrow. Thursday? Maybe in this weather Pho would be better. Either way, I need to find the Phamish this week. Yum. Twitter. Web.

Buttermilk Truck - Ok, so this was supposed to be an update but it seems I can't navigate my own blog to find the first posting. Hmm, a promised post that never came to be? That's so not like me. Anyways, so Steve & I went to the opening of this truck. And, after surviving more (real) Louis Vuitton bags than I'd ever thought I'd see at a food truck we knew this truck was good, but give it a few months and it would be EPIC. Yeah, it was epic. Pancake bites, french toast sticks, homemade donuts...a definite stop. Our group was quite thankful we had each other as if any of us had been alone, we could have easily ordered & eaten all three of the above foods and not had any issue finishing them one by one. Twitter. Web.

King Kone - This is one of the first trucks I followed. An ice cream truck. Sounds obvious right? We've all grown up with the ice cream trucks with the annoying music and selection of Bomb Pops. Well, this ain't that truck. This truck sells, and I'm not kidding when I say this, the best dipped cone I've ever had. And, if you've met me, you won't be surprised to know that I've met many a dipped cone. And they have shakes, and they have sundaes, and they have all sorts of magical treats. If both Cool Haus & King Kone were in front of me, my head might explode if I had to chose between them. Twitter. Web.

Dels (update) - Don't worry, I still love them. But I wanted you to know that they're adding flavors. I still love the lemon but you can have other things too.

Fishlips (update) - Again, the love is still there. And, I've been told by people <*cough*Jason*cough*> that the sushi served on this truck is better than some actual sushi joints (like with real tables and chairs and waiters and stuff). Just thought I'd share.

Food Truck Fundraiser

Seriously, you put 26 trucks in one location? And then you tell me a portion of the money goes to charity? How fast do you think I can walk over there after surviving my first yoga class in months? Ask Regina & Todd, they'll tell you.

Oh, and before I forget to tell you, mark your calendars for 2/13/10. LA Food Truck Fest...somewhere in downtown. Check their website/twitter/facebook for updates since you know I can't be trusted to let you know in a timely manner.

Sorry, back to the trucks. So the nice people at T Lofts hosted this event. 26 trucks. Epic. Here are the new kids (and a few other kids that redeemed themselves).

Grilled Cheese Truck - I stick to what I said about them the first time - Their grilled mac & cheese with pork and grilled onions is BRILLIANT. And now that their grill works, all of the sandwiches are fabulous. If you're on a diet, run away. If you want a d@mn fine sandwich, run towards. Twitter. Web.

Louks - I've been wanting to try this Greek truck for awhile now. And, I was not disappointed. We shared the feta fries & the honey louks. Yum. If I could find this truck for lunch/dinner, I would love to try one of their gyros but in a group it just doesn't make sense. In the meantime I'll dream of what it can be. Another positive, the owner came out to see what we thought. He was everything a Greek food truck proprietor could be. Awesome. Twitter. Web.

Willoughby Road - Another truck that has eluded me, but no more. This southern theme truck did not leave the group disappointed. I could have eaten the shrimp grits all by myself (and happily...stupid sharing) and the fried chicken wasn't at all what we expected but we totally loved it. The party was divided on the coleslaw. I wasn't sold since it had too much kick for me, but there wasn't any left at the end of our visit, so I was apparently in the minority. I can live with that. I'd totally visit Willoughby Road again. Twitter. Web.

Vesuvio - I have two words for you: Rice balls. Really can't we just stop there? If you're anything like me hearing those two words, you're already sold. But, if you need more, keep reading.... I had completely forgotten that my mom made these a year or two ago. And anyone who has had food at Chez Gramma knows that once she makes something, the standards are high. So when I was noshing on the aforementioned rice balls, I was not disappointed. I think a meatball sub is in order the next time I chase down this truck. Twitter. Web.

Ok, more tomorrow...Eat Phamish, Buttermilk Truck (update), King Kone, Dels (update), Fishlips (update).

First Friday, Thought Not on First Friday

Ah yes, another month, another blog post. I don't know why I can't pull myself together on the craft portion of this blog. Oh well, onto the food!

With January 1st falling on a Friday, the fine First Friday folks decided to move it onto the next week. This gave both good and bad results. Good: There were fewer people so you didn't want to punch anyone to get anyone out of your way. Bad: There weren't as many trucks. Oddly, even with our merry band of 5.5 people, we managed to find enough trucks to fill our rumbly tumblies. Though the dearth of good dessert options did not go unnoticed.

FrySmith - This review is a little late as I've now tried over half their menu. But, at least I can speak with authority! Whatever, the most important thing about this truck is that they killed a sad rumor. When you get the In-n-Out truck, why don't they have fries? Word on the street was they couldn't do fries on a truck. At least that's what they'd tell us at work every year when the truck would pull up. LIARS, ALL OF THEM. FrySmith fries are FABULOUS and their combinations sound frightening but they're AMAZING. Please do the following to appreciate the FrySmith:

1. SHARE - If you try to eat this alone, its VERY heavy...not recommended with all of our post-holiday food issues. Oops, that might just be me.

2. USE A FORK - Yes, I know fries are traditionally finger foods but to get the magic of the FrySmith you need to get all the tastes into one bite.

3. FREE YOUR MIND - Seriously, the first time you look at their menu its a bit odd. But let me tell you odd in this case is fabulous. Web. Twitter.

Asian Soul Kitchen - I was so sad last month when I was too full to try these guys. They set up after we did our Abbott Kinney crawl. But this time they were there bright and early and so was I. First you start with the presentation of the menu. I have a feeling most people who try the truck aren't super familiar with Asian fare. So this nice man introduces you to their fabulous menu. Having spent many a night on Sawtelle I'm an EXPERT, except when I have to lean over to k8 and ask her what something is. But whatever, this truck's menu didn't scare me and I wanted to try one of everything. Instead, we tried the spicy mac'n'cheese (a slow burn...for the hot fans out there; the best mac'n'cheese from a truck yet), Lollipop Chicken (I would like some right now, please), sliders (soooo good, I'll take a few of those as well if you're delivering), and ying & yang rice (awesome.) Can you tell I'm a fan. Thumbs up. I'd definitely find them for a meal. I'd like to try everything on their menu. Web. Twitter.

Fressers - So every month, after First Friday, mom asks me about the trucks, what I ate, etc... She's infinitely amused that I eat off of trucks. Of course, she's much more amused when I bring the food home so she can try it, but that's another story. I'm going through the list on Saturday morning and I get to Fressers, they do Pastrami. "That's all they do?" asks mom. Well, who cares if they do it REALLY well. And let me tell you, they do it REALLY well. For a lunch run, I'd say this truck is perfect. (Ed. to add - Ok, so I just checked their menu and they do more than the pastrami. But, seriously, the pastrami is so. good. I was distracted that they offered anything else.) Web. Twitter.

DogtownDogs - Like FrySmith, I might have allegedly tried DogtownDog a few times before sharing my findings with you. I've now had three different dogs and they're all fabulous. Hands down the best dog I've had. And all the froo-froo stuff they do with the California dog and the Trailer Trash dog, yeah, that doesn't hurt either. You want a good hot dog, this is the truck to hit. Web. Twitter.

Slice Truck - Hmmm, pizza from a truck. For L.A. thin crust pizza, it's good. I would say this truck would be fabulous for a party but since the truck scene is all about the wack-ball fusion foods, this is, well, thin crust pizza. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Web. Twitter.

See you next month, unless I actually tell y'all about all the stuff I made for Christmas before then. Weirder things have happened.

Westside Food Truck Round-Up - An Ongoing Series

I don't think I've told you Dear Diary about First Friday. My bad. First Friday on Abbott Kinney is well, the first Friday of the month along Abbott Kinney between Venice & Westminster. The shops & restaurants stay open, the food trucks come en mass and everyone walks their dogs, kids, and friends along the street. Its now a staple in my social calendar. Join us....just don't take my parking spot. Get there after 6pm, after I park. That works for me.

Where to begin? Obviously, I'll start with my new FAVORITE truck and it isn't just because of the name....

The Flying Pig - Its big, its pink and its FABULOUS. Duck? Braised pork? Crab balls? Yup, you betcha. So. Good. Steve & I have decided this is our new favorite truck. Now, I don't think I can say its better than the Godfather of all nouveau Food Trucks but it is my current favorite. Twitter. Web.

BoolBBQ - When I saw the menu I can tell you I honestly wasn't expecting much. It looked like several other trucks we'd seen. Then Steve spied a piece of paper taped up that read "Fish Taco." SOLD! Seriously, best fish taco I've had in years. I'd like another one right now actually. And, k8 & mrk were very taken with their taco. I can't tell you which one it was but they LOVED it. I'll be more open-minded next time and just order one of everything on the menu. Twitter. Web.

Dainty Cakes - I'm a food truck nerd. I admit it. And when I saw these guys running amuck I wanted to make sure they were going to be at First Friday on Abbott Kinney since there was a derth of desserts last month. So I messeged them on Twitter. And they wrote back! I was so excited. And then they were at First Friday! And I was even more excited. And then I told them about Twitter and they were so happy to see me. And then they gave me an extra cupcake with my order because they're nice people. And the cupcakes were good, way better than Sprinkles. The red velvet was excellent, probably one of the best I've bought. So, go support a nice food truck and have a cupcake. Twitter. Web.

Fish Lips - I've seen these guys around. Sushi chefs making each order fresh. And, I can honestly report, the food was just as good as I had hoped it would be. I think we'll need to time our next lunch-time JoAnn's run on a day when these guys are parked over at T Lofts (Tennesse & Butler). Their sushi would be an excellent lunch. Two thumbs up. And, as an added bonus, an actual MARKET, like one that doesn't move, will be carrying their sushi. Twitter. Web.

Dosa Truck - This truck has been quite ellusive. I follow it on Twitter but until tonight it was just a myth. Well, the myth is now fact and I can report that this would be another great lunch stop. Their wraps are yummy and not at all heavy. Mina & I both agreed that the bread (I'm sure there's an Indian word for it) for the wrap was great. And, unlike most of the food trucks roaming the streats, Dosa is very vegetarian friendly. Twitter. Web.

Next up, Buttermilk!

Westside Food Truck Roundup - Part II

South Philly Experience - I had heard mixed reviews on these guys so I really wanted to try them. Holy wow. I managed to share the sandwich (steak with onions and cheese whiz) with the group and I think that shows my love for the people in that group. I mean, it was that good. If I didn't like those people as much as I do, I would have snatched their portions out of their hands. But, I knew I'd find SPE again, and I did and it was just as good. Twitter. Web.

Marked 5 - When I first heard about these burgers with rice as a bun, I thought, hmm, interesting. Now that I've had a burger with rice as a bun, I think, hmm, when can I get another one? Do I get the lamb again or do I try something different? So. Good. and so many questions to ponder. Twitter. Web.

India Jones - I've heard of this truck but I don't like Indian food (or rather, Indian food doesn't like me) so I opted not to follow it. In the immortal words of Pretty Woman: "Big mistake, huge." Needless to say, I'm following the truck now. It doesn't matter if you do or do not like traditional Indian food, this truck is good. It was even a wee bit spicy and I don't do spicy and I still liked it. Twitter. Web.

Border Grill Truck - Like the Sprinkles truck, I don't tend to follow the more corporate trucks. I mean, I'm two doors from Sprinkles every month and I pass by Border Grill on a semi-regular basis. I like the trucks because they serve food to which I don't normally have access. Yeah, there's a reason I don't follow the Border Grill truck, and I'll leave it at that. Twitter. Web.

Del's - Del's, for the AZ folks, is similar to Eegies, in that its a light refreshing sort of icee. I dug it and the boys who work there aren't hard on the eyes either. We also found out that they have a shop on Lincoln so I'll be going there. And they're bad @sses as they'll come visit the forbidden zone (aka Century City). They SAVED me and a few of my friends here when we lost AC a few weeks ago. Light & refreshing...I dig the Del's. Twitter. Web.

The Grilled Cheese Truck - If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook you'va already had an earful regarding the opening night for these guys. (And really Steve does a better write-up than I can.) And I get TGCT's point that they're not mechanics. I'm ok with that. But, I'm not ok with a grilled cheese that isn't grilled. I mean, the cheese wasn't even melted. But, their cheesy mac & rib with grilled pork & onions is brilliant. If you do want to try them, get that. Seriously. You won't be mad at me. Twitter. Web.

Let's Be Frank - Ok, its not a truck but a big trailer, whatever, it parks & serves food. Now that Spoc's stopped serving hot dogs, I can easily say this is the best turkey dog in L.A. and Todd rates their hot dog as better than Pink's. Overall review - They're organic, they're friendly, and they serve a d@mn good dog. Go visit. Twitter. Web.

Westside Food Truck Roundup - Part I

This will be the first in an ongoing series. I know some of you scorn the idea of the truck. Why follow a truck on twitter when there are like a thousand restaurants around. Here's why I love the food trucks:

1. You can't beat the price.
2. With this new wave, the food is incredibly good.
3. The portions are just the right size....large enough for a meal but you don't need to roll yourself home.
4. No valet parking.
5. Tips are appreciated, not expected.
6. No charge for sharing.

Without further delay, I bring you my first food truck round-up.

Kogi BBQ - The truck, the myth, the legend. Yes, it is as good as everyone says it is. Would I wait an hour or two in line, no. Would I wait 25 minutes with a friend, you betcha. My only warning on the Kogi is order appropriately. If you don't like spam, don't order it. If you don't like spicy, don't order the Blackjack Quesadilla. I think some people over estimate their magical powers. If you stick with what you like (or more importantly, what I like) you won't go wrong. My favorites: Short rib taco or burrito and their hot dog. Find them on their blog or twitter. They now have three trucks running amok.

Baby's Badass Burgers - Two things need to be known about this truck. 1) Its a slider truck. 2) They have very friendly attractive women working the truck. If that's not enough motivation for some of you, the food was surprisingly good. Todd & I shared the Original Beauty and the Mamacita. You get two of everything (except their one MONSTER burger) so its easy to share. We also ordered sweet potato & curly fries. Stick with the sweet potato. They're some of the best I've had (though in a tie with Gastrobus) and the curly fries needed to be cooked a wee longer. Shockingly you can find them on the web and on twitter.

Barbie's Q - The first truck Steve & I hunted together. Yeah. They get booked for a lot of private catering events and their bbq sauce is some of the best I've had. Web. Twitter.

Gastrobus - I was ridiculously excited to try the yellow food truck. And, thanks to the Abbott Kinney Festival, I was finally able to catch up to them. Regina & I ordered the same thing...BLT and sweet potato fries. Both, darn good. We agreed the Joan's on 3rd BLT was better, but lets be realistic. This is not a restaurant and the sandwich cost a fraction of what Joan's cost. I'll absolutely hunt down the Gastrobus again...probably at the Brig as it seems to be their only Westside dinner stop these days. I love that their menu changes & I look forward to trying something different next time. Web. Twitter.

CoolHaus - What could possibly go wrong about an architecturally themed ice cream truck. NOTHING. I love this little short bus. Its cute and the ice cream sandwiches are the best ever. Cookies and ice cream are fresh and delicious and they even come with an edible wrapper. Brilliant. My only complaint is that they don't have mint chip ice cream at every stop. But, their vanilla bean was some of the best I've had and the cookies...I'm stopping now. If you're going to cheat on your diet, cheat with CoolHaus. Web. Twitter.

NomNom Truck - I agree with Steve, this truck has the best look to it. And, thankfully, their food is as good as their look. I loved their Grilled Pork Banh Mi as well as the Lemongrass tacos. I'd skip the spring rolls...but I know a few other people who LOVED them. So, yeah, to each their own. Web. Twitter.

Coming soon, Dosa, Grilled Cheese Truck, South Philly, Chef on Wheels, Fish Lips Sushi and Marked 5.

Hands on 3rd

Friday night I was able to con, er, make plans with Jenny and Mieke to crash the opening of Hands on 3rd. I really wasn't sure what to expect other than free food. And really, give me a few free cookies and I'm yours.

And free cookies they had.

(They had cheese & crackers and wine and soda. It was a lovely spread, but really, I was about the cookies.)

This event definitely had an art show kind of vibe in both the people attending and the overall mood of the room. Everyone was creative and curious, trying to take it all in without breaking anything.

From what I understand, Hands on 3rd is going for a community feel. There's very little retail (though, I think that'll change since people will need supplies) as their current focus is on classes. And those classes are incredibly varied, and all look to be quite interesting. Oh sure, they have sewing and quilting and crochet but they also have make your own kitchen garden, millinery, frame building, and the list goes on.

One of my favorite things about this space is the energy. The owners & teachers are just so enthusiastic to share their talents with you. I spoke at length with Corina Haywood, their millinery teacher. She was just lovely and I couldn't be more excited for her fascinator class on 5/17.

Of course since they didn't know me and were happy to see people walking through their door they asked how we had heard about their space. Well, of course, I told them, Ellen originally found them. It was her keen eye that discovered this little gem before they even opened.

All in all it was a lovely evening filled with cookies and good company.

HANDS-ON 3RD
8377 W. 3RD STREET
LOS ANGELES, CA 90048
(323) 655-0515

HOURS:
TUESDAY, FRIDAY & SATURDAY: 10am - 6pm
WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY: 10am - 9pm
SUNDAY: 12noon - 6pm

I think I found the best burger place in L.A.

So, I have three three books on how to make cool stuff from felted sweaters. (Wow, more on those adventures later.) So, one day I hit a few thrift stores in search of cheap sweaters to felt. During my adventure, I pasted Danties. But it wasn't Danties anymore, it was a Hole in the Wall. Literally, they transformed their space into Hole in the Wall Burger Joint. Same owners as Danties, same amazing ingredients, but they turned their attention to burgers.

Thank you nice former Danties people. Thank you very much.

As you'll see on the website, you pick the meat, the bun, and the toppings. And, since the nice owners take food very seriously, all of the above is fresh and made to order. So. Good. I'd even say its better than In'n'Out. Mom & I agreed its better than The Stand (don't get me wrong, The Stand still has best burger in Century City). But Hole in the Wall fries kick all kinds of fry booty. So good. And, apparently, they're doing well...which is awesome.

Seriously, its 9am and I'm getting hungry writing this.

So yeah, do me a favor and run over there. Its at Santa Monica & Bentley, just one block east of Sepulveda on the south side of the street, behind Winchell's. Pick me up a burger on a wheat bun with onion mayo, provolone, lettuce, onion, tomato, and a side of fries. You can order online, call or just show up. But, there's my order. Bring it over anytime.

Thanks.

Hole in the Wall Burger Joint
11058 Santa Monica Blvd.at South Bentley Avenue
310-312-7013

Hours:
11am to 8pm Mon.-Fri.
11am to 6pm Sat.

A New Love

So, you might remember last year when I asked the interwebs if they wanted to go with me to this. Well, in my attempt not to eat every cupcake within reach, I resisted both years. Instead, I read the flier intently, looking for new local cupcakes to sample, in the name of research of course.

Imagine my surprise when I learned that one of the competitors sold cupcakes just steps from my office. Blue Cupcake sells her wares every week at the Century City Farmer's market. (My directions last night: Go to Sees, walk past See's, walk over the bridge, yeah, there's the Century City Farmer's Market.) And, I just learned that she also sells at the Downtown Farmer's Market at Pershing Square on Wednesdays.

Ok, her cupcakes aren't just good, they're gramma-approved. Seriously. And not just the chocolate, and that's really saying something. So, on Thursday, pop over to the Century City Farmer's Market. She's over with all the food people, just a few steps from the chicken guy (look for the HUGE line).

Huckleberry Cafe

For the record, I'm a devoted Daily Candy follower. I can't remember how I first heard of them. But they've served me well for years, haircuts, food, sample sales and such what not. So, when they talked about Huckleberry Cafe, I tossed it on my to do list.

We went on a Saturday, about 11ish. I thought we'd be safe, before the lunch rush. We even scored a spot in the parking lot in back. This is already going really well!

Then we walked in.

Total. Chaos.

This contrast off good news/bad news becomes a theme.

Its not super clear how to order but we figured out that there's sort of a line that you stand in until someone talks to you to take your order. But, the HUGE menu board above the counter...yeah, that doesn't apply on the weekends. You can order only from the wee weekend menus on the counter.

The girl taking our order was sweet and answered our questions as far as how to order, what they specialize in and all the things you ask the first time to a place. As luck would have it, what we wanted to eat were on both boards. She hands our order down the line. After we shuffle down to pay. I'm asking the cashier questions....silly things like, can we sit outside, how do we get our drinks. She's ignoring me. Awesome. Whatever, we pay. I'm committed and hungry at this point.

No tables.

Seriously, if I'm paying $35 for lunch for two people (and by I, I mean Todd) and I'm ordering at a deli counter, I don't think a table is too much to ask for.

A few minutes pass and we were able to scout a table. Score! But one of the many, many employees there didn't really appreciate my asking for it to be cleared. As I watch the many, many employees mingle I see they're divided into two camps - 1) those who are serious about the food service industry and are obviously there to learn. They hustle and get stuff done and have a great attitude; and 2) those who are just there for a job and would rather serve food than clean up after the patrons.

I have to say our food was fantastic. For what it is, its expensive, but really good. (In case you're curious, I had the meatball sandwich while Todd tried the Fried Egg Sandwich.) The bread? Outstanding, baked fresh there. The pastries? Yup, made fresh there too. If I could convince someone to bring me lunch RIGHT NOW (whatever I'm hungry), I'd ask for them to go there. Yeah, it was that good. But, would I go there to sit and to eat again? No. For the cost, its far too much work. Should you try the food? Absolutely. And, you should bring me some bread, or at least a pastry.

Huckleberry Cafe - Wilshire Blvd. in Santa Monica at 10th - check their hours, they're still in their soft opening phase.

Curiouser and Curiouser

Day 4 and the hits keep coming...

For anyone going to the Mar Vista Lanes and doesn't want "bowling alley food" have I got a treat for you. Directly across the street The Curious Palate has opened. I've read about it. I've wanted to go. And really, it surpassed the hype.

You walk in and it looks like a local deli. There are meats ready to be sliced, salami ready to be served and pickles ready to munch. But, if you look a little closer you see that every item is hand-picked. The pastrami is from Berkley. The pickles are home made. The drinks are somewhat unusual and somewhat familiar. It all sort of knocks you off your game, but in a good way.

I had the prosciutto panini with a small order of mac'n'cheese to share with the table. And by share I mean everyone got a bite while Steve & I pretty much hoarded the mac. It worked out well. The other sandwiches enjoyed were the pulled pork, egg salad and a meatloaf burger. Everyone was happy and no one shared...always a good sign.

I might have disagreed when one girl exclaimed that it was the "Best Chocolate Chip Cookie I've EVER had. And you know, I'm a chocolate cookie connoisseur." It was good. And they do have samples out so you can try it. And if you try it, you'll probably buy one. But since my mom doesn't bake commercially, I can't make statements like that. Though the "Not Fudge" brownie was tasty. I'm not sure why it was "not fudge" and I didn't think to ask. But it was good, "not fudge" and all.

For drinks, don't expect to order a Diet Coke. They do have the bottled Mexican Coke but their other sodas are fairly eclectic. I tried their Apple Cider. Yum!

Yeah, I don't think you'll go wrong here. Except you might show up for dinner when they're closed. Right now they're only open 10am - 6pm. Hopefully that'll change.

"And it was a land filled wit yogurt..."

Day three and I still have food to tell you about.

Yogurtland

This is Jenny's fault. And, by the way, since she is my self-appointed food Sherpa she really needs her own blog. Anyways.

Jenny comes into sewing class one night...

"Have you had Yogurtland, so good!"

Jenna: "No, what's Yogurtland?"

Jenny: "Its above Beard Papa on Sawtelle."

The conversation ended there; I was getting hungry and there was much sewing to do.

Fast forward a few weeks and I drag Todd in. And by drag I mean I asked if he could forgo Beard Papa for something new and he kicked the dirt a few times and agreed.

It was yogurt heaven. There were flavors upon flavors. And you get to do it yourself. And you can ask for wee cups to try the yogurt before you commit. And they have all these toppings. And its only $0.30 an ounce.

Jenny was absolutely right. It was so good. Unless you're my mom and frozen yogurt doesn't agree with you, you really need to try this place.

I was about to give you the address, but I just discovered that its coming to Westwood Village soon. This is going to be bad.

Santa Monica Seafood - New! Improved!

Apparently its food week here at Dear Diary. That's not a bad thing. Its about time I shook up my culinary routine. Eating in all the time, though good for the waist and the wallet, doesn't do much for the blog.

Santa Monica Seafood has comfortably moved into their new home at Wilshire & 10th. Its a beautiful space with an incredible array of food and, important to any Angelino, a parking lot. You can get, obviously, seafood as well as flowers, spices, beverages, salads and entrees either to eat in or to go. Saturday we seemed to arrive just before the mad rush of people. We even had time to be confused by the new layout. I mean, there are tables but at first we didn't see any servers but we did see the HUGE menu board. Do you order then sit down? Finally I saw a server and she pointed me to the empty host stand. We waited about 10 seconds before we were seated. Approximately 2 minutes after that about 8 different people wanted tables. Obviously, they didn't have my back up plan, so the had to wait and gaze longingly at our food.

Todd started with a New England Clam Chowder (yes, they have Manhattan as well). Why I didn't order a cup will forever confuse and haunt me. It was really good. For lunch I had the cioppino while he had the grilled Mahi Mahi. My cioppino was fabulous and they were kind enough to give me a HUGE wedge of bread with which to enjoy the broth. So. Good.

The food was excellent, the service was good and the prices were totally fair. However, this place is not for the timid. I will give the same advice for going to the market portion as for going to the restaurant: If you don't speak up you're going to get passed over for a table, or for us, our place in line at the market. With that said, I'd go back in a heartbeat and I've already told my mom to tell one of her friends that this is a must visit for her & her husband.

Korean + Taco Truck = Good Food

Anyone who has ever met me knows that I am really bad at math. But, they also know I'm really good at incredibly random combinations of ideas...hence the English Lit. major and the obsession with the legal system. So of course the idea of a Korean Taco truck just undid me. But their hours and locations weren't my thing. So I waited. And eventually they came to my hood at a time I was actually hungry.

8:30pm Friday night:

Jenna: [GPS in hand walking towards the door] "Ok, lets go!"

Todd: [reading the sports section of the paper] "What?"

J: "Aren't you hungry?"

T: [confused] "Yeah."

J: "Ok, lets go."

T: "Ok."

J: "You're driving."

T: "Where?"

J: "Head towards the village..."

And so it began. The area the truck was parked is technically in my hood but its behind fraternity row in that mess of apartments and narrow winding streets. I don't pretend to know that area well. So I grabbed the GPS, plugged in the intersection and we were off.

Since we'd never had their food and there was no formal menu ("Verbal menu tonight") we ordered a few times. Watching everyone order, most people had heard about Kogi but hadn't had it yet. So, don't feel stupid if you have a bunch of questions. They're used to it and were super cool to everyone.

I had the signature short rib tacos (FANTASTIC) while Todd tried the spicy pork (he loved it.) I did try the slider...not quite my thing but Todd was kind enough to finish for me.

After talking to the nice guy who takes your order (Eric?), we learned that there are now two trucks in this budding empire. We had the pleasure of eating from Verde. (Apparently Rojo is the original.)

Pretty much everything is $2. We were quite full when we left and we spent under $20 for the two of us. Honestly, its worth following them on Twitter (or the Twitter feed on their website) to find them; the food is that good and that unusual. For the Santa Monica kids out there, they go to SMC a few times a week. Apparently they could use some love at that location so go try a few tacos. You'll thank me.

Oh, and Ellen, if you'd like some pictures, here you go. Far better than what I would have taken with my camera phone in the dark.

And I call myself an Angeleno

I have lived in West Los Angeles my entire life (save for 4 years of college education in Arizona) and yet I did not know the magic of World on Wheels.

I'm embarrassed but I'm coming clean today.

Todd was going to be in Minneapolis for Valentine's Day (oh, the perils of long-distance love) which left me dateless. Randomly I thought I needed to get a group together to go roller skating. (I'm telling you, living inside my head is not for the faint of heart.) A quick search on the Google lead me to World on Wheels, the only skate rink in Los Angeles.

So. Much. Fun.

We only skated for about an hour and a half (with copious amounts of breaks) but holy wow was it a workout. And the people watching? Fantastic. The kids who skate are nothing short of amazing. We're going to go every week. No, I'm not kidding. Its that much fun and its that much of a workout in a this-is-too-much-fun-to-be-burning-calories sort of way. Free this Saturday? We'll be there at 7pm. I'm not kidding. Regina was just pricing out skates on lowpricedskates.com and yes that really is a website.

A few things to note:

If you're at San Vicente and Venice & you see a Ralphs, you're in the right place. The skate rink is around back. And yes there is a bowling alley right above it. Seriously, does it get much better?

There's a disco night on the last Saturday of the month. (I can't be there this month since I'll be in Florida but I will remind you for the March date since I will be there.) There's also a goth night. Sinful Thursday is apparently the place to be but I hear its so crowded that you probably won't skate. Personally, I'll go one week just to see it since I keep hearing about it.

You think you can't skate. Don't tell me that. There were people of all ages, sizes, and personalities on that rink. There were people alone, people in groups and a few couples.

Want to come skating with us? Drop me an email or leave a comment. We'd love to have you join us. The more the merrier!!

And a huge thanks to Catherine, Laurie Ann, Russell and their respective entourages in making this Valentine's Day one of my all-time favorites!

Enzo & Angela

Like everywhere else I seem to end up, I had heard about Enzo & Angela. I mean, we've all driven past it about a thousand times, up there on the second floor of that cheesy mini-mall at Wilshire & Barrington.

But then, a lunch was given for a very dear friend of my mother's by one of the owners. And that lunch was so sweet and unnecessary, I promised myself that I had to go there. I couldn't even remember if my mom liked the food, but I felt that I needed to pay forward the nice thing this nice person did for my mom's friend.

On a whim, we went to Enzo & Angela's on a Friday night with no reservation. Please note that although we had a great experience, I don't recommend this, even in the current economy. All the tables, save one small one on the far side of the restaurant, were booked. We were lucky. Learn from us. Go here and make reservations.

Typically, I have very low expectations for Italian restaurants. Very few people or restaurants can touch what my mom can make. Valentino rocks my world, but really, I don't roll like that, unless someone else is paying.

Ok, so mini-mall, low expectations...great introduction, right?

The restaurant itself is relatively quiet and the staff is very knowledgeable about the food. The menu is quite diverse but to obtain the full experience, you need to order from the specials. They're the same price as the regular menu items but holy wow are they good. I'm a sucker for risotto and had my heart set on a seafood one. After hearing the specials and insisting on my beloved risotto, our waiter walked over to the kitchen and asked a question. Upon his return he said the special risotto was the same price but is a completely different experience...its made and then baked and then covered in sauce. I was sold after "special" and "risotto" so really he could have said anything.

Rocked. my. world.

The entrees were great, the salad we shared was fabulous...all in all it was a fantastic experience. Is it cheap? Nope. Is it worth it? You betcha! In fact, mom & I are doing our annual Christmas Eve dinner there. Seriously, Enzo & Angela were able to steal us away from Mimi and that's no small feat.

Enzo & Angela
11701 Wilshire Blvd (at Barrington)
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Phone: 310 477-3880 Fax: 310 477-388

Sewing Arts Center

We all drive by it.

The Sewing Arts Center on Pico right next to the 10. You know where it is...just east of Stitches from the Heart and Trader Joe's. I've never been there. I'm so embarrassed, which is why I'm talking about it on the interwebs.

One of the girls here at the cube farm notified Regina & I that the Sewing Arts Center needs our support. What? A crafty business needs help? Let me borrow one of Regina's capes so I can fly right over...or maybe I'll just jump into the passenger seat of Regina's car.

Yeah, the three of us headed over there at lunch.

If you've never been there and you have any interest in sewing or learning how to sew, now is the time to go. Holy crap, these people could not be any nicer. My two cohorts wanted to take the apron class this weekend but it was cancelled due to lack of sign-ups. Oh well. No oh well. Russell offered to teach the class to the two of them on a night that worked for them for the same price.

I heard that and I signed up immediately for the beginning sewing class starting January 5th. I've wanted to take another sewing class and this one seems perfect....$125 for four classes (4!) and you learn the basics. I'm so excited. I have a few projects I want to do but won't start since I don't know what the he!! I'm doing on a sewing machine. And really, I need to be nice to Hello Kitty. She's a good sewing machine.

So yeah, Sewing Arts Center has classes and sewing machines and fabrics and notions and electric bikes (not kidding) and super nice staff who can help you will all of it.

Sewing Arts Center - 3330 Pico Blvd - Santa Monica, CA 90405 - ph: 310-450-4300

The Urban Craft Center - The Return

So Regina & I spent our Sunday at the Urban Craft Center. Anyone who reads this blog or hers knows that we go there. But, unless you've been there lately, you haven't been.

Holy.
Crap.

I'm moving in. Seriously. I'm buying an Aerobed and just moving in. Mom can take care of the dogs.

The space is gorgeous and the shop they opened...they have fabric that Michael Levine doesn't have. Yeah, that's right, I said it. And I bought a yard of it too. The shop & space are pretty much the stuff of every crafter's if-I-won-the-lottery conversation. Its fabulous. They have like every crafting book. I haven't seen anything like this in any of my knitting/crafting travels. They have supplies and gifts and stuff you need to buy me. And, their prices are exactly at suggested retail, unlike other places I've been to that have tried to charge more.

Now, I'll be perfectly blunt and say that I'm waiting for the next wave of classes (mostly because I've already taken the ones in the current group that tripped my trigger....do the soap class, its fabulous.) Although if they were to do some of the holiday Martha Stewart project classes we talked about at Felt Club (hint, hint do a simple stuffy class before Christmas...I need to make at least one!), I'd be in for that. But, otherwise, I'm waiting for the quilting class in January that's been tossed in front of me like a carrot on a stick.

So, until the website is fully functional, get on their mailing list (they only send out newsletters so you won't be bombarded with stuff and they're super protective of their people so they don't sell you out) or better yet, go visit. They even validate.

The Urban Craft Center
2433 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90405

(In the Edgemar building)

Felt Club/Nickel Diner

Really these two deserve their own posts but I enjoyed them back to back so you can too!

First rule of Felt Club is that you talk about Felt Club.

Well, it seems that everyone important was talking about Felt Club before the event. I didn't feel the need to toss my two cents in before. But, now that its over, I'm happy to chatter.

Since most of the outlying areas of L.A. seem to be burning, creating this creepy orange-grey look to the sky, there was no one on the road. We left the house late, circled for parking4 times, bought bagels and then headed over to Felt Club. My thinking was that I didn't want to stand outside for an hour for a swag bag so I might as well just get there on time and saunter in. Yeah. Right. I got there at about 10:30 am (opening was 11am). Right when we jumped in line I saw a blue car that I was about to point out to Todd that looked like Regina's. Turned out, it was Regina's! She had the same plan I did...get there at 11am. Yeah, traffic from the side of the city she was coming from was just as light and she got there hella early as well. And we all ended up with a swag bags. Woo!

Ok, onto the show...

Thankfully it was at the Shrine this year. And I say thankfully because the last Felt Club event I attended was in a venue so small that the Fire Department was dispatched. (Hey! Felt Club! Over here! How about Santa Monica Civic next year? Just an idea.)

By getting there early, we actually saw all the vendors and their merchandise. As the day wore on, we literally made our purchases and ran as it was getting more and more crowded. I mean really crowded, push-through-people crowded, hey-I'd-like-to-look-at-that crowded. Anyone who questions the power of craft right now, need look no further than Felt Club. Crazy crowded. But, I would do it again, in a heartbeat. Yup the vendors were that strong.

Here are my favorites...

Ex Libris: Seriously brilliant. He takes old books and turns them into journals. He even keeps the pages and tosses them in with the blank pages. And, the dude was nice. Regina snagged my absolute favorite...a book about lawns. That's ok. I grabbed Dehydration Made Simple. I was happy to see that although a few of us were just buying one or two, there were people buying ten to twelve at a time. I hope he sold out of his entire stock yesterday.

My Imaginary Boyfriend: She has these log pillows and even kits to make the log pillows. And, seriously, the cutest robots EVER. Freakin' brilliant. I saw one little girl holding her robot like a doll after her mom bought it for her. That little girl couldn't have looked any happier with her robot. It was awesome. If I ever do get my own house, you are all buying me log pillows. I want a stack of them. I'm not kidding. And really, that's the only reason I didn't buy the kits myself. I couldn't stand the thought of them just sitting sadly waiting for a place to be put.

Biggs & Featherbelle: So I got bath salts & soap & Todd got lip balm. Todd's working in Albuquerque today so I can't ask him to comment on the lip balm, but Oh. Mi. Gawd. I love the bath salts. I have the Muscle Soak. Not only does it smell yummy but it is amazingly relaxing. I know, I know, baths are relaxing in general. But this stuff is way better than what you're buying in the stores. Once I run out I either have to mail order, go to some yoga place in Hollywood or call Twin Cities Green to make sure that they really are carrying everything from Re-gifts and send Todd over to dreaded Uptown to pick up some more. Hmmmmm....

I Melt with You: Sadly, only their candles are up on their site. (Not that there's anything wrong with their candles, they just have so much more.) I picked up the yummiest smelling body balm ever, Mint Mango Tea. I don't know what it was about this scent but everyone in our group agreed that it was the best ever. They also had a clean laundry scent that made for the best candle ever. And, like all of the othe vendors I mention above (even if I don't say it in the individual write-up), they were just so nice and excited to talk about their product. And, for me, that's what makes shopping and gift buying fun.

With our purchases and swag bags in tow we headed over to Nickel Diner. Horray! I finally made it! I'll be honest, I'm not sure what I liked more...the food or the vibe. We'll start with food and you can decide later.

The menu is fabulous. There were at least six things I wanted to order, and that's really saying something. Three of the sandwiches looked good, the French toast was tempting...hey, I'm making myself hungry again. Anyways, I settled by trading half of my sandwich so I could try two different things. Oddly, I loved both. Usually, I'm all smug that I ordered better. Yeah, wasn't so sure. And the french fries are worth the tightness of my waistband today. And the desserts.... So, she left the desert tray right in our field of vision. Not cool. We kept staring at it. Wondering what was on the side we couldn't see. Finally, she saw our drool and brought it over and introduced us. We were all in love. Homemade pop tarts, ding dongs, red velvet cake, chocolate cake, the list goes on and on. Everything we ordered was great.

The vibe was cool and I don't mean in an eastside hipster sort of way, which was going on as well. I mean the owner works the door and greets her clients like friends....completely old skool. In my opinion, that intimacy has been lost in restaurants today. It was incredible to see it back. She knew her regulars, greeted them immediately, seated the new kids, made sure everyone had what they needed, cleared a table because the busboy was busy...it was a very cool ballet to watch.

I don't spend as much time as I used to in Downtown but I can tell you that I'll be back to Nickel Diner. There are too many things on that menu I need to try and maybe one day I'll be greeted at the door.

I voted

We interrupt the wedding recap for the following announcement...

I voted.

I don't know about your voting experience, but mine was quite different this year. Not only was there a line at 7am (a first at my polling place), but everyone brought their dogs, kids and nannies along. And, I'm not just talking about bringing the baby along, 'cause, well, you can't leave the baby at home. I mean, people brought all of their dogs, all of their kids (from 0 to 16 years old) and a few even brought along the nannies. This wasn't just voting, it was an occasion, a learning experience. People had cameras and were taking pictures of each other.

I've been voting at this location for years (I adore my voting garage) and its never been like this. Typically I'm the only person there with a camera and usually people are giving me dirty looks even though I'm taking a picture of the garage from across the street.

I admit, I'm one of the lucky ones. I only had to wait about 15 minutes and parking was easy.

But yeah, this election was different.

Updates and random stuff

Really this should be titled guilt about not blogging but whatever...

On the craft front: I'm in the middle of a few projects (crochet, knit & counted cross-stitch), I need to block a finished project (knit) and hand-finish another finished project (felted knit) so I haven't had anything pretty to show you lately.

On the food front: I had lunch at Craft today and that was nice, not mind-altering, but nice. The maple bacon ice cream was good but tasted mostly vanilla, in case you were curious. In other food news I'm on a mission to eat at BLD and Nickel Diner. If anyone wants to help with this issue, I'll be available Halloween weekend.

Oh, the SCV and the SFV are on fire and I'm a smidge scared that my breathing will shut down like it always does. So this can be my official l.a.-is-on-fire-again post that I seem to do every year. Because of the winds and their unexplainable fear of the winds, my dogs are passive aggressive to each other because they both want to sleep in my bathroom and neither of them want to make room for the other. (Yes, I used two clauses starting with 'because' in one sentence. You'll be ok.) Why the bathroom is so much safer than their dog beds 10 feet away is beyond me. But, they obviously know something I don't. So there's that.

On the internets front: I just entered 2006 and joined Facebook. I'm so hip its unsettling. Though, I will say that the facebook is interesting in the personas that develop on that site. Obviously we all show different sides in different situations, like work, social, interwebs, etc... but facebook is fascinating in how the application gets people to share much more than they would, lets say, on a blog or MySpace. Speaking of facinating, did you see the CNN.com write up of The Oxford Project. If you're looking to kill a few hours, pull up a chair and start reading.

So, that's what's going on right now.

13 is indeed a lucky number

Have a nice evening sir. It might be 13 years overdue, but, to the day, here we are.

If only *my* father's office was this cool

We all have that person we call or email when we need a food recommendation. But what happens when you're the food person and you need a recommendation? Well, you turn to Jenny, who should have a food blog but doesn't. But she reads this blog. So that makes her cool but doesn't change the fact that she doesn't have a blog. Point being, she's a foodie's foodie.

When Jenny recommends a place you don't walk, you run over to it. So, when we were casually talking about the new Father's Office, she mentioned that the burger at the Culver City location is just as good as the Brentwood location. My ears perked up. Now, I haven't had the burger in Brentwood but this intrigued me.

Since it was Monday and the start of Rosh Hashanah, I thought Steve & I would have a good shot at a table at the Culver location. Although I was right, I was incredibly surprised at the number of people there. It was crowded, not in a can't-move sort of way but more of a what-are-all-of-you-doing-here-isn't-it-a-holiday-and-isn't-the-country-in-an-economic-downturn sort of way. But, we got our table and easily placed our order and we were happy.

Ok, I'll warn you, the burger ain't cheap. This isn't some cheesy bar burger. This is good stuff. And you taste it. OMG. I'm bringing everyone who digs burgers here. I'm taking all of my meat eaters here and not at the same time. I would totally come back again & again. When I say I don't eat fast food burgers because its a waste of my calories, this is what I'm talking about. People, don't diet. Give up crap, eat healthy as a general rule and then when faced with a great meal, enjoy it.

So yeah, go to Father's Office during non-peak hours (you couldn't pay me to go when it should be crowded) and order a burger. It'll make you a better person.

L.A. County Fair

Sorry for the radio silence last week. We had a sick dog (she's fine...she's back to chewing on her brother's head and stealing food) and without blogging about work, 'cause I don't blog about work, that's all I have to say about that and then I was off to Portland with Regina.

But yeah, L.A. County Fair.

Ellen was super nice about it. But Ellen is super nice. Its why we love her.

I'm not nearly as nice. That's why you like me. But, I will tell you that the company I had was fantastic! But the fair itself...to me it felt like a Hollywood set director decided what a County fair *should* look like....which is incredibly L.A. and oddly appropriate if you think about it. There were corporate sponsorships and sets and really it was quite pretty.

But the food.

I had a better corndog last night at PDX than I did at the fair. And that's wrong I tell you. Fairs should have the BEST corn dogs. And they shouldn't be from Hot Dog on a Stick. They should be from mom'n'pop vendors that do fairs and really bad for your food really well. This sums up my feeling about the food at the L.A. County Fair. Seriously people, I came home, went to Gelson's and ordered a Wolfgang Puck pizza. I should come home and roll around the house for DAYS full from the fair food. I shouldn't be hungry and sad.

But, there was one glorious and wonderful thing about the fair and it wasn't the chocolate covered bacon (which, by the way, isn't nearly as frightening as you would think...its like a chocolate covered pretzel) it was Dr. Bob's Ice Cream. Oh. Mi. Gawd. For the sake of your waistline do NOT eat this stuff. It is great ice cream. Fabulous. I hope to never see it in my grocer's freezer or else I may be forced to buy it and eat it and that's BAD.

You've been warned.

Happy Birthday Gramma!

Yes, today is my mom's birthday. It is also my friend Nina's birthday and Regina's wedding anniversary. Its a big day.

For Nina, I left voicemail; for Regina I shouted Happy Anniversary as she walked into her office and for mom, we went to the Peninsula last night for dinner. I have three words for you to sum up our dinner, the new chef and the new menu: Tofu Tasting Menu.

Seriously.

Tofu.
Tasting.
Menu.

Dude, I understand you're trying to capture a younger crowd. I get that. And you should. When my mom and her best friend are younger than everyone else in the room (except me) by 30 years, you've got an old crowd. But, tofu tasting? Yeah, not so much.

I had the scallops, mom had the salmon and Eleanor had...what did she have...some small bird off the side dish section of the menu. And, don't get me wrong, it was all quite tasty and the portions were perfect. But, here was the conversation over our desert to sort of help you with the tone of the food for dinner:

Waiter: How do you like your desert?
Eleanor: Its different. I've never had a carrot cake like this before.
Waiter: Its organic.
Eleanor: Oh.

When we ordered the cake, it said organic carrot cake. When the cake came, it was a very different consistency than other carrot cakes. I liked it, mom didn't and Eleanor was sort of lukewarm. But, here's the thing. I understand the importance of organic but really, "organic" is not impacting my cake. The recipe and the time it cooked impacted the cake...not that the carrots were grown by a loving farmer that read poetry to his crops every day. I know what goes into a carrot cake and if mom used all organic ingredients in her cake, it would not taste like that did. It would be carrot cake and it would rock you. It wouldn't be a carrot cake with an odd consistency.

I'm just sayin.

Happy Birthday Mom!!

Saturday, Saturday, Saturday

Seriously, the yarn doGs are taunting me. Here I am, spinning and/or dying my own yarn, all proud of myself that I haven't bought any (already dyed) yarn in ages and not one but two (!) sales are happening on the same day which happen to be either near or on the way to a new SnB meeting that's happening that same day which I was thinking about going to because I've always wanted to go to HomeGirl Cafe and this gives me the perfect excuse. (Wow, run on sentence much.)

Here are the details of all three so I can pass my torment on to you.

1. SUSS DESIGN Backroom Sample Sale
Saturday May 17th
11am-6pm
ONE DAY ONLY!

Womens & Baby Knitwear
$10 $20 $40 $60

Closeout Grab Bag Yarn Sale
$10 per Bag
7352 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles CA 90036
323.954.9637


2. Hissy Knits

This is a reminder that HISSY KNITS is having a CLOSEOUT SALE on May 17th and18th. You don't want to miss these bargains on quality yarns like Noro, Katia, Lousia Harding and more.

Everything is going for wholesale - 50% OFF all yarns, (except Bungee's Best Hand dyes) tools, needles and books. Hours Saturday are 11am to 8pm and Sunday Noon to 6:00pm. For any questions, or directions, check hissyknits.com or call Annie at 323 804-0479


3. SnB - HomeGirl Cafe Knit/Crochet Group

This SATURDAY, May 17, 2008
2-5 pm
HomeGirl Cafe
Knit and Crochet Group
Homeboy Industries
130 W. Bruno Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

File this away in the did you know category

050708coroner.jpg
Originally uploaded by radomile

Did you know that the L.A. County Coroner's office has a gift shop? And its open to the public?

Well, now you know.

They were Station

Ok, for all y'all who had lives on Saturday night and didn't join me to see Station I say pashaw!

The band was great, the lead singer was great and really, if you've ever been to a show with me, I'm not an easy date. I hate everyone and everything. Kind of like my food reviews...I can find a problem with anything. And yet, the guys were good, the venue was cute and a good time was had by all.

Seriously, next time I post about these crazy kids playing you really should join me. I mean, when I invited you last week, I was hoping they'd be good, but I really didn't know what to expect and braced myself for the worst. I even told that to the bass playing dude that invited me. He's a good guy with a great sense of humor so he gets it when I say things like "I'm so surprised. You guys are really good. We're having a great time! I mean, we had an exit strategy and everything and we don't even have to use it!"

If any of you are curious about venue, the Santa Monica Bar & Grill, wonder no more. Its right across the street from Stitches from the Heart, and 1/2 block east of Trader Joe's (for those of you not familiar with Stitches from the Heart) on Pico. The outside isn't much as every one of us at our table had passed it about a thousand times in our travels and never noticed it. But, the inside is oddly nice...high ceilings, wood bar, booths around the sides, tables in the middle and high bar tables, well, by the bar. In addition, they have a room to the side where you can easily hear the music but can seat a party of at least 20 for appetisers and drinks. (A mental note I took and oddly still remember.)

The food was good (we ordered various appetisers) and well-priced. The drinks...well...they were a little on the light side. Of course they were reasonably priced but still, they were not poured, ehm, liberally shall we say. They were about as weak as I've had in years. And, I don't mean to complain, but I don't want to send all of you over there to come back and complain that the drinks are suitable for the 4 year olds running around the place. Speaking of, this show lived up to the "all ages" advertisement. We had a wee baby in the audience, a few 3 year olds, the majority of kids at my age and then a few a bit older. Good people watching as the night wore on.

But yeah, they were Station and they were good.

Taco Truck Day!

I haven't done enough research to be for or against the actions of the Los Angeles County supervisors. I mean, I see the restaurant's gripe and I understand the Taco Trucks need to make a living.

But seriously, there's an organized Taco Truck Day. That's pretty cool. That I can get behind.

Freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

So I have this friend and he has this band, Station. Wanna go? Its free. All the cool people will be there.

Saturday May 3 -- 8 - 10 pm -- NO COVER CHARGE -- Santa Monica Bar and Grill 3321 Pico Blvd (near the 10 overpass) All ages

Walk for the Animals!

Or jog, whatever, I'm not judging.

I've been to this event before and its quite fun. It raises money for all sorts of pup rescues, which is always good. I even brought the kids with me a few years ago and they were oddly well-behaved. I think Dick understood that *all* the dogs there were rescues like him so there was no reason to bark. And really, Jane just likes people, and dogs and good things to smell so she was happy.

Todd & I will be there....join us? Ain't no party like a dog party.*

*Whatever, it sounded good in my head.

Best Intentions

I'm in no way an expert knitter. People tend to like what I do and although I'm often my own worst critic I can usually live with what I've created. But, here's the problem with the experience level to which I've graduated: I think anything I'm going to make will just take a little while. Two weeks to k8's birthday? No problem! I can whip something up in two weeks.

Well, I can knit it in two weeks, but I always forget about the finishing. Its sort of like projects at work. I will tell you, dead serious, with nothing but love in my heart, I'll be done in two hours. I'm convinced everything work-related takes two hours. And, after doing what I do for 7 years now, you'd think I'd have learn this isn't true. Nope, I still believe, deep-down, that everything takes two hours. Luckily, I work for guys who are never ready for projects in two hours. Kind of like everything in L.A. is twenty minutes away.

Ok, back to the knitting...two weeks to birthday, no problem!

As we've talked about before, Regina & I dye a lot of yarn. Its fun. It amuses us. And, we make darn pretty colors. But, here's the thing, we have to start using all this pretty stuff. I'm staring at the bin' o dyed yarn in my bedroom (yes, until recently, I kept my special dyed yarn close, whatever, shut up)...what to do, what to do...k8's birthday, what to do.

So, I go to my library o' felting books.

Bingo!


See that backpack on the left...that's my girl. Of course I'm not doing those odd little squiggles or fair-isle. I'll let the yarn speak for itself. I gathered all the blues I've dyed, and off we went. Some yarn was dyed with Kool-Aid, some was dyed with jacquard, and some was redyed Kool-Aid with jacquard 1.5 weeks before our deadline when I decided that I just HATED the yarn I was about to work with so obviously, something needed to be done. Here are the colors we ended up with:


I was quite pleased. Regina was quite pleased. Gramma was quite pleased until she learned the bag wasn't for her.

Four days before the deadline, the bag and strap were felted. I'm feeling pretty good about myself. All I have to do is enclose the top for the drawstring straps, feed the strap through, sew the straps down and buy & sew in lining. And all of this is going to happen with Todd in town. Ok, for future reference, maybe I should write all of this down 'cause when its all in my head, it doesn't seem like much.

Ok, 2.5 days to go and Todd happily escorts me to Michael Levine's. He and I walk around the store together pulling out various bolts of fabric. We have slightly heated discussions involving polka-dots and Hawaiian prints and why we don't line bags in dark colors. I'll spare you the details but I will tell you it was nice having somewhere there who had a strong opinion and would actually listen when I would say things like "No, remember, nothing dark, she'll lose everything in there." 'cause then I'd pull a bolt out with some dark color and he would scold me ant tell me that she won't be able to find anything.

Here's what we both decided would be perfect:


I didn't mean to buy Amy Butler. I don't want to be one of those crafters who just waxes on and on about her like there are no other cute fabrics out there...but it matched perfectly and I swear I didn't realize that it was Amy Butler for Rowan until I got it home. Kinda funny it worked out that way...sort of like making fun of the "flyover" states my entire life and then spending all of my vacation time in those states for the last two years, but I digress...

Here's the bag, done at 6:22pm, in time for our 7pm birthday dinner. (Thank you 405 traffic doG for ONCE letting me run down the freeway at rushhour at 65 miles per hour.)



















Yeah, I know the pictures aren't the most even, but seriously, it was 6:23pm and I had to be in Marina del Rey at 7pm. I was pushing it even taking pictures.

Woo! At the restaurant at 6:50! I made it to the birthday dinner with wrapped gift in hand on time. Of course, I got work an hour early, didn't feed the dogs that day* and wasn't accepting personal phone calls until I went to dinner, but damn it, I finished that bag in two weeks.

Just like I planned.

Happy Birthday Kate!




*no skinny dogs starved in the making of this bag; gramma fed them.

Thrill A Minute

Not only does Gelson's have fabulous honey bran muffins for breakfast, but you can see celebrities in their sweats doing their grocery shopping. (And, if I may add, she looked quite fetching in her sweats.)

Seriously, who's with me?

Insanity, partially explained.

If someone could explain to me how to craft and work and have enough time for blogging, I'm all ears. I can't seem to do all three. Lets go on a narrative of my latest project which I think illustrates why I can't do all there.

When I'm starting a project, I'm easily distracted. The project is shiny and new and there's no end in sight. I can pick it up, put it down, not even really think about it or its finish time. However, once I turn a corner and I'm on the back end of the project, I turn into a woman possessed. I stay up later. I knit longer. I. just. want. to. finish. So I work and work and work and work and then sleep. And then I go to work. That doesn't leave a whole lot of time for ye old blog. Hmmm.

That brings us to last night. I was at the very end of a project, a wee tote designed from corn yarn (yes, corn, how cool is that?!?) because corn is cool and its soft and the sig. other's mom lives in place where they grow corn and I knew she'd get a kick out of a bag made out of corn. Its an easy little project. Regina taught me how to crochet in the round and change colors in a pretty way so off I went striping to my hearts content.

I let the bag tell me where it was going and what it needed. (Yes, yarn talks to me. You want to make something of it punk?) So, it finished itself and declared itself to be a wee bag to be used for garage sale forays or bake sale volunteering, small enough to wear on the hip and big enough for money and keys. Sounds good to me! But it needed to be lined.

Off to Michael Levine on Sunday, my first time by the way. I'll be honest. I expected it to be bigger. But once I started to look at the fabrics, my head almost exploded. Everything was fabulous. They even had yarn I needed that I had no intention of buying there. So that was a plus and saved me another stop or two to find the yarn. Another bonus was Santino. That sighting can only be appreciated by the true Project Runway fans out there. He's even taller and skinnier in person than on the show. But, he looked the same otherwise, hanging at the button counter.

Everyone at Michael Levine was fabulous and helpful and I left with everything I needed for the wee bag as well as Mom's Mother's Day project.

Last night I sewed the lining for the purse. Now, I've sewn exactly three things, all for me, none of which had to be perfect. But, this is a gift so I wanted it to be nice. Needless to say, I did the lining and redid the lining and then the iron burped on the lining so I did it again.

Finally.

I was done.

I put the purse down.

I turned to grab something.

I knocked the iron over.

Are you gasping?

Gasping now would be a good thing.

Yup.

Hot iron + corn yarn = melted purse.

At 11pm.

sigh.

As "luck" would have it, it fell on the top of the purse. And as any crocheter will tell you, one of the many nice things about crochet is that its damn easy to frog and put back together. So I cut out the burned portion, saved the lining (!), crocheted the top again, affixed the closures again and promptly collapsed at 2am.

Now, any rational sane person would have just turned the iron off, cursed the iron (because its obviously not your fault for being a klutzy moron) and gone to sleep...I mean....someone rational would know that they're not leaving for Minnesota until Friday so they could have spent copious amounts of time during the rest of the week fixing the purse.

Yeah, rational doesn't live here.

The blog doesn't get updated. I post a month's worth of 366 at one sitting. I crazy. But, on the plus side, since my last blog entry I've finished 2 purses both fully lined. I'm even using one as my daily purse. I'll post pictures as soon as I find the time to upload them.

After I finish this purse.

heh.

The Cookie Puff will Change your Life

Seriously. I can't make this up. Go to Beard Papa. Have a Cookie Puff. Personally I'd recommend the vanilla filling, but ya know, go with whichever you love.

Let me know if you're not hooked.

I can't do the regular cream puffs anymore.

I can't even think about the regular cream puffs anymore.

Cupcake War 2008 - Week 2

The site of the second battle: Eagle Rock, CA

The second victim: Auntie Em's.

Battle Recap:

As Auntie Em's is a restaurant as well as a bakery, I wasn't too sure what to expect. I mean, usually you have a really good restaurant or you have a really good bakery. Oddly enough Autie Em's was able to pull off both beautifully.

Now, don't get me wrong. This isn't "fine dining." The tables don't match, the chairs don't match, the waitstaff is, ahem, very friendly and the odds are good that you're going to have to wait for a table. But the vibe, man, the vibe is fabulous.

This place is friendly and fun and yummy...so very yummy. All of us ordered different food and every damn one of us was pleased.

And then we come to the cupcakes.

I'll be honest. I'm not a fan of red velvet. Mom made them on a lark and they were fine. But Auntie Em's...she provides one fine looking cupcake. (Of course Heather has mad photo skills but still, a fine looking cupcake nonetheless.) And then Steve was kind enough to share.

Do we start with the cream cheese frosting or the moist happy red velvet cake? I have no idea because they both rocked. I am now a Red Velvet fan.

And then the chocolate.

Why doG, why did I not buy one to take home?

After a full meal of half of my tuna sandwich (for the record it was huge) and Todd's Cobb salad (again amply endowed) I could only vanquish one fourth of the cupcake. One fourth went in trade to Steve and the other half went home for gramma's evaluation. She categorized the frosting as fudge...a compliment of the highest order. And, not only was she happy with what I brought home, but she saved half of what I brought her for later. Now, that is saying something.

Out of all of cupcakes bought before this one, no solid chocolate compares. This is in the land of gramma-baking. The frosting was fabulous and the cake was moist and fresh and happy.

Seriously people. I'm not really in favor of driving this far east without a good reason. Autie Em's is a damn good reason.

Inspired!

So I'm reading Eating L.A., a blog I visit about three times a year. Its not that I don't dig Pat Saperstein's blog....just the opposite, I always enjoy it. It just isn't on my usual radar. And no, I don't need to add to the list of blogs I check every day. Seriously, that list both for work and for personal is out of control as it is. So, on a day like today when I have a few extra minutes, I read the whole thing at once. Her blog is just full of useful information. And you know, I'm all about blogs giving useful information.


Inspiration No. 1:

A cupcake map. That's right, I said it. I even linked it. (Thanks to the L.A. times for creating the map and thanks to Pat for tossing it onto her blog.) How cool is that? Most of the westside shops I've hit and blogged about. But there are more still waiting for me. In fact, I think I need to hit one new cupcake shop per week until they are all conquered. This will be a stretch as several of them are in the *gasp* valley as well as Torrance and Pasadena. But, I'm guessing I can find the will to drive.


Inspiration No. 2

Lately I've been in a bit of a rut...no fault of anyone except myself. I just haven't put the time into finding new places. Half of that is based on my new mission to save money and cook more when Todd is in town and half of that is sheer unadulterated laziness.

Last night Steve & I ventured out for chow and ended up at one of my all time favorites, Ramenya. (Don't worry, we're getting to the inspiration...) They had a sign on the wall as well as a menu for Asian-ya. Dude, its called Asian-ya. And its owned by the Ramenya kids. Seriously, how do you go wrong with a restaurant that hyphenates a "ya" in their title? The reviews aren't too promising yet but I'm still trying it. You can't stop me.

Trying new things

We all have our comfort zone. I know I do. When I go to the mall, I park in the same area so I can always find my car. You know, that sort of thing. So, since I'm getting out of the house again, I wanted to try a few new things, and try not to stick to the same things I always do/eat/whatever.

Miyako: Brigitta and I finally had dinner on Thursday. (My fault, not hers). She was tossing out various places to eat (one of the perks of Culver City living) and we both agreed on Miyako. It was the one place in that minimall I hadn't been yet. Despite the casual look of the place, the service couldn't be better. The ladies were just lovely. The food was quick, inexpensive and quite tasty. One word of advice, try to order what you can eat. I brought my extra tempura home and tried to eat it as leftovers. Yeah, that didn't work too well. But, I think if I was more careful to order only what I could eat, I would have been a perfect inexpensive meal.

Dupars: k8 and I finally had lunch on Saturday. (My fault, not hers). We were tossing out various places to push around the baby and we both agreed on Farmer's Market (one of the perks of Westside living). Upon wandering around Farmer's Market we decided Dupars would be a good place to try. Neither of us had been and there were waitresses to bring us our food...a definite perk considering the crowds at The Grove/Farmer's Market on a Saturday. Despite the casual look of the place, the service was quite good. Our waitress was lovely. The food was quick, inexpensive and quite tasty. We sat outside on the patio and watched the cars go by and gave us some room and an easy exit for when our guest of honor needed to move around. If you're looking for a reasonably priced place to sit and eat at the Grove/Farmer's Market, I'd definitely recommend Dupars.

Guelaguetza: Ok, this is the inspiration for this post. I had been to Guelaguetza years ago. I really didn't like it. I couldn't even eat the food I ordered. And I was hungry. And it just sat there. And I was sad. But, its been a few years and those wounds have healed. So, when famished and facing the decision on where to eat, with Guelaguetza's Venice Blvd. outpost staring at me, I thought how better to try to step outside myself than to give a second chance to a place I know is good but I didn't like the first time. If you're not familiar with Oaxaquenan food, read the website or go to Wikipedia or something. This ain't your Taco Bell Mexican. This is something completely different. And inexpensive. And they have Mexican Coke. And it was all good. I think if I were to go again I would like to go with someone who really understands mole and Oaxaquenan food. I think that would make all the difference.

Guilt and then some

So I took this amazing class at the Urban Craft Center on Sunday. It was their yarn dying/painting class with John Pitblado. The class was fabulous. John was fabulous. The students were fabulous. My newly dyed and painted yarn is fabulous. But I haven't had time to upload my pictures or really review my notes to give you a good description about the class and how, well, fabulous it all was.

And I feel poorly for that.

So yeah.

My bad.

If you get the chance to take a class with John, please take that class; it'll change your life.

Seriously.

But lets talk about Craft. I had the good fortune to eat at Craft in Century City today. We were part of a 45 person private party so I'm not sure if my experience is typical but I really liked it. We had this super cute room at the back that sat all of us quite comfortably. Despite all the chatting, it wasn't too noisy. The staff inside the room was friendly. The food was good. And, best of all, someone else was paying. So, if you get a chance to eat there for free, I say go for it.

Next up: Il Moro

Anyone looking for a 40 year old virgin?

He was at the Tiffany's at the Century City mall, in case you were looking for him. And yes, he looks *exactly* like he does on TV.

Crumbs

Ah, the beginning of a new blogging era. I'm so excited I could almost explode. I'm sorry for my absence last week. I didn't blow up the internet but I did blow up any desire to blog after forcing myself for 30 days. But today, today is a new day people. We have cupcakes and porta-potties and captive animals and Christmas, oh my!

We'll start with the cupcakes.

So I'm watching Access Hollywood last week (shut up) and they're talking about Crumbs in Beverly Hills. Well, its a good thing I drove by it later that week and saw it with my own two eyes, because according to their website, there is no Beverly Hills location. But, that was a petty annoyance from this morning...moving on...

After visiting Chroma and Arturo, I walked the two blocks to Crumbs to sample their wares. Let me tell you, its overwhelming in there. This is the anti-Sprinkles. Its bright, its crowded with merchandise, its colorful...I felt so at home. The nice girl behind the counter was well, nice and helpful.

I picked the obvious chocolate ding-dong looking cupcake that everyone photographs as well as the Carmel Apple. Ok, the chocolate was good but the Carmel Apple made me not want to share. And I don't love carmel, but I love this cupcake.

So, next time you find yourself in Beverly Hills desperately in need of a cupcake, I would suggest Crumbs. While you're there, please pick up a Carmel Apple and surprise me with whatever else looks good. You know where to find me.

I understand the Boy Scouts a little more now.

Dude, I so earned that badge. Its mine. That's right. I did that. You have to look at it. Even if I did a mediocre job of blogging everyday, I still did it.

Ok, now that I'm done basking in my own glory, a brief wrap-up on the NaBloPoMo thang.

I agree its a great writing exercise. But, here's the thing, like any exercise, you shouldn't have to subject the outside world to your pain. Writing everyday is good. Having me share what I write everyday is bad. And that's really what I learned from this. For me, blogging for the sake of blogging is a really bad plan. Blogging when I have something amusing or useful to say is a really good plan.

For example, dim sum at CBS Seafood in downtown L.A. is a really good idea. And the kids on Chowhound were right. The larger your group, the faster you're seated. See, that's useful information. If you're looking for good, solid dim sum in downtown L.A. and you have a boatload of people to please, you just learned where to find it.

A few gift ideas

I know its tough to know what to get that certain special someone (me) on your wish list. Well, thanks to the L.A. Auto Show, I'm happy to provide some ideas.

Here's the new BMW 1 series. Isn't it fabulous? Its like the BMW version of my Civic. Its a BMW, got the whole safety and luxury thing going for it at a reasonable price. I even like the color. Please deliver it to my driveway. I don't need a bow or anything.

For the green gift givers out there, here's the new Smart Car. Isn't it cute? I love the fact that its so small you don't have to parallel park. You just drive straight in and whomp, you're parked. It would be perfect for my 2 mile commute and any local errand running. Besides, they just announced "hybrid parking spots" at work. I totally need a better parking spot. That would be like two gifts in one. I'd even go so far as to say that this would cover gift giving for a couple of years as I'd be getting not only the car but parking benefits as well. Definitely the best bang for your gift giving buck.


I know a few of you like "fun" cars. Since the Mini Cooper is essentially a grown up's go cart, I think that would fit the bill. I've wanted one of these for years. This particular one would force me to learn how to drive one of those odd little, what are they called, manual transmissions? There are a few of you out there who have been after me to acquire this knowledge. This would force me to attain it. So really, it would be a gift for the both of us. I'm a giver too you know.

And last but certainly not least, is the badda bling. For those of you who feel the civic needs spinners, I think this would be the ultimate in blinged out gift giving. I like to think of it as Barbie's Dream Mercedes. Besides, I'm the girl who favors doll's clothes so why not drive a doll's car?

Let me know if you need any other ideas!

Something for new parents to consider

So you think gymnastics would be a good sport for your precious little girl? I agree. Its great training for that pole dancing class she'll take 15 years later.

You're welcome.

Since we're 15 minutes away from Sunday, here's a few bright spots to fill your day:
Erin Fetherston for Target's Go International launches. And we have Felt Club. So little time, so much money to spend!

Other People's Opinions

Not that I really care what other people think, but here were a few votes on favorites in L.A.:

Tito's Tacos: The received two HUGE votes. (Warning, the website opens with a very, uhm, interesting theme song. So if you're reading from work or with a sleeping baby, you're warned.)

Gelson's Spinach Artichoke dip: You get no link because I can't even believe I'm telling you about it. Its the best Spinach Artichoke dip out there. Hands down. Chips down. Every other Spinach artichoke dip must bow in reverence. Best. Ever.

Have a Corn Chip: Love these. Like Pinkberry, they have a taste that's slightly different than what you're used to with your corn chips. And, like Pinkberry, they're vaguely addicting. But, yummy nonetheless.

Phoenix Bakery: Best bang for your cake buck. Super affordable, super yummy and a great excuse to run downtown for some art and some lunch.

Sugar cookies (with different kinds of sprinkles) from this bakery in the South Bay but I can't tell you the name because I tossed the box. (k8, could you comment or email me the name of the bakery? thanks. and, uhm, B could you send me the name of your Indian place. I forgot to ask about that.) Yeah, the cookies are freakin' spectacular. And I'm a sugar cookie connoisseur.

Nettie's Neddlecraft: The End of an Era

Nettie has had her lease on Wilshire Blvd. longer than I've been alive. Seriously. Since I was a kid I remember driving by Nettie's Neddlecraft. Its a block west of Neimans in prime Beverly Hills retail real estate. Driving to Bonwitt Teller I remember passing that burgundy awning. So, it was surreal to go today knowing that Nettie will only be there a few more weeks.

My first foray into the "needle arts," if you will, was needlepoint. It was an easy way to keep me occupied when mom & I would visit family in Pittsburgh. Its like coloring with yarn. I still enjoy it and have an unwritten contract with family that when a baby is born a stocking is stitched. And, I've bought most of my stockings from Nettie.

Every visit to Nettie's was the same. You walk into the store and are completely overwhelmed. She's been in this business for years and her inventory reflects that history. I would only shop in one aisle as most neddlepoint is cost prohibitive; yet that one aisle could keep me occupied for an hour. Then, as Nettie would sit in the back stitching with her other clients, one of her people would help me find something or just ring me up. It was always a unique shopping experience.

Walking into the store today, I don't think I warned Regina well enough and to be honest even I wasn't prepared for the amount of stock she had on hand. Not only did Nettie have her usual overwhelming amount of merchandise but she was also emptying out her warehouse. And, for the first time, I had the pleasure of speaking to this proprietor. As it is rude to ask a lady of her stature her age, I did ask her why close, why now. She didn't answer but we did establish in the course of the conversation that she has a great-grandchild my age. Later we overheard that her landlord is aggressively raising the rent so it was just time to go.

For all of you collectors out there, look at what Regina introduced me to:


And get this, she has a sign that all the magazines are $1.50. But, while we were there assembling our stack Nettie changed her mind and said that she's charging face value for them. McCall's marked it $1 in 1975, you pay one dollar in 2007. That's right, I said it. It reads $1.25, you pay $1.25, no eBay bidding required.

You seriously need to head over there. Rumor has it she'll be there until the 25th, but I'd head over this week. You just never know what you're going to find. She really wants to get rid of those magazines. After all, they're sitting on top of a convection oven still in the box that she hasn't had the opportunity to use and she'd really like to take that home.

Fight Club

Since Ed Norton or Brad Pitt didn't show up, I figure I can talk about Fight Club. Then again, if Ed or Brad had shown up, I would have freakin' broadcast Fight Club. But, more Ed than Brad as I've loved Ed for years. Though if he were standing next to Russell Crowe I'm not sure what I'd do.

*Ahem*

We find ourselves at the Urban Craft Center once again. However, this time we are not arriving to flowers and Kool Aid; this time we're walking into respirators and lye. That's right ladies and gentlemen, its time to make some soap.

This was my first class with Carolyn and let me tell you, she's cool. You ask incredibly inane questions like "When was soap invented?" and she actually answers truthfully and doesn't give the reasonable response of "Obviously you didn't have your respirator on properly when you were mixing that lye."

Here you can see all the materials all neatly laid out, 'cause that's how they roll at UCC. The short white container all by itself is the lye. The two stacked containers are the palm and coconut oil. The longer container that looks like it contains olive oil contains olive oil. Then on the other side you have your directions, safety goggles, respirator and instructions.

All the safety gear is for handling the lye. I used the respirator more than once as the extreme smell of the essential oils heated was a bit more than my delicate form could take. And, because I'm me, I broke the respirator. Its a wonder these girls keep letting back in the front door with the chaos I seem to cause.

I didn't take any during pictures 'cause you have to keep the lid on the crock pot. And you can see the crock pots on the right side of the picture. Imagine some while foamy stuff in there and you have your during picture.

As one of your class given supplies, you get an 8 bar mold that says "HANDMADE." (Do me a favor...look surprised when you get this as a gift, ok?) However, there is enough to make more then the one mold so you can either bring your own (anything flexible) or use the other ones they have. If you use theirs, you just have to let your soap harden there and pick it up later. And, since I figured I wouldn't make soap again on my own, I left my "Handmade" mold there with the borrowed molds. (See, I'm recycling. Check me out. Pay no attention to the individually wrapped containers of food I eat everyday. Focus on the soap mold I left at UCC to be used again, ok?)

Here's one of the other molds. Isn't my monkey cute? He's even cuter in person, I swear. They also have hearts and rocket ships and birds and pigs and all sorts of fun stuff.

If you do the class later this month (the 27th if my memory serves), save me a spot. I think I'm going to take the class again for three reasons:

1. It was fun.
2. I want to make more soap but me + handling lye = bad idea
3. I have my own molds and essential oils I want to use.

Join me!

A View from the Side

9am, Beverly Hills, CA

As you can see, its a bit foggy out. Cool, but not cold, a perfect walking morning. Lisa was kind enough to take me for an early appointment so I was waiting for her to open up. This is my view from my 2 minute wait at the front door of her shop. That's the line for Sprinkles.

At 9am.

Yeah.

Can't not say anything

So I was avoiding the whole fire blogging thing. But, seeing as we're on day three and I have friends and family in harm's way, I can't really post about yarn or decorations in the office before covering this.

As of 6pm last night, all friends and family were accounted for. However, that was over 12 hours ago so now we being the round-up again.

After watching both the local and national news I feel like I should say a few things to my non-so-cal friends/readers. The first fires were caused by nature. That's pretty much been established. But, anything caused by nature has to be copied by dumb-ass people so now we're dealing with arson. And no, L.A. is not on fire. I mean, don't get me wrong there are about 15 fires burning up and down southern California, but L.A. itself is not burning. Malibu is. Malibu is not only a beach community but is also filled with pretty canyons and people have horses and stuff. That's what's on fire, at least locally. For the best map I've seen yet, click here. (Thanks to s.ly)

"Ok, so you're in the city, what effects are you feeling?"

So glad you asked. It really depends on where in the city you are. For the valley kids, they're dealing with alot more of the smoke and ash than those of us on the westside are. That doesn't mean that we don't have the particulates running around. In fact, my mom who never gets allergies is suffering right now 'cause she's not in A/C all day.

"Hey, we hear you're pretty sickly. How do you keep out of harm's way?"

Another damn fine question. Those of us with respiratory issues just stay inside. I work in a small 5 story building with A/C for days so I'm really good here. And since I park in the building, I really only have to go outside between my car and my house. And, as Dick will tell you, that's all of the outside world I'm seeing. If I'm not at work, I'm in my room with my air purifier watching the news and knitting.

"So you mentioned local vs. national news, what's the difference?"

The national news is oddly amusing. The say things like "I'm standing in a place known as Canyon Country." Seriously, exact quote from NBC last night. For those of us here, that's like saying "I'm standing in a place known as Cleveland." So yeah, they don't quite understand the communities here.

The local news kids have really stepped it up the last few days. I have mad respect for what they're doing. Granted we had the Chuck Henry "Stupid Truck" incident a few years back, (he didn't leave the scene of a fire when asked and then had to be rescued by the fire department when his news van caught on fire) but the reporters this time around have been super respectful of the firefighters and have really been in the thick of things to bring everyone up to the minute news of where exactly the fires are, what homes and businesses have been lost and really what's going on. Personally, I feel better knowing what's going on rather than just guessing what's on fire and what isn't. But, I'm a little weird.

If any of y'all have any questions, let me know.

Oh. Mi. Gawd.

Its raining.

Alert the media.

Send the weatherman into the valley to interview people "braving the weather."

Everyone drive REALLY FAST.

Except for those of you who need to drive really slow.

To Dye For

If I'm not free on a Wednesday night for dinner, it usually means one thing...I'm hanging at the Urban Craft Center. This week's agenda: dying yarn.

The class was so not what I expected. First of all, the amount of yarn you get for your class dollars is outstanding. Here's on skein of the yarn before:




And for all of you at home playing along who may want to do this, Knit Picks has the best deal going. This costs $3.49. You're looking at like 440 yards of yarn goodness. I have to admit, I'm a bulky kind of girl, so I think if I were to do this at home, I'd buy the bulkier weight yarns. But, for this class, the lighter weight was awesome to work with. And, while we were dying, rinsing and hanging, I was thinking up different projects to do with my newly colored yarn.



Back to the class being not what I expected. Ok, so first we get like skeins and skeins of yarn, which was fabulously surprising. Second, I guess when I think of dye I think of Rit. I had no idea that we'd be using natural sorts of dyes like onions and sunflowers...how cool!

Angharad had all sorts of pots brewing upon our arrival. Since the natural process can be a wee unpredictable, she started without us (she didn't want us to be stuck there staring at pots waiting for the color to leave their natural elements) but explained everything she did so we could repeat it on our own. She also taught us about preparing the yarn prior to dying it and did one dry unprepped skein with the already prepped skeins to illustrate the differences in how the color attaches to the yarns....very cool.

In addition to the four natural dying batches, we each had one Kool-Aid batch. I'm so doing this at home. (Shhh, don't tell gramma, I couldn't imagine she'd enjoy that image.) Now, I had heard some not-so-favorable reviews of Kool Aid dying a few months ago, but after doing this with Angharad and downloading the instructions from the Knit Picks Website I'm super excited to try it with the wool I grabbed from the happy crafty yard sale a few weeks ago.

But, back to the class. Here's all but one batch o' yarn we dyed:




(I really wish I had remembered to grab my real camera as my cel phone doesn't really do this justice.) The row of yarn in the front is mine. All the skeins are there except the brown, which was still cooling. The first yarn in the front (the red one) is the Kool-Aid dye. We did a variegated sort of thing where we chose two colors. I did red and pink. (Mental note for the pink, use SEVERAL packages. Oddly, the end of the yarn sucked up the pink immediately and didn't give the rest of the half a skein a chance to grab any of the color.)

I know the yarn looks odd sitting on the rack but as it dries it looks fabulous. When I wind my skeins into happy yarn cakes, I'll post those pictures for your your (ok, really my) enjoyment.

At the end of class we had the option to let our yarn dry there or take it home. Of course, I'm all about instant gratification so I took mine home. Angharad busted out Ziploc after Ziploc to get our damp (and one wet) skeins home and included a jumbo Ziploc for easy carrying as well as instructions so that we could do this at home.

I mean, that's one of the things that's so cool at this center. They really want to teach you how to do all of this and share the joy that is the creative process. I mean, she was the one telling us how affordable Knit Picks yarn is an how much it cost so we could do this at home. That's just neat to me....that someone genuinely wants to pass on what they know to you so you can have that joy yourself. I was looking at my yarn drying at home last night and I was just pleased as punch with it.

Ok, more classes I'll be taking, please join me!

11/28 - Hand Made Soaps
12/12 - Gocco Screen Printing
12/16 - Hand Painted Yarns

Obviously, there are more classes, but those are the ones that float my boat. I'm also playing around with the idea of the sewing classes...I'll have to think more on those. But, one thing I was reminded of last night, for $25/hour (I think that's per person), they'll teach you whatever you want to know. Like, if you want to learn how to sew a skirt, you bring the pattern and fabric and she'll show you. How cool is that?

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

That's right, its time to start getting ready for Halloween! So, what says Halloween more than pumpkins?


I will never understand how I lived my entire life in Southern California and never knew about Lombardi's. I've driven on Bouquet Canyon like a thousand times and never knew it was just a few miles from where I was visiting. (Not that I'm blaming a certain un-named-newlywed-red-headed-stepchild. Not at all.)

Needless to say, I'm going every year now. I'm hooked. I'm talking myself out of going next weekend 'cause you know, you always need more pumpkins. (No, you don't need more pumpkins. You need to stay on the westside and stare at the pumpkins you already have.)


Ok, there are scarecrows and hot dogs and music and face painting and fresh corn and wagon rides and pumpkins and gourds and my head is going to explode....its the coolest place in the SCV. Seriously, if you need pumpkins or just a small dose of Halloween goodness, you need to go there. (And you need to take me with you 'cause I need more pumpkins.)



As k8 introduced me to the glory that is DCA, Regina introduced me to Lombardi's.

Chicks rule.

To Ugo we go!

Last night I had dinner with the always charming B. You know you have a true friend when that friend is out running errands only to return to find you in their house, after letting their dog out of the kennel, with your feet up knitting away with the aformentioned dog hanging out by your side and their thinking that's a great way to start an evening.

Off to Ugo we go.

Now, I adore Culver City. I think Westwood could take a cue or two on this little slice of L.A. just improving by the day. Not only does Culver have food, but good food, interesting food. So, any suggestions B makes on a new place, I'm in.

Ugo is just darling with their main restaurant and then their separate gellato/dessert/light menu cafe next door. Because it was a nice evening we opted for the patio. Sadly, we were not informed that this patio is a smoker's paradise. (Note to smokers: This is your place. Anyone who gripes that you have no place to go and smoke, I've just given you a yummy one.) Also we were not informed that the service would be less than acceptable. (sigh) But, I will openly admit that the food was very good.

With the smoke and the level of service, there are just too many places to try in Culver City now to settle for anything less than fabulous. So, I think it'll be awhile before I give Ugo another chance-o. But, if you're a smoker and you want a friendly place to hang out, enjoy!

Today was a good day*

Work was good, got WAY too much accomplished. And then the day really began...

I can't recommend The Urban Craft Center enough. I know I've talked about them before but last night I took my first class. Yes, we've already covered that the chicks there are great. But, they're also great teachers and I was super impressed by the materials they use. Everything was top notch. If you're thinking about taking a class there, you really should. I want to do the Natural Dying class (10/10), the handmade soap class (11/28) and the Gocco Screen Printing class (12/11). Let me know if you'd like to join me!

Ok, so I had no clue that my night would get better after class. Did you catch Bionic Woman or Life last night? Holy wow they were fantastic! I'm so in. C'mon NBC, you're doin' good. Keep it up.

*That's right, I grabbed that lyric from Ice Cube. I can admit that. We're cool.

Un-Raveled

Ok, I admit it I jumped on the Ravelry bandwagon. Now, when I say jumped I really mean I'm walking behind the wagon hoping it stops so I can jump on. Now, I only signed up about an hour ago, here's where we are:

Found you!
You signed up on Today
You are #34712 on the list.
18963 people are ahead of you in line.
23 people are behind you in line.
44% of the list has been invited so far

In other crafty news Yarns Unlimited (828 Pico Blvd., just east of Lincoln) is having their HUGE annual sale...not my favorite kind of sale where you have $1 and $ 3 bins but everything in the store is 25% - 50% off. Now, that's cool. There's some blue wool I've been needing for a few projects so this is the perfect opportunity to stock up on such a basic. Of course, I'm sure I won't be tempted on anything I don't need. Gramma put a ban on bringing any new yarn into the house.

Heh. Yeah.

Reading blogs is an expensive habbit

Seriously.

There are all these people out there who know about all this cool stuff that I've never even heard of. Today's evil influence: Allison. (We've met her before 'cause she owns SuperCrafty and goes to the WeHo Stitch'n'Bitch.) Yeah, she alerted us to the Urban Craft Center.

Ok, I don't know about you, but every now and then (though lately its been daily) I've said to myself, "Gee, it would be nice to learn how to embroider." Or, "Gee, I would love to make soap but I don't want to blow up the house." Well ladies and gentlemen, we have women who have not only thought that, but created a place to make it happen.

Yippee!

Regina and I spent our lunch hour in search of the mythical Urban Craft Center and not only did we find it but found parking as well! After work and on the weekends, you can park in the lot, but during work hours, you're on the meters.

We chatted with the chicks running it about the concept, the marketing, and the classes they're not only having but want to have. I of course was asking stupid questions about some of the classes 'cause they have crafts I've never even heard of.

We're taking the Artful Stitching class next week. If you want to join us, call 'em up and reserve your spot.

Its a small, small (craft) world.

Going Back to My Roots

Ok, so back in the day there was no Ross, no TJ Maxx, no Marshalls. Any true Angeleno knows there was only one place to find fabulous discount clothes...Loehmanns! Back in the day, it was across the street from The Grove, before there was a Grove. Mom and I spent many, many hours there.

Once it moved from 3rd to San Vicente we never went back. Maybe it was because we had Ross and TJ Maxx and Last Chance, I really don't know. But, while I was on vacation (pictures and blog posts and stuff coming soon), this magical thing appeared in the mail...a $10 off coupon! Then, just a few days later, one of the girls at work told me that she was at Loehmanns and she saw a whole rack of Hello Kitty.

Ok, that's enough I'm in.

Now for those of you who have never been to Loehmann's, here are a few things you need to know:

1. Size: I'll be honest, its huge and overwhelming and the racks are super close together. Take a deep breathe and just take it one rack at a time.

2. Selection: I was impressed. The store is divided into departments and then by designer. It makes taking on the store much easier. Also, then there's The Back Room. That's where they keep all the designer stuff...the REALLY expensive stuff. I remember in the old Loehmanns there was a security guard standing in front of a huge red curtain which ushered you into The Back Room. That red curtain always seemed so magical to me. Now, instead of a red curtain, there's a glass partition. I miss the red curtain but I'm sure the glass makes much more sense.

3. Price: People carry around huge piles of clothes like they're giving it away for free. Uhm, yeah, they're not. If shopping sales doesn't bother you, then you're better off at the clearance days at the department stores. I saw a pair of Juicy Couture shoes there for about twice what I paid for them.

4. Dressing Rooms: Danger Will Robinson! Danger! They have group dressing rooms with an attendant to deal with your go backs and to ensure you don't wander off with anything. So like your mother always told you, wear good underwear.

5. People: Go early. I got there right after they opened and by the time I left about an hour and a half later it was pretty packed. I don't think I would have lasted more than a few minutes with that crowd.

6. Parking: They have their own parking ($1 for 2 hours). Definite plus.

7. The Insider Club: Dude, they have their own Ralph's Club cards. So, you do the little card thingy and they send you coupons and stuff. Cool by me.

Now after telling you all of that here's where I stand on my new-old discovery. Although I do better at my clearance sales at Bloomingdale's and Cusp I would definitely go back. If you need something specific and you're like me and you have name brands that you like and fit and trust and all that, this is a really good place. I found a L.A.M.B. skirt that I think they mismarked 'cause all the other L.A.M.B. pieces were WAY more expensive but it was cute and it fit and I got to use my coupon and I have the most fabulous cape to match it. But, I don't think I'd go there more than occasionally, that is, until they send me my coupons.

The Return of the Century City Farmers Market

Well color me excited! Not even oxygen related challenges could keep me away from the rumor of the return of the Century City Farmer's Market. Word on the mall was that if you crossed over the bridge (over Century Park East) there it would be in its market glory.

And there it was.

I was first met with my favorite flower place. I love these guys. The always have the freshest flowers at the best prices. And, every now and then, like today, they have really odd looking flowers (fuzzy, blood red, and $3, oh my!) which of course I had to buy.

Because all the kids are not crammed up against half a sidewalk anymore, it *looks* smaller. But all of the usual vendors (organic and non-organic fruits and veggies, soap chick, cheese crisp guy, etc...) as well as my favorite vendors (almond guy, Greek guy, previously mentioned flower guy) were all there. And, there were quite a few new ones. Not to mention quite a bit of choices if you want to buy more than fruit and veggies for lunch. There's Korean food, Hawaiian food, African food, Mexican food, and at least 3 other food stalls I don't remember the type (please note the oxygen related challenges above). But, I'm super excited to make this a weekly walk.

So yeah, if you work in Century City or plan on stoppin' by the market, please do! I was told that the vendors are being charged more to sell there so they're trying it for a few months to see if its worth their time. Seriously, the prices and quality are fabulous go spend your money there.

Sawtelle, the untold story

Ok, seriously, have you ever eated at a restaurant on Sawtelle that wasn't good? I mean, some of the places aren't life changing, but they're at a minimum good. That just occurred to me.

You're welcome.

So Regina & I went to Fabulous Fiber Fest 2007 (summed up beautifully in both pictures and words by Ellen). I enjoyed it, got my annual fill of people in ren faire costumes without having to actually go to the ren faire, bought some fabulous yarn, regret not buying more yarn, and did lunch. A good time was had by all.

(Don't worry, I'm getting to the above random Sawtelle mention.)

Blue Marlin...I've walked by this place about a hundred times and have even glanced at the menu. I'll be honest. It scared me. But, not one to turn down a challenge and a promise of yummy food, in we went.

The menu is fantastically random. Apple pie, green tea ice cream, risotto (with either cream or tomato sauce), hamburger steak plate, the list goes on. Being a risotto expert, I decided to try the wild mushrooms risotto. And let me tell you, the title didn't lie, there were multiple mushrooms in it and it was really good. And, let me tell you another thing, I'm really picky with my risotto.

So yeah, next time you venture down to Sawtelle to eat at Little Hong Kong Cafe, don't be sad when you see the paper on the windows, the door locked and a really random ransom looking note that says no solicitors in several languages, go a few doors over and try Blue Marlin instead. You won't be disappointed.

Man fakes, women enjoy

So Carla knows like half of L.A. (all the kids I don't know); one of her former acting class buddies invited her to his one man show. Now, to be completely honest, I wasn't expecting much. I've been to a small play or two in this town and sadly, the small ones tend to disappoint.

Holy crap was I wrong on this one. Go see Men Fake Foreplay at the Hayworth. Ticket link here. The last performance is on the 24th so you have a few weeks. Seriously. Not only is it funny as all get out, but its raw and honest and just a great show. Carla and I are still calling each other up talking about different things Mike said.

Here we are, great show, great company, now all we need is great food. We head over to Sonora Cafe on La Brea. You all know it; its been there for about a zillion years and you've driven by it about a thousand times. We walk in and its just gorgeous inside. The staff is friendly the chips are yummy and the drinks are fabulous. We order a few appetizers (I mean its after 10, a whole meal isn't sounding like much of an idea) and here they come. I hate to say it, but my guacamole kicks their guacamole's bootay. That shouldn't be. Their guac was bland. Sad. Alone. Needing love and attention. Next we move onto the chicken soft tacos. Its the same. They look purty, but like your hot 21 year old date, that's all you get. Hmmm. Carla felt the need to say something so they knew. Since she's the super model cute one, not to mention the super nice one, I nominated her. Needless to say, the manager did the right thing (without her asking) and pulled the guac off the bill.

Review: Go have drinks here. The ambiance, the staff and the drinks themselves are worth a visit. Though, I need to hear from someone that the food for dinner is fabo before I return for a meal.

Speaking of beauty...

Ok, when is this trend going to hit the westside? Serioulsy, $15 one hour foot massage?!? Sign me up.

Someone had to do it

I just wish it wasn't me.

Background: Back in November I was going to Hawaii. As I'm talking to Elizabeth about all things necessary for the trip the unavoidable topic of bathing suits and such what not came up. And when I say such what not, I mean waxing.

I can't even type the word without flinching. I mean, you put hot wax on and then in a ripping motion, remove the wax with any hair it grabs along with it. And you do this on sensitive parts of your body.

*Shudder*

In the spirit of being perfectly honest, I believe in the must-suffer-for-beauty ideology so I enlisted. I was headed to Maui with the man and meeting Elizabeth and her friend Jo. The last thing I wanted to think about was shaving every other minute. Seriously, we had to deal with important issues like international cell phones and snorkeling and luaus. I only have so much brain space on vacation.

Its been almost a year now and I've been to a few different places. Though the idea of having hair ripped from my body still makes me twitch, I have to admit that it is so much better than shaving everyday. If you get stupid dry skin, seriously give waxing a thought. I had no idea that my dry skin was caused by shaving. (Whatever, I never said I was that bright.) I used all the moisturising stuff a chick is supposed to so I thought I just had stupid dry itchy legs. Nope, it was the shaving.

Stark

I heart Daily Candy and that's how I found the courage to even try waxing. I mean, Daily Candy has given me sample sales and fabulous (albeit super spendy) hairdressers as well as a daily dose of fashion and just random stuff. So, they said to try so try I did.

Stark is a great place to start on the great waxing adventure. They're super nice, they don't get annoyed when you ask stupid questions and their prices are totally fair. However, they have two things going against them in my book. One, they're just so gosh darn far from me. Two, although my initial experience was fantastic, the second experience was super easy, just not as super friendly. So, going back to One, it just didn't make the drive worthwhile. But, if you live nearby, you really should go there.

Magic Touch

Obviously I wanted something closer and I figured that chicks in Beverly Hills must do this. So I found Magic Touch. These guys really do fit all waxing salon stereotypes. (Its the equivalent to all nail salons being owned and run by Vietnamese families.) I didn't mind that the place was dimly lit or had horrible partitions between "rooms" and all that. I really liked the first person who helped me there but its not that sort of place. You sort of get who's available. And that leads to what I didn't like about the place. One, so I had the same person twice and a new person the third time. The different lady felt I was "wrong" in what I wanted done and proceeded to, ahem, do what she felt was correct. OK, I'm sorry but really, we're dealing with hot wax in sensitive areas and you should respect some one's boundaries. I'm having flashbacks so I'll change the subject and go to two. Two, when I tried to get the last appointment of the day, I was scoffed. Ok, if you're only open until 6pm, you should be willing to take a 5:15pm appointment.

Get Waxed

So in the August issue of Lucky Magazine they were doing a thing for different salons and spas in the L.A. area that are "green." I think that's nice but I'm a bad person and that doesn't really factor into my decision making for my personal upkeep. However, they said super nice things about the place, it was on the westside and when I did a bit of poking around on the google I found nothing but good. Although her prices are a smidge spendier than I would normally do, its totally worth it. The place is super cute and comfortable, they totally respect boundaries, and I guess, most importantly, they know what they're doing. I went for the first time last week and I'm definitely going back.

Well, since you've read this far, I'll give you my pointers on waxing.

1. Yes, it is going to hurt. But, I swear its just for a second and really isn't a big deal. And, honestly, Get Waxed hurt less than the other two places...huge plus. And, the hurt increases by the, ahem, sensitivity of the area.

2. Yes, you're going to look like an idiot that last week before going. The stupid hair has to grow out. But, its totally less obvious, annoying and abundant the more you wax. Sadly, you're still going to be made fun of that last week. Just plan pants for that last bit at the end.

3. Yes, you have to be comfortable with yourself to do this. I mean, even if you're just doing your underarms or legs, you're still going to have to lose clothing. Not to worry, the girls are super sweet and really, they've seen it. Get over yourself, they're not judging or caring. Despite the initial embarrassment you might feel (personally I don't care, but that's just me), how fabulous you'll feel knowing no hairs are poking out of that bathing suit or no icky bumps making you itch the day after you shave are more than worth it.

4. Yes, it changed my life not to have to shave everyday. I think that change in routine affected Jane as she chewed up my Intuition razor. And no, pet lovers reading at home, I didn't leave it out for her. It was in the shower where it has lived for, oh, YEARS.

5. No, I wouldn't do this at your local nail salon. Although I love the place I go to get my nails done, they added waxing YEARS after they opened so its not something they do all the time. Anytime I'm in there on a weekend, they have clients doing that sort of thing. But, personally, I want someone who's holding hot wax to really know what they're doing with it.

6. Yes, you get what you pay for. I don't know about you, but I want the best wax you can get. Years of having my lip waxed has taught me that it really makes a difference. Do you want to walk out of the salon and go buy a cupcake or do you want to walk out of a salon with everyone staring at the bright splotch on your face where hot wax was applied, removed and irritated your once soft skin?

E Baldi Birthday

Last night I ventured into Beverly Hills for a birthday dinner at E Baldi. Now, I'm not one for the Malibu scene so I didn't know or care that this place is owned by the same family that has Georgio Baldi in Malibu. But, the waiter will point this out to you on several occasions to impress upon you that yes, they do know what they're doing. Which leads to the question, why do you need to let me know that you know what you're doing? Surely your Cannon Drive location and the prices on the menu allude that you know how to prepare food.

Ambiance.

Sparse. That's OK...minimalism works for me. However, the tables are very small and having a party of more than 4 is dinner suicide. We had 11.

Now, I didn't realise that our large party was a bad idea until we were hours into the meal. Here we are chatting and eating and what not and there are all these people gathered at the hostess station waiting for their table glaring at us. Nothing is better than having an agent and his team of minions glare at you for taking up a good portion of the restaurant. I just gave my best look to say "Hey buddy, I'm not in your business...your glare means nothing to me." So, that was amusing.

What wasn't amusing was their putting a party of 3 next to us that no longer allowed any movement from one side of the table to the other. We had to go around the ENTIRE restaurant any time we wanted to talk to someone at the opposite end of the table. Yeah, they crammed that many tables into that small room.

And I haven't even started on the noise.

Holy crap was it loud in there. I mean, we lost the father of the birthday honoree as well as the brother, sister-in-law and niece due to the noise. Thank doG this is L.A. and everyone, even those that live together, took separate cars, otherwise, this would have been a taxi-heavy evening.

It was loud.

Really loud.

Chiniose on Main loud.

Don't eat dinner there loud.

OK, so we've covered that its loud. Lets move onto the service.

OK, if I'm paying that much for my dinner, I want brilliance. I want stellar service and I want amazing food. I didn't get either. There was no follow-up on the drinks (wine glasses were left painfully empty), no bus boys to clear in a timely manner, no attention to detail, nothing. Yes, our waiter was charming with his Northern Italian accent and knowledge of the preparation of the food. But, for me, that's really not enough.

Food.

Now I understand why agents and actors love this place. The food is fine. Its expensive and tasty but you're not going to break your size 0 diet by insisting on your own appetizer and licking your plate after your entree. You're happy to split something and the portions are fair to small so you're really not breaking any rules here. Now granted, I'm tough to please on Italian food based on my background (Southern Italian from mom, Northern Italian from dad) but it is possible to do. Give me fresh ingredients and chef who knows what they're doing and I'm a happy pasta-eating camper. Give me food that's been sitting and chef who feels rushed and I'm not overly amused. Now, several people loved their food. And that's nice. I'm happy for them. Was it great? Nope.

So why is it becoming the new darling of Beverly Hills where restaurants die on a daily basis?

Heck if I know. I can tell you there were more agents and industry people in that one small restaurant than I've ever seen in one spot before. And remember, until recently I worked next to CAA's new Deathstar. So, that's really saying something. At one table, we had an actress politely waiting for not one, not two, but three agents for dinner. Now that I'm looking at IMDB I think my first identification of her was wrong. The others I'm quite sure of. We had a very pregnant wedding crasher with her exceedingly attractive girlfriends as well a Jack with a female friend.

So, if you need to industry gawk, here are the details:

E Baldi
375 N Canon Dr
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 248-2633

I heart Arturo

One minute you're walking along looking fabulous, the next you're flat on your face, new shoes and favorite jeans ripped.

Oh the horror!

No, that's not the story line for the season opener of "One Tree Hill" that was my life Friday the 13th. And really, when else would that happen? And where else besides freakin' Wilshire Blvd. Yeah, that was me.

No, I didn't cry over ripped shoes for I have Arturo. Now my cousin fancies himself the best shoe repair person ever. But, without ever seeing Dan's work, I'm going to have to vote for Arturo. As any worthy westsider knows, Arturo is the go to guy for any shoe related issue.

Now, be warned, genius isn't cheap. But, if you're dealing with your favorite cannot-be-replaced shoes or even brand new fuchsia silk Betsey Johnson heels fresh out of the box, really, Arturo is your only stop.

Arturo Shoe Fix
9643 Santa Monica Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA
90210-4401
(2 blocks west of Rodeo in case you were wondering.)

Tsujino Hana

Its been years since I've been to Tsujino Hana. Back in the dot.com days, it was a regular haunt for us. First dot.coms went boom and then k8 and mrk moved and then s.ly moved and then we really had no reason to go. I mean, its in this little strip mall in the Marina and unless you live in Marina Del Rey or Venice, it is truly traffic suicide to get there.

HOLY CRAP is it worth death by traffic.

Its like having o.k. pizza and then having REALLY GOOD pizza and you remember why you don't waste the carbs and the calories to eat pizza until you know its going to be REALLY GOOD. Or, maybe that's just me.

But anyways, I overheard the following words last week in the office:

"Yeah, lets go to California Roll. The sushi is really good."

Ok, I haven't had sushi in a few months and I was cringing at that statement because: a) its a chain; b) I've been to that West L.A. location (as well as the Downtown location); c) its fine; and d) its not really very good. If someone in the office had the nerve to say that within earshot of me now that I've been reminded of the happy goodness of Tsujino Hana, I'd cry. Or, maybe I'd grab them by the shoulders and shake them. Neither would be good for my career but if I talked them into truly fabulous sushi, it would be worth it.

Tsujino Hana
4714 Lincoln Blvd., D3
Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
310.827.1433

P.S.-Happy Birfday s.ly!

Why I Love L.A., Reason #1262

Text message I sent last night:

just saw transformers...michael bay was at our screening

That's just cool. We get the movie a day early AND the director sits in on our screening to see how we'd react. I love this town. I am securely smug in the knowledge that my town is better than your town for many reasons, and now, seeing Transformers a day early, is one of them.

Short review:

The movie is fun.

Long review:

Transformers is not going to change the world or make any sort of statement, and really, I'm good with that. Senior Bay knows his action and how to make it pop, and pop it did. I had a few stop that moments where I just wanted them to cheese down the dialogue (apparently his years at Crossroads were awkward if he was trying that hard for our hero to be that much of a bumbling geek.) But, the boys and girls were HOT, the characters were fun, the action was off the charts and I'm ready for more. When was the last time you saw a movie and thought to yourself, boy, I could have watched another 30 minutes!

Go see Transformers...you won't be disappointed.

Making nice

So one of the girls I work with, her boyfriend lives in Simi Valley. Another girl I worked with in the days of Milberg lived in Simi and worked in downtown. Ok, no one told me that its in Ventura County. Wow. People commute that far...and farther...daily...wow.

I'm such a city girl. I already know that once I leave my castle I'm living in the hood 'cause I don't do valley. And really, for those of you who live in the valley, you don't want me. I should start a donation fund: Help Keep Jenna in the 3-1-0!

Ok, these two do tie together; we loaded up WHTVR and headed over hill and dale and hill and dale and hill and dale and went off to a bridal shower.

We played games, we ate finger sandwiches, we open gifts, and yours truly was asked to make the bow bouquet.

Relocated

Well, since I brought it up, I'll talk about my routine.

Weho S'n'B: That's short for West Hollywood Stitch'n'Bitch. I learned about these kids after I started knitting. In Yahoo Groups I typed in "los angeles knitting" and this was my first hit. I joined and read for months. I learned about knitting workshops, sales and the different group gatherings.

At the time, the West Hollywood was the closest group to me. (Since then a Westwood group has sprung up but they meet on Wednesdays and my Wednesday night is already booked.) After reading about these ladies on that board and in several blogs of the members, I finally found the courage to not only walk into what seamed (HA!) like a tight knit (I slay me!!) group of women but also brave Thursday rush hour. And, let me tell you, there is nothing more frightening than Los Angeles Thursday rush hour. Seriously. You don't believe me? You go Eastbound mid-city for a 7pm start time. I dare you.

These ladies are more than worth the traffic challenges. Not only have a learned quite a bit but holy crap do I laugh. I can't say I ever remember being surrounded by so many sincere, interesting, intelligent women all in one place at one time.

Now for the relocation title of the post...normally we meet above Kip's Toyland in the Original Farmer's Market. Someone gave them permission to have an event in our usual spot. So, we were down on the ground floor with the masses. You would have thought we were all sporting 3rd eyes with some of the looks we got. Ellen took a few pictures of us in our temporary home. (No, not the cactus, keep scrolling down.) It was nice down there but boy was it loud. We all joked about how we need rugs and afghans to put on the floor and the walls to deal with the sound issues.

I haven't a clue

Seriously.

I'm in a bit of a routine. I mean, not that I do, but if I had a stalker, I'm sure he left because my life is just that predictable right now. There's no challenge for him. Its a fun routine and its not something I could do living anywhere else in the world, but its a routine nonetheless.

And it doesn't help that the top news for like the last month has been freakin' Paris Hilton. I watched 15 seconds of the Larry King Live show thingy and just ran away. Of course I tuned into the 15 seconds where she once again does not take full responsibility.

"I only had one drink..."

"My lawyers said I could drive after 30 days..."

One word honey, responsibility. Maybe the first time you got pulled over and were told your license was suspended may have been a HINT. Maybe. Just a small one.

And she went on to say that she works very hard and has "earned" all of her money. Yeah, 'cause the rest of us have parents that fly us around the world at 15 to party and go to fashion shows. Honey, I remember that article about you and your sister clubbing when you didn't even have a driver's license. Yeah, you "worked" for that. Every teenager I know can afford a management team to handle their "brand" and help them craft an image. Right. Ok.

X marks the spot

I actually went out on a Friday night, seriously shocking, especially considering the options available in Century City.

Houstons - Personally, I'd rather stab myself with a pencil than brave the happy hour crowd here. Its beyond crowded. Its Christmas mall crowded. Its not fun crowded. Its I'd rather hand with Dick & Jane crowded.

French 75 - Been there, done that, don't want to go back. My main complaint with this place both for lunch and happy hour is the service. No matter how empty or crowded they are, the servers are always overwhelmed and inattentive.

The Cellar - The constant stand-by - There are people who work in Century City who don't know about this place which is surprising all on its own. Despite being under new ownership, the Cellar is still the same as its always been. If you feel that drinks in L.A. are obscenely expensive, hit the happy hour at the Cellar. It'll restore you faith in the existence of reasonably priced alcohol.

But wait, there's more! We have a new kid on the block! X bar just opened. Its inside the Century Plaza and quite pretty really. The drinks tasty, the food quite addictive and we're already planning another outing. I don't think they've attracted the full crowd that they're after. I didn't see much of the CAA-ICM peeps but they are getting the office kids and really, our money is just as green, even if the CAA-ICM contingent dresses better.

View from the Top

I had the pleasure of eating at the Roof Garden Restaurant at the Peninsula Hotel. It was just gorgeous and I'm not just talking about the hotel itself or the view. Let me put it to you this way, you're sitting in the path to the pool. And, people who stay at the Peninsula don't tend to be ugly. Cowboy up, grab a seat and enjoy the scenery. But as I've said before, the food is not perfect. It was fine, but really, you're paying for the atmosphere...not that its a bad thing mind you. I just wanted to warn you in advance.

Fresh Prince of Bel Air

Before I start the actual post I feel the need to explain my crap titles. One of you has registered a formal complaint and I'll take this time to respond.

I really don't believe in titles. I mean, they're good for books, but for my own essays and such, I have never found them necessary. However, Homer always gave me crap about that and insisted that I title my essays. So, I used cheesy titles just to appease him. If he had insisted on good titles, I would have worked harder at it. But just having a title seemed to work for him and really it was all about Homer. The joke is on me since I'm incapable of liking anything but horrid titles.

Today is gramma's birthday. (Gramma styled this photo in case you were wondering; she LOVES it.)

Since she wouldn't let us plan a party, we went out to dinner. Wow, the Sultan of Brunei is a hellova hotel owner. The Bel Air Hotel is stunning to the point where the grounds even smell good. Seriously. When was the last time you were in a parking lot and it smelled good? The food was spectacular AND the staff was genuinely nice. I was overwhelmed.

As expected, I had a celebrity sighting. There was also some musician guy who pulled up in a yellow Porche while we were waiting for our car. But, I'm musically challenged so I haven't a clue who he was. But I recognised him. Sort of.

If I win the lottery, I'm spending a large amount of time there. This place seriously kicks the Penisula and Beverly Hills Hotels' asses.

I know, I'm Klassy. Its a gift.

We don't talk about Fight Club

I feel like I spend WAY too much time talking about my not talking about work. But yeah, I'm blaming my silence on that. And its my blog so I can do that. Feel the power.

But, I will tell all y'all that I'm starting a new job on Monday and I'm just so damn excited I could just dance around the house. But enough about me and how fabulous I am, here are a few fabulous things I've done today with my unexpected mini-vacation.

Meltdown That was the one decent link I found that didn't link to a blog. For the four of you who haven't heard of it, its a grilled cheese joint in Culver City for the Sony crowd. We hit it right at closing and let me tell you a thing or three.

1. The staff couldn't have been nicer. Seriously. It was freakin' me out. It was 2:45pm, they close at 3 and they were totally happy to have us there ordering.

2. They have bottled Coke AND Diet Coke. Not too often you find the Coca-Cola Light...mmm, good stuff.

3. The food was cheap and yummy. And no, I didn't get a grilled cheese. That's the edge on which I live. I got the special meatball sub and Yum! Brigitta had this desserty-sandwich thingy and rated it a 4.5 out of 5. If I ate berries I would have tried it, but even from a non-berry point of view, it looked good. If it makes you feel any better, their last customer of the day had a grilled cheese and he was telling the nice guy cleaning the tables and generally making you feel welcome and happy and it really the best grilled cheese ever. So there's the mandatory grilled cheese review.

The ONLY negative I can come up with...they're only open for lunch Monday - Friday so I'm guessing that'll be my only visit since I typically have this whole work thing that gets in the way of going to businesses only open daylight hours Monday - Friday. Wrong, I know, sort of like that last run-on sentence. You know the Brentwood English Department is crying right now.

Willow Spa: Seriously, 90 minutes will Pool will change your outlook on life. Brigitta asked me what kind of massage I had and I couldn't tell her. And really, I don't care. I've never done the 90 minute massage thing before...seemed excessive. Holy crap was I wrong. Its excessive like good yarn is excessive, or designer shoes are excessive...you think that until you experience it and then there is no going back.

Charles is still in charge

well, at least at Oliva. The manager & waitstaff were definately paying this good man some good attention.

Wah, wah, wah.

Who knew there was spectacular Italian food in the valley? Good food, great company and Chachi...what more can a girl ask for on a Tuesday night?

Spinkles vs. Danties - Round One

In this corner we have the defending champion.

In this corner we have the new kid.

Ok, to be honest, I don't understand the Sprinkles phenomenon. I mean, they're good. I understand that. I've had 8 different flavors and their dark chocolate is damn good. Would I stand in line for an HOUR for one? Oh, hell no. I get cranky after my usual wait time of about 90 seconds. But, I don't feel like I want my $3 back after eating one. They're pretty and yummy.

Then I read about Danties. Now this seemed more up my alley. And let me tell you, I was not disappointed. Granted, its not located in the heart of Beverly Hills. Its behind a Winchells about 2 miles west of Sprinkles, on the same street no less! There aren't 4 cute twenty somethings working the counter. Instead, you have what looks like a industrial kitchen with a large bakery case filled with beautiful cupcakes and very helpful business owners happy to talk to you about their product. As you can see from the picture above, the presentation is fantastic and they taste as good as they look. I have a feeling that once they sell a few thousand of these, they'll have a prettier shop with a very young eager staff.

Go to Danties, you won't be disappointed. But, more importantly, if you go, bring me one!

I don't even know where to start. My head just might explode.

This weekend I had Todd and Elizabeth and Don. We're not just talking different states but different countries, different lives. Just to see one of them is a HUGE treat, to see them all at once, well, I'm still tired.

For those of you who don't know the story of Don....

Between my sophomore and junior year of high school I was able to scam my way into a summer program at Oxford University. It was so nice to get out of L.A. for a month. Nice is the wrong word. Its like the after version of me on my asthma meds. Its a horrible comparison but I really did breathe better there, mentally and physically. I was comfortable. I spent that summer actually liking myself. It was one helluva vacation from high school.

People often ask how Elizabeth & I have maintained our friendship through the years, including that summer.

Two words: separate rooms.

That's why we're always so happy in pictures together. You don't get sick of someone if you don't annoy them 24/7. That's us only 4 years into our friendship. (Wow my hair was long. And those high waisted mom-jeans are something fierce.) We're not old enough to have a learner's permit but we could annoy a whole other country together! This is one of my all time favorite pictures of the two of us. If memory serves, that fabulous black Contempo Casuals top was the first item of clothing I bought and hid from mom. Ah, the memories....

At this particular program you have a "major" and a "minor." My major was drama and my minor was law.

Stop laughing.

One of my drama teachers was Don Winslow. (I had a SWEET Kodak Disc camera in case you were wondering how I captured these fabulous moments 17 years ago.) Don kicked ass and not too surprisingly still does. I think Elizabeth will have to fill me in on when/how we found out he was a novelist. (Remember kids, this was before The Google.) Ever since, we hunt and devour every one of his books.

Usually, if I like you, I'll give you a copy of whatever I have extra. I just gave away my last extra copy of Death and Life of Bobby Z . (That was an amusing sentence to write.) But DO NOT touch my first edition hardback copies. You're likely to get your ass kicked for doing something like that. Seriously.

So yeah. Don has a new book out. I've known that for awhile but I could only find it online. And really, I'm all about instant gratification which translates to my not having bought it yet. I know, I'm a very bad stalker.

So ends the story.

Elizabeth was in town on this work thingy this past week and told me to find something "fun" to do on Saturday. I was running through the list o' authors for the L.A. Times Festival of Books (she's one of them readin' types) and there he was.

Don.

So I surfed the web for a minute (heaven forbid the L.A. Times have an all-encompassing list of authors and signings and such) and found him doing signings for the Mystery Bookstore.

As we're killing time before his 5pm signing, Todd takes a flyer from the kids at Borders, sees Don's name on it and points.

"Isn't that Don?"

Wha? (I really wish I was more articulate.)

"Don, your teacher."

Sweet.


He's just as sarcastic and bitter as ever. We love him.

Cute little panda

"Where are you going for lunch?"

Dunno, you?

"Dunno."

I'm thinking about going Downtown, ya know, get a change of scenery.

"That's a good idea. There's a Panda Express there, right?"

***

Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Olvera Street, Grand Central Market, 7th & Fig, Pete's...the food I immediately think of when I think downtown.

One thing I have to constantly remind myself, and this may seem obvious to you, but I have to remember that everyone doesn't see the world the way that I do. I'm not saying that my way is the right way (but I think we all know it is) but its good to be taken out of your comfort zone.

I mean, I'm not a Panda girl. Panda makes me swell like a balloon and really, if you want Chinese food, go to Chinatown. But, that's just me. And I have to remember that. Some people really like chain food. Its comforting and yummy. Its just not my thing. He!! some of my favorite restaurants scare people...the neighborhoods, the mismatched chairs, the counter-ordering.

CCW might be 3 miles from downtown and 7 miles from my house, but my has it reopened my eyes to the world I share with other people. There are other people in this world...I have to keep reminding myself of that.

Serving my County

Actual conversation last weekend:

"I was called for jury duty."

Wow! Me too. How does it work here, do you call in or do you have to go to court?

"Oh, we call in. But I'm not happy about it."

Why, you're not working. Are you worried about taking care of grandma?

"No, we have a trip planned in September."

Ok...is your jury service in September?

"No, it starts in June."

Ok.

"You have to call in every day for 4 months."

OH!

Yeah, I guess we have it a bit easier here in la-la land. I've been calling in everyday this week and last night I got the recorded message of doom to report for service.

It started out pretty, even from the parking lot:

(I should sell this to MTA for one of their ads.)

It was sort of nostalgic to be back downtown. I had lunch plans with a friend I made while working there. I knew exactly how long it would take to get to downtown and park and all of that. I ignored the "official" directions. It felt good to be back on my old turf. Don't get me wrong. I still love working 2 miles from home. But downtown meant so much to me personally and professionally for so long.

When walking into the jury room, I grabbed a copy of the Downtown News. I read an article discussing an event by Jeffery Sebelia (winner of the last season of Project Runway) showing his latest collection for Cosa Nostra (his clothing line created pre-Project Runway). The event took place in a loft complex right next to the 7th street bridge, next to the L.A. River... weird it was so close to an area I spent so much time. I know I'm rambling but this morning was a bit a blur of feelings of jury duty doom and odd nostalgia...I don't know, my whole downtown life seems so familiar and yet so far away.

(Another view from the parking lot)

After a few hours reading & knitting & dreading, my name was called. And, like my life after downtown, I headed west. Though, this time instead of Century City, I headed over to Central Civil West. Yup, I was reassigned to the complex division of L.A. Superior. Obviously I'm not to talk about my case, and I won't.

But yeah, that was my day.

The roof, the roof

I'm sure you've heard...two stupid kids were playing with fireworks (FIREWORKS in L.A.?!? during FIRE season?!?) in the brush (really are teenagers really that stupid) above Oakwood apartments putting Universal Studios, the Hollywood sign and not to mention people's homes in danger. Yeah, they picked such a craptastic area that the fire department couldn't reach it by truck; they could only to it by air.

Of course, I'm so dense (stop nodding) and so focused on work (stop laughing) that I didn't even notice until C came into my office telling me to look up at the fire.

Fire?

This pic was taken from my desk so you'd think I would have noticed the large plume of smoke right next to my computer monitor.

Yeah, not so much.

But, once I saw it I couldn't take my eyes off of it. I mean, the city is on fire. We could see flames shooting off the hill...very freaky. But, in true hunky fireman fashion, they got the fire under control and no homes or lives were lost.

Stupid kids.

Stay off my lawn.

Love Pink

Ok, true story: there's a woman who has lived in Los Angeles for 35 years. And this woman has never eaten at Pink's. And, this isn't some vegetarian-type of chick. This is the type of woman that loves her a good hot dog. I know, a travesty isn't it. Of course this is the same woman who thinks that anything east of Beverly Hills is East L.A. So yeah.

Well, despite protests of wanting to get home to write report cards, the hot dog gods were on our side. Thanks to the time change, everyone was discombobulated and didn't realise that they all should be at Pink's for lunch. So we enjoyed our dogs and let me tell you the yummiest fries I've had in the longest time.

And one more thing...I was going to link to Pink's website but the Google told me it may harm my computer. Well, I dig my wee mini so I was lost on what to do. Suggestions?

If you don't want attention don't ask for it

[Saturday, mid-afternoon, pan to a fabulously cute couple in a very stylish '98 civic....]

M: "Wow, that's the most obnoxious Lotus I've ever seen."
T: "Every time I'm in L.A., I see one."
M: "Yeah, but that's a really obnoxious one."
T: "Yeah."

[Pulls up to the red light next to the obnoxious Lotus.]

T: "Ya know, that looks like the guy in 'My Name is Earl.'"
M: "What's the rule in L.A.?"
T: "That if it looks like the celebrity, it probably is."

[M looks over; the driver has his left hand covering his face and his right hand holding a cel phone. A few seconds pass and he puts down his hand and reveals that he is indeed that guy.]

M: "Yeah, that's him."

Ok, public service announcement to celebrities...if you don't want attention don't drive tricked out cars with fins and stuff, don't hang out at the Grove, don't eat at the Ivy, and don't shop on Robertson. That's all you have to do. You can go to Fred Segal, shop at Marc Jacobs, whatever you want. But, you just have to avoid a few key places. But, that's just it. They want the attention. There are plenty of good cars, food and shopping without falling into those paparazzi traps. Seriously. I don't feel sorry for you.

No self-respecting Beverly Hills mom takes her kids to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. And its not because they're snobs or its not good enough...not that at all. Its just that if you're a mom with two small kids, you're not going to go to a restaurant where you have to wait in que for a table. And, if you're Posh, with more money than doG, you're really not going to Cheesecake at the Grove unless you want your picture taken. Seriously. I have no sympathy for that woman on any level. She hits EVERY spot in L.A. where the photogs just sit and wait and then complains that she has no privacy with her kids. Hell, she could have gone to the Brentwood Cheesecake and been left alone. But she didn't.

Same thing Jason. Your car SCREAMS for attention. The Grove is crawling with tourists and such what not. If that's what you're after, that's cool. I don't know you so I can't say either way. But yeah, the fins just cry out. Just so you know.

Obligatory Oscar Post

Like I said last year, drive anywhere this weekend in L.A. except Hollywood. So, we didn't drive, we took the Metro Redline. Wow, that was a good idea. We found free parking around Vermont/Beverly, and paid $3 for our happy Metro day pass...up to Hollywood & Highland to see the preparations for the Oscars and then off to Universal CityWalk just 'cause it was the next stop on the Redline and we could...so yeah.

Hollywood has chanced so much in the last few years. It used to be such a pit with nowhere to eat other than an icky McDonalds. Now there are all these new shops and cafes (nothing fancy but still better than the icky McDonalds) and ever a Gelato place and yes, the McDonalds, but now an all spiffed up McDonalds. Its a weird combination of old and new with Jimmy Kimmel shooting his show there and the Kodak and then the old Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum and the tshirt shops and tattoo parlors. Finally, I can actually recommend out-of-towners go to the the Graumans Chinese Theater to see it and the hand/footprints out front instead of fearing for their lives if they dared wonder into that area.

Don't read this and think you can show up and watch the red carpet arrivals by jumping the Metro. Nope, not at all. They shut down that station for Oscar Sunday.

But, I will say, even as a jaded native Angeleno, the entire red carpet thang, in person, really is larger than life. And those Oscar statues are ginormous....just in case you were curious.

Oh yeah, blurry much?

They sell this picture

but you can have it for free. Cut, copy, enjoy; make it a postcard or print and frame the picture. If you feel the need you can send me all the money you've saved by not buying it at one of the places on Hollywood Blvd. But, that's up to you. Really. No pressure. Seriously. Its not like I'm saving for a trip to Europe or a house or anything. No, just take. All you all the time.

A Cold Winter Day in L.A.

Yeah, I'm a wee crazy but I really do find this city pretty.

For all of you who think L.A. doesn't have weather

Fooey I say! We have weather. Sometimes water falls from the sky; sometimes it goes under 50 degrees; sometimes we have winds so strong that buildings built on rollers for earthquakes sway and windows bust out. On Friday December 22nd, we had the winds.

Actual quote regarding the wind:

"I almost didn't make it to work today. I had to walk [one block] and I almost got blown into the street."

Chicago, you ain't got nothing on us. (Either that or the person who said the above quote is a wuss. But, really, that's up to you. But it was CRAZY windy. I was getting seasick in the building.)

Actual Conversation

Two fabulous looking females on their way to shopping and dinner (in that order):

J: Blah, blah, blah, blah
K: What's that?
J: Oh my god, is that water?
K: Rain?
J: What do we do?
K: We could go back to the house to get umbrellas.
J: Uh, ok. I think I have one in my car.

Yeah, an actual conversation from two women, both with college degrees I might add, who after being told for the past WEEK by the nightly news that we'd be getting RAIN were oddly confused by the wet stuff falling from the sky.

Another Celebrity Sighting

Ok, this one I didn't see but it came from a very reliable source. I'm not sure how I feel about celebrities haunting my favorite hole in the wall type of cash-only restaurants. But, since this is the first time I've ever heard of someone famous in Ramen-Ya, I guess I can deal with it. I know, I know, I'm a giver.

Celebrity Sighting

So on my walk to work I pass an interesting little hotel. It calls itself a Beverly Hills hotel eventhough its located in Westwood. I mean, its a bit of a technicality since its about 1/2 mile from Beverly Hills, but still. I'm sure the rooms are nice as I always see beautiful cars (mixed with the usual random rental cars) out front. This morning I saw a lovely Rolls Royce that had obviously been parked there overnight. Just as I was wondering who'd have a chauffered car at the hotel I see the driver walk out of the hotel, and the passenger not far behind.

Random but cool.

A Couple of Public Service Announcements

1. Any person who says the following is lying:
"I just can't gain weight. I eat. But I just don't gain weight."

Normally you'll hear/read this from actresses who are so underweight you want to personally take them home with you and feed them a ham sandwich. Or, maybe that's just me. But, take it from a chick who's grown up around these people. They're lying. Well, let me rephrase. They don't know that they're lying. Here's the disconnect. They think they eat. I mean, a few vegetables a day counts as eating right. Having a meal and then spending a few hours in the gym counts as eating, right? Seriously. I'm not making this up. This goes on in this town. So, next time you hear/read them say that just know that they're not eating.

2. People on Reality TV are paid.

I know, this one has surprised quite a few people I know and a few of them are even in the business. Ok, again, lets look at this logically. If people are leaving homes, mortgages, wives, husbands, jobs and bills, don't you think they're being compensated? How else do they pay the rent back home while they're off on Paradise Island or being an Apprentice or becoming the Biggest Loser? From what I hear, it pays pretty well. But, for my own purposes, one of my rules in life is not to be on tv, so the money wouldn't be worth it. But, like I said, that's just me.