Link: Kushiyu

Originating from Bowmore, the oldest distillery (est. 1779) on Islay, this independent bottling was quite a treat!

The Society’s tasting notes:

The nose is varied and generous; treacle toffee, incense, beeswax, heather twigs and cakes (syrup sponge, ginger cake, Battenburg). The palate is big, sweet and smoky; toffee apples, roasted peppers, leather, honey and chocolate limes.

 If I could add, chewing this whisky neat reminded me of  lychee, while the finish gave a hint of rubber, durian fruit, and xylitol gum. This dram definitely had a unique flavor profile, and since it is sold out, is one that I will miss greatly.

Cheers!

Links:
Bowmore
SMWS (Scotch Malt Whisky Society)

Well, it definitely is a refreshing dram. Though still not as complex as single malts, it is unique among the blends. It’s sweet and fruity, think freshly sliced Gala apples and Asian pears. There’s the usual vanilla nose, as well, with a subtle peatiness. The finish is in the medium spectrum, and as good as it gets for a 43% ABV whisky. Overall, I like it.

This would be a wonderful to have in the Spring time at a park picnic or outdoorsy concert.

Link: Compass Box

le animelle. crispy sweet bread, gnocchi, huckleberry, rapini.

le pappardelle al fagiano. pappardelle, roasted pheasant, morel mushrooms.

le cappesante. diver scallop, acini di pepe, parsnips, olives, tomato confit.

Link: Drago Centro

From the 2012 Winter Cocktail Menu, had the Remedy X. rosemary infused bushmills black bush blended irish whiskey, ginger infused agave, lemon.

il salmone. smoked salmon, baby fennel, celery root panna cotta

la pasta. sea food agnolotti, mussels, clams, lemon, chile

l’agnello. roasted rack of lamb, butternut squash, panelle, swiss chard

la torta al cioccolato. flourless chocolate cake, basil gelato, candied almonds

Link: Drago Centro

Copy + Paste of the article that went with the slideshow:

In a season full of black-tie benefits, it was at the more dressed-down art events where Los Angeles’ most interesting fall fashion could be found. Last week’s LAX Art’s benefit auction, held at The Brick Building in the Culver City, Calif. gallery district, drew a mix of street-chic looks and vintage flair — from colorful coats and tights to quirky accessories to, of course, the requisite black.

Link: WWD

From the website:

Islay, South Shore

Wet peat, raw oysters, almond oil, smoked mussels, crispy duck, heather smoke, hot diesel engine, earthy dunnage floors and a whiff of perfumed new make made a diverse first nose. Diesel, dirty like a burnt pan, white pepper, rock salt and grilled mackerel or sardines to taste; while water made it sweeter and perfumed. There were mentions of Brylcreem, cinder toffee, flake (Australian gummy shark) and one Panellist was ice fishing with Grumpy Old Men Jack Lemmon & Walter Matthau. To taste this was ‘easy drinking’, smoky, salty, sweet, earthy; one Panellist had radicchio or red chard. Prince Charles’ favourite whisky.

Drinking tip: A brilliant Islay and a very interesting example of the make

Colour: Platinum gold
Cask: Refill hogshead
Age: 12 years
Date distilled: April 1998
Alcohol: 58.5%

With 238 bottles in existence, only 150 of them made their way to the U.S. I got 2 for myself. However, after tasting it, I think I need to create a stockpile before it’s sold out! Tastewise, it’s similar to my open bottle of Laphroaig’s 10 year Cask Strength (Batch 002; Dec. ’10), but sweeter.

As a side note, I find it curious that there exists another 29.100 bottle with the label Sticky toffee pudding ecstasy. Apparently, it’s a 20 year old Laphroaig casked in a refill sherry butt that was unveiled at 2011 Whisky Live Taipei.

Yum!

Link: Sushi Gen

As its name suggests, Double Black is a much more intense version of the Black Label. Or rather, it’s a much smokier experience. Black and Double Black do share the same blend components though, just in different proportions — in an interview, Johnny Walker’s Master Blender Jim Beveridge shared that in Double Black, the smaller proportion of Cardu‘s fruity and floral whisky is offset by more peatier malts from Islay distillery Caol Ila…. interesting, but makes sense.

…so, is Johnny Walker Double Black worth the hype? In a word, maybe. It is definitely fun to do a Black vs Double Black taste comparison. I see Double Black as kind of a gateway whisky to nudge whisky drinkers into developing a palate for the smokier and polarizing Islay whiskies (i.e. Laphroaig, Ardbeg, Lagavulin, etc.), and there’s definitely nothing wrong with that! With that said, I do prefer the Double Black for the nose and the taste.

However, because I regularly drink my scotch at cask strength and neat, I found Double Black a bit underwhelming. Nevertheless, it is worth a try.

Link: Johnny Walker

..and having sampled it a handful of times in the past 3 weeks, I can say for certain that I’m not liking this that much, or really, at all……Sorry.

I guess I can take solace that Jim Murray also gave it a 79 score, and thinks that it’s “absolutely all over the place. The cask selection sits very uncomfortably with the malt…”

Yea, Oban, to me, is an “eh” whisky. Oh well.

Still, sipping it evokes memories of boat rides not far off the coast, like that time I went whale watching in elementary school.

I found this great youtube clip showing Hamish Torrie, Ardbeg brand director, discussing the legend of the Corryvreckan whirlpool.

Cheers!

Link: Ardbeg

According to its wikipedia page…

Rumour has it that when the second pair of stills were put in in 1975, a time capsule was discovered behind the name plate, containing an 1898 newspaper about the distillery fire wrapped around an 1898 bottle of Aberlour. The workmen who discovered the bottle polished off four fifths of the bottle during their lunch break, but the remains of the bottle went off to the laboratories in Keith, and were analysed. A’bunadh is an attempt to recreate this single malt.

In any case, I really like it.

Here’s a great clip featuring the Aberlour ambassador talking and tasting A’bunadh

Link: Aberlour

Link: School Food

This particular bottle came with this additional multifaceted glass orb stopper; I like it better than the ubiquitous heavy gold UFO-looking cork top.

Cheers!

Link: Courvoisier

Ate some bernerwurst. Sausage filled with cheese, and wrapped in bacon!

 Yum. Washed it down with some Licher Hefeweizen.

Nevertheless, at 46% ABV, nosing it is easy. It’s smoky, briny, fruity, and a bit floral. On the tongue, it is sweet and full-bodied. I really like the lingering finish. The only thing that I’d quibble over is the label. It’s contemporary but not really appealing to my aesthetics. If I didn’t almost already finish the bottle, I’d definitely decant this in a crystal container.

I picked up a bottle for about $60 at K&L Wines in Hollywood. Now, I’m hoping they get the holiday cask strength variety, which features the same character on the label but in a Santa outfit.

Link: Big Peat

Upon paying my membership dues, they sent me this elegant box as part of the welcome package….

Inside, there was a similarly green Member’s Handbook (that talks rules, history, privileges, etc.), a small green Members’ Notebook (with a bunch of blank paper to write tasting notes), a members copper lapel pin (which I’ll proudly wear at home), and most notably, four small 100 mL bottles of Single Cask Scotch from various distilleries…. which leads me to the exact reason why I joined this club.

Not only is the Scotch Malt Whisky Society a private membership club dedicated to the appreciation and consumption of the most rare and unique of single malt whiskies, but they’re also an independent bottler of the good stuff. That is, they sell unique scotch not found on store shelves, and you have to be a member to buy it……..ta-daah.

And though they work with over 120 different well-known distilleries, they do not call out the name of the distilleries. Instead, the Society refers to each by a number (the codes can readily be found through a Google search). The reasoning behind this is that since the Society bottles from a single cask, the whiskies rarely typify the characteristics of the distilleries they came from.

Anyways, so what did I get……

From left to right, I got a 20 year old Bowmore, 3.171, given the quirky name Peasant honey and lime flowers; a 13 year old Springbank, 27.88, referred to as The dignity of labour; a 15 year old Glen Moray, 35.47, called Jelly Tots and Iced Gems; and finally, a 7 year old Dailuaine, 41.47, that goes by Bentley in Zanzibar. All very unique, indeed.

Interestingly, Jim Murray’s 2012 Whisky Bible does cover 41.47. Bottled at 61.4% ABV, he rated it an 86, noting that you can’t escape the fire, but you must have a heart of steel not to enjoy the oak-barley tapestry. In any case, I’m looking forward to trying all of these bottles.

Cheers!

Link: Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Of course, we ordered a few sticks of meat for ourselves.

Also tried this spicy tuna cracker thing….

I also ordered some sea urchin. yum.

and of course, agedashi tofu and some takoyaki!

We also had some ten zaru soba……. I love Japanese food.

Link: Izakaya Honda-Ya

What I really appreciate from this whisky, is that it is at cask strength and is non-chill filtered, which allows one to taste the maximum flavors. It really has great balance, and is one I’d proudly pour a dram for my friends. Definitely, one of my favorite scotches. I picked up this bottle from the Hollywood outlet of K&L Wines, which had it for $59 (MSRP $73), a great price! I’ll have to go back and stock pile on more.

Here’s a clip with Jim Murray and Rachel Barrie, Ardbeg’s Master Blender.

Here’s a clip with Micky Heads, Ardbeg’s Distillery Manager, discussing the tasting notes.

Here’s a review by one of my favorite Internet personalities, Ralfy!

Link: Ardbeg

Originally starting life as high-quality Golden Promise Barley, like other The Macallan products, this whisky went through the same small copper stills and also benefited from the fresh spring water from the river Spey. It was only after The Macallan realized, back in the 1990s, they had a surplus of new make spirit that they sold off some of their barrels to independent bottlers, like Alexander Murray and Company. As the label indicates, this particular bottle was distilled when I was 10 or 11 years old, in 1991.

Though not an official The Macallan bottling, Alexander Murray and Company, for Costco’s Kirkland Signature label, did a fine job developing the new make spirit.

Previously enjoying this with a couple of friends, we found this single malt scotch an absolute pleasure, and best enjoyed neat. Rich in amber color, swirling it about revealed skinny legs (the streak marks making its way down the glass). The standard 40% ABV level made nosing the dry, fruity essence easy. Tasting it was just as effortless; its prolonged time in oak barrels smoothed its bite, while its 6 month encounter with sherry casks imparted its character citrus-fruity and toffee sweetness. Its finish was short. If I could improve on the experience, I’d only have the finish linger longer.

Now sold out, I wished I had stocked up on more! It’s a great whisky that will appeal to many different tastes.

Links:
Alexander Murray and Company
The Macallan
Costco

Link: 85°C Bakery Cafe

Through education (books and tastings), I found that smoky characteristic to be ever present in the spirits distilled on the Scottish Island of Islay; it has much to do with the way their unique peat interacts with the geography, and how they prepare their barley (Laphroaig employs barley floor malting). For more information, I’ve embedded a fascinating YouTube clip of the TV show, Modern Marvels - Distilleries that describes the process.

Now, as great as the flagship Laphroaig 10 year is, I am much more enamored by the Cask Strength variety. The color is a deep gold from being aged in American oak barrels. The nose is predictably more pungent. It has a lot of the same tasting notes (peat/smoke, seaweed, medicinal/iodine, vanilla sweet) as the standard expression.

What I think sets the Cask Strength apart, then, is the finish. It is much longer. The higher alcohol content allows it to linger and linger in the mouth, enhancing the spicy and medicinal characteristics. The heat refuses to be contained in the caverns of the mouth and does escape out the nose. I particularly like that chewing (yes, chewing) the whisky brings out the sweetness. Sipping it, I know I’m consuming something woodsy and potent. Exhaling, I feel like I’m blowing fire. I really like this stuff. It’s a bottle that will be mainstay in my bar.

It should be noted that the earlier January/February 2010 bottlings of “Batch 002″ registered a higher 58.3% ABV. I doubt that I’m missing much from drinking the December batch. But if I could get my mitts on one of the early 2010′s, it would be nice to do a taste comparison.

Random Fact: Laphroaig received a Royal Warrant from the Prince of Wales in 1994.

For those wishing to imbibe, I found that Astor Wines (in New York), where I procured a couple of bottles of this, had the best deal.

Cheers!

How Laphroaig Scotch is made:

If you’re wondering, the skull and crossbones motif is the same on the other side.

Link: Smathers and Branson

When I bought the Groupon, I had every intention of ordering and introducing Chichen Itza’s signature dish to a friend, significant other, mistress, whoever, and eating after 3pm to redeem the full features. Well, honestly, I didn’t care who would accompany me, as long as I could eat this deliciousness once more or at least before the deal expired! The menu describes the dish as succulent pork marinated with achiote, sour orange juice, and spices, cooked in banana leaves, topped with pickled red onions served with sauteed black beans, rice, fried plantain and steamy tortillas…sounds good.

…… Probably even more amazing than the deal then, was finding one of the previously mentioned to either be free to eat with me, be willing to dine in South Central LA (which really isn’t bad) after 3pm (while assuring that we won’t get mugged/carjacked), eat pork (surprised to find out some of my friends are Jewish), eat spicy (their house-made habanero sauce is a must-try) or just eat for that matter (a lot of my friends are humorously anorexic).

Anyways, stars aligned, and my kickboxing friend was free, and so we ate and ate…. and not only did I succeed in consuming some of the most tender and tasty pork, I also turned another buddy into a cochinita pibil fan.

One thing I did notice was that the portions this time around was a bit skinnier than last time. Was it because I used a Groupon or is it the new standard? Not complaining, just making an observation….to complete the picture of our meal, for the appetizer, we had the ceviche pescado (refreshing), and for drinks, horchatas! Finally, the habanero hot sauce was so amazing that we both bought a bottle (only 3.50 USD each) for home usage.

Until next time.

Links:
Chichen Itza
Previous entry has recipe for Cochinita Pibil 

Huuuuuuuuuuuge…. delicious….also, i love their “new” pickles.

Link: Brent’s Deli

We were coming from another event down the street, and I suppose since we looked the part, we were able to walk right in, past the person manning the door with no problems. hahahahaha.

for drinks, we had whisk(e)y! i had a dram of my current favorite, Lagavulin 16. she had Basil Haydens.

For starters….persimmon, pomegranate and mint salad with burrata and pistachio aillade

lamb tartare with beluga lentils, avocado, green harissa and fenugreek yogurt

For our main courses… had to turn on the flash =X

braised beef short ribs with swiss chard, roasted cippolinis and horseradish cream

the pork chop was amaaaaaaaaaaaazing.

..way too stuffed to get dessert..

Overall, it was a great meal!

Cheers!

Link: Lucques

… and let her do the cooking….=X.. hahaha..

we had the “Modern Mix”…..

actually, I did help out with some of the cooking and made this star-shaped okonomiyaki….

we also had some fried chicken, takoyaki (my favorite), and some clam soup (yum!)

It was delicious, and always a treat. Until next time!

Link: Gaja

Whisky Advocate gave it 94 pts and reviewed…

An old classic, but how do the newest bottlings fare? Rich, chewy, slightly oily texture. Deep peat, thick smoke, iodine, brine, charcoal, seaweed, tea (Earl Grey, Lapsang Souchong), and the aromas of a summer barbeque. Vanilla and light caramel soften the intensity, while subtle citrus fruit teases. Powerful, yet polished and seamless. After all these years, this whisky is still one of the finest standard-issue peaty, smoky whiskies!

This place has been hyped up quite a bit, and you know what, it lived up to it. The food was unique and pretty damn tasty. I’ll be back…

Here’s what we ate…

in the foreground, we started with the brussels sprouts, pig ears, house-cured lardo, apple

 charred avocado, hen of the woods, whipped fish sauce, mushroom chicharrón

 sea bass, cream of dehydrated potato, black olive oil, lemon, caper

 spaghetti, giant squid, squash, hazelnut-ink pesto, piment d’espelette

 butternut squash risotto, chicken wings, egg yolk, toasted wild rice, aromatic broth

 berkshire pork, charcoal crust, macaroni and cheese, leeks

 veal cheek, red curry, nante carrots baked in salt, fried and sticky rice

 quail, beet juice, quince, hazelnuts, banyuls vinegar

 apple, crème caramel, burnt wood sabayon, walnut

 chocolate, coffee, spice

Link: Ink.

Looked like any lounge/club, just with less people.

Link: Club Nokia VIP

According to their website, this meal was 854 Calories!

Link: Daphne’s Greek Cafe

……… a really flavorful sandwich.

Link: Dan’s Super Subs

i started the night with one of their newest drinks, The Spanish Harlem – tanteo cocoa infused tequila, maraschino liqueur, agave nectar, chocolate-chili bitters.. though a bit too sweet for my tastes, it was still refreshing…

for food, we started on these biscuit things that had some eggs, cheese, and some of the most tender pieces of short ribs. truly yummy.

 some kind of panini with more short ribs. though this was edible, it was quite on the greasy and oily side. we still ate all of it. hahahaha.

 for some fiber, we had the local Apple and Pomegranate salad. it was ok, but forgettable.

for my second drink, I had The Lexington, which I was told, has been around since the place opened up. It’s comprised of earl-grey infused woodford reserve bourbon, honey, lemon juice, orange bitters…. also, refreshing.

For a main dish, we had their signature fried chicken, bacon-braised kale, smashed potatoes, and mustard sauce. FC thought it was the best fried chicken. I’m not sure if I could agree with that, but I did think it was better than KFC.

When it was time to get a third drink, I noticed not one drink  on their menu had scotch in it, so I played to the bartender’s creative side and requested that he create something on the spot… and he delivered this fine drink, which honestly, was better than the other drinks on their menu. When I asked what he’d call it, he hesitated before naming it “The Scottish Kick.” I’m not exactly sure what was in it, but it was good.

Supposedly their steak tartare is the “best in town.” I haven’t had it that often, so I can’t really say, but it was good.

Towards the end of our night, after hearing that I typically like drinking scotch neat, the bartender made me a final bespoke drink with a lot more oomph. I forget the ingredients, but it was all real good.

Overall, my experience at the Lexington Social House wasn’t mind-blowing, but it was still pretty good.. I’d give it a solid 3 and 1/2 stars (out of 5).

The only real downside is its location, it’s in Hollywood, douche capital of the world.. hahaha. Still, if I were in the area, I’d come back.

Link: Lexington Social House

So, I took it upon myself to introduce her to some of her people’s deliciousness, and also to satisfy a craving =)

Link: Furaibo

Famous steamed pork dumplings

Fact: The Hong Kong branch of this place was awarded 1 Michelin star in 2009.

Of course, we also had other stuff like…

Braised beef soup.

Pork and crab dumplings.

Shrimp Fried Rice.

Steamed pork glutinous rice dumpling, wrapped in bamboo leaf.

Pork and glutinous rice shiaomai.

Fried pork chop.

Some kind of appetizer.

Green melon and shrimp dumplings.

All of it was delicious and cheap, which leads me to the only downside of the place – the wait and the fact that they don’t take reservations. Oh well.

Link: Din Tai Fung

According to the label, the 20 year spent a significant amount of time in bourbon casks and then was finished for 6 months in sherry casks, resulting in tastes of dark chocolate, dried fruit, and orange. Looking forward to trying this!

Link: Art Platform

She did her usual soup (onion gratinee) and salad (modena).

The Fried Mozarella was tasty.

My entree was the Burger: Kobe beef, bibb lettuce, Brandywine tomato, aioli & red onion served with Kennebec French fries. It was okay. Fries were pretty good.

Link:
Bottega Louie 

The whole experience took about 2 hours. It was pretty fun. Here are some of the highlights…….

We started on the ground floor, where we met a curator who gave us a very informative tour. I especially liked hearing the back stories of the selected paintings.

Surrounded by works by Christopher Wool.

I liked this one for the humor.

from here, we took an elevator to a floor that had a lot of creepy shit, like this video installation.

..then we went to the rooftop to check out sculptures and the awesome Venice beach view. it was a nice day, so a group photo was taken.

..then we descended to my favorite floor, or the German room.. I really liked this work, Abstand by Albert Oehlen.

Many people gravitated towards Anselm Kiefer’s Laßt tausend Blumen blühen (Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom). It was impressive. I really liked the textures.

From here, we went to another floor of familiar works, like Jenny Saville’s Stare, which was used on the cover of Manic Street Preacher’s Journal for Plague Lovers album.

Finally, we went to a floor featuring new works like Richard Prince’s Another Girl, aka “the porn painting”

The other really strong work on this floor was Elliot Hundley’s Dionysus..

However, to really appreciate it, I had to get close….so many pins sticking out of it.

And there was this humorous box…

Friskies Human Flavor!

….and that’s all the photos that I found in my iphone.

Link: The Spare Room

Since extending her stay, caught a movie. Contagion IMAX. It was okay.

obligatory spicy, crab soup.

even tastier spicy galbi (short ribs) soup..

after we killed the soup, they dropped in noodles in one pot, and made fried rice in another pot. yum.

On Dal 2, 4566 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016

Link: IFS

Had Kaiseki.

First dish, or Sakizuki, comprised of “a pairing of something common and something unique.” To me, it just comprised of deliciousness. The anchor to this dish was definitely the eggplant purée.

CHEF’S GARDEN EGGPLANT PUREE, SCOTTISH SMOKED SALMON, OSETRA CAVIAR, CRÈME FRAICHE, CHIVES
Pair: JEAN PHILIPPE, CUVEE

 Zensai, made up of seasonal ingredients, was a playful dish. Each bite required some assembly. Before indulging, from right to left, sprinkled a bit of the bacon powder on top of the sliced calamari, which was stuffed with Maryland blue crab, then, topped it with mushrooms and greens, and finally, dipped the whole thing into the balsamic reduced dots. Yum.

BLUE CRAB STUFFED SWORD SQUID, MUSHROOM SAUTE, BACON POWDER, BALSAMI REDUCTION
Pair: 2010 ALBARINO, MORGADIO, RIAS BIAXAS, SPAIN

Modern Zukuri was interesting…  sashimi was wrapped with avocado, topped with a yuzu sorbet, and were flanked by jalapeno jello dots.

KANPACHI TARTARE IN AVOCADO, PONZU GLAZE, YUZU SORBET, JALAPENO GELEE
Pair: 2007- PINOT BLANC, DOMAINE PFISTER, ALSACE FRANCE

 Otsukuri was just regular, high quality, sashimi. =)

TUNA, JAPANESE SEA BREAM, LOBSTER, KUMAMOTO OYSTER
Pair: SAKE-TOKUBETSU JUNMAI SAKE, CHIYOMUSUBI, TOTORI, JAPAN

 Mushimono comprised of an egg custard with mushrooms and crab. It was topped with uni.

UNI CHAWANMUSHI
Pair: 2007 — SLUMBERGER GEWURSTRAMINER PRINCE ABBES:

 Shiizakana was a perfect al dente pasta.

ABALONE PASTA, PICKELED COD ROE, ABALONE LIVER SAUCE
Pair: 2010-CONTESE DI GAVI, PIO CESARE, PIEDMONTE, ITALY

 For Niku, sashimi-grade beef laid on a big leaf, while soaking up sauce.

AMERICAN WAGYU, HOUBA YAKI, KYOTO RED MISO SAUCE
Pair: 2007 — PINOT NOIR EVENING LANDS, WOLA-AMITY HILLS, OREGON

Towards the end of the meal, Shokuji arrived, with six pieces of nigri sushi.

JAPAN SNAPPER, TORO, AJI, LIVE SCALLOPS, AMAEBI, SEARED TORO
Pair: SAKE-SHICHIDA YAMAHAI KARAKUCHI, SAGA JAPAN

 These two were my favorite. Spanish mackerel and live scallop.

Ama ebi is another one of my favorites…

Miso Soup with ama ebi head.

 Finally, Mizumono. Green tea crème brûlée, chocolate cake with ice cream, and fresh fruit – mangoes, white kiwi, grapes.

GREEN TEA CRÈME BRULEE, FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE, VANILLA ICE CREAM, FRUITS
Pair: 2008-LATE HARVEST SAUVIGNON BLANC/SEMILLON MALDANADO, CALISTOGA, CA

Not pictured are the many wine and sake pairings that came with each dish, which if we drank them all, would’ve gotten pretty buzzed. Yea, so next time, I take a taxi….

At the end of the meal, Chef Nakayama greeted us.

This place is definitely a new favorite. Tasty dishes. Intimate setting. Great service. Wonderful experience.

I’ll be back.

Cheers!

Link: N/Naka

What makes Fashion’s Night Out such a hit = free alcohol……. and apparently, a lot of the shops used Patina Catering. To take a break from all of the champagne that we were indulging in, had this gentleman make me a Bloody Mary; it was alright. He made a couple of gimlets for my companions, as well.

Prada.

Link: Fashion’s Night Out

Kobawoo. 698 S Vermont Ave, Ste 109, Los Angeles, CA 90005

Link: Wurstküche

Perused the special St-Estèphe menu, that chef John Sendler resurrected for the month of September, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the birthplace of modern Southwest cuisine. Despite even the prices being the same as in 1981, we passed. We, or rather I and I dragged her along, intended to eat the pibil!

Started with one of my favorite drinks, Rivera’s classic Barbacoa with mezcal. The beef jerky in the drink never gets old. This time, I really appreciated the sliced bell peppers infused with the drink. Always tasty.

To start, we had the Choros al Vapor. mussels, chorizo, aji amarillo pisco broth. So good, I wish that they had offered us more bread to soak up the juices!

Rather than get another appetizer, we dug ourselves into the delicious black mess called duck enfrijolada. blue corn tortillas, black bean puree, chevre, red wine chile sauce. the duck was prepared and had the texture of carnitas.

Before the main even, I had the Oaxacan Piece Pipe. Chichicapa (this word caught my eye and was the reason why I ordered this, Ha!) mezcal, rye, black pepper, cumin syrup, dandelion and burdock bitters, grapefruit essence. This thing was strooooong. Good and strong.

and why we came here……. the Yucatecan Puerco Pibil. banana leaf-wrapped pork shoulder, braised sous-vide. I’d argue is Rivera’s best dish.

So good, we each had our own.

For dessert, we were intent on getting the Spanish Olive Oil cake. lemon extra-virgin cake, creme fraiche ice cream, strawberry sorbet, jerez vinegar reduction.

… and at the last minute, we got the baba cachaca. individual sponge cake soaked in brazilian rum syrup, dulce de leche, fresh citrico. Amazing; it was my first time having baba.

 A great dinner. I’m looking forward to coming again.

Link: Rivera

Started with my favorite drink from this place.. The Penicillin..

doing a quick Google search, I was able to find how to make it!

2 oz. Blended Highland & Islay Scotches
¾ oz. Fresh lemon
¾ oz. Ginger syrup
¾ oz. Honey
Spritz Laphroig scotch
candied ginger for garnish

1. Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker.
2. Pour in a rocks glass with a block of hand-chipped ice.
3. Garnish with candied ginger.

Of course, we both got the burger… One thing that I really like about Sooj is that she’s always down to eat fattening food…. and she’s not fat.

To cap our dinner, we had a chocolate tart… it went well with the cappuccino.

Always a pleasure.

Link: Comme Ça Restaurant

alas, because of situation and circumstances, the seafood platter and $1 oysters would have to wait until next time…

Still, I had a great time hanging out with the cool kids..

Delphine bills itself as a seafood joint so I thought it’d be safe to stick with fish…

Sheila and I both got the trout meunière served with sautéed shrimp, potatoes, lemon, parsley brown butter. Trout when prepared right can be a beautiful dish. Unfortunately, it was not very good here. It was way too salty, most likely due to the shrimp. Presentation wise, it’s not very eye catching. Oh well, live and learn.

Darth got the pan roasted halibut served with crushed potatoes, nicoise olives, and a tomato almond vinaigrette. I had a bite. It was just okay.

sooj and danny liked their dishes. she got the hamburger, of course, while the cuban got the salmon.

My favorite thing I bit into this night came from EM. She ordered off the “Specials” section, and got the risotto with foie gras. That was tasty.

Overall, it was an okay experience. This night, it was all about my friends, with the food playing second fiddle. Ambiance was cool, and that Riesling was pretty refreshing.

Tips:
-Regardless the party size (2 to 100), 20% gratuity is automatically added to the bill
-W Hotel valet parking is $7.50 for the first 2.5 hours with validation… after that, they gouge you on the price. bitches.

Link: Delphine

while I was being schooled, ate a few of my favorite dishes, including this arroz negro with squid and saffron aïoli….yum

tried this goat cheese, fig, and saba…

roasted dates, parmesan and bacon… always a winner.

market fish (sea bass), rajas, baby squash, radish, crema..

and finally, the cassoulet!

Link: AOC Wine Bar and Restaurant

 i don’t consider myself a christian, or religious for that matter, but can appreciate the powerful role religion plays in people’s lives…..

pastor talked about how bad sex outside of marriage is………….

which, i guess, inspired this guy (probably overcome with sin) to pop the question right after the show………..

“I give in to sin because you have to make this life liveable” – Depeche Mode

Link: Harvest Ministries

Started with their version of the Bloody Mary…

While relaxing outside, we had the chilled seafood platter. Lobster, shrimp, crab salad, oysters…

Oysters were so good that we had more!

 For my entree, I asked the waitress for her recommendations, and ended up getting the “Oldman and the Seafood” Brochette. Shrimp, scallop, daily catch, pesto risotto, garlic lime sauce. Rich.

It was a nice little spot.

Link: The Cannery

This particular Tuesday night, the theme was tomato…

amuse bouche was compressed watermellon with some kind of cheese on top.

for the first course..

l’insalata di  seppia. heirloom tomatoes, cuddle fish, bloody mary sorbet!

next…

 l’ippoglosso. olive oil poached halibut, tomato water, shellfish

the third course was gli agnolotti. tomato-ricotta agnolotti, pancetta, chile foam.

la trippa! tomato braised tripe, toasted ciabatta.

…and the final savory dish was…

il vitello. tomato crusted veal loin, sitting on top of balsamic onions, and surrounded by smoked tomato hollandaise.

finally, il dolce – tomato mosaic, white chocolate, basil gelato (so refreshing!).

Fun night.

Link: Drago Centro

Delicious.

Link: Wurstküche

The ddok guk was a standout…

..as was the kalbi..

Link: YongSuSan

Note: All pictures in this entry were, unfortunately, taken with an iPhone. So, the quality is kind of sucky. Oh well.

We ordered the 5 course tasting menu + wine pairing, and added on a dish I saw them make in the TV show, After Hours with Daniel….

To begin, we were each presented with complimentary cocktails – a mojito iced gelee topped with a micro mint and an egg yolk-looking screwdriver (the vodka and orange juice drink was encased in this thin, gelatinous orb that burst in the mouth). Both were a fun way to start our meal.

Then, came the first of many amuse bouches…eating from right to left, I took a good minute or two to savor this amazing shrimp glazed with deliciousness and mini flowers, then I popped in my mouth, the pastry puff filled with some kind of fish rilletes, and to chase it all down, I gulped some kind of carrot and passion fruit juice. Yum……..

We also partook in the three kinds of bread – bacon brioche, nori focaccia, and sourdough roll – that they were serving that night, which were all pretty good.

the first dish from the actual tasting menu was Japanese Kanpachi from Kagoshima, with red shiso pearl tapioca, cucumber, enoki. it was paired with something white that was from 2010.

Afterwards, to kill time before our next dish, we were presented with two more amuse bouches! This time they came out on sticks. The first, not pictured, was a piece of abalone. The second, the main picture at the top of this entry, was a squid and chorizo combo that was eaten in one bite! Yum.

A short time after, the maître d came to our table, and rolled over this table to present our next dish, which was not part of the tasting menu, but after seeing it prepared on After Hours with Daniel, I had to have….Santa Barbara Spot Prawns, which alive 3 minutes prior to showing up table side!

These were cooked by first laying them in a pan lined with salt and rosemary, and then covered with more salt that’s been heated to 500 degrees! After about 3 minutes, they were dug out of the salt, and plated. They were coated with french aoc extra virgin olive oil and garnished with lemon wedges.

mmmm mmmmm mmmmmmmmmm

our next dish was Bobby’s Block Island Scallops, errr scallop, which sat on baby beets, almonds, nori, and upland cress. it was paired with a 2009 Riesling from Erben Von Beulwitz winery.

then, came a Wild Alaskan Halibut steak from Sitka, sitting on top of purple runner beans, charred tomato, and epazote pistou. It was paired with a 2010 Rosé de Pinot Noir from Soliste winery.

our last savory dish was a Marcho Farms veal tenderloin from Franconia, PA. It was cooked sous-vide and was accompanied by a sweet pea puree, buna shimeji mushrooms, turnips, and tomato confit. It was paired with a 2005 Rioja Crianza, Viña Cubillo Crianza from Lopez de Heredia winery.

To satisfy the sweet tooth, we had Regier Farms White Nectarines, which came with an almond cake, rasberry, basil, burrata ice cream, and olive oil. It was paired with a 2005 Sainte-Croix-du-Mont from Chateau la Rame.

finally, as a last hurrah, we were presented with petits fours! Again, from right to left, strawberry marshmallow, coconut macarons, and extra sweet pâtes de fruits

 I will definitely be back. CHEEERS!

Link: Providence

It was a one hour session that left me sore for a good 2 days! Being a newbie at this, I don’t know the name of the various things I did, but we did focus quite a bit on abs. It hurt so good.

………………………… “Pain is weakness leaving the body.”

…. working on some canvases for her next show.

Random: I think it’s kind of funny that Western Soondae has two locations and that they’re both on Western Avenue. We went to the one in Gardena.

Also had their dukbokki. Spicy and also delicious.

Link:
Western Soondae 

Stopped by the West Los Angeles location.

Link: Zankou Chicken

This last time I went, I opted for the mushrooms instead of the sweet potato fries… These are still on my to-do list to learn to make.

i also had these grilled mission figs.. wrapped in jamon iberico and stuffed with cheese……

..and I always order the mixed berry bread pudding and/or the berry blossom cake…with black coffee.. yum.

Link: Susina Bakery

Link: King’s Fish House

 Now, I’m sure the guy is a pleasant character, especially by himself and not intoxicated, but I guess media’s portrayal of outlaw motorcycle club members got to me – they kill people… So, I snapped this picture instead. hahaha.

…. and not because my father does it, but because lately, I’ve been drinking a lot of it.

So I figure, I should start educating myself about the good stuff. To start, I picked up a couple of bottles from Jonata vineyard, which is based in Santa Ynez Valley (Santa Barbara) and fascinatingly, owned by the same people who own Screaming Eagle.

I have yet to try it, but am anxious to after reading the various reviews.

Robert Parker for Wine Advocate gave it 94 points:

The 2005 El Corazon de Jonata (41% Syrah, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 11% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and 2% Sauvignon Blanc) is denser, richer, and more perfumed than its 2004 counterpart. The overall impression is one of a sensual/seductive wine boasting an inky/blue/purple color as well as copious amounts of blue, red, and black fruits interwoven with truffle, charcoal, and graphite scents. This full-bodied, powerful 2005 offers both significant flavor authority and elegance. It will last for 15 or more years.

Stephen Tanzer for Interanational Wine Cellar gave it 93 points:

Opaque violet. Deep, ripe cherry and plum on the nose, with exotic baking spice and gingerbread building with air. Lush dark berry liqueur flavors are deep and sweet but possess good grip, finishing with light, dusty tannins and excellent persistence. Really stains the palate with sweet, precise fruit and minerality and possesses more energy than the 2004 version, which is a beauty in its own right. 

Jeb Dunnuck for The Rhône Report gave it 94+ points

Beautifully fresh and vibrant, the 2005 Jonata Winery El Corazón de Jonata is a step up from the ’04, showing awesome aromatics of smoky black cherry and cassis fruits, cigar box, tobacco, blood and roofing tar. Very tightly wound on the palate, the wine possesses full-bodied power with superb balance, a rich, full texture and a serious, tannic finish. This needs time. I’d give bottles another 3-5 years and then drink over the following decade or longer.

Jonata’s description of it:

Wide mélange of flavors faithfully illustrates the kitchen sink of variety of grapes within the glass. Aromas of smoked meats, wild honey, soy sauce, white truffle, black cherry, cola, brown sugar and oak char. Dizzying yet tempting complexity. Generous and full bodied with mix of blackberry, mushroom notes and smoke. Very approachable at this stage with loads of soft fruit and firm, yet giving tannins. Length, length and length on finish.

Link: Jonata Winery

What made this concert extra special though, was that we were also graced with the presence of Gil Shaham, who performed one of my favorite Mozart songs, the Violin Concerto No. 5.

Gil Shaham banging his 1699 Stradivarius on the big screen.

Here’s a clip of Gil Shaham performing Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 with the Youtube Symphony. I loved his expressions.

This is the actual view from our seats, in section G2. I was really gunning for the seats in the Pool Circle but they (as well as the Garden and Terrace boxes, and even Super Seats) sold out fast! It was a packed show.

You know Hollywood Bowl is pretty much synonymous with Picnic, right? Well, this time, I brought a bunch of sandwiches, quartered, from Blue Table. From left to right: Ellen’s Special (turkey, ham, goat cheese, fig-onion jam, & garlic aioli ), Prosciutto and Burrata (with basil, tomato & olive oil), Roast Turkey Breast (with brie, arugula, roasted red peppers, & sun-dried tomato aioli), Roast Beef Tenderloin (with caramelized onions, goat cheese, arugula, & dijon aioli), and another Ellen’s Special.

Washed it down with Veuve champagne and fresh blackberries. Yum.

I made reservations for us to sit at the Kitchen Counter, giving us an up-close show of the action. It was fun to see the different chefs’ interactions with each other, as well as watch our meal and other patrons’ dishes being prepped and plated….

In the mood for Scotch, wet my lips on the Fujian cure.

..for starters, we had the Beef Tartare which was infused with chiles, onion, herbs, aromatic rice powder, while sitting on slices of pickled cucumber… this was clean, light, and as one could imagine by the list of ingredients, plenty flavorful.

next, came the soft shell crab, a relatively safe dish. This iteration was served with green mango, chile sambal, shallot lime gastrique, and peanuts. Emi picked this, but I think I ate most of it. hahaha.

As mentioned earlier, sitting at the counter afforded us the pleasure to watch the kitchen in action. Here, a couple of guys are preparing our Spicy Chicken Pops.

Spicy Chicken Pops were frenched drummettes, coated with a mixture of garlic, kecap manis, and spicy sichuan salt. This was without a doubt one of the favorites. Almost every table ordered this dish, and we saw the same two guys making it every time.

Another popular dish that was fun to watch being made was the whole steamed fish, in this case Seabass/Branzino, sitting on Taiwan spinach, topped with black bean ghee, and served with sambal ijo on the side. Though de-boning it was a bit cumbersome, this was one of my favorites of the night. There was a lot of flavor to process, and this dish really makes you appreciate the various provincial spices.

Half way through our fish, we were in the mood for more seafood, so we added the clams and enjoyed watching it being prepared with another table’s order.

Close up of our dish being plated.

Manila clams with nahm jim, thai basil, sausage, and lime leaf

And finally, we had the chiang mai curry noodles, a flavorful medley of chile, tumeric, lemon grass, chicken, prawn, yu choy, and rice noodles. I really appreciated the various textures and spices. It was robust and quite attractive, especially with that prawn emerging from the broth.

Near the end of our meal, we were offered Vietnamese coffee in either hot or cold form. If you couldn’t tell, we chose the latter. Hardly the best I’ve had, it was acceptable.

At the conclusion, we were presented these two complimentary desserts. I forget exactly what was in each, but on the left, in the shot glass was Vietnamese iced coffee pudding? with chocolate and vanilla ice cream, while on the right was some kind of sour mish mash over avocado puree and topped with banana sorbet. The combinations were unique and a fitting end to our visit to Lukshon.

The whole experience was fun. I’ll be back!

Link: Lukshon

Tried this cocktail, A Vu to a Kill. It was pretty strong and not very good. Oh well. Their complimentary corn bread was pretty tasty though. Having read a variety of reviews, we stuck to ordering a bunch of small plates to share. It was a good strategy; there was quite a bit on the menu that interested me….

We started with the Bone Marrow, which came with bok choy, parsley, pickled strawberries, candied red onion, balsamic pudding, preserved lemon, all on a toasted brioche.

..close up..

Next came this really interesting Pork Belly, served between crispy grits and root beer jello. This dish had a lot of potential. It had all of the right ingredients – the mixture of textures and winning combination of sweet and savory. Yet, somehow, the kitchen failed in the execution. For one, it does not really look that appetizing. It’s just a bunch of brown. Also, it would have been better if they served more, smaller, bite-sized versions. Self-cutting these in half was also pretty messy venture. The dull knife caused the tough, inappropriately-prepared pork belly to smash the grits. It kind of spoiled the experience.

After that fiasco, we were greeted with this refreshing, “Reconstructed” Caprese salad. This was a winner. The balsamic-injected cherry tomatoes were coated with basil-infused fresh mozzarella, and then sprinkled with red hawaiian sea salt and garnished with a thing of micro basil. I’d definitely order this again.

Half way through popping in those bon-bon like caprese balls, came the Montana Free Range Bison Carpaccio, served with mustard seared, pickled shallots, celery root confit, peppercress, and a dribble of extra virgin olive oil. This was also very refreshing. We ate this by rolling each slice up, while including the varying ingredients.

Next came this other dish that I had read about, the Chicken-Fried Watermelon, topped with pickled rind. And unfortunately, like the pork belly, it did not live up to the hype. Again, the pieces were really too big and may have been better if they were bite-sized, which would’ve given a better opportunity to experience the varying textures in one swoop.

After the disappointment of the watermelons, we were presented this beautifully-arranged thing of Thai Mussels, floating on a green curry broth, hamachi salad, coconut jello, scallion, and garnished with micro cilantro. I’d order this again as well.

Lamb “lollipops,” poached in sweet tea, rosemary, and topped with roasted grape relish. It was tasty. If only they could make it prettier.

When initially ordering, our waiter told us about how popular their chicken-fried calamari with pink lemonade mayo were with the locals. So, near the end of our meal, with some room in our stomachs to spare, we gave it a whirl. Though edible, it was easily forgettable. It’s only memorable now because our server dropped a few of the pieces when trying to navigate the dish between Emi and I. And rather than comp us or removed it from our bill, which would have been welcomed, they simply went about their business and tried their darndest to ignore the situation! hahahaha.

Perhaps the alcohol in that crap drink started to kick in, but I was feeling generous, and tried to give Vu another chance to redeem itself, and ordered dessert. Of the menu items, the Buttermilk Panna Cotta looked the most interesting. It was served with liquid nitrogen coke-a-cola and carbonated blackberries. It looked pretty cool. Unfortunately though, it tasted a lot like a cup of Pinkberry frozen yogurt with 2 toppings…… hahahahaha.

At the time, the meal seemed okay. But looking back now, I don’t think I’ll ever go back.

Link: Vu Restaurant

 Link: Blue Table

Took her to one of my favorite restaurants, Drago Centro.

Quite famished and to make this reunion less complicated, we had Chef Celestino Drago’s latest tasting menu, which featured a variety of classic dishes with a twist (of course). It was a leisurely two and half hour dinner where we had a merry good time catching up.

For libations, I had the American Graffiti, a root-beer tasting concoction featured in the “New Classics” section of the Spring/Summer Cocktail menu and highly recommended by a couple of our servers. It was refreshing.

Shortly after, we were presented with amuse bouche (sausage croquette over romesco?)… and began our gastronomic journey…

The first course was a salad comprising of prosciutto, bocconcini mozzarella, and compressed melon. The sweet and savory combination was phenomenal.

The second dish came out in clear plastic baggies that required the server to cut open with scissors, indicating that it was cooked sous vide. On the plate, we were greeted with a healthy piece of white sea bass, mussels, clams, and baby vegetables. It was a very clean dish that left me wanting more. Even the juices from the seafood mixture lent itself to being enjoyed with the table bread. I savored it all to the last bite.

As the sun set, we experienced two of my favorite dishes of the night.

The first (third dish) was a trio of conchiglioni pasta stuffed with snails and coated with herbs, garlic, and brown butter. This was sinfully rich, and though it does not look like much, the portion was perfect.

Whenever I go to Italian places, the experience never feels complete without a taste of gnocchi, whether it be from my order or from a companion’s plate. So, it was to my delight that the fourth dish comprised of crunchy, pillow-soft pork belly, gnocchi, and fava beans in tomato cream. The meal could have ended here and I would have been content.

Anyways…

For the last savory course, we were presented with a perfectly-cooked medium rare lamb chop, panelle, and cipollini onion, over romesco sauce. It was a robust dish full of provincial flavors.

As the moon made an appearance over head, we capped this adventure with delicately ribboned chocolate pudding and rhubarb sorbet. Like everything else that preceded it, delicious.

C’est tout.

Link: Drago Centro

Fanny Bay and Kumamoto oysters.

Because we showed up on the early side, we had a few drinks and appetizers off of the happy hour menu while our table was getting prepped. I ordered these pork sliders, which looked like fancy Sloppy Joes. They were very tasty.

For the main event, we all ordered the Comme Ça Burger - certified angus beef, cheddar, dressing, pommes frites.
Fact: New York Times’ Jane Sigal, in 2009,  called it the Perfect Burger Recipe.

Perfect is debatable. Still, delicious.

Something cool. The New York Times even published the recipe for this burger and bun.

Here’s a Copy + Paste:

Adapted from Michael David, Comme Ça, Los Angeles

Time: 20 minutes, plus 1 to 2 hours’ chilling

2. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a hot fire on a grill, or heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle each burger all over with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and season generously with black pepper. Sear burgers on grill or in skillet for 2 minutes on each side. Transfer burgers to a broiler pan and bake for 4 minutes for medium-rare. Remove pan from oven. Position an oven rack closest to broiler element, and heat broiler to high.

3. In a bowl, whisk mayonnaise with ketchup, cayenne and chili powder, and season with salt and black pepper. Add lettuce and stir to coat. Toast buns. Top burgers with Cheddar and broil until cheese melts, about 30 seconds. Set burgers on bottom buns and top with lettuce and onion slices. Cover with top bun and serve, whole or cut in half.

Yield: 4 to 8 servings.

Adapted from Hidefumi Kubota, Comme Ça, Los Angeles

Time: 1 hour, plus 2 to 4 hours’ rising

2. In a large bowl, whisk flours with salt. Add butter and rub into flour between your fingers, making crumbs. Using a dough scraper, stir in yeast mixture and beaten egg until a dough forms. Scrape dough onto clean, unfloured counter and knead, scooping dough up, slapping it on counter and turning it, until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Shape dough into a ball and return it to bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.

4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using dough scraper, divide dough into 8 equal parts. Gently roll each into a ball and arrange 2 to 3 inches apart on baking sheet. Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let buns rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours.

5. Set a large shallow pan of water on oven floor. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in center. Beat remaining egg with 1 tablespoon water and brush some on top of buns. Bake, turning sheet halfway through baking, until tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Yield: 8 buns.

Link: Comme Ça Restaurant

The local dealership, quoted me $570 to replace the front brake pads. Knowing that parts only cost about $200 retail, I quickly said “Eff that,” to the stealership and decided to give it a go on my own. Admittedly, I’m not a grease monkey, but I do have a father who is pretty good around cars. So, in the spirit of Father-Son bonding, I took this opportunity to spend an hour with the old guy to learn this pretty basic car skill…

I started by ordering factory parts from Suncoast Parts and Accessories Store. They have a great reputation among car enthusiasts for selling genuine factory parts at the lowest cost, even when accounting for shipping. What’s also great is that since they are based in a different state, I paid no sales tax. Score!

The basic replacement parts one needs to get to do this job are the brake pads, a set of brake sensors, and a caliper spring set (optional). The manufacturer requires the dealership to replace the caliper spring sets every time the brake pads are replaced. Though I do have a spare caliper spring set, I chose to reuse my existing set as they were still in good shape…

To begin, I jacked up the car and removed both front tires. Then, I got to work with removing the existing spring caliper set.

close up of the retaining pin..

Step 2, in action.

Then, I unhooked the brake pad sensors from all of the various clips and holds. When getting to step 5, I had to be extra careful with the caliper vent valve cap; it seemed like it could easily tear.

To make removing the old pads easier (and to provide clearance for inserting the new pads), I manually deflated the pistons.

A worn out brake pad (left) next to a fresh one (right).

After inserting the new set, it was a matter of doing the above steps in reverse order. Still, there were a few things worth mentioning:

I found it a lot easier to assemble the two pads and the sensor together prior to inserting them into the brake “house”

For the reverse of step 5) By initially hooking the red cable into the caliper spring, it was easier to put the entire caliper spring set back together.

For the reverse of step 2) When reinserting the cotter pin, I had to make sure that the small hole (for the retainer pin) was visible on the “outside.” Otherwise, there would have been no way to insert that retainer pin. Also, the cotter pin went through easier when I depressed the caliper spring.

The other side was similar.

Cheers!

Links:
Suncoast Porsche Parts
Planet 9: Brake Fluid and Pad Change Tips

Link: Honey’s Kettle

View from the table…

Started with the Classic Sampler, which comprised of their famous crab dip, fried calamaris, and “great balls of fire,” which are essentially fried balls of crab, jalapeno and shrimp.. all pretty heart-attack worthy.

The main event, then, was this entree called the Bean Town Bake, which came with 2 whole lobsters, a pound of clams, shrimp, smoked sausage, a thing of corn and some potatoes, all served in a pretty large steam pot…. very tasty.

Since it was a weekday, there weren’t many obnoxious people around. And overall, the food and experience were pretty good.

Link: Joe’s Crab Shack

Didn’t actually go in, just chilled in the parking lot. Ha!

Link: Griffith Observatory

El Rey del Mar, 18530 Sherman Way,Reseda, CA 91335

Twelve seconds into the first round (picture above), Kickboxer landed a clean high left kick to his opponent’s head, sending him down to the canvas for the count. After almost 10 seconds, the bearded guy foolishly got up to continue the match.

Kickboxer continued to smack this guy around with a combination of jabs and kicks, and when tangled in the ropes, high knees. The fight went for 3 rounds. Though it got close, there was no TKO. My friend still won by unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27, 29-27. It was a great match.

Entering the ring ….

Performing Wai Khru Ram Muay, pre-fight dance to pay respect to Thai culture.

Lethal high kicks proved to be indispensable in this match up.

Looks ruthless, but eriously, one of the nicest guys I know.

Afterwards, celebrated in Thai town.

Chef Centina of Chichen Itza can take solace then that Agent Sands was only a fictional character because his pibil is AMAZING.

Seriously, one of my top 5 dishes.

You know what’s cool? The Los Angeles Times has the recipe. One of these days, I will make it myself.

Copy + Paste:

Chichen Itza cochinita pibil

Total time: About 1 hour, 10 minutes, plus marinating and baking time

Servings: 8 to 10

Note: From chef Gilberto Cetina of Chichen Itza Restaurant. Ground annatto seeds and frozen banana leaves are widely available at Latino markets. To thaw the banana leaves, remove the bag from the freezer about 1 hour before using.

Cochinita pibil

1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

2 whole cloves

1 whole allspice berry

1 small pinch dried oregano

6 tablespoons ground annatto seeds

2 tablespoons salt, divided

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 cup orange juice

3/8 cup grapefruit juice

3/8 cup lemon juice

5 pounds pork (pork butt or boneless pork shoulder)

1/2 pound banana leaves, previously frozen and thawed

Pickled onion for garnish

8 to 10 whole habanero peppers for garnish (optional)

1. In a spice grinder, grind the peppercorns, cloves, allspice and oregano to a fine powder. In a bowl, combine the spice mixture with the ground annatto seeds, 1 tablespoon salt, garlic and vinegar along with one-fourth cup water; stir until it reaches the consistency of a paste. (Makes about one-half cup; it can be refrigerated for several months.)

2. In a large bowl, make a marinade by stirring 2 heaping tablespoons achiote paste with the citrus juices and 1 tablespoon salt until well-blended.

3. Cut the pork into large pieces about the size of your fist. Add the pork to the marinade, stirring to cover completely; cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for 3 to 12 hours, turning at least once.

4. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a Dutch oven or heavy casserole with the banana leaves, overlapping the leaves slightly and covering the bottom and sides of the dish.

5. Place the marinade and pork in the banana leaf-lined pan. Pour the remaining marinade over the meat and fold the banana leaves tightly over the meat.

6. Cover and tightly seal the baking dish with heavy aluminum foil. Bake in the oven for 3 1/2 to 4 hours or until the meat is tender to the point of falling apart with a fork. Divide the pork among plates, skim the fat from the marinade and pour over the pork, sprinkle with pickled onions and place a fresh habanero pepper on top. Serve with tortillas and habanero salsa if desired.

Pickled onions

1 large (or 1 1/2 medium) red onion, cut into 1/4 -inch dice

2 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar

1/2 tablespoon salt

In a bowl, combine the onions, vinegar and salt with three-eighths cup water; let stand for 2 hours. Drain and serve with cochinita pibil.

Roasted habanero salsa

9 habanero peppers (stems removed)

7 cloves garlic, peeled

1/4 cup white vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup olive oil

Place the habaneros and garlic in a small, heavy frying pan and roast over medium-high heat until slightly charred. Place peppers and garlic in a food processor with vinegar and salt and blend until pureed. Add the oil and stir well to combine.

Each of 10 servings with 2 tablespoons pickled onions and one-half teaspoon salsa: 397 calories; 39 grams protein; 6 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 23 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 135 mg. cholesterol; 431 mg. sodium

………..i guess it’s also worth mentioning that I tried the Ceviche Pescado, which was basically basa fish marinated in lime, cilantro, onion, and tomatoes.. very refreshing…

Cheers!

Link: Chichen Itza Restaurant

Anyways, during this time, to clip in to the pedals at the gym, I attached to the soles, a pair of Shimano SPD SH-51 cleats that I received for free from purchasing my previous biking shoes. Though the SH-51s (lateral release), in my opinion, are inferior to the SH-56s (multi-directional release), I didn’t think it would affect my spinning experience, or really matter. They were made by the same company, as well as looked pretty much the same. And, these shoes were going to primarily perform indoors.

For the most part, my experience with the Shimano SH-51s were okay. They allowed me to clip in to the bike pedals and kept me secure. However, the daily clipping and lateral-unclipping of the shoes took a toll on the reinforcement plates, and eventually, stripped out a thread….

I prolonged the need to replace the reinforcement plates by switching holes (in both shoes for consistency) to thread the cleats in. But recently, the last set of holes gave way, and now, here I am, sharing my experience in replacing the Sidi Reinforcement Plates…. which was not all that fun, considering that access is granted only through the inner sole.

To get started… I removed the blue outer-inner liner (green arrow below) to expose the inner-inner sole (mustard yellow arrow). You’ll notice that there are two screws embedded at the heel – there’s no need to remove them (Trust me, I did myself and that did nothing but waste time).

Next step was to unbuckle the straps. This exposed the inner sole better and allowed for better access to the reinforcement plate.

Flipping the shoe over, all I did was take a screwdriver and jammed that thing through the inner sole….

.. anticipating the need to eventually replace this plate, Sidi pre-cut the inner sole. I used my screwdriver to help widen the flap opening to pop out the broken reinforcement plate…

did a quick switcheroo…

…After replacing the inner-inner sole flap and the outer-inner sole, the shoe was almost ready to rock-n-roll.

For good measure, I got rid of the SH-51s, and replaced them with the SH-56s, so hopefully, I will not have to ever replace the reinforcement plates again.

Cheers!

You can pick up replacement reinforcement plates from pretty much any bicycling shop.

I picked mine up from Huck n Roll via Amazon.

La Serenata, 19265 Roscoe Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 91324.

It was pretty cool. Prior to the screening, we ate pizza and drank champagne.

Lulu and Dmitry. In Love.

They screened cult-classic Harold and Maude.

As the night went by, it got chilly. Thank goodness for the blankets. Afterwards, hung out around the fire.

It was all fun times.

Link: Cinespia

Link: District on Sunset

Link: Versailles

However, before and while waiting for the tour to start…. we do what we do best………..

so… we stuck around with the tour for about  half hour before going off on our own…..  to enjoy and interact with the art.

…. living in the moment…….

Lastly, I got Deitch to sign my book!

Woohoo! Planning to go back again this weekend.

… oh well, came to celebrate PR girl receiving the Master designation in her respective area of intellectual curiosity…

stuff i ate/tried… portobello fries (tasty), modena salad (okay), trout amadine (crap), short ribs (forgettable), hanger steak (plain), chicken parmesan (chewy), eggplant parmesan (okay), chocolate souffle (had better).

Overall, the night was enjoyable because of the company, of course. Would I go back to Bottega Louie? Maybe, if I were strolling down Grand avenue, near 7th and was in the mood for a macarons because well, their dinner/lunch menu kind of sucked.

Link: Bottega Louie

Copy + Paste from LA Times Magazine:

1 white sugar cube
4–6 dashes Angostura bitters
Dash of soda water
2 ounces Sazerac 6-year rye whiskey (may substitute bourbon)

Drop sugar cube into a glass (Seven Grand uses a 9  ½-ounce Schott Zwiesel whiskey glass). Soak cube with 4–5 dashes of Angostura bitters from a small bottle. Do not use a large bottle, as too much liquid comes out. Add a small splash of soda water. Muddle sugar to a fine paste. Add Sazerac. Add ice to ¾ full. Stir until cold but not overly diluted (20–25 turns). Garnish with large lemon and orange peels, squeezing the outward surface of the skin down onto the drink to express the oils, then dropping peels in.

Random note: Outside the bar, one of the downtown characteres called me Elvis. Well, he was more like a resident, and I was kind of blocking the sidewalk so as he headed in my direction, he blurted, “Move out of the way, Elvis.” hahahaha.

Link: Seven Grand

Since I ordered the 1/2 sandwich + soup lunch special, I picked the hot pastrami. It was decent.

One of the highlights of this meal were the “new” pickles (not pictured)… now, those suckers were delicious and non-fattening!

Link: Brent’s Deli

Colors in the work function as the composition. The black and white gessoed surfaces function as the symbolic color of intellectuality, and an idea of formality. The saturated colors of paint are a vital part of these paintings by disrupting surface. Paint is poured across the upper spine of the canvas, directly from the bottle. Gravitational force slowly draws the color down the length of the surface, leaving behind vertical lines of varying densities and widths.

we actually started pretty early…….