LONG over due

I've clearly done a horrible job of updating this blog on a frequent basis, but I've been so caught up with school that I haven't had time to write in here. I guess here's a quick and random summary of the places I've been to in the last month and a half. This might end up being a monster post.

Comme Ca - new French bistro on Melrose and La Cienaga; SH and I met up with JM there, but unfortunately, SH and I were completely hungover because we had spent the day getting plastered before the football game and then immediately suffering the aftermath. Comme Ca was beautiful, the interior had very clean lines with a simple black and white color scheme. Mirrors of various shapes and sizes hung on one wall, and to the right, there was a cheese bar. The bar and cheese menu was written in chalk boards across the wall (it was more elegant than I'm making it sound). JM and I split the mushroom risotto (DELICIOUS) and a three cheese plate. The cheese plate came with various dried fruits and nuts that complemented it. I think the cheese we got were a goat cheese, sheep (?) cheese, and a brie. I also ordered the French onion soup, which was really good. The only drawback to Comme Ca was that they overcharged my credit card by $24. I was not pleased. I called the restaurant ranting a few days later before they finally recredited my card. I can see why this restaurant is so popular, but it was rather pricey. Not really a restaurant I can frequent and not panic inside a little when I see my bank statement.

Cube - I finally went there! This Italian/cheese restaurant on La Brea is also a BYO, so I brought a Kiara Pecorino (recommended by the the wine connoisseurs at the Larchmont Wine and Cheese Store), and JM brought a red wine. I ordered the black truffle pizza because when it's this time of the year, I have a major weakness for truffles. It was rather disappointing though. I wish I had stuck with the ravioli I was also eying on the menu. Usually, when I go to restaurants and I can't decide between a couple dishes, I like to ask the waiter for his/her opinion. I figure that if he/she is a good waiter, then he/she would be able to formulate a well-informed opinion on the dishes. Our waiter just told me to get the truffle pizza since everyone else was getting pasta and that I should "go for something different." The cheese plate we ordered was really good though. It came with some jamon serrano, prosciutto (I love prosciutto), pate, and some dried fruits and nuts. I would come back here but only for the cheese and the fact that it's a BYO.

Little Next Door - JM, CA, DM, and I went here for brunch the other week. It's SOO adorable! It's this French cafe on 3rd street close to where Doughboy's is. Its parent restaurant is "Little Door," which is pricier, but Little Next Door is opened during the day for breakfast and lunch. It felt really authentic (the hostess and waiters were straight out of France), and had a very comfortable and Parisienne ambiance. It was well priced---not too expensive considering some of the dishes they offered. I ordered the jamon and arugula with two overeasy eggs, CA ordered the brioche French toast (apparently it was the "best French toast [he's] ever had"), DM ordered the goat cheese sandwich, and I completely forgot what JM ordered. The food was good, but the service was pretty slow. I guess that's more typical of European restaurants that really allow you to enjoy your food and good conversation.

El Carmen - I know I already wrote about El Carmen, but I just have to say, their guava margarita is AMAZING! RK and I could've drank those all night. It was like drinking juice.

Point Mugu - CA and I went hiking there about a month or so ago. It's pretty far, right past Malibu and into Ventura County. It was a moderate hike, about 6 miles, and the summit had a pretty steep ascent. At the top, we rested for a bit and while we were looking around, we saw a coyote. Going down the summit was super tricky, and I was absolutely convinced I was going to wipe out and tumble down. I didn't fall, but it took me a while to get down while CA just ran down it like it was nothing. I did end up wiping out later though, ha. Should've seen that coming.

What's the name of the game....

I'm getting worse and worse at maintaining this blog. I wanted to make it for so long, and I really enjoy it, but I never seem to find the time to actually sit down, collect my thoughts, and write it out.

Last Wednesday night was a BLAST. I love how random and last minute it was. SH was in town since school was canceled (because of the fires) and she had to pick up her parents at the airport the next day, so we decided to get dinner and have a night out.

We started out our night at Tinto, a recently opened wine and tapas bar on Santa Monica Blvd. From the second I walked in and took in the ambiance, I knew I was going to like this restaurant. It had brick walls, antique chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and mirrors lining the walls. SH had called to make a reservation at 7:30, and we were a little late but they still seated us promptly.

They started out by giving us 2 appetizer pieces that were on the house, and then some toasted pieces of bread with olive oil and finely chopped tomatoes on them. The appetizer pieces (sadly, the waiter said the name too fast for me to catch) tasted like a lump of potato with a hint of egg on top and bottom. It wasn't horrible, but it was nothing memorable. The bread was delicious. The tomatoes tasted fresh, had just the right amount of crisp, and the combination of the two was great.

We decided to order our drinks first, so SH started out with a glass of sangria (it was pretty good), and I ordered a glass of rioja. I had the waiter recommend the glass of rioja, and then later, I asked for a Spanish red wine that was similar to a Pinot Noir. He never told me the name of the wine, but they were both really good.

SH and I ordered 4 tapas: Setas al Ajillo, Almejas Salsa Verde, Vierias al Ajillo, and Croquetas de Jamon. They were all pretty tasty, but I thought the Vierias (scallops) seemed a bit undercooked. The taste of the ocean was a little too strong for me, but the garlic sauce it was in was delicious. I think I liked the Croquetas best. They tasted very rich, but they just melted in my mouth.

After dinner, SH and I headed over to Hamburger Mary's several blocks down for their legendary Wednesday Bingo Nights. We met up with MK there around 9 o'clock, and I honestly had the best time. It's in West Hollywood, so of COURSE it's drag queen bingo. It was $20 for 10 games, and the money goes towards charity.

We walked in, and they gave us our bingo sheets, markers for our cards, and an instruction sheet. It wasn't your typical game of bingo. There were certain numbers that had callbacks with them, so if the announcer yelled the number, you'd have to yell out the saying and vice versa. It was hilarious!! He'd start saying, "If you want to date Michael Jackson, you gotta..." and the whole restaurant responds by yelling "B-14!"

The first game was rather traditional. To get bingo, you needed to fill a row, a column, or a diagonal. As the games continued, there were new versions (some raunchy, some not) on how to fill our your card. It was GREAT.

When you were one spot away from bingo, you'd yell out, "IT'S ON!" and everyone around you would start yelling that too. I kept on thinking I was close to getting bingo when I wasn't haha. I'd yell out really excitedly,"IT'S OOON!" only to have MK correct me.

The winner of that Bingo game received a prize of some sort, and he or she would run around the restaurant while everyone threw their bingo cards at them. (SH was worried about the bingo cards hitting and injuring the winner because what happened if they got a cut from it and they were a hemophiliac? But then she quickly got over that concern as she eagerly aimed for the winner's face when throwing her bunched up bingo card hahaha.) If someone falsely yelled out bingo, then he or she would go on stage and were spanked by a paddle. SH tried so hard to get spanked, but no one heard her falsely yelling out bingo.

There was a table of about 4 or 5 gay guys who sat behind us and kept on laughing at us. The three of us must've looked really funny because we were so into the game. I wanted to win a round and run through the restaurant!

SH and I both got drinks at Hamburger Mary's, but it wasn't anything special or memorable. I think next time I'll just come here to eat some dinner like MK did and play bingo at the same time.

After bingo, SH and I went to El Carmen to check it out and grab a drink. She got her regular vodka tonic, and I got a strawberry margarita. I couldn't tell if my drink was just weak or strong but expertly made. I even asked for a more tequila and still didn't taste a difference. It was a cute place, but not good for meeting new people. I'd definitely come back with a group of friends just to eat, talk, and drink though. Always a good time. The bartenders kept on looking over, and they even carded us again though. Ha I guess SH and I must've looked young to them.

Afterwards, SH and I went to a new artsy bar in Culver City called Mandrake to meet up with JM. JM was supposed to come to Hamburger Mary's for a little, but she couldn't make it, so we saw her at Mandrake instead. It was such a cute little place! Definitely a very artsy crowd, but I was impressed by their selection of drinks (great beers). I ordered a Red Stripe beer and SM stuck to her trusty vodka tonic once again. We hung out, met some of JM's friends, talked to people there, and had a good time. In the back, there was a small art gallery turned dance room. They were playing oldies the whole time, and SH, JM, and I just had a lot of fun dancing.

I love it when I can go out with good friends, make the most of any situation or place we're in, and have a great time---those are the best nights.

Tomorrow night, SH, JM, and I hit up Comme Ca for late night drinks and food. I can't wait! It's supposed to be really good. Hopefully I won't be too tired after the football game.

Big Santa Anita Canyon

I went hiking with CA again last Friday, and it ended up being another long hike (of course). Instead of going to Malibu, we went to the San Gabriel Mountains and went on the Big Santa Anita Loop. It was only supposed to be 9.4 miles, but CA convinced me to take a slightly more roundabout way back to the car and it ended up being nearly 10 miles. This was probably the most well-organized hike I've been on because I brought enough water, had 2 luna bars with me, CA had a book complete with map and trail guide, and he brought his watch that had a compass in it and told us our elevation. Looks like we learned from our previous mistakes haha.

We drove out here by passing through Pasadena and drove up a mountain to end up at Chantry Flat where we could park our car and begin our hike. The drive up had awesome views of LA, and I want to come back when the sky is clearer so that the views of the city wouldn't be completely obscured by the smog.

We started hiking on the Gabrielino Trail, which had several different paths of varying lengths, so you could go for as far as you'd like or as short as you'd like. The hike started out by going downhill really steeply. I hate going downhill at the beginning of a hike because it just reminds me how much it's going to suck at the end when I'm tired and struggling up this mountain. We started out at a relatively high elevation, and I took some pictures of the surrounding mountains and valleys. I don't want to post those pictures up here because I don't feel like they do the scenery any justice. Seeing such a huge work of nature in person reminds me of how small and even inconsequential I am in the larger scheme of things, and the enormity of it just doesn't come through in a picture.

CA and I continued on this trail taking the Spruce Grove path, and it was awesome because it mostly followed along a creek called Winter Creek. Even though it was pretty hot out, most of the hike was covered by large, towering birch trees, so being in the shade for the majority of the hike was nice. It was so awesome hiking along this creek. I've never done that before since none of the Malibu hikes I've been on follow one, but there was some water flowing and at certain parts of it, we even saw trout swimming!! There were also several small cabins along this trail, and many man-made dams. The trail along Winter Creek primarily went uphill, so I struggled for a bit of this hike.

We kept on going, and soon, the trail became rather rocky as we ascended further. I think it was at this point where we reached the 50-foot-high Sturtevant Falls. There wasn't much water in it as there hasn't been much rain this year, but it was still pretty nonetheless. I really want to come back on this hike after more rain has fallen so I can see how this waterfall looks in all of its glory. I've never been good at managing my way through rocks because I never seem to make smart decisions on where to place my hands and feet, so reaching Sturtevant Falls was a bit tricky for me haha. I made CA lead the way so I could see how I should maneuver myself around the rocks while staying on the trail. I don't know if it's clear in the picture above, but that's my attempt at an aerial view of the creek leading up to Sturtevant Falls. The camera is looking down into a gap between the rocks as the water fell down to the creek, and the drop is probably about 10 feet or so.

CA and I finally reached the end of the Spruce Grove path, but we continued on for another mile or two to reach Mt. Zion. Mt. Zion was my first summit!! It supposedly is 3575 feet, and since we probably started at around 1500 feet, we ended up gaining 2000 feet in elevation. It was a good feeling knowing I hiked that far up to the summit, but it was a little disappointing. The summit wasn't what I expected since there were just shrubbery everywhere, but it did have a nice view of the city (complete with smog and all).

It was at this point where we began our descent. After a couple miles or so, the trail forked, and we had the option of taking the lower trail (2 miles long) or the upper trail (3 miles). Any tired person with common sense probably would've taken the lower trail, but CA and I were worried that we'd have to hike that steep hill at the end (which would've SUCKED). He wanted to take the upper trail, claiming that his book said we could take that route and avoid that steep uphill ascent at the end. Of course I listened to him, and within a quarter of a mile of that trail, it began going uphill more...and more.....and more. Needless to say, I wasn't too happy with this, but it eventually leveled out and we got back to CA's car.

Nearly 10 miles and 2000 feet later, I felt like my legs were going to fall off. But I guess it was worth it.

I really like the San Gabriel Mountains. I wonder which trail I shall try out next?

Great Tastes in Brentwood

This entry is LONG overdue, but I keep on putting it off because there's so much I want to write about, and not enough time.

Last Sunday, JL and I went to the food festival in Brentwood. It took place on San Vicente right by Brentwood Gardens. They cleared out about a block or two, and it was completely packed with people everywhere. I've wanted to go to a food festival for a while now, especially the Italian one in Hollywood the week before. Admission was only $2, but food samples ranged from $2-$6. The food was bought using "scrips," which basically cost $2 a piece. JL and I each purchased $20 worth of scrips, and we ventured out to each station, trying to make the most of our scrips.

The first place we went to was On Sunset at the LUXE Hotel, which was serving marinated tiger prawns satay and parmesan-truffles french fries. JL got both while I only tried the tiger prawns. They were really tasty, and they came with this salmon-colored sauce that strongly hinted of mayonnaise. I wasn't a big fan of the sauce, but I thought the tiger prawns were delicious the way they were and well worth the 2 scrips I used up for them. The parmesan-truffles french fries were good too, but a little too salty for my taste.

Next, we headed to Punch Grill and each got the spiced panna cotta with fresh berries. It was made with cardamom, cinnamon, and coconut milk. I thought it was really good, and I finished it off rather quickly, but it was a little too filling. Had to save our stomachs for the rest of the stations! I think it was also around this point where I headed to the Margarita and Wine Garden, and got myself a glass of red wine. I forgot what wine I chose, but I remember thinking it was rather tasty.

After eating all of this food, JL and I decided to walk around for a little bit to let our food digest. There was a little stage on the side where people were performing, so we went there for a little bit. There was a martial arts demonstration, and performances by the Brentwood Dance Academy.

Finally, JL and I headed to the Cafe Del Rey stand, and that was by far my favorite stand. I guess they were trying to give away their food as the day was winding down, so for 2 scrips, they gave us a sample of everything. On the menu was Rabbit Rillette on crostini with persimmon marmalade, green apple celery root soup, and chocolate truffle cookies. I thought the green apple celery root soup was rather bland, and I wasn't the biggest fan of it. JL seemed to like it, so she ended up drinking most of it. The chocolate truffle cookies were good too, very rich.

My favorite dish though, HANDS DOWN, was the Rabbit Rillette. I've never eaten rabbit before, so this was kind of a risk, but the chef reassured us that it was really good, so we tried it. It was DELICIOUS. The consistency reminded me of pate because the meat was super soft, and it was spread on top of the perfectly cooked crostini. It had the right amount of crisp, and the persimmon marmalade on it was sweet enough to balance the saltiness of the rabbit. I never thought I would like rabbit that much, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Mmm, deeelicious. What a good day for eating.

Bar 107 and M.J. Higgins

This post is long overdue, but I got sick, and then I had a big paper due today, so I've been putting it off. Not to mention the fact that SH did such a good job describing our night out last week that I'm not sure I can live up to it, ha.

Last Thursday night was ridiculously fun and random. SH, CA, NA, and I decided to go barhopping in downtown LA, so we started out our night at Bar 107. It's a dive bar on 4th street, and its red walls were decorated with the most random items. It had a very laidback vibe (which I liked a lot), and the drinks were good. Their cheapest beer was an Olympia for $2. $2 beers on a regular basis! I've never heard of Olympia beer before, but CA decided that was his drink for the night.

There was a small room in the back where there was a small dance floor, a photo booth (I need to try it out the next time I go), and this...machine where you gripped it and it measured your hand strength. Ha, great description ya? I'm just not sure what it's called...or as SH puts it, it's a "hand strength feeler." Anyways, naturally, we all had to test it out and took turns playing around with it.

We hung out at Bar 107 for about an hour or so when we made friends with some of the bar patrons. There was this hysterical guy who must be a regular at Bar 107. He's this enthusiastic, middle aged man named Pancake. If you yell out, "Eeehh, PANCAKE!" he responds with a wink, an air kiss and a "How you doin' sweetie?" Haha SH and I thought he was hilarious. SH then became friends with this guy there, E, who told us of what was supposedly the "best" bar in LA that had no set closing time. Of course, the night felt young, and we ventured over there.

We arrived at this art gallery named M. J. Higgins that apparently becomes a bar at night. We walked in, and headed downstairs to an area known as the "Sweat Room." It was EXTREMELY humid and hot in there because of the lack of air ventilation and air conditioning, and there was a slight haze of smoke everywhere. The smoke, the heat, and the Asian-inspired decorations made me feel like I was in an opium den in China (as if I've ever been). We got free beers the whole night because E knew the bartender, so that was pretty sweet. We only stayed down there for a little bit before heading upstairs to where the actual art gallery was.

There were a couple pianos placed here and there around the art gallery, so CA and I decided to awaken our piano skills and mess around with it. Sadly, the combination of alcohol and distance from my piano-playing days didn't really produce anything worth hearing.

SH made friends with another guy, IK, who is a 20 year old fashion photographer. He was seriously a character...super elitist, super judgmental, and super amusing all the same. ("Oh, wow, you use words like coherent? That's SUCH a big word! I try to do that a lot, use big words like 'coherent!'") IK convinced SH and I to stay (it was around 2:30 this time), but CA and NA wanted to go home, so they left early. I'm really glad I stayed behind because we went upstairs to where the main gallery was and had a good time dancing with a random group of people while the DJ was spinning tunes.

SH and I FINALLY made our way back to my apartment around 4:15 am, but of course, IK wanted to come in and show us his photography. After about 30 minutes of that (that was about 29 minutes too long), we convinced him to go home, and we crashed.

It was a crazy night with some of my favorite people. I had a great time...but I can't say I enjoyed my hangover the next day.

He said I'll make you smile just so I can sit and look at it

I went to see Atmosphere in concert last night at the Henry Fonda Theater, and they were INCREDIBLE. Seriously INCREDIBLE. Atmosphere has been one of my favorite groups for the past 4 years now, and I've always wanted to see them live.

I'm not sure I can put the entire experience into words. The doors were supposed to open at 7, and the show was supposed to start at 8, but everything got delayed an hour. That part kind of sucked---we got there at 6:20! The opening acts came on at 9 sharp, but they played for 2 hours! I enjoyed most of the opening acts, but I felt like they were longer than necessary, and I became antsy because I really wanted to see Atmosphere. A girl fight even broke out within half an hour into the show, ha. I don't blame them, we were completely packed in the pit, it was hot, and the stench of weed was everywhere.

Note to self--never get a drink at the Henry Fonda Theater. Bad drinks, high prices---blech.

Atmosphere FINALLY came on at 11 pm. When JK and I first got to the Henry Fonda, we were about 6 or 7 rows in from the stage, but I got so claustrophobic and nauseous from the combination of cigarette and marijuana smoke that we ended up moving to the back of the theater. Slug (the MC in Atmosphere) was incredible from the beginning. I've been to several hip hop concerts now, and right away, what struck me the most about this concert was how personal it felt. At other concerts, it felt like there was still this barrier between me and the MC, but even from the back of the Henry Fonda, Slug was interacting with the whole crowd, and he rapped in a way that made you identify with his songs. Seriously--the man's a fucking poet. I've always been in awe of some of his lyrics, but to hear them performed live is a whole other experience.

I love going to hip hop concerts because it's not so much about the performance and the theatrics, but it's about the music. It's about the lyrics, about the MC, about the crowd sharing an experience where they can just identify with the songs and the words. I love the feeling of being in a crowd and everyone is just dancing, arms raised in the air, beating along to the music because they feel it so much and so deeply that they can't do anything but dance along to it. It's that sense of freedom and happiness blended together that I love and thrive on.

The crowd was completely into Atmosphere's performance and singing along to the songs. I love it when you can hear the entire auditorium sing or rap along with the performer. It's such a unique experience because you're in a room full of different people but everyone has one common interest: Atmosphere. To be in an auditorium full of people who enjoy a group as much as you do is an extraordinary experience.

Slug did a mixture of old songs and new songs. You could just feel the love from the crowd when he played his classic songs. I got so excited when he did Woman with the Tattooed Hands, God Loves Ugly (the crowd went CRAZY for that one), Sunshine, God's Bathroom Floor, Shrapnel, and Always Coming Back Home to You. He saved "Always Coming Back Home to You" for the last song, which was extremely fitting. I really wanted to hear the Modern Man's Hustle and Reflections, but they didn't perform those songs.

I loved this concert. I waited nearly 5 hours just to see Atmosphere come on, but in the end, it was worth it.

Now, the next person I'd like to see in concert: COMMON!

Sno: la

I FINALLY found someone to go to sno: la with me today. It's a new frozen yogurt place located in Beverly Hills on Beverly Drive just north of Wilshire, and I've been meaning to try it this entire week. People on Chowhound have been raving about it since it first opened, and I wanted to see if it truly is as good as everyone says. It's like Pinkberry in the sense that the yogurt itself is all natural and has a tart flavor, but sno: la uses fruit juices and fruit purees to flavor its yogurt. Everything in this store tries to be organic and natural, from the yogurt to the biodegradable spoons and cups. The water cups are even made from corn and 100% recyclable.

I had no clue what to get here. The five flavors were chocolate, plain tart, italian tart, pomegranate, sour cherry, mango and the monthly flavor of fig and date. I tried the chocolate, Italian tart, pomegranate, and mango, and out of the four, the mango was my favorite. The chocolate was deliciously rich, but a little too rich for my tastes. The Italian tart was bitter and not really my favorite. I tried the pomegranate/mango twist, and it was extremely sour, mostly due to the pomegranate.

There were TONS of toppings there, and they all looked delicious....I didn't know which ones to choose. I ended up getting the mango with a mochi and strawberry topping. I liked sno: la and thought it was good, but I don't know if I'll ever voluntarily drive out there from school for frozen yogurt. Maybe when they have new flavors I will.