4 things: the LA edition

i've been tagged by the lovely maria from franklin avenue for the 4 LA things meme, a variation on the '4 things' meme which i secretly wanted to be tagged but haven't; anyway, this is better!



Four Jobs I’ve Had In My Life in LA:

• clerk at texas records in santa monica
• deejay at KXLU (listen to the molotov cocktail hour, it's still on!)
• door person/bitch with the VIP guestlist at neely o'hara's (a '70s-inspired club in the mid-'80s--seriously waaaaaay before its time)
• intern at enigma records in (gaaah) el segundo

Four Movies About LA I Could Watch Over And Over:

• swingers
• clueless
• the big tease
• anywhere but here

Four Places I’ve Lived All Over L.A. (With Food Memories From Each):

• mckay residence hall at loyola marymount university in westchester (that's near the airport); i managed to get out of buying the mandatory meal card, but i still ended up eating a lot of burritos at the lair, in the student union. and burritos from campo's. mmmm, that chile relleno burrito was freaking awesome.
• random apartment building behind the travelodge/denny's on century blvd, LAX. basically an off-campus dorm, everyone was from LMU. my roommate, tricia, introduced me to the wonder that is trader joe's. our weekly shopping list was pretty much the same: applesauce, granola, cheap cheese, tortillas, juice, peanut butter filled pretzels. college life! at that time, tj still was a clearing house for test products and one-off production runs; the best thing that came out those odd products was definitely the dark chocolate covered strawberry ice cream dove bar. deeeeelish.
• condo on 8th street, behind the mutual benefit life building, mid-wilshire. i have no idea what that building is called now, but it was where the offices of dirt, boy version of sassy! magazine, were. food was fantastic then, that whole '80s emergence of great california chefs: mary sue and susan at border grill on melrose, then the late, great city restaurant (chicken mousse stuffed canneloni, fried sage), evan kleinman at angeli (the best panzanellain the world,tonno verde-like an italian niçoise ), michel richard, wolfgang puck, joachim splichal....can't think of the rest, but that's a pretty good list. loved mandarette on beverly (lion's head soup, tofu with century egg), but also ate at the beverly center a lot: mon kee west, kisho-an (sesame chicken karaage), irvine ranch market (forerunner to bristol farms, surely), viktor benes bakery....hey it was the '80s! conspicuous consumption!
• current flat, kabbalah heights, beverly hills adjacent. everything farmer's market: soft shell crab po'boy at the gumbo pot, early morning cappuccinos, pecan and butter slathered belgian waffles at that waffle place that used to be in the middle, kitty doughnuts at bob's. oh, great thai food at thai house on pico and of course, cuban food from versailles.

Four LA-Themed Shows I Love(d) To Watch:

• gidget
• robbery homicide division-the most realistic looking la show, imo.
• mv3-okay, it wasn't so much la-themed but la-based--it was one of the first video shows on, with crazy pogo'ing la teenagers. heavy emphasis on british new wave. i swear, it's one of the reasons i moved to la. sad.
• it's like, you know...-i loved everything about this, especially that they shared their fascination with high-speed chases with me.

i'm starting to get into the closer more and more....and i'm probably the only person who's looking forward to watching heist. which means it will get cancelled after four episodes.



Four Places I Would Vacation At In LA:

• winter weekend in downtown la: i'd stay at the biltmore, have the buckwheat pancakes and cheese omelette at the original pantry, take a stroll down olvera street, spend a few hours at MOCA or the library, then lunch at grand central market. back to the downtown standard rooftop bar for sunset drinks, dinner at ciudad, ice skating at that downtown on ice (no, it has nothing to do with meth!), and maybe back to the standard for a late night movie projected on one of the neighbouring buildings. end the night with a bowl of ramen at daikokuya. sunday i'd go the mass at the cathedral of angels, then dimsum brunch in chinatown, and spend the rest of the afternoon taking photographs of the old theatres, the fantastic mexican accordian shops, the bustle over at santee alley. i'd end the day by buying a couple of french dip sandwiches at philippe's, some tapioca pudding, and hopping on a train out of union station :)
• spring in hollywood: i'd stay at chateau marmont, in bungalow #1. i'd had breakfast at the 101 coffee shop, then go to the hollywood farmer's market and pick up stuff for a picnic later at griffith park, above the observatory, at dante's view, or if i'm totally out of shape, just at the berlin forest. or ferndell. i'd then go to a movie at the arclight, go to grauman's and look at all the footprints in the cement and hang with the tourists who are just discovering how grimy hollywood boulevard really is, maybe have a fast game at lucky strike. i'd then have the garlic clam pizza at miceli's, head to mashti malone's for some persian ice cream for dessert, buy a couple dozen cds from virgin or tower to play while i indulge in some moonlight swimming back at the chateau.
• summer in santa monica: i'd stay at the casa del mar, just because i've been curious about that building for forever. i used to walk by it almost everyday and just imagine what it must have been like when it was a beach club in the 1930s. i'd walk to figtree's café on the venice boardwalk, where my favourite waiter in the entire world works--he's casual but professional, he's helpful but doesn't hover, and best of all, he totally coordinates my coffee cup to my outfit. they have a great tofu reuben, too. i'd do some window shopping on abbott kinney, then walk down the boardwalk back to samo, to the pier, where i'd spend most of the day just taking photos and people watching. i'd have dinner at ocean avenue seafood, or maybe the lobster. the next day i'd go to the getty, and take a long drive up the coast to ventura.
• autumn in the south bay: oh what the heck. why not. i've never been to catalina, it's been a long time since i've been to belmont shores in long beach, disneyland, or the aquarium at san pedro. and when was the last time you shopped at south coast plaza?

Four LA-Based Websites I Visit Daily:

• defamer
• franklin avenue
• los anjealous
• curbed la

Four Of My Favorite Foods Found In LA:

• lamb french dip at philippe's
• apple sushi at hirozen gourmet
• tamales at gallego's
• the chocolate chip danish at J & T bread bin in the farmer's market. honestly, i don't know how they do it--everything tastes a little stale even though it's fresh out of the oven. call me crazy, but i love the stuff from here, from the raspberry hamentaschen to the lurid green pistachio bundt cake.

Four Places In LA I Would Rather Be Right Now:

• hanging out mid-city with cyrano
• hanging out in burbank with bekki and dave
• hanging out in the hills with my cousin, normal
• hanging out in my flat that i haven't been in in over a year!!!!

sniff. i miss la.

Tagged:

• tokyoastrogirl
• yoony
• bramble
• any and all la food bloggers!

thanks maria, that was fun!

fish and chips at ye olde king's head.

i have to admit that during my college days, i was more of a king george habitué, but if my roommate and i were going to do a pub crawl, we'd technically have to go to another one; the only other pub in santa monica was king's head. king george is long gone, but the king's head seems to be going strong.

as far as pubs go, this has probably got to be one of the best located ones in the world, one block away from the pacific ocean and the santa monica pier. however, once you walk in you can almost forget that you are in sunny california, and are back in ole blighty, with its lack of light, dark floral carpet, and dark heavy furniture that give it a batty aunt milly's parlour feel, but in a familiar and comfy sort of way.

...'ole blighty'? i have never used that phrase before in my life.

anyway, after a brisk walk down the pier and a lot of dawdling, we were hungry, and thought that fish and chips would be a great way to warm up from the chill in the air; we headed to the adjacent restaurant, which for some reason reminds me of a ex-pat sort of place (which is exactly was it is)--lots of anglocentric photos and memorabilia against beige stucco walls, hiding the mexican/spanish bones of the space. i can imagine king's head or king's head clones in lanzarote, marbella, costa verde--a hangout for homesick brits the world over.

to be honest, i don't think i've ever ordered anything else on the menu; there is typical brit stodge--shepherd's pie, bangers and mash, scotch eggs, steak and kidney pie--but because it really is in california, there's a decent selection of salads, sandwiches, and a couple of half-hearted vegetarian entrées as well. the f&c comes in two sizes--king and queen--but i find the smaller size to be more than adequate. the fish is icelandic cod, and for me, an island girl, it's just bland, bland, bland. however, the fried outer crust is pretty outstanding--light, crisp, and almost 'spun' around the fishplank. the chips are thick cut--not steak cut, and probably frozen--and perfect for sopping up lashings of malt vinegar.

the next time i come here, i'll probably end up ordering the fish and chips again, despite the bland taste. maybe i'll add a side of mushy peas to liven things up.



ye olde king's head
116 santa monica blvd
santa harmonica 90401.
tel. 310.451.1402

bryan harvey, member of eighties indie band, house of freaks, was found murdered with his wife, kathryn, and two young daughters, stella and ruby. the details are too gruesome to detail. police have arrested two suspects in connection to the slayings.

bryan and johnny were our neighbours at the record label in venice back in the eighties. i would see them on their front steps, playing guitars and talking, always laughing and smiling. bryan would stop by often to chat, and the band played in a big acoustic show we had that turned out to be nothing short of magical for all who were fortunate to be there. admittedly, i hadn't thought of him since those days, but from what i'd read in the news and from what i knew of him, this is a tragedy that should never had befallen him, nor his young family.

rest in peace. the angels are with you.

the dragon at the end of the pier.

have you seen the dragon and boat at the end of the santa monica pier? do you know its secret? shhhhhhhh. let others discover for themselves.

santa harmonica pier.

these photos are for reid, because i promised him i'd put some up for him. it only took me a year after i took them :)



i used to spend a lot of time on this pier, because i worked just up on broadway, next to all the old nana's, at texas hotel records (anyone remember that place?). i think it's now a merrill lynch office block. but back in the days when the third street outdoor mall was dying, the santa monica place (pink mall) was new, and like, you didn't want to be walking around there at night, i used to spend all my time down there. there was something magical about the light, the breeze, the fog...and sleepiness. beautiful and decrepit all at the same time.



now of course, it's all cleaned up and gentrified. there's still a large homeless population, but for the most part, the streets are clean, and the place is thriving. however, i'm glad to see that there's still a bit of the loucheness and everyman on the pier. people fishing (!), playing hooky, acting a bit surly, shady, and hungover.





my friend, caroline, recently had her bag stolen while she was playing air hockey. from between her legs. the nerve! secretly, i think the guy was just looking up her skirt, and saw a more profitable opportunity. really, the little amusement park and arcade on the pier could be in the middle of hollywood, it's so suspect.





but the carousel is as charming as ever, and on a bright breezy day, there's nothing like the sun sparkling off the water, and watching the children play in the sand.



i once saw a barefooted miss get a jaywalking ticket in front of the store. i think the police thought she was homeless, so they asked us to vouch for her, so we did. i think of a song that girl that she was once wrote when i look back on these photos:

I draw a jackal-headed woman in the sand,
sing of a lover's fate sealed by jealous hate
then wash my hand in the sea....

Holidays must end as you know.
All is memory taken home with me:
the opera, the stolen tea, the sand drawing, the verging sea,
all years ago.

one year ago today....

click to enlarge

i took these photos of the cavalia tents a year ago today, in santa monica.

chinatown is in the details.

more chinatown photos.

nobody somebody walks in la

lisa left her house in echo park on sunday and doesn't intend to return until she's walked throughout all of la--and she wants you to join her!

walk la with me

pasadena, old town, somewhere with train tracks.

virgin mary, la style

robert graham's statue of the virgin mary at the entrance of the cathedral of our lady of the angels, downtown los angeles.

low end theory's restaurant guide

i haven't gone through the whole list, but check out low end theory's restaurant guide to la. 776 restaurants? 200 in his first year alone?! i gotta gallon of pepto i can sell ya cheap!

suehiro café, little tokyo

whenever i find myself downtown, late at night, and hungry, i'm most likely going to end up at suehiro café in little tokyo. it's certainly not the best food in town, but it's open until 1 am on weekdays and 3am on weekends, the food is decent and inexpensive, and the atmosphere is that of a favourite, if somewhat worn, diner. there's only 49 seats--some at the counter, but most at formica'd tables that you might end up sharing if it gets busy. and it does, even in the middle of the night. the crowd is varied but mostly a loyal group--folks who live and work around little tokyo, artists from the loft districts nearby, museum visitors, even a group of elderly bruins fans the last time i was there.

the lighting is low, but warm, and when you first enter, you are greeted with one of those "please wait to be seated" signs i always see at family diners and chain restaurants. okay, i'll wait, but i've got a tableful of manga, magazines, and books to distract me, and i'll probably bring one to my seat if i'm alone, and not in the mood for people-watching. the menu is actually quite large--lots of combinations and sets, ramen with different toppings, and rice bowls to choose from, but everything is quite homey and home-cooked looking. comfort food. i usually end up with a katsu of some sort, or maybe a big bowl of noodles. despite the crowds, there is never the urge to hurry, to rush through the meal. perhaps this is one of the reasons i like coming here. time slows just a little, and no one expects anything of you, except that you have a full belly and a smile on your face when you leave.



suehiro
337 east first street
little tokyo
213.626.9132.

the ambassador hotel

the ambassador hotel, built in 1921. the home of the legendary cocoanut grove nightclub, and in its prime, the home away from home for celebrities, royalty, and presidents. it is where the oscar first debuted at the third academy awards held in the hotel in 1930, and where robert kennedy was gunned down in 1968. ishidoro.com has a list of movies filmed at the ambassador.

although the hotel had been closed since 1989, it has only been recently scheduled for demolition in the near future. you can read about it on franklin avenue and the latest in the effort to save the main building via los angeles conservancy.

the davids of hancock park

house on 6th street and ?? (i'll get back to ya) in hancock park. anybody have the story on this one? you gotta hand it to the owners, they are house proud.

farmers market secret no.1

i never thought this was a secret, but everyone seems surprised when i show it to them. so, just in case you didn't know....

if you've been the market, you know how difficult finding a table can be. or, if you find one, it's in a crowded, cramped area, with a zillion people looking at you and what you ate, or near the plate depository. not nice. anyway, there really are tons of tables but they're upstairs.

there are two separate eating areas upstairs in the market, both accessible by stairway. there's a small, odd space that used to house the Saddest Art Display In The World you can get to above the west patio, where the gumbo pot and tony's is, but i prefer the space above the east patio, which is bright and light, quiet, and perfect for people watching.



my favourite tables are the ones by the north-facing windows--settle yourself in one of these and you get a perfect view of the comings and goings in the parking lot, the clock tower, and the patio area around it. if it's a little chilly, you might find yourself lucky and the community room will be open and a fire roaring the fireplace. in the afternoon it's almost deserted, so you can bring up a book and a cuppa, and relax to the sound of the hubbub below and the birds singing in the trees above. ah. a moment of peace before you have to head out into the craze of conspicuous consumption and traffic again.

the spirit of los angeles

happy holidays

third and fairfax wishes everyone the happiest of holidays, and that your days are merry and bright. i wish you all the best for you and your family.

pink's

Hot Dog Vendor: "What do you want?"
The Dalai Lama: "Make me one with everything."

truthfully, the last time i ate at pink's was after a heavy night at either sit 'n' spin or club f*ck (o los angeles, you know how to name your clubs!), and i saw my math professor sharing a dog with a very pretty young man a la lady and the tramp. but noodlepie's recent post on a search for a hot dog stand in saigon got me thinking about how la's burger shacks and hot dog stands are disappearing. land is pricy, rents are up, and building and health codes are actually being enforced.

i'm annoyed that these walk-up stands are being replaced by noxious drive-throughs of fast food chains (btw, i know i've exclaimed this before, but who the bleep buys kung pao chicken from a drive-through?!). my neighbourhood is dangerous enough--i don't need to add being run down on the street by some guy reaching for a dropped french fry. i don't advocate eating fast food, but it happens, and i happen to enjoy it every once and again. but i don't want to give any money to what spiceblog refers to (with vile, vigor and contempt) as "scottish restaurant", which seem to be popping up all over town at an alarming rate (oh, now would be a nice time to bring up my rant over the i-am-asian website). it has its place/places/even more places but really, it has got to stop supersizing itself. granted, not all food stands are offering better quality than the chains, but some actually do, and most offer character to the city along with personal service for the people. it would an absolute shame to see them go.

oh so back to pink's for a minute. the parking lot is really small, but don't park in the adjacent flower shop's lot. bring some coins because you'll probably need to park at a meter. there will be a line pretty much any time of day or night, but it moves. pink's has a quality dog, i'm told, and i recall it being quite good. it has that "snap" that aficionados look for in the casing, and perhaps it actually tastes like something, even though you can get your hot dog dressed with anything from guacamole, sour cream and tomatoes, to bacon, pastrami, and swiss (no, not all together, although every combination is possible). they've got burgers, too, grilled chicken, tamales, and a veggie dog that's supposed to be really good. me, the next time i go, i think i'd stick to the classic chili-cheese combo, but i might get the 10" stretch, or a polish dog. none of this freaky stuff for me. although the lord of the rings dog sounds interesting. or maybe the martha stewart. hm. the possibilities.

pink's
709 n la brea
los angeles 90038
323.931.4223

the apple pan

damn straight!

first, an open apology to reid and to the apple pan: dude, i did have a burger when i was in town, and an apple pan burger to boot. to forget is a crime--their burgers are so good.

the apple pan is small brick and wood cottage nestled amongst the anonymous fast food and coffee franchises that line pico blvd, across from the westside pavilion. open since 1947, it hasn't changed much during the years; when you walk inside, it's like stepping back into time, but not like in a johnny rockets/ed debevic's sort of way--it's shabby, it's badly lit, the counter men are grumpy as all get out, and whatever you do, don't look to closely at the floor behind the grill. having said that, i gotta say i love everything about it. when you walk in, you are faced with a u-shaped counter that surrounds the grill that dominates the space. there is only enough room behind one of the dozen and a half seats for person to stand behind you (and a person will, as there is always a wait), and only enough room between the counter and the grill for a counter man to slap down a menu. there's not much to order from the apple pan, but what there is is pretty darned good: burgers, hickory burgers (burgers with a slosh of really good barbecue sauce), burgers with tillamook cheddar, hickory burgers with tillamook cheddar. tuna, egg salad, or ham and swiss on rye. fries. pie. don't ask for anything not on the menu, 'cause yer just gonna get dead silence or a mouthing off, depending on how grumpy your counter man is. yeah, they are grumpy. eh. i don't mind (secretly, i get a thrill from trying to get them to soften up, but you have to approach it verrrry carefully. they don't like that).



i've been going here since my college days, but it was only recently that i started ordering the burgers--i am a big fan of their tuna and egg salad sandwiches, and i'm not the only one. but the reason why there's always a wait no matter what time of day it is is the burgers. so impressive they don't even come on a plate, and they stand up on their own. your burger comes to you minutes after you order it, cooked exactly as you want it, moist, flavourful, meaty and delicious. maybe a little too much lettuce, so ask them (nicely) to go easy on it. i got the hickory burger this time, with a (paper) plateful of their hot-from-the-fryer french fries. people will tell you not to bother as the burger is substantial enough, but the fries are so crispy and piping hot, they are worth loosening your belt for.



oh yeah. loosen that belt a little more for the pie. the night i went, they were all out of their so-impressive-the-joint-is-named-after-it apple pie, that is at least six inches tall, and filled with warm, cinnamony chunks of apple in the flakiest imaginable crust. if it's available, get a slice a la mode, as the vanilla ice cream will melt into the warm apple-y filling and create a gorgeous river of cream. i got a couple of slices of pie to go--the pecan, which is really good, and not cloyingly sweet as some can be, and my personal fave-rave from here, the coconut cream pie. it's a ginormous slice of fresh vanilla pudding, mounds of whipped cream, and toasted coconut on the thinnest, flakiest, butteriest crust imaginable. in fact, the apple pan embodies the word "crusty" in every possible way, but in every way it endears itself to me.

quality forever!



the apple pan
10801 w pico blvd
los angeles 90064
310.475.3585

mashti malone

ah, mashti malone. the story is that when mashti and mehdi shirvani first set up their ice cream shop in this rather threadbare strip mall just off of hollywood boulevard, they couldn't afford to change the name on the sign of the previous business, "mugsy malone". so, they did what every enterprising immigrant in the city has done and changed around a few letters and thus was born mashti malone (btw, other clever reworkings around la: winchell's donuts-->michelle's donuts, von's supermarket-->jon's/mom's/ron's), purveyor of fine persian ice creams and some pretty tasty american ones too.



the shirvanis make all the ice cream and sorbets on offer, and their repertoire has expanded so much that not all flavours are on offer daily. of course, i totally skip over the pralines and cream and strawberry cheesecake varieties and go straight to the 'exotics'--the offerings this day were saffron ginger ice cream, rosewater ice cream, rosewater sorbet, rosewater and pomegranate sorbet (rosewater sorbets have rice starch noodles in them to add texture and body to the delicate ice) and a mysterious herb sorbet, flecked with green bits and black seeds that weren't poppyseeds. i couldn't decide, so i got a scoop of the rosewater and pomegranate and a scoop of the herb sorbet.



after you get your ice cream or sorbet, you can pour lemon juice or sour cherry juice over it for extra flavour, but the choices i picked were flavourful enough. the rosewater pomegranate was a nice little kick, much like regular rosewater when sour cherry has been added, and the herby seedy thingo was funky. i couldn't figure out any of the herbs, although there was a bit of a limey taste (kaffir lime leaves?), a basil taste, and heaven knows what the tiny, tiny seeds were, as they imparted very little flavour. i'm thinking nigella seeds, but possibly only because i had seen nigella lawson recently, and i had her on my mind (oh, if only i could have brought ms. lawson here!). despite the large portion, i devoured every bit of it, as it was light, refreshing, and more than a little addictive.

the shop also had other treats for sale--dried fruit, persian candies, tetra-pack 'exotic' juices--and pints of ice cream and sorbets to go. they also have the heavenly yet devilish ice cream sandwich known as 'the mashti': two thin wafers sandwiching two scoops of the super rich, super fantastic rosewater saffron pistachio ice cream. ultra-creamy rosewater ice cream is blended with saffron and whole pistachios, and paired with whisper light and crispy wafers for an out of this world chunk of gluttony that i think ms. lawson would approve of. i do.



mashti malone
1525 n la brea
hollywood
323.874.6168

chocolate sour cherry bread

from la brea bakery. it's a dense, deep and earthy loaf with chunks of chocolate and sour cherries throughout. it used to be more savoury, but in recent years has become something more like a quick bread with some heft. not that it's a bad thing. it is, however, a bad thing when you consume three-quarters of a loaf in one sitting. not that i did. this time.

pickled pink

i think somewhere on the guam blog i discussed an aunt's penchant for cooking with colour cues and not by flavours--she uses enchilada sauce and cream cheese in her lasagna because it's the right colour. eek.

occasionally i fall down that weird shame spiral, but so far i haven't had any horrible taste sensations come from it. the latest "it's the right colour" recipe is for pickled onions. i was craving them after i had them in our border grill feast, so i set about making some, without benefit of a recipe. eh. kitchen chemistry (btw, did i ever tell you my AP chem teacher worked in a michelin-starred kitchen in belgium? she made the best quiche i've ever had on a bunsen burner in the lab).

easy enough, this. i just looked for sweet, sour, and pinky, so i brought a half cup of balsamico and a cup of pomegranate juice to a gentle boil, along with thyme, pink peppercorns and bay leaves. dumped in some red onions, cut into rings, so they could absorbed some of the pickling liquid easily, then took it off the heat, placed it in a jar, and let it sit overnight in the fridge. the next day i had lovely, slightly crunchy, mellow sweet and sour onions. tasty accompaniment to a turkey asado i made but didn't photograph. sorry. next time.

paging san francisco shopping queens!

i bought this cakestand and a matching cheese plate stand from MAC (modern appealing clothing) when it was still on post, and later couple lamps from the same store after it moved to grant. they are all designed by the same person, whose name i've completely obliterated from my memory; i am now trying to track him or other pieces by him down.

all i can remember about him is that he lives (lived?) in the bay area, and his deceased aunt left him a shoe factory in fresno. his pieces incorporate wire, car parts, discarded or old hardware, and glass findings. if anyone knows anything about him or pieces like the cakestand above, please let me know!

pineapple sage

i was at the santa monica farmer's market and found pineapple sage, or salvia elegans, which is known as a great hummingbird attractor. i've never seen it actually used as an herb, just in gardens, but it's so pretty and really fragrant (just like pineapples!), that i knew i had to incorporate it in our thanksgiving meal somehow. i ended up using the tiny red trumpet-like flowers in a mixed green salad with cayenne-spiced caramelized walnuts and a mango juice/balsamic dressing, and the basil-like leaves in the poultry marinade and in the chestnut stuffing. i can't say i noticed it much in the marinade or the stuffing, but the flowers were a wonderful foil to the spiciness of the walnuts and the watercress in the salad. mmm. i'll have to attempt growing this from seed back home.