LaLaLiving

An Epic Culinary Adventure February 1, 2009

So, I have been wanting to make Martha Stewart’s Chocolate Babka recipe for several years.  I tasted the finished product once at Bob & Eliza’s during one of our ethnic dining experiments (it was Polish night and I cheated and bought everything else in Greenpoint, while Bob & Eliza slaved over this treat).  But I am sans standing mixer, and was not about to tackle this recipe without one.  Enter Bryan’s awesome kitchen.  Free at last to bake to my heart’s content!

I started by grating 3 bags of semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Guittard brand, which Cooks Illustrated had recommended in a recent issue).  The recipe calls for finely chopped chocolate, and in lieu of a food processor, I thought a parmesan cheese grater was the next best thing.  It did a bang up job, even if it did take me about 30 minutes and left me with carpal tunnel wrist pains.

The rest of the recipe was pretty straight forward, if not time consuming.  From start to finish it was about 5 or 6 hours, with the grating, dough rising, assembly, and baking times.

The dough, post-rise, was then cut into threes, with each piece rolled into a roughly 16″x16″ square.  Then the chocolate filling (the chopped chocolate with butter and cinnamon) was spread out over the dough, and then the whole thing was rolled up, twisted, folded in half, and twisted again.  Once in the parchment-lined pan, the struesel topping was added. I only used about 1/5 of the amount the recipe made, because it was a ridiculous amount and I wanted to actually be able to taste the chocolate and bread part, and not just the powdered sugar and butter topping.

The finished product was a beautiful browned and marbled  loaf, that smelled and tasted extraordinary.

My audience members thought so too.

dineLA @ Gordon Ramsey

We picked a winner!

This year’s Restaurant Week choice was Gordon Ramsay at the London.  Our little party of five foodies arrived at the London Hotel, which was a little too “gold package” for my taste, but I’m sure it works for someone.  Despite the overabundance of shiny furniture and fixtures, the restaurant space was lovely with lots of natural light and spectacular views of Los Angeles.

And the food lived up to expectations.

First of all, the tea and coffee came in lovely little individual cast iron pots:

Between the five of us, we sampled everything on the fixed menu.  To start, there was beet salad with goat cheese, duck pate, and wild mushroom soup.

Mains - fish, ox cheef, and Jerusalem artichoke risotto:

Dessert - Meyer lemon tart, tapioca (the hands-down winner), and chocolate caramel cake:

Obviously it was good, and required a moment of rest following the meal…

Restaurant Week January 17, 2009

I continue to envy my friends in NYC who are currently looking forward to another spectacular winter restaurant week. I don’t necessarily envy them the *winter* part, but that’s another topic.

Los Angeles is giving restaurant week another go, as will I.   There do seem to be a few more appealing choices this year, such as Gordon Ramsay at the London.  $28 for a three-course lunch, which is almost identical to the $44 dinner - I’ve already got my reservation!

 

Et tu Indie 103? January 15, 2009

Why, oh why, can’t Los Angeles keep any decent radio stations on the air?  (Y107 or 101.9 anyone?)  I turned on 103.1 today to hear the horrible announcement that they were ceasing on-air broadcast operations, and were moving to an online-only existence.

Sigh.

While this is fine for when I’m actually sitting at a desk, it’s a big bummer when I’m stuck in interminable LA traffic.  It also gives me pause when thinking about the liklihood that they’ll be able to keep/afford the regular DJs, like Jonesy or Mr. Shovel.

Double sigh.

Dumplin’

Yes, food has called me back to the blog.  Specifically,  in Arcadia.

Apparently, their offerings were named best dumplings in the country by R.W. Apple, and we all know that Apple’s word is God.  So off we went, guided by friends Chris and Anna.

The original location is still open, with a new addition next door, which is where we ate.  Prepare to wait for your dumplings, but you can peruse the menu and check off your choices in advance to save a bit of time.

After we were finally seated, a server with a walkie-talkie system took our order, relaying our picks via radio to the kitchen from the table.  About 3 minutes later we had our first dish, and they kept coming in rapid succession: pork, fish, and spinach pork dumplings, some chicken soup, and rice cake with red bean for dessert.  Yum!  And worth the trek.

Waning Daisy Days November 18, 2008

We wrapped production on our thirteenth episode last Thursday (at 4:30 am …), which was surreal and sad, as it’s possibly the last Daisies episode e-v-e-r.  There has been no word from the network on our fate, so we are prepared for the worst.  The offices are now a ghost town, and it’s just me, Louie, and a handful of others holding down the proverbial fort until January when this episode finishes it’s journey through post production.

I will miss this lovely land of magic, and the wonderful new friends and experiences it brought my way.  Exhibit A:

Where else does one get to be eaten by a great white shark while at work?

For your viewing pleasure November 17, 2008

Some Louie love:

La Super Roadtrip November 16, 2008

McB and I had to go to Santa Barbara for a screening of the gay musical (it’s been playing at gay film festivals all around the world, which is very exciting), and got to make a pit stop at La Super Rica, which reminded me that I should post photos of the last pilgrimage there.  It’s one of the most compelling reasons to go to Santa Barbara. Seriously. It certainly beats the drunk, skanky college students at the bad bars on State St.

The unassuming storefront:

Where the magic happens:

The magic, from cheesy chorizo goodness and fresh guacamole to Dover sole tamales with cream sauce and aqua frescas…

Things Change, People Change, Hairstyles Change

Why hello there my long-neglected peoples. It’s been quite a while, no?  We’ve elected a new president, my gay friends who were legally married may no longer be so, our beloved Daisies is on the brink, as is my pending unemployment, my godson turned one, little Louie the puggle isn’t so little anymore, and I got my hair cut.

Now let’s see if I can fill in some of the gaps as we move forward, and not leave so many in the future.

Not So Green June 23, 2008

Apparently Sephora did not get the “go green” merchant memo. Exhibit 1: the packaging from a recent online order. 3 pumice stones and 1 facial cleansing brush arrived in this ridiculously overstuffed box.

Seriously. Time to reconsider your strategy guys.