Friday, December 26, 2008

White Christmas

Ok, so I have no excuses. The only reason I haven't posted is pure laziness. That, and kind of a lack of creative energy. I've been tired. It's been tough to catch up from the last batch of sleep deprivation, and my innate desire to hibernate hasn't been helping things. But, like a floundering government with an multi-billion-dollar industry bailout plan, I've been putting what energy I do have into eating and riding in hopes of seeing a return to my normal level of production.

Much time has been spent in the garage on the trainer as of late. It's hard to get in an hour that way, but it's great to get in 30 minutes on a cold, wet, dark morning when the alternative is no exercise at all. Yesterday was my first ride on the road on my Look in what seemed like ages, and it was much needed after the previous eating...



Who says we don't have white Christmases in LA!

After a short day at work on Wednesday (just 9-5, kind of like a half day), BoW and I started cleaning the house for company, then went out for a nice but homey dinner at Fioretto. It was good to see a couple of large tables, families who had decided, just like us, to make it part of their holiday celebration.



Hearty white bean and cabbage soup instantly warmed me from the cold and rain, and the rustic beet salad that has been on the menu this season seemed appropriately colored for the holiday.



Chef's Lasagne alla Bolognese is a regular winter offering which takes advantage of both his rich and succulent meat sauce as well as his creamy bechamel. This is not typical American Lasagna. It has much more in common with it's Euro relatives like Lazanki and Pastitsio.



For lunch the other day, I had a meatball sub from Jones. It uses three of the best things from their skillet-served Spaghetti and Meatballs (the meatballs, sauce, and cheese) while leaving the weak link (the pasta) behind. Suffice to say that if chef left his homemade pappardelle behind, the polpette would weep like Pagliaccio for Nedda. My own weeping was more for joy.



Even splurging on the Chianti, this meal was stupidly reasonable. I would definitely have paid more.



Thursday's big dinner featured a family tradition: roast beast. We had a big group, so I went all out (wanting to have leftovers, of course) and roasted a 12 lb. standing rib roast. It's a simple thyme rub, and I make a Madeira and mushroom au jus just like Mom. My only disappointment was timing. I started the roast too early and didn't take into consideration that my friends who were never very timely to begin with are even less punctual now that they have infant children. Thankfully, there was cheese and this awesome slate cheese tray that my mother sent me.



The chaos of the preceding week led to a near disaster on the vegetable end, but a well-stocked fridge allowed for a bailout, including a very small, plated salad of mostly cucumber and carrot, dressed in my mother's standard vinaigrette, which I actually let pickle slightly to soften the tough veggies. It was a hit. Who knew? Just like Radhika's dish got better with duck thighs when her breasts went bad in the open cooler overnight, serving that salad really brightened the meal in a way that my original steamed green and wax beans would not have.



By the end of service I was really tired, and without the help of Susan and the Smurf, I would have never gotten the place cleaned up. Needless to say, I slept very soundly that night.

Upcoming: local sushi love and Frisco.





Sunday, December 21, 2008

Solstice

Today is the solstice, and according to my personal cosmology, the real height of the winter holiday season. As a post-Catholic, transcendental, science-based animist with a strongly humanist viewpoint (try to find the Wikipedia entry for that one), my personal spirituality is mostly oriented toward integrating personal, cultural, and natural phenomena in some kind of meaningful way through food, drink, outdoor activity, and simple acts of creation.

That said, I'm at work.

BoW is at home preparing for the more traditional celebration of Christmas, American style, much of which includes her freaking out white-woman style about getting it all done in time. Clearly, I'll be no help this year.

On the plus side, our first assistant, BB, has already packed his family off on a plane to FL to see extended family, so he's been bringing in both his dog, Hudson, and his waffle iron to make the weekend a bit more civilized.



So, whether your solstice is about the Nativity, the re-emergence of the sun goddess Amaterasu from the cave where she's been hiding, hiding yourself from the peak potency of Chernobog, or a remembrance of your people's heroic stand against Hellenistic invaders, get warm, get the people you love close, get down with some good food and drinks, and tell some good stories. My next will be about Christmas dinner.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

More Tacos

I love California. Über alles, indeed.

Lucky enough to have a Sunday off (don't worry, I'll be paying for it by working 120+ hours between now and Xmas), BoW and I made the most of a gorgeous, clear, cool morning to get in a short ride and a visit to the Mar Vista Farmers' Market

While BoW did not agree with me, I was quite relieved to avoid any interaction with a certain perverse, jolly-old elf that seemed to be trolling Gandview looking for children. 

The best part of the market today, though, was the presence of Yoshi's catering. They offer two things: sushi tacos and sushi burritos. 

That's right: sushi tacos and sushi burritos. I mentioned I love California, right?

Now, I have expressed my love for the taco in this space not once, not twice, but three times. My love for Japanese food has been less of a topic, but represented nonetheless. So, dare I live the dream and try one of these delicious concoctions - the perfect marriage of all things delicious?

The three taco combo is a mainstay of SoCal eating, and BoW and I both chose to try the spicy tuna, spicy albacore, and spicy scallop, eschewing the California roll taco. I ate the Albacore in three bites before remembering to take a picture.



Man, they were good. Like, really good. OH MY GOD, THEY WERE SO GOOD!

While we were waiting, I noticed one of the chefs playing with some octopus at the prep table. Next thing I know, I was presented with what he described as "real Japanese fast food." Takoyaki is its name, and it beats the crap out of chicken nuggets. Needless to say, my enthusiasm for the tentacles was rewarded with extra fat tacos. Ten bucks for all, by the way.

On a side note, we went to dinner last night with my friend RB and his new bride. We stopped by their place for a cocktail beforehand. You may remember that RB was with me when I discovered the difference a real marasca cherry makes in a Manhattan. What you probably don't know is that he and I spent a week working in Padova, Italy together about 12 years ago, a trip that informed both of our palates, and set us both on the path to gormandise. It was there, too,  that we both first discovered Luxardo.

Well, on their honeymoon road trip to Napa, they stopped at gourmet market and bought a jar of real Luxardo marasca cherries. Suffice to say that the ones they use at Father's Office are not the same. Treat yourself this holiday. Order some online and drown them in some bourbon or rye. You'll never eat a bright red maraschino again.