14 Jun 2013
by scolgin
in Food, Humor, Markets & Stores
Tags: Cuba, Cuban food, Dae Myung, Glendale, humor, papas rellenos, Porto's Bakery & Café, Tae Kwon Do, torta cubana, Vallarta Market
When it comes to indulging my food wanderlust, I’m an opportunist. A client meeting in Mid-Wilshire, for example, might be a mere pretext for a stop at Harvey’s Guss for a dry-aged rib steak; a trip into the valley to visit my aging father also a chance to browse the aisles at the Vallarta market or pop into India Sweets & Spices.
So it was a recent Saturday morning, taking my son across the city to Glendale for the 40th anniversary celebration of his tae kwon do academy. What else was there in Glendale that might merit a visit? I wondered. More
11 Jun 2013
by scolgin
in Food, Humor, Observations, Recipes
Tags: Bob Dylan, chili, humor, Michael Portnoy, quinoa, soy, Soy Bomb, tofu, vegetarian, yoga
When I was a kid, all the hippies were crazy for soy. It was the new thing. They had discovered tofu and tempeh, and were putting it in everything.
Today, soy is in the culinary dog house. Vegans, yoga students and Birkenstock wearers have moved on to quinoa, textured vegetable protein and nut cutlets. Websites with names like Natural Health Strategies and Hidden Soy decry the dangers of soy, and expose the nefarious secret intentions of the soy industry. All of this just as it seems to me that soy is finally getting its act together!
Performance artist Michael Portnoy soy bombs Bob Dylan at the 1998 Grammy Awards
It was the Halloween carnival fundraiser last year at my children’s elementary school. I was approached beforehand: Sean, could you make a large pot of chili to sell at the fundraiser? More
04 Jun 2013
by scolgin
in Humor, Observations
Tags: Asian pear, balsamic, gumbo, jicima, mayonnaise, nuoc, peanut butter, pet peeves, Vietnamese food
Some of you may remember my earlier posts, “Skinny Girls Top 10 Pet Peeves” and “More Skinny Girls Pet Peeves.” As time goes by and I get crankier, I assemble more food- and/or kitchen-related pet peeves.
Here are some of my new favorite pet peeves:
• The Last Bits Left in the Mayonnaise or Peanut Butter Jar
I’ve reached a point in my life where I no longer try to get the last spoon or knife full of the mayonnaise or peanut butter out of the jar. But then, I feel a twinge of residual guilt as I throw the jar away knowing there’s still some small measure of food inside. And then I feel resentful for feeling guilty. etc. More
24 May 2013
by scolgin
in Eating Out, Food, Humor
Tags: Caesar salad, chops, Mad Men, martinis, Monty's, Rat Pack, ribs, Sinatra, steakhouse, Westwood
Many years ago, I’d reconnected with a high school friend, Tracy — whether it was on Facebook or not, I can’t recall — and we decided to meet for a drink. She suggested Monty’s.
In the Monty’s dining room
Monty’s is an old school steak and chop house. It still has the same sign in the same groovy Mad Men font from the 1960s. It used to have several locations, and now it’s down to two — one in Westwood, and one in Woodland Hills, where I had arranged to meet up with Tracy. More
21 May 2013
by scolgin
in Eating Out, Food, Humor
Tags: Arthur Nakane, gaijin, imagawayaki, Little Tokyo, los angeles, Mitsura Café, MOCA, one man band, Totoro
When I was a lad, one of my favorite parts of L.A. to visit was Little Tokyo. I loved traveling downtown with my mom, walking around Japanese Village Plaza, grabbing an imagawayaki at the Mitsura Café, strolling through Japanese gardens at the New Otani Hotel or the Japanese/American Cultural Center, maybe popping into the warehouse-y MOCA Temporary Contemporary Museum.
Totoros of every size at the New Tokyo Lifestyle gift shop in Japanese Village Plaza
It’s a love I’ve passed along to my own children. So when, on a Mother’s Day, we’re trying to decide where to go on an adventure and for lunch, it is not a surprise to hear Flynn suggest: “Let’s go to Little Tokyo!” More
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