Crazy Otto's Diner
March 5, 2006 - 43528 20th St W, Lancaster, CA 93534 661.948.6502
Total greasy spoon and totally packed. Otto's is a small place so be prepared to wait. Also, be warned - they close at 2:00 pm on Sundays. I ordered a veggie omelette that was STUFFED with cheese. Not just a light sprinkle - the cheese was oozing out. The portions were humongous. I have a big appetite and ordered the ½ omelette and couldn’t even finish it. Do not go here if you’re on a diet.
Porto's Bakery
February 19, 2006.
315 North Brand Boulevard ¤Glendale ¤ CA ¤ 91203 tel. (818) 956-5996 ¤ fax (818) 956-0696
http://www.portosbakery.com/*another Porto’s now on the corner of Hollywood and Magnolia in Burbank*
Porto’s website proclaims itself “Glendale’s Finest Bakery”. It’s a family-owned and operated
Cuban Bakery that’s been around for over 35 years. Valleyites flock to this pastry parlor par excellence, and a source told that one major studio department gets all of its birthday cakes at Porto’s. This place is packed. Always. Expect to wait - you can stare and salivate at the glass cases housing all the tasty treats while you wait in line. My only disappointment was that I was expecting Porto’s to be this cute little mom-and-pop place - old and kinda dingy but charming (think Follow Your Heart Restaurant), but it is actually very shiny and modern looking (think Coffee Bean but brighter, bigger and vaulted ceilings). Noisy too - like I said, this place is packed. With a large amount of Pinoy (I was told that it’s because Cuban food is like Filipino food . . . )
On this particular trip, we ordered the Guava & Cheese Strudel (a.k.a.
“Refugiado” and one of the top sellers). Delicious and only 60¢! We also indulged in the apple and
coconut strudels. Who has ever heard of a coconut strudel before!?! Mmmm. But my favorite - of course - was the “real” dessert (the pastries were just warm-ups) . . . another bestseller . . the
Tres Leches, a yellow sponge cake soaked with three-milk sauce - condensed milk, evaporated milk, and whipping cream and finished with meringue icing.
Porto’s also serves lunch, and my companion had the
Feta Sandwich (Greek Feta cheese, served with sliced tomatoes, onions, fresh basil, and olive oil on a French baguette). He has ordered the
Glendale Veggie Sandwich (roasted egg plant, peppers, and zucchini, with havarti cheese, hummus spread, lettuce, tomatoes, on wheat) on a prior occasion, but found that the Feta Sandwich at $3 is just as good as the Glendale Veggie at $5. Other House Specialities include fresh meat pies, potato balls, croquettes, chorizo pie, tamales, and more. I was encouraged to order the Roasted Pork Sandwich (
Pan con Lechon), which is oven roasted pork served with special Spanish garlic dressing (Mojo) on Cuban bread, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.
Pissarro-Cézanne exhibit at LACMA
January 8 2006.
LACMA: Pisarro-Cezanne and Other Exhibits. We viewed the Pissarro-Cézanne exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). These 2 artists worked together and painted almost the exact same subjects and in very similar impressionistic styles. The exhibit displayed similar paintings by each artist side-by-side, and at first I had a difficult time guessing which was done by whom, but my DH cracked the code and by the end it was much easier to discern a Pissarro from a Cézanne (Pissarro employed more realism than Cézanne). The exhibit is very crowded right now so I suggest waiting until it dies down or going on a weekday.
We took a quick stroll through the modern art, and I discovered a new artist:
Gajin Fujita, a youngster from Los Angeles, who has a small exhibit at the museum right now. Fujita was a tagger and mixes traditional Japanese forms/subjects (geisha, samurai) with modern techniques (graffiti and anime). His work is fun, bright and colorful. We ended the day by visiting two of my favorite landscapes, which are by a California artist named
William Wendt.
Is the photo on the left a Cézanne or Pissarro? What about the right? Answer after the link.
http://www.lacma.org(L-Pissarro; R-Cézanne)
4 Hour Hike - Santa Monica Mountains
January 21, 2006. Went on a hiking adventure Saturday with hubby and friend. It really was an adventure as we had never hiked this trail, didn't have a map and didn't know where it would end up. When DH and I did the shorter hike (1 hour loop) from the top of Hayvenhurst in Encino, we were told by someone that if we took the other path it would end up on Sunset Boulevard. DH looked on the internet and got a general overview of the area and off we went. I made sure to let many people know what I was up to in case I didn’t show up for work. We were also well supplied - our friend brought nuts and power bars, and DH brought cookies. We began the trail on top of the mountain range - the fire road - but we decided to take the trail down into Sullivan Canyon. It was beautiful down there - lots of trees with yellow leaves. Intermittently we’d ask people where the trail would end up . . . and we got about 3 different answers. We kinda just kept heading south/southwest. So we started from the top of Hayvenhurst in Encino and 4 hours later we ended up at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades! Our friend’s hubby picked us up and we headed for a late lunch at Gladstones (overrated if you ask me, but BIG portions and we were REALLY hungry). We’d definitely do it again. Turns out there’s many different ways to get over the hill and in particular, we want to end up at Will Rogers park.
The Grotto Trail at Circle X Ranch
January 7, 2006
The Grotto Trail at Circle X Ranch. Even though I’ve lived in SoCal for 35 years, I’ve never even heard of the Circle X Ranch. It’s about 5 miles up PCH from Kanan and into the mountains another 5 miles or so. Several ranches are located in this hidden canyon, and one ranch even had a buffalo in it’s front “yard”! Circle X has a few trails, including the Mishe Mokwa Trail to Sandstone Peak which takes you to the highest point in the Santa Monica Mountains. We decided to go in the opposite direction and went down the canyon taking The Grotto trail. It’s an easy stroll downhill and quite beautiful, green and quiet (I think Circle X must be Los Angeles’s best kept secret), but at the bottom of the trail is a rocky streambed, and it was a bit rougher trying to climb up and around the boulders. But it was definitely worth it - at the bottom was, in fact, a Grotto - complete with waterfall and cave. We hope to do the Mishe Mokwa trail next.For a list of Circle X Trails go to
http://www.nps.gov/samo/maps/cx.htm#Anchor-Trails-35882
The Best and Worst of High Tea
These ratings are based on ambience, quality, variety of teas and foods, and my personal bias towards all things English (I know I was born a Brit in another life). In case you’ve never done High Tea, in brief, the bare bones/basic components are the following: tea, finger sandwiches, scones with CLOTTED (OR DEVON) CREAM and jam, pastries/dessert. There really isn’t a bad tea as the idea of tea is so fun for me, but some are definitely better than others.
THE BEST TEA EVER:
Four Seasons - London (near Hyde Park). Four Seasons sets the bar. It earns a "10" out of 10 due to the following:
● No other tea provided entertainment, and Four Seasons had a remarkable piano player, who played great Cole Porter songs, show tunes and other classics (one particularly sublime moment was when she played Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World).
● We were served on comfy yet elegant, romantic low-slung settee couches rather than tables.
● The food quality and variety was fabulous. To give you an idea of the variety, here’s a selection of the sandwiches listed on today’s tea menu: Poached King Prawns in Ginger Rémoulade, Smoked Duck and Goat Cheese with Rocket Leaves, Grand Marnier Cured Scottish Salmon with Cinnamon Croissant and Brie Cheese, Herb Mascarpone and Braised Tomatoes and Tandoori Lamb with Apricot and Mint Raita. Definitely not your average cucumber/watercress sandwich!
● Our server was incredibly knowledgeable in teas, and it was at this Four Seasons that my husband and I were first exposed to Lapsang Souchong, now one of our favorite teas. If you haven’t tried it, it’s smoky and salty - think beef jerky in liquid form, but obviously more subtle . . . and not as chewy.
● Lastly, the reason Four Seasons gets a perfect 10 score - well, duh, it’s London.
EXCELLENT TEAS - BUT NOT THE BEST:
Alice's Tea Cup - Upper West Side, New York. Fun, kitschy ambience - like falling into the rabbit hole. Kid friendly atmosphere. The gift shop and bakery in the front is worth a looskey. Alice’s has a wide variety of teas (though I’ll admit I tend to stick to my trusty Darjeeling) which are divided into different tea groups - black, white, etc. My hubby really enjoyed his white jasmine tea. The desserts and sandwiches were average, but Alice’s real strength is in it’s super fresh, selection-changed-daily scones. We were lucky enough to have their tasty pumpkin scone (I think this is very popular). Also a plus is the red velvet cupcake you can purchase up front. One strange thing about Alice’s - there was a very large (disproportionate) amount of Filipinos there. Odd.
Kensington Palace, London. Princess Di’s former residence has a tea room! This informal tea room is quite bright and airy with floor-to-ceiling windows, white furniture and black and white checkered floor. It’s not very fancy-schmantzy, but the food was good, and I had two of the most memorable desserts: the large meringue (the size of a grapefruit) filled with raspberries and other goo and an orange cake - I think it may have been called the Kensington Tea cake. Though the ambience isn’t my favorite (too noisy and informal), well, it’s Kensington Palace, for pete’s sake and if you can’t pay homage to the Late Great Princess Di, then you must be some sort of barbarian. This stop was the end of our Kensington Walking Tour. The walking tours are very popular in London and this was great fun - saw a lot of MEWS. The other walking tour we took was the Jack the Ripper Walking Tour (there is no tea after that). I recommend taking a stroll through the gardens to cap off the tea experience.
VERY GOOD TEAS:
Gilded Rose Manor - Northridge, San Fernando Valley, California. Yes, deep in the heart of the San Fernando Valley (known more for its guacamole than its crumpets) is this little find. I’ve lived in the Valley for over 30 years and didn’t know about this place until August of this year. I don’t know how I missed it as it’s very hard to overlook a purple Victorian house amidst strip malls and grocery stores! The Manor mostly gets its high score because of the ambience. Imagine - a whole house devoted to tea! It’s lacy, Victorian and uber-girly. There’s a gift shop and separate rooms for bridal showers and larger parties. As for the food, the desserts were disappointing as they were more of the truffle/candy type, and I think tea desserts should be more of the pastry variety. Also, there was only one type of scone and the "clotted cream" was more of a whipped cream - too light. The cream should be dense like butter. However, the tea was excellent with a wide variety, and the sandwiches were very tasty. On a side note, Gilded Rose Manor also hold special events and last October, my husband and 2 other couples attended a really fun Murder Mystery there - complete with stuffed "corpse," clues and roles (for example, my friends were WC Fields and Mae West).
Raffles Hotel - Singapore. [Review as copied from Singapore Food entry] So during my first trip to Singapore in 2001, my husband and I were not able to get into the main tea room (the Tiffen Room) and had to settle for snacks at the more casual cafeteria style dining area. This time we got reservations, and I was not disappointed. First off, the Raffles is a welcome respite from the very modern hotels and spas that I had visited so far on this trip and really gives one a feel for how it was in colonial times (well, if there was a Tiffany & Co. in those days . . . ) I immediately had to deduct 1 point because it was buffet style. As great as it was to have such a selection and unlimited supply, I believe the traditional High Tea should come in the fancy tea service. I also deducted a point because while the other food was great in quality and variety, the actual "tea" food - the scones and finger sandwiches - were simply average. There was only one variety of scone, and the wait staff manning the buffet weren't too knowledgeable about that part of the buffet. For instance, they had what looked to be a butter dish and a clotted cream dish side by side and it was difficult to differentiate b/c the consistency of both was such that they were almost identical. When I went to confirm that what I had put on my plate was indeed clotted cream, I was told by a flustered fellow that it was "cream cheese." Thankfully, it was not. The sandwiches were simply average, and I believe that for tea sandwiches, one must use a thinner sliced bread than average, which they did not. This however are very minor blemishes on an otherwise fantastic tea experience. The room was lovely and the wait staff was very attentive (at one point, my SIL rose to get more food and placed her napkin down, whereupon a server promptly picked it up, folded it lengthwise and placed it neatly over the arm of her chair.) The food had quite a variety and added a native flair on the old standard. When was the last time you had a shrimp and mango steamed dumpling at High Tea? There was also local soups, fish paste in banana leaves and other dim sum type offerings. The dessert area was a sugar fiend's (me!) dream come true - different Christmas logs, puddings, as well as local treats such as glutinous coconut balls that were filled with a maple sugar type liquid (my favorite). I wish I had more room so that I could have tried everything, but I managed to okay nonetheless. Raffles High Tea is a must!
The Ritz - Pasadena, California. Very elegant, bright and roomy. The balcony overlooking the gardens made this an especially delightful place. The Ritz, like the Four Seasons, had elegant settees/chaises and armchairs.
The Plaza, Midtown, New York. Excellent. One drawback was that it was soooo crowded and noisy. Kind of out in the open too. But I do remember the lovely center table which was beautifully decorated with tea stuffs and the Plaza was especially festive this time of year (we went during Christmas).
The Peninsula - Hong Kong. This was my first tea ever, and there was a line to get in. This was when the English still ruled Hong Kong - tea was very important. It still could be for all I know - haven’t been back there since. Don’t really remember anything else so this really more a sentimental vote than anything. Go at your own risk.
OKAY TEA:
Huntington Gardens - Pasadena, California. Marked off because it was all-you-can-eat. Very informal and - well, to be honest - felt cafeteria-like. The quality of food - as is the case with most all-you-can-eat places - was low (think Hometown Buffet). Yet, there wasn’t much variety of food - unlike most all-you-can-eat places. The saving grace and only reason to go to this tea is that the Huntington Gardens is really a peaceful, colorful, beautiful place to walk around. My favorite is the Japanese Garden section. The museum is okay (don’t forget to see Blue Boy), but I don’t really go for that type of art - I’m more into contemporary art (meaning Monet forward). So, after strolling through the gardens and/or museum, the tea house is a nice way to end the afternoon. But I wouldn’t go there if I wasn’t doing the garden.
UNSURE WHERE THIS TEA FALLS:
Four Seasons - Newport Beach, California (The O.C.). I would take this ranking with a grain of salt as I don’t really remember much about the actual tea service. I think I wasn’t eating dairy at the time so I probably didn’t try much of the food. Hmmm. The hotel is nice, and the tea china and service was pretty. I really can’t give a detailed assessment as the most remarkable thing about this tea was its unremarkability. Another bummer was I had to drive soooo far to get there.
MISCELLANEOUS:
Enjoyed tea - but not full service - at
Mariage Frères, Paris. Yes, the French drink something else besides strong coffee and vino. So what I remember most is that I flippantly told the waiter I wanted the best tea there thinking "What the heck - I’ll splurge for a $10 pot of tea. Well, I think it was closer to $25 for a pot that held 4 cups of tea. It wasn’t even that great - I liked my husband’s (more reasonably priced) tea better. However, I made sure I drank ALL of it because sh*t, I paid a lot of money for that!
My Teas To-Do List: (1) Four Seasons - Laguna Niguel which supposedly has High Tea in a library setting; (2) Hotel Bel Air; and (3) Waldorf Astoria.
Finally, though it’s’ not Tea, it’s worth mentioning. I had a very enjoyable Latte experience at
Florians, St. Mark’s Square, Venice, Italy. The weather was lovely, the square was packed and there was a very enthusiastic and rowdy Italian band playing. Yay!
The Stinking Rose and Sweet Lady Jane
February 11, 2006The Stinking Rose: A Garlic Restaurant, 55 North La Cienega Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA 310.652.7673
http://www.thestinkingrose.comAs the name states, this restaurant offers Garlic. The Rose was hopping on a Saturday night and even with reservations, be prepared to wait. The lobby, however, is filled with little curios and items (various sauces, garlic gum) for sale, and there’s a bar off to the side if you need something more mood-enhancing to keep you occupied while you wait for your table. The atmosphere is fun, but the food is merely average. There is a pitcher of water waiting for you at your table, and believe me, you will need it. We began the meal by ordering the
Bagna Calda - garlic soaking in a hot tub of olive oil and served in a skillet - which you spread over foccacia bread. Mmmm. The garlic spreads like butter and this little starter goes quickly. We then split a very average Caesar salad. For my entrée, I ordered the
Giant Salt-Roasted Tiger Prawns served with a couscous. The prawns were a good size and flavor, and the couscous was an interesting accompaniment. There was nothing wrong with the food, but it didn’t merit the large bill we received at the end of our meal. It was a good meal, but just know that part of what you are paying for is the kitsch factor here. The Stinking Rose is a lively theme restaurant and definitely worth going to once and bringing out-of-town guests - try and get into the
Dracula Room for bigger kicks.On a side note, we chose not to eat dessert there, but for those of you who are adventurous,
Gilroy’s Famous Garlic Ice Cream with Carmel Mole Sauce is on the menu. See below for where we ended up eating dessert.
Sweet Lady Jane, 8360 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90069 323.653.7145
http://www.sweetladyjane.comBar none - THE BEST dessert place in Los Angeles. You will probably have to get your goodies to-go because there’s very limited seating (about 8 tables) and the place is packed. Sweet Lady Jane’s is quite well-known having been featured in various media and is a favorite choice for celebrity wedding cakes. The best-known cake is the
Triple Berry Shortcake, and there’ve been a couple of times when we’ve gotten there too late and it’s been sold out. Luckily, this night was not one of them so we walked away with one fat slice of that, a slice of the White Chocolate Raspberry cake and a cupcake. I can also highly recommend the
English Triffle and really, anything there - you can’t go wrong - I guarantee it!
Pine Mountain Club
(February 25-26). PMC is Los Angeles’s best kept secret. Only 1 hour and 15 minutes outside the San Fernando Valley, Pine Mountain Club is a little mountain community (about 2,000 people) tucked away in the Los Padres National Forest. The towering pine trees, majestic mountains and clean air make you feel a world away from the City . . . and yet many people commute into Los Angeles for work. There is only one main road and that leads right into the Village Center where you’ll find the General Store and restaurants with names like The Screaming Squirrel and The Curious Bear Café. The town itself - with its relaxing atmosphere and friendly people - is the attraction for me, but if you need more than that to keep you occupied, then PMC has a lot to offer for activity-minded people too. There are hiking trails, a 9 hole golf course, fitness center, horseback riding, and a pool, as well as a Club which has a quilting and poker groups.We went up there for President’s Day weekend, and stayed at a quaint 2-story “cabin” for only $130/night (it would have been cheaper but we only booked one night). We booked our cabin through Jennings Realty - ask for Ginny Wetzel (661) 242-5422. It was snowing lightly (luckily we didn’t need chains), and the weather made us sleepy and hungry. We really enjoyed getting away from it all and breathing smog-free air. It was also refreshing to deal with friendly drivers - people only honk on the road to say “hi” not as a “F*ck you.”
http://www.pmcpoa.com/About%20PMC/pmc_info_pg1.htmlThe Curious Bear Café: You are immediately struck by the charm of this little restaurant (about 7 tables). Diners are surrounded by board games, books, art, curios and liberal displays (a sign championing Free Speech and Jon Stewart for President 2008 T-shirts). The Bear has typical burger, sandwich and diner fare, but the quality is EXCELLENT. I received a side salad with my burger and was expecting soggy iceberg lettuce, carrots and packaged croutons, but what I received was a tasty mixed green salad with fresh veggies and blue cheese dressing with big fat hunks of cheese. The mountain air really had me craving beef so for lunch I had a major protein bonanza and ordered the burger with fried egg, cheddar cheese and two strips of bacon. Mmmm. For dinner I had the steak with garlic, mushroom, onions and peppers served with al dente green beans. Again, mmmm. On a quirky note, rather than serving you a bread basket when you sit down, our waitress gave us a bowl of pretzels with a side of mustard. Didn’t try it, but thought that was interesting. The wait staff is friendly and the “chef” even came out and personally asked how our meal was. Thumbs up for The Bear.
The Bear Claw Bakery: A local insisted that we try a bear claw before leaving town. Sure glad we did. The claw was big and fresh. I ordered a raspberry and orange scone, and was surprisingly pleased. Usually I only like scones if they’re covered in icing (Starbucks) or accompanied by a large portion of clotted cream (high tea). But this scone was perfect sans accoutrement. The outside was crisp and dense but the inside was light and soft. And the cranberries were bursting with flavor - I ate the whole thing! The Bear Claw also serves croissant sandwiches and sells out it’s specialty soups/chilis regularly. Don’t leave town without stopping at the Bear Claw.
Turducken!
Christmas 2005.My friend invited me over for Christmas Day dinner. I had plans earlier that day so I wasn't sure if I could make it, but then she told me what she and her boyfriend would be serving:
TURDUCKEN. I couldn’t refuse the offer. For those of you who’ve never heard of Turducken (I hadn’t before), a Turducken is a turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken. I told an animal lover friend of mine, and she seemed a little disgusted and commented that it seemed a bit like overkill. Anyway, I guess the bird was flown in because my friend left me a voicemail on Thursday telling me that the Turducken was en route and in Chicago at the moment.So the fateful day arrived and guess who was first in line to try this pretty hen? That’s right - MOI. On the outside, it looked like any other turkey, but when sliced through it, you could see the multiple poultry layers.
So here’s my verdict: Although, it was interesting, it turns out that one fowl at a time is really the best way to go. I really only liked the outermost layer - the white-meat turkey and didn’t much care for the duck (I usually don’t like duck anyway so I don’t know why I thought it would be different stuffed in a turkey) or the chicken (I think they must have skimped on the chicken b/c it was kinda ground up and tasted like it was the worst parts of a chicken - gristly even?). BTW, to add to the overkill, the Turducken was stuffed with cornbread and sausage stuffing! I actually liked the cornbread part a lot but again, it was too much meat, and I found myself leaving behind the sausage parts.If you’re interested in making your own Turducken, go to http://www.cajungrocer.com.
Scottish Shortbread and Christmas Crackers
Today my dear dear friend and workmate brought me a batch of her shortbread. She usually bakes batches for the holidays, and I had already been grilling her about whether she'd be making them this year as these cookies are 2nd on my list of Best Cookies In the World (only Mrs. Fields's white chocolate macademia nut cookie tops it). Anyway, this shortbread is not your average, hard, textureless, bland-tasting packaged shortbread that you buy in the store. The main reason is that my friend is Scottish-born (Brora, Scotland to be exact), and this is her mom's TOP SECRET recipe. Usually she is so sweet and gentle, but I thought she was going to smack me when I told her I wanted to post the recipe here - she has absolutely forbidden me to post it on my blog. Sorry. These shortbread cookies are dense, chewy and the right amount of sweet and you can tell they're made with only good basic quality ingredients (there's only 3 ingredients). Anyway, my buddy made me 2 batches - one with regular flour and one with whole wheat flour (she's studying holistic healing and is offering a "healthier" alternative this year.) Turns out the whole wheat batch was sweeter, but the regular batch had a better texture (the whole wheat was not as dense and felt grainier). I will have eaten both batches BY MYSELF by the end of the day (maybe before lunch).
I also asked my friend about these
Christmas Crackers I saw with the Walkers shortbread items in the Aussie section of the international grocery store in Singapore. There are a lot of Aussie goods at the store, and my friend said there are a lot of Scots in Australia. So these Christmas Crackers are like a toilet paper roll (or any short cardboard tube, I guess) which is wrapped in festive paper and tied at the ends to make 2 bows. Inside the bow is a (i) gunpowder strip, (ii) Christmas hat (a crown made of colorful paper), (iii) small gift (set of jacks, bouncy ball or, if you really like the persons, diamond earrings), and (iv) fortune or joke. So, get a hold of one of these Christmas Crackers, find a friend, each of you pull on the bows at the end (there'll be a bit of a bang from the gunpowder) and whoever gets the tube, gets the goodies! These are usually done at Christmas dinner and might be something new add to your own family tradition!
ADDENDUM: As of 2:15 p.m., I have finished ALL of the shortbread.
Singapore (Part 3 - The Spas/Massages)
December 13-19, 2005Spa Botanica: This is located on Sentosa Island. I guess the island itself is a tourist spot, but I was on a mission and headed straight for the spa. The spa is known for its peaceful grounds and mud baths and pools. I did try the mud "bath" but found it a bit hard to actually negotiate. The mud was in a clay pot and it was messy and unwieldy trying to hold onto the pot's lid and not make a mess. You're supposed to sit in the sun and let the mud bake on you, but I'm sure you can understand that it got very hot quite fast out there and so I didn't let the mud fully dry before washing it off. At any rate, I had a whole package that included many skin treatments so it didn't bother me too much. I had the Tropical Glow package and it included several services all done in the balmy outdoors under a little bungalow/hut structure. I started off with a coriander scrub which was then followed by a Vichy shower. I thought the Vichy shower, which is about 6 shower heads pointed at various pressure points while you lie down covered in scrub, was overrated - really, anyone with one of those handheld shower devices could produce the same effect. Then it was off to do the papaya scrub and wrap. I was also given a facial at the same time and truthfully, the scrub wrap made me feel like an overstuffed Spicy Tuna roll. It was interesting for a minute or two but then started feeling kind of gross and uncomfortable. I really wanted to scratch myself. Finally, I had a relaxing massage which was the best part of the package. I was a bit hungry so I went to he cafe, but the pickins were slim and overpriced. Still, if you're looking to cleanse and detoxify, then I guess you really don't want to chow down on traditional spicy Singaporean fare. Anyway, it was a lovely spa, but if I were to do it again, I'd probably do just the massage and spend the rest of the time hanging out and trying to figure out the mud process.
Javana Spa at the St. Gregory Hotel: The next day I tried a Balinese massage from my brother's regular masseuse, Erawati. Massage and reflexology are part of the regular routine for health/well-being for my brother and his wife and they buy massage packages - say, 20 sessions at a time - so I used one of my brother's sessions. The Balinese massage was more "medicinal" than relaxing. While the long strokes were similar to Swedish style massage, Erawati used quite a bit of pressure and actually tried to realign certain parts of me. I go to a Chinese doctor for accupuncture and physical therapy in Los Angeles, and the Balinese massage was very similar (see below for the Los Angeles doctor's info). While it hurt even AFTER I told her to go a little lighter, I also knew in the long run, my hips and joints and muscles would feel better. She immediately spotted all my problem areas which, from years of running, athletics and martial arts, are plentiful and I'd say she was pretty successful in impressing upon me how much trouble I'd be in in a few years if I didn't cease certain activities. I got a bum ankle from running into a pothole which never healed and so I've favored one side ever since so I could continue running. Now one hip is higher than the other. Grrr. At any rate, I'd highly recommend anyone with sports injuries or any injuries to make an appointment with Erawati. (70 Singapore dollar for 1 hour)
Health Step Foot Reflexology at Holland Village 4A Lorong Mambong (above 7-Eleven): I've had foot reflexology done before at spas in the U.S., but this was a different experience altogether. It was one room with about 15-18 Lazy Boy recliners lined up against the wall. The place was packed! First I was taken into a side room to wash my feet and then I grabbed some magazines and plopped down on my recliner. The premise of reflexology is that certain points on your feet correspond to different parts of your bodies. When my reflexologist (?) hit an especially sensitive part at the base of my second toe, he pointed to my eyes. Wouldn't you know, I've been having all sorts of problems with my eyes - they're always red and dry and I'd just gotten a new pair of contacts. Again, it was not completely relaxing, but I knew I was doing my feet and body good. I also know that if I did this regularly, I could probably fall asleep like the many of the other patrons there. These services seem much more affordable in Singapore. (60 ninutes - $40 Singapore - can also buy a package)
*No tip necessary for spa services. However, my brother tips the foot reflexologist $2 Singapore dollars.
Dr. Jin Li at Westwood Accupuncture 310.474.3089: On a side note, the Chinese doctor I see in Los Anglees is Dr. Jin Li. I cannot praise him enough. He teaches at UCLA and was featured on the front page of the Health Section of The Los Angeles Times this year. I had a car accident last year and was assigned to UCLA Physical Therapy for neck pain. UCLA only made it worse and my headaches were increasing in strength and frequency. After only about a week of Dr. Jin Li's care, my headaches were gone. My husband had nerve damage in his leg manifesting in weakness and numbness. His doctor told him he'd just have to live with it. Dr. Jin Li fixed his leg and my husband was able to play basketball again and made it to the finals of the 3-on-3 league at his office. Dr. Jin Li and his wife use a combination of accupuncture, vigorous massage (you can actually feel your muscle going back into place) and herbs. You will be amazed at how strong this dimunitive kind man is. Again, can't recommend him enough.
Singapore (Part 2 - The Food)
December 13-19, 2005 Sebastien: My family took me out to this French bistro. It was pretty casual and noisy - lots of foreigners - I think the owner is Australian. It was pretty standard bistro fare. For starters, we had escargots stuffed in mushrooms and frog legs in butter with slivered almonds. I then had the tiger prawns for my main course. I had been eyeing the sirloin but was told that it was Australian beef as they do not import American beef any more becuase of Mad Cow. I was told the difference was slight but that Aussie beef was known to be gamier. This freaked me out but upon further reflection I realized that the Aussie beef was probably better as it wasn't shot up with all the steroids/hormones that American beef is shot up with. I did try a bite and couldn't tell the difference. The prawns were big and tasty and I enjoyed the meal. Surprisingly, I felt much more uncomfortable eating the frog legs than the meat as the meat looked just like a steak - very easy to disassociate it with a living breathing animal. But the frog legs really looked like the "animal" that you were eating and I could almost picture in my mind a cute little frog in mid-jump being skewered and buttered. I don't like to be reminded that I'm actually eating something that used to be breathing. Besides, there isn't much meat on those froggy legs - just like chicken wings!
High Tea at Raffles Hotel: So during my first trip to Singapore in 2001, my husband and I were not able to get into the the main tea room (the Tiffen Room) and had to settle for snacks at the more casual cafeteria style dining area. This time we got reservations, and I was not disappointed. First off, the Raffles is a welcome respite from the very modern hotels and spas that I had visited so far on this trip. It is a low-rise hotel amid the soaring skyscrapers and really gives one a feel for how it was in colonial times (well, if there was a Tiffany & Co. in those days . . . ) As a tea connoiseur (see list of High Tea rankings to be added to this blog later), I would rate it at an "8" (a "10" being the Four Seasons in London near Hyde Park). I immediately had to deduct 1 point because it was buffet style. As great as it was to have such a selection and unlimited supply, I believe the traditional High Tea should come in the fancy tea service. I also deducted a point because while the other food was great in quality and variety, the actual "tea" food - the scones and finger sandwiches - were simply average. There was only one variety of scone, and the wait staff manning the buffet weren't too knowledgeable about that part of the buffet. For instance, they had what looked to be a butter dish and a clotted cream dish side by side and it was difficult to differentiate b/c the consistency of both was such that they were almost identical. When I went to confirm that what I had put on my plate was indeed clotted cream, I was told by a flustered fellow that it was "cream cheese." Thankfully, it was not. The sandwiches were simply average, and I believe that for tea sandwiches, one must use a thinner sliced bread than average, which they did not. This however are very minor blemishes on an otherwise fanastic tea experience. The room was lovely and the wait staff was very attentive (at one point, my SIL rose to get more food and placed her napkin down, whereupon a server promptly picked it up, folded it lengthwise and placed it neatly over the arm of her chair.) The food had quite a variety and added a native flair on the old standard. When was the last time you had a shrimp and mango steamed dumpling at High Tea? There was also local soups, fish paste in banana leaves and other dim sum type offerings. The dessert area was a sugar fiend's (me!) dream come true - different Christmas logs, puddings, as well as local treats such as glutinous coconut balls that were filled with a maple sugar type liquid (my favorite). I wish I had more room so that I could have tried everything, but I managed to okay nonetheless. Raffles High Tea is a must!
Durian: Well, I talked with much braggadacio before my trip about this daunting fruit, but when push came to shove, I Just-Couldn't-Do-It. I quizzed people on it - do you like it? How do you eat it? is it really that bad? And was seemingly obsessed with trying it, but I wussed out in the end. We went briefly to Chinatown for some souvenir shopping and in a semi-enclosed market, the scent of durian wafted through the air. We came to the fresh durian vendor but I declined and only bought a few durian hard candies, which I have yet to try - (I also bought some dried lotus blossum balls, flowers and red carrots). We then went to Takashima Mall food court - which reminded me of the Harrods food court in it's variety - and there was a small "upscale" Durian vendor. I think the name was Four Seasons (the thought process must have been "Hey, Four Seasons wouldn't steer me wrong"). The stand had durian in all sorts of more palatable forms - durian bread, cream puffs, solid gelatinous type yule logs. I ended up buying some durian kimchee balls (again, which I have yet to actually taste). I also tried a couple of other local items at the food court: (i) Kaya toast which is a thin toast spread with a sticky sweet coconut spread and (ii) kueh tu-tu (which was made fresh in front of us) which was a rice flour steamed and filled with coconut (another option was chopped nuts). In the end, I did finally try some semi-dilluted form of durian. See below.
Crystal Jade Restaurant at Paragon Mall: My family dined on Cantonese Teochew cuisine to celebrate my nephew/godson's baptism. There were so many courses and it was, of course, family style. The meal started with warm towels and tea - first a very potent blend which was put in mini tea cups (think shot glass) and then the typical mild jasmine tea. Throughout the course of the night we dined on the following plates (in no particular order):
(1) Oyster omelette - this was a bit too slimy in texture for me so I only had a little and stuck to the less oystery/more eggy edges;
(2) shark bone soup which had a milky tasty broth along with some big fat mushrooms. I stayed away from the white spongy pieces in the soup, which I was told was bamboo. At this point, my adventurous "sure, I'll try a bite" attitude was waning and I was sticking to the more familiar (and less daunting) items.
(3) fried calamari - not breaded like in the states - very good. How can you go wrong with Fried anything?
(4) braised goose - not really a goose person so I passed on this.
(5) baked salted chicken which is something you need to order when you sit down so they have enough time to prepare it.
(6) steamed prawns which came with head and shells so you are also given a bowl of finger tea to wash away the fishy scent from your hands.
(7) tofu (comes with the meal).
(8) crispy noodles with seafood - mmm - my favorite dish.
(9) kaukei (green spinach-like vegetable) with 3 types of eggs - scrambled, salted and century.There was another dish - a thinly sliced type of beef or pork. We each ordered our own desserts and I had my favorite - glutinous balls filled with like a red bean goo. And then, I tried a smidge of Durian pudding. Wow - a little goes a long way! I went through so many different sensations and feelings with each mouthful. It starts out horrific - the smell even in this diluted form is quite strong - but then it the creamy consistency gets to you and you start to adjust - and by the time you swallow, I felt conflicted. On the one hand, it was foul, but it ended on a high note - I concluded that Durian is compelling. Love it or hate it, you gotta give it a try. I was told that since I didn't hate it, I had the potential to love it. I don't doubt it. I'm sure with a patience and perserverence I would probably become a Durian addict.
*Please note - service charge of 10% is already included in restaurant bills - no tip is necessary.
Singapore (Part 1 - General)
December 13-19, 2005I'm very woozy as I write this (it's 5:30 a.m. in Singpoare right now) so it might be a bit incoherent.So this was my 2nd trip to Singapore and I enjoyed it much more this time. Probably b/c I got to see my newly baptised godson! At anyrate, I definitely enjoyed the flight, activities and food more this time.
Overall Impressions: I found Singapore very beautiful. There really is no need for a Botanical Gardens tourist attraction as everywhere you looked it was lush and green with beautifully manicured umbrella-type trees and exotic flowers. It reminded me of Paris in that in Paris, the city itself is the site. You know, I haven't always agreed with Singapore's harsh policies re: cleanliness (like the former ban on chewing gum and who can forget the Caning Incident in the '80s), but maybe we need more of that in the U.S. Maybe if some taggers were threatened with a public caning, we wouldn't have so much graffiti.-I also learned a couple of facts that really impressed me: (1) The government subsidizes housing for everyone - not just really poor people - so everyone gets to "own" (I guess it's really more like a 99-year lease) an apartment. The reasoning being so that there wouldn't be homeless people. I think this really adds to the cleanliness factor since, as we all know, tenants take less care of a rental unit than a property owner would of their home. I was also told that they try to keep the subsidized housing buildings racially mixed to promote integration, which is a great idea, even if it doesn't necessarily actually work. (2) I didn't realize that it has only been fairly recently that Singapore became an economic powerhouse (1960s). At that time, it gained independence from Malaysia, who thought Singapore would never survive because it's so small. But apparently the reason Singapore has flourished is because their government is not corrupt. The leaders are people who genuinely care about the country/republic and put the needs of their people before their own. I guess it also helps that they are given very large salaries (unlike in the States) which promotes non-corruption as the officials don't need to cow-tow to special interest groups in order to make a little cash.
Summary: As much as I enjoyed this trip to Singapore more, I still don't think it would be my choice for a vacation spot. I like to walk around when I'm on vacation, and the heat really doesn't make that possible. Also, I'm not much of a shopper, and Singapore's main attractions appear to be shopping and eating. I prefer vacations that either involve sites like museums or some type of adventure/outdoor activity. Lastly, I'm a real dessert person and found the lack of Frosting somewhat of a bummer.
MISCELLANEOUSSingapore Airlines: Wow - if you have to a 17+ hour flight anywhere, then you have to do it on Singapore Airlines. I had heard its reputation as one of the nicest airlines and it more than exceeded my expectations. First of all, it's a direct flight to Singapore - no stopover in Tokyo. As I walked onto the plane, I was struck by its cheery warm atmosphere. The lighting was a warm rose shade and a few discreet Christmas wreaths had been placed by certain windows. As I sat down, I noticed that even in Executive Economy the seats were roomier than I was used to. But then it got really good - not only did the seats recline with a foot pad, but even if you didn't want to recline, there was a little "shelf" on the back of the seat in front of you where you could place your little tootsies. Fantastic! We got complimentary headphones and our own personal screens. I had a choice of like 50 movies - current ones (like March of the Penguins), as well as recent classics (like all 3 Lord of the Rings) and older classics (like Diner), as well as foreign. Then there were the TV shows - comedy (Will and Grace, The Office) and drama (CSI). The food came with a card outlining the menu. Anyway, it was the smoothest, most pleasant flight I've ever had.
Kauai
November 24-28, 2005FOOD
Gaylord’s PlantationWell, I should qualify this with saying that we went to this well-known and popular restaurant/plantation on Thanksgiving. The wait - even with reservation - was interminable. Yes, there’s a gift shop (with items you can get at Hilo Hattie’s for ¼ of the price) and lovely grounds, but that only kills about 15 min. And for Thanksgiving there was a pre-set menu, and it wasn’t even Thanksgiving dinner with an island flair. It was turkey and stuffing. The service was horrible and the food mediocre. And even though this is renowned for its romantic ambience, with the overbooked crowd and stressed-out wait staff, the energy was anything but lazy, quiet and romantic. I would certainly be up for trying Gaylord’s on a non-holiday day.
http://www.gaylordskauai.com/Casa Di Amici 2301 Nalo Rd., Poipu , 742-1555This was recommended by our host at the B&B. Casa Di Amici is mid-sized restaurant in a quiet neighborhood, and has has a very low-key vibe for such a sophisticated menu. While the diners inside the restaurant enjoyed the music provided by a piano player, we were seated on the veranda. The deck had only 5-6 tables, and we very much enjoyed the romantic evening, idyllic balmy island weather, as well as an unexpected - but charming - visitor . . . a gecko! We started with salad and appetizer: Shrimp and Ahi Thai Sticks with Wasabi Aioli, Sweet Thai Chili Sauce, and Peanut Vinaigrette served with Namasu and the Salade Mesclun with Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette, Toasted Almonds and Sonoma Goat Cheese. We each had the same entrée - the Lobster Tails Poached in a White Truffle Sauce with Fresh Carrots, Zucchini, Tomato, and Peas served on Farfalle. Each dish was superb; however, dessert was truly the Star. We threw caution to the winds and ordered the baked Hawai'i: a chocolate-macadamia-nut brownie topped with coconut and passion-fruit sorbet and Italian meringue. We were stuffed, but could not leave one bite. Lastly, we found our server to be courteous and prompt (but not overbearing) and very knowledgeable about the food. I would give Casa Di Amici my highest rating.
LODGINGS
Lawai: Strawberry Guava Bed and Breakfast
My husband and I stayed at the Strawberry Guava for 3 days and 4 nights, and we highly recommend it for anyone who dislikes the idea of staying at a large, impersonal uber-touristy place while visiting Kauai. The Strawberry Guava exemplifies the characteristics which set Kauai apart from its larger counterparts, Maui and Oahu. Ben and Traci were wonderful hosts. Traci made fantastic breakfasts and is a wealth of information about the island - just ask her about the great hikes in Waimea Canyon. The B&B is located close enough to the beaches, canyon and restaurants, but away from the hustle and bustle. It gave you the feeling of being in a little mini-paradise up in the mountains - the view from our bedroom was spectacular. So I say bail out on the antiseptic flavorless Hyatt and stay at this charming, family-feeling little B&B to experience a more authentic slice of Kauai.http://homepages.hawaiian.net/lauria/
Coral Tree Café
11645 San Vicente Blvd., Brentwood, CA 90049, 310. 979-TREE
http://www.coraltreecafe.net/I dined at my usual (visited 3 times or more) Tuesday lunch spot, the Coral Tree Café in Brentwood. This is a bustling restaurant which serves fresh light California fare. The first time I ate there I ordered the Curried Chicken Salad ($9.95) but found it sorely lacking in flavor (and I don’t even like spicy things). The last two times I’ve ordered and been very pleased with the Steak Salad ($13.95) (the steak is cooked to your liking). My companion has ordered the Ahi Tuna Nicoise ($12.95) all three times and has enjoyed it very much. The salads consist of fresh, tasty and colorful greens and the portions are very generous. In fact, I heard a fellow diner remark that she had the “never ending salad.” Service is fast so you can be in and out and back to work in no time yet the atmosphere is much nicer than the cafeteria or your desk. There is outdoor seating so one can enjoy the fabulous SoCal “winter” weather. My companion also enjoyed a 12 layer (6-frosting; 6-cake) carrot cake. He tried to save ½ for dinner, but apparently it was too tasty not to finish . . . Would definitely recommend the Coral Tree for a quick, light, tasty lunch away from the office. Word of warning - parking can be tough in this area, but valeting seemed an even poorer choice. Had to wait quite a while for my car to be brought back to me. I would recommend parking yourself and walking even if it’s a few blocks away.
Crash (Movie), Acapulco (Restaurant)
February 4-5, 2006. Finally saw
Crash yesterday. Wow wow wow. It was difficult to watch, and at times I had to look down at the photos in my Us magazine just to lighten the mood because the scenes were too intense. I think this film should be mandatory for junior high school kids to watch. I know it got me thinking about my own prejudices. For instance, I joke that I live in this nice area surrounded by The Barrio and The Ghetto - meaning, there are a lot of Hispanics living in apartments on the streets bordering my subdivision. So the insuination is that these people are low-class and probably gang bangers when, for all I know, as depicted in the movie, these are hard-working families who've moved out of those areas in the hopes of providing a better life for their children. But I've already labeled them as "bringing down the neighborhood." And really, what do I know about those white people living in those big houses around the corner - for all I now, they're pedophiles. Anyway, I hope this movie has a lasting - rather than a short-term - effect on how I think and act towards people. Matt Dillon was excellent as the racist cop. And am I the only one who sees the Entourage parallel between Matt Dillon-Vincent Chase and Kevin Dillon-Johnny Drama characters. Remember how Vince (Matt) took a low-paying indie role to get some critical recognition and break type? Well, here's Matt (Something About Mary, Outsiders) in this ensemble piece . . .
Also ate at
Acapulcos. I found it pretty okay for what it is. I had the Caesar salad, and I love Mexican Caesar salad. I love the creamy dressing, pepitos and tortilla chips. It doesn't try to be a regular Caesar. The irony is that the traditional "Italian" Caesar salad originated in Mexico. I guess it's like pasta and the Chinese. Anyway, the Caesar was great and our entree was the Echiladas del Mar - "two tortillas filled with a blend of shrimp, crab, scallops, fish and fresh vegetables. Garnished with sour cream and avocado slices. Served with rice and beans. 12.75." So, was it really fish? I don't know. But it was close enough. And yes, it was skimpy on actual seafood and heavy on fillers, but the sauce was good and so were the veggies. And it's $12.75. The service was very very good.
