Gordon Ramsey @ The London in West Hollywood, CA

I went here for dinner last night with some foodie friends.  Wow, what a disappointment, and an expensive one.

I had the 5 course meal, friends all had the 3 course meal with wine pairing.

• My starter, Artichoke with Burrata cheese, was good, but then it went downhill.  
• The Lobster Risotto was under cooked and served in a glass.  There was one large piece of lobster and no way to cut it inside the glass to eat it.  
• The Pork Belly and Striped Bass was just OK.  The Bass was over cooked and the Pork Belly was the only redeeming thing on the plate, but I've had better cooked Pork Belly.  
• The cheese plate had ONE cheese, which I thought was odd.  
• And the dessert was called Peanut Chocolate, but all I could taste was bananas and really no salty taste of peanut.  

My wine was good, but I didn't do the wine pairing as my friends did and they regretted their decision.

One of my friends had the Chateaubriand which was very undercooked.

The place was nice and we had a good table, but the price tag was about $300 per couple.

All in all, an expensive lesson.  I'll never go back.

Artichoke with Burrata Cheese

Lobster Risotto

Striped Bass with Pork Belly underneath

Pathetic Cheese plate

Peanut Chocolate dessert

Goodbye, Bob Jan 17, 1997 - Sept 16, 2011

We put our beloved dachshund, Bob, down yesterday.  He's been slowing down for a year and these last few months the deterioration has been worse.  I'm so glad I was able to spend a lot of time in the last 6 weeks with him.  He went downhill fast the last week.  This was undoubtedly the hardest thing I've done.  I miss him so much.

New Bathroom

YEAH,  in the midst of a new bathroom.  Been stuck with workmen for last 2 weeks but it will be worth it in the end.

original circa 1950

current state

current state - new tile in shower & a light above so i can see!

Madeo's @ Beverly Blvd in Los Angeles, CA

Went here Friday night for my birthday.  This is the place my husband & I went years ago and loved, yet we couldn't remember the name of it.  So for years we were searching for this place and finally re-stumbled onto it.

It was good.  Our table wasn't in best place, but still OK.  Bottle of wine was very tasty.  We saw some Paparazzi so this must be a 'star' hangout although I didn't see anyone.  I had Carpaccio which was excellent and a Seafood Risotto, also great.  Desserts weren't great which was disappointing.

All in all, I'll go back but it is a drive for us.

Seafood Risotto -- I have to remember to photo BEFORE eating!

Typomania?

Apparently this is a true condition.  People who MUST identify the font on any particular sign they see.  This was the subject of a Wall Street Journal article on Saturday.  Sometimes they can quickly identify the font, other times, they spend hours researching just to know what the font is.

There are people who have actually harassed retailers who have changed their selected type face in catalogs or other signage -- re:  IKEA. 

How arcane of a hobby not to mention 'condition' can this get?

Rockefeller Gastropub @ Hermosa Beach, CA

Went for drinks and dinner at this new place on Pier Avenue.  A good portion of Pier Avenue is under construction so I suspect there will be more good places to try soon.  This place was great, great atmosphere, sliding glass doors really opened up the wall onto the street for a great breeze, and just a nice size place.  They only serve beer and wine and have somewhat of a small menu.  We had the cheese plate to start and then the gourmet grilled cheese.  Both were good, although the cheese plate was a bit small.  My friend had the Ahi Tuna tacos which weren't as good.  Good selection of Belgium brews if you are into that.

All in all, I'll be going back again and again.

cheese plate - 4 kinds of cheese

Gourmet Grilled Ham & Cheese