Posts Tagged ‘Foodies’

Birthday party went quite well. It was at The Yard House. I had an amazing burger. And some fresh farmers market peaches with burrata, a little olive oil, basil and sea salt on them as a starter. That was actually heavenly. The raspberry semi-freddo with arrugula cookies for desert was not so great. (This desert was not by choice, but brought out by the house for the birthday gal.) It was much more freddo than semi and, well, arugula cookies? Really? Are you sure? Are Megan and James reading this? As cafe owners and operators (Of a fabulous spot in Alameda called THE BLUE DOT CAFE. Go there, now, if you are even remotely near the Bay Area. Seriously. Would I steer you wrong? ) ; as well as restaurant vets, am I wrong in saying arugula cookies are a bit too far? I am food adventurous. Really. I have come a long way since my youth (My entire family is laughing right now, because I was the very definition of a finicky eater until my twenties.) I am willing to try just about anything save sushi. I mean I’ve eaten it. Sushi’s just not my thing. I’ll eat it again and if past really is prologue, I may some day very well come to thoroughly love it; but arugula cookies? And semi-freddo that is rather brick like? Like throw through the window brick like? (It took two spoons holding it down for a third person to chip a hunk off to consume.)

Let’s be clear here. I’m not, nor have I ever been, even remotely finicky when it comes to all things sugar. I don’t have a sweet tooth. I have sweet teeth. All of them. If my life is, as I am known to joke to close friends, a series of developing addictions and realizing/endeavoring to quit them (Recent ones include iced coffee, cookies, and writing) then sugar will be the last one standing, because it was the first and it is the deepest. Writing comes very, very close. But Sugar predates my writing habit by a decade at least. Sorry, writing. So, what I’m saying, ostensibly, is that you could throw sugar on just about anything – bake it at 350 degrees and I’m going to probably love it. Even if I don’t. I’m not going to dis it. I’ll eat it and wish it were, say, a molasses cookie or chocolate chip even. So, you can maybe extrapolate from there the arugula cookie. I know we want to be forward thinking in our culinary imagination (Mr. David Murphy, are you reading this? Mr. David Murphy – former roommate, good friend, one half of the legendary Americana outfit COLD MOUNTAIN, dangerous poet, tuba player, and one of the world’s most dazzling, inventive, and talented chefs – could back me up on “forward thinking in our culinary imagination.” As a chef, David Murphy is straight up from the future, that’s how forward thinking he is when it comes to taste architecture) but sometimes don’t we go too far?

And so, what started as a review on walks, has quickly turned into our first negative review, here at Guided By Wire’s new Saturday Review, on Arugula Cookies.

Wrapped up my stay with Stagger Lee in Corona Del Mar tonight and made my way north, back to C-City and the grind. Round two with the meetings starts tomorrow. Currently we have three on the books for this week. I’ll cover them as we go. Going to be speaking with the Feature Agents tomorrow. Hopefully we’ll get the fire going as well, soon.

Sad to say good-bye to Stagger. He’s my dear, dear four-legged pal. Always sleeps right by the door to the room I stay in, so he knows when I go to bed at night. Usually he’s there when I wake up, if I’m late getting going in the morning.

Had a fabulous dinner with Polly, Will, and J.P. before heading back. It was the perfect cap to my stay. We had a grand time at Gulfstream catching up. It’s always so wonderful to see them. Before, J.P. and I had an in-depth conversation about the first grade, how much he likes to not go to school, and how he tries to fool his mother into thinking he’s sick. We covered all the bases. (I refrained from getting into the “Doc” story.) He was not too thrilled with the prospect of homework every night. And at dinner, Will and I talked movies a bit. Mainly Harry Potter, but we also dipped into Toy Story 3 (which he hadn’t seen yet, but I recommended highly) and Despicable Me which got a thumbs down, despite the Henchmen. Will is quite the young man these days, too! The only bummer was that Joe and Matt weren’t back yet. I always love my time with Polly, but when the rest of the clan is added to the mix, it’s a special treat.

After dinner, I made my way up U.S. 1, the PCH, through the coastal towns – all quiet on a Monday night for the most part. The last few shades of dusk heavy in the sky against a thin band of faraway autumnal burnt orange on my left, streaking what was left of the Pacific’s horizon, lingering out past the endless beaches and white-tipped waves rolling over the deep blue. The last few beats of sunset fading in the cool night air. Window down all the way rolling up the coastline, alone with my thoughts, all the way back to L.A.

Got to bake a cake today from scratch. It’s been some time since I’ve done any serious, for a bunch of folks baking. I gotta say I’ve missed it some. Definitely still out of sorts and getting tired of it. We did get the DVD’s up on the wall over the TV, which was the last project between both me and Jacob that was lingering.  That means that the DVD’s are out of my room and I should be able to finish the last little bit of setting up my room/office. Also have a lead on a few freelance writing gigs. We’ll see. Sometimes, you get fried on remaining hopeful while keeping your expectations low. It happens. This, too, shall pass. It always does and I just need to let it come and then go and not make it worse. On to the review:

CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE WITH VANILLA FROSTING

Mmmmmmmm!

One hundred percent homemade. No poseurs-from-a-box allowed in the B.O.H.

This, by the way is not the cake I baked today, though it looks a lot like it.

What better combo is there? I used to be a chocolate on chocolate guy. (Cecil’s Deli in St. Paul has the absolute greatest chocolate on chocolate three layer classic. That icing. Man! I’ve been trying for years to replicate that icing. I got in the ballpark once in Chicago, but I don’t know what I did.) But eventually, I migrated to the start contrast, born to melded in cake bliss forever combo of chocolate cake/vanilla frosting. Let’s take another look:

Callback: Mmmmmmmmmm!

I don’t even know what’s on top of that slice. Some kind of hat like icing decoration that is entirely unnecessary. The chocolate and vanilla just look perfect together, don’t they? And you know what? It tastes like one big Oreo. Which, come on, who doesn’t like that?

I utilize a recipe for a “Black Magic Cake” that I got off the internet. I’ve tried others. This recipe is by far the most moist and dense, chocolate flavored cake out there. Do not use instant coffee, as it calls for in that recipe. Do yourself a favor and either make or buy strong coffee. One cup’s worth is all you need (one measuring cup, not a mug.) The real, strong, bold flavored coffee makes all the difference in the world. Trust me. What you arrive at with it is a very moist, deeply flavored cake that’s really hard to overcook. The actual cake is beyond heavenly. As you can see, it’s a very basic recipe that can be whipped up (no pun intended) rather quickly and efficiently.

From the there I utilize a pretty standard homemade vanilla frosting recipe from an old cookbook that II got as a gift some years ago. The cookbook deals exclusively with the making of every kind of chocolate  cakes known to man. The cookbook is a wonderful resource. It’s by a woman by the name of Michelle Urvater, but the name of it escapes me at the moment. The recipe I use details the most basic vanilla except that I always put in extra Vanilla extract or actual vanilla bean, depending on. I like a nice, vanilla/sweet twang when you bite into the velvety cake.

Anyways. If you love cakes at all, make yourself one with black magic cake and vanilla frosting; then watch everyone flock to you!

The result: pure deliciouness. Okay, I’m gettingh/?

Still feeling a bit sore from yesterday, which was a big ol’ jam session to crank out the rest of act two, so Jason could get down to the first round of mixing all the pieces into one package and we can start tossing the script back and forth as we rewrite. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I’m staring down the short barrel of Act Three and just need to get in there and put a fork in it, more than anything else. We’ve got one heckuva a script, I think. It’s a little on the raw side and might be about five pages too long right now, but it’s there and we’re feeling rather good. Just gotta keep working it into shape. It’s there, but it’s never quite ALL there and  that’s what you stay after – getting it all there, which ends being as close as we can get all there right now.

All right. Here we are. Saturday night. Clock ticking down to midnight. Here they are twenty-four hours, or so, past their sell by date:

-Saw Iron Man II today with my good friend, Laura. It was okay. Entertaining even, but in reality I left the theater and felt like “Meh, the suit’s neat and I love RDJ – of course, plus Scarlett Johansson is without a doubt, easy on the eyes; but it was all a little thin. I kind of felt a strange disappointment. Everything just wasn’t developed enough – the story, the pacing, the villain, the climax – you name it, it felt rushed. Which is happening more and more now. Such a talented cast, good director. Just needed some time and more thought. It’s not like the world wouldn’t go if they waited another six months to a year.

-Also, while we’re talking movies in theaters, there is NOTHING out right now. Nothing. I don’t understand. There isn’t one savy marketing visionary who looked at this barren stretch in the  release schedule a few months ago and thought: “It’s wide open. Let’s drop this film in there and clean up!”

-I’ll be honest – and I know the answer to this already, but it’s been tough – I want a dog. I’ve wanted one for awhile. I was fortunate to have many friends with dogs in Chicago and I did a fair amount of dog sitting when they traveled; plus I had a good number of roommates when I lived with roommates, who had dogs. Plus, their were always the bar dogs in Chicago, older dogs that were so well behaved (Tuscy the lab, Remus the rottweiler, and Milo the mutt to name a few) who could accompany their owners into any bar and not freak out. I had Tuscy behind the bar with me at Pontiac often. We had a special relationship. So, I’m just saying – I’m ready for Fellini and Ford (or Harold and Maude. Or Butch and  Sundance. Or Indy and Short Round. Or Han and Chewie.) I know. I know. I don’t have the space and I’m not settled enough. Believe me. I’m well aware of that. So don’t worry, I’m not leaping into anything, I’m just saying when it’s time, get ready. It’s happening.

-Yesterday I clocked twenty or twenty-five pages. I haven’t done that in awhile and am definitely out of shape for the one ultra-marathon writing sessions. I’m still sore today and a little scattered.

-I’m cold brewing some coffee by a new method. This is my latest craze – iced coffee. Since I canned (pun intended) the Diet Coke (if you are drinking soda of any kind, or do drink lots of soda, please consider phasing it out. That stuff is a scourge. Almost as insidious as cigarettes,) I’ve been settling into a water and…? I’m not a tea kind. I enjoy a good fruit smoothie. Straight fruit and water with some protein powder, maybe a little yogurt or greek yogurt (I’m trying to adapt. It’s been a slow road.) So, I’ve taken to the coffee. I’ve gone in and out on the coffee in my life. I didn’t really start drinking it until later in life – mid 20s or so. I used to hate it. But, then, I kind of am not the biggest fan of hot beverages. I prefer ice cold liquids. Thus, the iced coffee. You see the drinking and all that? It kind of ruined me in this arena. I have come to love water. I used to not be the biggest fan of it, either. Ice cold water is awesome. I’ll take that. But, and I know all about the lemon thing, it just doesn’t taste like anything. After awhile, that drives me a bit batty. I want something to balance it that has a flavor I can get behind. Just one thing. As those that have known me for a long time, I have no problem eating one thing or drinking one thing over and over. Cheese sandwiches? Check. Pancakes (and now oatmeal?) Check and check. So, I’m cold brewing in a pitcher, which is different than the french press method I was doing for awhile. I’ll keep you posted. I just looked at the pitcher and it’s actually looking good. We’ll know more by 1:00 tomorrow afternoon. It takes a long time to cold brew. Patience is key, here.

-Just realized we are past the halfway point on the month as of tomorrow. Yikes. A lot has to happen between now and June 11th, which is graduation. Almost too much to think about. Moving on…

- A tip of the cap to my dear friend, fellow Bruin Scribe, talented writer-director, and breakfast buddy, Ana Lily Amirpour. She just returned from Milan where her short film, True Love, won the audience award at the Milan International Film Festival. We are all rather excited for her. She’s been on somewhat of a hot streak this past year. She’s got talent and moxie. The two things a writer-director needs most.

-Would love to take a trip up the coast this summer. Ride the PCH all the way up to the Oregon border. Stop off in Alameda and see The Humes, rumble on further north to Point Reyes Station and check out the bluffs. Basically, get a little lost on the road, stay at motels and see what there is to see up there. Don’t know if I’d be able to. Money’s a factor. Time. We’ll see. Wouldn’t mind heading over to the Grand Canyon either.

That’s about all for tonight. More tomorrow. Be good to yourself.

If your in Scottsdale, or Phoenix, and you see Big Daddy, give him a big hug for me – it’s his birthday! I was supposed to shoot over for a visit and got a little too busy. So, I’m bummed I could make it. But, I’m there in spirit. Just as I was for my Dad on his birthday, this past Thursday. Two great men. Gotta love them!

On time and even a little early this week! Let’s get right down to it. We had a sunny, upper seventies day today and hopefully it means summer is underway here in SoCal. Not that we have rough weather, but we’ve definitely had a funky run this winter. Lots of hot-cold, rapid switches. It would be nice to settle in. (I’m not complaining, just making conversation here, jeez! I’m thankful for what we’ve got!)

-Went to dinner tonight with my good friends, JJ and Cheyna, who are back from a Guatemala trip/adventure. They took me to a Santa Monica, low key trattoria called Fritto Misto. In a word? Fabulous. It’s a real simple, store front pasta joint. A good go to, italian dinner. Not too expensive, fresh food. So, along with the always good conversation and stories from their trip, they introduced me to a great new restaurant right down the road. And they brought back Guatemalan coffee for me, which I’m cold brewing as we speak.

-We went to dinner at six. When we walked up to the restaurant, which is on the corner of 6th and Colorado, near the Promenade, their were about ten or so simple plastic chairs – like lawn chairs – you’d find in a patio or around a dinner table in a frat house – on the sidewalk. In a perfect neat row, empty and waiting. We all cast a glance at them as we strolled into a mostly empty restaurant, grabbed a table, and commenced with dinner and catching up. When we left near 8:00 o’clock, the restaurant was full and had that storefront clatter to a busy night; but when we hit the sidewalk I did a double take – all the chairs were full up with people waiting and their were an additional ten or so in little clusters waiting as well. That’s usually the mark of a great restaurant. If nothing else, the manager or owner is smart and prepared.

-Did anyone catch the Cardinals-Pirates game tonight? I didn’t either. But, true to form, I checked the Cardinals box score upon arriving home from dinner. (What? You didn’t? I know my Father did. Anyone else?) In the top of the ninth, with the score tied 3 a piece, Joe Mather (a.k.a. Joey Bombs), came in as a pinch runner at first with two out. Joey got the steal sign from TLR or The Secret Weapon (Jose Oquendo, Current Third Base Coach, Former Utility Player Extraordinaire) and took off from first. Risky call, but you gotta push it – even in May. What transpired next was a thing of absolute hardball beauty. You see, Joey Bombs was dead to rights, out by about two steps, but being the bench player he is (A young Tony LaRussa bench player) who doesn’t want to head back to Memphis if he can help it, dove for the bag. BUT, as the Shortstop swept his glove for the tag, Joey Bombs – in mid-leap, outstretched, all his kinetic energy committed forward to the bag, arms outstretched – raised his arm AND then tilted his body a half-turn UP, completely avoiding the tag in an improbable moment of gravity defying, split-second baseball physics. Joey Bombs barreled into the bag, slid over it, but had the presence of mind to clutch the bag with his right toes to kind of brake his runaway forward momentum. SAFE! Even on the replay, in slo-mo. Yadier Molina doubled Joey Bombs in for the winning run five minutes later. That’s how you play May baseball, people!

- I gotta finish my play this weekend. At least the first draft. Plays evolve. Kind of like novels. So, this is more a just do it thing. Though, I’ll have to do a quick burst of serious rewriting because it will be read by actors in a workshop table read the Tuesday before graduation.

-I think I mentioned that I went to a series (three) of the one-acts from my classmates in the playwriting class. They were all really well done. That’s not meant as a polite bit of propaganda. That’s an honest critical statement. You don’t always see that in your peers in grad school. I was completely enthralled with each piece. I did notice in the course of the night, that I have successfully immersed myself in the theater side this year. Even the professors I haven’t taken know me now and were saying hello and I was there with one of the playwrights. It made me think, this year has been – in terms of school – all about theater. Even though I’m in a Screenwriting 434, I don’t feel of the screenwriting side, like you normally do when that’s your main focus. Part of that’s because my 434 is on a Thursday, which is opposite most everyone elses (which are normally on Monday’s and Tuesday’s.) I’m pretty thrilled that I have had the experience I’ve had in my playwriting classes. It’s the one part of graduating that I’m sad to leave behind. I’d love to keep taking classes – some theater history, more playwriting. It has had a fantastic effect on me.

-Been knocked off the new sleep regimen lately. I have this current determination to see a movie or some TV and read before I turn out the lights. It’s one of those rituals to end the night. Three hours is the usual block, though sometimes it’s two. (I know. That’s a serious chunk of time.) It’s hard for me to give up or get around the drive for it in my head, even when it doesn’t make sense; which with the new sleep schedule is anytime (like last night) that I go out and I’m out past 11. I have the strangest time coming home and just going right to bed. For some reason, I can’t do just that. That’s gonna have to change.

-May go to AZ next weekend to see Big Daddy and Aunt Ginger. I’m planning on it. Hopefully nothing will crop up and disrupt my plans. I have a great time to go over. They’re the absolute best. I’m pretty fortunate to have them relatively close. Plus, I should be able to swing through Prescott and see Tiff, which is an extra added bonus!

-Figured out finances for June, which is good. We’re at the one month at a time point. It’s a tough spot – not the lack of cash flow or uncertainty, though. That I’m used to. I’ve been there plenty of times before and am decidedly non-phased about it right now. It’s more so the in-betweeness careerwise that the option puts us in. It’s not all that unlikely that we could make some money sooner rather than later. When that is (as JJ and I talked about tonight) is anybody’s guess? Is it next month? Is it in six months? Just saying six months is a fantastic thing. Heck, even saying we should make some money in the next year (which I would say, yes, we will almost certainly right now. Like ninety percent certain and rising fast to a hundred,) is a major accomplishment as far as I’m concerned. But, can I hang out for a year until that happens? That becomes the question. And a rather slippery one. Of course, at first blush, I can’t. But the financial space between no and yes for an answer to that question is shorter than one would think, so how do I traverse it, if I have to? Don’t know that yet. Not even close.

- Consider this a part two to the above. You see the trick is momentum and really that’s the core of the dilemma. Sure I could pick up a variety of jobs, patch together a means to make rent, and gut it out. BUT, I can’t stop writing. You have to keep that forward momentum. You have to keep taking meetings, keep pushing, be ready to redirect your efforts on a moments notice, all in, all the time. So, taking on that barista gig is dangerous, because it’s not as flexible as it appears. Momentum must be maintained, now more than ever. In fact, I’d go so far as to say, it has to be pushed harder to make the final summit to paid, working writer. It’s a hustle and if you’re not focused on the hustle, it can pass you right by and getting back becomes a difficult proposition.

-Still haven’t watched The Lovely Bones yet.

That’s all I’ve got tonight, folks. Be good to yourself and do something nice for your Mother or a Mother! Nine months is a long time!

Thanks to fantastic year ’round weather, creative gourmet chefs, twitter, and the taco truck (roach coach) cultural influence, Los Angeles features a thriving – absolutely thriving – food truck scene. It’s really exploded with Twitter in the past two-three years. You follow the different locations of the trucks throughout the city on their up to the minute twitter feeds. Usually, they’re at, roving around, six to seven days a week in three to four spots per day. That often breaks down to a Lunch/Dinner/Late  Night split, with the more famous trucks employing multiple trucks in multiple parts of the county. That’s right, some range all the way throughout Los Angeles County, San Fernando Valley, Orange County, and the Inland Empire. That’s like saying that a food truck would cover all of the Chicagoland area, Milwaukee, and parts of western Indiana. Crazy!

Trucks usually feature a specialty of some kind or a pared down version of a fine dining restaurants menu. That’s right, because it’s L.A., the food is either super kitschy or fusion gourmet. There’s a grilled cheese truck, a fry truck, several BBQ trucks, a Korean BBQ/Mexican fusion truck (more on that one in a second), taco trucks galore, Milliken & Fenniger (a.k.a Too Hot Tamales from Food Channel fame) have a truck for their renowned high end mexican restaurant – Border Grill, their are sushi trucks, a Sprinkles Cupcake truck (gourmet cupcakes), handmade ice cream sandwich truck, the green (bio-fuel) truck, there’s hot dog, a sweets truck, east indian, regular indian, southern Italian, and on and on. Some fifty or more trucks. To give you an idea of their hold over the city and in foodie circles even, the Korean BBQ Truck – Kogi – and its Chef/Owner Roy Choi was recently named one of the top ten Best New Chefs by Food & Wine magazine for 2010, in the United States. That’s the first time a truck has ever been selected.

So, yes, it’s some serious business and a lot of fun. The Kogi Truck is regularly considered one of the top five places to eat in the city. But, it’s not all gourmet. Sometimes it’s just fun. Tonight, I ventured out for a late, late dinner and caught the Grilled Cheese Truck down on Pico, about five minutes from where I live. The Grilled Cheese, as a sandwich is one of my faves – pure comfort food. These guys take it to a whole different level, though. First of all, here’s some shots of the truck:

Crowd starts to gather. The truck had just arrived outside a bar, Liquid Kitty. I got there and was third in line. By the time I left a half-hour later, that line was about twenty-five deep and growing.

Getting more crowded!

Up close on the truck. There's two windows - order and pick-up. About four guys in there, working stations and the register. It's a slick operation.

I got a “Plain and Simple on French with Cheddar” and added pulled BBQ smoked pork to it, with a side of tater tots.

The masterpiece. Note to self - pulled pork is an A.MA.ZING addition to a grilled cheese.

It was HEAVENLY. I will be back Grilled Cheese Truck. You have won my heart and my stomach. As I posted on facebook while in line for my little bit of mobile magic:

“God Bless you L.A. I never knew I could love you more than I already do!”

Car is fixed. Can I just say that I’m a big fan of AAA?

In Los Angeles you can’t hail a cab from the street – they don’t stop, and taking the bus – while possible – could take you all day just to navigate the simplest of routes. Not to mention require you to take three to four busses to get where you need to go. It’s a car city. Wait, make that a car county. Because that’s what L.A. is – a county. Not a city, per se. So, when your car breaks down – and it will at some point, happens to everyone – you better have someone to call. Some roadside service to help you out.

I gave a call at noon. AAA was out in twenty-five minutes. Checked the battery – it needed to be replaced. That’s the third new battery in five years with that car. Not to sure about that, but that’s a whole other matter I’m not gonna get into it. I had the Triple A guy change the battery – all told from the moment I called to the moment I was rolling out the driveway to run some errands it was forty-five minutes. Not bad. Works for me. At least it wasn’t the electrical or ignition. (Thank you, God.)

Been busy, buys, busy, despite it being technically exam week, and therefore – for the graduate screenwriters – first week of spring break. We had an excellent story meeting at Write Brain (of Nala Films.) They are over the moon about our work on Dead Man’s Hand (or Sacred Ground.) We’re trying to not get to ahead of ourselves, but I think we’ve really made some fans over there. That’s a good feeling – keeps you wormking hard when you get some genuine feedback.

After that meeting, I scurried over to a dinner party in Beverly Hills – so I missed Justified (and forgot to DVR it.) Here’s hoping it’s up on Hulu or FX’s sight, or better yet, my good friend – On Demand. The dinner party was lovely – a few producing program friends – both current 2nd year producing program soon to be grads and a recent alum and her directing alum fiance, both wonderful folks. We had a lovely dinner and, of course, talked about film and TV and UCLA  for most of the night. The directing alum works for Sundance and the producing alum is an assistant/associate producer/good friend of the creator/showrunner of Pushing Daisies, among other shows. They’re all good folks and dear friends. All attendees are foodies at heart, so a good time was had by all.

Another story meeting tomorrow with a young director (for John Doe.) Should be a good one.