I woke up with the desire to post about some wine, but my Internet is being fickle and won’t let me access the site or login. So I am writing from my phone to create suspense. Or something. Plan to post this evening. Have a good day!
I have been so busy this week. Please forgive me; I bought you some flowers.
I was in Whole Foods produce section when out of the corner of my eye I saw a giant lime. Or maybe it was green orange. Was it St. Patty’s Day already? Or is Whole Foods selling fruit that has grown thick layers of mold, renaming their moldy oranges to “furoranges” and seeing how many yuppy suckers will buy it; Furorange will reduce wrinkles, cause weight loss, fight cancer, and will help you find happiness!
Although my imagination was running wild, I was quickly brought back down to Earth when I read the sign that said it was Cocktail Grapefruit. Sadly there was no mold or promises of happiness. But, like a good yuppy sucker around a novelty fruit item, I put it in my basket.
I tried it this morning without doing any research. I assumed it was part of the grapefruit family and that it would be sweet, tart, and acidic. My taste buds were pleasantly surprised to find it to be just juicy, sweet, soft and lacking that grapefruit bite. My research has found that this green delight is not even a grapefruit, but a cross between a Frua Mandarin orange and a Pummelo. Whatever family it comes from, I wouldn’t discriminate because it tastes wonderful. I would love to use it in a cocktail, but alas it is 6:36am.
I ordered some button up shirts from Old Navy’s Tall Collection and when they arrived I thought they mistakenly sent me shirts from their Kids department. Seriously. The size was not too tight but the shirt was shorter than any shirt I have ever seen before. It reached about 5-6 inches above my hip. I was in disbelief. There was no mistake though, the tags said “Tall” on them. I sadly packed them back up and filled out the return information. Even though they will refund me, I still have to pay for shipping. Shipping I didn’t want to pay for, but had no choice. Why? Because it seems like all the Tall collections are only sold online. I guess maybe someone forgot that tall people usually have legs and some of them like to wear clothes. Thanks for nothing, Old Navy. I will not be a returning customer.
Me: What do you want to do today?
BF: I don’t know, what do you want to do?
Me: I don’t care, whatever….
BF: How about we get some coffee?
Me: Intelligentsia??!??!???!
BF: Yeah…
Me: You’ll drive??????
BF: Only if you buy me a cup of coffee.
Me: Deal!
And that’s how I ended up with a bag of Kurimi, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe. Usually it’s my idea to go out and procure beans, so I was pleasantly surprised to hear my boyfriend suggest it as a Saturday adventure. Especially since it meant there was less of a chance he would be cranky about driving and gas.
Flavor: Floral, honeysuckle
Acidity: Citrus, juicy
Finnish: Subtle, spice
Kurimi is a shy coffee. A soft, clean, citrus (think lemon/lime and orange) start that turns into a spiced cocoa taste which hangs out for awhile until you’re next sip. At first I had reservations about the citrus taste, but as I continued sipping, the cup opened up to me and told me it’s secrets, allowing me to recognize the beauty from sweet beginning to the calming and resonating end.
Intelligentsia
3922 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90029
(323) 663-6173
Not so long ago I was having a high stress day. I was driving home from an important meeting and was sitting at a red light. My foot was on the break for a good 10 seconds. And then out of nowhere, bam!, someone had rear ended me. I screamed in terror. Apparently, the man who hit me was looking for an Altoid. God damn you curiously strong mints. My bumper was bruised with screw driver marks from his Mercedes license plate. The man said he would pay for it and we decided to not involve insurance. I immediately went to my body shop (cars like to hit my car) and got an estimate of six hundred and three dollars. Because the man said he would pay, this wasn’t the problem. The problem was that it would take three days to repair my bumper. I needed a drink. In order to forget about the bad, my roommate and I went to find some good. Good in 5 dollar glasses of wine at Bodega’s Happy Hour. Sadly, the happy hour used to be 4 dollars a glass but had gone up a dollar since we had last gone.
The layout of the bar is relaxing, hip, sexy, and kind of dark. It is bigger than the flagship Bodega in Pasadena. The service is usually always attentive and friendly. They always have a wide variety of wine options with different kinds of reds, whites, and sparkling. They also keep it interesting by rotating the wine list every few weeks. When I arrived at the wine bar, I planned to order wine that I would not normally order (like the episode of Seinfeld where George does everything opposite of how he would normally do it and everything comes up roses). Instead of tuna salad, I ordered a a pinot noir. Sadly, I was too shook up from the accident to think to write down the name of the wine or the pleasant adjectives used to describe it on the menu. What I do know is that the wine is always pretty good and hits the spot, especially when you’re having a bad day. I do consistently find their red wines to be more on the light/thin body side of the spectrum.
We also ordered from their happy hour meal menu. They offer a few items from their menu for happy hour price of 5-6 dollars: margherita pizza, pepperoni & mushroom pizza, hummus and pita, pepperoni and cheese plate, a bruscetta and olive tapenade, and I think a warm goat cheese crostini. We ordered the pepperoni & mushroom pizza because my roommate had hummus at home (and what’s the point of ordering something you can make/have at home?). We are professional happy hour goers and have tried most of their menu and all of their happy hour menu so I can tell you off the bat the the best options for happy hour are the pizza, hummus, the bruscetta, and the crostini. The cheese and pepperoni is not worth your money; It’s like a cracker barrel rectangle of orange cheese (I’m assuming cheddar) and slices of pepperoni that obviously came out of a plastic bag in the kitchen along with little pieces of toast; nothing special and not very healthy! If you have money to spend, I always enjoyed their smoked turkey breast panini ($10 - w/ goat cheese, tomato, arugula & pesto may) and their big chopped salad ($10 or $13 w/ chicken - mixed greens, mozzarella, mushrooms, jicama, chickpeas, zucchini, & tomatoes with balsamic vinaigrette).
They also offer beer, cold sake, and soju cocktails. What’s a soju cocktail you ask? Soju is distilled beverage native to Korea commonly made from rice (but sometimes potato, wheat, barley, sweet potato, or tapioca)! Soju is clear in color and typically varies in alcohol content from about 20% to about 45% alcohol by volume (ABV), with 20% ABV being most common. Its taste is comparable to vodka, though often slightly sweeter because of the sugars added in the manufacturing process.The liquor licensing laws in the states of California and New York classify soju in the same category as beer and wine, allowing businesses with a beer/wine license to sell it without requiring the more expensive license required for other distilled spirits. The only stipulation is that the soju must be clearly labeled as such and contain less than 25% alcohol. The cocktails are nice, but I find it’s lower alcohol content less fun than regular hard liquor.
In the end, I recommend Bodega Happy Hour to everyone. When it is not happy hour, wine is 8 dollars a glass (which I probably would not recommend). It is a fun to go with friends and co-workers and will always have a place in my heart. The location is kind of hidden and easy to miss. It is a few stores away from Swingers on Broadway. It always looks dark. Happy Hour is from 5-7pm. Street (metered) parking and valet.
List of weekly events:
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: Andrew Jackson Night (any bottle = $20, but that’s not much incentive because any other day the bottle = $21)
Wednesday: Modelo Madness - (Modelo in the can = $2)
Thursday - Saturday: DJ’s play
Sunday: Service Industry Night - Happy hour prices and $1 sake shots all night long
Bodega Wine Bar
814 Broadway
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 394-3504
This post has 4 comments.
I love eating bone marrow for two reasons:
1. It’s delicious!
2. It creeps out my boyfriend and is something he would never be willing to even taste
Last time I was at Father’s Office in Culver City I ordered the Bone Marrow. The only prior experience I have had with bone marrow was from Mozza Pizzeria which set the standards high and left me wanting more. I know FO is able to execute amazing dishes so I was not hesitant nor surprised to find their bone marrow appetizing and mouth watering. Bone marrow is like a gelatinous spread similar to jelly. The proper way to eat the bone marrow is to spread it on bread/toast, and add salt. Like a good marrow, it likes to cling onto the bone so it sometimes require more of a scraping motion than a simple scoop. Which sucks because those little bones are hot when they come out and will burn if you are impatient like me. Although the salt is simple, it plays a key role and unlocked the robustness of the marrow. And of course the oiled up bread acted more than just a transportation device to the mouth by highlighting the taste of the salted marrow and adding an extra chewy texture component. The side of greens I felt was more for presentation, but I love capers so it was a nice refreshing side.
I would order this again, which says a lot because usually I go to FO for the burger (and beer!). Apparently Anthony Bourdain is also a fan of bone marrow and has stated that if he were on death row this would be his last meal. He refers to it as a comfort food. At 10-15 dollars a plate (2-3 bones) It’s more like a comfortable living food. I wish I could live in a world where bone marrow is the new mac and cheese.
Father’s Office II
3229 Helms Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 736-2224