Forming Traditions; the Best Way to End the Day of a 10k

Father’s Office II.

Melville Syrah Wine (one of my favorite vineyards).

Beet Salad - with blue cheese and walnuts (and some lettuce hidden underneath it all)

Scaldís Noel Beer - A Winter Ale

Strangely, FO wouldn’t let me have the Scaldís bottle. Apparently there is a rule that they can’t let the bottle cross over the bar counter. Weird, huh? They did let me take a picture. This beer is a seasonal and delicious. It is thick, creamy, and had a hint of cherry and clove to it. It’s one of those beers you can’t drink too many of because it’s so filling and rich, but it was nice to sip on and perfect for the winter.

Intelligentsia: Kurimi, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe

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

Bodega Wine Bar (Santa Monica)

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

Father’s Office 2: Bone Marrow

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

Paciugo Gelato

A few weeks ago my boyfriend and I were down in Hermosa Beach area and I had remembered that supposedly the best gelato in Los Angeles could be found nearby at Paciugo Gelato. Paciugo was started by the Ginatta family after they moved from Torino, Italy to Dallas, Texas (which is why they are currently predominantly found in TX). They opened up shop in 2000 and after years of perfecting their product and people showing interest they began to franchise in 2004. The gelato is made fresh every moring without preservatives and fructose corn syrup. They even have nutritional information on their website which is surprisingly not too guilt inducing. This is probably because their gelato is made from whole milk and not butterfat which is commonly found in ice cream.

My entrance was warmly welcomed by the friendly and happy people behind the counter. There was quite an array of flavors including the traditional (vanilla and chocolate) to the unique and intriguing (violet, chocolate extra virgin olive oil, sweet potato organic maple syrup). They also let me sample a fair share of them before I made the executive decision: Pumpkin Pie, Pannacotta (Wedding Cake), Mediterranean Sea Salt Caramel, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl. The gelato was thick and creamy. Although I have never tried to eat velvet, if I did this is what I would hope it would taste like. Each flavor had subtle wonderful hints: spicy finish to the pumpkin pie, hint of vanilla in the creamy wedding cake, lovely toffee taste found in the sea salt caramel, and the sweetness of hazelnut in the chocolate swirl in the peanut butter.

The location is close to the beach which means on the weekends it is crowded and parking is unfortunately limited and/or costs money. Overall, I think it is almost as good as Scoops in quality, but sadly is even longer of a distance to travel for me.  However! Looking at their website, it shows that Paciugo’s are coming soon to the following Los Angeles areas:

California-Los Angeles / (Coming Soon)
California-San Diego / (Coming Soon)
California-Santa Monica! / (Coming Soon)
California-Thousand Oaks / (Spring 2009)
California-Orange County / (Coming Soon)

Paciugo Gelato
1034 Hermosa Ave
Hermosa Beach, CA 90254

JuJu…and peanut butter.

I was lost but now I am found. I’m sure I’ve led a lot of people to believe that I lounge around my apartment eating peanut butter (and frosting). But the truth is, I rarely eat peanut butter. I love the taste of it, but for so long have I have not included it into my meal rotation. At least that was until this past weekend. My boyfriend and I spent a lazy Sunday morning at one of our favorite breakfast places: JuJu (the cereal bar! remember?) I walked in sleepy eyed knowing that I wanted to change my bowl. I wanted more than just fruit, milk, and cereal. Instead of exponentially increasing my chances of adult onset diabetes by ordering the frosted flakes with chocolate syrup, gummi bears, and and chocolate milk, I chose this crazy concoction: Hemp granola, peanut butter puffins, bananas, blueberries, skim milk, and PEANUT BUTTER. I had no idea what to expect and was a little hesitant about the milk and peanut butter. But, when I saw the prepared bowl, I knew it was going to be okay. In fact, it was a perfect combination of taste and textures: yummy, chewy, creamy, crunchy, gooey, chunky, etc. I know some might consider me crazy, but… so be it. Peanut butter is amazing. If you don’t believe me, it’s okay because I have found others like me: Peanut Butter Lovers.

I’ve gone beyond just ordering it on the weekends. Inspired by my bowl at JuJu and by Diana Takes A Bite’s recipe, I went out and bought some peanut butter. Like Diana, I add the peanut butter to my morning oatmeal breakfast. She has a more developed recipe; I have lazily stuck to adding just bananas and peanut butter - for now. It has made a world of difference on elevating my energy. Also, in combination with the morning coffee, it has quite the thermogenic effect on my body, which is nice because it’s so cold in the morning these days!

JuJu Cereal Bar
1248 Westwood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 474-8571

An Important Day in History

Yesterday, I experienced a plethora of emotions: nervousness, excitement, eagerness, and happiness. I was oozing  with anticipation and shed tears of joy for what is to come in the future. That’s right, today is my 100th post! For the past three months I have put a lot of time into this little internet nugget of joy and am so proud of my commitment and consistency. I raise my glass to my five readers and cheer for many more posts to come!