Proverbial “Carrot”

Incentive.

Fudgy Brownie Cupcake (fudge brownie cake, vanilla bean frosting, and Valrhona cocoa dust)

 
Vanilla Bake Shop
512 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310-458-6644

Santa Monica Classic 10K

The easiest part of this race was the running. It was everything else that made it hard. Correction: Technology made it hard. My shuffle, Shuffley, refused to turn on when the race began. This made no sense to me because I turned it on 30 minutes prior to ensure it was working and that there would be no repeats of Shuffley trouble (San Diego Half Marathon). Shuffley might be a race-ist. Or, maybe Shuffley is just race shy, because Shuffley did not work. Thus, I started the race upset. I tried to focus on the running, but I kept getting distracted and discouraged by the beautiful noises of others. For instance, the lovely woman that took deep, loud, vocal breaths; each time she exhaled, she panted out the words “oh my god.” I was too frustrated to find humor in this situation at the time and only grew more annoyed and conflicted. I couldn’t sprint ahead because that would ultimately lead me to burning out. And I couldn’t slow down because that would compromise my own time. Instead, I distracted myself with random thoughts. Like, what if that dog, that I guess was allowed to be racing, poops on the course. I would definitely be the one that stepped in it. Fortunately, the blasphemous breather disappeared in my dust, the dog never went to the bathroom, and Shuffley finally turned on around mile four. Shuffley’s resurrection significantly increased my speed and mood. I was able to recover some of the lost time and finished the race in under an hour (which means that I ran the race faster than I train). So, yay.

Now… the good stuff.

It has become tradition for my roommate and I to go out to Father’s Office II for post race celebration. After the Santa Monica Classic, I did not think tradition was going to be upheld. Instead, I took a 2 hour nap, went grocery shopping, and lounged around. That is until I got the text message from my roommate asking if I wanted to go out. Of course I did! Here are the highlights:

1. Carafe of Melville “Vernas” Pinor Noir ‘07

2. Rare Yellow Fin Tuna (a special that quickly sold out after I ordered it) - yuzu cherry tomato “ceviche”, shiso, and cilantro sprouts.

3. The Bruery Saison Rue

Recession.

A birdbath alternative.

Homemade Pizza / Recessionizza

I’ve waited days for my cold/bronchitis to go away so I could use the ingredients I bought last week to make pizza. It is now day eight and I’m still coughing, congested, and frustrated. This evening, I decided I did not want to wait any longer.

Even though I love pizza, I do not eat it too often because of health and economic reasons. I usually buy Amy’s frozen pizza to mitigate the health concerns, but afterwards I feel guilty for spending six dollars on such a small frozen serving. Having just opened a Mint account to budget myself, I have become ultra aware of my spending and decided it was time to start making my own pizza. For my first attempt, I kept it easy and used whole wheat pita, low-fat mozzarella cheese, Muir Glen pizza sauce, garlic, fresh farmer’s market asparagus, onion, and kalamata olives (thanks roomie!). Delicious. In the future, I plan to make the dough and sauce myself and also get more creative with the toppings.

Rockenwagner Bakery

So sleepy and cold this morning that I stopped at Rockenwagner Bakery for an Americano. The menu said 2.50, but when the guy said “would you like an extra shot?” I answered yes without hesitation. My mistake. For those of you that don’t know, an Americano is espresso and water. No fancy syrups or milk necessary. You would think it would be cheap, but no. My drink this morning cost $3.52. It’s a decent Americano, but I doubt I will ever buy one from them again. Like the drink, the rest of their menu, composed of pre-prepared food already packaged and ready to go, is overpriced and mediocre at best. Another restaurant on 3rd street that I will never say “hey, let’s go there.”

Houston’s

I recently had an hour to kill at the Santa Monica Promenade. I got a glass of wine and my favorite (unlisted) side dish at Houston’s: the artichoke! It’s one of my favorite vegetables ever and I have found Houston’s to be the most delicious. However, for thirteen dollars a plate, I am willing to try to make it at home.

Houston’s - Santa Monica
202 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 576-7558

R + D

A few weeks ago my boyfriend and I went to the popular Hillstone Restaurant, R + D. I had accepted the fact that this is the latest hot spot on the west side and that we were going to have to wait 30-40 minutes by  embracing it with a glass or syrah as we stood awkwardly around. The restaurant, similar in design and decoration to Houston’s, does not have bar stools around their waiting tables by the window. I ended up unattractively leaning against the table. However, after we checked in with them when 20 minutes passed as they had asked us to, they brought over a pail of french fries to tide us over courtesy of the house. Not too shabby.

Their menu is limited and different than Houston’s (a menu which I also enjoy). My boyfriend and I shared the meatballs (even though the waitress told us the chips and guacamole appetizer was the best; my boyfriend isn’t a big fan of guacamole).

I ordered the seafood speciala of New Zealand Blue Nose Sea Bass. I have never had Blue Nose before, but wanting to get more Omega-3 in my life along with experience a new taste, I took a chance. A delicious chance. This fish is interesting because scientists didn’t start collecting information on it until the 1980’s, so nobody really knows much about it’s history. Which I guess, also makes it not the best time to be eating it because of what little is known about it’s history and population status. Oopsie.

R + D was only offering 2 desserts on their menu. A pots de creme and a carrot cake. The latter is a dessert I do not like, but the former is one that I always seem to enjoy. I also knew my boyfriend would enjoy the chocolate custard texture of it, so that’s what we got. I was surprised at how much my boyfriend liked it for someone that always poo poos ordering dessert. I would happily order this meal again.

R + D Kitchen
1323 Montana Ave
Santa Monica, CA 90403
(310) 395-3314