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

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

Father’s Office I

Last week my roommate and I went to Father’s Office in Santa Monica. Surprisingly, it wasn’t crowded at all. We ordered our drinks and sat down at a table. My Father’s Office drink is usually the Grimbergen Blonde, but they were out of it. I ended up getting the always delicious Saison Dupont. My roommate got a Duvel.

We ordered some sweet potato fries and the olives. Their sweet potato french fries are the best in the city; crispy and seasoned perfectly. I am a sucker for Father’s Office olives because they mix various olives with Moroccan spices. I love them.

We split the Father’s Office burger. It’s not the best picture, but seriously this burger doesn’t need my praise to succeed in life. It’s the tops.

Just know this:
1. It’s usually always packed and there is limited seating.
2. No substitutions on the burger. I suggest the Counter if you can’t handle life without substitutions.
3. The Father’s Office 2 in Culver City is better because it is bigger and serves cocktails.

Father’s Office
1018 Montana Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90403
(310) 393-2337

September 5th, 1983

300 months (788,923,149 seconds) ago I was born.

How I am celebrating (not all in one day):

Osteria Mozza - Nancy Silverton, Mario Batali, and Joseph Bastianich’s restaurant

Red Lion Tavern - German beer garden

The Edison - 20s themed bar/lounge

Hopefully also: Father’s Office, Hungry Cat, and Scoops!

Kitchen 24

My boyfriend and I recently went out to the much talked about Kitchen 24, a cute little restaurant in Hollywood. It gets it’s name from the fact that it is conveniently open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The menu covers everything: breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and booze. I had heard about them through a friend dining there for breakfast. They said it was wonderful, and when I looked at the menu, their breakfast certainly sounded appetizing. However, you will see below that I did not order the breakfast, but opted for a salad. I know, a little boring, but I’m on a journey to find the best salad in Los Angeles.

I was excited to order one of their many crazy cocktails. I was a little disappointed that vodka took over the majority of the recipes (was really in the mood for gin). However, this does not mean I was disappointed with my decision of a Verde Verda: muddle strawberries shaken with Basil & Veev served refreshingly on the rocks with a splash of soda. For those of you that don’t know, Veev is the first açaí spirit. Açaí (pronounced like “a-sigh-ee”) is a fruit that grows atop a certain variety of palm tree in the rainforest (the same tree that produces hearts of palm). This little berry is a powerhouse of antioxidants (yes, even better than pomegranates), making it a great fruit to eat. Veev is a pretty green company and for every bottle that you buy, they donate a dollar to the Brazilian rainforest, directly benefiting the farming communities that harvest the berries. Their organization is carbon neutral organization, partnering with the company ClimateClean to offset their carbon emissions. They are also the only distillery in America that is powered by renewable wind energy. Kudos to you, Veev! The recipe that Kitchen 24 used to make mine was crisp and clean in taste. It was only slightly sweet, definitely not as sweet as I expected it to be with the spirits and the fruit.

For dinner, I ordered the Salmon BLT Salad: grilled salmon, tomatoes, mixed greens, applewood bacon and potatoes, with a bacon buttermilk vinaigrette. I am new to eating salmon on salads, and usually prefer to have it alone and separate. I never would think to place bacon and potatoes on it either, but it worked so well that I might have to try it at home. I think the dressing made it go from just a good salad to a great salad. I also ordered some sweet potato fries for the table for comparative purposes. The fries at Kitchen 24 were good, but only came with ketchup. I do not think that sweet potato fries and ketchup pair well, but I am sure someone out there does. I strongly believe that F.O. and The Counter have the best sweet potato fries. They seal the deal of being best by including some type of sour cream spicy dipping sauce specifically for their fries.

Overall, the food is good and probably tastes even better at 2am after a night of drinking. It is in a perfect location to pick up the hungry drinkers too, being just down the block from Citizen Smith, Beauty Parlor, and many other bars. It is very small, so I assume that it can become quite cozy after last call, but probably well worth the wait.

Note: I have just started my journey for the best salad in Los Angeles. Until I have tried a good number of salads, I cannot decide as to yet which salad ranks supreme in my book.

Kitchen 24

1608 N Cahuenga Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028

Get Directions(323) 465-2424

The Best Way to End the Day of Your First Half Marathon

After running a half marathon, walking around Balboa Park, eating a large quantity of amazing food, and car ride home to Los Angeles, there was only one thing left I needed to make the day complete.

The Counter

One of the perks of living on the west side of Los Angeles is that we have the best burgers in the city: Father’s Office and The Counter. Any foodie will agree that these establishments make some amazing burgers. Unfortunately, FO is not open for lunch during the weekdays. Fortunately, The Counter is! And this is where my boyfriend and I went for lunch on Friday. We arrived there at around 11:45am, a little earlier than the lunch rush (which is anywhere between 12-1:30 in Santa Monica, the worst time to arrive being at 1pm), because parking is not always ample, and it sucks to be there when it is crowded and you have to wait to be seated. As usual, it was a great and filling lunch (we had to take most of it home because there was so much food!

The way The Counter works is you can either sit at the counter and be waited on by the bartender/person behind the counter or you can order at the register and sit down and be seated (they might have implemented table service, but I’m not sure). I prefer to sit at the counter. The menu encourages you to make your own burger, but they also have a set menu that includes signature burgers, of which I have never tried. It is not strictly red meat, you can also order turkey, chicken, or a veggie burger. Also, anything can be put on a salad. On the create-your-own, four toppings of your choice are included (if you want to add more you get charged a little extra). Also you can choose one cheese, one dressing/condiment and the type of bun you want for your burger: white, wheat, or English muffin. For side snacks they have french fries, sweet potato fries, onion rings, and fried dill pickles!

This is an ideal restaurant for my boyfriend and I because we have very different palates. He is very simple in his tastes and does not like to try anything new. His order is consistently a turkey burger on a white bun with barbecue sauce on the side. No lettuce, no tomato, no cheese, nothing! My order is constantly changing. On this specific day, I ordered the vegetable burger. These are not pathetic boca/soy-esque burgers, but instead made from scratch with rice, beans, vegetables, and even some cranberries for sweetness. I ordered mine with onion, roasted chilies, roasted peppers, tomatoes, and a Tillamook cheddar (Oregonian cheese, not the Dog Artist). I also chose the spicy sour cream as my side condiment. It is was delightful.

For review purposes (heh, right) I had to order the fried dill pickle chips, and the fifty-fifty fries (regular and sweet potato). The fries are addictive and filling, so I advise moderation because they come out before the burgers and are easy to fill up on fast. The sweet potato fries come with an almost chipotle sour cream (different than the spicy sour cream that I ordered with my burger). It works well with both fries, but definitely pairs best with the sweet potato fries.

I find the fried dill pickle chips to be a clever idea. You can fry just about anything, and you can pickle just about anything, so combining fried and pickled just seems to make sense. At first bite, I was surprised to find that the integrity of the pickle’s crunch is not compromised during the frying process, making them delightfully special. I do not always enjoy or desire pickles, but I will admit that they are little buttons of happiness. They are paired with a sweet and sour sauce, which works well with the pickled taste of brine, vinegar, and dill.

Note: The only other veggie burger in Los Angeles that I’ve tried and compares to The Counter is the vegetable burger offered at Houston’s restaurant.

The Counter

2901 Ocean Park Blvd # 102
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 399-8383