monkeymay
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Posts posted by monkeymay
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Or just someone who can last in the saddle.
Back to on-topic -
Haven't been to Angeli in ages - article was a good reminder of old favs that are still around to visit.
A friend treated me to a late breakfast at Musso's the other day - eggs benedict, hash browns, creamed spinach and flannel cakes with divinely spicy bloody marys and a pot of black coffee. God it was good! No other place like it in town, especially to be served by a waiter who isn't an actor.
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Jeez, Monkey, you're just as at home hanging with hipsters and pornstars as you are with cowboys in Bakersfield! I wonder which you prefer.
Cowboys, of course -all their equipment's for real.
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Great article, thanks for the link. I'm glad Gold mentioned Fred and Octavio at Flaming Colossus - I was pregnant with my first child when friends of mine ran that space, and the only reason I would go was to eat their food. My husband was part of the group who built the Olive, and we ate their regularly, it was quite the scene. Fred's food was wild and impressive - I remember my husband built him a series of wood trays on which Fred designed a fried potato 'net' which was hung with an assortment of seafood delights. It was very over the top. I've never been fond of Vida, but people still talk about the outrageous food and high times at the Olive. And speaking of Vida, apparently Fred's giving it up to some friends to run as he wants to spend time with his new daughter. It will be closed for a bit. What are all the Eastside hipsters and porn stars gonna do?
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Man, I am so in - did you check out the menu? Buck's chili and 'saddle sore salsa'. Or Dwight's baby back ribs?
And the 'Texas size' chicken fried steak that hangs over the plate! Dwight used to do a line of ready-bake biscuits that were marketed sometime back. I wonder if they sell them there, to accompany the 'seasoned sausage white gravy'? Meet me at the the bar for a slug of Jack - I've got to go polish up my big silver belt buckle right now!
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All right, let's try something more serious as a reply.
I am being serious. If one has spent time traveling and living in remote places around the globe, and found interest in those locals for what they are, why not the same for Bakersfield? Does one look for a Mondrian/Ian Shraegar experience in the Phillipines. Thailand or Africa? If so, then maybe that's missing the experience. Bakersfield IS honky tonk, with a fantastic serious country music scene that defines it's sound by the name of the town itself. It's cowboy for sure, and not too acknowledge that is overlooking what the town has to offer. If it's not her cup of tea, then for three weekends she just might be shit out of luck.
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When in Rome...
I suggest she give in and honkytonk it all the way.
Check into a Motel 6, slap on a Merle Haggard/ Buck Owens record and dig into a chicken fried steak...
breathe in a little of that 'Tulare Dust' and watch the oil wells pump, pump, pump...
Maybe buy herself a new pair of boots at the western wear store ('cause that's what I did - mine are black lizard).
Oh yeah, and a bottle of good bourbon always helps
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Russ, thanks so much, Pete's name momentarily escaped me - I've bought fantastic tuna and swordfish from him. BTW I enjoy reading your stuff in the Times - have you ever done an article on Pete and his dad?
They have a very cool scene with that truck.
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Naw man, he's good. Stuff I've gotten from him was super fresh and he's charming as well, especially if you're a regular. Sure beats the holier than thou attitude at WF.
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Whole Foods has great seafood but their prices tend to be rather outrageous ($14.95 per lb for hailbut tho it was really good). Fish King in Glendale is a wonderful market, and they do have a wider selection including a number of whole fish that they will clean for you, but their prices are not that much less than WF. Have you tried any of the Asian markets? I'm rather partial to the 99 ranch on Sepulveda in Van Nuys. Live lobsters @ $7.99 per lb, they will also cook whatever fish you buy if you like. Other option is the fish guy at the farmer's mrkt in Hollywood on Sunday. He sells out of a lunch truck, with a pretty good selection of super fresh fish (he's located in San Pedro), but you need to get there somewhat early as he tends to sell out pretty fast. He also sells at the West Hollywood farmer's mrkt on Monday at Plummer Park, in case you can't get it together on Sunday morning (like me), to do your shopping. Hope this helps.
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Not drunk really, just a mite peckish...
Came home late last nite after a long double digit day, and realized I was starving as the 4 shots of Chinaco I had at the end of shift started rumbling about my empty belly.
Other food stuffs were available, but this is what was handy-
flour tortilla smeared with cream cheese, avocado, whole tin of smoked oysters, handfull of the not too dead mixed greens left too long in the fridge, topped with pico de gallo. Rolled the sucker up like a burrito, and gave it a few extra shots of hot sauce for good measure.
Not bad, but not enough texture/contrast for me tho I liked the smokiness of the oysters with the avocado and salsa. Next time will try with can of sardines which I usually eat whole on toast rubbed
with garlic and chile.
Giant spoonfull of chocolate ice cream and I was off to bed.
Buzzkill - unknowingly tipped over oyster tin, oil dripped over counter on to floor, first thing I smelled/stepped in this morning in kitchen.
Not nice.
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We're desperate - get used to it.
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Its the Arthur Avenue Cafe & Focacciaria at 2329 Arthur Avenue , with a blue-green awning in front.
Thanks for reminding me, I knew it was something simple like that.
I was there last July during the Fancy Food Show - Antoinette and David's sister were running the place. My friend and I sat outside, drank espresso with Drambuie chasers and listened to the Arthur Ave. monologue that poured forth from Antoinette's mouth. It was kind of like hanging with Catherine Scorsese - very insider old school, very cool, very entertaining! Apparently her other son is an actor who runs with Chazz Palminteri and all the other NY actors from the Bronx hood - he lives in LA and I keep running into people who know him.
That the world is so small freaks me out.
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How does one attach photos. These are awesome. It really captures the flavor of Arthur Avenue. This is probably the market in the US most like in Italy, although it is not quite the Vucciria .
The Vucciria has an entirely different feel than Arthur Ave. Walking down those decrepit steps into an open air market encased in red and orange awnings is another world indeed. The stalls pictured here are most similar, but Arthur Ave. dosen't have whole gutted sword fish on display, and guys with pans of hot lard frying up spleen for sandwiches on the back of a Vespa cart!
I just wish I had something even remotely like either of these fantastic places here in L.A.
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Jason, thank you so much for the incredible pics of Arthur Ave!
Last time I was in N.Y. I took the subway up and spent the entire day on the street eating and shopping. You took pics of every place I visited -including the Catholic supply shop, where I bought some fantastic painted prayer cards.
The produce guy singing Lionel Ritchie had some facial hair when I last saw him, and he had a bunch of his friends hanging out with him who all looked like Howard Sterns' uglier brothers sitting around bullshitting on folding chairs. Two other places of note in the same building as Mike's are a housewares supply where I bought a real proper pan for baking cassatas, and a greensman who sells not only plants but seeds direct from Italy. I bought rapini, raddichio and cavolo nero seeds which are currently growing in my yard.
Also, David Grecos mother Antoinette has a great little coffee/sandwich shop right across the street from the deli, but the name escapes me at the moment. I spent a couple of hours hanging out with her drinking coffee and eating this ricotta/lemon cake she'd made. I gave her my business card, and now I get people who visit me in L.A. telling me Antoinette sent them and she says hi. I love Arthur Ave.!
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That's what my boyfriend said too.
Fortunately it didn't stop him from marrying me.
(Or taking me out to dinner...
he just asks if I'm wearing comfortable clothes ) -
okay, I hadn't decided to confess this, but being good friday and the ex-catholic girl that I am MY restaurant blunder was my own damn fault.
In the days of my not so long ago wild youth I had a penchant for mass consumption of food, alcohol, and various illegal substances. It was one those nites where I had consumed a lot of everything except food. My boyfriend decided to take me to a stylish boite in Beverly Hills to sober me up with a nice meal. I realized I was starving, ate an enormous steak and drank a few more martinis. The fabulous vintage dress I was wearing became really uncomfortable, so I thought I'd put my jacket on and unzip the side of my dress to relieve the pressure. Who's gonna see, I thought. Well, the zipper got stuck on my skin - I couldn't pull it up or down. And I'm completely piss drunk and stuffed and feeling like I'm going to pass out. I'm turning purple. So I start to stumble to the bathroom and grab the waitress, explaining my dilemma. She takes one look at me, grabs a steak knife, and in the waitstation in front of most of the kitchen staff, cuts me out of my dress.
And I've got the scar to prove it.
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We had a group of 25 people roll in for an early dinner and a movie last Sat. A predominately older group in their 60's, they had all taken the subway together, and arrived en masse, for a pre-fixe menu we were serving them.They also bought a dozen bottles of Charles Shaw wine, and cracker snacks in big bags from Costco, to enjoy before dinner and the movie started! They were upset to learn we charged a corkage fee(we dropped it from $10 to $7 for them). We provided plates for all their snacks. They drank water when the wine ran out. They tried to order off the menu. They left no tips for the bartender who intitially opened and poured their wine as they stood milling about munching their snacks. None of them were intentionally rude, but I've never seen a group of more restaurant unconscious people ever.
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Okay, here's the limoncello recipe I use:
10-12 Meyer lemons, well washed
1 quart of vodka (or everclear when I can find it)
2 cups of sugar
3 cups of water
Use a vegetable peeler to remove all the zest from the lemons. If you find you are getting a lot of pith wih your zest (as the Meyers are so thin skinned), simply scrape it off with a paring knife.
Place zest and vodka in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid and let rest for
40 days in a nice dark place.
For the syrup:
Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Let it cool completely before adding it to the vodka. Strain the zest thru a fine mesh strainer, and add the syrup to taste, and pour into a glass bottle. I keep mine chilled in the fridge.
For the blood orange/laurel:
12 blood oranges well washed
2 quarts of vodka
2 fresh bay leaves
3 cups of sugar
4 cups of water
Peel the skin away from the oranges using a knife, and remove all the white pith from the skin and the oranges. Place the zest, oranges and bay leaves in a glass jar and let rest for 40 days.
Make the syrup accordingly, let it cool and add to strained vodka.Pour into glass bottles for keeping.
Two things:
As I see it, making this stuff is a little like alchemy, figuring out what works and is pleasing to your taste. Therefore, you might want to check the flavor of the laurel leaves after a couple of weeks. It is a distinct taste, and I ended up removing two of the original 3 that I had put in. I didn't want it to overwhelm the orange flavor. The flavor profile I have is major orange with an overtone of the laurel perfume.
Second, when you strain the zest, you can push it thru your strainer to get the rest of the oils, but don't be tempted to do it with the fruit.The juice will make it cloudy and destroy the beautiful color.
Instead, use it to make a fabulous screwdriver.
Enjoy!
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Blood Orange Laurel
- 12 blood oranges well washed
- 2 qt of vodka
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 3 c of sugar
- 4 c of water
Peel the skin away from the oranges using a knife, and remove all the white pith from the skin and the oranges. Place the zest, oranges and bay leaves in a glass jar and let rest for 40 days.
For the syrup:
Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Let it cool completely before adding it to the vodka. Strain the zest thru a fine mesh strainer, and add the syrup to taste, and pour into a glass bottle. I keep mine chilled in the fridge.
Make the syrup accordingly, let it cool and add to strained vodka. Pour into glass bottles for keeping.
Keywords: Cocktail
( RG326 )
- 12 blood oranges well washed
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Meyer Lemoncello
- 12 Meyer lemons, well washed
- 1 qt of vodka (or Everclear when I can find it)
- 2 c of sugar
- 3 c of water
Use a vegetable peeler to remove all the zest from the lemons. If you find you are getting a lot of pith wih your zest (as the Meyers are so thin skinned), simply scrape it off with a paring knife.
Place zest and vodka in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid and let rest for 40 days in a nice dark place.
For the syrup:
Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Let it cool completely before adding it to the vodka. Strain the zest thru a fine mesh strainer, and add the syrup to taste, and pour into a glass bottle. I keep mine chilled in the fridge.
Keywords: Cocktail
( RG325 )
- 12 Meyer lemons, well washed
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Awhh, there's always time for liquor...
Liza, which recipe would you like? Let me know and I'll post it.
Gotta run, late for another stupid meeting...
Monkey
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I 'm just finishing up the last of about 20# of Meyer lemons I got from my Dad's tree, which just exploded with fruit this year. So far I have used them for preserved lemons, limoncello, and limone di budino, which is like curd but thickened with cornstarch and flavored with limoncello.There are also quarts of juice in the freezer for making sorbet/granita later on in the season.
I find the peels from the Meyers turn my limoncello bright yellow almost immediately (I use 100 proof vodka). I let mine rest about 40 days, strain and add simple syrup. I 've just finished a batch I'm most proud of -
blood oranges flavored with a couple of fresh bay leaves. The color is absolutely beautiful and the taste is extraordinarily delicious! I've been using it over diced strawberries tossed with a few grindings of fresh black pepper - my new favorite for the first berries of the season.
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No, but my kitchen sports a CD player frequently loaded with mariachi music and (worse) Mexican lounge-singer type music.
We do a combo of mariachi AND classic rock as these are the only radio stations we get in my kitchen.(The CD player part gave up after one too many greasy hands fighting over it).
KLove/Radio Amour is the local fav.
I've been down with Shakira for years before she broke big.
And she goes well with Zepplin too.
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God, I love this couple!
Well played human drama is always a remarkable thing - I've had a few nights like this myself
And I think dinner theater is brilliant.
Has anyone ever been to Medieval Times?
Least favorite:
People with entitlement issues who go out of their way to prove just how f**king special they are to everyone in the place.
Movies/Films with Food-Related Themes
in Food Media & Arts
Posted
Just watched 'Pulp Fiction' again for the umpteenth time. It's food references are copious - $5 milkshakes, le big mac, tasty burgers, blueberry pancakes, coffee and pork discussions . Even the cigarettes Butch smokes are called 'Red Apples'.
Imho, the best, most over the top food film is 'Le Grand Bouffe'. I would love to show 'Bouffe' back to back with Bunuel's 'Discreet Charm of the Bourgeiose'. The first concerns a group that eat themselves to death; the second a group whose attempts at dining are constantly thwarted . My ideal double feature!