Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Dinner at Little Dom's
The atmosphere and design of Little Dom's is fantastic but the food selection is limited and the execution less than exemplary which would be understandable but not when you have the gall to charge $8 for a side of fried potatoes.
It's over priced, over rated, and over saturated. I think I still have grease from my meal seeping out of my pores, I don't know that I've ever had that much oil in one meal.
The service is off as well. Our server was too aggressive when she was attending to us and would then disappear for long stretches of time.
The whole place seems out of balance. It reminded me of Olive Garden attempting to be Jones.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Young@Heart Documentary Review
Think of the Young@Heart chorus as the world’s oldest and coolest cover band. Comprised entirely of senior citizens in their 70’s through 90’s, they’ve been rocking audiences around the world since 1982 with an eclectic musical repertoire that includes The Ramones, Jimi Hendrix and The BeeGees. The chorus now stars in an eponymous documentary (opening April 9th in limited release) which chronicles the preparation for their newest show, buoyantly titled “Alive and Well”.
In October of 2005, director Stephen Walker was introduced to the group the night they performed in his native
His got his answer moments later as the lights dimmed, the chorus rose and launched into a remarkable interpretation of the Talking Heads song “Road to Nowhere”. He was instantly struck at the resonance the music carried in the hands of the singers. That initial impact can be seen throughout the film as
“I Wanna Be Sedated” takes on a whole new meaning when given the MTV overhaul then setting the video in a nursing home and featuring a man confined to a wheelchair rolling down the putty colored halls singing lines like: “I can't control my fingers, I can't control my toes”. It’s funny and sad, shocking and endearing.
“Young@Heart” begins with “task master” musical director, Bob Cilman, introducing the first song they’ll be learning for the show; “Schizophrenia” by hometown heroes, Sonic Youth. If you’re unfamiliar with the sound of the band, it should be noted that they are considered one of the great “Noise Rock” groups of all time. Remember when your parents used to scream for you to “Turn that racket down!”? This was the music they hated hearing and it gets a mixed reaction from the chorus, some tapping toes and bobbing heads, others plugging their ears.
Considering that almost all of them contend that they love “Classical [music] with Opera on top”, they’re pretty good sports. Even when they dislike a song or struggle along the way, you can see their passion for music and the desire to try anything new. As one cast member says, he joined the chorus to “broaden [his] horizons”…He’s 86.
But struggle they do. If you’ve ever tried to teach someone over the age of 50 to text message, you’ll feel enormous swells of sympathy for Cilman. You think getting a 60 year old to type “c u soon” is difficult? Imagine teaching musicality, rhythm and lyrics. It makes programming the VCR look easy. As a musical director, Cilman is tough, even harsh on occasion. He isn’t a hand holder and doesn’t treat the seniors with kid gloves or pander to them like children. He demands the best from them and they strive mightily to deliver while you find yourself gripping the arm rest, silently praying that lyrics won’t be forgotten. Who knew James Brown was such a beast to master?
The films emotional resonance comes from the knowledge that everything is finite. No one wants to be reminded of their mortality but there’s no way to shy away from it when you’re watching a film comprised of a group with a median age over 80. One of the most poignant scenes is during a performance inside a prison. Time is a cruel mistress. For some it moves too fast, for others, too slow and here you see the brutality of that reality at its most blaring.
Truth be told, I haven’t cried this hard in a film since “E.T.”, however, the threat of death is the best reminder of life and “Young@Heart” ultimately inspires you to live every day fully and passionately. They may be old, but they’re still rocking.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
My Date From Hell
Dating Sucks!
When did men decide that being dismissive and rude was endearing? These days, dating can seem as antiquated as a pay phone but we still have to do it and I’ve been noticing an intense devolution of the men out there.
Case in point: Brian, Date from Hell,
Brian’s name has not been changed to protect his “innocence”. Hopefully he reads this and learns a valuable lesson about how not to be a tool. His last name isn’t withheld either, I never took the time to find out what it was.
Here’s the brief back story.
Brian and I met at a bar around
Gentlemen, please, NEVER wear a dress shirt that has been screen printed, embroidered or bedazzled. Nothing screams Bridge and Tunnel Euro-Trash quite like an embellished button down so you know this boy was cute as hell if I was willing to ignore what he had going on below the neck.
Back to the action! We’re kissing in the middle of the club (tacky but fun) but my friends wanted to leave (don’t they always just as things seem to be going well?). He asks for my number which I happily pass along and that was that. I figured it was a fun little Friday night memory. He was an adequate kisser and looked like Lillo Brancato from “A Bronx Tale” who I had a huge crush on in high school, it was a perfect little tidbit for me and my girlfriends to giggle about.
Then Sunday evening rolls around and I get a text from him asking me out. Yes, ladies, a text, which was fine with me since this obviously wasn’t going to be a guy I’d marry but he might be a nice little booty call until something better came along. He asks me out for Wednesday and I’m thinking, “It’s so on! A little dinner, a drinky-pooh and we can totally do the do!”
Wednesday afternoon, I’m waiting for the pre-date text to make sure we’re still on. And I’m waiting and waiting and waiting. I took a poll and most of the women (and men) I spoke to had the same cut off time for the “Just checking in about tonight” text:
The angel on my shoulder says, “Forget this guy. I’m gonna get a burrito and watch
I meet him at a bar near his place on the other side of town, partially because I didn’t want him to know where I lived but largely because his lazy ass didn’t offer to meet somewhere half way. I walk in and he’s sitting in the back looking cuter than I remembered (holla!). He hugs me and says, “I’ve been waiting for ten minutes.” Not in a cute, joking I’ve-been-so-excited-to-see-you way but in a I’ve-been-waiting-and-I’m-annoyed way. Red Flag number three. I’m starting to fear I’ve wasted gas and a good wax.
He’s drinking something and I asked what it is, “Vodka soda” he grunts. “That’s what I was going to order” I smile.
Silence! Crickets!
He’s facing the bar and there are TWO waitresses within ten feet of us while the bar is maybe one foot past them and he never offers me a drink. Not then, not later, not at any point. Klassy! Apparently he was unable to form the words to offer me either a drink OR a compliment. No “You look nice”. Nothing! I remained parched and largely unnoticed for the rest of the evening.
I sit down in a long booth and he takes a seat…about four feet away from me. “Why are you sitting so far away?” I ask. “This was where I was sitting before you got here and I’m comfortable.” Awesome! He’s sullen, crabby, and apparently unable to make eye contact while sitting far enough away from me to convince me I have bubonic plague.
Over the next 17 minutes this is what I learn:
-He’s an “actor” who works as a flower shop delivery guy two days a week. Just say you live off your parents and have no career and save the energy.
-He thinks telling me my breath smells will inspire me to fall madly in love with him…it doesn’t. It makes me want to kick him in the nuts.
-Despite the fact his father passed away a few years ago, he proclaims he doesn’t believe in memories or photographs. “Every moment is perfect. I live in the perfection of now,” he tells me as I silently dry heavy, “Holding onto the past is a waste of the now. What do you do when you eat something that tastes bad?” he asks me. “I spit it out” I answer. “DON’T! Taste it! Experience it! You need the bad moments to appreciate the good,” He proclaims sounding like a bad acting teacher or a Scientology reject. “No, I don’t,” I explain, “I REMEMBER what bad tastes like so I don’t make the mistake of eating it again,” I say, ironically, since you could insert the word “date” where the word “eat” is and maybe he’d see I’m talking about him!
“I just know myself really well,” he says (something no one under the age of 50 should ever say) “I don’t want to talk about me anymore.”
This is the moment, Men, where you’re supposed to say, “Let’s talk about you”. He doesn’t. He finishes his drink and says, “I’m thirsty.” "Me TOO,” I practically bark. “I don’t want something alcoholic though.” “Just a little somethin’ to whet yur whistle?” I’m so thoroughly over him, I don’t even try to mask the sarcasm. Then he starts staring at me. “What? Are we having a staring contest now?” I ask. “Do you want to have a staring contest” he counters, taking a wild stab at being sexy...and missing. Now that I feel like I’ve walked into The 40 Year Old Virgin, I’ve had enough.
“Since you don’t want to talk about you, let me tell you something about me,” I say, reaching into my bag and pulling out the two condoms I brought with me on the off chance Brian actually had game. “Just so you know, you totally could’ve fucked me tonight but you’ve played this so badly, I’m gonna go.” “Are you serious?” he asks, stunned. “Oh yeah,” I smile, “and the next time you invite a girl out, you should actually try to get to know her and not treat her like a piece of furniture.”
With that, I grab my bag and I’m out the door.
Not two minutes later I get two text messages. “Wow :)” and “Thanks for meeting me.”
I delete his number from my Blackberry.
An hour and a half later I get a third text: “The next time you meet a guy just to have sex, you should come right out and tell him, don’t beat around the bush.”
I didn’t respond; he wasn’t worth it. Besides, I was too busy wondering why he was living in the perfection of a moment that had happened almost two hours ago.
Like I said; Dating Sucks!
Friday, March 28, 2008
"Jack and Jill vs. The World" Movie Response, EWWWWWW
I just finished watching a screener of "Jack and Jill vs. The World" starring Freddie Prinze Jr. and Taryn Manning, written, directed, produced and co-starring Vanessa Parise, a woman who is obviously looking to launch her career by tackling a feature all by her lonesome and doing a remarkably bad job of it. Her film can only be described as the longest 89 minutes of my life.
When Freddie Prinze Jr, looking bloated and worn out while trying to do his best Patrick Bateman (and failing), is the best actor in a piece, you know you're in trouble. Taryn Manning is desperately trying to recreate Drew Barrymore but comes across as utterly charmless and vacant.
As far as writing goes, I think my favorite lines were, "I come from an island. The island of heart surrounded by the sea of intuition" or "Boingo, boingo! Time to be a mommy!!!" Anyone who would knowingly scribe those lines and then, even more sinful, direct the horrendous performances that accompany them (and they're even worst when badly acted) should be ashamed of themselves (yes, Vanessa, I’m talking to you).
The film is riddled with holes and contrivances. For example, how does Manning’s character find her way to the roof of the executive building she has no business being in? I get it, she has to meet Prinze somehow but come on! And then, to illustrate her wild child-ness, she drop kicks her phone off the roof and onto the congested streets of
Ohhh, and did I forget to mention this reheated Love Story is boy meets girl, girl inspires boy to buy free trade coffee and leave his six figure a year advertising executive job because that’s what righteous people do (again, riiiiight), girl reveals she has cystic fibrosis…STOP! Hold the phone! Is that supposed to make up for the bad acting, heinous direction and sophomoric writing? She’s got a tragic and terminal disease?!?!? Well, it doesn’t. It almost becomes laughable and should greatly anger anyone whose life has been touched by the disease which is awful and painful and tragic and not something to be trotted out for your shlocky script. If Parise’s family or life has been affected by the disease, she should have written about it in her journal, not used it as a dramatic device in a film that will rot on a shelf if there is any justice in the world.
The film is excruciating on every level; writing, acting, directing, even wardrobe (apparently free spirits need to wear odious amounts of pink). This is the kind of flick that gives independent filmmaking a bad name.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
"Stop Loss"-Movie Response
After ogling the online trailer for nearly five months, I finally went to a screening of "Stop Loss" last night. All atwitter knowing a bevy of beautiful, shirtless men were awaiting me, I felt like a kid in a candy store.
Sure, I care about the issues as much as the next girl but, come on, we all know the majority of ticket sales on opening weekend will come from people excited to watch the scrumptious Channing Tatum cry while being both tender and masculine or see Mr. Newly-Single-and-Ready-to-Mingle himself, Ryan Phillippe, strut around half naked caressing a shotgun. Let’s just call a spade a spade.
The film is Kimberly Peirce’s follow up to “Boys Don’t Cry” and it was ten years in the making. Her brother chose to enlist after 9-11 and was sent to
“Stop Loss” follows a group of soldiers as they finish a tour in
It has all the makings of something truly great…but it falls short.
Kimberly Peirce loves to create a world and then let it suffocate you. She did it with “Boys Don’t Cry”; she does it with “Stop Loss”. She never allows the audience to feel the emotional resonance of a situation because she lets her actors feel it for us. Worse yet, there are no layers, no subtlety. From the moment the film starts you’re driving toward a brick wall at 90 miles an hour and you just sit there waiting for the crash tensely. There was never a moment in “Boys Don’t Cry” when I wasn’t anticipating a horrific, violent murder. I understand that soldiers live in a constant state of PTSD inducing terror and adrenaline but this is a film and I want an emotional experience.
On more than one occasion I felt like I was watching a remake of “Varsity Blues” but take out football, insert
Luckily, Channing and Ryan are as stunning as you might hope and Joseph Gordon-Levitt continues to define himself as The One to Watch, not just because he stunning and looks like a young Keanu Reeves but because this kid will continue acting for decades and deserves the roles Ryan Gosling gets.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Let’s Do a Can-Can: It’s Crepe Time
Ahhh, the French. We can thank them for Brigitte Bardot,
Just off Sawtelle (and around the corner from the nefarious, sub-par Crepe Nazi with all his stupid rules at Crepes To Go) is a lovely and talented Frenchman awaiting your arrival, griddles toasty, spatula in hand. Both owner and crepe master, he takes and makes your order while you settle into one of the six small tables, three inside, three outside, which, luckily, have yet to be overrun.
Everything about Crepes Dusigne is slightly truncated; the menu is succinct, seating is limited and the wait for your order to arrive is mercifully short. Well, almost everything. When it comes to delectability and portions, they invite you to indulge.
The menu is simple but perfectly executed. Offering both sweet and savory crepes, your choices are limited to the best options.
Traditional savory buckwheat crepes, served with a small, undressed side salad, come with your choice of cheese, egg, ham, turkey, smoked salmon, sundried tomatoes, mushrooms, artichokes and spinach. That’s all they serve and, in truth, that’s all you need.
You can vie for zen bliss (just gimme the cheese!) or load up on what they call “The Works” (everything on the menu in one delightful crepe bursting at the seams with yumminess), it all depends on your mood and the vastness of your appetite. The Works offers a different flavor experience bite to bite as you unearth a treasure trove of flavors; turkey and sundried tomato on one forkful, artichoke and spinach on the next. Smoked salmon, cream cheese and capers are a stellar combination bringing together oozing cheese, meaty smoke and a poppy, tart punch. The towering flavor of two little choices, Ham and Cheese, transports you from the congested whir on Olympic to a far flung Arrodissement where accordion music wafts around you and people wear berets. Oui, oui!
Sweet offerings are equally simple and divine. Sugar (regular or with lime), chocolate, jam, Nutella, banana and Grand Marnier crepes are served with whipped cream before being drizzled with melted chocolate and powered sugar.
Sugar crepes arrive with caramelized sugar and melted butter filling the slightly sweetened thin pancake and leaving you wondering if eating a second order is bad…or bad in a good way. Classic Nutella meltingly gives way as knife and fork dive into the hazelnut goodness sending a bit of the scrumptiousness out from under its pillowy retreat and occasionally forcing a finger-to-plate-to-mouth situation. Manners be damned! We’re Americans, who cares how gross we look? This stuff is good and it would be a sin to waste even a morsel!
Crepes Dusigne succeeds in the details; the little chocolates served with freshly brewed coffee, the quality of ingredients used, the fact that the owner offered a complimentary plate of sweet crepes after noticing my enthusiasm for his restaurant (and he never knew I was there to research a review). With prices starting at $3.25 and topping out at $8.00, one wonders why anyone would bother with a plane ticket when there’s a plateful of
11301 W. Olympic Blvd.
#125
310.473.0903
Tues-Thurs:
Fri-Sat:
Closed Sunday and Monday
Besides crepes, my other favorite French food is a great Nicoise Salad but I rarely have the time or ingredients to make one so I created a recipe for a quick, easy, low fat, high protein, low carb one. It’s great to throw together in the summer and keep in the fridge for a fast lunch or snack and the tastes intensify the longer you allow them to macerate. Just save the romaine for last or else the leaves get too soggy.
Quickie “Nicoise” Salad
Serves 2
Salad-
1 cup French (small and thin like all things French) green beans, trimmed
1 can water packed, dolphin safe tuna, drained
½ cup English cucumber (skin on), diced
10-12 cherry tomatoes, halved
6-8 Nicoise (Kalamata is a fine substitute) olives, pitted and halved
2 Tablespoons fresh basil, julienned (there is no substitute for fresh)
1 head Romaine lettuce, torn into bite sized pieces
Dressing-
4 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons honey, maple syrup or brown sugar (not all three, just pick one to act as a sweetening balance)
1 clove chopped garlic
4 Tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
- Place green beans in a large, microwave safe bowl.
- Microwave green beans on high for 45 seconds.
- Add tuna, cucumber, tomatoes, olives and basil to green beans. Mix well and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine vinegar, mustard, and either honey, maple syrup or sugar and garlic. Mix well.
- Add olive oil in a steady stream until mixture is well emulsified. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add vinaigrette to tuna/vegetable mixture and check seasoning.
- Arrange torn romaine leaves on two plates and top with tuna mixture.
- Enjoy!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Lou: Really? This is What All the Hype Was About?
Small plates, hard to find, non-descript locale and a rave winning dish called “Pig Candy”? What foodie isn’t intrigued? If you’re cool enough to have heard about Lou, the new semi-organic-wine-bar-meets-pseudo-tapas outlet in a slightly ominous strip mall on Vine, you’re cool enough to know, it ain’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Bypassing tried and true favorites Tere’s and Mario’s Peruvian, you’ll come to the intersection of
Step inside and you’re instantly transported to a mecca of claustrophobic cool. The design is excellent beyond reproach with splashy Warhol-esque curtains blotting the outside world, birch tree wall paper, low light and books on wine resting in cubes behind the bar. One long communal table (a seeming prerequisite for all new tapas restaurants these days) is surrounded by smaller tables for two or four on either side. Get ready to smush and don’t talk about anything you don’t want your neighbors to hear about. I was practically the third wheel on a first date taking place to my left. A trip to the bathroom feels like you’ve been let out of a cage, there’s suddenly so much room you almost don’t know what to do with yourself.
They don’t take reservations so the wait can be long but the wine list is well executed, researched and descriptive. Word to the wise, at all costs, avoid the Organic Beer! Don’t let the bartender trick you! Even a die hard microbrew lover would be hard pressed not to spit this swill directly on the floor. Wine really is the focus here with 35 options available for two ounce tastings, by the glass or bottle and Tuesday Flight Nights.
Once seated, the menu offers a selection of “Snacks”, “Salads”, “Cheese and charcuterie”, “Supper” and “Dessert”. Here’s the conundrum: Are they serving small plate tapas or dishes that are meant to be a meal? At the prices listed ($6-10 for snacks, $8-12 for salads and $12-19 for supper) I expect a dish that will serve as a meal. At Lou, sadly, I’m mistaken. Luckily, the food is largely delicious if unbearably overpriced.
Pig Candy, their claim to fame, is bite sized pieces of Niman Bacon, coated in brown sugar and cayenne pepper before being baked to a crisp, sugary finish. My two companions were reduced to blathering fools they were so disarmed by the tastiness. The menu at Lou changes based on the availability of ingredients from local growers and the popularity of dishes but Pig Candy is a year round fixture and their crowning achievement.
The Savory Tart with Wild Mushrooms, Green Garlic and Goat Cheese served with a lightly dressed (but too heavily salted) Frisee Salad is delicious, accented by the different notes each mushroom sang. Some are meaty, others smoky, others nutty. Mixed with the creamy goat cheese and thin yet toothy crust, the only complaint is finishing the dish in four bites and yearned for a second helping.
Warm Salad of Farro tossed with wilted Pea Tendrils, Roasted Winter Squash, Dried Cranberries and Roasted Hazelnuts, served with Blue Cheese Smeared Toast gives a new understanding of why the Romans considered this grain a feast. Robust and satisfying yet still clean and light, there is a perfect balance in each bite.
Niman Flat Iron Steak with Bistro Potatoes and Wild Arugula was another stand out and seemed to be the most popular dish of the night as plate after plate was seen exiting the kitchen. The steak is sauced with a light, sweet au jus, arriving medium rare, pink and tender with a surprisingly snappy outer crust. Bistro Potatoes are divine though also overly salted.
Lou is somewhat uneven. This is a wine bar after all and sometimes the food seems like the bastard stepchild. When bread was requested, it arrived stale and without butter. When butter was served, it came in foil wrapped pats, a la IHOP. Potato Leek Soup tastes like it came from the Pavilions across the street, the charcuterie plank was less than inspired and there seems to be a heavy reliance on both Frisee and Baby Arugula. Worst of all, only ten minutes after the hefty bill arrives, you might find you stomach growling. Luckily there’s a donut shop next door and Tere’s is only a block away. And you can still tell the cool kids you ate at Lou.
Lou
Mon-Sat:
323.962.6369
Here’s my rendition of the best dish Lou is currently serving:
Farro Salad
2 cups Farro, rinsed and drained (Brown Rice can be substituted)
5 cups water
1 package “Fresh Harvest Medley” from Trader Joe’s (or 3 cups of any combo of winter vegetables: yams, butternut squash, turnips, brussel sprouts, pumpkin, etc)
½ cup nuts (hazelnuts, pinenuts or walnuts are all good choices)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup mixed dried cranberries, tart cherries and golden raisins
2 cups arugula
1 ½ tablespoons toasted walnut oil (or more olive oil)
Salt to taste
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Combine farro, salt, and water in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the farro is tender, 45 minutes to an hour.
3. Remove from heat, drain any excess water, and set aside.
4. While the farro is cooking, toss vegetables, nuts and thyme with olive oil and salt to taste.
5. Arrange in a single layer and roast until golden, about 25 minutes.
6. In a large bowl gently toss all ingredients with additional oil. Test for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
7. Enjoy!