Clementine and the Ocean (5/6)

Lauren and I tried to go see Nathan Fillion when he was a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Unfortunately the audience was packed and we couldn't get seats. So what did we do? We ate.

And it turns out, we're hilarious! Who needs celebrities?


We decided to go to Clementine, because it was mostly on our way back. Clementine is a sweet little restaurant in the Westwood-ish part of LA with a seasonal menu and food that you can pick up to-go.



Lauren's Monte Cristo-style sandwich with homemade strawberry jam


My asparagus and garlic sandwich with house-pickled cucumbers





This was just before we graduated, and our talk had consisted of exams and study sessions. But Mars shifted its rotation that day and we were both, well, free: neither of us had work, or class, and for one day we didn't worry about finals or papers or being late to anything except dinner. So we drove down the coast.



The air was so warm! The sun set as we headed home, and there was just music and salty ocean air. Anything could have happened and it would've been OK.


It was a good day. Even though we didn't see Nathan Fillion.

Kogi BBQ Truck (4/25, 5/8)

Taco trucks in LA are ubiquitous. Some people say we use the derogatory term "roach coach" because of their dubious sanitation standards, but I'd argue that it's more of a term of endearment. Why else would people shout "roach coach!!" while running toward it with such glee? This city loves its portable Mexican food.

Which is why I found myself standing in this line for almost three hours.


Ladies and gentleman, this is the Korean BBQ truck.

I think it's safe to say most food bloggers/readers have heard of Kogi BBQ, especially those in LA. A fusion of Korean and Mexican food from Korean-American Chef Roy Choi, the truck has amassed a huge online following due to its novel approach to dining: you go to the food, but the food always moves. Diners meet at locations specified on Twitter (@kogibbq), often forming a queue even before the truck arrives, and occasionally work to help the truck find a location where it won't get ticketed.



We finally made the venture when a truck (there are now three, but two at the time) decided to putter over to the Lakewood area. Unfortunately I think this had the effect of drawing every single person from greater Orange County who had previously been hesitant to drive up to Hollywood or Venice, and the line was excruciatingly immobile. We were limited to 3 tacos a person, with no other menu options. After we got our food and left, we found out that they ended up calling over the other truck to come help out and restored the full menu.

Chef Roy himself was gracious enough to walk the entire line himself, offering free peanut butter truffles as appeasement for the craziness. It worked.


First rule of Kogi BBQ: bring beer. Not only will beer greatly enhance your dining experience, it will pass the time in line swimmingly. This explains how I wasn't too bothered by the wait.

This is near the middle of the line. I think I can see the truck from here.




The menu, which we weren't allowed to order from.


Kogi is cash-only and specializes in its $2 tacos--pricier than most taco trucks but a pretty sweet deal. Don't forget the 9.75% tax.




Guillermo ordering in Spanish. Second rule: bring a Mexican. Guillermo was dubious when I explained the food to him, but he changed his mind.




Quiet, intense Chef himself.




We were so hungry by the time we got our foods, I was barely able to snap this. According to the website, every taco is seasoned with "sesame-chili salsa roja, julienne romaine lettuce and cabbage tossed in Korean chili-soy vinaigrette, cilantro-green onion-lime relish, crushed sesame seeds, sea salt and garnished with lime wedge, orange wedge and red radish wedge."


And because I had so briefly glimpsed the food from my weak car light, I went back two weeks later with my dad (in the name of research). I tried to order the kimchi quesadilla, another popular choice, but they were out and substituted with a short rib quesadilla.




Three short rib (kalbi) and one tofu taco. The tofu is perfectly tender and flavorful, but the kalbi steals the show. Meat is succulent with a charred crust, and every bite combines juicy meat with a burst of the Korean vinaigrette and a kick from salsa.


Come to mama.


They recently started dessert specials, which change often. That night was a chocolate chip cookie with sea salt. Good but definitely not worth the $3+.


Verdict: Insanely good. I've been three times so far. The lines are still nuts, but drinking with friends is definitely a good way to have that pass. Leave the desserts for another time; they're way too expensive. Stick with the gold: kalbi tacos are the way to go, and the kimchi quesadilla that I've finally tried is really great. Burritos have egg and hash brown in them, an homage to the quintessential Mexican breakfast burrito.

Whether it's worth the wait is up to you; part of the reason I like it so much is the chance to stand around and chat in a new setting, but it's definitely a bad idea if you need food fast. Bring lots of friends and drive a truck, if possible, hooked up to some good tunes, and tailgate the hell out of that food. For the experience alone it's worth hunting down that elusive truck, that king of roach coaches.

Boston: Day the Last (8/22)

And so we near the end of this epic East Coast journey! Our flight was scheduled for 6 that evening. With almost a full day ahead of us, we chose food.


We walked down Ashley's neighborhood (which was such a pleasant thing to do) to a little place called Cafenation that had shelves of fresh green tea and those tall spindly tables. I got a Caprese-style salad, which I remember being good but I definitely don't remember being worth the $10 I paid for it. It was served alongside a balsamic reduction that was a little too sweet for me.


Lauren chose some apple raisin affair. I ate the red onions and walnuts for her, because I'm a good friend.


Then we split this thing, because we're awesome. Who could turn down a Nutella strawberry crepe?


I can't remember what else we did today, again because I am awesome. So here is a picture of the mushroom soup I got at Au Bon Pain at Logan International:


And with some sweet farewells, we were off!

This is so ripe for Twilight Zone parody. I only wish I were as cool as William F. Shatner.


Los Angeles! How I missed you!


I really did. The first thing we did when we got in the car was pull into In-N-Out. Swoon! Sorry Boston, you can't beat that. But I'll be back, damnit! You'll never escape me! Evil lahahahaugh

La Rondine and Daikokuya 6/28

Photo by Robert Millard/LA Opera

Switched a shift to work 7a-3 so I could get off early enough to go to the opera that night. Originally it was supposed to have been me, Sarah, Graham and Graham's lady, but complications arose when Sarah missed a flight back from Seattle and plans got muddled. I called in Tony and after work, picked up Graham and Vanessa and drove to Santa Monica to pick up Tony. Unfortunately there was traffic (on a Saturday! bla) from the 10 in SM to downtown, but we arrived about 10 minutes late and were seated soon afterward. What with our being seated in the orchestra

[Edit: It's now early October. I'll finish this post for posterity's sake.]

What? Seated in the orchestra? Yeah fantastic seats...assigned to us. They were not the ones we were sitting in, though. Awkwardness ensued when I tried to reclaim our rightful seats, but whatever. La Rondine was beautiful, it was Vanessa's first opera and it was generally acclaimed.

After that we went (as is tradition now, I guess) to Daikokuya. I didn't want to hype it up too much so we stood around silently for the 45 minutes or so until we were seated. Then another twenty before we ate. And oh, was it worth it. The broth had never been so thick, the egg never so flavorful. It was a great meal among friends and the night ended with general goodwill toward the world.

Unfortunately, this was the weekend everything went down. Tony moved out of Lauren's the week after, I think, and I haven't spoken to him since.

DON'T...

BSG: Revelations Screening

Got back from the Envelope Screening Series' screening of the Battlestar Galactica mid-season finale. It was frakking awesome. It's mind-blowing to see this on the big screen, much less in the Cinerama Dome! And for free! Lauren and Tony got there early and snagged sweet spots in line, so I whizzed over after work and we got pretty good seats at the front of the mezzanine. Nice people watching: Kevin Smith was there, as was Ian Curtis from Anthrax, and oh, random others like Ron D. Moore, Katee Sackhoff, Tricia Helfer, Mary McDonnell and the entire BSG writing team!

The episode is amazing and premieres today. Ron Moore made us swear not to spoil anything and I am solemnly adhering to that oath. It was great being that close to the stars of the show and hearing them talk about it. It ended with me being super stoked on that whole gods damn show. Lauren and I got back to her house and left right for "Sex and the City", which was pretty much 5 episodes of the show put to a soundtrack, which translates to amazing!

DON'T...