Friday the 13th Eve

Yesterday was one of the windiest days in LA. When I finally made it home, dodging the fallen trees and sitting through the dead stop lights, I found the power out at home... and most of my neighborhood. I called our local restaurants and they were all closed as well- struck by the same power outage.

I decided this was the omen to finally try Asia- the restaurant we keep passing on Los Feliz; the restaurant I heard was really expensive and just so so. I'm so glad we finally made it. Yes it's expensive but so is Edendale and the food is just a bore. (Although the patio is fantastic for drinks.) We arrived to a somewhat empty restaurant that slowly filled as neighborhood kids realized the power wasn't coming back on.

Our server guided us through the menu and was friendly and honest with his suggestions. He suggested the seared tuna as an appetizer but said to get the sauce on the side. We ordered it and it was amazing. The tuna was some of the freshest I've had and seared perfectly.

Seared Tuna with Mustard Yuzu Sauce


For entrees Hubbie had the special of the night- a filet mignon with lobster in a pinot noir sauce, and I had the garlic salmon. Both were unbelievably tasty and with beautiful presentation. The pinot noir sauce was tart- not the usual sweet I'm used to. The salmon was delicious but it was swimming in sauce. The waiter warned us they were heavy-handed with the sauces so I expected it. However, my salmon was cooked perfectly and the haricot verts that accompanied it were crisp and yummy.

Filet with Lobster and Pinot Noir Sauce



Garlic Salmon


Our waiter was more than knowledgeable about the wine list and suggested a great Pinot. He was friendly and helpful to us first-timers. Prompt service and didn't rush to ask us if we wanted dessert. All in all a great experience.

When we got home at 10pm we saw we still had no power. In a cleaning frenzy I threw out all our half burnt candles so we were left with a flashlight, one scented candle and my Menorah with Channukah candles.

I did what any Jew would do. I had Hubbie light the Menorah and we had Channukah in April. Thanks Bubbie!

Our trusty Menorah


Kitty is still in his cast so all he wanted was to cuddle. Hubbie, our neighbor Cranky John and I had a lovely evening just chatting. No TV, no computer, no clocks, no lights. Just the glow of the Menorah and the comfort of friends. Maybe the blackout wasn't so bad. Maybe it's the city's way of bringing us together?

Hubbie & Kitty, relaxing in candlelight.

Mi Abuelita

To celebrate Easter, Bubbie took us out to eat to El Coyote. You know,
Christ's last supper was the typical Seder fare. Brisket, matzo ball
soup, veggies with horseradish dip, dried out sponge cake etc. Pretty
dull considering it was his LAST MEAL ON EARTH. I bet if given the
choice he would have asked for tacos and margaritas!

Well, that's what I would have asked for anyway.

Not to brag or anything, but how many of you out there have had margaritas
with your 85 year old grandmother recently? (chirp chirp...) Well I have!

There are so many days when I'm frustrated with her because I have to
stop mid-story and explain what the world wide web is, or scream, "AMEX! AMEX!! WE'RE SHOOTING AN AMEX COMMERCIAL! NO, NOT FEDEX, AMEX
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!" because she refuses to wear her hearing aid.
But truth be told, she is still pretty feisty for her age and I get a
kick out of knocking back the sauce with her. (And she picks up the tab!)

Unfortunately the rest of my weekend wasn't as fun as cocktails with Bubbie. Tragedy struck Kitty and he ended up spending the night at the animal hospital. He had a dovetail stuck in his paw which resulted in an abscess. The vet removed the dovetail but inserted a device to drain the abscess, leaving poor Kitty in a cast all the way up to his shoulder. To make matters worse, the padding and gauze on the cast make his front leg about two and a half inches longer than it should be, causing him to walk on the three good legs and drag the bum front-right paw BEHIND HIM. You can just see the embarrassment on his face as he hobbles around like a pirate with a wooden leg. Not exactly the graceful Mr. Mistoffelees-like cat that he usually is.

Anyhow, we're taking good care of him and making sure he gets the R&R he needs. Now, if I could just get some for myself!