100% Thankful, and Definitely Not Dead

Buckle your seatbelts, snuggle up, and settle in for a long one, folks... it's been a while.

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving, Wonderers!  Okay... so I haven't updated since March.  Fine... no big deal... I'm just an awful blogger.  But I am most definitely alive, and not at all dead. 

Perhaps it's because my life exploded in so many ways.  Seriously.  I no longer know which way is up with my life.  I am perpetually exhausted and so tightly scheduled that I needed to buy myself a planner to function as my brain.  There are so many different things going on... both good and bad.  Let's just preface with a little bit of bad so I can get to the good stuff.

Let's start here:  my grandmother died in March.  Not my favorite grandmother (thank goodness), but still, she was my grandmother.  I feel awful for my dad, especially since my evil uncle (seriously, think Hamlet... or The Lion King for you Shakespeare-resistant folk) has decided to sue my family over the estate, which isn't worth as much as the lawsuit itself.  For no reason other than he's an evil SOB.  My mother likes to refer to him as Voldemort, or "He-who-must-not-be-named."  So there's a lot of drama in my house right now.  I hope that is a good enough explanation for why I have not blogged since then.

ANYWAY!  Time for the good stuff!  Drama aside, life is pretty grand.  Yes, I still live in my parents' house... BUT I have two jobs, and I am slowly but surely saving money so that eventually I can FINALLY get out. I am beginning to pick up some of my more expensive... expenses... and soon enough, I may actually be on my own!  Also, I have a tooth again!  A real (fake), un-removable tooth in the front of my face, so I no longer look like Ed Helms in The Hangover.  There was one really horrifying moment when I had a slight case of road rage and I *may* have yelled my flipper out of my mouth (yeah, like a cartoon), so I'm glad to have a tooth that can no longer participate in unauthorized activities like that one.

Things with Boyfriend are good... I may even start referring to him as "F.A.B." as his boss does on her blog.  He switched jobs and now works for the coolest, nicest actress I know.  I get to hang out with one of my favorite 90s icons (who shall remain nameless) every now and again, and she has been more than generous to FAB and I.  She has already treated us to an expensive dinner at The Bazaar (Chef José Andres' shmancy restaurant at the SLS hotel), and I frequently get a lot of swag she doesn't want.  Speaking of FAB, we have officially been together for a little over a year!  I'll have to do a belated anniversary post, because it was pretty romantic and spectacular.  We went to a wedding in his hometown in Missouri this summer, and I met his parents, his sisters, and their respective families.  I also met Grandma.  A positively lovely group of people.  Love 'em all.  In fact, I'm coming home with him for Christmas this year!  This California girl is about to experience a real white Christmas.  I will probably freeze my face off, but my days will be merry and bright, just like Bing Crosby said.

In other news, I have decided on a career path that I am also slowly working my way toward.  Allison Wonderland is about to become MISS Allison Wonderland... that's right... I'm gonna be a teacher!  I already have plans to decorate my future classroom with an Un-Birthday board, Catapillar's smokey word-of-the-day, and you can bet your butts I will throw my kiddos an end-of-the-year Mad Tea Party.  I may even have a class Doormouse that my kids can take home and journalize about.  Am I the only one who remembers doing this in elementary school?  Take home the class pet for a week (or weekend) and journal about your experiences together?  Usually a stuffed animal or something easy to take care of so you learn about responsibility and improve your writing skills?  Whatever, I'm doing it anyway.

I am currently gathering all my prerequisites and preparing to take a whole bunch of standardized tests.  Turns out tutoring was a really great way for me to discover my second (or third) biggest passion in life... teaching small children.  Specifically not teenagers.  I am currently tutoring three teenagers, and I have come to realize that they are the the spawn of Satan.  Maybe it's just these three, but they are a great reminder of why I would rather teach elementary school.  Just yesterday, one of them (who is now being home schooled after a passive aggressive tantrum in which she failed all her classes and started skipping school in order to get what she wanted... just like her brother did a few months before) asked me if China is a country.  This is a far less rewarding job than when I tutored a friend's seven-year-old in Math... which is now his favorite subject.  Boom.

I love kids.  I really do.  Also I'm good at school... so it seemed like a natural road to take, even if it took me 26 years to discover it.  I'm highly interested in the Teach for America program, and also applying to CSUN if that doesn't work out.  Cross ALL the fingers!

I THINK that'll do it for now.  When I get some extra time, maybe I'll go back to posting more regularly... my Eat Me pile is growing ever larger, and I have a few other big events to blog about, so here's to getting that done.  At least I'll have something to do on my plane ride to the Midwest next month, but until then, eat yourselves into a tryptophan-induced food coma, and have a happy Turkey Day!!!

10 Questions

Since I have a bunch of backed up posts to finish... this is my way of letting you know I'm not dead.

This is from Ashley

1) Favorite Color: Blue-Green.  Mint, Sea Foam, Aqua, light turquoise... call it what you want, they all fall in the blue-green category.

2) Favorite Animal: KITTEHS!!!!  Like the one I befriended this morning... :)

3) Favorite Number: 24.  Birthday.

4) Favorite (non-adult) drink: I like chocolate [soy] milk!

5) Facebook or Twitter? Facebook.  Screw Twitter.  VIVE LA RESISTANCE!!

6) Passion: Food. And theatre. But mostly food.

7) Giving or receiving presents? I love giving presents.  I find several excuses throughout the year to do it.

8) Favorite Pattern: I think I have to go with small polka-dots on this one.  Or maybe gingham.  Or something swirly, like fleur de lis.  Or lace, I like lace.  But let's go with polka-dots.

9) Favorite Day: Saturday.  Because I don't have to feel bad about sleeping in, and I still have one more day to do the same thing!

10) Favorite Flower: Lilies.  Stargazer lilies, specifically.  I like Casablancas, all big and white... but give me big bright pink stargazers any day of the week and I'm a happy camper.

I would tag people.  But I'm pretty sure the only person who would do it is the person I got it from.  C'est la vie!

Eat Me!: Eva Restaurant

Hello Wonderers!  It's time for another edition of Eat Me!

On today's episode, we're going to Eva Restaurant! As I keep saying, my boyfriend really likes to take me out for secret eating adventures.  This time, we were having Secret Brunch.

Sidebar: If you're a little curious as to how we eat such awesome, seemingly pricey food, I can tell you that most of our secret outings have been pre-purchased with a Bloomspot coupon.  It's like Groupon and LivingSocial, and all those other similar coupon mailing lists.  He keeps telling me to sign up with Bloomspot, but I'm resisting because I don't want to be presented with the opportunity to spoil the secret.  That's the best part! 

About the Restaurant
The coolest thing about Eva is the freshness of ingredients.  All of their produce is purchased from the Farmer's Market, and they base their ever changing menu on the produce that happened to inspire them on any given day.  Chef Mark Gold creates fresh, flavorful comfort dishes and always allows the main ingredient to take the spotlight.  His dishes are a perfect compliment to the cozy atmosphere of his little corner of Beverly Blvd. *Note: The restaurant isn't actually on a corner. 

The Food
This particular coupon entitled each of us to an appetizer and an entree, plus (and this is the best part) bottomless mimosas!  Now who can argue with that?

The first thing you should know (if you haven't figured it out already) is that on these outings, we share everything.  He likes to eat, I like to eat, and this way, we can taste more deliciousness and fill up on a smorgasbord as opposed to a single dish.

We started our meal with some really breakfast-y items.  He ordered the yogurt with house made granola, I ordered a bowl of fresh fruit.  I was not smart enough to pull out my camera this early in the meal, so you're just gonna have to trust me on this one.  The house made granola was divine, very cinnamon-y, with a few unexpected elements, such as sunflower seeds.  I would never have guessed that I would want them in my granola, but they were a pleasant surprise.

The bowl of fruit, which included apples, mandarin oranges, melon, and strawberries came with a mint leaf garnish.  I was happy to accidentally discover that it could provide an additional layer to the sweet and tart flavors of the fresh fruits by merely blotting the fruit on the leaf (I used the side of the bowl to steady the leaf for this) a few times.  Also, about half way through my fruit bowl (and more than half way through my first mimosa) I decided to get a little crazy and mix the fruit with the granola and the yogurt.  Crazy delicious.

Look at those eggs... aren't they gorgeous?

Next came the entrees.  I ordered the "Piece of Meat" off the menu, which basically amounted to steak and eggs.  It came with roasted fingerling potatoes and a tomato confit type situation dolloped on top of the piece of sirloin, which had been cooked to rare perfection.  The first thing I noticed on the plate, however, were the eggs.  Two of the most perfect over easy eggs I ever saw on a plate.  There was no sign of browning, and they were stunningly glossy and white.  I don't imagine I will ever be able to cook eggs that look that perfect.  I only ate one, though... 'cause eggs are pretty rich.  The tomato confit was very tasty... I wanted more of it so I could eat it with everything.  The potatoes were so awesome that even though I stopped myself from finishing the whole plate, I still resorted to picking at them (with my fingers) despite my full belly.  I suspect the mimosas are to blame for my less than ladylike behavior on that front.  By this time, I was at least one and a half drinks in...

So much better than Roscoe's!

For his entree, Boyfriend ordered the Fried Chicken and French Toast.  Sort of a modern take on Chicken and Waffles.  Among the cooler parts of this dish was the french toast, which was made with brioche.  If you don't know what brioche is, find your nearest french bakery, buy yourself a brioche bun, and sit your butt down with a butter tab.  If you eat that and don't experience carbo nirvana, there's probably something wrong with you.  Anyway, the fried chicken was sublime.  Perfectly crunchy, and not the least bit greasy.  Plus you get the really great salty/sweet combo ON TOP OF the also incredible crunchy/soft duality.  So yummy!

Eva Restaurant can be located at:
7458 Beverly Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323.634.0700

And just because I love you guys...

After I had stopped eating due to a fierce case of Food Baby, I still had one egg left.  I had intended to take my leftovers home in a doggy bag (either to eat later or share with my parents... whichever came first), but since there's nothing quite as disgusting as cold eggs, I decided to have a little *drunken* fun, and play with the ooey, gooey egg yolk.  I pierced the perfect mound of goo with my fork and watched the yellow lava flow as it slowly rolled down the shiny white hill.  While making conversation with my man, I had been idly twisting my fork this way and that to dispense the yolk-y goodness onto my plate.  I took a breath and looked down for a moment, and to my delight, my romantic secret brunch, had gotten secretly more romantic all on its own:

I can't make this stuff up... but totally "awww," right?

On Behalf of Women Everywhere...

My goodness it's been a while!  I got a little bogged down with things, but I'm back!  Be prepared for a barrage of blogs in the draft folder to come out in the open (moths and all)!

Last week, I read *two articles in the LA Times about the tracks that Rihanna and Chris Brown are releasing together, along with some runoff from the Grammys and the controversy surrounding Brown.  I must say, I found myself fuming.  Not just with Brown (don't get me started on how I feel about him), but with Rihanna as well.

Now, I'm not a huge Rihanna fan to start with.  I enjoy a few of her songs, but mostly... she just doesn't do it for me.  When I heard she was rumored to be getting back with Chris Brown, even after what he did to her, I had to question her judgement a little.  Especially after being so public about the incident in the first place.

For those of you who have not read the disturbing details of Chris Brown's offense against Rihanna, I suggest you do so.  They can be found here.   I think this will help clarify my feelings on the subject.

My main issue with Rihanna is this: if you were going to be as public as you were, why would you get back together with him?  And not only that, but celebrate it for your birthday?  Effectively, you have set the Women's Movement back light years, by showing women that it is okay for your partner to beat you.  Congratulations.  You may say that you understand your decisions are selfish, but admitting it doesn't make them less selfish. 

A word about domestic violence and victims thereof:  it is my understanding that victims of domestic violence have a tendency to go back to their violent partners.  The bond is hard to break, and even worse, their violent partners have in some way (verbally or otherwise) convinced them that they are not worthy of anyone else, so they return because they would rather not be alone.  Or because they've been threatened.  Perhaps I take for granted that I am a strong willed woman who would never allow that kind of behavior to go unnoticed.  Or unpunished, if I can swing it.  Sorry, lay a hand on this girl, and you are dunzo. 

Going back to Rihanna, I suppose I'm disappointed that a woman with such a huge opportunity to speak out against domestic violence chose, instead, to retract all of her public statements by celebrating her reconciliation with her violent former partner.  Actions speak louder than words, RiRi, and you basically just retracted everything you previously said.  Perhaps a more effective use of your publicity would be to join hands with a foundation that fights against domestic violence.  Or start one.

I suppose my bottom line is that despite my less than enthusiastic appreciation for  Rihanna's music, I was thrilled that she was willing to speak out about her traumatic experience, but I am supremely disappointed by her public celebration of her reunion with Brown.

*For the curious... the two articles I read can be found here and here.

A Lovely Night...

Greetings Wonderers, and a happy belated Valentine's Day to you all!

In the event that this year I enjoyed my first Valentine's Day without using a euphemism for something more singles-oriented, I felt it was something so positive that I absolutely must post about it.  And I wanted to have a post or so between Eat Me! posts, which are piling up.

Curly, Twirly, and Very Girly!

So without further ado...

Anyone who knows me knows I am always looking for an excuse to dress up.  Lucky for me, that's something my boyfriend enjoys about me.  And even luckier, he arranges occasions where I can do just that.  For a combination celebration of Valentine's Day and my upcoming birthday, he took me out for a fancy dinner in West Hollywood.  The location was, of course, a secret.  He did at least give me the head's up that it was fancy, when I asked if I "had to wear a nice dress."  Just so we're clear... "do I have to wear a [nice] dress?" actually means "do I get to wear a [nice] dress?"

We had been staying at my godmother's apartment in Brentwood for the weekend for a little bit of much needed privacy.  I had cooked him dinner the night before - several courses, leading up to a manly meal of steak, potatoes, and green beans.  While he was at work the next day, I did the dishes, visited my aunt and Gamma, and dipped chocolate strawberries.  I wanted us to have a special moment alone after dinner with some champagne and the strawberries.  Truthfully I just wanted an excuse to buy - and drink - champagne.

I also spent about two and a half hours getting ready for the evening.  I even managed to successfully curl my hair!  So naturally, I had to take a picture to savor the moment.  I wish I had a picture of the two of us, dressed up all nice, but I don't. :(

I met him at his office, since he didn't get off until half an hour before our reservation.  We stashed his car in a parking garage and were on our way to the still undisclosed location,

Imagine my surprise, when we pulled up to The London Hotel.  I still had no idea where we were going, all I knew was that I really liked the driveway, which has archways covered in ivy.  We valeted the car, and wandered around the entrance before heading to the restaurant.  We walked past a little stand at the doorway which held a menu type flyer and two little words caused my mouth to drop open.  Gordon. Ramsay.  There will definitely be an Eat Me! post about this meal.

I took a picture of the menu because, as I told my man, it may be the only time I ever see the name Gordon Ramsay on a menu.  The meal was quite the marathon, leaving my body and my mouth at war with each other.  My body - now two pounds above the weight on my drivers license for the first time ever, and thereby almost 10 pounds lighter than I was at my birthday last year, thankyouverymuch - was saying "please, no more, I'm going to be physically ill."  My mouth, however, countered with "EAT ALL THE THINGS!!!" For now, I'll leave you with this collage of images, which you will see in more detail later...

Yeah. Eat all the things.

By the time we got back to the apartment, we were both so stuffed that we didn't even make it to dessert and champagne.  We just passed out into a blissful (albeit, slightly uncomfortable) food coma.  In each other's arms.  'Cause, y'know... Valentine's Day. 

Eat Me!: Cafe Bizou

Wonderers!  Good Afternoon, and welcome to the second installment of Eat Me!  I hope you are all enjoying your Superbowl Sundays (perhaps even with Superbowl Sundaes?), but I'm glad to be a happy break between football and commercials.

Today's restaurant up for review is Cafe Bizou.  It was my Gamma's 92nd birthday, and my aunt decided to treat her to a ladies lunch, with my cousin Evelin, her care taker Chris, my mother, and myself.  Since they all live on the westside of LA, we ate at the Santa Monica location -- there are also locations in Sherman Oaks, and Pasadena.  I have never been to their Pasadena location, but I can tell you that the one in Sherman Oaks is considerably smaller in size than the Santa Monica location.

About the Restaurant:
Most of the food on the menu is French Provincial, or French inspired.  There is always a bread basket centered on the white table cloth, along with a small ramekin of butter tabs (yes, real butter) and wine glasses.  The atmosphere is clean, and simple.  Nothing too extravagant, just classic, elegant decor which gives the restaurant a refined, yet comfortable feel.  Dark wood furniture with clean, white tablecloths and napkins.  I always dress to eat there (a little nicer than casual), though it's not necessary at all.  Jeans are perfectly acceptable.

Usually, when I eat at Cafe Bizou, I'm there for dinner, and the menu is a little more extensive.  My regular order is the Rack of Lamb (you will find it on the dinner menu) which is absolute heaven.  I salivate just thinking about it.  However, since I was there for a ladies lunch, I had to make my selection from the lunch menu.

The Food:

Mmm... bread... *drool*

As I mentioned before, there is always a bread basket on the table.  As a girl who struggles with weight maintenance, the bread basket at any restaurant is usually a no-no.  Why fill up on bread when you have lots of other tasty treats to eat instead?  Well, at Cafe Bizou, the bread is so good, it requires little to no butter (though as long as you have real butter in front of you, why pass on the opportunity?).  I remembered only having the french bread in that basket, however, there were also a few pieces of raisin-nut bread, which, if you have the opportunity, you should totally try.  Both breads are delicious, and compliment each other nicely.

Our next course was a salad.  There are two options for salad - the house salad with your choice of dressing, or a Caesar salad, for which you have to pay extra (I believe the extra charge is around a dollar).  I opted for a house salad, with a Honey-Dijon vinaigrette at the suggestion of our friendly waiter, who mentioned the dressing is their most popular.  The dressing didn't disappoint!  Sweet, tangy, and not overpowering, it was a very nice compliment to the lettuce and tomatoes, without covering the taste of the veggies themselves.  Very refreshing!

My Gamma even plated it nicely for me

My Gamma got Tuna Tartare for lunch.  For those who don't know, this dish is deceptively rich.  It's served in quenelles with slices of cucumber, and arranged in a neat starburst on the plate.  The flavor is really good, though since it wasn't the taste I was seeking, I wasn't particular to it that day.  Perhaps on another occasion I would have found it more pleasing, but from the bite I had, it just wasn't my deal.

My mother ordered the Beef Stroganoff.  It wasn't my first choice, but I definitely wished I had considered it more strongly.  More to the point, I wish I had let myself indulge in more of the leftovers we brought home, regardless of the carbs.  There are so many flavors I love on this plate.  The beef is tender and just melts in your mouth, while the pasta adds a textural change.  I typically prefer my pasta to be a little bit more al dente, but the texture of the pasta doesn't deter from the savory explosion in your mouth.   It's hearty, it's warm, the sauce is just the right consistency... delicious.  And yeah, "warm" is a flavor.  So is "crispy".  So there.

So pretty!

As I looked at the lunch menu, trying to decide what I wanted (since my usual order was not available to me) I was torn between the Roasted Balsamic Chicken Breast, the Chicken Pomodori Panini, and the Sesame Coated Atlantic Salmon, which I ultimately ended up ordering.  It was the burgundy wine sauce that sold me.  The potato pancakes are really more like wedges of polenta, but they are a lovely compliment to the salmon, which was cooked to perfection.  Nothing on this plate required the use of a knife, which is great.  The salmon flaked just as it should, and none of the polenta pancakes were so tough that the side of a fork wouldn't cut through them.   The wine sauce was delicious, but, like any wine reduction, it can be a bit bracing on your tongue if you get too much in your mouth without something to absorb it.  I used it to dip a bit of leftover bread as well.  Tremendous.

At the end of the meal, they brought out a complimentary flourless chocolate cake for the birthday girl.  They also brought it out with six spoons so everyone at the table could enjoy some.  It's served on a plate with raspberry coulis and a dusting of powdered sugar over the top.  There is no picture (because I was too busy enjoying it to take one) but you can be sure that it's a winner.  There's nothing wrong with warm, flourless chocolate cake.  But definitely one or two bites is enough... unless you want to go into a chocolate-induced coma.  Can't say I'd mind that...

So, once again, Cafe Bizou did not disappoint.  I recommend it for anyone in the LA area (or even not in the LA area!) looking for some semi-casual fine dining.  Delicious food, great service, lovely atmosphere... and just in time for Valentine's Day, they offer a Prix Fixe menu for the occasion.  Great for a date night!

Cafe Bizou (in Santa Monica) can be found at:

BIZOU GRILL, Santa Monica
2450 Colorado Ave. Suite 1050 W,
Santa Monica, CA 90404
(310)453-8500

Driving...

Last night, I had the most amazing experience driving.  It may have been one of the few times in my driving years that I've actually enjoyed being behind the wheel.  The experience was downright transcendent.

Let me set the scene...

It's Sunday night, around 9pm.  I'm driving on virtually empty streets, store fronts starting to turn their lights off, and I'm on my way to see my boyfriend.  I'm already in a good mood.  Foo Fighters' "Everlong" is playing on my iPod, and all of a sudden I realize I'm hitting EVERY green light!  Not only that, but the music and my driving are synching up in time. 

As the song comes to a close, and I sit, still reveling in the tiny miracle I just experienced, and await the next song to play from the shuffle.  To my amazement, it's The Police, "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic."  Wow.

And it's still playing in time to the speed that I'm driving.  Even the red lights.

Oh yeah, and then I got a prime parking spot at the boy's house.  Suh-weet.

I hope that each and every one of you gets to experience this kind of magic at least one time in your lives.