My sole LA celebrity spotting was a whopper. I love Ed Harris, and his piercing eyes are even bluer if that's possible in real life, though sporting a handkerchief and a sun hat, he lacked some of the fierceness of his best roles (see History of Violence, Glengary Glenn Ross and Knightriders).
He will currently be seen in the WW2 drama, The Way Back, with Colin Farrell, which usually spells snoresville for me, but Peter Weir can sometimes be surprising (see Picnic at Hanging Rock). ?br/>
Queen was just massively amazing and sometimes I forget that. A friend's recent trip to Marsaille where he was surprised to encounter this statue got me thinking on their awesomeness again though.
Freddie Mercury and Brian May were particularly spectacular in their ostentatiousness, but the group as a whole was unreal. Any google search will cough up numerous mind bending images. I've posted only a few of the best I've come across over on RC.
Gumbo is the kind of meal I simply don't have the patience to make myself. Fortunately my friend Mike possesses such virtues and is kind enough to share the fruits of his labours. His recipe calls for lots of okra, sausage and shrimp over a heap of white rice. It's spicy, rich and delicious.
Here are some basic recipes to work off of.
I always admire someone willing to change their lives to follow a dream. One of my good friends from elementary school, who I've continued through life with, recently quit her job to attend culinary school at The French Culinary Institute. It's an exciting venture and her new blog Radiogastronomy will track the entire journey and more.
You may not recognize her name, possibly even her face if you've not seen To Catch a Thief (to which I say, really??) and there's little information available about Brigitte Auber to be found aside from her role in Hitchcock's breezy thriller that never manged to make her a big name in the US.
For my money though, and I am sure I'll have resistance, the cranky Frenchy with her boy cut and sideways glances stole the movie right from under Grace Kelly – yes, even with the to die for white frothy gowns, easy rich lady day frocks and the killer ensemble of gold lame panniers.
You could go way worse for an icon of relaxed summer beauty than Brigitte – starting with that haircut that might be just the big change you're looking for? If you don't want to be that drastic, try tying a black scarf around your head, getting a flattering unique one piece, through on some stripes (the seasons easiest way to be cool) and learn to look adorable while pouting.
See all the looks here.
The genre my friend labeled as “pharmacy rock” (the middle of the road radio music that pumps through rite aids the world over) rarely has me exclaiming “I love this song!” But Crystal Gayle's heartfelt romantic rendition of Somebody Loves You is a beautiful exception. It's the kind of song you imagine really good Midwestern or southern girls putting on their plastic pink record players in frothy bedrooms as they wait for their boys to get back to town.
The song was rerecorded by the queen of rasp, Marianne Faithfull in the Brix Picks album Dreamin My Dreams years later.
If you ever need to make a quick meal of cheap ingredients that's sure to give you left overs, this hearty Japanese Rice Bowl is for you. Found on?the Unconfidental Cook, it's a healthy and tasty dish, but one that Jim and I, who boast pretty hefty appetites, could only finish a portion of.
When you were say a Freshman, was there ever an older girl that just simply fascinated you with her effortless cool? That's how I felt about Cally when I first started working next to her in my office. Over the years, we've gotten to know each other and I count her as a friend, but I'm no less fascinated by her. Especially now that she's up and left us (boo) to pursue what's sure to be an amazing career (yay) as the designer of her own line, Kal Rieman.
Cha Cha Chicken has become a common office phrase, embedded in our minds since a coworker first recommended the quirky sounding restaurant in Santa Monica. Our recent trip finally offered the opportunity to eat there and their rich spicy jerk sauce is phenomenal (count this as a bonus restaurant pick of the week).
It was the agua fresca, however, that really drove me wild. Available in mango-guava, watermelon, cantaloupe, lemonade, and tropical iced tea, I tried my friend's watermelon and downed two mango-guavas myself.
Made simply with fresh fruit juice, water and sugar, agua fresca is a traditional Mexican beverage made to accompany the spiciness of food. I'm totally on the look out for this miraculous refreshment here in the city.
We were fortunate to find ourselves dining near the shining sunny shores of Santa Monica and Venice a few times on our recent trip. James Beach is a breezy half outdoors place that serves good solid fish tacos (which they proudly proclaim are featured in I Love You, Man) and refreshing margaritas. The clientele turns a bit gross LA at later hours, but one has to admit that there is some comedic value to watching a fifty year old man sport a tee shirt that reads “You're On My To Do List.”
Cha Cha Chicken is also mostly outdoors (al fresco dining is such a special pleasure when you're deprived of it) and has the best beverage possibly on the west coast (see my drink review) and an excellent homemade jerk sauce that got us all wondering if we could recreate anything close to it at home.
The most luxurious though, but still reasonably priced, was Coast, the airy, downstairs restaurant in the chi-chi Shutters on the Shore hotel. There you can expect to be served some excellent omelettes and grilled bread by the Kathy Griffin of waitresses . The view of the ocean is breathtaking and I had my one and only celebrity siting of Ed Harris there.