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los angeles last week was a first for beef tongue and honeycomb crumbles. (although tempting, not in one meal of course)
it was my son's 14th birthday and being that 14 is the perfect age to not have a care about anything too tweeny to feel like a child or too adult to feel uncool, an adventure in LA fit the requirements. the hubby and the little sister are chefs and the rest of us are bonafide eaters...so we make for good company when it comes to the pursuit of what is worth the pursuit. the highlights:
shakey's in culver city: a huge throwback to the ol' shakeys that used to exist in guam. in fact, i had a very memorable 7th birthday party that to this day, i still gloat about. today it is a lone star steakhouse that i've only visited twice in my life. if only it stayed as a shakey's pizza, i guarantee there would've been many more happy memories to be made. at 7.99 for a lunchtime buffet, we overly-stuffed with the extra crispy pressure-fried chicken and mojo potatoes. you can tell from the acrylic panel accents in front of the old brick walls that they've tried their best to update their aesthetic from a greasy cavernous family restaurant. valerie's confections: this is where the little sis suggested we order my son's birthday cake from, and it was indeed dee-lish. the crumbled honeycomb (the insides of another throwback treat, violet crumble!) is generously shellacked over a very light coffee icing and fluffy chiffon with a hint of lemon. we opted to carry the honeycomb separately so it wouldn't get soggy. hae jang chan korean bbq: it was 16.99 for all you can DEVOUR. you get to choose 4 meats at any time and it was a faux pas on our part for arriving 10 minutes late to our reservation - we were defaulted to the wait list, which took more than 90 minutes! we couldn't help but stay committed when we saw piles and piles of large groups just waiting for their turn. we had brisket, calbi, pork belly, and oh yes, beef tongue! not only was the meat slightly sweet yet fresh...the sauces and salads were just as enjoyable.
there were more than a few digressions in between and outside of the highlights such as: midnight drinks (with the kids in tow) at the beverly hitlon's hotel lobby, truffles and espresso from l'artisan du chocolat , refreshing infused teas from the bird pick in pasadena; a fantabulous haircut from etude lounge in silverlake, indulgent hawaiaan sweet bread french toast from rutt's hawaiian, a leisurely stroll through abbot kinney, and an attempt at andersen's famous pea soup on the drive back to the bay area.
