bang*a*drum, la brea

I drive past this little gem in the city almost every day up La Brea going Northbound off the 10, and was always intrigued by the name - BangaDrum.

After watching MS play with the drum at his friend's place and listening to his interests in drum and bass, I knew that I'd have to check this place out for him. With Christmas around the corner, I was on the hunt for a pretty perfect gift.

As soon as I walked in, I knew that this place was not just a shop that sold drums. There was such life inside. With vibrant colors on the draped walls, with drums of every shape and size, with a sign that hung from the wall that greeted you: "Feel free to pick up & play anything!" The drumming sounds echoed in this spacious store, and I watched with awe as another Angeleno was picking up different instruments and playing them with ease and fun.

I browsed the different drums and asked a very friendly Bennett who helped me pick out a nice String Cajon (TM) Drum from Fat Congas (R). This particular drum is said to have "amazing repetoire of slap, open, snare and bass tones are thrilling musicians from all venues of music with its responsiveness and dynamic tonality." Bennett sat atop one of the cajons while I listened to his beats. I was sold.

Not to mention the Free Drum Circle & Pot Luck Dinners at the store! I may not go to the first one of the new 2006 year on January 14th, Saturday, 7:30pm - 9:30pm, but know that one of these days, MS and I will have to drop in to share in some good eats with some good people and good drumming.

Bang*a*Drum
Street: 1255 S. La Brea Ave.
(between Olympic & Pico)
T: 1.800.495.1109

Hours: T-Sa | 11am-7pm
Closed Su & M
[Private parties available at the store on Sundays]

Smokin' Ribs at Zeke's Smokehouse, Glendale

It's been a little while since I've been to a restaurant and I ordered BBQ baby back ribs - one of my favorites to make on my own. (The next time I grill out, I'll post the recipe on here.) And little did I know that when I went to Glendale last weekend to meet up with my girlfriend who's getting married in a few months, that we'd end up at Zeke's Smokehouse. The plan was to have a nice, leisurely, late breakfast at Black Cow Cafe and look over bridal magazines in preparation for our trip to the bridal salon. BUT when we arrived around 11am, there was a MAD Cow wait! So instead of starving ourselves while looking at gorgeous white dresses, we decided to walk up the Honolulu Ave to see what else was open and without wait.

Enter Zeke's.

Rene from la.foodblogging.com mentioned it was a current favorite back in June and Why we Type raved about its consistent excellence. The Bride-to-Be (B2B) mentioned that she heard from folks that this place was pretty good.

Hmm...Wedding dresses...or Ribs? No one really had to sell it to me...I was sold when I saw that there was only one table occupied at that early lunch hour. No wait, immediate booth sitdown.

B2B chose a "safe" yet scrumptious looking vegetarian burger, and one of her bridesmaids chose a bowl of chili. I took a spoonful and it was so rich and delicious on that cold afternoon! We never thought of adding sour cream to the chili, but the way it came made it that much tastier! And it was pretty obvious that I was going to be the brave soul who ordered the BBQ Ribs! Someone's gotta do it, and as Maid of Honor, it was ALL ME!

OK wait. I have to confess here. I wasn't all THAT brave. As I set one of the wedding books aside, I looked up to our kind waitress and asked if I could order from...the Kid's menu for $7.95. After all, the wedding is in four months and I needed to start a regimen of working out and watching what I eat. Sort of.

Who am I kidding? I licked those babies clean, had some creamy mashed potatoes with country style gravy and a side of their honey smack your lips delicious baked beans! Rene, Why We Type... you two were so right! These ribs were finger lickin' good! I rarely venture out to the Valley let alone the Glendale area, so it was a nice change of scenery and flavor. Thanks for the tip!

And even after all that, B2B still looked great in the sample dress!

Zeke's Smokehouse
2209 Honolulu Ave
Montrose, CA 91020
(818) 957-7045

Open Su - Th: 11am to 9pm
Fr & Sat: 11am to 10pm
(there's a WeHo location too for Westsiders)

Jenny's Heavenly Bazooka...uh...I mean, Bazookie

Jenny: C'mon guys! You gotta try my Bazooka! It's sooooooo yummy! And so much better than that Paradise Cake T.S. brought!"

Me: "A Bazooka? What's that?"

Jenny: "Noooooo.....NOT BazooKA! It's BazooKIE!"

Me: "Bazooka?"

I definitely did not get Bazookie! But then again, I wasn't the only one who thought they heard "Bazooka" instead of "Bazookie." Where that name came from, I have NO idea. But she was right! It was absolutely deliciously yummy! Made with a big homemade Chocolate Chip Cookie warm out of the oven, topped with some Dreyer's Vanilla Ice Cream topped with some chocolate syrup. It made for one heavenly dessert! Too bad I was still full from all the Kalbi and Dokpokki. I had three bites and left a big sopping mess on my plate because if I ate any more, I'd need to be rolled over to the Christmas exchange area.

As EDnBM wrote, we truly had one helluva Dorky Christmas Party! We each took turns trying on the hideous sweaters from the 80s and took pictures as if we were ordering pictures from the Sears Portrait Studio. Here's one of JC and YS taking a lovely photo in front of the fireplace and next to the gifts.

Last but not least, the Secret Santa gift exchange. Thanks to Evite.com, we were able to secretly get our Secret Santa recipients. The expressions on people's faces were classic and totally made the night that much more fun! Here's a shot of EDnBM after opening up what Santa brought him that night - the Nobu Cookbook. At first, I had some gift envy because that's such a cool gift! But then, lo and behold...who but none other than EatDrinknbMerry, himself, had ME as his Secret Santa recipient!

It's funny how much I love cocktails like the Pomegranating Martini, and yet I've never gotten myself a cocktail set. I've given them as gifts myself and used the cheap, old method of pouring drinks from one glass to another, ghetto-fabulous like, as my own make-shift cocktail shaker. And so I was happy to unwrap my gift to find a cool, stylish, and hip set for myself! Thanks EDnbM!

Chili Cheese Fries and One Phat Burger at Fat Burger

Cravings. What a love-hate relationship.

Every so often, I get the munchies for chili and cheese.

I think it all started in elementary school where I learned my abc's and how to tie my shoelaces. You see, I often stayed after school until my mom or my grandpa could pick me up. It was there that I was introduced to chili fritos. For a mere 50 cents, I was given an open foil bag of Fritos and a scoop of piping hot chili made in the cafeteria with a plastic white spoon. Mmm...absolutely delicious! Especially on cold and rainy days.

Then there were the chili cheese burgers from Tommy's, the chili cheese hot dogs I'd get down the street with my grandpa, the chili cheese fries from Johnny Rockets in high school, and homemade chili with cheese over spaghetti out in the Midwest.

Not too long ago, I had yet another one of those lip smacking, salivating cravings for some chili and cheese. After telling MS that I had never been to Fatburger, it was a no brainer that we'd grab lunch at the Fatburger down the street from him on Wilshire Boulevard.

Reminiscent of a 50s diner, it had a definite retro feel to it - with the neon signs, the vinyl chairs and metal tables. I had heard so many people raving about Fatburger's that I knew I had to try it.

We got to the fast food chain restaurant right before a crowd of lunchers came in and were able to get our food pretty quickly. Since I'm not a huge fan of fried eggs in my burgers, I passed on it and went with the chili cheese hamburger with some chili cheese fries. The fries were covered in saucy burn-the-roof-of-your-mouth chili and shredded cheese without any beans - just the way I like them. Too bad we had to split them because they were gone in no time!

And my chili cheese hamburger was so delicious that I ate the entire thing! Better than Tommy's, better than Islands, better than Johnny Rockets, Fatburger has definitely become one of my favorite fast food hamburger joints in LA.

Fatburger
http://www.fatburger.com/
Locations Nationwide

Mochi, Mochitsuki, and Mochi Ice Cream

Meet Mochi.

She's a bicoastal cat from Florida who braved the winters in Michigan and flew in a plane to live a life of feline luxury in beautiful, sunny Southern California.

How did this cute kitty get her special unique name? After an unsuccessful day as 'Snowball,' I thought back to an old college roommate and her all white cat named 'Mochi.' And I knew. I knew that she'd be called 'Mochi.' After all, I love all things rice. Including the subtly sweet, sticky, squishy white ball of prepared rice.

And what exactly is mochi and how do you make it? To an unsuspecting person, a ball of mochi can kind of look like a little flattened but packed snowball.

A few years ago, I learned first-hand how to make the stuff. In Japanese tradition, a bunch of old ladies and men from the church (along with the younger members) gathered before the New Year for Mochitsuki. Almost like a rite of passage, I got to learn from the elders what's involved in handmaking Mochi.

Huge trays full of rice are steamed to sticky perfection. Once cooked, it's pounded with large wooden mallets in an oversized round stone bowl. Each person gets a chance to pound the rice. I had my try and it's a lot harder than it looks. The mallets are pretty heavy, and I found it difficult to raise the mallet over my shoulder and down on the soft and bouncy rice. With each pound, it's like a rhythmic dance in succinct succession. Slowly, the mass of white goodness begins to take shape into a big ball as long wooden poles continue to beat the rice. Once cooled, the women squeeze and roll a small handful of the pounded rice on flour covered tables. Similar to making hamburger patties, you can form the dough-like rice into single servins with red bean or plain. (I like mine plain.)

But only because I can then eat them with crispy nori and some sweet teriyaki sauce the way my grandma likes to make. Cooked on a mini grill over the stove-top flame, it's a bit charred and softened to a nice chewy consistency. Then dipped in sauce and wrapped with a piece of seaweed, it's best with a cup of o-cha. Mmm...the other night, I ate two of them!

I also like my mochi filled with another favorite of mine...ICE CREAM! Mikawaya in Little Tokyo has been making this sweet confection for years, and my favorite is the Mango Mochi Ice Cream. They come in boxes of 6 and can be picked up at your local Trader Joe's. Or you can get a single serving in J-town for about 75 cents. This was my treat after a nice sushi dinner a little while back. Just enough ice cream and mochi to keep me content. After biting into it, you get the mixed textures of the soft, melt-in-your-mouth sweet mango ice cream along with the soft, chewy consistency of the mochi skin. It never fails that I finish this treat with floured up lips and flour crusted fingertips. They're that finger lickin' good!

Where to get freshly made Mochi for the New Year? My family passes on all the traditional laborous activities of Mochitsuki but orders a bunch of mochi from the San Fernando Valley Hongwanji Buddhist Temple. Or you could just go to your local Marukai, Mitsuwa, Mikawaya, or other Japanese market or sweet shop for your mochi fix.

Mikawaya in Little Tokyo
Street: 118 Japanese Village Mall
T: 1.213.628.6514

San Fernando Valley Hongwanji Buddhist Temple
Street: 9450 Remick Avenue, Pacoima, CA 91331
T: 1.818.899.4030

Mochitsuki picture taken from: http://www.zenshuji.org/mochi2002_album03.html

Finding LA's Green and a Good Happy Hour... in Beverly Hills at Nic's

During the holiday season, I find it a good time to reflect and count my blessings.

This year, I moved back home - away from the freezing cold winters of Michigan and into the comforts of home cooked meals and family outings in Southern California. I received my Carpool Lane Sticker for my Hybrid Car a few months ago and have been able to bypass bumper to bumper traffic on the 110. I started this blog in June to document my LA finds and remember good times with good people. And I got reconnected with the love of my life.

I remember being smitten with him the moment we met. We were in the 10th grade. When email was just something of the future and writing letters was still a cool thing to do, we became pen pals. He was a guy from the surburbs out on the East Side and I was a city girl from the West Side of LA. Distance was hard for teenagers who didn't drive. And at the time, it wasn't meant to be. Not then.

Fast forward over 10 years. With mutual friends, we got reconnected online through instant messages and emails while I was in Michigan. It only took 11 years for us to finally go on our first date. And I'm so glad that we did.

My online journal of finding the Best of LA reminds me of all these good things in my life. Good eats, good people, and so many good memories. And I'm looking forward to what the New Year will bring.

As my girlfriend MM often used to say, "Let's do a Best of LA tonight. I've got a great Best of LA for you!" This journey has definitely been a collective and collaborative effort, and I'm so thankful for my friends. This past week, I caught up with a new but seemingly old friend for a green and happy Happy Hour. Siel (aka Green LA Girl) introduced me to the Starbucks Challenge as well as the great Happy Hour find at Nic's Restaurant & Martini Lounge.

I didn't want to freak my friend out by snapping random photos of our drinks and $5 happy hour specials so I opted to take a couple camera pics while I waited for her to arrive. Here's one by the front door of an oversized martini glass filled with decorative winter white lights.

We met up at 6ish and I was surprised to find that it was hopping for an early Wednesday night. There was a loud and crowded holiday party that filled the trendy red themed bar and happy hour area, but lucky for us - we were seated in the modern white booth in their dining area by the very friendly hostess and wait staff. We glanced over the menus and placed our orders. She got the night's special, a French Martini. And I got the interesting and deliciously tempting Pomegranating Martini made with Rain Vodka, pomegrante juice, pineapple juice, and a splash of fresh sweet & sour. Three little plump blueberries graced the martini glass bottom. I passed them up the first time around, and was happy that I tried them on the second try.

One of the great things about Nic's Happy Hour is that all cocktail menu items are five dollars a piece! Siel went vegetarian with the grilled fresh shucked clam pizza and the tequila cured salmon with escabeche. I opted for the grilled jumbo shrimp cocktail and the hoisin marinated skirt steak with wasabi demi. We cleaned our plates well and truly enjoyed the good eats. The shrimp cocktail WAS JUMBO and deliciously tender while the Asian influenced meat was moist and sweet with a hint of teriyaki. What could have easily been $41 worth of food, we got for 20. Not a bad deal for a trendy Beverly Hills hot spot for young professionals! With great company and conversation about being green, being passionate and being creative, it's easy to find what's best in LA... the people, the food, the opportunities.

Nic's Restaurant & Martini Lounge
Street: 453 N Canon Street in Beverly Hills
T: 1.310.550.5707
Happy Hours: M-F, 5-7pm
Valet parking or structure parking for $2
[pictures taken from Citysearch and LA Splendora]

Tricked Out Tailgating at USC v. UCLA...and Football Mania

Roses are red, violets are blue.
Bruins got creamed...cuz we're #1!

Whooooooaaa.........

S-O-U-T-H-E-R-N - - C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-A!
SOUTHERN CALIFOR.....NIA!

BEAT THE BRUINS!

Ahhh...what a football season of tailgating and cheering our team on to victory over our Crosstown Rival...the UCLA bRUINs. And of course, we're going to where the National Championships should have always been... the Pasadena Rose Bowl. Too bad my name didn't get picked in the season ticket holders' lottery nor was I able to get through to Ticketmaster at 8:00:00 am this past week.

I've even seen the tickets up close, given to those lucky few who had their names picked out of the sorting hat to enter the House of Champions. I was literally less than a foot away from the pile of tickets in pretty black/white envelopes with bright red roses on the fronts. All I had to do was reach out to touch them. Of course, there were a line of anxious ticket winners behind me all watching, along with the cameras filming my transaction behind the ticket office tellers. (I was only there to pick up a couple discounted Disneyland tickets for this weekend.) Not to mention, I don't have the kind of gumption to do anything that crazy or deceitful. I'm a horrible liar. Even playing a game of "Killer" is difficult for me. A couple weeks ago, MS and I played a couple rounds with his small group friends. Round 1, lucky me pulled the card to be a Cop:

Kristy is the Killer!
"I'm definitely not the killer." [Entirely true.]
Defend yourself then. Tell us why you're not the killer.
"I can't lie. If I'm lying, you can tell. I can't hold a straight face and usually laugh. I'm a horrible poker player too." [All true except on video poker because I don't have to lie in front of someone else.]
Yeah, she's not the killer.
[phew! I'm safe.]

Round 2, unlucky me pulled the card to be a Killer:

Kristy is the Killer!
"I'm not." [I say as I try to keep a straight face, using as few words as possible.]
She's too quiet! She's definitely the killer! Defend yourself!
[Oh no...I'm screwed. I tell myself to THINK!] "I'm not the Killer! I...I..." [Burst into a fit of laughter! CRAP!]
Hahaha...OK, game's over. Kristy's the Killer for sure.

Tangent story about one of my "things." I'm a horrible liar and would be an even worse crook. So even though the thought of snagging one of those coveted Rose Bowl envelopes crossed my mind, it was just a fancy fleeting moment that dreamed of the what ifs.

So instead of requesting a vacation day from work, fighting for parking at the stadium with the other 90,000+ ticketholders, paying another $25 for a stacked parking spot on top of the $175+ face value per ticket, I'll party our victory over the Texas Longhorns in the comforts of home or a special tailgating party just for hardcore fans.

Now, since I don't have cable TV, I don't get all the great FOOD TV shows like Tricked Out Tailgating with Al Roker. But because I had season tickets this year for USC, I had ample real-life tailgating opportunities to get all tricked out, whatever that means. And for my friend, Dylan, who's never been to a college football game or a tailgate for a college football game, this post is for you.

Last weekend was the last home game of the year, and the tailgating festivities began as early as 6:30 in the A.M. Major props to my pledge mom, YMS and her boyfriend who flew down from the City to pitch their tent and table in back of the Natural History Museum grass area to claim their tailgating spot before the 1:30 pm kickoff time.

MS and I parked in the lot and took the free tram over to the Coliseum. The key to parking in the lot is to take the back side entrance off the Exposition exit off of the 110 South freeway rather than Jefferson or Grand. We learned that during the course of the season. We walked by the entrepreneurial street vendors selling USC/UCLA gear, the ESPN zone, and grabbed a couple of cups of Cabernet from our usual tailgating spot. With cups in hand, we walked over to YMS' tailgate and was greeted with a lot of USC love as others booed and taunted the UCLA passerbyers.

After drinking a bit of the wine and catching up with YMS, we were offered some special liquids with a little (more like a lot of) something-something with Strawberries in plastic red Dixie cups. We had to water it down a bit with some ice, but their special recipe definitely had a big punch to it. My small almond shaped eyes popped, and my senses were all on alert!

With cups in hand, we walked back to the Chop Suey Cafe and Lounge tailgate to get our grub on. Tables were lined with red linens. Smoke filled the air from the open grill and outdoor wok. The food is always good, but with the extra something-something, everything seemed to taste that much more delicious. The mouth-on-fire spicy orange chicken wings, the teriyaki sweet BBQ spare ribs, the sesame drizzled chinese chicken salad with mandarin oranges, the mixed asian fried rice with soy sauce, the crispy green sweet peas and celery in the pan-fried chop suey noodles, the side of cool and refreshing bite-sized fruits. I had second and third helpings that day, and later...succumbed to getting some stadium kettle corn popcorn and five-dollar lemonade to satisfy my second quarter cravings for munchies and need for some re-hydration in our sun filled stadium seats in Section 25.

Can't wait for next season to start up again! Here's to a THREE-PEAT on January 4th, 2006!

Fight on!