Our Second Date – Learning a Little More About You

1. I got here thanks to Al Gore’s information superhighway. And some signs posted by a princess.

2. The last thing I ate was a skull-shaped lollipop. Halloween leftovers.

3. I am wearing a sporty J-Crew-ish thermal shirt, jeans from Express Men, and flip flops. Very “Brentwood Casual.”

4. Red or white… used to say white, but some reds have been piquing my interest lately.

5. Love at first bite… the blackened mahi mahi fajitas at Baja Sharkeez, back when it first opened and hadn’t yet become “Cabo Cantina South.” It was July 4th. I had been playing on the beach with some friends and some alcohol. We checked out this Sharkeez place. We started on a bucket of Shark Attack margarita and ordered. The mahi mahi was as black as midnight and oh-so tender. I crafted a fajita with a slab, adding some pico and a little guac. And that first bite… love. The blackened appearance was not a facade — it was spicy, and yet through the heat I could taste the succulent mahi mahi. Subsequently, I took out-of-town guests there for the food, including my parents.

6. Shower toweling… I start at the top, skip to the bottom, and finish in the middle. And I’ve never thought about it until now.

7. Sunday at 2pm… I have no Sunday routine. That’s a wild card day. Last Sunday I was on the couch. The week before, at the gym.

8. Coraline, by Neil Gaiman.

9. Madonna – Hung Up

10. Salad dressing… I often go suicide style and mix them. Usually something tangy and something creamy. Most recently, I did a Thai peanut dressing mixed with ranch.

“9. Madonna – Hung Up”

there is never shame in loving madonna. never.

1. Don’t remember :(
2. Practice Thanksgiving Dinner from Cooking class
3. Still in my chef gear from school
4. Both
5. Yes. Bread Pudding Souffle with Whiskey Cream Sauce from the Palace. Mmmm. I could bathe in that stuff.
6. Top-bottom
7. Starting supper
8. My Year of Magical Thinking by Didion
9. Hot in Herre-Nelly
10. Squirt of lemon, good olive oil, S&P

What about you Sarah?

Hi Sarah, I was tempted to just leave the first comment and not add mine so you would really have just ONE, but I didn’t think anyone else would get the joke.

1. I found you through a link at Ono ‘Kine Grindz. (I think) If it wasn’t Reid’s link it was a link on someone else’s blog.

2. A piece of chocolate caramel cake that I made the other night. It was from a mix, but very tasty.

3. Shorts and a tee-shirt. It’s supposed to hit 88 today.

4. Red

5. I definitely believe in love at first bite…for me it was a philly cheesesteak made by a friend of mine who grew up in New York. It’s so hard to describe, but it was that flavor that I’d been craving all my life (up to that point) and had no idea what it was (until that point). I know you know what I mean Sarah.

6. Bottom first so I don’t make the floor all wet, then top as I step out so water from my hair doesn’t drip all over the floor, then finish up in the middle.

7. You will find me at home with the family, probably getting food ready for the grill. Come on by and bring a bottle of wine (or tequila for the margaritas).

8. That’s easy, I just read Bear Loves Colors to my 18-month old daughter.

9. Britney Spears’ Toxic

10. A friend of mine does a raspberry vinaigrette that is just awesome, and a restaurant called Pietro’s bottles an umeboshi dressing that I also love.

1. I don’t remember specifically, but it was definitely during the pre-beta stages of ThisNext. :-)

2. A pretty damn good lunch — lemon chicken kebabs on a bed of saffron rice with a little side salad and a piece of pita bread. Diet friendly, too.

3. Skechers sneakers that are kind of bowling-shoe inspired. Gap blue jeans. Brown J Crew v-neck sweater over a red t-shirt.

4. I love all my alcoholic children equally. Even the pink!

5. Believe in it? Yes. Experienced it? Not sure. But I have a deep and abiding love for all things in the universe.

6. Face, torso, legs, arms, hair.

7. As likely as not, in front of the stove, making a big pot of pasta sauce and/or chicken stock.

8. I’ve kind of been between books lately. I’m plodding through On Food and Cooking, two pages at a time before I pass out at night. I think the last thing I read right through was Bleachy Haired Honky Bitch by Hollister Gillespie.

9. I’m not embarassed of my music, but I will admit to being too much of a lounge music junkie. It’s like a bad diet.

10. Oil. Vinegar. Salt. Pepper. ‘Tsall.

1. Searching Google for some reviews on Nanbankan – and then I
found you…sigh

2. My special homemade guacamole – it’s good enough to eat.

3. Short-shorts and t-shirt.

4. Both – pinot and blanc.

5. Oh yeah – my first lunch at Chez Panisse and this turkey enchilada on a beach near Guymas
and my first dinner at Chez Pannise
with her – and so many more.I’ll never be able to commit to just one.

6. Top down!

7. In bed – ready to take on the day in an hour or two, or three.

8. Heat – Bill Buford

9. Rachel Ray’s cover of Popozoa

10. Good Blue Cheese w/Tabasco -
sort of an aquired taste.

1. How did we meet?
Elmo, that lil’ marvel with the magic fingers of typing.

2. What was the last thing you ate?
Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken, a simple and sinfully rich braised dish that I learned from my mother. I’ll be posting the recipe on my blog at some point. Click here for a sneak peek pic.

3. What are you wearing?
Plain black T-shirt, Levi’s blue jeans, black leather belt, Catapiller black constuction boots, and brown, fleece-lined corduroy coat. I probably look more like a construction worker than a software engineer. A clean construction worker.

4. Red wine or white wine?
What’s being served?

5. Do you believe in love at first bite?
Nope. I savor each bite slowly so I can really taste the dish. I like to get to know it first, inside and out, all the different components that made it special, before I decide if it’s the one for me. But once I decide, I’m loyal to it forever. I may try other dishes on the menu, but it’ll be the one I think about.

6. After a shower, do you towel off top-to-bottom, or bottom-to-top?
Top to bottom, since I might as well make gravity work for me instead of struggle against it.

7. Where will I find you and what will you be doing on a Sunday afternoon at 2 pm?
Sleeping on the couch with a cat or two on my belly after my 10-mile bike ride. An abandoned book will probably be next to me, since I always think I’ll have the energy to do a little reading. The cats know better.

8. What is the last book you read?
American Appetite by Leslie Brenner

9. What song is on your playlist that you are too embarassed to admit out loud, but when your windows are rolled up you totally put the volume on level 20?
Invisible by Clay Aiken. … I’ve fallen so far…

10. Favorite salad dressing?
Pietro Sesame & Miso with a little bit of Sriracha for kick.

1. I found your blog when looking for restaurant recommendations on Google. You already asked me this last time. What do need I do to get your attention this time?

2. Greasy burger and fries from Big Jo’s in Santa Monica….was trying to recruit a developer and this is his favorite place. (p.s. any developers our web designers out there who want a new job?)

3. The fall Banana Republic catalog – gray cords and a black cashmere sweater that I just bought two weeks ago for my new job. Today is the first day I’m wearing the cords – had them tailored – they feel great.

4. White wine – sauvignon blanc. Make sure the first and second bottles are good, after that I don’t care.

5. Yes. Sometimes when you eat something you’ll just immediately know you’ll love it forever. (And a lot of times, it takes awhile.)

6. Top to bottom.

7. Probably glued to my computer.

8. “JPod” by Douglas Coupland.

9. “My Happy Ending” by Avril Lavigne This is, like, one of the best pop songs in the world….but you’ll never hear me play it in front of you. Ever.

10. Blue cheese! I’m not LA enough in this category.

1. Figi!
2. Kalua pig mini plate from L&L (complete with bonus hair–I’m sure it was clean, and no, it wasn’t mine)
3. Gray wool vneck/black pants/black patent split toe oxfords
4. I swim both ways on this one. I like big, burly cabs as well as buttery chards.
5. Oh, yes. $4 kalua pig plate lunch (it’s not all I eat), in styrofoam, on a deserted beach on the North side of Oahu.
6. Top to bottom. Anything else is freakish.
7. Happily taking a power nap on the couch, watching the day lazily waft by through the windows. Ina Garten or Nigella Lawson will be pertly instructing me on some sort of elaborate feast I may or may not ever make in this lifetime but which will tempt me nonetheless.
8. King Dork. Go right now and buy it. Think Judy Blume written for adults and featuring geek rock.
9. “Lose My Breath” (Destiny’s Child). Also the reason I got popped for going 80+ on the 101 just north of SFO. Now if it ever comes on the radio or a mix CD I have to flip the track and take my foot off the gas, just to be safe.
10. HV Ranch, from the envelope, made at home.

1. I think I googled Hungry Cat and found your first review. That was over a year ago, and I’ve been checking in ever since. (Hi! Nice to meet you.)

2. Auntie Em’s coconut cupcake

3. Red pyjama pants and a Lawrence University t-shirt. (I know, it sounds like I’ve given up on the world, but I haven’t.)

4. Both. Depends on my mood.

5. Yes, but I don’t know if I can name anything specifically. Maybe the chocolate souffle from Roy’s, but only at the original in Hawaii Kai. The souffle at the franchises (and I’ve been to four of them) tends to be overdone. But I also believe that tastes can grow on you, sometimes into an even greater addiction than the “first bite” variety. Case in point: pinkberry.

6. Top-to-bottom

7. Probably napping next to my baby.

8. Dreams of my Father, Barack Obama

9. “High Enough” – Damn Yankees (I *know*!)

10. Do you have many Hawaiians/HI expats in your readership, Sarah? Pietro’s ain’t easy to come by, but I am a fan of sesame and miso, as well. Ume, too.

1. I think I googled Hungry Cat and found your first review. That was over a year ago, and I’ve been checking in ever since. (Hi! Nice to meet you.)

2. Auntie Em’s coconut cupcake

3. Red pyjama pants and a Lawrence University t-shirt. (I know, it sounds like I’ve given up on the world, but I haven’t.)

4. Both. Depends on my mood.

5. Yes, but I don’t know if I can name anything specifically. Maybe the chocolate souffle from Roy’s, but only at the original in Hawaii Kai. The souffle at the franchises (and I’ve been to four of them) tends to be overdone. But I also believe that tastes can grow on you, sometimes into an even greater addiction than the “first bite” variety. Case in point: pinkberry.

6. Top-to-bottom

7. Probably napping next to my baby.

8. Dreams of my Father, Barack Obama

9. “High Enough” – Damn Yankees (I *know*!)

10. Do you have many Hawaiians/HI expats in your readership, Sarah? Pietro’s ain’t easy to come by, but I am a fan of sesame and miso, as well. Ume, too.

Sarah, I would love to run my rickshaw up your Ho Chi Minh trail…

Best,

Long Duck Dong

Oh, Sarah, you are the best. You KNOW how much I love to talk about MYSELF!

1. How did we meet?

Over your stuffed french toast. Delicious!

2. What was the last thing you ate?

Vegetarian papardelle “bolognese”

3. What are you wearing?

You had to ask. A white turtleneck, grey sweats, and slippers. What? I had to wear a suit all day! Cut me some slack.

4. Red wine or white wine?

All, really. But sparkly the most.

5. Do you believe in love at first bite?

Yes. I am fickle though and have fallen in love so many times. But one in particular was the branzino at Angelini Osteria. It came to my table all coated in salt, and the waiter bit by bit undressed it for me and then gently removed the meat from the bones and placed it in a pool of amazing sauce and it was all tender and juicy. And then very soon afterwards it happened all over again with the boy I was taking out to dinner for his birthday and the poor fish was forgotten.

Don’t hate the playah, hate the game.

6. After a shower, do you towel off top-to-bottom, or bottom-to-top?

I’m afraid I can’t speak with certainty about anything that I do that early in the morning.

7. Where will I find you and what will you be doing on a Sunday afternoon at 2 pm?

Probably sitting around my apartment eating some fruit from the market, or at the Grove with my gay boyfriends, or having afternoon tea at “t” on Fairfax.

8. What is the last book you read?

Well, I am always reading several at once, but the last one I completed was “The Life of Pi.” I am in the middle of “The Namesake” and also a non-fiction book about people who were wrongfully convicted of crimes and how they were exonerated, called “Surviving Justice.”

9. What song is on your playlist that you are too embarassed to admit out loud, but when your windows are rolled up you totally put the volume on level 20?

Me? Embarassed? It’s probably Kelly Clarkson, but I can only listen to that when I am working out.

10. Favorite salad dressing?

Plain ole oil and red wine vinegar. Or just a drizzle of truffled olive oil and a dash of fleur de sel. I don’t like my salad to be very wet.

1. Googled bi-bim-bop, clicked on some links, found you, fell in love %^)

2. Salad of sliced avocado & butterleaf lettuce with cilantro-lime dressing followed by carne adovada and warm corn tortillas. Flan for dessert is still waiting.

3. Ratty old t-shirt, chinos, birkenstocks.

4. Yes, please.

5. Oysters & Pearls (The French Laundry, Yountville).

Chunks of perfectly grilled japanese eggplant served with fresh home-made tofu and a drizzled slightly sweet brown sauce (Sushi Den, Denver).

Salmon tartare (diced silky fresh salmon and fine slivers of purple onion bound by kew-pie mayonnaise, seasoned with black pepper and garnished with caviar) handrolls (Sushi Den).

New-style sashimi: Hamachi topped with sliced japapeno and cilantro, drizzled with hot olive oil and garnished with a fine dice of cucumber, red/yellow peppers and purple onion (Sushi Den, again!).

Braised pork-belly (Frasca, Boulder).

Something similar to TKs ‘Pig, Head to Toe’ preparation served with sauce gribbiche (Mizuna, Denver).

My uncle’s kim-chee chigae with clams, sliced pork, tofu and green onions.

Laphroaig.

6. Towel? I liked being licked dry. But it never happens. OK, top to bottom.

7. As little as possible. Maybe sitting on the deck, reading the paper and finishing off the coffee.

8. Start to finish? Oliver Sachs’ ‘The Man who mistook his wife for a hat’

9. Orff’s ‘Carmina Burana’

10. Depends on the salad.

Hi Ms. Sarah,
being that i’ve been reading your blog for a bit, this seemed like the perfect impetus for my first ever comment!

1. I think i found the delicious life thru some other delicious food blog…while putting off studying for some “very important” midterm or final

2. a cinnamon raisin bagel from murray’s bagels.

3. nyu sweats, b/c i rep the alma mater

4. Belvedere & T, extra lime please

5. not sure about the love, but def lust at first bite…

6. i’m a robe gal personally

7. passed out or hating myself for loving JD too much

8. last of the savages, jay mcinerney

9. i try to be cool with my velvet underground…but really, mariah and jt make me shake my groove thang

10. squeeze of lemon and nothing else on mesculun.

thanks for the always entertaining entries and source of procrastination!

Sue
p.s.-HUGE crush on tony bourdain…he’s so dreamy

1. la.foodblogging.com

2. chicken noodle soup and steamed veggies

3. happy bunny pjs bottoms and a holey shirt

4. i like wine

5. yes! a caprese like salad with baby mozzarella, tender baby spinach, tomato, some basil leaves, dressed with a simple balsamic vinagrette, S&P… i think because i had it in italy. the cheese was outlandishly good.

6. top to bottom

7. on my couch probably watching the food network

8. my microbiology textbook =\

9. bubba sparx – ms new booty

10. freshly made caesar

1. la.foodblogging.com

2. chicken noodle soup and steamed veggies

3. happy bunny pjs bottoms and a holey shirt

4. i like wine

5. yes! a caprese like salad with baby mozzarella, tender baby spinach, tomato, some basil leaves, dressed with a simple balsamic vinagrette, S&P… i think because i had it in italy. the cheese was outlandishly good.

6. top to bottom

7. on my couch probably watching the food network

8. my microbiology textbook =\

9. bubba sparx – ms new booty

10. freshly made caesar

gHow did we meet? Was it through a mutual bloggy link friend? Was it an online *search* service? (If it was, your search is over, baby. I’m The One.) Did we just bump into each other between carts at the Farmers’ Market?
Through food blogs

What was the last thing you ate?
A piece off my Vosges Black Pearl bar

What are you wearing?
T-shirt, shorts

Red wine or white wine? Or is it more like “Wine? Only Hello P—ies drink wine. Bring me a G&T!”
Usually white, since I eat “white foods” more.

Do you believe in love at first bite? Yes? *sigh* What (“who” if you’re naughty like me) was it? Tell me everything. In explicit detail. I want visuals because I’m a blogger and don’t get out much.
I used to – but second tastings is never really “love”. So you could say a lot of cheap, tawdry “one-bite stands”. But my last one-bite foodgasm was at Opus restaurant during one of their spontaneous tastings — braise short ribs so meltingly tender they don’t need a knife … gargagrarrgghh

After a shower, do you towel off top-to-bottom, or bottom-to-top?
Top first – hair’s drippy!

Where will I find you and what will you be doing on a Sunday afternoon at 2 pm?
If not brunching or trying out an afternoon tea, probably at home reading, computering or catching up on freelance work.

What is the last book you read? (You do read, don’t you? Okay, fine, if it only has pictures, that counts, too.)
If magazines count, the Dec. issue of Bon Appetit (planning adapt some of their recipes to make gifts for co-workers). If you meant real books, “Marriage, a History” by Stephanie Coontz.

What song is on your playlist that you are too embarassed to admit out loud, but when your windows are rolled up you totally put the volume on level 20? (Admit it. You love Vanilla Ice, too!)
Lucky – Britney Spears, enough said.

Favorite salad dressing?
balsamic and evoo (yes, I watch Rachael Ray too)

1. How did we meet? Chowhound.com
2. What was the last thing you ate? 2am Del Taco Macho Nachos.
3. What are you wearing? Ted Baker t-shirt, Diesel Jeans, Donald Pliner sneakers
4. Red wine or white wine? Or is it more like “Wine? Only Hello P—ies drink wine. Bring me a G&T!” Makers and Coke baby. Red wine headaches.
5. Do you believe in love at first bite? Absolutely. Esp. if Chocolate is involved. So good. Or stinky cheese. yeahhhh…
6. After a shower, do you towel off top-to-bottom, or bottom-to-top? top to bottonw
7. Where will I find you and what will you be doing on a Sunday afternoon at 2 pm? having lunch at the cheesecake factory in newport beach.
8. What is the last book you read? Casino Royale (Ian Fleming)
9. What song is on your playlist that you are too embarassed to admit out loud, but when your windows are rolled up you totally put the volume on level 20? (Admit it. You love Vanilla Ice, too!). Hilary duff: theme to laguna beach
10. Favorite salad dressing? miso ginger baby!

1. A link from a link from a link from I have no idea where.
2. Grilled aubergine and feta sandwich with tomatoes and lettuce. Ummm. Yes.
3. Doc Martens, sleeveless knitted dress, long-sleeved tshirt, pants. All black. And black underwear and black socks. A camouflage clip in my hair. Skull earrings with diamonds in them.
4. Both. But not at the same time.
5. Ooooh yes. But not at first sight.
6. Face, arms, boobs, legs, wrap towel around, the rest dries itself.
7. Either having a nap, or cooking, or planning Sunday dinner, or reading on the floor.
8. René Fallet: La Soupe aux choux
9. Bonnie Tyler- I Need A Hero (cringe, blush)
10. The one my bf makes- olive oil, walnut oil, grape-seed oil, sometimes sunflower oil, balsalmic vinegar, herbes pour salade, fleur de sel, pepper, shake of green tabasco.

1. My eyes met the level of your blog across a crowded room and I sent a cosmopolitan your way (okay, fine, I really can’t remember).

2. Carnitas from El Coyote *hangs head in shame*

3. CK ribbed cotton briefs and a Paul Frank T with devil horns on the monkey. Hey, I’m at my desk and I haven’t yet drug my butt up to get into the shower–you should see my wild hair.

4. Red. Please. White is only required while sitting on your hotel room deck in Hawaii with a fresh papaya (with a squeeze of lemon) and a slice of cinnamon toast and a half-naked Hawaiian boy is rubbing your shoulders. Can you tell I need a vacation?

5. Oh yes, but you must use just the right pressure cause those teeth can and will cause damage if you aren’t skilled.

6. Feet and ankles first so that I may step out of the shower and not slip. Then I head north and work my way down again. If I’m rushing to dress I’ll even employ the hair dryer to ensure no dampness remains in any of the more hairy male regions. Dampness=bad.

7. You may find me at Home Depot, or at home drinking coffee and perusing the ever-more-sucky-each-week Los Angeles Times while Ed is outside hosing off the decks.

8. Tony Bourdain’s “A Cook’s Tour” and I just started Bob Woodwards “State of Denial.”

9. Almost any club anthem mixed by Manny Lehman or Abel. My head is always bobbing while I’m in the car (get your mind out of the gutter–SHEESH at you)!

10. Usually really good balsamic and olive oil, occasionally with a splash of pomegranate syrup.

Hi Sarah, here you go..

1. You left a comment on my blog asking me to marry you.

2. Butternut squash tart at Zuni Cafe – very delicious!

3. Pajama pants and a t-shirt.

4. Sparking white, please.

5. Of course! It happens pretty often, but my most memorable is the first time I made butter-poached lobster. It was packed with so much flavour, and literally melted in my mouth.

6. Either I have a very big towel or I’m small enough to fit into one.

7. Without fail, I’ll be at home procrastinating and will eventually pass out.

8. Nova cuina catalana – very impressive even though I don’t read Spanish!

9. I like listening to Ashlee Simpson’s first album along with lots of other catchy music.

10. The salad dressing from a Japanese restaurant called Shiki in London (Ontario, Canada). I don’t particularly like lettuce, but with a bit (okay, a lot) of this dressing, I can eat an entire head in one meal.

1.A friend forwarded the link to me. Thank you, friend!
2.Blueberry smoothie, and croissant with ham and gruyere
3.Black hoody, white Hanes tank, skinny jeans, some ugly-ass socks
4.I don’t like wine…**ducks to avoid flying shoes**
5.YES-YES-YES! Homemade tamales at my friend’s wedding in Monterrey Mexico–my mouth literally quivered and watered. My mom’s oxtail soup. Shave ice w/ice cream on the bottom after hiking Manoa Falls.
6.I immediately put on a terry cloth robe, then blot from bottom to top. Hhaha I don’t know why I find this funny…
7.Hopefully spending time with friends, but probably lying on the couch watching sports on TV
8.Casting With a Fragile Thread by Wendy Kann. It’s about 3 priveliged white African sisters who grow up in Zimbabwe and return later in their adult lives when one of the sisters is killed there.
9.”U Can’t Touch This” Hammer, and “Every Little Step” Bobby Brown. I will always love these songs.
10.Pietro’s Miso dressing–YUMM!! Other miso dressings taste weird and plastic-y to me.

Love your blog, Sarah!

1 – I believe it was the online search service you mentioned that landed me here the first time, but I kept coming back a lot more after you replied to my im.

2 – avocado/red pear/red grape/kalamata olive salad… whatever happened to be fresh basically, with a bit of lime and cayenne

3 – pirate outfit

4 – sake! or tequila.

5 – oh yes. Over and over again. Tuna tartare at Mori sushi … with the garlic and pine nuts and fresh grated wasabi… speaking of wasabi… the tako wasabi at Haru Ulala… I was expecting chewy octopus flesh but it was tender and delicious…

6 – I start in the middle just to be different

7 – depends on the sunday; usually sitting in front of my computer working, sometimes spinning vinyl, sometimes (but not nearly often enough!) at a yoga class.

8 – James Risen State of War… or Kembrew McLeod Freedom of Expression… if you’re not already interested in the topics, neither one is a real page-turner.

9 – Christina Aguilera’s “Candyman”… I turn it up really loud.

10 – pear-infused balsamic with olive oil and orange zest; perhaps some roquefort

11 (though this one wasn’t numbered) – lucky you for staying uninformed… all you need to know for now is that the democrats won both chambers of Congress in the last election so now they will be blamed for everything that goes wrong. but it’s still the other party’s fault.

1. /food
2. For lunch, I had one chocolate-chip and caramel chocolate cookie, along with a cup of coffee.
3. T5S shorts.
4. White, from the the Main river valley.
5. Yesterday, I recalled a boiled egg I ate in Amsterdam in my childhood, back in the late seventies. If I can remember a particular egg after all those years, it must have been love. The yolk was an intensely orange colour, and the shell was a beautiful beige. I had never experienced an egg like that before; I was young and foolish.
6. Top down.
7. Driving the streets of my city, looking for some food that will rekindle my inner fire.
8. “Buddha”, by Osamu Tezuka.
9. “Lambada”, by Kaoma.
10. Either French or Thousand Islands, I can’t decide between the two.

1. Er, somewhere in the intertubes
2. Dulce de leche ice cream, a la Haagen Daaz, flipping through my increasing # of food blog bookmarks
3. Crappy home pants, blue t-shirt, blue hoodie
4. Lil bit of everything; but if it’s wine, then red
5. Used to be pretty often, but now mostly with dainty pastries. I dunno, pre-menstrual, maybe, or just jaded? I fell in love with Peter Luger’s steak in NY pretty quickly–aged beef unlike any other, in a bierhall atmosphere, with a tureen of creamed spinach–nummy. Sushi Yasuda had me convinced too, also in NY. My, how I love beyond my means.
6. Top down!
7. Hopefully doing something productive, but most likely watching “The Wire” re-runs.
8. Absurdistan, by Gary Shteyngart (can’t recommend it, tho)
9. “Genie in a Bottle” mashup w/the Strokes
10. My homemade lemon zest/mustard viniagrette with arugula and heirloom tomatoes

1. A vanity google. Although it turned out that you were talking about some other mustard.
2. Lardo pizza from Mozza. With extra rosemary.
3. Prada, head to toe.
4. White wine, preferably from Alsace. Most red wine is just so vulgar.
5. Plump, briny, juicy, chilled oysters, still quivering from their cruel liberation from the sea. We all have oral fixations around here, don’t we?
6. Neither. I shrug into a big, fluffy robe.
7. Steaming persimmon pudding from the mornings farmers market haul.
8. “The Lay of the Land,” by Richard Ford. It’s the middle-agiest.
9. The collected oeuvre of Too $hort.
10. Walnut oil/sherry vinegar vinaigrette. But really, hunger is the best sauce.

1. Searching randomly for interesting food blogs
2. Tombstone pepperoni pizza (I know, I know, but it was sooo good…)
3. Basic schlumpy T-shirt and shorts.
4. Not much of an alcohol drinker these days…
5. The right food for my mood – could be fancy-schmancy Italian, could be good old basic sticky rice – can get me all hot and bothered before it even hits my plate
6. Top-to-bottom
7. Probably online when I should really be doing work
8. “Things That Fall from the Sky” by Kevin Brockmeier
9. pretty much anything from Kanye West
10. does Caesar count? :)

I also just wanted to say that I find your blog absolutely fantastic, and at this moment in my life – I just got sort-of-not-really-but-we-all-know-what-it-is diagnosed with lupus – it is a welcome and wonderfully entertaining distraction. Thanks. :)

1. Frozen Sugar High Friday – when I posted the Sour Cherry Frozen Custard recipe (the most links I’ve ever gotten from another blog!)
2. Jack in the Box – but that’s pretty rare.
3. Shorts, tank top and running shoes.
4. Crisp white – anything but chard
5. Mmmm… yes. There are too many to count. (Does that make me a whore?)
6. From the middle down, then from the top down.
7. Every other Sunday afternoon I visit my grandmother – on the others, I read the NY Times, grocery shop or cook/bake (but it’s been too hot lately.)
8. Joan Didion’s Where I Was From
9. Ain’t No Other Man – Christina Aguilera
10. I like to squeeze plain old lemon juice on salads with stuff in them (like cobb salad, grilled chicken, seafood salads, etc.) – and I like shallot or balsamic vinaigrette on plain greens. I try to stay away from them, but I also love a good homemade ranch or bleu cheese dressing.

1. I found your site while browsing another food blog, can’t remember which. It was bookmarked after the first read.

2. Japanese-style potato salad with the bits of cucumbers, carrots and green peas. made a fresh batch with Yukon Golds today.

3. A Rustboy t-shirt and jeans.

4. Wine’s OK, especially if it’s Italian or southern French but my drink is beer. A good German one like Schlenkerla Helles or Mahr’s Ungespundet but a domestic like Lagunitas IPA or Sierra Nevada Celebration is nice, too. Yes, I’m a beer snob, blame my Dad…he trained me personally from a young age.

5. Absolutely. Ever since I moved here from Okinawa, I’d been missing good, soulful noodles. Korean champon or Jia-jiang mien with hand-pulled noodles or pho with tendon and tripe have filled the void for me. Gotta have some at least once a week or I go nuts. The time I got the jia-jiang mien with sea cucumbers blew me away! When I was a kid, I used to stomp on them at the beach when the tide went out not realizing what great delicacies they were. I’m a total texture freak. Give me some jellyfish or pig’s ears, too!

6. Top to bottom with a second helping in the middle.

7. I’m usually on the couch recovering from spending Saturdays with my 6-year old niece (mucho playground time, the Apple Computer Store then a food education session) so I’ll be watching sumo on NHK or the Formula 1 rebroadcast if it’s the season, otherwise food shopping and a visit to the local pub for a pint and a snack.

8. I try to read a couple of books at a time, a light one and one that’s more substantial. The light ones were Tony Bourdain’s Nasty Bits and Gary Shteyngart’s Absurdistan and the “heavier” one was Neal Stephenson’s Baroque Cycle.

9. Depeche Mode’s album Speak And Spell. BTW, I’m totally hetero.

10. Yuzu or shiso-flavored vinaigrette. I know it’s 15 years out of fashion but I also like raspberry dressing, too. I don’t care for creamy dressing.

There you go. I hope I haven’t made too big of a fool of myself. Tschuss!

Jorgebob
Master of all he can eat or drink

1) Google, for L.A. food blogs.
2) Pumpkin Pie, Guinness, and Kamel Red Lights.
3) Boxers and white tee shirt.
4) Cask-strength bourbon.
5) First time I ever had fois gras. At a small bistro in Pasadena, the name of which a) escapes me and b) is unimportant. The owner forced me to try it, along with a sweet white wine. Crispy outside; buttery inside; pure genius throughout.
6) Top to bottom. Ass last.
7) Tracking my fantasy football team and watching the Redskins tank it yet again.
8) CRYPTONOMICON by Neal Stephenson.
9) THE WARRIOR by Scandal. Also excellent for secretly working out to.
10) That miso dressing you always get at sushi places.
OPTIONAL) George Bush is possibly the most smug douchebag on planet Earth. Did anyone else watch him closely during the Rumsfeld resignation? He was winking at people and snickering. I hope he dies alone.

1) Google, for L.A. food blogs.
2) Pumpkin Pie, Guinness, and Kamel Red Lights.
3) Boxers and white tee shirt.
4) Cask-strength bourbon.
5) First time I ever had fois gras. At a small bistro in Pasadena, the name of which a) escapes me and b) is unimportant. The owner forced me to try it, along with a sweet white wine. Crispy outside; buttery inside; pure genius throughout.
6) Top to bottom. Ass last.
7) Tracking my fantasy football team and watching the Redskins tank it yet again.
8) CRYPTONOMICON by Neal Stephenson.
9) THE WARRIOR by Scandal. Also excellent for secretly working out to.
10) That miso dressing you always get at sushi places.
OPTIONAL) George Bush is possibly the most smug douchebag on planet Earth. Did anyone else watch him closely during the Rumsfeld resignation? He was winking at people and snickering. I hope he dies alone.

i LOOOOOOVE everyone’s answers! LOVE!

keep them coming! i am enjoying reading every single one.

and who towels off from the middle?!?! that makes no sense! i guess a lot of us :D

1. Don’t remember exactly, but probably linking from another food site
2. Breakfast this morning, which was an egg white omelet packed with vegetables.
3. Shorts and a t-shirt.
4. Both, depending on what I’m eating. If it’s just a glass of wine, then red.
5. Of course. Lobster macaroni and cheese.
6. Top to bottom. Do you want visuals on this one, too?
7. Probably working, with my laptop open in front of a football game on low volume.
8. I can’t recall the last time I actually had time to read an entire book.
9. Glory of Love, Chicago
10. Ranch with fries, Blue Cheese with wings.

1. Don’t remember exactly, but probably linking from another food site
2. Breakfast this morning, which was an egg white omelet packed with vegetables.
3. Shorts and a t-shirt.
4. Both, depending on what I’m eating. If it’s just a glass of wine, then red.
5. Of course. Lobster macaroni and cheese.
6. Top to bottom. Do you want visuals on this one, too?
7. Probably working, with my laptop open in front of a football game on low volume.
8. I can’t recall the last time I actually had time to read an entire book.
9. Glory of Love, Chicago
10. Ranch with fries, Blue Cheese with wings.

1. I can remember 2005 like it was the 1980s.
2 A white nectarine unless you count a dentist’s needle.
3 Mainly white dog and cat hairs over a red Tintin T-Shirt, khaki Diesel trousers. Naked feet.
4 Rioja
5 Is Moet & Chandon in the bath with smoked salmon sandwiches and the woman I now love the kind of thing you are looking for? Some first meeting.
6 Top down.
7 Being dragged face down across Port Phillip Bay by a kite as I attempt to catch the onshore breeze.
8 Bangkok Tattoo by John Burdett
9 Girlfriend in a Coma – The Smiths
10 Olive oil and sherry vinegar
We’re all doomed.

1. I can remember 2005 like it was the 1980s.
2 A white nectarine unless you count a dentist’s needle.
3 Mainly white dog and cat hairs over a red Tintin T-Shirt, khaki Diesel trousers. Naked feet.
4 Rioja
5 Is Moet & Chandon in the bath with smoked salmon sandwiches and the woman I now love the kind of thing you are looking for? Some first meeting.
6 Top down.
7 Being dragged face down across Port Phillip Bay by a kite as I attempt to catch the onshore breeze.
8 Bangkok Tattoo by John Burdett
9 Girlfriend in a Coma – The Smiths
10 Olive oil and sherry vinegar
We’re all doomed.

1. How did we meet? Was it through a mutual bloggy link friend? Was it an online *search* service? (If it was, your search is over, baby. I’m The One.) Did we just bump into each other between carts at the Farmers’ Market?
I forget, it’s been so long!

2. What was the last thing you ate?
Some Berry Banana Yoplait yogurt.

3. What are you wearing?
Black Yoga pants and a big USC hoodie! I’m not even a USC fan!

4. Red wine or white wine? Or is it more like “Wine? Only Hello P—ies drink wine. Bring me a G&T!”
I’m not much of a wine fan.. Bring me beer and I’m happy. But if I have to drink wine, it would be red. A merlot.

5. Do you believe in love at first bite? Yes? *sigh* What (“who” if you’re naughty like me) was it? Tell me everything. In explicit detail. I want visuals because I’m a blogger and don’t get out much.
I do, but I can’t even remember! It was probably some fat, bloody steak.

6. After a shower, do you towel off top-to-bottom, or bottom-to-top?
Top-to-bottom.

7. Where will I find you and what will you be doing on a Sunday afternoon at 2 pm?
Either church or watching TV.

8. What is the last book you read? (You do read, don’t you? Okay, fine, if it only has pictures, that counts, too.)
I’m currently reading “Tess of the D’Ubervilles”

9. What song is on your playlist that you are too embarassed to admit out loud, but when your windows are rolled up you totally put the volume on level 20? (Admit it. You love Vanilla Ice, too!)
I don’t have a song I’m embarrassed of.. (: But I am addicted to “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac right now!

10. Favorite salad dressing?
Balsamic Vinaigrette.. yum. As well as that generic dressing that goes on salads you get in sushi restaurants. I don’t know why but that always hits the spot.

1. Despite it only being a few weeks ago, I no longer remember. Let’s say it was a google image search for pictures of food.

2. Chicken tortilla soup and cornbread.

3. Sky blue dress shirt, blue/white/orange striped tie, black slacks.

4. The last time I had wine, it was red 2 buck chuck. I’m a beer/occasionally liquor guy.

5. My longest and truest love has been my mother’s macaroni and cheese. Despite her Chinese background, she makes bakes a huge batch for New Year’s. The extra cheese on top melts and becomes a golden crusty chewy cover for the cheesy goodness below. My aunt and I still mock-fight over it every year.

6. Top to bottom. I have too much hair to do it the other way without having to double-back.

7. Probably being extremely lazy after a weekend out. Some light cleaning, laundry, and TV watching are the likely activities.

8. “Fast Food Nation,” and am in the middle of “Hawaii’s Story” by Queen Liliuokalani.

9. “I Want It That Way” by Fanmail. It’s a rock cover of the boy band song.

10. I usually eat Caesar, but I’m a sucker for chipotle ranch on a southwest chicken salad at this place by work. Stupendous.

I don’t remember how I met you. But my life would be so drab if I hadn’t.

POM juice and an oatmeal cookie.

Jeans and t-shirt.

Red wine, even when you are not supposed to drink it with the dish.

Yes, usually comfort food, like pizza and hamburgers. When it is good, you know it immediately. Usually, it is just passable.

Wow. I never thought about that. Top down. More fun that way.

Crossword puzzle or sleeping.

The cartoon version book of the 9/11 Hearings.

Hall and Oates, “Rich Girl.”

Honey mustard, but I also have a weird fondess for that French dressing they serve at Denny’s.

Sorry I’m so late to the party…stupid faulty cable!

Ok. Let’s see how I do.

1. How did we meet? W

I’m pretty sure it was a link…possibly a round-up from some event. Maybe EoMEoTE?

2. What was the last thing you ate?

The world’s best hash browns.

3. What are you wearing?

A very comfortable brown sweater of Matt’s, and blue drawstring pants. New Balance shoes.

5. Red wine or white wine? More like a Shirely Temple. Or any combination of Torani syrups and sparkling water…

6. Do you believe in love at first bite? Hmmm…I suppose. Pretty much my entire meal at Dromoland Castle…the flurry of waiters (especially Mr. TallDark N. Handsome, with le French accent…what was he doing in Ireland, anyway?), the chef’s ability to make eggplant taste good, balsamic vinegar so old and rich, it would have been at home drizzled on a scoop of butter-colored French vanilla ice cream, the way so many different vegetables were blended together in one *perfect* cream soup…

7. After a shower, do you towel off top-to-bottom, or bottom-to-top? I wrap a towel around my hair, then one around the rest of me, and kind of let it go at that…

8. Where will I find you and what will you be doing on a Sunday afternoon at 2 pm?

Home, recovering from an exhausting Saturday of shopping, cooking and cleaning.

What? You’re the one with a fabulous life! I’m just a house mommy!

9. What is the last book you read?

The Postman Always Rings Twice, James M. Cain, for my 50 Book Challenge.

10. What song is on your playlist that you are too embarassed to admit out loud, but when your windows are rolled up you totally put the volume on level 20? (Admit it. You love Vanilla Ice, too!)

I’m too low-tech to have a play list, sorry. But I can tell you that Exposed II: A Cheap Peak at Today’s Provocative New Rock, from the very early ’80′s, is on the turn table, and I’ve been listening to Christmas music for the past few weeks.

So…how do you like me now?

Sorry, missed the one about the dressing.

French or Catalina, if I use any at all.

BTW Sarah, is the female character
in this blog’s artwork a true likeness of you? because if so…
well never mind.

1. Don’t remember how we met.

2. Chocolate Underground Stonyfield Farms Non-fat yogurt with raisins (out of almonds and needed the texture!)

3. Tight black Queens of the Stone Age tee, pink hot pants, and stilleto leather knee-high boots. No, really.

4. Bubbles. And G&T.

5. There are a few that stand out, all from restaurants I’ve worked in:

a. Thai Basil glazed Pacific Salmon over jasmine rice with a Blood Orange-Ginger sauce. Friggin’ fusion drool, baby.

b. Crispy duckling with port-soaked figs and a polenta-stuffed, carmelized onion-topped butternut squash with red currant glaze. Oh. My. God. Sweet quack love.

c. Pan-seared fresh (!) whole sardines on frisee with lemon-scented olive oil, roasted red peppers and sauteed capers. Buono!

6. Bottom up, on the edge of the shower, so that when I step out I don’t soak the bathmat.

7. Running, cycling, or studying (these days).

8. To Interpret the Earth: 10 Ways to Be Wrong, by Stanley Schumm. Sounds like a snoozer, but if you’re an earth science-y type (like me), it’s great.

9. Foreigner: Double Vision. Although I guess that’s not so bad considering what it COULD be.

10. Annie’s Cowgirl Ranch. Yeehaw!

1. google
2. spicy raw crab – keh jang – mmm
3. pajams
4. white b/c i get migraines with red. but i love roses and champagne too b/c i’m all girly like that!
5. yes, often. but often the more i eat the sicker i feel. most recently it was the seafood bisque soup at quiet woman in corona del mar. excellent. but afterwards, too much cream, too rich, and my stomach suffered.
6. top to bottom baby!
7. in my room. nap time!
8. oh gosh, its been a while b/c law school has a knack for making reading a chore. i read “the devil wears prada” which i thought was lame. most bloggers write more interesting stuff than that author
9. ooh, if only i knew the words! i love “promiscuous” but not ashamed to admit it.
10. white balsamic vinegar. nothing else.
your blog is funny! keep up the good work, hanna

1. I wish I knew, But I’m obsessed.
2. Chocolate Pumpkin tart, Why can’t my mother-in-law buy the REAL whipped cream???
3.My PJ’s, it’s before noon.
4.I usually prefer white, although I’ve been swooning over reds lately too.
5. I yes butternut squash crepes with sage brown butter. Jesus can take me now.
6.First, I brush the water off with my hands, then top to bottom.
7. This week, I’ll be packing:
T-5 days
8. Chick-Lit. Shopaholic and sister.
It makes me think my habit is really not that bad.
9. I love it, but people always think it’s weird when my Croation music starts playing.
10. Whatever goes with the salad!

1. I wish I knew, But I’m obsessed.
2. Chocolate Pumpkin tart, Why can’t my mother-in-law buy the REAL whipped cream???
3.My PJ’s, it’s before noon.
4.I usually prefer white, although I’ve been swooning over reds lately too.
5. I yes butternut squash crepes with sage brown butter. Jesus can take me now.
6.First, I brush the water off with my hands, then top to bottom.
7. This week, I’ll be packing:
T-5 days
8. Chick-Lit. Shopaholic and sister.
It makes me think my habit is really not that bad.
9. I love it, but people always think it’s weird when my Croation music starts playing.
10. Whatever goes with the salad!

1. I contacted slash food and asked to send you products to review
2. Lime flavored cashews from World Market
3. Sock-monkey pajamas
4. White, red, doesn’t matter. Just none of the pink stuff, please
5. YES! After one bite, the Lychees and I were headed for a relationship of the steamy, tropical variety
6. top-to-bottom. It is an elaborate process. First I wisk off the water with one towel, then use that one for my hair, then use a dry towel to dry myself top-to-bottom
7. Probably at home, readng blogs (wow, I need a life)
8. Under the Banner of Heaven
9. The Warrior – Scandal
10. Sesame-ginger. But not the sweet kind with honey.

hi, I`m from Germany and I wonder me what you about telling?
It is useful? maybe!
see you torsten
Hotel Rothenburger Hof Dresden

1. we met officially when we went together to that italian food and wine expo in santa monica last year via LAist.
2. a couple of ghiradelli’s dark chocolate squares with white mint filling.
3. serious hiding out at home weekend clothes–an ill-fitting skirt, a goofy tshirt and this big chunky cardigan sweater that makes me look like a granny/librarian.
4. i’m a lousy drinker; i don’t like to drink all that much. i prefer red wine to white (pinot noir) and i do like a nice spicy bloody mary.
5. yes. its name is sushi. (naughty answer: my darling boy)
6. oh dear…top to bottom i’d say.
7. pulling into a parking spot outside the new school of cooking in culver city for my pro cooking classes. (geez, stalker!)
8. i’m reading tony bourdain’s “a cook’s tour” right now!
9. show tunes. or air supply.
10. honey mustard. or a good creamy french. and blue cheese, when the occasion rises.

1. The matrix, or was it sky net…I mean google, was how I found you.

2. A beef rib from Phil’s BBQ in SD (www.philsbbq.com – seriously, this stuff is like crack)

3. Warmups.

4. Prefer Red…but these I’ve been having a jager fetish these days.

5. What have I not fallen in love with…Lawry’s cream corn, Extraordinary desserts in San Diego, a spuderito from Rick’s, I’m either a hopeless food romantic or food whore depending on how you look at it.

6. I prefer to run around and air dry. Towels are for wusses.

7. That depends on what happened 12 hours before that…

8. Another Day in the Frontal Lobe: A Brain Surgeon Exposes Life on the Inside by Katrina Firlik

9. I do admit liking Vanilla Ice…now if only I could find my NKOTB tape.

10. Ranch and Thousand Island…together.

* Random musings: Who would’ve thought the Lakers would be doing as well as they are? What the hell is up with the NFL this year? Is it just me or did Black Friday deals kind of suck this year? What’s up with Britney hanging out with Paris Hilton now that she’s dumped K-Fed?

Well, since you asked…

1. How did we meet? Heavens peach, I haven’t a clue. It’s lost in a drunken fog of happiness. But either which way, Im happy I found ya!

2. What was the last thing you ate? Ploughman’s Lunch. Honeycrisp apple, almonds and some goat cheese. My typical lunch.

3. What are you wearing? Vintage Pucci floor-length silk lounge dress (Seriously. And its about 2pm) I tend to be overdressed at all times. Its just my thing. I am a bit chilly though…too bad I dont own any socks…

4. Red wine or white wine? Always depends. As long as the word “cooler” doesnt come after “wine,” I’m in.

5. Do you believe in love at first bite? Can’t help with visuals, but yes, I do.

6. After a shower, do you towel off top-to-bottom, or bottom-to-top? When I first read this question, I confess was minorly traumatized. Who thinks about this? Well, now I do. Enough that its super close to edging “Name a truly great movie made from a truly great book” out of my head. And Ive been pondering that sucker for months. But I digress, and the answer is, due to this question, I now change it up
every time. Thanks for that. LOL.

7. Where will I find you and what will you be doing on a Sunday afternoon at 2 pm? Lounging, Loitering and/or Laughing.

8. What is the last book you read? The most amazing book I have read in ages…The Emigrants. W.G. Sebald. Buy it, read it, love it.

9. What song is on your playlist that you are too embarassed to admit out loud, but when your windows are rolled up you totally put the volume on level 20? I don’t know that I am embarrassed by any of my music, but others might find my penchant screaming along with AC/DC at extreme volume a bit off-putting. Oh that Angus…purrrr.

10. Favorite salad dressing? Oh lordy is that Chinese Chicken Salad Dressing from California Chicken Cafe on Westwood tasty! (The bottled stuff from Feast from the East rocks too…)

Okay peaches, now what about you???

1. How did we meet? We met, just today, through http://www.blogtopsites.com. I’m so glad to have found your blog!

2. What was the last thing you ate? Leftover Chinese food from a local restaurant (Golden Leaf)and a diet coke.

3. What are you wearing? My favorite banana republic jeans and a long sleeve black Tee.

4. Red wine or white wine? White wine or a margarita or a girly martini!

5. Do you believe in love at first bite? Oh…just when I stopped thinking about this, I am dreaming again. Bonefish Grill’s Bam Bam Shrimp. I can’t quite decide what it is I love so much about it, but I am in love, that’s for sure.

6. After a shower, do you towel off top-to-bottom, or bottom-to-top? Thinking about this really made me think about how terribly stuck in a routine I am. I follow the same shower drying off routine every day. I dry my arms first, legs and feet next, go back up to my torso, face and then wrap the towel around my head and call it done. I think you’ve inspired me to try something different tomorrow :)

7. Where will I find you and what will you be doing on a Sunday afternoon at 2 pm? Either napping (since it’s the kids nap time), reading a book or watching football with hubby!

8. What is the last book you read? Water for Elephants…great book!

9. What song is on your playlist that you are too embarrassed to admit out loud, but when your windows are rolled up you totally put the volume on level 20? Oh my… do I really want to admit this? I have two… Footloose and Bop with me Baby (by Dan Seals). My coolness factor just went down 10 fold, didn’t it? :)

10. Favorite salad dressing? Raspberry vinaigrette.

1. Chowhound

2. the top of a blueberry muffin

3. jeans and a t shirt. My uniform.

4. Neither grey goose martini

5. yes. 85% Scharffen Berger

6.top to bottome

7. sleeping/knitting/deciding where to go out for lunch

8. Sew Subversive

9. I want your sex geroge michael

10. Bleu cheese or whatever goes best with the salad.

1. Where did we meet-from some other blog-can’t remember-but glad i found you.
2. Last thing I ate-lox and cream cheese for breakfast-no bagel-too carbaphobic.
3.What am i wearing-all black spandex work out clothes-I usually go to the gym before work-we don’t get too many visitors and if we do, I don’t mind looking gymie.
4.red wine for the polyphenols-ha.
5.Love at first bite-OMG-I love everything.
6.Towel drying-first face, arms, legs and a qick all over…but i love quality towels and sheets.
7.Sunday at 2-probably still reading my newspapers and drinking coffee-we get 2 papers and I am in no hurry.
8. Last book-still readin The Lovely bones by Alice Sebold-I lost 2 important people so I’m in to sad death books-also read The Year of Magical Thinking.
9. Sappy song-Something by Kelly Clarkson
10. Favorite Salad dressing-homemade Cesar.
Love these little ditties

Sarah – Happy Holidays!

Just back (recovering) from Thanksgiving and catching up on my reading – so here goes:

1. from Pim – everyday read, along with your dearly!

2. Raspberry scone & Earl Grey tea from Extraordinary Deserts (in SD)

3. Ooh so boring as I am at work – I guess I should have answered this last night from home.

4. YES YES YES – favorite right now is anything from Paul Hobbs

5. Absolutely – it is toss between the French Laundry and Tapenade (la jolla). I don’t know if the French Laundry really counts as it is like waiting for a really amazing man to ask you out and when it happens you knew it was going to be incredibly memorable and one of those things that you will cherish for life. So I vote for Tapenade – Jean Michel Diot’s wild mushroom ravioli appetizer – is a teaser that sets up everything else on the menu as one of the best experiences you have and will immediately want and you don’t have to make a reservation 60 days in advance to get in for only lunch.

6. Hair and face, then bottom to top

7. Watching football, cooking for a great Sunday night dinner with my friends, running on the beach with my dog.

8. Special Topics in Calamity Physics, Marisha Pessl

9. Haddaway – What is Love

10. EVO & Lemon w/Parmesan

1. chowhound? la.foodblogging.com?

(is she worried that I’m not big on details. I hope she’s not worried that I’m not big on details. Should I tell her I always remember birthdays?)

2. Carrot Cake from Sweet Lady Janes. Perk of the office…

(mentioned again that I have a steady job. good.)

3. Vintage green wool blazer– original meant to go with a kilt. Dress shirt. Medium blue blue jeans. Henry Begieliu belt (my favorite). six by swear sneakers.

(should I tell her these are work clothes? do i seem too professional? Not professional enough? Was mentioning the belt too precious? is the belt too precious? Can she tell I’m thinking about the belt?).

4. Red. Especially now that the weather is changing.

(I really want a good Reisling right now).

5. Absolutely. First time at Bistro K, first bite of delicate and soft foie gras with a “violet martini” chaser. And this, only because it’s the first one that comes to mind. How about Daikukyo Ramen. Had it last night. From the first time I smelled it I knew it would be an important comfort food for me probably forever.

6. Top to bottom. Start and end with head.

(What about you? Did that sound inappropriate. It wasn’t an inapropriate thought. Was it?)

7. During the summers, at Eastside Softball. Drinking a PBR and getting ready to hit. During the winters, on my way home from the Hollywood Farmer’s market. Probably getting ready to bake something.

8. I have about 6 books I’m in the middle of and can’t remember the last book I finished since Harry Potter so I’m going with what I think is the coolest one. The Collected Stories of Breese DJ Pancake. Amazing. Recommended by a friend who’s far more literate than me.

(was that too obscure? Did I miss an opportunity for a good joke? Should I have admitted that I’m reading 6 books? That makes me seem messy, and I can’t remember details. Damnit.)

9. “And I Am Telling You” by Jennifer Holiday from the Dreamgirls soundtrack. Original Broadway soundtrack, not the movie. 3 times today.

(Really shouldn’t have said that.)

10. Simple and homemade. Sometimes very tangy but usually oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and a touch of lemon.

(this is sort of fun. I think this is going well. I hope so. Good.)

of, my BFFs! these are AUSOME! keep em coming…and i will pots ym answers soon, too :)

drunk commenting is dangerous for your health!

dj jewelz: if that last comment was for me…sadly enough i was not even drunk when commenting. i just sometimes type in a different language called, as mr. sean “hedonia” timberlake calls it, “fingerspaz.” LOL!!

1. can’t remember. probably a link from another food blog.

2. spaghetti alla amatriciana bc I always have pancetta and tomatoes in the house.

3. just changed out of black swingy top, skinny jeans, high black boots to go to bed.

4. usually red. a friend is trying to convince me to split a case of black chook sparkling shiraz with her – I just might make the investment. its become the latest favorite.

5. so many times. the first time I had xia long bao. the first time I had the yellowtail sashimi with jalapeno at nobu, probably a decade ago. the first time I had the chorizo and red pepper sandwich in borough market in london. my mom’s chicken soup. these little seafood-stuffed potato croquettes I had in lisbon. arancina in capri. the uni and egg custard dish at izayoi. the grilled octopus at ike. I could probably go on…

6. top to bottom.

7. possibly giving architecture tours. more likely ending brunch. in the summer possibly at the beach or peeling shrimp at neptune’s net. could be hiking. more likely watching a week’s worth of colbert on tivo.

8. the tender bar and slouching towards bethlehem. both excellent.

9. that natasha bedingfield song from the hills.

10. homemade – white wine vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil.

p.s. you know one of your commenters is your hero, j.gold, don’t you?

-marissa (blogger is acting funny and won’t let me sign in)

1. The comment board on the DL, IMing the day away and then well…I’m a gentleman.

2. Unfortunately some cold cereal

3. Casual long sleeved top (its cold in the office) and jeans.

4. Red, of course, next question.

5. Really, the one food item that always will have a special place in my heart are these sweet and sour chicken wings that first my mom made and now when the spirit arises, I make too. They are a nice orangy color (though no oranges are used) but they are just so darn good. You take some wings and give them an egg wash, and then coat them with potato starch (find at your local asian market) deep fry them to golden, then place in baking pan, coat with sweet and sour sauce made with sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, japenese vinegar and then bake, they are tangy but still nice chicken flavor, everyone loves them. I always will.

6. Top to bottom

7. If a game is on, somewhere probably watching it, if I get in the mood, I could be hitting a little white ball around somewhere.

8. Bob Woodward’s latest on Bush and the War in Iraq.

9. If I had a playlist, it would be Bobby Caldwell’s What you won’t do for love.

10. That I make, sesame sweet and sour dressing used in Chinese Chicken Salad. Store bought, Miso Salad dressing

1. You remember how we met. I thought I’d stumbled upon a new pet.

2. A turkey/cheddar/cranberry/jalapeno quesadilla that I made. And a really shitty bottle of Fess Parker riesling, jeezus it’s sweet.

3. An ugly orange shirt that has the Japanese kanji for “DIRTY AMERICAN DEVIL” on it.

4) Both. My appreciation for whites is growing. But no thanks to this bottle of Frass Canyon I’m determined to finish.

5) Are you kidding, yes, the best way to do things is without thinking too much about them. Interesting things happen that way. No way I’m telling you everything, quid pro quo Clarice

6) Top to bottom. Water runs downhill. Down off my glistening masculine body.

7) Depends. Sometimes I’m watching TV hoping to find Law & Order somewhere, other times I’ve been known to be at dubious places in dubious situations with other people of dubious character as a result of Saturday night’s Good Choices.

8) Johnny Cash: “Cash”

9) It’s Christmas so I’ll own up to it: George Michael – “Last Christmas”. So rad imo

10) Just something that will compliment the salad. Too often people look on dressings as not condiments but actual foods, and in the process they ruin their salad. That’s no way to live.

1. I found you through http://www.dineanddish.squarespace.com via smittenkitchen.com. I took the long way around.

2. Two chocolate-covered truffles (one mint, one peanut butter) that I got as a gift here at the office.

3. Red sweater, black dress pants, and pointy-toed boots. Office Christmas party tonight so I had to wear red.

4. White

5. Yes, I had a love affair with kolaches that started at a very early age.

6. Top to bottom. It doesn’t make sense to me to do it the other way around.

7. I will be baking something (usually cookies or muffins) while my boyfriend watches football.

8. The Five People You Meet in Heaven

9. Baby Got Back

10. Creamy Italian all the way.

1. I found you through http://www.dineanddish.squarespace.com via smittenkitchen.com. I took the long way around.

2. Two chocolate-covered truffles (one mint, one peanut butter) that I got as a gift here at the office.

3. Red sweater, black dress pants, and pointy-toed boots. Office Christmas party tonight so I had to wear red.

4. White

5. Yes, I had a love affair with kolaches that started at a very early age.

6. Top to bottom. It doesn’t make sense to me to do it the other way around.

7. I will be baking something (usually cookies or muffins) while my boyfriend watches football.

8. The Five People You Meet in Heaven

9. Baby Got Back

10. Creamy Italian all the way.

1. How did we meet?

I just yesterday found your blog through a search on Antica Pizzeria. I love it!

2. What was the last thing you ate?

The most recent meal was breakfast: hot cocoa made with Penzy’s Dutch process cocoa and toast. The most recent memorable meal was last night’s impromptu dinner of anise seed and sage crusted pork loin, sausage / sage / apple stuffing, and steamed brussel sprouts (with bacon to complete the pork theme).

3. What are you wearing?

Work wear. Gray slacks and a causal button shirt. My comfortable Ecco shoes.

4. Red wine or white wine?

Red! at this time of year — something Rhone-ish, preferably. White or rose in the warmer months — crisp wines like a NZ Sauvignon Blanc or a well-made Pinot Grigio or stealthily muscular like a Tavel.

5. Do you believe in love at first bite? Yes? *sigh* YES, but the best kinds of relationships grow better with time. No explicit details in this, my first comment here. TSK TSK.

6. After a shower, do you towel off top-to-bottom, or bottom-to-top?

Top to bottom, I think.

7. Where will I find you and what will you be doing on a Sunday afternoon at 2 pm?

Lately I’ve been contemplating dinner while working on the never-ending home improvement tasks.

8. What is the last book you read?

_Ceanothus_ by David Fross and Dieter Wilkin. It had lots of pictures. Before that, _Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal_ by Christopher Moore. I recommend Lamb over Ceanothus for the casual reader.

9. What song is on your playlist that you are too embarassed to admit out loud.

ulp. Probably showtunes. Not that there’s anything wrong with that…. And the volume only goes to 11. Didn’t you get the memo?

10. Favorite salad dressing?
Caesar? Something with rice wine vinegar and a dash of hot chile oil? A classic vinaigrette made with my own red wine vinegar?

1. Well, we DID first meet via an online “search” service. I was writing an entry about Anthony Bourdain (who epitomizes how ALL travelers should behave overseas)for my blog and ran into you via that online “search” service. I’ve been bewitched (and a reader of yrs) since…and would still like to meet for a meal when I return to the Southland (soon!).

2. One homemade chocky chip cookie (that I made with white, dark and milk chocky chips). And a cuppa dark dark hot coffee (cuz it’s cold and rainy up here)!

3. Black levi’s, black Uniqlo sweater, white work shirt with some stripes. No shoes, cuz I’m inside.

4. If I had to choose, definitely red with dinner. Maybe a big shiraz from Oz or a jammy zinfindel from Napa. OTW, a sapphire tonic or a Chopin Martini, straight up, twist, very dry. Easy.

5. I like naughty! You must tell more… Actually, it was my first time at the House of Prime Rib with a bunch of frens. We brought some big cabs (think it was BV Tapestry, 1997), paid the corkage, had a LOT of cocktails waiting for our table and had a ball. Mmmm. Rare prime rib!! That’s when I discovered the almalgam of frens, booze and meat work great together. Like chocky and peanut butter together! As for whom, well it was during New Years’ Eve a few years back; the concluding chapter of a six year soap opera…nuff said!

6. Top to bottom because if I do it the other way, the towel gets too wet by the time it reaches the top. And why would you want to dry your face with a wet towel?

7. Hmmm. During football season, probably figuring out what to make for dinner, watching football and cleaning my house (it’s very clean during football season) if I don’t have anything else planned. Got a plan for me? Feel free to call! Plan for me!!

8. Besides Lonely Planet guides (last one read: Hawaii) and Calvin and Hobbes books that don’t really count as “reading”, the last book I read was “Will the Boat Sink the Water?”, a book that was banned by Beijing because it tells the truth about life in the PRC for the majority of folks there. Oooooooh, forbidden fruit, banned book!!

9. Britney’s “Toxic” remix. Fun song because it describes the singer as well as what happens to you when you listen to it (you turn toxic to other people if you’re caught listening to it). Also it has a great music video that I wish some airline out there would emulate (at least when it comes to inflight service…)

10. Bleu Cheese, with chunks o’ bleu cheese!

It’s kinda difficult to figure out where to take a food enthusiast for a meal. What kind of places do you like to go for a relaxed, fun (with drinks) meal? Enquiring and plotting minds want to know!!

1. Well, we DID first meet via an online “search” service. I was writing an entry about Anthony Bourdain (who epitomizes how ALL travelers should behave overseas)for my blog and ran into you via that online “search” service. I’ve been bewitched (and a reader of yrs) since…and would still like to meet for a meal when I return to the Southland (soon!).

2. One homemade chocky chip cookie (that I made with white, dark and milk chocky chips). And a cuppa dark dark hot coffee (cuz it’s cold and rainy up here)!

3. Black levi’s, black Uniqlo sweater, white work shirt with some stripes. No shoes, cuz I’m inside.

4. If I had to choose, definitely red with dinner. Maybe a big shiraz from Oz or a jammy zinfindel from Napa. OTW, a sapphire tonic or a Chopin Martini, straight up, twist, very dry. Easy.

5. I like naughty! You must tell more… Actually, it was my first time at the House of Prime Rib with a bunch of frens. We brought some big cabs (think it was BV Tapestry, 1997), paid the corkage, had a LOT of cocktails waiting for our table and had a ball. Mmmm. Rare prime rib!! That’s when I discovered the almalgam of frens, booze and meat work great together. Like chocky and peanut butter together! As for whom, well it was during New Years’ Eve a few years back; the concluding chapter of a six year soap opera…nuff said!

6. Top to bottom because if I do it the other way, the towel gets too wet by the time it reaches the top. And why would you want to dry your face with a wet towel?

7. Hmmm. During football season, probably figuring out what to make for dinner, watching football and cleaning my house (it’s very clean during football season) if I don’t have anything else planned. Got a plan for me? Feel free to call! Plan for me!!

8. Besides Lonely Planet guides (last one read: Hawaii) and Calvin and Hobbes books that don’t really count as “reading”, the last book I read was “Will the Boat Sink the Water?”, a book that was banned by Beijing because it tells the truth about life in the PRC for the majority of folks there. Oooooooh, forbidden fruit, banned book!!

9. Britney’s “Toxic” remix. Fun song because it describes the singer as well as what happens to you when you listen to it (you turn toxic to other people if you’re caught listening to it). Also it has a great music video that I wish some airline out there would emulate (at least when it comes to inflight service…)

10. Bleu Cheese, with chunks o’ bleu cheese!

It’s kinda difficult to figure out where to take a food enthusiast for a meal. What kind of places do you like to go for a relaxed, fun (with drinks) meal? Enquiring and plotting minds want to know!!

1. I think trough Beck’s and Posh…
2. Crostata with patissiere cream and fresh fruits, home made of course…
3. my night dress, a jumper and a cat on my lap…
4. mmmh… May be red, even if I love most of the white wines, I would prefer a good red…
5. I do believe in love at first bite… That’s what happened with Pierre Hermè patisserie… It was first the macarons, a good start, but when I arrived to the Plaisir Sucrèe I was madly in love, and still is, and I think I want to marry him, spend my entire life with him, for ever and ever, on daily basis… I will have to move to Paris…
6. Bottom to top (I ha dto think about it…)
7. Well… Probably I will be eating supper or digesting supper… But as this Sunday is new’s year eve, I will sure be already drunk, eating shellfish or watching The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover… Or both…
8. Eldest, by Christopher Paolini (yes, I now, I’m 32, but it was fun!)
9. How will I know, Whitney Houston!!! And some Franch trash, like Foule Sentimental by Alain Souchon: so ‘80s!!!
10. Sorry, but in Italy we are not really in to salad dressing that differs from the classical extra virgin olive oil ad balsamic vinegar… But once I’ve tried the One thousand islands dressing and it was awesome!!!

1. I think trough Beck’s and Posh…
2. Crostata with patissiere cream and fresh fruits, home made of course…
3. my night dress, a jumper and a cat on my lap…
4. mmmh… May be red, even if I love most of the white wines, I would prefer a good red…
5. I do believe in love at first bite… That’s what happened with Pierre Hermè patisserie… It was first the macarons, a good start, but when I arrived to the Plaisir Sucrèe I was madly in love, and still is, and I think I want to marry him, spend my entire life with him, for ever and ever, on daily basis… I will have to move to Paris…
6. Bottom to top (I ha dto think about it…)
7. Well… Probably I will be eating supper or digesting supper… But as this Sunday is new’s year eve, I will sure be already drunk, eating shellfish or watching The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover… Or both…
8. Eldest, by Christopher Paolini (yes, I now, I’m 32, but it was fun!)
9. How will I know, Whitney Houston!!! And some Franch trash, like Foule Sentimental by Alain Souchon: so ‘80s!!!
10. Sorry, but in Italy we are not really in to salad dressing that differs from the classical extra virgin olive oil ad balsamic vinegar… But once I’ve tried the One thousand islands dressing and it was awesome!!!

1. We met through Google. I was searching for “fibrous fish sushi” for a chowhound post; you were describing dinner with your mom. Happy to have found you :-)
2. Butter chicken and a blueberry smoothie.
3. Beige trouser suit plus a very lovely –if slightly wild- Etro shirt, which my waiter at lunch today described as “completely crazy.” Unkind!
4. Er, pisco sour. French 75. Prosecco. Or yeah sure, red’s great.
5. Every day, God willing.
6. Bottom to top, even though that obviously makes no sense.
7. Maintenance, for sure. Haircut, manicure, massage.
8. Jonathan Franzen’s The Discomfort Zone.
9. Some crap from Taylor Hicks. Yeah. You might well laugh.
10. Mmmmm, shallot mustard vinaigrette with rosemary and sage.

1. I came to you via a mutual bloggy – Daily Gluttony

2. A horribly bad burrito from La Salsa…..sorry work commissary food.

3. Brown cords, Element hoodie, and some Clarks.

4. Yes to both, although I have a thing for Cakebread Chardonnay.

5. Monk fish liver (Ankimo) I had it at my secret sushi spot….sounds bad/looks worse/tastes like butta.

6. Bottom to Top.

7. Probably firing up my smoker (beer in hand) and getting ready for some sort of sports related activity.

8. It was probably a script for work……working on Gone Baby Gone right now…..(yawn)

9. Bob Log III – “Boob Scotch”

10. The redneck in me says Ranch, but I found this Santa Fe Ancho Caesar Dressing at a local store that’s like crack

1. A Google of “italian beef” and “San Antonio” brought me to you. Try it and see! Top of the list baby!

2. Tuna steak marinated in lime juice, chipotle en adobo and cilantro with a side fresh green beans, toasted almonds and caramelized onions finished off with a homemande fruit salad.

3. Shorts, y no mas.

4. Red, the lesser of two unknown evils. But I’m more of beer kinda guy. REAL beer, not the skim milk of malt beverages spewed out by the big American three.

5. Love at first bite? A few years ago I would have told you no. Then I tried a “torta de elote” from a roadside market in Monterrey Mexico. Pulverized fresh corn, salt, sugar, condensed milk, baking powder and other things cooked over an open flame in a cast iron skillet with LOTS of butter. It was the proverbial one bite/OH MY GOD/eyes-roll-into-the-back-of-your-head fantastic!

6. I have long hair (for now) so it has to be from top to bottom.

7. Thinking about breakfast or actually making breakfast.

8. A comment posted by L.A. Cheesemonger.

JUST KIDDING!!!

I usually skip past whatever he writes. :)

9. “Sailing”. Cristopher Cross is THE MAN! And a San Antonio homeboy too.

10. Chunky blue cheese. The chunkier the better! That means rooting around the bottom of the container at the salad bar.