1yr Anniversary Date Night pt. 2: Animal
Mid-City West, Los Angeles, CA
We decided to celebrate our 1yr wedding anniversary this past weekend in a city that we hate. Why? Because there’s 2 things we love to do: 1) Experience really good food. 2) Explore museums. And we’ve basically done it all in our sweet home San Diego. LA, The Getty Villa, LACMA & 2 bucket list eateries were up next. How nerds roll…
2nd restaurant was Animal.
- Spicy beef tendon chips, charred onion pho dip - Start it up w/ some fire & spice. Imagine the best chicharrones ever w/ a souped up sour cream-like dip. No wonder they say that this place serves food that chef’s want to eat. Bold, flavorful yet refined. When we 1st started dating, the wife was a little hesitant w/ spicy food…she ate more of this than I did.The charred onion pho dip was killer.
- Asparagus, pistachio, green strawberry, lime, yarrow - Clean, tart & tangy. Refreshingly rad, delicate & flavorful. A crisp salad. Ribboned asparagus & green strawberries are cool. Looked & tasted great.
- Charred octopus, rancho gordo bean, pistou, dandelion - We strive to dry different things at every eatery we visit. One thing doesn’t change though. If there’s octopus on the menu, we order it. This was a toss up w/ the octopus dish from the night before at ink. Bitter dandelion & the super fresh tasting pistou sauce were good sparring partners. Darn tasty.
- Sweetbread “karaage”, smoky eggplant puree, miso, green plum, cucumber - Just amazing. If you’re afraid to try sweetbreads, feel free to go to McDonalds & stuff yourself w/ chicken nuggets & leave all the sweetbreads for us. Crispy, salty karaage crust w/ the smoky eggplant balanced out by the citrus/acidity of the green plum & cucumber plus the umami miso & radish crunch…max flavor [Photo up top].
- BBQ pork belly sandwiches, house made slaw - What is there to say? These are Animal classics. Who doesn’t like pork belly? These were by far the best pork belly we’ve had. Large, melt-in-your mouth, savory slabs topped w/ a citrus sparkified house slaw between two buttery slider buns. Class version street eats.
- Bacon chocolate crunch bar, s&p ice cream - Another Animal classic/staple, as I’ve heard. I’m not that big of a fan of sweets so this jumped off the dessert part of the menu. I let the wife [w/ the mad sweet tooth order] to my surprise…she wanted this one. Bacon chocolate crunch bar, it tasted like a bacon chocolate crunch bar. The s&p ice cream would scare people reading it off the menu but it was darn good eats.
- Imbibe - Americano spritz, blood orange [for her] & Bittersweet vermouth, oregano, lemon [for me]…good stuff.
[All dishes were beautifully presented & meant to be shared…& sidenote: Pic of the wife is from our hotel lobby before dinner, not at Animal…place was much cooler/darker/minimalist(er).]
I usually end date night journal entries w/ conversation memories. Gonna save that for later b/c of back to back nights of probably the 2 best meals we’ve had. This one is all about the eats.
6.16.13 #DateNight soundtrack: “Without You” - Rainbow Arabia b/c we decided that it’s “Pretty Sweet” & it’s been the song that we’ve played the most the last year & was “our” song from engagement pic soundtracks to our wedding. We cheeseballz.
ink. on Saturday & Animal on Sunday…raddest weekend of eats ever. Totally inspired to get back in the kitchen & #CookOrDie
[Sidenote: Supreme Boardshop was right next door playing rad skate videos. Perfect nightcap. #CollectMemoriesNotThings]
![The 1975 - The City [original mix]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mokr6sbtLw1qco5h5o1_1371535013_cover.jpg)
1yr Anniversary Date Night pt. 1: ink.
West Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA
We decided to celebrate our 1yr wedding anniversary this past weekend in a city that we hate. Why? Because there’s 2 things we love to do: 1) Experience really good food. 2) Explore museums. And we’ve basically done it all in our sweet home San Diego. LA, The Getty Villa, LACMA & 2 bucket list eateries were up next. How nerds roll…
1st restaurant was ink.
- Octopus, ink, shells, young fennel, pimenton - Awesome 1st dish. Citric & savory. The black ink pasta shells soaked up all the tangy broth & the salt of the octopus was perfect w/ the crispness of the fennel. We could’ve drank that broth like water everyday for the rest of our lives.
- Cottage toast, brocolli, quail eggs, uni- Amazing. Never had anything like this. Crisp toast w/ 4 types of broccoli [charred purple ones, pureed green ones, etc]. The soft boiled quail egg & Santa Barbara uni were just freaking excess decadence.
- Cuttlefish, seaweed, pecorino cheese, black pepper - Paper thin strips of cuttlefish seasoned perfectly w/ all the other components.Tasted like melt-in-your-mouth butter. The pecorino will mind-trick you into thinking that it’s popcorn. Trickery.
- Lollipop kale, lardo, pig ears, togarashi - Salt & savory. They poured the bright green sauce at the table w/ the stack of crispy pig ears [I called them awesome fries] towering on the side atop the kale chips.
- Egg yolk gnocchi, mushroom brown butter, hen of the woods- I’m still trying to figure this one out. A pasta-less gnocchi. It was an egg yolk cooked to the shape of a cylindrical gnocchi…but it was just an egg yolk. The outer shell just held together the warm runny yolk that just explodes when you bite. The hen of the woods+mushroom+brown butter sauce was a perfect umami bomb match. Ridiculous. Gotta learn how to cook this.
- Lamb neck, fried egg, yogurt curd, potato, wild herbs- Just when I thought the egg yolk gnocchi took it to another level, this dish came along. Plated so rad. The fork-tenderest lamb neck ever on top of tangy yogurt curd. A fried egg & the freshest/max flavor wild herbs on top of that. All in this bird’s nest that’s made of crisp potato strings. A little glass dropper bottle w/ hot sauce was on the side for you to spice up the dish however you like. Get a forkful of all the components & bite. We just laughed & smiled b/c of how good it was. Insane flavor.
- Elderflower, shaved ice, citrus, greek yogurt, hibiscus - Crisp & clean. Tart. Cold. Pretty. Perfect. Chef Michael Voltaggio is also his own pastry chef…mad respect.
- Imbibe - Vodka: elderflower, lemon lime, honey, hot sauce, salt [for her] & Bourbon: cocchi rosa, campari, chocolate bitters, strawberry lambic- Holds up to the awesomeness of the food
[All dishes are presented beautifully & meant to be shared]
I usually end date night journal entries w/ conversation memories. Gonna save that for later b/c of back to back nights of probably the 2 best meals we’ve had. This one is all about the eats.
6.15.13 #DateNight soundtrack: “The City” - The 1975
Next post: Animal.
[Sidenote: Though this date night’s tune is blatantly/obviously “The City”, Deltron’s “Mastermind” was playing from the sound system as we were being seated. The RADness. #CollectMemoriesNotThings]
Date Night: The Fishery
Pacific Beach, San Diego, CA
Will never ever take for granted how lucky we are to have date nights every Friday. Aaaannnddd my wife is hot…
- Cevice - Salsa fresca, avocado, tortilla chips
- The Fishery Roll - Shrimp, spicy crab, avocado, wasabi, pickled ginger
- Grilled Albacore Belly - Bok choy, cipollini, beech, bunapi & shiitake mushrooms, fried rice, soy mustard vinaigrette
- Mr. Brown’s Swordfish Tacos - Cilantro coleslaw, salsa fresca, chili aioli, cotija cheese, rice, beans
- Imbibe - Chateau Graville - Lacoste Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc [Bordeaux] & Ballast Point Sculpin
Probably the freshest of the fresh in seafood eateries.
“Behind every great seafood restaurant is a warehouse stocked with fresh fish.” - Check out the story: http://bit.ly/15KgXjE
Topics of Convo: The sicklife. Brayden. Rambutan. Islands in the Pacific. Smirks. The radness of an eatery [like this one] that has a market that sells fresh, wild caught fish too. Our love for the delicious simplicity of cevice/fish “cooked” in citric acid. How swordish has been my fave fish to cook & eat for a while now. The deliciousness of these swordfish tacos that were huge hence our to-go bag. Taco shops & their fish tacos should watch out, these were rad. The grilled albacore & The Fishery Roll were also freshtacular, great meal. Essential 38. The creepiness of the 2 peeps at the next table who we thought were grandpa & granddaughter until they started holding hands…ewww. Geriatric date nights. Our love for “Creep” by Radiohead & the chkunk,chkunk guitar sounds right before the chorus. My old college punk rock band. Gobuty, Lawrence & Autumn. Our 1 year wedding anniversary that’s a week away. Our trip to LA, the Getty & a couple of rad eateries that we have reservations for next weekend. Michelin, James Beard & badass chefs. My newly created recipe blog [www.graffiticookery.blogspot.com] that I’m kinda super proud of yet a little embarrassed to share w/ actual people I know. How my wife loves the blog & how the references are mostly inside jokes that only me & her & a few peeps like Burch would understand. How we constantly talk about the comedy of American Psycho & does that make us weird? The French Open. Rafael Nadal. Vamos Rafa! How we take pride in not wasting our lives watching so much darn TV. Peeps addiction to shows like Game of Thrones & Evan explaining how “sexposition” is used in television shows to get people to watch them & keep watching them. The lameness of trust fund grown adults. Wine & app ordering etiquette when one desperately needs to get up & use the restroom. Unmemorable people & faces. Shyness. Soundtracking life w/ music. Palm trees, white lights & the ocean air. Kelly & her “talents”. Cleavage. Sex.
6.7.13 #DateNight soundtrack: “Sex” - The 1975
[Sidenote: The last handful of date nights have been capped off on the drive home by the radio randomly playing some classic songs of ours. Last night was “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by GnR. Initiative: #CollectMemoriesNotThings]
Streets & Umbrellas
Agueda, Portugal…Photos by Patricia Almeida
Sweetness.
Date Night: The Smoking Goat
North Park, San Diego, CA
We chose to sit on the outdoor patio. A stream of white twinkle lights [wife’s faves] lined the ceiling. Perfect.
- Escargots au Gratin - Garlic herb butter, costinis
- Octopus Provencal - Brasied octopus, potato, herbs, tomato caper sauce
- Maine Scallops - Lump crab risotto, asparagus, charred lemon
- Stuffed Banderra Quail - Duck sausage & wild rice stuffing, warm spinach, orange, pecans, cranberries, brandy orange glaze, shaved gouda
- Imbibe - Pinot Noir, 2009 Aliane, Bourgogne Rouge Old Vines, France & Grenache Blanc, 2010 Mas Conscience, France
Right as we were ordering apps, about 200 bicyclists rode by hollering & honking their little horns. The police followed w/ sirens blaring. The whole eatery laughed. Silly hipsters on wheels.
Topics of Convo: France. How everyone else in the world views Americans aka ‘Muricans as fat & uncultured. The deliciousness of escarot. Octopus is where it’s at. Twinkle lights. The awesomeness of it staying light out into the night during the summer. “Recover” by CHVRCHES sounds like Goonies era Lauper, which makes it cool. Little league & tennis tournaments. Kelly Y. Joy G. Our upcoming 1yr wedding anniversary. The Getty Center. The Getty Villa. Ink. Kids without manners. Hats & scarves. Sloths. Nipple cream. Things not to do w/ a promethean board. Ms Tse. Dudes dressed as a mascot friar are cool. The trend of checks being presented after dinner in a book. The GC would clip the check to a little tech deck & skate it to you on the table. Wolvesmouth. Underground supper clubs. The Mighty Ducks. Noticing more peeps announcing “date nights” on the FB…good for them, more couples should make more of an effort at romance. People in general watch too much TV & miss out on life. Gardening. Cooking. Art in food. Our lack of pics together hence our “Faux-to Booth pic strip”. And how we like having to take a long walk after dinner to the car…fun memories of jumping in puddles, getting props from panhandling strangers & dodging raindrops, etc are all good times.
5.31.13 #Datenight soundtrack: “Recover” - CHVRCHES
[Sidenote: OMD’s “If You Leave” from the John Hughes classic “Pretty In Pink” randomly came on the radio on the drive home. We turned it up. Stoked. Initiative: #CollectMemoriesNotThings]
Cookery Hero: Craig Thornton aka Wolvesmouth
Painter. Classically trained chef. Cooked for OG culinary badass Thomas Keller. Quit the resto biz. Throws dinner parties out of his Downtown LA loft. You decide how much to donate [pay] for your meal. Wolvesden is THE underground supper club.
[Pics poached from Instagram: @wolvesmouth]
Check it: www.wolvesmouth.com
#ModernCulinaryBadass
“Recover” - CHVRCHES
Directed by Wim Reygreart
This video, this song & Lauren Mayberry’s voice are the RADness.
Mexican Cuisine
by Fran Guijarro
Been living in California & San Diego for most of my life. Mexican Food is the TRUTH.
#TacoShopsForLife #MaxFlavor
The GC Pacific Rim Flava & Stuff
Crisp skin steelhead trout, sticky rice, lime+garlic baby bok choy, steamed baby carrots & red pepper, bunapi shrooms, hoisin+sesame+ginger sauce
#CookOrDie
www.facebook.com/TheGraffitiCookery
Thanksgiving in May
A few months back, my friend Leslie had this crazy rad idea to have a full on Thanksgiving dinner in the springtime. Yes.
- Quinoa salad
- Lemon+herb roasted pork
- Brussels sprouts salad
- Ham, corn, bacon, shrooms & orange cauliflower
- Broccoli & cauliflower casserole
- Pork w/ pancetta+cremini cream sauce
- The Turkey
- Sweets
- The table
- *Sweet potato mash [forgot to take a photo of that one:(]
Thanksgiving is unanimously our fave holiday. Why not have it twice a year? Good eats, vino, brews, family, friends, hours & hours of conversations. My Memorial Day weekend is already better than yours.
Thanksgiving in May soundtrack: “Theme from Buffy the Vampire Slayer” - Nerf Herder
[Sidenote: There was a tangent where TV shows were talked about: Veronica Mars, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Walking Dead, Firefly, Buffy, etc. I don’t watch TV all that much & I’ve never seen any of these shows except for Buffy. My old high school friend/ex-roommate Lauren was the biggest fan ever & she had me watch a couple of seasons. Fun show…hence this journal entry’s soundtrack.]
![A.C. Newman - Take On Me [A-Ha cover]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mog5azktPR1qco5h5o1_r2_1371325898_cover.jpg)
![Cookery Hero: Craig Thornton aka Wolvesmouth
Painter. Classically trained chef. Cooked for OG culinary badass Thomas Keller. Quit the resto biz. Throws dinner parties out of his Downtown LA loft. You decide how much to donate [pay] for your meal. Wolvesden is THE underground supper club.
[Pics poached from Instagram: @wolvesmouth] Check it: www.wolvesmouth.com
#ModernCulinaryBadass](http://24.media.tumblr.com/3256b6dd5f2e6fda8f478d2f93386035/tumblr_mnowppEsMU1qco5h5o1_500.jpg)
