A Wedding

Saturday morning was the entire reason for my trip to LA.  There is something really grand about seeing a dear friend get married to the love of his life.  And I was able to see friends that I was with during the first year of living in NYC.

Jared and Brigham checking out stuff on a phone.  I tried to get a good photo of the three of them but the best because of a strange look on one face was the one of all of them wearing Jeff's socks.

After the marriage, we waited outside the temple for Mallory and Collin and when they did, we cheered.  

This is the best photo bomb of the day.

I ran off with Jared, Brig and Jeff to grab food at a Mexican place down the street and then joined up with the wedding party at a nearby park.

The park was also the location for a dog obstacle course which was kind of amazing to watch.  I had no idea that this existed and very kind people came over to tell us how it all works.  They were pretty surprised to find such formally clad observers in their midst.

Picca

I get so much joy out of figuring out where to eat when I travel.  I plan it weeks in advance and it's something I can't wait to think about.  I love it even more when I can share these discoveries with friends.  Lauren and I discussed our options and decided on Picca for my second night in LA.  I had never eaten Peruvian food before and that's a mistake.  There were so many foods on this menu that I want to eat all the time like sweet potatoes, duck, fried banana, and bacon that it was difficult to order.  I believe one or two of these dishes were specials that I forgot to write down but I remember most of them. 

Ceviche Crocante - halibut, leche de tigre, crispy calamari.  Lauren loved this dish. 

Anticucho Diver Scallops - aji amarillo aioli, wasabi peas.  I liked the spiciness from the peas.

And this is the dish that I cannot name.  

Seco de Pato - crispy braised duck leg, peruvian beer sauce, cilantro rice.  I really wanted to like this more but it just didn't happen for me.  It wasn't seasoned very well which we mentioned to the server but nothing happened.  

Locro De Quinoa - quinoa pumpkin stew, fried egg, choclo, parmesan, crispy tomato.  My favorite from the night but it's not a surprise when it includes pumpkin.

We ended the night at the Griffith Observatory which I had never visited.  I've seen it in Rebel Without A Cause which is good if only to see James Dean.  Another friend from LA warned me to be careful in the park as she remembers it as being a not friendly area but we were surrounded by tourists and locals enjoying the amazing view of LA.  Everyone wants to see a city from up high.

A Very Special Bachelor Party

Only Collin's bachelor party would start at 945 am at the first showing of the day of Iron Man 3.

Our next activity was to find shoes for Collin to wear at his wedding.  Done.

Then on to my first of three Mexican meals while in LA.

I didn't hold it against the place that Guy Fieri had also eaten here.

The tamales did not look like much but they were enough to make Brigham look like this.

Mary in Brussels

Sometimes life works out when I'm able to help some friends out and they send me my favorite chocolate from Belgium. 

Happiness.

Night + Market

When I land in Los Angeles, my new tradition will be to drive directly to Night + Market.  I don't even remember what the dishes were as most of them were specials but they were all so very good.  I felt like I was back in Thailand.

I wish I could remember the name of this because it was my favorite.  I was an idiot though and mixed the peppers up without realizing how hot they were.  Poor Lauren couldn't really eat it but I did.

I was so happy to eat sticky rice and mango for dessert.

My only regret is that Brigham couldn't eat this food with us.

Ramps + Table

It's embarrassing how long ago this dinner happened but it is still worthy enough to document.  Dana and I went to Table about a month ago on a pretty perfect spring evening.  The restaurant is in a building that used to be something that needed a garage door and this was one of those nights when the door was open.  It also has a roof deck which has opened since we were there but I've heard great things about it. 

We were seated right by the chef's station and saw all of the main dishes going out to the tables.  I asked a few questions specifically if there were any ramps on the menu which there was but it was paired with octopus.  I wasn't super excited for the pairing but after being promised that it wasn't rubbery, I ordered it.

Ramps are in season for such a short time so I knew I had to suck it up and order the dish.  It was probably one of the best octopus dishes I've had but it's not something I typically order.

I followed it with a nice bass.  I love the colors in both the dishes.

Philip Johnson in DC

I found out about The Kreeger Museum when I was visiting the Glass House a couple of years ago with Mer and Trish.  I put it on the list of to dos in DC and I can't believe that I didn't know about it for all the years that I lived here.

It's a small museum and the collection has some nice paintings by Monet and Picasso.  I really liked the sculpture collection though which included pieces from Moore and Arp.