ucla: we're number ... 2?

so ucla beat oregon. but, washington beat wazzu.

which meant ucla finished the regular season at number 2. strange. the dark days of the lavin era feels so long ago that i can't seem to fathom supporting a schizophrenic-but-will-eventually-flame-out team anymore. i'm not saying that this team is like that. not at all. i 'm just saying that it's weird not being the top dog in the pac this year. ah well. there's still the pac-10 tournament and the ncaa tournament to look forward to.

manchego: the resto, not the cheese

it seems like tapas is all the rage these days in the westside of la. first, there was bar pintxo. then, the bazaar. now, there's manchego on main in santa monica.

the space is cozy (read small) but significantly roomier than bar pintxo. i think that bar pintxo has more of an ambience because there's a jamon on the counter (which i think is always pretty to look at) and the tapas are on display in a case (reminds me of madrid).

so how does manchego's food compare? well, the only thing that i can say i tried that the resto prepared were: (1) the gazpacho; (2) the peppers with feta and pita bread (picture below); and the pureed tomato spread.



the rest were pretty much prepared elesewhere. we ordered the la mancha sampler, which included three types of cheeses (manchego, idiazabal & iberico), 2 types of jamon serrano, 2 types of chorizo, the aforementioned gazpacho, olives, and the pureed tomato.



the gazpacho had a nice garlicky kick. the pureed tomato, used as a spread, was ok - but i thought it needed more salt and olive oil. the peppers and feta just did nothing for me.

i don't know whether they cut their own jamon -- because everything came from the kitchen, which was hidden. but i distinctly remember thinking that one type of jamon serrano was just too salty, if that was even possible.

one thing i can say about manchego was that they knew how to store the cheese. they weren't stale. and normally, i would expect that of any restaurant but i recently had to turn down manchego because it was too dry.

so, if i were to rank the tapas place around, i'd rate the bazaar tops. i can't really decide on whether manchego is better than bar pintxo until i have had more of manchego's prepared food. i guess that means i will have to make another trek to santa monica.

how curious was my palate?

one of the joys about living in los angeles is that it is more often than not that winters are beautiful. today was no exception. so, i took a very long walk in the westside and found myself at curious palate. i wish i could say that i just stumbled upon it. but, a friend had actually already clued me in to this place while i was gallivanting around in tanzania.

the place was quite quaint. curious palate appears to serve healthy fare and it had a selection of meats and cheeses on display. i was to walk some more after my stop so i didn't buy anything to take home. and i wasn't that hungry either (it was only 10:15 am).




so, i opted for a large bowl of mac 'n cheese. (you haven't seen me hungry.) it had the requisite crunch factor at the top and gooey cheese inside. it wasn't the best mac n' cheese i ever had. but it sure was good enough for me to come back at a later date so i can check out their other goodies.



i mean, after all, they do serve this pinot noir soda (which basically tasted like grape juice. at 130 calories, i don't think it was worth it for me to have it again but the novelty was sure worth it).

good luck aboya!

this story about alfred aboya's family finally seeing him play "live" for the first time ever on senior day makes me very happy.

that being said, ncaa title hope is slim but still possible. ya never know.

kentuckian food

i traveled to louisville, kentucky over the martin luther king, jr. weekend and was determined to eat classic kentuckian food.

so, here are my thoughts:

1. i had the dutch apple with caramel pie from the good people at homemade ice cream and pie kitchen. homemade claims that this was an original recipe. it was basically an apple pie with a caramel layering on top. what made this pie special (or fatty, if you are a half empty kind of person) was the caramel. it was like sweet on sweet. the caramel had a tad bit crispiness for texture. i enjoyed this pie, but then again, i have a sweet tooth.



2. i also tried this alleged kentuckian classic, hot brown, over at churchill downs (the place where the kentucky derby is held). it was basically a layer of many things: thinly sliced english muffin at the bottom, thinly sliced turkey, sliced tomatoes, mornay sauce, and topped with bacon and scallions. so here's the deal: i like english muffins. i like turkey. i like tomatoes. i like cheese. i adore bacon. and i like scallions. together though, it was a bit too much. yes, it was rich. too rich. and that was the problem.





3. finally, i had the mint julep. i tried two. one at some restaurant where it tasted like bourbon mojito with the grains of sugar noticeably grating on my tongue. the second one i tried, at churchill downs, was much better. i can't say that i am a bourbon person (or whiskey, for that matter) but the mixture of bourbon and sugar and mint was a lot smoother at churchill downs. nothing subtle about the mint julep though. this was still a very strong drink.



i am told that louisville has a lot more to offer. i can't say that i loved the food/drinks (at least, of what i have had so far). but i am not averse to checking out louisville's other offings.

packing for tanzania: hiking kili, safari-ing in the serengeti and beach bumming in zanzibar

i will soon be headed to tanzania, which leads me to the topic of packing. i am averse to checking in luggage but i have no choice this time. i have too much gear to pack and i have too many climate zones to go through. in addition to tanzania, i am spending a few days in wintry london. so to recap: (1) kili means hiking gear from hot and humid to freezing; (2) safari means hot and humid to moderate temperatures; (3) zanzibar means beach wear and modest walking clothes due to the muslim population; and (4) london means urban winter wear. argh.

that being said, i would have been able to have gotten away with NOT checking in luggage but for the fact that i am bringing my own sleeping bag, walking sticks, and have to pack for london.

here are some tips:
1. for women, invest in a freshette. this will allow you to pee while standing up. this is especially helpful when it is freezing in kili and you don't want to, ahem, take off too much clothes to do your business.
here's a picture of a freshette:


2. don't bother bringing too much clothes for the hike. you won't be showering. you will be wearing the same clothes, for the most part. don't worry, everyone else around you will stink.

3. while #2 is true, bring enough underwear for everyday of the hike. no reason to be nasty.

4. while #2 is true, bring enough liner socks (coolmax) to change everyday. you want your feet to be as fresh as possible. what you could repeatedly wear without changing are the actual heavily cushioned smart wool hiking socks.

5. while #2 is true, make sure you have enough warm clothes (think layers) for the summit attempt, where it will be freezing.

6. make sure you have all the medications you need for the hike. consult with your doctor if you need any to prevent altitude mountain sickness (AMS), high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) and/or high altitude cerebral edema (HACE). also get any vaccinations or meds for stuff that the CDC recommends (e.g., malaria, typhoid, hep a & b, etc.)

7. for the hike, there won't be any chargers. if you are bringing any electronic anything (camera, ipod, etc), make sure you have any extra batteries or some kind of solar charger. i wouldn't rely too much on the solar charger as it takes too long to charge and that could be a problem if you are bringing more than one electronic equipment (think camera and ipod).

8. for the safari, don't bring clothes with loud colors or patterns because you might scare off the animals.

9. for zanzibar, make sure you have modest clothing for touring around town. it is a muslim island so please, no tank tops or shorts. cover your shoulders and your knees.

while i have not done this trip before, i have previously hiked the inca trail, which meant 4 days of hiking with no showers and with a set amount of weight of stuff i could give to the porters. so i sort of know what i'm talking about, packing-wise.

will update this after i get back and see if i have any additional tips.

back at pauley: ucla v. arizona

it has been awhile since the last time i was at pauley. ever since i decided to give up my tickets (around the same time bruin basketball got better... and the tickets got more expensive), i have been cherishing the rare moments i set foot at pauley.

so, i am pleased to say that my first time back in a year has been enjoyable. first off, coach john wooden is still around. he is being wheeled in a wheelchair these days but hey, he is 98 or so. pretty darned good, if you ask me. he still gives me the goosebumps everytime i see him sitting behind the bruin bench. what an awesome man.



second, ucla won 80-63. i was pleased that nikola dragovic has actually been productive this year (and even the leading scorer this game) as i had high hopes for him when he first came to the states from serbia about 3 years ago... and turned out to be a dud. not so much anymore.

third, i was pleased to see alfred aboya again. he has improved much in his free throw shooting as seen in the video below. it used to be that every time he went to the charity stripe, i had to cringe. it was almost an automatic turnover. but, he is much improved and am happy for him. plus, he has been very good about not fouling too much. this will probably be the last time i will see him in a bruin uniform as this is his last year (he is currently a grad student at ucla -- he graduated college in 3 years!). hopefully, i will see him soon as the president of cameroon, as he has dreamed to become.



fourth, i was pleased to see crazy alumni guy again. this guy cracks me up. wherever you may be sitting at pauley -- whether on the floor or in the nosebleeds, you can hear this guy screaming and hollering at the other team when they are attempting to make free throws. his shrill voice and spastic moves is classic. gotta love him.



last but not the least, i enjoyed watching the fab five freshmen - jrue holiday, drew gordon, malcolm lee, jerime anderson and j'mison morgan. ok, granted, they were not all in good playing form. e.g., morgan needs to get fitter to go up and down the court but he has lots of potential. otherwise, holiday rocked. and if memory serves, gordon made a couple of awesome blocks towards the end of the game.

overall, i still love my bruins. while they are not top ranked in the country, it is all good. i think they will make a deep run in the tournament.

a glimpse into a christmas family gathering redux

another year, another christmas. if i was freezing in chicago last year, this year, i was in relatively warmer irvine to celebrate the holiday.

like my other side of the family, there were lots of food. for the gathering, i attempted to make nancy reagan's persimmon pudding cake, which turned out ok, not great. making it was an adventure in and of itself, which involved, on christmas eve, going to a regular supermarket and 2 asian markets before finally finding persimmons. then "puree-ing" the persimmons without a blender... yeah, that was definitely an adventure. but, the cake turned out fine and the brandy whipping cream (not pictured) to top the cake was great.


i also made these sugar cookies and had fun "decorating" trees.


my cousin made this pastry bread with brie and toasted walnuts (bottom right) and it was good i ate at least half of the loaf.


amanda made this seafood pajun, a korean dish that's basically a seafood pancake (but not breakfast pancake sweet). you dip it in a sauce made of soy sauce and white vinegar.


more dessert.


the ham, the quiche and chicken.


my cousin also made this crab meat (real crab, thank you very much) dish with cheese and eggs.


let's just say i was really full even before lunch started. but that did not stop me from eating all the way through dinner.

like my other side of the family, this gathering also involved a talent show, albeit on a smaller scale -- but that is more a function of size than quality. see, my granparents on my mother's side did not really have as many children as my grandparents on my father's side. as a consequence, there are fewer kids to show off their talents.

to start off, joey danced the tango with his mom.



then monica and loren showed off their musical abilities.



mark showed off his ice-skating chops (via video).

unlike my other side of the family, this side's gathering includes non-blood relatives, which makes for a more expansive story sharing. as always, there were lots of hooting and hollering, lots of teasing, lots of laughter and lots of bubbly and red wine.

it was definitely a fun celebration, as always.

hatfield's: good food but don't believe the hype

i took a girlfriend out for a birthday dinner the other night and she chose hatfield's because she heard a lot of hype about the place. this being her birthday dinner and all, i acquiesced.

we started off with the following amuse: (left) a shot of cauliflower soup - served hot with an understated sweetness and (right) deviled quail egg with smoked trout - possibly my favorite of the night. the trout did not overpower the quail egg.


for my appetizer, i ordered the croque madame with prosciutto, quail egg and hamachi on brioche. i love quail eggs. i love prosciutto. i love hamachi. and i love brioche. unfortunately, the hamachi did not work. it had a weird taste. but then again, i kinda like my ham and cheese with egg just that, i.e., ham, cheese and egg on bread.


the birthday girl had the scallops on a bed of something that i do not remember right now. clearly, it was not memorable.


i had the roasted duck on a bed of quinoa and mushrooms, and butternut squash. i actually enjoyed the duck.


the birthday girl had the pork loin with chinese broccoli and yam puree. i thought it was ok.


i believe this dessert was a chocolate cake with peanut butter. again, it was just ok.


below were mini cupcakes with peanut butter. they were not too sweet.


the verdict? it was good but nothing to fawn over. the space was small and intimate and the service amiable. the price for two without drinks was about $120.

the bazaar: jose andres goes to la

prior to my summer trip to spain, i started getting addicted to jose andres' tv show on pbs called "made in spain." never heard of him till then but once i did, i immensely enjoyed his show.

fast forward to the late fall and jose andres has opened a new restaurant in la. so, i just had to try it. the whole experience was fun. while there may have been a few misses, there were more hits. so this place is definitely a place i will want to go back to.

first off, we had the jamon iberico de bellota. these yummy slices of swine come from meat that has been fed acorn. it was good.... but for the fact that i had some really good ones in spain. i wish the slices had more fatty goodness. but this plate was better than i had anywhere in the us.



this canned sea urchin was quite a pleasant surprise. i have gotten over my uni phobia but to have this canned delicacy was a revelation. that is, not all canned foods are bad.



this simple plate of bread with tomato and olive oil was great. unlike your typical bruschetta, the tomato was pretty much mushed. but that's ok.



aaah cheese. ever since i visited andrew's cheese shop in santa monica, i have been a fan of idiazabal (left), made out of sheep's milk. and the sample below left did not disappoint. similarly, the murcia (goat cheese) (center) was a great departure from the goat cheese i have had in the past. this version did not suddenly make me a fan of goat cheese but i definitely won't be shunning this version. finally, good ol manchego (right). need i say more?



this simple salad of thinly sliced apples with leeks topped with grated manchego cheese was crisp and refreshing.



this wild mushroom risotto topped with melted idiazabal cheese would have been really really good but for the fact that it was a tad bit too salty.



the seared trout with jamon serrano was very good. the fish was far from dry and very juicy and the jamon on top gave the dish a great texture.



the pork sausage on a bed of white beans was also good. a friend said the sausage was too salty but i thought it was perfectly flavored.



this lamb loin with truffles was delicious. thin cuts of meat and the truffle was very rich and yet light at the same time.



the galician lobster with potatoes was good but nothing spectacular.



the sauteed shrimp with garlic was good. full of flavor. but i don't get the foam. but that's just me.


finally, this paella style pasta with monkfish and shrimp was really good. the angel hair had a nice crispness to it that was not overdone but still soft enough that did not make you miss the rice that usually goes with paella.



we enjoyed two bottles of wine. i preferred the crianza from rioja. it was not too full bodied like the other bottle and i thought it went better with the dishes we ordered.





finally, the flan. it was good but not spectacular. not too sweet.



the damage was about $112 per person with the tax and tip. not too bad considering the dishes were filling and very very good. the dishes we tried were primarily the traditional spanish tapas. the bazaar also had a selection of modern tapas, which we did not try.

i will definitely come back. after all, a lot more dishes await tasting.