Archive | February, 2009
Little Gold Men…It’s Oscarmania!
19 FebOscar is quietly pitching his tents and constructing bleachers during this cold L.A. week. The red carpet has gone up, tourists are gawking and Hollywood Boulevard has been shut down. This weekend, we’ll get to watch the actors and actresses we both love and hate walk down the red aisle to our chagrin or ecstasy. This is what it looks like:
On the way home…
(Memento Mori)
Fracophilia
16 FebHello everyone, I am a Francophile.What started as an introduction to language class in Middle School burgeoned into a lifelong obsession with the French, their language and a thirst for a European dream. L.A. is just a stop-over.
En route, I’m submerging myself in authentic French flavor. This is why I’ve ended up at Monsieur Marcel. This tiny grocery store sits within the historic Farmer’s Market, adjacent to their associated restaurant with the same name. Mr. Marcel offers familiar stock to any French expat, such as wine, cheese, cutlery, napkins, champagne, chocolates, baguettes and the ultimate, popular French cookie, the Macaron (in their traditional assorted colors). The restaurant has a charming candlelit wooden bar and has arranged it’s seating ‘dehours’ (outside), underneath a canopy. It’s a romantic, isolated spot among the bustle of the other vendors located within the Farmer’s Market precinct. I recommend the Fondue (the best I’ve ever had).
There is also Cafe Flore. A favorite of mine off of Robertson Boulevard, a high-end shopping district. It looks humble but their prices, cozy atmosphere (although admittedly corny thanks to water paintings and gold frames on the walls), great food (for both presentation – artistic, colorful and befitting much higher prices – and taste), perfect portions and French waiters are worth a visit. If you’re in Denver, Colorado, try Le Central.
L.A. is full of French restaurants that are very romantic but prices are high and you don’t get what you’re paying for. Spiritland Bistro is a quaint restaurant in Santa Barbara. On their menu is the lavender honey Creme Brulee. This twist on the classic dessert is noted in many reviews, but once it was in front of me disappointment set in. The usual crunchy blazed sugar crust was soft, the cream inside was marginal. I wanted my ten bucks back. There are a hundred French gourmet options in L.A., not all of them genuine but rather American interpretations of the authentic product. So we’re back to Mr. Marcel and his Macarons.
Below are some of my most recent purchases. Bought primarily for their whimsy and color – a quality I find prevalent in French products, fashion, television and movies. It’s fun to indulge.
The display case at Monsieur Marcel
I am in love with the Pistachio (on the far right). Although seemingly crunchy, these pieces are filled with cream, and are more like tiny cakes than a true cookie.
Within The Vicinity
10 FebPay attention to your neighbors.I once took a six-week fencing class at the Los Angeles Community College. On the last day of class, I discovered that I had been dueling with very talented and successful writers, one producer and several amateur artists. One woman had come to L.A., after a stint writing for a succesful Canadian sitcom. This the great thing about L.A., the company you unknowingly keep can be a vast and untapped resource. Companions that I had little ambition to take note of (how very L.A. of me), until we sat after class discussing our respective careers and our teachers foray into screenplays. I was taken aback, surprised at the lack of ego and pretention and their willingness to share whatever insight they could offer into the industry culture and their estimated success in the bewildering Los Angeles landscape. At a theatre performance, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? starring Kathleen Turner, I sat next to a woman who translated the show’s events for the blind into a tactile experience. More recently, a co-worker of mine shared that unbeknownst to her until a week prior, the famous Korean actor named Rain (as in, famous like Brad Pitt) lived just a floor above.
Photo by Liz Chrisman
Unfortunately, I have nothing to share here, but I want to point out that if you decide to move to L.A., don’t become a hermit. I happen to love my lonesome ways, and given my experience in the fashion showrooms here, an experience I liken to a mock celebrity environment (cut-throat and untrustworthy as it gets, with drug use on the side), it has been hard to trust people in this town ever again. Slowly, it gets better. My sister is far more social than I’ll ever be, and the high expense of entrance fees and drinks is enough to make you want to stay home, but she’s deftly focused her career and her friends have only widened her prospects.
Photo by Liz Chrisman
This is not new news, but just a helpful reminder. Even to myself.
Hello, He Lied
9 FebRecommendinnnnnnnggggggggggg……If only Lynda Obst had been my mentor……I am the bright foreign exchange student. A truly relevant piece of non-fiction and a great introduction into the minds of Angelenos in the business of film & fashion.
With Skates On
6 FebI’ve always loved skate and surf culture. Imagining that if I had only grown up in Southern California, the lanky blond girl on a skateboard riding off into the sunset could have been me – but I grew up in the rocky mountains. It’s about hiking and the outdoors. White water rafting, rock-climbing, running, snowboarding. I never became the hippie this environment often spawns (healthy eating is a big concern, as is saving the environment in my hometown), but I certainly didn’t turn into the Abercrombie&Fitch wearing preppy college student either (also well-known in my hometown – the local University looms over the city). I settled in the middle, I rode a snowboard. When I moved to California, my skate fantasy began again. If I was going to learn to ride, it had to be now and not when I’m 40. It’s ridiculous now (maybe), even more so at an older age.
As a gift for my birthday, I received an Arbor longboard. Completely beautiful in its clear deck tape – to better show off the natural wood and stylized logo. Arbor boards are prized as an environmentally-friendly product; their company ideology advocates that “you can’t just be “green” for the sake of being green. If it were that easy we’d all be wearing hemp.” Their boards are made out of maple, wood and bamboo by-products created during construction. Their boards (skate, snow and surf) are breathtaking.
I learned. Slowly. One night on our way to a Brazilian dinner at a neighborhood restaurant – a perfect opportunity to ride my board down the street – I decided to take a chance down a hill. I was brought to my knees by my fast, uncontrolled ride and suffered a courageous scar. A knarly tear in my knee (see below), was the result. Damn. I am proud. I tried. My board nary suffered a scuff.
NO SAINTS IN L.A. 