I need relief from cleaning out my email box. It has reached an alarming 82% capacity in its 7-year existence and I’m an hour or so in with many more to go.

Soooooo…..

I wistfully return to today’s lunch, when things were pleasant and refreshing. Behold the glorious shellfish in its oyster and mussel form! Why not wash it down with a rum cocktail at noon? All of this was brought to me by the fine people at The Hungry Cat in Hollywood. Today was their 7-year anniversary and they graciously celebrated with $1 raw oysters on all their varieties—James River from Virginia, Malpeque from Prince Edward Island and Calm Coves from Washington—and cocktail specials all day long. It was an all day happy hour so to speak. And, lucky for me, I got the chance during my lunchtime commute to stop by.

I wish I could say I frequent The Hungry Cat all the time. I don’t. But only because I avoid that whole Sunset and Vine situation and I am a sucker for their Pug Burger and I really need to wean off how many burgers I eat in my lifetime. Plus, their top shelf cocktails could easily help to to neglect my college monetary situation. In other words, yada, yada, yada. But being here today reminded me what I’ve been missing out on: amazing, fresh seafood/shellfish. You can enjoy light and raw to something more rich, like the steamed mussels in a Pernod and saffron based broth. It came complete with kale greens, thin slices of fingerling potatoes and fennel to slice. Two grilled pieces of sliced bread sat on top with a dollop of what I think was an aioli of sorts. But I could’ve done without it and saturated my bread in the broth alone. It was a big notch up on what, to me, is comfort food. 

Anyway, The Hungry Cat is a great place to go. Not just to have good food, but to have great service (no matter what Yelp has to say). Any good and busy establishment will take time. As does good food. So, if getting a server or refilling your drink takes an extra minute, don’t fret. It’s not because they’re unattentive. They’re actually doing their best being attentive to every single person, so when they get to you, trust they they’ll do with care.

It’s been a while. But I finally decided to start eating again. And to ease my transition into eating, I’ve chosen the route of…SHELLFISH.

Weekend errands to the Westside leave me feeling a little starved and very much entitled to treat myself to something awesome. Since I don’t know Santa Monica too well, I accidentally stumbled into Santa Monica Seafood last Presidents Day. (And by accident, I really mean I had to pee before getting back on the road to head home and Santa Monica Seafood was convenient and open, unlike Huckleberry, where I was actually headed towards.) Once I got through the dense crowd of people, I got stunned by the vast assortment and quality of fish, shellfish and their accoutrements. There was a dining area in the corner also overwhelmed by a waiting line but, lucky for me, there was a 8 to 10 seat bar that had a few spare stools. And then a 1/2 dozen oysters and a glass of chardonnay welcomed me.

This past weekend, I took advantage of another Westside errand to pitstop at Gladstones in Malibu. Hungrier than usual (and thanks to a Blackboard Eats 30% discount), I feasted on a plate of steamed little neck clams and had a go at 1/2 dozen raw oysters. Though the oysters weren’t as good as the previous week’s excursion to Santa Monica Seafood, the clams were dynamite and that garlic lemon broth sauce to dip my crostini into was my favorite part.

There’s an amazing guy named David, who works the bar at Gladstones in Malibu. But don’t give him props just for his attentiveness and awesome disposition, but also for the chalkboard art he does for the restaurant along with other SBE restaurants, such as Cleo.

Can’t wait to deal with traffic on route to the Westside again. More shellfish will definitely be in store.

The Gorbals

What food blog would be right without a Thanksgiving Day post?

Between now and this time last year, a plethora of things have happened. So much so that I had minimal to no expectations of doing my traditional homemade Thanksgiving feast. …  That was until some unexpected Santa Monicans came into my life and inspired me otherwise.  Thanks to them, I took part in what was the most moist turkey I’ve ever had a hand in.  I’ve had some epic Thanksgiving meals in my time. But this year, I have to say, I am the most thankful for knowing genuine people, who contributed in embodying the concept of “help” to me and who I am the most thankful for in giving me the most relaxing holiday I’ve come to know. 

Recipes

• a 11-12 lbs. turkey rubbed with olive oil/herbs/citrus zests; basted in water and chicken stock on the bottom of a roasting pan every 1/2 hour for 4-5 hours
• stuffing, which ended up being dressing
• potato and leek gratin
• sweet potato casserole; addendum: marshmallows

Side Notes

• our 11-12 lbs. Butterball turkey was named Harriet
• Harriet was frozen when bought and refrigerated 2 days but needed at least 3; soak your bird in tepid water for 2-3 hours and change the water when the water gets cold on a regular basis to get your 12-pounder ready for roasting on T-day
• there is no such thing as over basting your turkey: our every 1/2 hour basting session for 4 hours rendered the moistest turkey, so moist leftovers 3 days after were still tender

For you Miami, Los Angeles and I think Louisianna people, do make a pit stop at your local 8 Oz. Burger Bar. When in want of a well cooked and prepared burger (veggie or traditionally meatastic-wise), they will not disappoint. Note the $4 sides/drink happy hour deals, which off the top of my head come at $4 bottled beers/cocktails/wine and appetizers (hummus & pita, fries, fried olives) from at least 4 to 7 PM.

My reason for this post, however, comes directly from their current special: the $12 “Fall Classic” grilled turkey burger—a prequel to Thanksgiving: a grilled turkey burger (or optionally fried), filled with stuffing, persimmon relish…and in the words of a dear friend, “juicy yum yums.” It is, or rather was, my treat to myself after much success from a full day (of school/work). But the treat was all mine having escalated my recent memory of happy burger memories to a whole new ridiculous level. Thank you, 8 Oz. and its staff! <3

An Ode to Vegas (part 2 of 2).

I’m not a Vegas person. On surface, me and Vegas seem like a good idea: tons of all kinds of good food, drinks galore, all night clubs, parties… But that’s just it: Vegas is too much for me. Over the years I’ve resigned myself into believing we are simply incompatible. That was until September, when I realized Vegas is pleasant when you’re there for people you love. And exactly a month ago, that fact was compounded on and complimented with amazing meals and what became my never ending glass of champagne.

________

After a not so modest wedding at Chapel of the Bells, our small party of 9 headed to The Eiffel Tower Restaurant.  Even though we had just come from a wedding, which in all honesty had some pretty touching vows, I, for one, am not about being in love in Vegas. Least of all in a Vegas facade of Paris, such as the Paris Hotel. But lo’ and behold, I fell hard. I was knocked off my feet by a most beautiful rack of lamb! Aside from my memory of how perfectly cooked and tender it was, my favorite memory has to be the waiter whose eyes fluttered when he suggested it to me. It had that kind of look, that I-know-I-work-here-but-SERIOUSLY-this-will-BLOW-YOUR-MIND look. And he was beyond right.

As a wedding gift, I arranged to have a wedding cake surprise the couple. The special events coordinator at The Eiffel Tower Restaurant was helpful but had her and the restaurants hands tied on account of the 10-10-10 weekend. (Lucky numbers are no small matter in Vegas, believe me.) The kitchen was too backed up to accommodate my wedding cake requests. Luckily, the good people at JJ’s Boulangerie came to our rescue. I was pretty nervous (understatement) about this cake since I had no way of seeing it before it was presented to our table. But Mr. Schmythe (sp?) and his team did a stellar job and had our bride in a 10-minute session of happy waterfall tears.

My note to self should I venture to Vegas next would be to make the most out of it by laying poolside in a cabana, share a minimum of 3 bottles of champagne (good for 2-3 people) and treat myself to a steak dinner.  That was how we spent the tail end of our trip and weekend.  I thank Rumor and Mon Ami Gabi for meeting these points with perfect detail. To this day, the mention of “merlot butter” makes my knees weak. And thanks to those moments, there is hope for me and Vegas yet.