Ritz Bites

Now we pause for a moment of self-promotion

I wrote three non-food-related articles in the brand new LA Weekly's Best of LA: City Classics 2008 issue. Read more about Travel Town Museum, Judson Studios, and the Exposition Rose Garden, or pick up the super fat paper issue to peruse the many recs contained within.

On a related note, I've also recently started writing the dining and food news portions of the Weekly's "Gold Standard" e-newsletter. To get the newsletter emailed to you every week, go to the Weekly's site and sign up for the "LA Weekly Insiders" mailings. You have to register but they don't ask for inappropriate information. But be sure to ONLY check the "Gold Standard" (as in Jonathan) box, unless you want lots of other emails about news and clubs and live music and whatnot. Which maybe you do. If so, go buck wild with the newsletters, friends.

Happy reading and eating...

Pitfalls of Dining Out

Butter-laden dishes at AOC last week reminded me of a big upside of in-home eating: fewer calories. Though I'm definitely not a low-calorie or low-fat cook -- nor do I exercise regularly like I should -- I love my veggies, I take pleasant strolls, and chase my active toddler around. I also don't obsess about food intake like I used to through my twenties, which is good for the soul.

So combined with fewer restaurant meals, most of my clothes look better on me than they used to, and I can wear slimmer pants, making jeans shopping a dangerously tempting proposition. Part of it must be in the genes; my sister also experienced this sort of bizarre postpartum weight loss fluke. (I'm also still relatively young. Right? Right?!)

Today the Times points to some dangers of chronicling food and all things gustatory that's a good reality check. After all, my cholesterol levels still give me cause for concern.

My Grandma Pearl, a very wise woman who loved food, used to say "always leave the table half full." More often easier said than done. Now it's time for a couple small bites of the bread pudding H brought me from Angeli.

Yes, I'm Still Here.

But while I've been dropping the blogging ball big time, Cicely has finally gotten hers rolling. Check it out.

Sniff sniff: quick Top Chef comment

OK, so despite being a big fan since coming late to the party during Season 2, I NEVER blog about Top Chef. Nor do I feel compelled to participate in any online chatter about the show.

Until now. I gotta speak out: Tre wuz robbed!!  I totally agree with Bourdain's as-always observant, hilarious and accurate take on what went down, yet am still SO bummed that the only chef to whom I'd feel confident handing over 100 grand in start-up money was sent back to Texas. That sucks.

Rest assured when I go to Dallas soon, the first meal plan I'll be making is a reservation at Abacus.  (It was also owned by a family friend who recently passed away, and my aunt is a big fan of the restaurant.) 

So, Tre, looking forward to seeing you in Big D instead of on the little screen.

I'm no Harry & Sally fan...

But this lady is right on when it comes to restaurant issues.

More importantly, forcing my small spoon fetish on others is vindicated in our nation's newspaper of record!  Ephron writes:

 

One of the greatest things about this land of ours, as far as I'm concerned, is that we never fell into the dessert-spoon trap. If you needed a spoon for dessert, you were given a teaspoon. But those days are over, and it's a shame.

As my friends and family can attest, even a teaspoon is too big for me.  Look through my purse and you'll find tiny gelato spades stashed away (and in need of washing).  I blame B-R taster spoons for the early development of this preference.  So come dessert time, there's really no reason to feel bad about asking for the smallest spoon possible.  Are there any good explanations of why bigger spoons are better?