quintessential quotes-travel

“Don’t tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you traveled.”

– Mohammed

Image of the Santa Monica Mountains-Leo Carrilo State Park

"What is the best thing on the menu?"

What is the best thing on your menu? This is a Donism.

Since, I met Don eleven years ago, every time we go to a restaurant he always asks this question to our waiter/waitress:"What is the best thing on the menu?" or "What is your signature dish?" or "What is your favorite thing on the menu?"

This inquiry works magic as I have seen that 9 times out of 10, he gets a really tasty meal. I found that this strategy is really useful. Also, you connect with your waiter/ress and you usually get the best food in the house! Try it, next time you sit down in a restaurant. Instead of hemming and hawing about what to choose, ask some good advice from the wait staff who are "in the know."

Speaking of "What is the best thing on the menu?", a couple of weeks ago when I arrived back in LA from my SF intense Take5:ARTbreak Day marketing meetings, we stopped at the Wilshire Restaurant in Santa Monica for some nosh.The restaurant was booked, so we ate in the lounge area. I, with my paint splotched,brown hoody on, clicked my Keen's and said I am not in San Francisco anymore. The scene was so stereotypically LA. Girls in really, really short skirts with stilettos and boys talking about how many flat screens they had. It really was good people watching though and kind of a culture shock. But we asked our waitress, "what was the best thing on the menu?" and she suggested the sweet English pea soup.

It was the best pea soup I have ever tasted!!!

We will go back to the Wilshire Restaurant; the food is really good and the ambiance is awesome. And we did spot a cool fireplace in the dinning area, amongst all the bling.

The Big Boy image is from our weekend journey camping to Joshua Tree (that is another post). On our way we had to stop for some food and Big Boy brought back nostalgia from my days of growing up in Wisconsin. Don, as always, asked our waitress "what is the best thing on the menu?" and par for the course, he happily devoured the "Big Boy" hamburger.

The Loot! CSA's in SoCal

Food for thought-thought for food!

We finally committed to joining the Slow Food Movement and to receiving our first CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box filled with some delectable and edible loot!! This week we tried the CSA from the South Central Farmers in Los Angeles. I was kind of bummed to findout that the farm in South Central was closed down and now the Farmers have to travel two hours to Bakersfield to toil their crops. The closure of the farm was a really bad government decision and was really bad for the whole community. Having a farm in the urban jungle was idyllic and healing for all. I am sure it is missed.

Here is a documentary about the South Central Farm. For fourteen years the farm thrived.

What is a CSA?

Local Harvest is an amazing national resource for CSA's and you find one in your local community. Here is what they have to say.

Here are the basics: a farmer offers a certain number of "shares" to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a "membership" or a "subscription") and in return receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.

Getting fresh and seasonal vegies and fruits is really a win, win situation for consumers, farmers, and the environment!

Today we had to pick up our South Central Farmers produce box at a residential house in Santa Monica. Like most CSA's they will not deliver it unless you have fifteen neighbors, who want to participate. So, they provide pre-existing pick up and drop off locations. We arrived at the house and no one was in site. We rang the doorbell and then saw that it was self service. The box was very light and we opened it up it was so beautiful. Yummy! The array we received was awesome! Don and I each had an orange and that was delicious. Now I have to get creative with my cooking.

Anyone know a good recipe for Fava beans? I will keep you posted on what I create from these amazing vegies. Intuitively cooking seasonal "slow" food is good for your body, soul, and your pocket book.

If this has made you epicurious, remember you can find a CSA in your neighborhood at the Local Harvest.

Thanksgiving and Gratitude!

Lunch in Santa Monica on Montana Avenue

Today we took a walk to Montana Avenue in Santa Monica. To get to Montana it is lovely to take the Pacific Palisades Park walkway. It has a beautiful vista, which overlooks the ocean. The park has a good vibe and has some amazing coastal foliage and is a sweet spot for loungers, dog walkers, personal trainers, joggers, and fitness groups.

The walk crosses Montana Avenue. As you walk up the avenue you there are lots of small, high end boutiques, cafes, and restaurants. Honestly, Montana Avenue aesthetically is just an OK street. Personally I feel it lacks in character, in comparison to other shopping districts around the world. The beauty is its location, as it is a stones throw away from the Ocean. It also has a reputation, as well known entertainers are often spotted on this street.

Our first stop was at the yogurt shop Menchies. I always loved the concept of eating dessert first. Why not? The place is totally self serve. You pick your yogurt flavor or flavors and then doctor it up with decadent candies and fruits. My inner child was activated and I had to restrain myself from going nuts with all the abundance of treats. It was delicious.

We decided to eat on the go. As we were strolling, we had a random interaction with a lady who was carrying two coffee cups across Montana Avenue. Now that is a challenge! She looked very frazzled as she was trying to cross street and when she got to our side, she said to us, "Thank God you all are walking. You are my witnesses (if she got hit, she had implied), folks just do not stop around here." I have to say, she is totally right, folks driving in LA and Santa Monica rarely stop for anything. One has to always be on the uber defense, while walking, biking, and driving in So Cal. Interesting coincidence, today in the Huffington Post there was an entertaining and helpful article called How To Bike From Echo Park To Venice Beach Without Dying. The stereotype is very true; the car culture has turned folks into supremely crazy and self-serving drivers.

We continued to meander our way up the street and then decided to eat lunch at Cafe Montana. The ambiance is very nice. It has an open feel with floor to ceiling windows, great for people watching and great for feeling like one is in a fish bowl. The service was good. I ordered the eggs Benedict and Don had a chicken sandwich with buffalo mozzarella. The food was decent, but not amazing, and it was over-priced.

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But this experience did spark a philosophical discussion about napkins. What does the way a person handles a napkin tell about that person? I am so curious, I feel it could this be another form of self-analysis. Check out our napkins. Which is the lawyer's and which it the artist's? Ha! I would say mine is a sculpture.

Overall, our afternoon walk on Montana Avenue was a pleasant adventure.

Happy Earth Day

"Humankind has not woven the web of life.

We are but one thread within it.

Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.

All things are bound together."

All things connect.

~Chief Seattle, 1855

Do something good for yourself and the Earth today!

Images from Palisades Park in Santa Monica.

Carpe Diem

Carpe Diem LA is a travel log of our adventures in Los Angeles and beyond. In October 2010, we moved here from the San Francisco, Bay Area and we have a lot of unknown territory to cover. Since, the beginning of our relationship, which was over ten years ago, we have had the philosophy that the time we spend together should be a mini adventure of seeing or learning something new. We both love to travel and have traveled extensively around the globe.

The concept of Carpe Diem or living in the moment came naturally to us; we thought to ourselves, why not take the way we experience a new country and begin exploring our proverbial back yard. Hence, Carpe Diem: LA.

On this Blog we will explore Day Trips, Camping, Places to eat, Amazing Nature Hikes, Cafes, and Local Inspiration, and much more in Los Angeles and beyond.

Every day is a new and precious life Experience!