Mom’s Birthday

I spent this past weekend in LA to help celebrate my mom’s birthday. What a great weekend it was…

I arrived on Friday in the early afternoon. My mom and I often think very similar thoughts, so when she suggested two lunch spots and I had already been craving one of them, we naturally jetted over to Malibu Fish Grill for some lunch. After that we did some shopping and then headed home to hang out with Logan and start dinner.

…Let me tell you about the best food I have ever consumed. In 2007, Nik and I visited the Bahamas. We arrived to the tropical island (Grand Bahama Island) late in the day, starving, without car, and a little nervous at being in a foreign country with no working phones. The resort that we stayed at was a little bit removed from the majority of attractions, resorts, and restaurants on the island, but they offered frequent daily shuttle service to that side of the island. Unfortunately, we were too late to catch the shuttle, and there was seemingly no food around. Desperate, we asked the resort manager where we could eat, and she suggested Ruby Swiss, a local restaurant nearby. Our only option, Nik and I trudged through the jungle and came upon a truly local-looking spot–nothing fancy, a squat building in the middle of nowhere, full of local Bahamians. All eyes were on us as we entered, the only tourists around. I blindly ordered the lobster thermidor, never having heard of such a thing but in love with lobster. Well, it was the best…thing…I’ve…ever…had. I have been craving it ever since, searching for it, but have been unable to locate it anywhere in the United States…

Well, my mom decided to make it for me!! A pretty complicated recipe, she dove in headfirst on Friday, producing a rich, delicious lobster dish!! I ate two tails full of lobster…just amazing!! I wish I had driven instead of flown down there this weekend, so that I could have driven leftovers back up with me. Thanks, Mom!!

Saturday was full of some more shopping and a nail appointment. Then on Saturday night, my mom, Mandi, and I headed out for a night on the town to celebrate our mom’s birthday. We started out with dinner at Fogo de Chao, a Brazilian steakhouse in Beverly Hills. This place is incredible. There is no real menu, but neverending portions of all of their food. You start off at a well-stocked and nontraditional salad bar, featuring veggies, cheeses, olive oils and vinegars, salads, tabbouleh, meats, etc. Then the side dishes start to come–warm cheese bread, garlic mashed potatoes, polenta, and caramelized bananas. These come to you endlessly–we hadn’t even finished half of a dish when it would be replaced by a full dish. And then…the meats. There are something like 15 different meats which also come to you endlessly. Flip your card to green, alerting the waiters to bring you meat, and a wave of dishes come to you immediately. You can choose your cooking level (medium, etc.) and obtain endless portions of meats such as bacon-wrapped filet mignon, lamb chops, pork ribs, parmesian-crusted pork loin, etc. SO…INDULGENT. Here we are, pre-food, about 12 pounds lighter (each).

After dinner we headed over to Hollywood to see Beauty and the Beast at the Pantages. The show was awesome!! I love going to the theater, and I love this show (we’d seen it years ago). I think my mom had a great birthday celebration!!

We started Sunday off, a little sleepy, at breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien in Manhattan Beach. This place has the best coffee around, yummy pastries, unique tartines (little French sandwiches), fresh fruit, etc. Combined with the perfect setting at the beach, this is my favorite breakfast spot. I tried the ricotta, fig, honey, black pepper tartine…yummy!! After breakfast we did some quick shopping at a boutique nearby, then I headed to my dad’s house to hang out for the afternoon. We had fun chatting and eating quesadillas for lunch. Another great weekend!!