Me & Mongolian Dan

This post title is misleading and vaguely racist, but I've just opened a Diet Coke and I am quickly falling into a writing groove and it's just too damn late to change it. Last night I went out to dinner with my friend Daniel. This is him:

I've mentioned him before, but for those of you who forget who Daniel is, he is a TV writer from New York City, and I actually went to pre-school with him. At the insistence of our mothers (thanks Mom), we reconnected in LA after Daniel graduated from screenwriting school (yes, he is fancy and intellectual and legitimate) and we decided that we actually liked each other and should be friends.

Among his countless endearing qualities, Daniel is funny and very particular about food. He's an adventurous eater, but where I like to mush everything together and stuff it into my mouth and THEN ask the waiter what it was that I just ate, Daniel is the kind of guy who wants to keep his chicken tikka and spinach paneer SEPARATE AT ALL TIMES AND NEVER BLEEDING INTO THE RICE. So you can imagine how surprised/pleased I was when Daniel suggested Mongolian BBQ for our dinner. He also said "I just really want to watch YOU experience Mongolian BBQ." By that, I am pretty sure he meant he wanted to laugh at me being a weirdo with my food.

Gobi Mongolian BBQ House is actually like, 3 blocks from my apartment on Sunset. Here is the website:

http://gobimongolianbbq.com/

If you're not already drooling, I worry for you. Anyway, you walk in, and grab a big bowl, put it on a tray and get in a cafteria-style line. First, there is a selection of frozen meats. Daniel said "I always get chicken and I don't like to mix meats," so I got a whole bunch of beef and mixed some chicken in to be different (okay, to be obnoxious. Who only gets CHICKEN?!). Then you pile in tons of veggies like mushrooms and carrots and leafy things like basil and bean sprouts. Daniel tried to teach me this trick where you put in sprouts and stuff first because "they trickle to the bottom of the bowl," and you want to save as much room as possible so you can pile on a whole bunch of noodles at the end. This is what Daniel's bowl looked like before noodles:

Sensible. This was my bowl pre-noodles:

What?! IT'S MOSTLY BASIL! Anyway, then there is this AMAZING sauce bar and I love sauce almost as much as Emily Moffet and she is a girl who will melt her ice cream in the microwave to make it more like a creamy topping for pretzels. Behold:

Those are the noodles at the end. I used the traditional BBQ sauce along with some lemon sauce because Daniel told me the guys who cook up your food spice it themselves anyway. Even though my bowl was totally overflowing with STUFF, Daniel told me that people usually get more than I did, however, you have to make sure nothing spills onto the tray, because the cooks won't put the spillover on the BBQ pit. Then you give your bowl to these chef dudes and that's really where the magic happens:

Neato, right? Though I became distracted by the insanely great selection of beers displayed on the ledge of the BBQ area (this really annoyed Daniel), it was super cool to watch these guys do their thing. It takes them like, a minute to heat your food and then in one fell swoop, everything is on a plate looking gorgeous. No seriously, look at my fucking plate:

I sprinkled a little sesame and a LOT of Siracha on top (I will put Siracha on a chocolate bar. I don't even know if you capitalize Siracha, but I will continue to do so because it DESERVES capitalization). Then you find a table (warning: there was only one waiter in Gobi last night and a LOT of people, so be prepared to hover/wait/sit at the bar) and the waiter (eventually, he was so stressed but SO NICE) comes over, gives you these DELICIOUS hot sesame buns to sop up the sauces and takes your drink order (as I previously mentioned, I was very excited about this).

So I order what I thought was called a "Black Butter Porter," mostly because I will order anything with the word "butter" in it and a little bit because I like dark beers. The waiter responds and I THINK he says "you mean black PUKE?" so I was just like, "Um, that's mean but yeah I guess," and let Daniel order his special Abita beer (which was very good). The waiter goes on and on about how wonderful Daniel's beer is and then looks at me and goes "The puke is really good too, because it's made with real mountain spring water and you can really taste the difference." he walks away and Daniel is like "WHAT was he calling your beer?" and I am all "I KNOW, right? He is rudely calling my order puke but then being like 'Oh, it's so tasty...fresh spring water, blah blah.'" Anyway this is the beer:

Yeah, it's called Black Butte. I HALLUCINATED the word "butter." Whatever, it was delicious. Daniel was very happy with his meal and ate it so fast, I thought it was like one of those cartoons where the guy throws his plate over his shoulder and the food just disappears. Look at him:

If that's not happiness, I don't know what is. Okay so he looks grumpy, but to be fair, I made him hunch down like that because I was worried he wouldn't fit in the frame because I CANNOT USE MY BLACKBERRY. Anyway, Gobi was fantastic. But I still made Daniel get gelato with me at Pazzo afterwards (and judged him because he only gets fruity flavors). I had brown butter oatmeal (because...butter) and cinnamon (which I MADE Daniel try and he loved because it tasted like "frozen Cap'n Crunch in milk"). Anyway, it won't be as fun because you won't be going with Daniel Sweren-Becker, but Gobi is really yummy and a good all-around "experience." RECOMMEND.

Something Weird on Hyperion...

So my friend Lindsey Weening (the awesome lady I mentioned in my TOMS event post) and I took a walk around the hood yesterday. It ended up being an incredibly long walk, mostly because I got us lost and eventually we had to get brunch (Little Dom's has a special where you get a bottle of champagne and some orange juice for like, not a lot of money). Also, per what I typed in the parentheses, we were mildly drunk on the way back. Anyway, early on in our stroll, we stumbled upon this sign on Hyperion:

For those of you with bad eyes, the sign says "No Cruising." Now, this sign is kind of small. Is it for pedestrians or for cars? Like, no cruise control in cars allowed on this particular street? No cruising for hotties? No cruising for prostitutes? No taking your yacht down the road? WHAT?! Do signs like this exist where you live or is this Silverlake-specific? Anyway, I saw that, thought it was weird, and wanted to tell you about it.

LA Film Fest

Alright, so this festival was downtown (http://www.lafilmfest.com/), but it's surprisingly (to me) close to Silverlake, and I actually knew people who had movies in competition this year, so I feel really super cool and need to tell all 13 of you about it. Also, today is the last day of the festival, so if you're reading this right now, stop and go see an actual film. The first event I went to was a series of short films being shown at the Downtown Independent, which is a very sleek-looking movie theater that is located...downtown, duh. Here:

http://www.downtownindependent.com/

Also, it looks like this: 

I am aware this is the world's tiniest picture. I do not know how to make it larger and do not want to spend the time trying to make it larger. Anyway my friend Jacqueline's (gorgeous to an unfair degree, sings like an angel) Italian boyfriend Antonio (kind, gorgeous to an unfair degree) had a friend in town who directed one of the shorts and so I went. The film, Story of Nobody, was really great. I don't want to give away the plot, but this movie was really beautifully edited and some of the shots were so clever that I had to catch my breath. Also, there was this other short they showed called Blind Date done by a British man named Joe Rosen and it looked like it was shot for five dollars, but the writing and acting was so fantastic that I was completely charmed. I left before the series ended, which I admit is rude; I am sure the other shorts were very interesting.

Then Friday I went to see this documentary that my friend Erika's (she is a groovy Stanford Business School grad who wears feathers in her hair) boyfriend David Fine (lovely, obviously talented gentleman) did called Salaam Dunk. The film follows the girls' basketball team at the American University in Iraq for 6 weeks. I don't think I have to tell you guys that I wept through the entire thing, but I did. I went with Anna (she went downtown! It was special!) and actually felt like I had to apologize to her afterwards because I was sniffling and sobbing all over myself. The movie really is wonderful though. On the one hand, these girls are typical college students, experiencing academic stresses, dating and friendship like anyone in any other country but on the other, they have been through some of the most horrific experiences you can imagine (bombings, the murder of family members, genocide) and they are still just so strong and positive. The doc also pays close attention to their coach Ryan, who was an English grad student who went to Iraq for two years and it changed his life (and the lives of the girls on the team) forever. He was actually at the screening and the after-party, but of course I was too much in awe to talk to him. I took a picture of my ticket though! Look:

Awesome, I know. Also the after-party was at the Hotel Figueroa, which is kind of a fun Moroccan-themed place to have some cocktails (I cannot speak for the rooms, I did not go upstairs). I liked it. Check it out: 

Cronenberg + Fassbender = Heaven

Guys, I am sorry, I promise to blog about Silverlake soon. But the trailer for the new Cronenberg movie, A Dangerous Method, came out today and it stars one of my all-time favorite boyfriends, Michael Fassbender (see Fish Tank, where he makes being a sort of child rapist look disturbingly sexy, or Hunger, where he makes being a starving, own-poop-smearing protestor look disturbingly sexy) as Carl Jung, as well as lower tiered boyfriends Vincent Cassel and Viggo Mortensen. Anyway, Cronenberg is wonderful and sick and twisted (thank you Kalen Egan for showing me Dead Ringers and Videodrome) and I just can't wait for this movie to come out. Oh, Keira Knightley is in it too...blah, blah, jaw, slender, snooze:

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/06/a_dangerous_method_trailer.html

Additionally...

LOOK HOW CUTE SAM AND ALEX'S NY TIMES WEDDING ANNOUNCEMENT IS!!!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/19/fashion/weddings/alexis-del-vecchio-samuel-kendrick-weddings.html?ref=weddings#

Also, I am famous. Also ALSO, before the Game of Thrones finale (I HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY, BUT DON'T WANT TO GIVE IT AWAY (poem)) last night, they showed a preview for the next season of True Blood (great show although last season was a little campy for my taste) and the song they played during the promo was "DLZ" by TV on the Radio! Did I not just mention this deep cut in a previous running playlist? Mom, did you do the music for this TV spot? Anyway, I am just saying, I know what's up. I am also full of myself and highly delusional. Good day.

Not Running Playlist

So this weekend my friends Sam and Alex got married in Boston. It was a beautiful Catholic ceremony followed by an even more beautiful reception at Alex's parents' house in Dedham, MA. Sam and Alex are two of the most wonderful people I know and I was so glad I got to go celebrate them and their love for one another. Unfortunately, I am an idiot and didn't buy my plane ticket until the last minute, so the cheapest flights I could find had me on the red-eye to Boston Friday (with a layover in Phoenix) and a 6:22AM flight back to LA Sunday (which I missed, so I had to take a 7:30 flight to DC and continue on to LA from there). Needless to say, I am fucking tired. However, I wouldn't have gotten through the trip without my trusty iPod. These are some jams I listened to while I tried to sleep on the planes:

1) "Any Way You Want Me" by Spiritualized (this is an amazing song that kind of sounds like a "Crimson and Clover" cover as performed by The Cure. I first heard this jam at a cemetery screening and of course Anthony knew what it was. Very romantic and sexy and delightful)

2) "Cradle" by The Joy Formidable (I am obsessed with this band right now. They're just these great British rockers with a fun sound and a kicky blonde singer who looks like Sia. This song is shorter than their hit "Whirring," but just as tasty)

3) "The Promise" by When in Rome (I just have always loved this song so much, but weirdly it took me years to actually track it down on itunes, partially because I would hear it in the car and on the radio and just forget about it and partially because I am terrible at searching for things on the internet. I love the lyrics to this song because basically this dude is promising someone he will convince them to love him eventually even though he says everything wrong and has a really bad temper. Relatable)

4) "Will Do" by TV on the Radio (I am just getting into this band NOW, so I know I am like 5 years behind, but these guys are great. I didn't realize how sensual and melodic a lot of their songs are. This one is particularly soft and pretty)

5) "10 A.M. Automatic" by The Black Keys (if you don't know this already, I am in love with The Black Keys. They sound how a great band should sound and there are only two of them. This song is like an amazing party that someone is describing to you where everyone is kind of sweaty and drinking PBR and maybe there are some vampires there...I mean I am picturing True Blood but this jam is hot like that show)

6) "Low" by Cracker (old, old ditty that played on the radio on the way to work the other day that I then had to go home and download because it just rocks...even though I had the lyrics wrong in my head and thought they were singing, "Being with you girl is like being ALONE," instead of, "Being with you girl is like being LOW," which is the actual title of the song. I think my version is funnier)

7) "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall" by Coldplay (WHAT?! I DOWNLOADED IT, OKAY?!! LEAVE ME ALONE!!!)

8) "This Charming Life" by Joan Armatrading (okay so, I am not just comparing Joan to Tracy Chapman because they are both black lesbian singers, but because they actually have similar sounds and I like these ladies. This song played on an episode of Sons of Anarchy, my favorite show starring my boyfriend Charlie Hunnam, during a particularly lovely montage that included a view of Charlie's bottom. Memories)

9) "Dancing With Myself" by Billy Idol (I feel like I've already included this song on a playlist before, but I seriously listen to it all the time. It's my favorite song to dance around my apartment with no pants on to. TMI? Yeah, I think I am delirious at this point)

It's good to be back home in Silverlake. Happy Sunday night!

What is this?

So, I really really love Bon Iver. I cry everytime I hear "Skinny Love" (although as you know, I cry at everything and this song was clearly NOT written for me... I would be more like, "Cuddly Love") and probably the best concert of my life was when I saw Justin Vernon and the boys perform at SUNRISE at the Hollywood Cemetery (if you do not know where that is, you do not read my blog enough). I am also a huge fan of Bon Iver's new album, even though I can't listen to it in the car in its entirety because it makes me want to drive off a bridge just a little bit (try putting "Perth" or "Holocene" on a mix for just the right dose of yearning and pain). Anyway, Justin just released the video for "Calgary," which is a great song, but I am pretty sure this video was originally intended to accompany something Sarah MacLaughlin sang. Seriously, watch it:

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/06/bon_iver_calgary_video.html

I am also pretty sure that Raina from America's Next Top Model (I saw the comment on the post, but also, yes, I watch that show...Tyra is SO HILARIOUS on it). Anyway, forgive me for ruining this pretty song with this truly STUPID imagery, but at the end of the day, it's all Justin's fault.

The Day I Became a Wizard...Almost

Okay, so, my parents are going to HATE this post. I know this because I had to WARN my mother that I was going to this party beforehand, knowing I was going to blog about it and she told me not to go. She also told me I was only allowed to drink one beer. She's precious. I don't know if you guys know what a wizard staff party is, but this past Saturday I went to my first one and it was an EXPERIENCE, let me tell you.

I have this friend who never wants me to mention her name on this blog for some DUMB reason, so I will just call her Kat Scardino (which is like, basically her name). Kat lives in a GORGEOUS house in Silverlake, sort of towards Echo Park (this might be incorrect; I have no sense of direction) and throws AMAZING theme parties (her 80's villain party was a night to remember. Kat wore a red leather dress. I was dressed as Mama Fratelli from The Goonies, so it goes without saying that she looked stupid and I looked incredibly hot).

So at a wizard staff party, you come with like an 18 pack of standard sized cans of beer. You crack open your first beer, enjoy it, and when it's done, you duct tape it to the bottom of your second beer. You become a wizard when your "staff" is as tall as you are. So you can imagine that a party like this everyone is very sober and buttoned up. I walked to this party (see Mom! I am so responsible) with Emily, Kalen and Kyle. 3 hours later, Kalen took this picture of Emily and me:

Don't worry, this photo is staged. Kind of. Needless to say, I did not become a full wizard. But I did have a great deal of fun. Also, Kat got a Philly cheesesteak food truck to pull up behind her house and cater the event. This cheesesteak was literally one of the best things I've ever had in my life. Get the classic cheesesteak "wit" with "wiz." This is the truck's website:

http://southphillyexperience.com/

Anyway, although you will never be invited to Kat's house and I may not be invited back after this post, I wanted to tell you that people in Silverlake are cool and have cool parties like this all the time and I just wanted to make you jealous of me and the amazing headache I have right now.

Stranger in Santa Monica...

I just want to take a small moment to give my lovely friend Lindsey Weening a shout-out. For the past year, she has been working on a project for her company, TOMS shoes, and yesterday they released a new line of eyewear, the fruit of Ms. Lindsey's labors (I am pretty sure that's how the expression goes). Anyway, the shades are real good-looking (http://www.toms.com/) and for the same price as a pair of Ray Bans, you help in the fight against blindness in countries like India. TOMS also had an amazing event to celebrate the eyewear launch on Main Street in Santa Monica all day yesterday, which included food trucks and bands like Lord Huron and Fool's Gold (if you don't know these bands, I just really need you to go on Youtube right now). The par-tay looked like this:




No, that's not Lindsey working the sunglass stand. This event was nowhere near Silverlake, but it had a Silverlake-ian spirit about it and I am just so proud of my friend who works her ass off but still manages to be a smiley, fun person who looks annoyingly good in a Canadian tuxedo.

Silverlake Stud-Watch: The Hive

I know. You are thinking, "there's no way she is actually titling her post that." But here I am, doing it. I am also about to recommend a male hair salon (barbershop? What do they call them?) without ever actually having been inside the place myself (Hello; I am a LADY) or actually personally knowing any man or boy who has been groomed there. If you're not already creeped out by this post then read on. It's called The Hive and it's right off Sunset on Micheltorena. Here is their incredibly stylin' website:

http://www.thehive.la/

I KNOW. Here is a picture:



To be fair, although I can't really tell you much about the place, yelp.com gives it 4.5 stars out of 5. What I can tell you is that the hottest-looking fellows in all the land of Silverlake sit in those chairs in the window just about every single day. She is going to be mad that I said this, but Emily Moffet can attest to the loveliness of the window-candy at The Hive because she's stared with me (but it was only for a minute and we just HAPPENED to stumble upon the place after a stroll...Em, I owe you a gelato). It's like they hire these men to sit in the window. Seriously, in my opinion (and yes, to me an example of ideal man-hair is Sean Bean on Game of Thrones) the men that go in there don't even need to get their hair cut because they already look so damn good. I say this assuming that the MODELS sitting in the front chairs are waiting to get their hair cut rather than just sitting around, displaying their gorgeous new coifs to the world after they've been worked on.

Maybe I am just staring at their eyes or their outfits (a lot flannel happens at The Hive) and maybe it's a barbershop only for gentlemen who are ALREADY hot, but I have to think this place has at least a little something special. So guys I know (I know at least Brett is reading this), do me a huge favor and get a trim at The Hive; you may just come out more attractive (if not, I will lie to you!). Wow. I am actually going to hit "publish post" now.