Andy Gavin's Blog, page 137
August 6, 2014
Words of Radiance
Title: Words of Radiance [1, 2]
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Genre: High Fantasy
Size: 1088 pages!
Read:6/30-7/8 2014
Summary:Great followup
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After a 3+ year hiatus, I return to Brandon Sanderon’s epic fantasy world. And if any new fantasy can be considered epic, it’s certainly this one. Planned at 10 books the first two are each over 1,000 pages! But don’t let that scare you off. For fantasy lovers this is some serious entertainment.
As I mentioned in my review of the first volume, that book possessed...
August 4, 2014
Chili Crab Craze – Starry Kitchen
Restaurant: Starry Kitchen
Location:943 N Broadway, Los Angeles, Ca, 90012. 213-814-1123
Date: July31, 2014
Cuisine:Singaporean
Rating:Great fun
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Tonight the Hedonists take over Starry Kitchen, a strange sort of vaguely Singaporean / Pan Asian pop up that has gained notoriety in recent years. 
This was one of these zoo style events with 25 people, a giant table, and around 30+ wines! I don’t think I even photographed them all as it was too chaotic. I have tried to organize them into coherent fligh...
August 1, 2014
Sauvages at Oliverio
Location:9400 W Olympic Blvd.Beverly Hills,CA90212.(310) 407-7791
Date: July25, 2014
Cuisine: Italian
Rating: AwesomeFood & Wine
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The Sauvages are a group of serious Friday afternoon wine drinkers. Today’s eventbrings us to the Avalon Hotel’s poolside Italian: Oliverio for a special custom Barololunch.
Theatmosphereis tres LA and top notch.
Opening up with a couple whites. This Italian was tasty, but I didn’t know it.
Marcassin Chardonnay Marcassin Vineyard. I didn’t catch...
July 30, 2014
Saddle Peak Again?!?
Restaurant:Saddle Peak Lodge[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
Location:419 Cold Canyon Rd,Calabasas, CA91302 (818) 222-3888
Date: July23, 2014
Cuisine: Modern American
Rating: Greatambianceand terrific game oriented food.
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Ever year, both in the summer and winter, we Hedonists return to Saddle Peak Lodge. It’s pretty much the perfect venue for both a winter or summer food and wine blast, with gorgeous lodge patio, game driven food, and awesome wine service. For those of you who don’t know, Hedonist events have a...
July 28, 2014
Amazon Wins Again
Well, I’ve once again made my books Amazon exclusive. I last did this in 2012 (before Untimed even came out). Now, not only is thereKindle Select with its ability to run free day promotions, and the Kindle Lending Library where you can get paid if people borrow your book on Prime, but there is the new Kindle Unlimited program.
It’s this last, since it’s so new, that seems worth trying out. Generally, jumping early on a new Amazon thing has been fairly advantageous (it sure was with the Kindle...
July 25, 2014
Endless Republique
Restaurant: Republique[1, 2, 3, 4]
Location: 624 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036.(310) 362-6115
Date: June18, 2014
Cuisine: Modern Bistro French
Rating: Nice (loud) space, tasty hip food, great service
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Republique is certainly one of LA’s most anticipated recent openings. Taking over the gorgeous old Campanile space, this replacement is helmed byWalter Manzke and Margarita Manzke (of Church & State and Milo & Olive).
Some it seems more and more of my wine dinners are ending up here (probably i...
July 23, 2014
Mosaic of Food – Byzantine Cuisine
Once a year, the Getty Villa, Los Angeles’ leading (and only?) antiquities museum puts on an event celebrating historical food culture. For me, these are at a nexus of my interests, being (surprise!) such a foodie as well as a history buff.
This year’s event showcases the food of Byzantium. Sadly, most Americans are barley aware of this empire that (off and on) ruled half the western world for 1100 years, and is in itself the 3rd of 4 phases of the 2,500 year old Roman Empire (combining Republ...
July 21, 2014
Eastern Promises – Crabs of Yesteryear
Restaurant: The Masthead
Location:104 West Pier Street.Oxford, MD 21654.ph: 410-226-5171
Date: May 25, 2014
Cuisine: American Seafood
Rating:Great view and great crabs
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In the late 70s and early 80s our family ate routinely (on summer weekends) at one of the three restaurants in Oxford Maryland known as “Pier Street” (after its address).
This crab oriented seafood establishment features primarily outside dining on the water and in those days crab men would bring up bushels of live blue crabs to the...
July 19, 2014
The Republic of Thieves
Title: The Republic of Thieves
Author: Scott Lynch
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Length: 609pages
Read: June 23-30, 2014
Summary:a bit weaker
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Most of the good things about books 1 and 2 of the Gentleman Bastards are also true of The Republic of Thieves. The latest installment serves up good fun, great characters, and all that. Lynch again moves the setting, this time to the city of the Magi, Locke’s bitter enemies from book 1. It brings into the foreground Locke’s mysterious and absent former lover/rival. A...
July 17, 2014
Yar Maties – Pirate Fantasy!
Title: Red Seas Under Red Skies
Author: Scott Lynch
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Length: 786pages
Read: June5-22, 2014
Summary:Possibly best of the series
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The first book in this series,The Lies of Locke Lamora, was one of the better novels I read last year. Red Seas picks up right afterand avoids Sophomore Slump by switching up the scenario and the location fairly substantially. Our heroes have left their Venice-like hometown of Camorr and venture off to a new city (Tal Verrar) and a new (and even more ela...
