Andy Gavin's Blog, page 148
November 18, 2013
Keeping Paiche
Japanese Peruvian hotspot Paiche is so good, I’ve just had to go again (and again) to photo nearly all their dishes…
November 15, 2013
Raw Crab Guts are Yummy
Restaurant: Soban
Location:4001 W Olympic Blvd.Los Angeles, CA 90019.(323) 936-9106
Date: November 13, 2013
Cuisine: Korean
Rating: The crab is amazing
_
A new wine and food friend of mine who happens to be Korean wanted to introduce me to Soban and the wonderful world of Korean raw crab. This popular k-town joint looks much like many others.
The English menu. There is a separate Korean one with no pictures.
2011 Inama Soave Classico Vigneti di Foscarino. Parker 92.Creamy and rich, this is so beautif...
November 13, 2013
Pacific Rim – Robots vs. Monsters
Title: Pacific Rim
Cast:Charlie Hunnam(Actor),Idris Elba(Actor),Guillermo Del Toro(Director)
Genre: Science Fiction / Comic
Watched: October 15, 2013
Summary: A littleunderwhelmed
_
I’m a major Guillermo Del Toro fan — Pan’s Labyrinth being one of my favorite films in recent memory. And despite the wonky concept,Hellboy was pretty damn great. So I was fairly excited to check out Pacific Rim, even if giant mechs slugging it out with monsters Godzilla-style is a tad overdone.
Having watched, I’m just...
November 11, 2013
Surprise! More Shanghai #1 Dim Sum
Shanghai #1 Seafood Village has some of the best, freshest dimsum in SoCal, after 5+ visits I’ve compiled an ever growing catalog of this copious and delicious bounty…
November 8, 2013
Mercado Madness
Location:Los Angeles, California 90048.323.944.0947
Date: November 5, 2013
Cuisine: Mexican
Rating: Solid modern Mexican.
_
The Hedonist gang loves to try out new places, plus it was David’s birthday! Mercado is a recent entry into the crowded LA Mexican arena from co-owner Jesse Gomez and chef Jose Acevedo.
The Mercado space on the crowded 3rd street drag is modern and that is also reflected in the fresh take on traditional dishes.
Fitting decor for being so close to the day of t...
November 6, 2013
Beautiful Creatures
Title: Beautiful Creatures
Author: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Genre: YA supernatural
Length: 592 pages, 147,000 words
Read: Nov 6-20, 2011
Summary: Fun read
_
This is apleasantYA supernatural romance. At a certain structural level it’s a blend of reverseTwilight(boy is normal, girl is supernatural), Carrie, and modernSouthernGothic. Theopeningthird or so gets off to a strong start. The male first person past POV is engaging, and the characterlikable, although nicer and far less lusty than any sixt...
November 4, 2013
Tofu with a Seoul
Restaurant: Seoul Tofu
Location:2101 Sawtelle Blvd.Los Angeles, CA 90025.310.444.9988
Date: October 21, 2013
Cuisine: Korean
Rating: Solid
_
Seoul Tofu seems a relatively new offering on my favorite Westside Asian lunch street, Sawtelle. It features a newer, more attractive build out that some of the old mainstays.
It seems a formula that Korean restaurants offering the spicy tofu soup also serve up a variety of Korean BBQ dishes as well. Not the kind one cooks oneself, as Seoul Tofu doesn’t offer t...
November 1, 2013
The Crack House
Restaurant: King Kho Bo
Location: 1621 South San Gabriel Blvd. San Gabriel Ca, 91776. 626-573-8000
Cuisine: Dried Chinese Snacks
Rating: So addictive, we call it crack
_
One of the perils of driving 30 miles for your Chinese food in LA traffic is that in order to arrive on time, you have to risk being 30 minutes early. But fortunately, the San Gabriel Valley is host to all sorts of interesting culinary stops that can kill a few minutes.
One of these is known among us Hedonists as the “Crack House”...
October 30, 2013
Hark, I hear The Darkening Dream
Ten months in the making, The Darkening Dream audiobook is finally ready!
The complete unabridged book is available on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes for MP3 download to your phone or ipod. It’s narrated by producers Marti Dumas (female parts) and Eric Pollard (male parts).
A bit about the production
I started way back in January, and like most Independent authors considering an audiobook edition, decided to use Amazon’s ACX service. This is a marketplace for connecting authors with voice and produ...
October 28, 2013
Serene Republic of Quippy Thievies
Title: The Lies of Locke Lamora
Author: Scott Lynch
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Length: 752 pages
Read: October 15-25, 2013
Summary: Best fantasy I’ve read in a while
_
The simplest pitch for The Lies of Locke Lamora would be Thieves World Venice. Fantasy often borrows heavily from history, and LLL is no exception. I’d place the era as roughly 17th century. The book is set entirely in the fictional city of Camorr. It’s got canals, bridges, Italian names, a Duke (Doge), nobles, masks, and pretty much all the...
