My failed attempt at turning my boy into a figurine

featuring my super awesome chicken shaped saltshaker

in the year 2018 I would love for the rpc to collectively b(a/i)n their fave trash. 

Blake Lively

Lively recently said that "Woody Allen is empowering to women," despite the fact that Woody Allen has been accused of molesting his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow. His son, Ronan Farrow, even wrote a piece in the Hollywood Reporter about how he believes Dylan, and that he's disappointed that stars continue to work with his father. She also defended Woody Allen when a joke was made at the Cannes Film Festival that insinuated he should be convicted for rape in the United States.

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds were married at the slave plantation Boone Hall, which is right outside of Charleston, South Carolina. It's a plantation where slave cabins are still standing.

Continually uses transphobic slurs. Although may have finally learned from it. 

Kate Winslet

"Woody Allen is an incredible director," she continued. "So is Roman Polanski. I had an extraordinary working experience with both of those men, and that’s the truth."  // The way Harvey Weinstein has treated these vulnerable, talented young women is NOT the way women should ever EVER deem to be acceptable or commonplace in ANY workplace.“I have no doubt that for these women this time has been, and continues to be extremely traumatic. I fully embrace and salute their profound courage, and I unequivocally support this level of very necessary exposure of someone who has behaved in reprehensible and disgusting ways.  Notably after he was terminated from his studio and could no longer offer her roles. 

Kate Winslet has spoken out about the ongoing conversation surrounding the pay gap in Hollywood, calling it “vulgar”.   “I’m quite surprised by these conversations to be honest, simply because it seems quite a strange thing to be discussing out in the open like that. I am a very lucky woman and I’m quite happy with how things are ticking along.”

The British actress, has admitted that she often mocks people who become a slave to their diets often on bizarre fads. "I'm just like, 'Yeah, you're right, you look gigantic, you need to lay off those bits of boiled chicken you've been eating because have you seen your a**e?' And they're the size of a pin.

Kristen Stewart

Blames ‘bad acting’ on co-stars "I'm not the type of actor who can perform without wearing a mirror on my face. Everyone knows that you're better with other actors who are really present, who you are having the same experience with, but I am made or broken on it. If I'm working with someone who I'm not vibing with, or who I have to fake anything with, then it's sad for me and it's bad

Hypocritically victimised herself in response to her betrayal of another woman (tbf she was young and engaged in an affair with someone in a position of power over her- however this behaviour has allegedly been repeated multiple times with multiple partners)

“I was like, ‘What do you think? We don’t know any of these people involved. I can personalize situations, which would be very wrong.’ At the end of the day, Jesse and I talked about this. If we were persecuted for the amount of shit that’s been said about us that’s not true, our lives would be over,” Stewart says. “The experience of making the movie was so outside of that, it was fruitful for the two of us to go on with it.”Eisenberg says he doesn’t recall the conversation..’ on working with Woody Allen despite being aware of sexual abuse allegations

On gender equality, “Instead of sitting around and complaining about that, do something,” she said. “Go write something, go do something.”“And that’s easy to say,” she continued. “Like, f–k, it’s hard to get movies made. It’s a huge luxury. Who gets to just make movies? But that subject is just so prevalently everywhere right now, and it’s boring.”

Apologised after backlash for comparing being photographed by paparazzi to rape in Elle UK (Source unavailable). "The photos are so…I feel like I'm looking at someone being raped.". 

Actress Kristen Stewart has lashed out at her former teachers, insisting they "failed" to support her while she was away from class on acting jobs. 

I lit had to stop because I’m so fed up. I’ve especially seen Blake requested so often recently as an FC change and I’m DONE with it. 

Here are further trashbags you can simply google and find the reasons why within about two seconds. 

Ben Affleck / Casey Affleck sexual assault

Colin Firth supports Woody Allen

Dominic Sherwood Homophobia

Emma Stone Woody Allen, whitewashing

Gary Oldman Domestic Abuse

Henry Cavill/ Matthew Gray Gubler (consistently dating teenage girls still in school and easily influenced, despite being in their 30s. Henry Cavill allegedly asked girlfriend to leave school before dumping her. Sources can be found on ONTD somewhere.)

Ian Somerhalder There genuinely isn’t enough room

Jared Padalecki rape jokes, abusive behaviour, bigotry

Martin Freeman Racism, homophobia, classism, general asshole.

Matt Bomer this one takes some investigating but suffice to say potentially complicit or at least knowledgeable of Bryan Singer/Kevin Spacey predator parties

Matt Damon support & employment of known sexual predators, “You know, there’s a difference between, you know, patting someone on the butt and rape or child molestation, right?” he told Peter Travers of ABC. “Both of those behaviors need to be confronted and eradicated without question, but they shouldn’t be conflated, right?”  He added that society was in a “watershed moment” and said it was “wonderful that women are feeling empowered to tell their stories and it’s totally necessary”. But he said: “We live in this culture of outrage and injury, that we’re going to have to correct enough to kind of go, ‘Wait a minute. None of us came here perfect.’”

Milo Ventimiglia verbally and mentally abusive/ physically intimidating (witnessed) allegedly physically abusive to Alexis Bledel, girlfriend at the time. Dated teenager Hayden Panettiere when 29, was allegedly mentally abusive and controlling. 

Misha Collins homophobia, bigotry, transphobia

Natalie Dormer Not her job to defend GOT, then defends GOT rape scenes, misogyny, belittles those affected by it. Starring role in a film trivialising and romanticising high suicide rates in Aokigahara Forest, Japan *complicit in whitewashing*. (alternatively does some very good work for children’s charities) 

Scarlett Johansson Woody Allen, Roman Polanski, whitewashing

Tom Hardy Physical Abuse, Intimidation

Plans Aplenty || June & Fletcher

June: "Before you say it's too much, no, it's not too much." June set two casseroles and a container of cookies she'd brought on Fletcher's table. "I was in a cooking mood."

Fletcher: "Are they rich and heart attack inducin'?" He smiled. "'Cause I love tormentin' Luke with that."

June: "They're loaded with chocolate chips and butter so yes," she said with a chuckle. "I put some nuts in there too. That's kinda healthy. Ish."

Fletcher: "I think he's tryin' t'make me vegan," he said, making a face.

June: She laughed. "He just wants you to be healthy and eat more green things."

Fletcher: "I'll be fine. He ain't gotta worry n'I don't like kale."

June: "It's good when it's mixed with other things. I put it in one of those casseroles."

Fletcher: He made another face. "You're one of them."

June: June laughed.

"There's a ton of cheese in there, too. And chicken."

Fletcher: His smile faded as he dwelled on a thought. "Ya like him, Luke?"

June: "Of course I do. He's sweet and he adores you, what's not to like?"

Fletcher: "He's all that, I just don't get why..."

June: She walked over and kissed Fletcher's cheek. "He does. And I do."

Fletcher: "But ya know what I do t'relationships. Ya saw it first-hand."

June: June squeezed his hand. "This isn't the same situation. Whole different ballgame here, and from an outsider's perspective, it looks like it's going really well. You look so happy."

Fletcher: "I am..." and it scared him. She probably already knew that.

June: She did, which was why he got another kiss and squeeze. "He looks really happy, too. You should see the way he looks at you." She smiled. "I'd give anything for someone to give me the Gatsby look."

Fletcher: Fletcher turned into the kiss, his sigh one of peace. "The Gatsby look?"

June: "You know that bit in the movie where they say Gatsby looked at Daisy the way everyone wanted to be looked at?"

Fletcher: "I ain't watched em or read it."

June: "Oh my god, you have to. It's such a good movie."

Fletcher: "It's a chick flick, right?"

June: "Parts of it could be called chick flick-y. The rest falls under classic."

Fletcher: "Classics can be chick flicks. Just sayin'."

June: "True, true. Either way you have to watch it so you'll get how Luke looks at you."

Fletcher: "Is it... watchable with him next t'me? What about ya watchin' with us?"

June: June nodded. "Yep! I think he'd really enjoy it."

She brightened, nodding immediately. "I'd love to!"

Fletcher: Those bright eyes made him smile. "How 'bout this Sunday?"

June: "Perfect! My place or yours?"

Fletcher: "How 'bout yours? New experience for him."

June: "Done. I'll get popcorn and junk food."

Fletcher: Another smile. "He'll probably bring kale juice or somethin'."

June: "No kale juice allowed on movie day!" she chuckled. "Tell him it's house rules."

Fletcher: "I'll let him know," he chuckled.

June: "See that you do. Any requests?"

Fletcher: "Those croissant-wrapped lil sausages? Please. I'll being the mustard. They've been banned from the house."

June: June laughed. "You got it," she said with a nod. "Did he really ban them?"

Fletcher: "He frowns loudly by how often I ate em so I stopped."

June: "Aww," she chuckled. "That's sweet. And a little funny."

Fletcher: "So, anyway," he wasn't used to so much romance talk, "how's work been? Any mention givin' ya trouble?" As though he hadn't been watching.

June: "It's been good! A lot less trouble behind the bar, especially now that P--" She abruptly cut herself off and continued down a different path. "You still get the occasional moron but that's par for the course. It's a bar after all."

Fletcher: "...It's okay, June. Ya know how t'punch now." Of course he was back; of course he knew. He had no intention to delve into that.

June: Neither did she. The last thing she wanted was to make Fletcher talk about Pete. If he wanted to talk about him, he'd bring him up.

"I do know how to punch now, thanks to you." She grinned. "Guess what? I found a boxing gym in the next town over."

Fletcher: "There's one in town but it's pretty seedy." She probably already knew that. With Peter mentioned, his mind was trailing away.

June: "It is," she said, making a face. "It almost makes O'Charlie's look like a five-star hotel."

Fletcher: "Yeah, if ya told me ya were goin' there I'd probably be goin' with ya."

June: June gasped. "You should go with me!"

Fletcher: "But it's so far." I'm so lazy.

June: "Come oooooon. I'll drive."

Fletcher: "Fine, fine. I'll help with gas money."

June: "I'll pass it on to my sister Ruby. I've been using her car since I don't have the Caddy anymore."

Fletcher: "What happened t'the Caddy?"

June: "Uh...its owner returned."

Fletcher: "...Right. That. Thought Luke was watchin' it. I swear ya mentioned this..."

June: "Luke's got his own fancy car. I was looking after the Caddy after my dad made me get rid of my 'road hazard'," she said, making air quotes.

Fletcher: "Road hazard?"

June: "That's what he used to call my Honda. It was up there in years and issues."

Fletcher: "Need a co-signer for a car?"

June: June gave Fletcher a pleasantly surprised look. "You'd do that for me?"

Fletcher: "If no one else in your family will or can, yeah."

June: "You're such a good friend." June squeezed him to within an inch of his life. "I love you."

Fletcher: "Augh!" He groaned, laughter following. "It's just a car, Junebug. I got ya covered."

June: "It's more than that," she said, squeezing him more.

Fletcher: He held to her by her forearm. "What is it?"

June: "Just...the fact that you'd even offer. And mean it."

Fletcher: "Ya know others would offer."

June: "Yeah but that's my family. I know a lot of people but not a lot of people like you." She kissed his cheek. "I mean, you taught me how to throw a punch."

Fletcher: Why wasn't it Peter years ago? He was frowning. He tried to mask it, looking away and patting her arm. "Love ya, too."

June: "Hey." June gently took his face in her hands. "What is it?"

Fletcher: "S'nothin, bug."

June: "You can tell me."

Fletcher: "I can but we don't talk 'bout that."

June: She nodded, kissing his forehead. "Okay. But if you ever need to or just want to, we can. You can talk to me about anything, Fletcher. You know that, don't you?"

Fletcher: "Ya ain't gotta be that kinda person, honey. Ya deserve better than someone talkin' your ear off."

June: "I'd be one hell of a hypocrite if I spent all day talking people's ears off and couldn't take the time to listen to my best friend."

Fletcher: "Who was your best friend before me?"

June: "No one. Haven't had a best friend since middle school."

Fletcher: "Don't tell me that. Now we sound like kids."

June: She laughed softly. "There are worse things to sound like."

Fletcher: "I guess. Just...curious why someone didn't teach ya sooner."

June: She didn't have to ask who the someone was; his tone told her. "Short answer? I never thought to ask or think I needed it."

Fletcher: "That's not how our conversation went. I offered n'asked because it was obvious."

June: "I'm sure it was to him, too. Why do you think he got a reputation for yelling and throwing people out? It was because of me."

Fletcher: "He does a lot of that anyway."

June: "He's always yelled, sure. He's always broken up fights. But he never had to manhandle someone out the door until I started working there. And he wouldn't have had to if I'd had more self-respect and better taste."

Fletcher: The Samsa blinked. "Why ya sayin' that?"

June: She gave him a small, sad smile. "Because it's true. Self-respect and I are just starting to become friends."

Fletcher: "Why d'ya - It doesn't matter what kinda woman ya are, ya should be respected. N'he shoulda done better. He shoulda been good t'ya n'given ya the tools t'stand up for yourself."

June: "He tried, Fletcher. He drove me to the army surplus store once on my birthday to buy me a knife and I didn't let him. I lost count of all the times he warned me about men I dated and I never listened. He's been very good to me, he tried to do right by me. I just...I couldn't see the writing on the wall. So he started punching people."

Fletcher: "Why didn't ya take the knife?"

June: "I didn't think I needed it. Thought he was just being Pete, you know? Being overprotective."

Fletcher: "D'ya have one now?"

June: June nodded, smile a little happier. "Yeah. He gave it to me that following Christmas. Along with that." She pointed at the alarm panel on the wall.

Fletcher:

"Good." Knife, alarm, boxing. She was improving herself with defense. "Would ya be opposed t – never mind."

June: "No, tell me. Opposed to what?"

Fletcher: "Workin' at like... The Brig. I miss seein' ya."

June: "I miss seeing you, too. Why do you think I'm trying to make you go to the gym with me?"

Fletcher: "...Alright. Yeah. Then I'll... I'll definitely go."

June: "Yay!" He was squeezed and kissed yet again. "We're gonna be so ripped."

Fletcher: Now that he had to laugh at. "This physique doesn't get ripped. I tried in high school."

June: "Then we're gonna be in really, really good shape. We'll be able to run marathons."

Fletcher: "Alright. We'll see. Ready t'deck someone in the face for whistlin'? Ain't that what happens these days?"

June: "A whistle's nice every now and then. But if someone tries to grab my ass, they're going down."

Fletcher: "I'll be there cheerin' ya on, bug."

June: June beamed at him. "You always are. You deserve a cookie for it. Do you like chocolate chip?"

Fletcher: "What am I, a hound?" he laughed.

June: "If you were I couldn't give you chocolate chip," June said with a giggle.

Fletcher: "Ruff!" He laughed against her cheek before kissing it. "Muwah."

June: June giggled again at the kiss. Well that affection definitely deserved a gigantic hug. "I love you to death, you know that?"

Fletcher: "Mm," was a content little sound in response. "M'not worthy."

June: "You're the worthiest. No arguments."

Fletcher: "...Hmm."

June: "Ah, that was an argument. None of that."

Fletcher: Ah. He shook his head and laughed. "Weird kid."

June: "You love my weirdness," she said cheerfully. "Want some coffee with your cookie?"

Fletcher: "What, right now?"

June: "Sure! No time like the present."

Fletcher: "Uh...okay."

June: "Great!" She kissed his cheek. "I like fussing over you."

Fletcher: "I guess I spoil ya with reasons, huh?"

June: "Your existence is all the reason I need, sweetheart."

Fletcher: "Ugh. Stop with the diabetes!"

June: "Neverrrrrr."

Fletcher: "Tell me somethin' with less sugar."

June: "Um....Socks killed a rat?"

Fletcher: "Awesome," he smiled.

June: "It was waiting for me when I got out of the shower. I almost stepped on it."

Fletcher: "It was a gift. He thinks you're hungry."

June: "I know, and it would be super cute if it wasn't a rat and if I hadn't screamed. He brought me a cheerio later that day."

Fletcher: "Well, he saw y'all had different tastes," he laughed.

June: "He's a smart little cookie, I love him."

Fletcher: "He have anyone else to play with?"

June: "His brother, Mrs. Pennyapple's kitty. I try to go over there as often as I can."

Fletcher: "He don't mind the travel?"

June: "I think he enjoys it. I carry him in my jacket."

Fletcher: "You're a regular ol' Snow White."

June: "In looks at least," she said with a smile. "How's Creep?"

Fletcher: "Creep's still a Creep. Still can't tell if she likes Luke or not."

June: "She's a mysterious lady. I can't tell if she likes me either."

Fletcher: "She didn't even like her babies. I think they were her first."

June: "How old is she?"

Fletcher: "Almost ten? Shit, probably older."

June: "And these were her first babies? Damn."

Fletcher: "She's not an outside cat. She only purrs when I feed her and when she tries to smother me in my sleep."

June: June giggled. "Socks does the same thing. They want all the warmth."

Fletcher: "So, what d'ya wanna do now?"

June: "I say we eat and watch something ridiculous."

Fletcher: "Campy movie and greasy burgers?"

June: "You're a genius."

Fletcher: "I'll order the food, ya pick the movie."

June: She gave him a giant kiss on the cheek. "Deal!"

The LA (Quarantine) TV & Takeout Guide added to Google Docs

The LA (Quarantine) TV & Takeout Guide

If shelter-in-place has taught us anything, it’s that we definitely used to take streaming services for granted (and also that we should be nicer to our parents, since we use their Netflix account). But after six (hundred?) weeks of this, it’s understandable if you’re starting to feel like there’s nothing left to watch. That’s where we come in - below, you’ll find our picks for great shows you can stream right now, and some delivery and takeout options to pair with them. We’ll be updating this list regularly, but for now, here are 12 combinations to keep your quarantine viewing feeling fun, fresh, and hopefully, just a bit more normal.

All restaurants featured on The Infatuation are selected by our editorial team. The LA (Quarantine) TV & Takeout Guide is presented by Uber Eats. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, supporting our local restaurant community has never been more important. Uber Eats customers can now give directly to the restaurants they love at checkout. 100% will go to the restaurant. Order now to support. See app for details.

   Featured In The Ultimate LA Delivery & Takeout Guide Check out all our guides THE SPOTS  Jakob Layman Rappahannock Oyster Bar $ $ $ $ Seafood  in  Arts District ,  Downtown LA $$$$ 787 Alameda St 7.4 /10

TV Pairing: Outer Banks (Netflix)

“If you ever wondered what would happen if they combined Dawson’s Creek and The Goonies, your answer is Outer Banks. Honestly, this show is completely ridiculous, but at the end of the day, I’ll watch anything that involves a treasure hunt. Facts are facts. It’s also cinematically appealing, and makes living in the marshes of coastal North Carolina (and being chased by corrupt city officials) somehow… romantic? Either way, lean-in to the fantasy and order delivery from Rappahannock. The Downtown oyster bar has roots in the Chesapeake Bay, and flies most of their seafood in daily from the Mid-Atlantic. Everything from their crab cakes and grilled octopus to the shrimp and grits is worth ordering.” - BC

 Order delivery  Birds Rotisserie Chicken Cafe $ $ $ $ American  in  Franklin Village ,  Hollywood $$$$ 5925 Franklin Ave 7.5 /10

TV Pairing: Party Down (Hulu)

“While we all wait for the next Tiger King to seize the streaming zeitgeist/give us something to talk to our parents about, might I suggest revisiting Party Down, the cringe-comedy classic about an LA catering company staffed with struggling actors? Not only is the ensemble cast - including Adam Scott, Lizzy Caplan, Ken Marino, Jane Lynch, and Martin Starr - fantastic and funny, but the series particularly excels at capturing the unique blend of desperation, elation, and rejection that fills an actor’s life in Los Angeles. In the times before shelter-in-place, you could witness all of those things on a random night at Birds, the chicken joint located next to UCB in Franklin Village. Now, you can get their signature rotisserie chicken or chicken pot pies delivered to your house; replicating the desperation is up to you.” - JM

 Ali'i Fish Company $ $ $ $ Seafood ,  Hawaiian  in  El Segundo $$$$ 409 E Grand Ave Not

Rated

Yet

TV Pairing: Survivor (CBS)

“Survivor is the greatest show in the history of television. I’ve watched every episode of all 40 seasons, and I’m not alone in that. I would guess, though, that I’m alone in one aspect: I’m a bit jealous of the food they’re eating - a constant stream of fresh fish, octopus, clams, and oysters. The solution? Eat incredible raw fish while I watch, like the tremendous poke from Ali’i Fish Company. This El Segundo spot sources their selection from the Hawaiian fish market daily, and it’s the ideal accompaniment to watching a bunch of people stranded somewhere in Fiji, (figuratively) stabbing each other in the back while also (literally) trying to avoid falling coconuts and poisonous urchins. Order online, and get the salmon ponzu and onion limu ahi. And as far as the show - If you’ve never watched before, start with seasons 13 and 28.” - BK

 Order delivery   Jitlada $ $ $ $ Thai  in  East Hollywood ,  Thai Town $$$$ 5233 Sunset Blvd. 9.4 /10

TV Pairing: Barry (HBO)

“As the presiding member of the Bill Hader Is Hot Club, of course I’m watching Barry. What’s not to like about this show? Dark, wry humor, compelling performances, parodies of Hollywood cliches, Henry Winkler doing his very best Henry Winkler, and, you know, Bill Hader. And not that I’ve thought about this at all, but, for the sake of this assignment, if we were to hypothetically go out on a date, it would probably be at Jitlada. Maybe he’d laugh when I admit that their legendary jungle curry is a little too spicy for my delicate palate, perhaps we’d split an order or two of the crispy catfish salad while I ask him about Laser Cats. Who knows? Like I said, I haven’t given this any thought at all. Jitlada is available for takeout and delivery, call (323) 667-9809 or order through various delivery platforms.” -KH

 Order delivery  Michin Dak $ $ $ $ Korean  in  Koreatown $$$$ 3324 W 6th St 8.0 /10

TV Pairing: KBO Baseball (ESPN)

“What were you doing at 1am on Tuesday? Watching Opening Day of the Korea Baseball Organization live on ESPN? No? Guess you don’t miss sports/have as big a gambling problem as I do. Sure, there were no fans in the stadium, and yes, there was only one bat flip, but damn, did it feel good to have a ballgame on in the background. And, until Major League Baseball comes back, I’m all-in on the KBO League. So I’ll be staying up late (ESPN live broadcasts start at around 2:30am PT) and reheating plenty of fried chicken - the most popular ballpark food in Korea - from Michin Dak, the Koreatown strip-mall shack that turns out my favorite spicy wings, sandwiches, and - above all else - gang jung, popcorn chicken coated in an orange-honey sauce. Is there anything better at 2am? Wait, don’t answer that.” - JM

 Order delivery   Jones Hollywood $ $ $ $ Italian  in  West Hollywood $$$$ 7205 Santa Monica Blvd. 8.3 /10

TV Pairing: Gossip Girl (Netflix)

“Here’s the thing - I didn’t watch a single episode of Gossip Girl when it originally aired on TV. However, the entire series is currently streaming on Netflix, and at some point in quarantine, I accidentally watched the whole thing. Is it a great show? Not really, but everyone’s hot, rich, and primarily uses BlackBerries to communicate, so obviously I loved it. If you decide to binge it too, make sure you order food from Jones Hollywood. The classic Italian spot on Santa Monica Blvd. has a sultry, Upper East Side energy and a menu that feels like a love letter to New York. Think thin-crust pizza, spaghetti and meatballs, and some of the best martinis in town.” - BC

Gardena Bowl Coffee Shop $ $ $ $ Diner ,  Hawaiian  in  Gardena $$$$ 15707 S Vermont Ave 7.5 /10

TV Pairing: PEN15 (Hulu)

“I almost can’t believe this show exists. It combines all of my favorite things - girls being stupid and gross, Maya Erskine’s perfect face, and apparently, yelling at my television, begging for a 30-year-old woman with braces to hurry up and kiss a preteen boy. Let’s just say I’ve had to wrestle with a lot of complex emotions while getting through PEN15. And whenever I want to return to my own awkward, embarrassing, thong-obsessed youth (and trust me, that’s not very often) or just want some of the best Hawaiian food in the state (much more often), I order from Gardena Bowl Coffee Shop. This tiny diner attached to a bowling alley in the South Bay does Hawaiian food the way I grew up eating it - which means massive portions, a liberal Spam policy, and something called the Royal, a gigantic platter that comes with eggs, rice, chashu, and Portuguese sausage that’s an all-out-brawl of flavor in your mouth. Call (310) 532-0820 to order, or find them on delivery platforms.” -KH

 John O'Groats $ $ $ $ American ,  Diner  in  Cheviot Hills ,  West LA $$$$ 10516 W Pico Blvd 7.4 /10

TV Pairing: We’re Here (HBO)

“HBO’s only aired a few episodes of We’re Here so far, and it’s already one of my favorite new shows of 2020. It follows three very famous drag queens as they travel to small-town America and put on drag shows with members of the local community. It’s hilarious, uplifting, and will briefly restore your faith in humanity. Briefly. Pairing it with a delivery order from John O’Groats will only heighten that effect. The classic West LA diner reminds me of the family restaurants I grew up eating in as a kid in the Midwest, where everybody’s reading the same newspaper and half the waitstaff was your babysitter at one point. There isn’t really a bad order here, but if you don’t get at least a few biscuits on the side, you’ve done yourself a disservice. Call (310) 204-0692, or visit their website to order.” - BC

 Krystal Thompson Union $ $ $ $ Pasta ,  Italian  in  Pasadena $$$$ 37 E Union St 8.9 /10

TV Pairing: The Sopranos (HBO)

“This is not a hot take, but The Sopranos is the best show I’ve ever seen. Without it, so many of the other best shows ever wouldn’t exist - Breaking Bad, Mad Men, The Wire, etc. And, although the family drama, incredibly timed comedy, and occasional spurts of brutality stand out, there’s something else that I always think about whenever I talk about this show: The food. Especially, Carmela’s legendary baked ziti, which seems to put every man in her life directly under her finger. And, from the moment I tasted it, the Calabrese pork ragu torchetti at Union had the same effect on me. Whenever it comes up, it’s like a song I can’t get out of my head, and I inevitably find myself placing an order and driving to Pasadena.” - BK

 Order delivery  Portillo's Hot Dogs $$$$ 8390 La Palma Ave

TV Pairing: The Last Dance (ESPN)

“When I was a kid growing up in Orlando, I haaaated Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, mostly because they denied the Shaq and Penny-led Orlando Magic a second-straight trip to the NBA Finals in 1995-96 season. But my feelings on MJ and Co. have softened over the years (in part because I’ve been dating a Chicago girl), and we’ve been loving The Last Dance, ESPN’s ultra in-depth series about the Bulls’ final championship run in ’97-98. It’s great, especially if you want to hear Michael Jordan swear, and even better with an order from Portillo’s. The Chicagoland staple only has two West Coast outposts, and the one in Buena Park is closest, but honestly, I’d probably drive to Arizona for a couple of their hot dogs, a large Italian Beef - dipped, obvs - and a slice of their incredible chocolate cake. (Yes, it has mayonnaise in it. No, that doesn’t matter). Also Jordan is better than LeBron. Don’t @ me.” - JM

 Jakob Layman Hatchet Hall $ $ $ $ American ,  Southern  in  Culver City $$$$ 12517 W Washington Blvd 8.4 /10

TV Pairing: The Outsider (HBO)

“We’re in the midst of another Stephen King-aissance, and I personally couldn’t be happier about it. The Outsider, the recent HBO series (based on a book with the same name), is an exciting, scary, and beautifully shot show that takes place in Georgia. Culver City’s Hatchet Hall is a restaurant that’s Southern to its core, just like The Outsider. And just like on the show, whenever I order from Hatchet Hall, there’s a lot of (OK, probably too much) whiskey involved. There’s also plenty of country ham, scalloped potatoes, and brown butter chocolate chip cookies.” - BK

 Tilda $ $ $ $ Wine Bar  in  Echo Park $$$$ 1507 Echo Park Ave Not

Rated

Yet

TV Pairing: Man Seeking Woman (Hulu)

“Based on a book of short stories by Simon Rich, this is one of the weirdest, most absurd, randomly heartwarming shows to ever grace FXX. I mean, the very first episode opens with a date between the main character and a literal wart-covered troll - which does hit a little too close to home, re: my own dating life (although usually, I am not the main character). But that scene - and plenty more like it - totally encapsulate what it’s like to be a twentysomething in a major city. And although you can no longer cram yourself into Tilda’s tiny, glass-encased hallway (no small part of the experience), whenever I want to feel like the young, naive, and very broke (a.k.a., like a twentysomething in a major city) I head to this natural wine shop in Echo Park. It’s tres chic - maybe you’ve seen their “Call for a good time” pick-up window? - and has all of the skin-contact bottles, specialty grocery items, and, most importantly, delicious, oily tins of canned sardines one could ever want in quarantine. Pick-up in-store, or find them on the delivery platforms.” -KH

via The Infatuation Feed https://www.theinfatuation.com/los-angeles/guides/streaming-shows-tv-delivery-takeout-la Nhà hàng Hương Sen chuyên buffet hải sản cao cấp✅ Tổ chức tiệc cưới✅ Hội nghị, hội thảo✅ Tiệc lưu động✅ Sự kiện mang tầm cỡ quốc gia 52 Phố Miếu Đầm, Mễ Trì, Nam Từ Liêm, Hà Nội http://huongsen.vn/ 0904988999 http://huongsen.vn/to-chuc-tiec-hoi-nghi/ https://trello.com/userhuongsen

Created May 8, 2020 at 12:33AM /huong sen View Google Doc Nhà hàng Hương Sen chuyên buffet hải sản cao cấp✅ Tổ chức tiệc cưới✅ Hội nghị, hội thảo✅ Tiệc lưu động✅ Sự kiện mang tầm cỡ quốc gia 52 Phố Miếu Đầm, Mễ Trì, Nam Từ Liêm, Hà Nội http://huongsen.vn/ 0904988999 http://huongsen.vn/to-chuc-tiec-hoi-nghi/ https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xa6sRugRZk4MDSyctcqusGYBv1lXYkrF

Wk 3

I finally got into a kitchen this week! Two different ones! On Monday I got to work in my niece’s restaurant, Conrado’s. I’ve talked about it before, but it’s this quiet, cute, 25 seater diner right above their family’s nail salon, in the middle of the busy market. None of the hustle and bustle seeps into the place. There’s wood floors, light-weight metal patio furniture for tables & seating, potted succulents, dangling light fixtures, framed portraits of our family members, and gaudy but cute melted glass decorations hung up. It has a bunch of chalkboard quotes that you’d probably see on a 17-year-olds pinterest homepage. Matter fact, most of this is rather pinterest-y. But that’s not a knock, it’s cute, and most importantly: it’s clean and air conditioned. Both rarities here, believe me, and to have both? 5 stars. Kristel has an acoustic Filipino folk-song playlist on repeat. Think, Bahay Kubo and the like, played on a soothing Spanish guitar. She serves all day breakfast and these gigantic pandesal sandwiches the size of a child’s head. And while it’s not the culinary work that I thought I’d get into, work is work. I’m gonna make this french toast. Yaherd? Things move slow mostly in the morning, a few orders of pancakes and pandesal french toast. A few ‘silogs are slung, and a maniac orders alfredo at 10am. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad alfredo, but it is 10am. Anyway 1:30 rolls around and orders come to a dead stop. We don’t get anyone in the door for an hour. I ask Kristel if this is normal for them and she says yeah she usually watches a movie or plays with the little baby that belongs to one of the workers downstairs. We get maybe 2 sandwich orders in the next 3 hours but for the most part, a pinoy movie is in the que. So we watch a flick on YouTube. Some rom-com with Sharon Cuneta falling back in love in her 50’s or whatever. It’s funny I guess. Kristel asks me about my love life and I tell her I don’t have one right now lol. She presses me for details and as I’m about to give in and tell her, she cuts me off and says “Your dad told us everything! Hahaha! He was crying and telling us to take care of you! Hahaha!” I’m laughing but taken aback to one thing in particular. “He was crying?...like crying, crying?” I ask. She says yeah, “One day he called us, I guess it was after you made up your mind to come over here and was saying that you’re so hurt and that you don’t know what you’re doing with your life.” Naturally defensive, I fire back that i’m good, that I haven’t felt like that in a while, that we’re friends now/she isn’t to blame as to why I’m here, and that I do kinda know what I’m doing with my life sorta, but I’m really kinda shocked still that my dad...cared. Through tears, called my relatives to take care of me in an emotional capacity that he believed he could not. I’m sure he would’ve done fine if he tried. I felt hope and disappointment kinda all in one. I wanna do better. I tell her some half-drawn sparknotes version of my romantic life and she does hers. It’s a nice bonding moment. By this time it's 3:30-4 and no one is eating in the restaurant. So Kristel send me and her only other employee, CJ, out to the palengke to grab groceries for the store. Out the door with list in hand and 500 pesos in her pocket. Time to make magic happen. CJ was so quick on her feet it was hard to keep up. Weaving through stands of vegetables, dodging hanging clothing items, correctly predicting every direction people were walking while looking at their cells, she was masterful. Everything she did was efficient, but charming still. She was like a studio Ghibli character come to life. Tastes a grape, squeezes a mangosteen, makes a face at a baby, takes a sharp left, selects the vegetables, haggles the grocer, pets the cat that's always sleeping at the light bulb stand, it was fun to witness. We get back to Conrado’s in no more than 30 minutes and unpack. Just in time too, after a few games of cards we get a last minute rush and are on our feet until close at 7pm. Everyone loves Kristel’s sandwiches, I think it’s the size and quality of the pandesal. It’s sweet but not overly so, and chewy but not heavy. Also did I say that it was the size of a child’s head? For like 200 pesos (4 dollars) what a bargain. That was the template and timeline of pretty much every day I spent there, (which was only 3 this week but I’m expecting to be there a lot more this month haha) Ate Oya (Oyo’s older sister, convenient, I know) finally took me to her new restaurant, Casa Carmen Cafe. They soft opened in June and are planning a grand opening in November. It’s a gutted out traditional bahay kubo house with original elevated skeleton, the exposed wood beams, and refurbished exterior; complete with the sliding capiz windows. It’s a little more upscale and twice as big as Conrado’s, but simple and elegant nonetheless. She Introduced me to the staff and the other co-owners. They’re five cooks in the back, five servers, and six owners. All really friendly people and excited to have a free set of hands. Casa also does food to order, but they do Filipino food instead of breakfast and pasta. They make some of the best regional dishes I have ever had in my life. Dishes like Kansi, which is a Iloilo regional beef and jackfruit soup. It’s made sour with the batwan fruit -- which is native only to western Visayas -- instead of tamarind, sampalok, or vinegar. It’s tart like sinigang but has a deeper savoriness and more dimension due to lemongrass and asuete. Suman sa Gata at Manok which according to one of the cooks, says is a super specific Cavite specialty; a sticky rice cake cooked in coconut milk and then steamed with a sliver of chicken on top. They also put spins on classics without losing the heart of the dish. Things like crispy dinuguan and fried halo-halo. They had me finishing and plating dishes first day. Finishing final grill items, wiping edges, garnishing plates, my hands felt alive, useful in a way that I can only compare to making art. It was surreal to be in a kitchen like that, and to be cooking and serving food that I've worked my whole life around. It really brought a prestige to Pinoy cuisine that I've only ever seen in Instagram photos. To see very humble stews and barbecued meats elevated to this level, at this capacity really brought me hope that I could do something like this someday myself. What was surprising was while all this gorgeous food was around them, the most excited the kitchen got was when Kim; the heaviest of the line cooks bought really crappy pizza with the promise of drinking beer later on that night. Which was so hilarious, and comforting to me. They tell me next week, i’m prepping pata and learning their dinuguan recipe. Word. On Friday my birthday happened, I shared it with my cousin Lou! He however was turning 50 lol. And before you think this is gonna be all island boy vibes and noodles, think again. It starts with a cat. 5 hurricane and ends with a very unpleasant argument with my mom. There are noodles still. So that’s good. As the day was happening I was angs- y from the two different super storms planning to DDT my whole life and not being able to gather all the family I wanted to see because of them. I ended up a touch frumpy most of they day. For some context, with Oyo now gone I didn’t really have a mode of transportation the whole past week. Mom didn’t believe I could drive by myself here. She didn’t know I drove his sisters car last week and was thriving in this type of balls out driving culture. Yeesh, and God forbid I take a tricycle by myself and get kidnapped?...I don’t know, I’m a clear half foot taller than most of the people here, in the best-ish shape of my life, and I don’t want to brag, but can throw a decent punch. I don’t know. So this whole past week I was at the mercy of my mom taking me places. Dropping me off to either of my nieces that owned restaurants, which was clearly awesome. But when I wasn’t working and being checked on constantly I was stuck by her side running errands or fixing the up the apartment in San Carlos. I felt like a preteen again. On top of that, there were things I wasn't giddy to do like: being drug to 6am mass, (rough) she then told me to order then cancel catering, (twice??¿?) and the city had erratic brownouts for 15 hours. All of which making me feel a bit—powerless. So after mass (which I mostly slept though) I was stuck at the house with nothing to do on my birthday, and no one was coming over hahaha. It’s a peculiar kind of “kick-in-the-groin” paradox when you’re not trying to make a day all about you because it makes you feel cringey and childish, but in doing so you end up trying to please yourself anyway by not feeling those things. After some alone time filming ants and laughing at myself I decided to interact with people. Tatay and I feed chickens and I tried having a comprehensive conversation with him to no avail, oh well. He end up telling me he had to get me goats. Like a switch flipped in his mind and he wouldn’t rest until is original programming was complete type of vibe. I didn’t want to fight him on it, and so about an hour later he comes back with two goats, a mom and a kid. He made me name them, THEN told me we were gonna kill them later. Cool. That’s cool. Couldn’t really sway him, being stubborn is his worst and best trait. My mom ended up taking them down the street to some relatives to take care of them and told tatay that they were too small to kill and eat anyway. Good going mom. I went inside and started looking at old photos with inay. She had stories for almost every person and photo we looked at. That was beautiful. All of my mom siblings are really brave, but especially my mom. Hearing first hand accounts of her young adult years was assuring. A few hours later I got wind that everyone at home was a-ok. What a relief. I took a step back from the lack of command I had going into the day and laughed at the parallel it had with my whole past year. I can toil and strive and work with what I got, the best that I can, but at the end of the day, things are gonna keep on turning beyond my control. I get gratification of autonomy with what I do yet the assurance of things moving forward without me. What a rad gift. Power got back on about 6pm -ish and we decided to head out to kuya Lou’s house to celebrate together because they also had power back on. We ended up having pancit and spaghetti. Noodles for long life or whatever. We ended up hobo drinking beer and a handle of jack. I had some pretty good conversations about dreams and goals with some of my cousins and got to know each other better. My one nephew JR is an aspiring historian and we talked about Philippine history for a pretty long time. That was really exciting for me, he knew so much and I don’t usually have anyone to gab about that kinda stuff or even ask questions from. At around 9 when it was dark two of my pamangkin shut off the all the lights to fake a brownout. They ended up walking out with 2 lit birthday cupcakes. It was really sweet of them, too bad I didn’t take any pictures. Live in the moment and what not right? I ended up having to go home early that night because my mom’s foot was acting up and after a few sharp looks shot my way I could tell she wasn’t feeling comfortable. I told her to go home by herself and that I’d get a ride back to the bukid somehow. She sternly said no and  I resigned my pride to argue in front of family,  I could tell she was more uncomfortable seeing me drink that much with my cousins than the pain in her foot. On the drive back home I argued about the lack of freedom I was feeling with her and the juxtaposition of her own life around my age. I think I nailed my talking points. She ended up seeing my side of things and we apologized to each other. I think the pressure is getting to her from both sides, of being a child again living with her folk and remembering to be a mom. I doubt it’ll be the last time I talk about this dynamic. I do hope it gets better soon.

One of the highlights of my life is a family vacation in Italy with my parents, my siblings and their families, plus an aunt. It was before the arrival of the Carnivore and our kid. I was the tour guide.

Room with a view. The top photo was also shot from our villa.

Here were the calculations: Europeans go on vacation in July and August, because school vacations don’t start until then (some places get out in mid-June). So for smaller crowds and lower prices, we would schedule the trip for right after the kids got out of school in late May. 

Second youngest with second oldest.

Having so many people was going to be tricky, especially with kids ages 2, 3 and 4, and elders ages 61, 71 and 76, none of whom were up for walking all day. We wanted to sleep under one roof (which ruled out my one-bedroom apartment in Brussels) and have a place for two minivans to park. Good weather would be a plus (which also ruled out Brussels). These things also eliminated Paris–we’d have to get pretty far out before being able to find a house big enough and in the price range, and getting around Paris isn’t very easy if you aren’t on foot (and no, I was not going to try to herd 13 people in the Metro). The weather could be freezing or gorgeous, most likely both…in the same week. So despite the fact that I adore Paris and had the advantage of speaking French, I opted for Tuscany. (I had been to the south of France only once then, so I didn’t think of it—now I know better! But Tuscany was great.)“You don’t want to go to Italy, hon,” Dad informed me, pronouncing Italy like IT-lee. “It’s a mess. You can’t drink the water. I’ve been there.”

  Yeah—when he was in the Army, with the U.S. occupation after WWII.

“It’s changed,” I told him. “You can drink the water now. It’s all fixed up nice.”

It was before the advent of AirBnB, but online rentals were available, with horror stories outnumbering the selection of properties. OK, confession: it was in 2001.

From the villa’s site…all my photos have 14 people in front of the house.

I found a beautiful villa outside Florence, Fattoria la Capitana, on a hill with sweeping views, a pool and lots of bedrooms and bathrooms. They have upgraded the décor; it was more basic when we were there, but very comfortable–you really have to check out the web site to see how pretty it is now. Rural enough that the kids could run wild around the grounds. Not too far for trips to Florence (30 minutes by car), Sienna (45 minutes), San Gimignano (45 minutes), Pisa (1 hour 15 minutes, to see the “bending tower” and also the beach at Livourne) and, twice, Rome (just over an hour). Plus the cute, less famous villages of Tuscany. 

I’d reserved two minivans, but unfortunately, they had only one; the second vehicle would instead be a full-size monster called a Ducato. It had a horizontal steering wheel, like a bus. It held nine people, so we still needed the normal minivan, which held seven.

Can you see the megavan?

The next challenge was driving from Rome to the villa. My siblings, being pros at crazy roadtrips, had brought walkie-talkies (which, FYI, are called talkie-walkies in French. In Italian: walkie-talkie). I had a cell phone, but it was still early days and so expensive the others would have had to take out second mortgages to pay for international service (what a horror…I also had a “callback” service–illegal–where I called a computer in the U.S. with my Brussels landline and then hung up. The computer would call me back and patch me to an open line from which I could call U.S. numbers at domestic U.S. long-distance rates and not the approximately $5,000 a minute that Belgacom charged for international calls. It’s far more reasonable now). 

Wine tasting in Chianti…of course!

Anyway the walkie-talkies worked great as long as we were in range. And the patter was nonstop. 

<<static>>”I thought you were supposed to stay on one side of the dotted white line.” <<static>>

<<static>>”Yeah, well, most people think that.” <<static>>

<<static>>”She never could paint inside the lines.”

<<static>>”You gotta fix those things when they’re kids or you can see what happens.” <<static>>

What one family member called the “bending tower.” 

One of the adults would ride shotgun and consult the gigantic fold-out paper map (it was before GPS, too). One time in Rome, I asked my co-pilot which way I needed to go only to see the huge map getting frantically turned around one way, then the other. 

“We’re on … V…I…A…We’re on Via!” somebody from the back seat called out triumphantly.

Did I mention that nobody spoke Italian? (EYE-talian, as Dad said)

An uncle-niece game of kid croquet.

Cooking lesson with the villa’s owners.

Another time, some of the women went to Greve, a very quaint town. The guys weren’t there when we got back. When they finally arrived, one made a grand wave at the other two and said, “Let me introduce you to Louis and Clark.” They had gotten very lost trying to go to the supermarket in Montevarchi.

No harm, no foul. No accidents, either.

The pope! (center, in white)

There was another time, again in Rome, when a local colleague, who had generously gotten us tickets for the Mass with the Pope in St. Peter’s Square, was going to make the handoff as we drove down a boulevard near his home. I was talking to him on my cellphone (BAD) and trying to watch crazy Roman traffic while trying to spy the landmarks he was telling me to look for. Finally seeing him, I eased into the right lane and slowed to a crawl. My co-pilot rolled down the window, stuck a head and hand out, and snatched the tickets before anybody rear-ended us or even honked. Smooth as spies.

The Duomo in Florence.

Most tourists probably don’t realize there’s an underground parking garage at the Vatican. With low clearance. Happily, the rental company didn’t look at the roof of the megavan when we returned it. 

Then there was the time I got near the Coliseum and looked for a place to park, only to go down a street like a funnel—it got narrower and narrower, until I had to back out. Which mean the normal minivan with the rest of the family had to back out first because they were behind me. 

The Coliseum in Rome. Big hit with all ages.

And the time I was trying to get the megavan out of the tight turn on the villa’s driveway (which was so steep that our dad described a little grotto alongside the drive as “right before you go over the cliff”). Another guest’s car was in the way (there are also a couple of apartments on the property). One of the guys in front and another in the back directed me: get closer, cut it sharper, crank it the other way. They made catty remarks about how I was riding the clutch. “Might as well burn it out on a rental,” one said. “She’s just warming it up,” the other observed, adding, “She ain’t even spittin’ gravel yet.” At that moment, I gave it gas and sent a couple of pebbles flying. They cheered.

Florence…so many statues of naked people…

It was so difficult to park in Rome that we generally went to a garage then hoofed it. The littlest kids were in strollers, but our parents weren’t as lucky. Instead, I put them in a taxi, with our aunt, at the Trevi Fountain and told the driver “Piazza Navona.” I will never forget the image of three shocked faces looking at me through the back window as the taxi peeled off. They thought I would come with them. But I had figured that, with traffic, we would arrive on foot before the taxi (and it was true). 

Trevi Fountain in Rome…despite the throng, we didn’t lose anybody.

Our other challenge revolved around Italian dining customs vs. toddler attention spans. The kids were angels, but too much time sitting nicely at a table is no fun. So we would try to be fairly organized, to have our meals before meltdowns. Good Midwesterners, the guys would order coffee with their meals. They were new to wine, and certainly not at lunch. The waiter would nod, si, si, signori. Of course, the coffee wouldn’t arrive. They would remind the waiter, who would nod and say, what we figured was “don’t worry, I didn’t forget.” Dad would thank them with a heartfelt “Garcia!”

Roofs of Sienna. The black spots are birds.

The kids would grow restless. No coffee yet. Then the kids would get VERY restless. No coffee…because of course, coffee is served after dessert, which we hadn’t yet eaten. Eventually we would need to leave—unhappiness in toddlers increases exponentially as you have more toddlers, so if one meltdown is X, then two meltdowns are X10 and three meltdowns are X100. (It isn’t their fault; it’s a fact of nature, like gravity.) Another famous Italian espresso so close, yet so far away. Eventually, the coffee lovers ventured to a café in Magliano. “The cup was about the size of a thimble,” one described afterward. “The foam barely covered the bottom of it. But I tell you, it was enough!”

Another view of Pisa.

We operated with a bucket list (the only thing we didn’t get to was Venice, too far at three hours’ drive each way), but didn’t schedule anything. One day at a time. The trips to Rome and Pisa took full days but the rest of the outings were for a few hours max, leaving lots of time for relaxing, chicken fights with the older kids in the pool and cooking lessons from the villa’s owners (who didn’t speak English or French, but we did fine. I still make their tiramisu.) At dinner, we would loosely plan the next day. Or not. Sometimes we did it on the fly. Our aunt was such a wonderful traveler, always game for anything, answering “why not!” to every suggestion. She seemed perfectly content to sit overlooking the breathtaking view and read a novel, yet was always ready to hop in the van at a moment’s notice. (Another time, looking at a guide’s suggestions for what to buy in Florence, she said, “But I don’t want any of this stuff.” I love her.)

A dip in the Mediterranean.

It was great to have a kitchen, so we could have breakfast and sometimes other meals without the excesses of eating out for everything. It was great to have a TV, so tired kids could watch the only video we had (“Mulan”) over and over and over. It was great to have a single “home” that we could keep coming back to.

Cousins.

Our dad would regularly leaf through the photo albums (it was also before digital photos) for years afterward. Our mom had the villa’s brochure and some photos put into a big frame, and it moved with them to assisted living, where our parents were always more than happy to recount the adventure to all the aides who came by. The trip brought us closer together, though the littlest ones don’t remember it aside from the photos, and now there are two more kids, and even grandchildren, in the family and our parents are gone. I started writing this as a way to explain how to juggle the wildly different ages and a large group on a vacation, but in the end, it’s more an excuse to relive and immortalize the happy memories.And if you wonder whether a big family trip is possible, remember: Why not!

PS: I will write soon about a similar hub-and-spoke itinerary for the south of France. We have two AirBnB apartments on the same floor, in the center of Carcassonne—they are both good for couples, but one has a small single bedroom and a sofabed, making it possible to sleep five people there plus two in the adjacent apartment. And the huge kitchen is ideal for a family.

14 travelers, ages 2-76, in Italy One of the highlights of my life is a family vacation in Italy with my parents, my siblings and their families, plus an aunt.

Still Mad For Wagyu at Edsa Shangri-La’s HEAT

Foodies and diners all across the city went totally Mad For Wagyu at HEAT in EDSA Shangri-La when it was launch back in 2015. Imagine a spectacular buffet filled with premium high-grade wagyu beef prepared in all sorts of ways by the hotel’s experienced international chefs. It’s not just steaks, because all the different stations had their own interpretation and featured different wagyu-inspired dishes (read about it here). It was a gigantic, totally mind-blowing affair that had me dreaming of wagyu long after my first maddening encounter.

Flash forward to 2017, and it seems the scars of that experience has never truly left me, because I found out that I am STILL absolutely Mad For Wagyu! The Hungry Kat was invited to once-again indulge in this life-changing buffet and I was excited to see that it is still the beefy, wagyu-filled adventure it has always been. I’m sure I will be dreaming of cows and cattle for the next few days because HEAT continues to deliver one of the best buffets in the land.

HEAT is EDSA Shangri-La Manila’s all day dining restaurant serving an international buffet of signature dishes from breakfast all the way until dinner. Mad For Wagyu is a special dinner buffet held every Saturday that highlights this premium type of Japanese beef we have all grown to love and cherish. Wagyu cattle are breeds which are genetically predisposed to intense marbling, producing a high percentage of fat located within the meat itself and thus creating a very tender, almost melt-in-your-mouth beef texture. EDSA Shangri-La also features their Mad For Lobster buffet dinner every Friday, but that’s another story altogether.

Joining me that evening at HEAT’s private dining room was the always fresh Edgar Co from Pinas Muna and the always nutty Richie Zamora also known as The Pickiest Eater in the World.

We were hosted by EDSA Shangri-La’s very charming Director for Communications - Ms. Cristina del Carmen who also introduced to us the chefs that were in charge of tonight’s magnificent wagyu feast.

The daily selection at HEAT is very extensive, with many different stations that provide everything you can possibly want to have in a buffet. You can start your journey with some freshly baked artisanal breads, salads, cheese, and a variety of hams and cured meats at the Appetizers section. I prefer to start my dinner with some sushi and salmon sashimi from the Japanese Station.

While most of the stations still serve the regular selection of dishes, you will feel the Mad For Wagyu theme all over the restaurant as each section offers their own wagyu-inspired dishes. I checked out the Noodle Station and found out that they serve Wagyu Laksa, a curried wagyu beef laksa dumpling in spiced coconut broth. This is not your ordinary laksa because the tender beef gives it a whole new flavor component. I also liked that it was not too spicy and had just enough kick that I could handle.

We all like to eat shawarma but have you ever tried a Wagyu Shawarma? This also takes the classic Middle Eastern dish to another level with its juicy beef sliced hot off the griller.  It is served in a warm pita bread with vegetables and yogurt sauce.

The Chinese Station also offers their own wagyu dishes like the Wagyu Buns. These siopao have wagyu fillings inside which gives it a beefy and aromatic flavor. Now this is one siopao you won’t find in any fast food restaurant.

The classic Filipino favorite is also given the wagyu touch as HEAT offers their Wagyu Beef Bulalo. These tender beef shanks boiled in bulalo soup are just so good. Make sure to ask the chef for a piece of the bone so you can scoop out the marrow from inside.

Also hot off the grill are these Marinated Wagyu Beef Yakiniku which also upgrades the regular barbecues we enjoy. Everything is just so much better when it is made from wagyu.

The highlight of Mad For Wagyu at HEAT is the Wagyu Beef Rump steak proudly displayed at the Western carving station. Ask the server for a slice or two and have it grilled to your preferred doneness. I always have it cooked medium, but remember the cardinal rule with steaks, most especially wagyu. Never ask for it to be well-done or you will ruin the flavors of this premium beef.

There is a variety of sauces you can put on top of your steak, whether it be red wine sauce or mushroom gravy. Mad For Wagyu also has another selection of barbecue sauces to choose from, twenty of them in fact! Play around with your sauces and see which ones are your favorite.

Other dishes you can find at the Western Section include the Wagyu Beef Wellington, Wagyu Mini Burgers, and Wagyu Spring Rolls which are also quite appealing. 

Over at the Italian Station, aside from the pizzas topped with wagyu beef chunks, they also have the Wagyu Beef Cheek Cannilloni with Mascarpone which is rolled pasta filled with Wagyu beef and root vegetables then topped with cream cheese.

Look around the entire restaurant and you will encounter many other different wagyu-inspired dishes. Some of these include the (from top to bottom) Wagyu Beef Cheeks, Wagyu Beef Goulash, Wok Fried Black Pepper Wagyu Short Ribs, Wagyu Beef Brisket and Wagyu Beef Barbecue. All of these will go so well with rice, right? What better combination to have than to get a bowl of Wagyu Fried Rice to really make you go Mad For Wagyu.

But of course, that’s not all that there is at HEAT’s Mad For Wagyu night. You can still enjoy the other stations like the Seafood Station where these Spanner Crabs were waiting.

I got a plate of crabs, mussels and prawns then handed it over to the chefs to cook it in glorious garlic butter. The result is a fantastic seafood plate to go along with all the other beefy dishes at HEAT. Here’s a tip, ask the chef to peel off the prawn shells for you before cooking. That makes eating these babies a lot easier and gives you more time to enjoy the buffet.

Other favorites were also available at the buffet like the Roasted Lechon, Dimsum, Roast Duck, and even Deep Fried Salmon Skin and Chicken Skin.

One other specialty of the house is the Coffee Spareribs by Chef Tony Sum. This is his creative interpretation of Singapore’s favorite - deep fried ribs coated in coffee-based sweet sauce. This is always a recommended item at the buffet.

While beverages are not yet included in the buffet price, diners can choose any of the three additional beverage packages to complete their dining experience. The Sip & Repeat (+P250) comes with Unlimited Iced Tea and Soda-based mocktails. Go for the Beer Blast (+P875) if you want to include unlimited Heineken Draft Beer with the iced tea and mocktails, or choose the ReWINEd (+P1200) for all those plus unlimited red wine.

The journey is not complete without desserts so we also went totally mad for the Dessert Station! Eight different types of ice cream and gelato were on hand plus hundreds of topping and sauces to choose from. You can also ask for a crepe or a halo halo topped with Ube Ice Cream. I had a scoop of their Strawberry gelato with candy sprinkles plus the Lava Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream.

They also have so many cakes and pastries on display, highlighted by the Raspberry Moten Brownie Double Shot Vodka Cheesecake. This is an irresistible fusion of cream cheese, sour cream, and chocolate brownie with the velvety smooth, rich-textured cheesecake smothered elegantly with raspberry sauce and a subtle kick of vodka. I even saw this chocolate marshmallow dessert pizza!

For a minimum single receipt bill of P5,000, diners can even get a free spin on the Mad For Wagyu wheel where they can win instant prizes. Mad For Wagyu is available every Saturday from 6:00pm to 10:30pm for P2,615 nett per person. Thank you so much to Ms. Cristina del Carmen and EDSA Shangri-La Manila for this amazing dining adventure. 

MAD FOR WAGYU at HEAT

Lobby Level, 1 Garden Way, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City

633-8888 loc 2740 & 2741 (Book a Table Online here)

www.shangri-la.com/manila/edsashangrila

www.facebook.com/edsashangrila

The SF (Quarantine) Dinner & A Movie Guide added to Google Docs

The SF (Quarantine) Dinner & A Movie Guide

Dinner and a movie is a timeless combination. And while you can’t exactly leave your house at the moment, you don’t really have to - there’s plenty to watch at home, and even more to order for delivery or takeout (how’s that for optimism?). So we’re here to make sure you’re doing dinner and a movie right. Below, you’ll find our picks for great delivery, and which movie you should pair it with. We’ll be updating regularly, but for now, here are 19 combinations to keep your quarantine nights feeling fun, and hopefully, just a bit more normal.

All restaurants featured on The Infatuation are selected by our editorial team. The SF (Quarantine) Dinner & A Movie Guide is presented by Uber Eats. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, supporting our local restaurant community has never been more important. Uber Eats customers can now give directly to the restaurants they love at checkout. 100% will go to the restaurant. Order now to support. See app for details.

   Featured In The Ultimate San Francisco Delivery & Takeout Guide See all our guides THE SPOTS  Nari $ $ $ $ Thai  in  Japantown $$$$ 1625 Post St 9.1 /10

Movie Pairing: Always Be My Maybe (Netflix)

“If I had my way, this guide would just be a list of my favorite Keanu films - and the order in which you should watch them. (The Matrix, Speed, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, then email me for the rest.) But I’ll settle for talking about the movie with the best Keanu cameo: Always Be My Maybe. In the now-infamous dinner scene, Keanu (as Keanu) is moved to deep introspection after he gets his meal and a pair of headphones playing the sounds of the animal he’s eating. If you, too, want to order from a spot that makes you feel emotional, Nari is the place. This exceptional Thai restaurant in Japantown is offering ready-to-reheat panang curry, khao soi, and braised pork belly to-go. Sadly, Keanu isn’t included.” - LC

 Order delivery   Nopa $ $ $ $ American  in  Nopa $$$$ 560 Divisadero St. 8.8 /10

Movie Pairing: What We Do In The Shadows (Prime)

“Taika Waititi is the master at bringing humanity to even the most monstrous of characters. In his 2014 mockumentary What We Do In The Shadows, three vampires grapple with mundane life by knitting, going to clubs, having house meetings and immature fights with rival werewolves. In other words, it’s exactly the kind of funny we all need right now. Without spoiling, there’s a memorable scene involving vomit, french fries, and a newly-minted bloodsucker. The scene gives me a strange yearning for fried potatoes, which is why I’ve paired the film with Nopa’s excellent burger and fries (they’re making it with chips, not fries, these days). Order it, watch the film, then turn to the TV adaptation, which is currently in its second season.” - LC

Corso Trattoria $$$$ 1788 Shattuck Ave

Movie Pairing: Call Me By Your Name (Prime)

“Call Me By Your Name makes me want to run away from my responsibilities to live on a gigantic ranch in the remote Italian countryside. The film is about a passionate love affair between a 17-year-old boy and a doctoral student working for his father, and it’s a beautiful ode to the intensity of first love and slow, warm summers. And if I close my eyes and imagine myself laying in the grass outside a cottage in Bergamo with Timothée Chalamet, I’d be eating a caprese salad and a salumi board, and drinking a bottle of wine from Corso - they have a great selection of Northern Italian wines, if you’re really committing to the theme.” - JC

Home Coffee Roasters $ $ $ $ Cafe/Bakery  in  Sunset $$$$ 1222 Noriega St.

Movie Pairing: Arrival (Amazon Prime)

“When a sci-fi film stars two alien heptapods named Abbott and Costello, and Amy Adams as a linguist enlisted by the military to decipher their language, you know you’re going to put your brain to work. Watch this movie with coffee from Home Coffee Roasters - both the Sunset and Richmond locations of the neighborhood cafe are offering espresso drinks, matcha, and tea for takeout and delivery. Then prepare to have plenty of conversations about free will with whatever poor soul you’re stewing on the couch with.” - LC

 Lucky Three Seven $ $ $ $ Filipino  in  Patten $$$$ 2868 Fruitvale Ave Not

Rated

Yet

Movie Pairing: The Farewell (Prime)

“I was reminded of my grandmother while watching The Farewell. Like Billi’s, mine lived an ocean away. She occasionally slipped me twenty dollar bills when my mom wasn’t looking, encouraged me to follow my intuition, and got on my case whenever I passed on her adobo and insisted I wasn’t hungry (what a true fool I was). This reminder is what made my eyes water up by the end of The Farewell, which I will not spoil. Whenever I want to feel this deep connection to my family, I go to Lucky Three Seven. The Filipino restaurant is family-run and makes adobo, lumpia, and my favorite: tocino with rice and egg (which are currently available to-go). If only I had my Iola’s recipes to make these dishes myself.” - LC

Cam Huong Bakery $$$$ 1038 Webster St

Movie Pairing: Booksmart (Hulu)

“In Booksmart, two best friends realize during their last few days of senior year that they missed out on quintessential high school moments, and try to fit four years of fun into the night before graduation. The film is a brilliant celebration of female friendship and adolescent joy, and it makes me nostalgic for my own high school days attached at the hip to my best friend Tasha. We always found a way to make it over to Cam Huong Bakery in Oakland’s Chinatown during free periods to get their delicious grilled pork banh mis, so I’d recommend ordering one to watch Booksmart. Be sure to grab a Vietnamese iced coffee, too.” - JC

 Soba Ichi $ $ $ $ Japanese  in  West Oakland $$$$ 2311 Magnolia St Not

Rated

Yet

Movie Pairing: First Man (Hulu)

“One of the most overlooked films of 2018 is First Man, also known as the Ryan Gosling eyelash movie, or the Neil Armstrong biopic that sent Noah Calhoun to the moon. If you haven’t seen it yet, you’re missing out. It’s an impressive movie (not just because it features the Gos singing a lullaby to a baby), and it needs something impressive to go with it. Go for Soba Ichi’s hand-cut soba noodles, which are made fresh each morning, and available Thursday to Sunday, 12-3pm.” - LC

 Burma Superstar $ $ $ $ Burmese  in  Richmond $$$$ 309 Clement St. 7.5 /10

Movie Pairing: Legally Blonde The Musical (Youtube)

“First off, this musical is the definition of perfect casting. Second, if you haven’t watched it, cancel everything you have planned for tonight (which, please, is probably not much) and put it on immediately. Oh my god. This musical is flawless. I’ll probably watch it tonight. And for dinner, I’ll order something that makes me want to jump off my couch and sing as much as I do watching Legally Blonde: Burma Superstar. More specifically, their mango chicken and basil chili pork belly - both are the right amounts of salty and sweet. And, of course, their excellent tea leaf salad.” - JC

 Order delivery  Woodhouse Fish Co. $ $ $ $ Seafood  in  Fillmore $$$$ 1914 Fillmore St Not

Rated

Yet

Movie Pairing: Venom (Hulu)

“Let’s get this out of the way: Venom is not a good film. But it is a highly entertaining one. Which means there’s never been a better time to watch motorcycle chases through the streets of San Francisco, and a committed performance by Tom Hardy, who at one point jumps into a lobster tank and eats a live one in front of his ex-lover. The scene makes me laugh just thinking about it - and makes me want to order a lobster roll from Woodhouse Fish Co. They’re making them to-go out of their Market St. location.” - LC

Atelier Crenn $ $ $ $ French ,  Molecular Gastronomy  in  Cow Hollow $$$$ 3127 Fillmore St Not

Rated

Yet

Movie Pairing: Parasite (Hulu)

“Parasite is a hilarious and thought-provoking commentary on class that everybody needs to watch. And the chaotic scene where the Kims spend the night in the Parks’ massive home is one of my favorite scenes from a movie, ever. Right now, the closest I can get to the thrill of indulging in something fancy is by ordering a $38 to $125 Crenn Kit from Atelier Crenn - because unless I were Steve Kerr or Beyoncé, there’s no way I could swing spending $800 on their tasting menu every night.” - JC

 Verjus $ $ $ $ Spanish ,  French ,  Tapas  in  Financial District $$$$ 550 Washington St 8.0 /10

Movie Pairing: Wine Country (Netflix)

“We all wish we could travel right now. Especially with friends who are down to get into weird drunk adventures. We can’t do that right now, but we can live vicariously through Maya Rudolph and her friends on a weekend wine trip in Napa. The obvious takeout choice here is a bottle of wine and a pâté en croûte, both of which I would grab from the exceptional wine bar Verjus in Fidi.” - LC

Brenda's $$$$ 4045 Broadway

Movie Pairing: My Life As A Zucchini (Netflix)

“My Life As A Zucchini, or Ma Vie De Courgette, is a Swiss/French stop-motion film that will make you sob (I sure did). It’s about a boy named Zucchini who goes from an abusive home to an orphanage, and ends up forming close bonds with the other kids there. The story is equal parts sad and sweet, and will make you want to curl up in a huge blanket with a big plate of warm food from Brenda’s in Oakland. My plate of choice is their crispy, juicy fried chicken, a side of collard greens with bacon, and their super-rich chocolate beignets for dessert.” - JC

 The Butcher Shop by Niku Steakhouse $$$$ 57 Division St

Movie Pairing: The Queen of Versailles (Hulu)

“Like Tiger King or Love Is Blind, it’s hard to look away from The Queen Of Versailles. The documentary follows one couple’s quest to build one of the largest homes in the United States, modeled on the Palace of Versailles. This is a rags-to-riches story that also explores the sacrifices necessary to achieve champagne wishes and caviar dreams - and that means you’re ordering something extra, extra fancy to go along with it. In the old days, we’d head to Niku Steakhouse (or wish we could head to Niku Steakhouse) for a $420 Japanese A5 tasting flight. Now, you can head to The Butcher Shop by Niku Steakhouse and stock up on some incredible wagyu cuts - or their new Butcher Burger - to prepare at home.” - LC

 Emmy's Spaghetti Shack $ $ $ $ Italian  in  Bernal Heights $$$$ 3230 Mission St Not

Rated

Yet

Movie Pairing: The Parent Trap (Disney+)

“I cried a lot the last time I watched The Parent Trap. It’s about twin girls who find each other after being separated at birth, and then try to put their family back together. It makes me nostalgic for childhood summers - but unlike Hallie and Annie, I never went to sleepaway camp. If I did, I imagine it would involve lots of friendship bracelets, campfire songs, and spaghetti. Which is why the proper pairing here is a heaping plate of spaghetti and meatballs from Emmy’s Spaghetti Shack. Something about crafting the perfect bite of spaghetti (with just the right amount of meatball) is comforting to me, and reminds me a lot of growing up. Order yours here.” - JC

 Shan Dong $ $ $ $ Chinese  in  Chinatown Oakland $$$$ 328 10th St #101 8.7 /10

Movie Pairing: Sorry To Bother You (Hulu)

“Local celebrity Boots Riley delivers true WTF-ery in Sorry To Bother You, a satirical film about why capitalism sucks and why telemarketing sucks even harder. Sorry To Bother You also happens to take place in Oakland. Many recognizable city landmarks, like the triangle building in Uptown Oakland, serve as this movie’s backdrop, which is why you should be watching it while eating at Shan Dong - an Oakland landmark in its own right among others. And ordering from an essential spot requires an essential order - handmade noodles doused in sesame paste noodles, pork dumplings, and green beans that are crispy every time.” - LC

 Hina Yakitori $ $ $ $ Japanese  in  Nopa $$$$ 808 Divisadero St 8.5 /10

Movie Pairing: John Wick (Hulu)

“John Wick marks an important turning point in Keanu’s career: The action franchise is New School Keanu. It is his McConaissance. It is seminal. It is the film in which Keanu transforms into the human embodiment of Hina Yakitori’s excellent binchotan-grilled chicken skewers - meticulous, precise, and perfect. The restaurant is serving the skewers to-go as part of a $25 bento box.” - LC

Tacos El Novillo $$$$ 1001 Fruitvale Ave

Movie Pairing: BlacKkKlansman (Hulu)

“BlacKkKlansman is based on a true story about a black police officer and his white colleague going undercover to infiltrate the KKK. It’s clever, poignant, and relevant. What I enjoy most about the film are the all-around excellent, subtle acting performances by the cast - so watch it while eating something you can continuously eat without needing to take your eyes off the screen, like a carnitas burrito from my favorite taco truck, Tacos El Novillo in Fruitvale. Their tortillas are perfectly chewy, and the carnitas are tender and crispy. And as a bonus, it comes with a bunch (like a literal bunch) of green onions to eat with your burrito.” - JC

 Bi-Rite Creamery $ $ $ $ Mission $$$$ 3692 18th St

Movie Pairing: Train to Busan (Prime)

“Forgive me in advance for causing irreparable damage to your psyche, but f*ck it, you should watch Train To Busan - an emotionally taxing and excellent zombie film. At the heart of this survival story is the relationship between a disinterested father and a daughter who just wants love. This film will wreck you. If you decide to watch it, make sure you have a pint or two from Bi-Rite, or a sundae from Fentons if you’re in Oakland, handy. You’re going to need them.” - LC

 Jeremy Chiu Viridian $$$$ 2216 Broadway

Movie Pairing: The Guest (Prime)

“In the horror-comedy The Guest, Dan Stevens is a sociopathic soldier on a murder streak. You will love the synth soundtrack, and you will wonder what happened to Matthew Crawley from Downton Abbey. If you’re like me, it might also make you think about, Viridian in Oakland, a neon-tinged bar I cannot wait to get back to after this is all over. They’re currently serving bottled cocktails for two ($20) or twelve ($80), and a variety of dim sum, like cha siu bao, and desserts to-go.” - LC

via The Infatuation Feed https://www.theinfatuation.com/san-francisco/guides/dinner-and-a-movie-delivery-san-francisco Nhà hàng Hương Sen chuyên buffet hải sản cao cấp✅ Tổ chức tiệc cưới✅ Hội nghị, hội thảo✅ Tiệc lưu động✅ Sự kiện mang tầm cỡ quốc gia 52 Phố Miếu Đầm, Mễ Trì, Nam Từ Liêm, Hà Nội http://huongsen.vn/ 0904988999 http://huongsen.vn/to-chuc-tiec-hoi-nghi/ https://trello.com/userhuongsen

Created May 5, 2020 at 04:05AM /huong sen View Google Doc Nhà hàng Hương Sen chuyên buffet hải sản cao cấp✅ Tổ chức tiệc cưới✅ Hội nghị, hội thảo✅ Tiệc lưu động✅ Sự kiện mang tầm cỡ quốc gia 52 Phố Miếu Đầm, Mễ Trì, Nam Từ Liêm, Hà Nội http://huongsen.vn/ 0904988999 http://huongsen.vn/to-chuc-tiec-hoi-nghi/ https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xa6sRugRZk4MDSyctcqusGYBv1lXYkrF