Home for the holidays

Backtracking a little... I just returned from a really great trip home for the holidays. Doing things I can only do in LA is my first priority when I am there. So... I cooked at home with mom most nights, ate lunch at new and old restaurants all over the city, saw two museum shows, hiked Runyon Canyon, and just generally took it all in. I couldn't edit this down any more so here is something like a photo album of my trip - full of local LA treats and homemade goodness.

Lunch before anything else

Baja Buds (a place i frequented in high school, for good reason) was my first stop when I arrived in LA, a new tradition is born.

LA MOCA's Collection: MOCA's First Thirty Years features some amazing work. Three highlights for me were Ed Ruscha's Chocolate Room, Roy Lichtenstein's Meat painting, and Nan Goldin's The Ballad of Sexual Dependency (not pictured).


Ed Ruscha's Chocolate Room


Roy Lichtenstein Meat


Instead of your typical wall label, MOCA posted artist's quotes next to their works and I thought it was a stroke of genius. This was definitely one of my favorites.

Pigging out at Bottega Louie

A former Brooks Brothers store, renovated, bright, shiny, and tied with a bow!


Pizza Napoli


Lasagne bolognese with house-made sauce and pasta (10 layers)


The finale... Lemon tart and latte


Gorgeous macarons at the take-out counter

Christmas Morning

Blueberry pancakes with berry compote - it's really good to be home

Typical Breakfast

Satsuma tangerine wedges, blackberries, blueberries, and honey over greek yogurt

Another delicious lunch

It's what a hamburger's all about

Hiking Runyon Canyon then eating dim sum

Ale running ahead


View from the top


In the canyon


A very beautiful morning


Dim sum at Elite


Doesn't get cozier than Heather and Alex in their backyard

Venice

Front-lit palm trees in Venice


Back-lit palm trees in Venice


Lunch with Vern at Gjelina

Making Dinner

Prepping artichokes in the manner of Julia Child


A master at work, mom making chicken parmesan

Trip to Newport

Hill in the valley


Driving down the 405, sky of angels


Season's Greetings from sunny Newport Beach

Visiting The Hammer

A little bit of Brooklyn in LA - Rob Fischer's Hammer Projects installation

Back to NY