Soboroff Typewriter Collection at Paley Center for Media

Back in the day, before laptops and tablets and the like, we used typewriters to capture and format our words. (I won't get into your words-per-minute being a bragging right back in high school, as well as a factor in determining early job opportunities.)

The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills has a cool exhibition of typewriters owned by famous people. The Steve Soboroff Typewriter Collection features 28 machines, some simple and others beautiful, but all historic. Here you see the typewriter Orson Welles used to write "Citizen Kane." Other machines on display belonged to Julie Andrews, Andy Rooney, Truman Capote, John Lennon, Ernest Hemingway, Rudolph Valentino, Joe DiMaggio and Tom Hanks. The weirdest one had to be Unibomber Ted Kaczynski--at least what remained of his typewriter--as he used some of the metal parts in a bomb.

Yes, I'll stick with my MacBook Pro, but I do like seeing the oldies but goodies that started it all.

Click here for the Paley Center's website.

Peddler's Creamery

I'm a plus-one for KCRW's Riot LA comedy showcase at the Regent Theater downtown. Arriving a bit early, my chum and I walked around Main Street, marveling over how much it has changed--in a very good way.

We stumbled upon Peddler's Creamery, just south of the Theater. Peddler as in bicycle, not any old-timey door-to-door salesman. Yes, this ice cream is foot-cranked with the churn attached to the bicycle chain in some fancy engineery way. Cool, huh?!

And the flavors are way cool, too. This is my dark chocolate orange on the bottom, and honey lavender on top. Deelish!! We missed the peddling action, as he was scheduled during the comedy show. Trust me, these peddling ice cream makers are on to something, and they may be laughing all the way to the bank!

Click here for Peddler's Creamery's website.

Homegirl/Homeboy revisited

I can't believe it's been more than five years since my post on Homegirl Cafe and Homeboy Bakery! I've been back, and I've bought the bakery's bread at the Autry's farmers' market, but it's time to share again the goodness coming out of this place. 

For starters, I had a glass of the spectacular Angela's Potion: lemonade with spinach and mint. I know!! Plus chips and salsa. Then a sampler of the tacos: pork carnitas with apple-tomatillo slaw and cilantro; carne asada with peanut/chipotle sauce, shaved lettuce, radishes and cilantro; and salmon with jalapeño pesto, pico de gallo and cilantro. Three amazing flavor combinations for $10! It's a tie between the carnitas and the salmon for best-of-show, but they were all delicious!

Since I was sampling anyway, I got a to-do box of the cookies by the pound. I'm not sure what all of these are, but the linzer and the chocolate-covered macaroon were especially tasty!

Once again, if you don't know the Homeboy story, it was started in 1992 after the LA riots. "Jobs not jail" is noted on the t-shirts and signage inside the building. They are doing amazing work, and the food is just one aspect of that. Make an effort to support this cause!

Click here to learn more about Homeboy Industries.

The Kitchen

What better way to celebrate Pasadena Cheeseburger Week than roadtripping to Oxnard for a fix?  (And who knew the cheeseburger was invented/created/first served up in Pasadena?) In any event, from January 11 to 16, bunches of Pasadena restaurants are offering special cheeseburger deals (that I won't be trying this round for my burger of the month).

This is the Kitchen Burger, with sirloin beef burger with bacon, bleu cheese, spicy BBQ sauce and an onion ring. Are you grabbing your keys now to make the drive? Yummers!! The fries were also crispy and tasty. Hats off to the security guard who directed my chum and me to The Kitchen's doors!

For you Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives fans, Guy Fieri raved about the lamb burger. Feel free to give it a try, too. And, if you sample any of the Pasadena burgers, let me know. February, and another burger, is just around the corner!

Note that if you're going to Oxnard for the antique malls and shops, they aren't there any longer. Check out the outlets or go to Santa Barbara for that bargain fix.

Click here for The Kitchen's website.

Click here to learn more about Pasadena Cheeseburger Week.