Lancers Restaurant

Yesterday, I got my bottom braces installed and the uppers tightened. I'm a hurting puppy this morning, and it is really challenging to chew. My chums suggested an awesome food option: omelettes at Lancers Restaurant in Burbank.

Lancers is an old-school diner, and I'm already looking forward to poking around their menu more when I can chew. Here you see my delish Hobo omelette with bacon, sausage, mushrooms and tomatoes. Easy on the teeth and great on the taste buds!

Click here to go to Lancers' Web site.

Coolhaus Ice Cream Sandwiches

Further expanding on LA's "create your own" food craze, Coolhaus steps up to the proverbial plate with some fantastic ice cream sandwiches from their food truck. (Note that pre-made treats are available at some local retail spots. Check the Web site for details.) The concept is simple: select a cookie, then ice cream, and devour.

I first encountered Coolhaus at the Zombiethon (see Halloween 2009 post), and today was a pleasant reunion. Each time, the cookie and ice cream flavors vary, depending on the season and/or whim of the culinary team. Today's cookie choices were chocolate chip, s'mores, red velvet with frosting, and potato chip and butterscotch. Ice cream flavors were brown butter and candied bacon, Makers Mark with candied peaches and pecans, dirty mint chip (mint leaves with brown sugar) and blood orange sorbet. Want to guess what I got? I won't leave you hanging: potato chip and butterscotch cookie with bacon ice cream, and it was delish!

Coolhaus regularly makes the food truck rounds, so seek them out for a super cool and tasty treat!

Click here to go to Coolhaus' Web site.

Pizzicotto

I know, more ravioli! I had an offsite lunch with my team at work, and Pizzicotto in Brentwood came up as a recommendation. Note that I'll be recommending Pizzicotto from here on!

Here you see my Ravioli di Melanzane Special, which was beet fresh pasta filled with baked eggplant and ricotta in a sauce of roasted garlic, chopped tomatoes, basil, artichoke paste, diced purple potatoes and white wine, topped with provolone cheese. I literally sopped up the sauce with some crusty bread; it was just too scrumptious to not finish every last drop.

My colleagues' pizza and pasta dishes all got thumbs-up evaluations; their plates sure looked good. And, as if we didn't have enough taste-bud overload, we shared slices of chocolate mousse cake and apple tarte. Both were delicious!

Click here to go to Pizzicotto's Web site.

Flash Festival at the Page Museum

In the spirit of Wicked Lit (see last October's post), Chalk Repertory Theatre is another company performing "classical and contemporary plays in unconventional spaces." One of their current installments is Flash Festival, with the dioramas at the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits as the setting.

If you know the Page, you'll recognize these five locations for the plays: fishbowl laboratory, timeline wall, tar pull and theater, giant mammoth, and dire wolf skull wall. My favorite was an unraveling love story between two dire wolves, now represented by just their skulls. Mind you, one of the skulls was "repaired" with a piece from a third skull, and the bonus personality makes for a hilarious tale.

This run is over, but Chalk Rep has other offerings down the pike. Go see something fun!

Click here to go to Chalk Rep's Web site.

Click here to go to the Page Museum's Web site.

The Star Cafe

After all the excitement of watching the awesome Endeavour Shuttle flyover with my two friends (from our terrific vantage point in the Verdugo Canyons, we got to see the retiring shuttle piggybacking on a 747 with two fighter plane escorts circle downtown LA, then head over to Griffith Park, then loop around JPL), we were famished from the woohooing, "it's coming right at us" (Airplane, anyone?), and jumping for joy – never mind the hike in AND out.

We agreed on Montrose and The Star Cafe. Give them a gold star for this delicious dish! Here you see my Asparagus and Spinach Ravioli with the chunky tomato sauce and sprinkling of parmesan. YUM! The ravioli was stuffed with the asparagus, with the sautéed spinach atop. The fresh roll sopped up the remaining tomatoes after I scarfed down the rest. A perfect meal to salute all the shuttle's trips around the stars!

The shuttle's next move is to the California Science Center. Who wants to go see it up close and personal?

Click here to go to Star Cafe's Web site.

Click here to go to California Science Center's Web site.

Cirque du Soleil Iris

I haven't seen a Cirque du Soleil show since their tent was set up on the beach in Santa Monica. The latest production Iris is different in many ways, only one being the stage at the Kodak Theater versus the round arena of earlier shows.

Another way is a discernible thread, something I hadn't really picked up on earlier shows. Iris is based on the history of cinema, told in a unique way by acrobats, contortionists, and aerial artists, with a live orchestra and video projections. Also, my irises were darting all over the place trying to take it all in.

I was most impressed by the twin brothers performing the central aerial act. Jaw-gapping open impressed! Their strength and agility was amazing. One suspended brother would hold the other's wrist while spinning and spiraling overhead of the audience. And, without a net. I wonder if they take turns being the holdee and the spinee from show to show. Other scenes had Martian-esque acrobats tumbling and pyramiding on top of each other, plus gangsters trampolining as part of their fight scene. Very cool!!

This show's LA home is Hollywood & Highland, so give Iris a look when you're in the 'hood.

Click here to go to Cirque's Web site.

Tom's Farms

A trip to Corona means a Glen Ivy spa visit (see August 2011 post) plus some chow at Tom's Farms. Talk about a one-two punch of goodness!! This time, I'll highlight Tom's.

If you don't know Tom's Farms, it is a collection of shops featuring produce, wine and cheese, furniture and home decor, dried fruit, candy and ice cream, plus burger and Mexican restaurants. Here you see my tasty Cowboy Burger with bacon, cheese, BBQ sauce, an onion ring, lettuce and tomato that powered me up for some other shopping – the chocolate-covered dried fruit is fabulous! – before heading back to LaLa land. Yeehaw!!

Who wants to make a run to Corona with me?!

Click here for Tom's Farms' Web site.