Chi Dynasty

It's Christmas Day. After a morning in Griffith Park for pipes practice, hiking and riding the Merry-Go-Round, it was time for some chow.

Like many Christmas orphans, Chinese food was on the menu. In the Chinese culture, Chinese New Year is the primary winter celebration, not Christmas, which means Chinese restaurants are usually open on Christmas. I learned this from "A Christmas Story" back in my youth and experienced it many times as an adult.

This Christmas, Chi Dynasty on Hillhurst was packed. I can understand why, because the food was delish! Here you see my Szechwan Garlic Sting Beans and Orange Beef over brown rice. So festive with the bright red plates! They also have a classy finger bowl of warm water with lemon for rinsing between courses at each setting. I look forward to more meals at Chi Dynasty, Christmas Day or otherwise!

Click here for Chi Dynasty's Web site.

Gindi Thai

It's Christmas Eve, and I'm gathering with friends to watch a screener of "Saving Mister Banks" while waiting out Santa. We decided to grab some takeout dinner from Gindi Thai on Riverside in Burbank for our movie-time chow.

Here you see my veggie Garden Rolls with peanut sweet and sour sauce and spicy, basil-y Drunken Noodles with chicken. Delish!

Gindi Thai is hidden on that Alameda/Moorpark intersection near Moe's and Bob's Big Boy. If Santa can travel around the world in one night, we can veer a block or two for some fantastic food.

Click here for Gindi Thai's Web site.

Tea Rose Garden

What better way to shake off some Grincheyness than Christmas tea with a chum? I've strolled and drove past Tea Rose Garden on Raymond in Old Town Pasadena probably a gazillion time. Today I walked in, and I'll definitely return.

As you can see, we got to sit next to the huge tree, all gussied up for the holidays. We went with the English Tea service, where you get to select your tea, finger sandwich and scone, in addition to the green salad with edible flowers and little cookie for tea dipping. I choose English Breakfast tea, salmon and dill sammies, and candied ginger spice scone. Sweet and savory!

I liked that they used mix-and-match china cups and plates, so it was a totally unstuffy approach to this little indulgence. Tea Rose Garden is also a floral shoppe, so beautiful arrangements were being picked up, and it smelled wonderful.

So, maybe my Grinch heart didn't grow three times its size, but I think my tummy came close. Give it a try!

Click here for Tea Rose Garden's Web site.

Beach Getaway and Reel Inn

It's a beach getaway day. For me, going to the beach means buying some trash mags and plunking down under a sun umbrella for a couple of hours. It's a full-on mindless escape while toes are wiggling in the sand. Ahh!!

And, while I'm in the hood, I have to swing by Reel Inn for my fish and chips fix. Reel Inn  is one of the two funky beachside fish joints along PCH in Malibu; Neptune's Net (revisit the July, 2009 post below) on the north side is the other. While you're waiting for your meal, be sure to take a look at the ceiling so you don't miss the bicycle, surf boards and oars resting in the rafters. There's also a potbelly wood stove near the long community tables for the chilly beachside nights. Delicious, friendly and fun!

Click here for Reel Inn's Web site.

Click here for Neptune's Net post.

Gobble Tov at Billy's Deli & Cafe

Gobble Tov! Happy Thanksgivukkah or Hanukkagiving! Whatever you want to call it, today's the rare convergence of Thanksgiving and the first day of Hanukkah, and an awesome excuse/opportunity to really load up at the dinner table.

I last posted on Billy's Deli & Cafe in August, 2010. Although I've returned since then, today seemed like a great time to do a follow-up entry. Here you see Billy's traditional Thanksgiving dinner, with my bonus side of potato pancakes. Yes, that would be potato pancakes, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes for the full-on starch trifecta! Note that there was also green salad, chicken noodle soup and pumpkin pie bookending this spread. Wow, good thing I took a stroll around Griffith Park beforehand, because it was food coma and Twilight Zone afterward.

How did you celebrate either or both holiday?!

Click here to go to Billy's 2010 post.

Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty

I'm not a huge fan of ballet, or dance in general, as a way to tell a story, but mention Matthew Bourne and I'm there! Matthew very creatively reinterprets classic dance pieces, and he's worked wonders with Sleeping Beauty, at the Ahmanson Theater now through December 2. Spoiler alert: this version includes vampires!

Sleeping Beauty completes the Tchaikovsky ballet trifecta, joining Swan Lake and The Nutcracker in the fun. I've seen all three plus his adaptations of Cinderella, The Car Man (based on the opera Carmen), and Edward Scissorhands. All were terrific! Sleeping Beauty added a new production feature to the mix - a puppet. And this puppet had the audience cracking up and cheering.

This version has enough twists and turns to keep you on your toes. However, in the end, love saves the day. Isn't that a great takeaway for all of us?

Click here to go to Sleeping Beauty's ticketing site.

Mohawk Bend

Does this look like recovery food to you?! Call it what you will, but I just completed a 5K, and I need to get my healing on. See, this length is a challenge for me, as I'm more of a distance and interval kind of runner.

Anyway, I'm here at Mohawk Bend in Echo Park with a chum, and, whatever excuse it takes, we're sharing the Elvis French Toast - words don't exist to properly describe the warm peanut butter syrup - and the Huevos Divoricados chilaquiles with fried eggs, black beans, avocado and queso fresco over the tortilla chips. Delish, and a perfect balance of sweet and savory!

Mohawk Bend is situated in a 100-year-old renovated vaudeville theater, and the crowd was quite animated. While waiting to be seated, a bouncer-type asked "are you here for the beer?" while extending a wristband. Silly guy, I guess he assumed I was legal. Several tables had the little beer taster glasses, and folks were enjoying their brews.

Mohawk Bend could become a new fave. Who's with me?!

Click here to go to Mohawk Bend's Web site.