Yay! The boys and I made it safely to Los Angeles without too much drama and all our limbs intact. It was exhausting herding the Double-O’s through the airport but that’s because I was muy sleep deprived. As my sister chauffeured us to her place, she asked whether I was crazy or masochistic to travel solo with the boys on my flip day. My answer? Dude, it was definitely two for two.
When I woke up this morning, I reheated some leftovers from last night’s supper: Momofuku chicken thighs (cold-smoked, braised in pork fat, and seared) and roasted broccoli.
This delicious dish is one of many reasons why I love visiting my chef sister.
I’ve written before about my brother-in-law’s urban garden but the bounty is amazing. Although Spring hasn’t arrived quite yet, they’ve got fresh organic produce up the wazoo.
Since the Double-O’s were being a bit too Lennie Small with my sister’s kitties, we took them out to Griffith Park to blow off steam.
We all rode on the kiddie train, scrambled around the playground, and the boys impersonated cowboys on wee ponies.
For lunch, we stopped by Umami Burger…
…where I ordered an Umami burger sans bun.
Not totally Paleo (e.g. parmesan crisp, umami ketchup, etc.) but it was a tasty burger regardless. The patty was kind of small for my humongous appetite but luckily I’d gobbled up a nuked Japanese yam before we left the house.
When we arrived back at my sister’s place, my brother-in-law was busy smoking ribs and Big-O’s favorite turkey thighs.
I couldn’t resist gobbling up some smoked goodness and homemade salumi…
…before my sis and I left for Gail Simmon’s book release party for Eating With My Mouth Full. How I got an invite to this party is beyond my comprehension. Heck, the craziest thing I do at night these days is blog with the T.V. on. I’m so damn square.
Red Medicine was packed with folks eager to eat, imbibe, and schmooze. We nibbled on tasty haute Vietnamese cuisine as we chatted with Cuong and Vo of Red Boat Fish Sauce (the hosts of the event) and spied on Gail, Chris Cosentino, Colin Hanks, Busy Phillips, and luminaries of the blogosphere.
I even left with a goodie bag.
I felt so L.A. and I liked it.
On another note, thank you so much for nominating me in the category of Best Food Photography on a Blog in The 2012 Homies. It’s an honor to be nominated and the credit for the prettiness of this blog unequivocally goes to my talented hubby, Fitbomb. (Okay, that last sentence totally sounds so L.A. but I’m dead serious about feeling gratitude towards all of you.)
Thanks for your support and if I move on to the finals (announcement coming tomorrow, March 2nd), I want to thank you in advance for your future votes. Paleo FTW!
