M S.'s Profile

Planning a wedding can be stressful, you know this. Do yourself a favor, trust me, hire 123 DJ's. Seriously, I'm not joking. Sit back, take a load off and relax, knowing that your music and DJ responsibilities are in safe hands. Patrick gave us the opportunity to pick our music from top to bottom. If he doesn't have it, he'll get it. If you forgot to list it, he'll play it. Can he react to a curve ball? You bet. Our cake cutting went long, song about to end, he went into another tune that fit perfectly. No one noticed. It's really amazing how it just all came together. Our wedding inspiration was more or less a dinner party, so dinner music was vital. To our pleasure, every single song played was either our choice or to our liking...at one point, mid song, I had to flash two thumbs to the DJ booth. Yes, the unfashionable "two thumbs up", that JUST happened...but I was THAT happy with the music :)

The dancing, another important stage of wedding DJing, was just as satisfactory. Before the big day, you'll be teleconferenced, just so he knows exactly which songs to play and which songs not to play. Moreover, he establishes a better understanding of liberties he can take with certain genres. Let me tell you, he got it right. Everyone had a good time dancing. That's the hard part, getting all people moving, different types and ages. Not once were we unsatisfied. If Patrick were a sign, he would tell you "No Parking", because no one was parked on that dance floor. True story.

Wow. I get it, people like the buffet style, but really? I was there recently, watching moms stuff their backpacks with hot dogs, peanuts, popcorn, and I'm quite sure they would load up on drink if the cup would accommodate it. Sure, times are tough and people need to eat...but really?!? And to top it off their drunk husbands are gonna start fights with the people sitting around them? Yikes. If you've sat out there, you know what I'm talking about. The lure of all-you-can-eat Dodger Dogs is very tempting, but once you have one in right field, you'll see it just doesn't taste the same. They're steam-cooked, and are the size of a Slim Jim. Seriously. It's like eating a Slim Jim between two buns. Not very satisfying. The Hot Dog dissolves in your mouth like a Kripsy Kreme.

OK, to sum this all up, here's some insight into the people in right field, the buffet, and how it effects them. I'm underneath, in line for a Dodger Dog, when I hear the crowd go silent. I look around for a TV, there is NO TV down below to watch the game while you're away from your seat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!! Is that enough exclamation? But I knew what happened, Houston must have hit a Home Run and just as that thought occurred to me I see a ball fly through the air and hit that big aluminum wall. BANG. Listen, I'm 30 years old, but like all people at the Stadium I turn into a kid when I see a Home Run....I looked around to see if anyone else shared the same sediment, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. People just went about their business, in a trance, trying to get their all-you-can-eat on. Crazy! The only guy that was with me was the guy that the ball fell to. He was standing there, all by himself, no one remotely close to him, with a tray FULL of food and a FULL large beer. When the ball hit the wall and dropped to the floor, he looked at me, and I gave him "the nod". He must have thought I was gonna go for the ball so he tossed his beer and food and dived on top of the ball!! He then gets up, looks at me, looks around and belches a big "Yippee". But no one was listening. No one cared. And as he tried to salvage what was left of his beer and meal, I told him that he should throw it back....naturally.

Does anyone know what happened to this place? Is it closed? Has anyone heard from the proprietor? All good things must come to an end....whatever.

4am Chinese food is OK with me, but this isn't OK Cafe....it's Garden Cafe. At 4am that fact confuses me too, I tend to forget where I'm at when on Valley BLVD after midnight. Garden Cafe is where the menus look more like a karaoke list of songs, that's how I remember. Moreover, apparently this is "Hong Kong style" food, which from what's been explained to me is Chinese, trying to be American, trying to be Chinese. Is that right? I don't know...Anyhow, without getting too technical, the food is good and the place is open till 4am. Enough said.

:)

It always gives me the willies when people take their dogs to a Taco Truck. It's like bringing the meat to the party, as Taco Truck myths go, and for some reason this truck in particular is very popular with dog owners....anyhow....

For many weeks we tried chasing down this truck, and finally decided to meet it at it's destination, The Golden Gopher....on a Wednesday. It's ETA was for 9pm, we decided to get there a little after 8. The bouncer tells us to get the sliders and make sure to be in line by 8:30 or else we'll be waiting a long time for food, information I heed. To kill time, We kill Newcastles, and we wait. Looking out the door, I see no truck, but out of curiosity I walk outside at 8:20 or so. No line. No truck. I'm hungry. Back to the barstool, we wait.15 minutes later a truck pulls up, we see it and contemplate one more round. Surely, there can't be a line right? We were just out there. We order another round as Bruce Lee heads out the door for some recon. Just as we get our drinks he's back at the stools implying in a round-about way that we should line up, like, NOW. With coasters on our mugs we head out for the business. First question, where did these 50 people come from all of a sudden? I was just out there 10 minutes prior, maybe, and the sidewalks were deadski. Emerging technology, it's gotta be Twitter. Second question, what am I going to eat? 2 sliders for $5, I'm starving, I'll need more than that. Third question, back to the dogs, 5 of them in line, all enticed by the burning smell of  flesh....they aren't aware of the Taco Truck myth, obviously.

It's a culinary experience, that's what you're paying for. Yes, the food is good, and the booze selection is sufficient. But it's the experience. Really. How many times have you sat in front of your tube, watching Iron Chef, and wondered what they heck those dishes taste like? We all have, more than once. With that said, what's more better than taking in din at one of the Iron Chef America's eateries? It's Mario effing Batali! Orange crocs and all. When in Rome, ya know? It will cost you, but I suggest ordering up an item from each menu. And after tasting each, critique it like you would if you were in Kitchen Stadium sitting with the chairman himself.

The first star is given for ambiance reasons alone. I like it when people can't make me out, the right kind of lighting lends to privacy. It's like being on stage and seeing a blanket of darkness instead of a theater packed audience...or maybe it isn't, what do I know. Although having Allagash Curieux on your table sure helps with the stage fright!

Having a Mozzarella bar is a nice play on the more common Sushi Bar, we ordered the Caprese off the Antipasti menu, it was tasty. it was like a bruschetta with Mozzarella cheese and oven-dried cherry tomatoes.  To go along with the Caprese, the Afetati Misti was a nice platter, putting together all the necessary meats and frits. Yum. 2 stars.

Thankfully, descriptions of the dishes accompany their names. It made it easy when choosing the Beef Brasato from the Secondi menu.  The meat was so tender, no knife required. All the sauces and flavors that tie this dish together are perfect. If you're a meat eater, this is a safe bet. To go along with this, I had the Insalata Mista and sauteed spinach with fried garlic...in retrospect, unnecessary orders. But hey, what recession. Third star.

I don't have a sweet tooth, so as deserts go it's all the same to me. We had the Bombolini, and accompanied that with a cup of joe (which I am a fan of). The java  was served proper, with raw sugar cubes among the chosen condiments. At this point, the coffee could have been Foldgers and I would have been happy, no disrespect to the Foldgers people. I'm just saying, the experience up to then was over the moon. 4 stars. Not even was the amount on the bill able to knock me down. Good times.

I saw the burlesque show, and Bordello gets its 5th star in return. What I like about this place is it invites you to dress up, but it doesn't frown upon you dressing down. People care though, they put effort into their look whether they look like it or not. But it's that fem fetal look that some girls got going on, dig that. Tell Don Pedro to turn up the AC though, this place gets crazy hot!

One of these days I'll order a margarita at this place. Until then, it will always be known as the place that sells Sol instead of Corona. Weird, right? I'll also have to try the food one day too. So many things to try, so little time. They will make you a Michelada though, 3 stars for that, the decor, and the doorman being cool enough to let our friend in with shorts and sandals.

OK. You can get a serious kick-butt flat-iron steak and eggs at this place. The food was good. Our server was just OK. in my opinion she was outshined by her busser! When I asked for A1, 10 minutes passed (which allowed me to eat pretty much my entire meal sans steak)....yes, I was hungry...to which at that point the busser came out to refill my coffee and I asked HIM for A1 that he promptly returned with after being asked. So let's go over this again. The busser was refilling our coffee and bringing us condiments. Who knows, maybe that's modus operandi. The place was empty, so I doubt it. And hey, do the restrooms smell like syrup to you? Are the floors brown and sticky on purpose? Will I go here again? All unanswered questions.

Going to this place is an event in itself. So much is going on in that city block, traffic (foot and wheels) can get pretty congested. To have a good time at this place, you'll need to heed various warnings and tips.

1) Ticket prices are above average, you should plan on spending $15 per ticket. It's Hollywood, so you're paying for the experience.

2) There is a tremendous amount of stimulation going on that can easily distract you to pull out your wallet. It's somewhat like being at the check-out line at the grocery store and having to look at candy, gum, magazines, drinks etc...it all looks so tempting. Be strong.

3) The most important thing to prepare yourself for, is dealing with the parking. Getting a space in the garage is not impossible, but slightly difficult. You will be cut off on Sunset, so be ready to stop-short Kramer. Once you park, you'll see signs everywhere that advise you to Pre-Pay your parking ticket before getting in your car. With that said, the lines at the Pre-Pay stations are outrageous. Really. Long. They rival those at the Matterhorn. What no one realizes, is that you can pay at the gate when leaving...knowing this, we skip the long lines and head straight for our car. There is obviously a design issue with the parking structure, because it took us 30 minutes to move the length of 3 parking spaces. At this point, we're frustrated and decide to park the car and kill some time. Now, this is what bothers me most. This frustrating experience plays to the Arclight's advantage, because it forces us to go back out and spend more money. Conspiracy? You be the judge, but I tend to think so. The Arclight has found a creative and profitable way to ruin the moviegoers experience. We refused to spend more money on the lot, and explored the neighborhood. But alas, they get us in the end having been in the garage longer than we anticipated. Doh!

But hey, it's Hollywood, see and be seen....and then we Yelp.