sights - tilden park botanic garden

after treating the parents to chez panisse, we stopped by the botanic gardens at tilden park, way up in the hills of berkeley. it's a beautiful and tranquil 10-acre garden which houses many of the state's endangered plants, trees, shrubs & flowers.



here's a look at some prickly pear along with a closeup of a strand of an oak plant:



and here's a neat look at two separate artists finding inspiration in the same spot (pay particular attention to the painting of the woman in the turquoise shirt):

eats - chez panisse

finally had the pleasure of dining at the birthplace of california cuisine - chez panisse in berkeley. the main restaurant opened its doors in 1971 by founder alice waters, and is distinctively known for their fixed menu of what is most seasonal and fresh that particular day. the more affordable upstairs café was born in 1980 and is a nice alternative to the set menu.

since it was my parents' wedding anniversary last week, what better way to celebrate than with a great meal? here's a neat look at the downstairs kitchen, which was busy prepping for dinner service this evening. lunch is located upstairs, distinguished by an open kitchen along one side of the room.

here's today's menu and a quick recap of all the dishes at our table, which of course, i tried:


six hog island sweetwater oysters w/mignionette - tasting right out of the sea, citrus & buttery goodness down the chute.

cannard farm rocket w/roasted sunchokes, chervil & bottarga di muggine - simply prepared, i only wish there were more sunchokes!

hand-stretched mozzarella w/grilled jimmy nardello peppers, rapini & iowa prosciutto - balanced quite nice w/the sweetness of the fresh cheese and the acidity of the peppers

BN ranch heritage turkey cooked two ways w/pancetta, polenta & brussels sprouts - both white and dark meat here, balanced texturally by crisp nettle, creamy polenta & firm brussels sprouts.

grilled local opah w/saffron, cauliflower, currants, pine nuts, marjoram & toasted bread crumbs - this savory dish was highlighted by the fish being cooked to precision

penne rigate pasta w/pasture raised veal ragu & parmesan - wholesome goodness, it went even better w/some crushed hot peppers

pizza w/tomato sauce, eggplant & mint - so delicious one forgot that there was a lack of meat on this bad boy...

tic tac to cat

captured from today's training session at UCLA...

eats - gjelina

treated my cousin for her birthday at gjelina on abbot kinney in venice, but midway thru the meal i felt as though i was the one being treated. the dinner was nothing short of amazing, and to think we barely touched meat! the room radiates a warm and casual vibe, as the stone wall carvings and the upscale alpine lodge feel bring a sophistication to the proceedings. chef and co-owner travis lett's food most resembles ATL supergroup outkast, since everything was so fresh and so clean...



a quick rundown of the dishes we inhaled i mean consumed:

grilled asparagus w/frisse, fried farm egg, parmesan & bacon vinaigrette - the first bite into the asparagus resembled breaking the casing on a perfectly cooked hot dog. snap! and so good. also, i don't eat fried egg, so you can only imagine how tasty it must have been...

wood roasted sunchokes w/salsa verde - kind of a cross between a potato and ginger root, these was earthy, seasoned spot on and we couldn't stop eating.

charred brussels sprouts w/dates, vinegar & bacon - brussels sprouts are another item i don't care for, yet these were delectable delights counterbalanced perfectly with the dates and disappeared within minutes.

pumpkin & mascarpone ravioli w/chanterelle, sage, brown butter & parmesan - perfect blend of sweet and sour, these flat rectangular ravioli were a pillowy treat. a nice rustic touch especially with halloween just behind us.

mushroom, goat cheese & truffle oil pizza - the crust is usually the deciding factor when it comes to pizza, and this did not disappoint. super thin, yet just strong enough to withstand eating each slice by hand.

butterscotch pot de crème w/salted caramel & crème fraiche - bar none, this was one of the best desserts i have EVER had. i can't speak for the budino at pizzeria mozza (i've never been), but something would have to be earth shattering to top this. silky smooth texture + salted caramel = heaven.

gjelina
1429 abbot kinney blvd.
venice, CA 90291

eats - jin patisserie 2.0

here's what i like to call a little slice(s) of heaven. had the fortunate chance to stop by the lovely jin patisserie on abbot kinney for some afternoon tea, and somehow found these delectable hand-crafted pastries forced upon me. the horror! XD

clockwise from the top:

* lavender gateaux - lavender butter cream layered with dark chocolate ganache on lavender sponge
* mysterious - passion fruit with hazelnut cream filled with spiced diced pineapple
* inspiration - soft caramel with bitter-sweet chocolate with a touch of sea salt (my personal fave)

relationship blues

so i had been dating this girl for the past 4 months, which we agreed to end this past tuesday at diddy riese in westwood of all places. it was quite the amicable parting, as the writing was on the wall for the better part of the last month, which helped soften the blow. but it sure didn't make my cookie taste any better...

anyhoot, rather than sit around and mope about it, i figure the best thing i can do is make light of the situation (what i do best) and in the process, look back and realize just how foolish and naive i was, haha. remember, this is for your entertainment, not mine, so i'm being the bigger man here.

a quick recap of the particulars: me - a dashing, talented and quick-witted chap with a litany of useful (and useless) skills - please refrain from laughter, thanks - who resides on the westside. her - an attractive nurse and current grad student of the same nationality who resides in the san fernando valley. she was on summer break for the first three months, but started up school (and a vigorous work schedule) in late september, curiously the exact time things started going south.

here are a few signs (painful in remembrance, believe me) that things aren't going your way:

* when she spends more time looking at her phone than at you.

* when she doesn't initiate spending time with you. i've been fortunate enough in the past to not always have to ask, so i was going paranoid wondering if she even wanted to. she never said no, but a little indication would have been great. lesson learned.

* during a night of karaoke, i saw that her roommate texted her to see how the night was going. "great" or "it doesn't matter what we're doing, i just like hanging out w/brian" or "call the ambulance because i consumed too many sake bombs" all would have been perfectly acceptable answers. her response? "it's karaoke." ouch.

* after three months of dating, i told her that i liked her and enjoyed spending time with her. when i asked how she thought things were going, she dropped this gem: "i haven't really thought about it." OMG talk about having your heart ripped out, wow. i mean, that's something you say when your dad asks you what you want for lunch, NOT after spending time exclusively with someone for three months. needless to say, i was dumbfounded at the response and decided to soldier on for the sake of the rest of the evening. at this point, it was pretty clear i was #346 on her hierarchy. maybe even #347...

* when you cook dinner, and have to extract her from a textbook to tell her that the food is ready. i thought i was eating by myself it was so lonely. but hey, at least she offered to do the dishes, right? uh no. i basically prepped, cooked, cleaned and amused myself for three hours during this excruciating evening. i seriously think i had a better time getting my wisdom teeth removed. at least then i was numb from the pain... XD

* when you lightly caress her arm in bed and she replies by saying "wow, you must really be bored." um, yeah. [sniff, sniff]

* for her birthday, i decided to - ill-advised, obviously - make her a scrapbook of memories that only took me six weeks to complete. let's just say that i got a better response from the girl at paper source (where i picked up some paper and trinkets to put it together) than i did from the birthday girl. she was literally tearing up at the cash register she thought it was so thoughtful. again, this was A TOTAL STRANGER.

ok, so now that i'm feeling horrible about myself, i'm starting to choke up, sheesh. looking back, it's so difficult to remain objective when you're in the throes of a relationship, as the affairs of the heart can make one look really dumb. i mean, i consider myself a pretty perceptive fellow but even i couldn't think clearly and coherently about how i was being treated. i mean, what kind of idiot was i to think this behavior was acceptable? and to me? in any case, onwards and upwards as they say! i deserve better, damn it.

SF conservatory of music - cover boy

that's right peeps. if you had to guess which photogenic, musically-inclined member of the lhee family would make cover on the san francisco conservatory of music's annual program, one might guess my violin-wielding sister, natch.

guess again bitches! whoo hoo! and i'm bringing the rice bowl back in 2009!

hiking - rustic canyon loop

this morning i decided to venture over to will rogers state historic park to hike the rustic canyon loop, which covers about 6 miles total. first thing to be aware of is, parking is a whopping $12 (!?!) to enter the park, so the ranger was kind enough to direct me to a spot a few hundred yards away where one can park for free. i hoofed it to will's old house, where the trail to inspiration point begins. it's a scant 0.9 miles up, so i wasn't too impressed yet with the climb or the view.

but there's a turnoff to the backbone trail leading into topanga state park, and that's where the fun began. about a 1/2 mile up, there's a neat wooden bridge that crosses over chicken ridge, until you hit an unmarked turnoff to head down rustic canyon. from there, it's a 1/2 mile downhill boulder-hopping until reaching a dilapidated cabin that rogers and friends used to kick it at.

from here it gets dicey. it's another 2 miles of hugging the streambed downstream to get back to the polo grounds of the park, but the trail kind of disappears and who knows where i was headed. luckily, i heard some voices nearby, so i asked for help and they invited me to come along. it turns out that they were a small group of expedition trekkers (www.trainingadventure.com), so instead of taking the easy way back to the park, they took me on a 2 mile detour of unsanctioned trails that only they knew, so we took turns running uphill and jumping over creeks in the wild country. let's just say that if i didn't run into them, i still might be there now.

the group was very friendly, and it turns out that some participated in the eco challenge (from mark burnett, before 'survivor'), some do triathlons, some do kayaking expeditions, etc., so it was a great mix of people that just love the outdoors. i'm definitely going to hit up their site and see if there are any upcoming events that i can join...

creative arts emmys - nokia theatre

this is a long time coming, but last week i had the pleasure of attending the creative arts emmy award ceremony, courtesy of my good friend natasha at daily variety. for those who are unfamiliar, the emmys used to take place over one night, but a lot of the categories got shoved to the side in favor of the marquee ones (best actor, best supporting actress, etc.), so they broke it up into two segments a few years ago to even things out.

the ceremony took place at the nokia theatre at LA live, the bustling new complex located next to the staples center which houses eateries, entertainment (lucky strike lanes) and more. it was quite the madhouse what with all the celebs (i was scrunched up next to donald faison of 'clueless' and 'scrubs fame) and limos, but once i arrived they quickly stepped aside so natasha and i could make our way to the front door.

the award show got a bit tedious towards the end (i had to leave three hours in to head down to irvine), but highlights included tina fey and watching seth mcfarlane do voices for peter griffin, stewie and brian on stage...

happy father's day

don't mean to get all sentimental on ya, but today's a day to celebrate my dad, who i am most proud of. everybody has a story to tell about their father, but mine was born and raised in korea with his brothers, immigrated to the US without knowing a lick of english, and made something of himself and his family in the good ol' bay area. and since education was first and foremost in my parents' eyes, they busted their tail to send my sister and i to the best schools (stuart hall for boys - a private, catholic grammar school in the pacific heights, st. ignatius college prep - a private, catholic high school in the sunset) money could buy despite our middle class upbringing. and though he was extremely strict (couldn't watch tv, forced me to ration food at a young age, coughed up half my paycheck at my job, and he always had the belt or stick at the ready), i fell in line and adopted the same strong morals that he so vigorously instilled. he taught me to never blame anybody else or to use excuses for one's own shortcomings, all things i have ingrained as part of my makeup today. for that, i am most grateful and appreciative of my dad. happy father's day indeed.

concert: lykke li - hollywood forever cemetery

recently i had the chance to attend the concert of swedish indie rock artist lykke li at the hollywood forever cemetery. this was simply an opportunity i could not pass up (thanks becky!), as lykke is a talented up and comer and it's not everyday one goes to a concert at a cemetery.

show time was 8pm, so we arrived shortly after at the masonic lodge, a two story building near the main entrance of the cemetery. it was still daylight so nothing too spooky was going on, but the venue was quite the showpiece. fog machines were in the heezy and three ginormous gothic chairs sat front and center on stage. we were able to snag a seat on the benches off to the side - preferable, as they are elevated - and anxiously awaited her entrance.

let me tell you, lykke does not disappoint. though relatively small in stature, she owns the mic and has quite the stage presence despite an adorable-sounding voice. she tore thru most of the songs on her debut album YOUTH NOVELS and had the whole place dancing in the aisles. having heard only a few of her songs prior to, i picked up the entire album as soon as i got home.

BAPK massive west coast jam

on may 23, bay area parkour (BAPK) hosted its first ever massive west coast jam, bringing in traceurs from southern cali, washington, oregon, british columbia and the yay area for a full day session. us cats from PK cali turned in a contingent of about 15, so it was neat to see familiar faces and meet a lot of new peeps.



we converged at battery godfrey at 11am in the presidio, where local guides took us to WWII bunkers, wooded trail runs, park playgrounds and school campuses. a few park rangers tried to detail our day at the outset (what in the heck are these 80+ people doing?), but luckily we were able to disperse and avoid any conflict. oh, and who knew that these bunkers existed right next to the golden gate bridge? i've spent half my life here and am ashamed i had never known or been. my bad.



our day was capped off with a big BBQ at golden gate park, complete with kong bench, capoeira rodas, soccer and frisbees. twas a glorious day and i was straight up exhausted by the end, but i appreciated having a group really push you to the limits. sadly, i dove into a raw burger and suffered from food poisoning the morning after...

most anticipated 2009 films

just got done watching 'fast & furious' (great fun, especially seeing the original cast reunited) and 'sin nombre' (terrific directorial debut of cary fukunaga) and realized that there's a plethora of films coming out this year that i cannot wait for. in order:

1. avatar - it only took 12 years, but the return of jim cameron at last, in glorious digital 3-D. considering the last time out ended up being the biggest film in box office history, i'd probably be a tad gun-shy as well. cameron wrote the treatment in 1995 as a way of pushing the boundaries, but only now has technology caught up to his creative vision.

his crew: "we can't do this. we'll die."
steven spielberg: "will be the biggest 3-D live action film ever."
laz alonso (cast): "the technology is something that no one has ever seen or used before. it is just unrivaled by anything that my eyes have ever seen in cinema. it blew me away."

excited yet?

2. public enemies - michael mann. 1930's. johnny depp. christian bale. tommy guns. so there.

3. where the wild things are - a filmed version of my favorite childhood book directed by spike jonze. please god don't mess this up. please.

4. up - another pixar smash. yawn. but seriously, these guys keep knocking it out of the park and this looks to be no different. can you imagine them first pitching this? "that's correct, we're going to center this entire animated film around a 78-year-old man sitting in his house. um, that's it." and his asian boy scout sidekick looks to break new ground as well, so hooray for blind casting!

5. the lovely bones - peter jackson's return to 'independent' filmmaking after the lord of the rings and king kong. i fell in love with this book back in 2002 about a girl who, after being brutally raped and murdered, watches from heaven as her family and friends try to carry on with their lives. it's a touching story written from a unique viewpoint, so i'm crossing my fingers they can maintain that same magic...

the japanese garden

thanks to los angeles magazine, i was introduced to the japanese garden, a virtual 6.5 acre oasis in the san fernando valley situated adjacent to a water plant to prove that reclaimed water could be put to positive use. 'positive' is an understatement, as the garden is a sight to behold, a world of meditative calm to remind us about the simple and beautiful qualities of nature.

bonsai trees, waterfalls, tea houses, streams, log bridges and lily ponds can all be found here. and because the garden is meticulously maintained, there's quite the variety of creatures that inhabit the locale, including humongous fish, cranes, ducks and more...




the japanese garden is open mon-thurs from 12-4pm and sundays from 10-3pm, and tix are ONLY $3. here's the contact info:

6100 woodley ave.
van nuys, CA 91406
www.thejapanesegarden.com

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