yoga in the park

Grand Park is this awesome little spot between City Hall and the DWP building with grass lawns, pink tables and chairs, trees, and fountains.  On Tuesdays, you will find a small farmers market on the eastern-most lawn.  On Wednesdays and Fridays you will find me getting my yoga on in the western-most lawn.

I loved Grand Park from the moment I first experienced it during the grand opening last fall.  While I enjoy living downtown, the West Side was much better about not feeling like one is stuck in a concrete jungle.  Now we have Grand Park, and this girl could not be happier!

As soon as the semester was over, I began going to every Wednesday and Friday yoga session.  In a city where you could pay upward of $40 a class, I don't turn down free yoga!  The classes are from 12:15-1:00, mats are provided if you don't have your own, and it's really relaxing.  This is not the Vinyassa style power yoga that I am used to, this is a slow-paced, muscle concentration yoga.  It is as tough as one chooses to make it, concentrating on holding the poses correctly, the teacher is great at explaining where to tighten, how to breathe, etc.

I'm sad they will be ending yoga at the end of May because of the heat of the summer...  Sounds silly if you ask me.  A week ago it was 90 degrees and I was fine!  Who in SoCal doesn't want a tan?  What am I supposed to do now, start paying for workout classes?  Oy vey!  But guess what?  Soon after yoga ends, boot camp classes will begin!  Starting June 18th, from 5:30-6:30 pm there will be boot camp in the park every Tuesday evening.  Hopefully this will continue until yoga starts back up in November.

for the fickle hearted

Ask my friends, I have a thing about fickleness.  I won't go into my philosophy here, but suffice it to say that when a restaurant named Fickle opens next door to my apartment, I'm going to be intrigued.

Fickle by night, The Sandwich Smith by day.  Fickle's menu changes often, depending on what is readily fresh and available at the farmer's markets.  The Sandwich Smith has a new special everyday (meat and veg!) and you choose how you want your sandwich or salad.  Now you tell me that this place is not fickle!

Here is the best part: As soon as you sit down, the waiter brings out a big bowl of kettle corn.  This is not your typical kettle corn, but so much more.  It's kettle corn with cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and butter then sprinkled with two kinds of thick sugars.  It's extra sweet, extra spicy, extra delicious.  Our waiter was kind enough to bring a second bowl once we polished off the first. 

While I have yet to try their dinner (I'm waiting for a special occasion,) their happy hour is great!  $5 house wines (they have a pinot and a red,) $3 draft beer (they have a Hef and an IPA )  $1.75 oysters, if you like that sort of thing.  My favorite (so far) is the buffalo cauliflower with bleu cheese crumbles, $5.  All of my friends got this same thing and loved it as well.  It's a big hit, you must try it.

What else must you try?  The tiramisu cheesecake!  The chef and maitre d' generously sent one to our table, after I told them I am a blogger aaaand my friend Kirsten let them know how she felt about her previous experience with the profiteroles and the panna cotta (she didn't think they were up to par with the rest of their food she had tried)  I'm not a big fan of cheesecake, but I am a huge tiramisu lover, and this is the perfect pairing.  The thick lady finger/espresso crust on the bottom, the dusting of spices on top, and the creamy, not too rich, cheesecake in the middle made for a lovely dessert for me.  We also tried the baked Alaska, which I was not as into.  It is very good, and if you are a fruit dessert person, you will most likely love it.  The meringue was perfect and thick, the strawberry prickly-pear sauce was quite yummy, but I wasn't feeling the passion fruit sorbet in the center.

So going to Fickle is a must, but what about during the day when this very fickle place is a sandwich shop?  The sandwiches are huge, enough for two meals for most people, so don't let the $8-$10 price tag scare you off.  You will have a great sandwich. Here's what I've tried from The Sandwich Smith's menu...
-seasonal vegetable: roasted zucchini and roasted pumpkin, both VERY good.
-meats: Danny has had the fried chicken (which he loved) and the angus beef (not a big hit with him, the meat was pretty fatty/undercooked and just kind of strange on a sandwich)
-breads: honey wheat and walnut cranberry, both delicious.  The honey wheat is really soft, so make sure you get your dressing on the side.  My friend has had the donut bun, which he said is similar to a bagel.  If you were imagining a glazed donut, that's ok, I was too.
-cheese: goat cheese, duh!  I've also tried the chedder, which was great too.
-dressings: habanero lime, garlic aioli, and mint cumin yogurt.  All delicious, I'm not sure I could choose one.  I recommend getting your dressing on the side so your sandwich doesn't get soggy, particularly if you don't get one of the mayo based dressings.
-toppings: all are great and fresh.  Definitely go for the delicious tomatoes, anything else you get will be great, I promise!

elliptifit: the (soon to be) new workout craze

It's sweeping the nation!  Actually, as far as I know, it is currently one-of-a-kind.  I'm talking about a new kind of workout class, elliptifit.  Think spinning class, but with brand new, very high-tech elliptical machines.  I'm a sucker for any kind of group fitness class, (besides "boot camps") especially when there is a groupon deal!  I actually found out about this place from my friend Rachna back at the beginning of the year and was on the lookout for deals every since.  A few months ago I bought a deal for 5 classes for $35 and had been anticipating the end of my semester ever since.

I went last week for the first time, and without even texting her to let her know, Rachna was in the class!  What a small world...  The class is great, 45 minutes of cardio, mixing things up by concentrating on just your arms, just your core, just your lower body, and doing things like sprints/hills/etc.  Rachna told me that each class is slightly different so you never get bored.

The studio is clean and elegantly designed with a nice industrial modern flair.  The front and right sides of the room are lined with mirrors and there are 5 rows of ellipticals split into 3 per side (approx 30 total machines.)  There are kinda cheesy lights around the front mirrors, which my instructor, Jill, changed based on the pace/portion of the class.  I laughed to myself every time they changed, but it's a nice touch and shows that the owners really thought of everything!

After the class I was drenched with sweat and my legs were a little sore the next day.  It's not a killer strength workout by any means, unless you bump up the ramp/resistance far past your comfort zone, but it is a great new cardio workout and really fun!

what a handsome eggslut!

Los Angeles has a food truck for everything.  Eggslut is probably the best one I have found.  Breakfast/Brunch is my favorite meal, which I often eat for dinner as well.  I love eggs, as I think I made clear in this post.

Every Saturday and Sunday, thee eggslut parks itself in front of Handsome Coffee Roasters.  Handsome knows how to do coffee.  Unfortunately, because I don't drink cow's milk, I can only have their black coffee, which is really really great, strong, delicious coffee.  However, they should really carry soy or almond milk, especially being in the Arts District.

Not in the mood for coffee?  Yesterday I was not, it is summer after all, so I just helped myself to a lovely juice from Press Brothers Juicery.  All of their juices are great, but my personal fave is "drop acid" which contains: Apple, cucumber, arugula, lemon, parsley, cilantro, ginger, and habanero!  So spicy, so delicious.

I've had two different items from the eggslut.  The first I ever tried was "thee slut" which is an egg, soft baked in a small mason jar, over potatoes, sprinkled with salt and chives, served with three pieces of toast.  It was really really tasty, but a bit too small for its price.  So the next time I decided to give "the Fairfax" a try, and I have been sold ever since!  The Fairfax is soft scrambled eggs (very tough to do) on brioche with caramelized onions and spicy mayo.  Might I recommend adding tomato and avocado? I always do.

The great thing about this set-up is ordering your eggslut, going inside to order your coffee and grab a seat, then getting eggslut and just hanging out at Handsome with your friends.

You can find eggslut at Handsome Coffee Roasters Sat-Sun 9-1, as well as (I just found this out!) M-F 12-4!!  So i guess one can have her eggs for lunch or dinner if she so wishes...

Big shout out to Jordan Squires for introducing me to the slut!

heart run

my running route yesterday morning.  How cute!

the mighty chia seed

I was thrilled whenever Trader Joes' began selling chia seeds.  I had seen them in recipes all over the place but I didn't feel like going out of my way to search for them.  I use them everyday in my breakfast smoothies.  You can throw them on top of a salad, put them in a healthy dessert to add crunch, or make this pudding.  (Oh She Glows is one of my fave recipe blogs!)

my version of Angela's Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

T-Bone's Everyday Smoothie

Ingredients:
1 T chia seeds*
1 banana
3/4 c frozen strawberries
1/2 c frozen mango, raspberries, or blueberries
1-1/2 c almond milk

Preparation:
1. combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. enjoy a delicious and healthy glass of yum!

*If you don't have easy access to chia seeds, you can use ground flax seed, oatmeal, or nut butter for that extra bit of protein and texture.  Today I added peanut butter with chia seeds for extra flavor.  If you choose to add oatmeal, start with about 1/4 cup, blend it first until it is almost a powder, then add the rest of the ingredients and blend together.  Oatmeal will add a different, thicker texture.  Flax seed and chia will add a lot of protein and fiber.  Nut butters will add protein and give a different flavor.  Anytime I add peanut butter it always has a very peanut-buttery taste.

i made quiche!

I don't know why I've spent my adult life thinking that quiche was something difficult, like macarons or soufflé.  I guess I just assumed all French cooking was a task.  Quiche is not.

Perhaps I was also shying away from an attempt at quiche because I'm not a fan of pie crust...  In walks hash brown crusted quiche.  Yes please!

Check out my favorite quiche reference here.  And support marriage equality, because quiche is a brunch item, and no one does brunch better than the gays.

T-Bone's Farm Fresh Hash Brown Crusted Quiche 
(makes 6 servings)

Ingredients:
3 c of shredded hash browns (thawed if frozen)
1/3 c melted butter or oil
1 fennel
1 clove of garlic
1 bunch of maitake mushrooms (or whatever mushrooms you like)
2 eggs
1/2 c almond milk
handful of fennel leaves
salt and pepper
handful of cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Preparation:
1. preheat oven to 425
2. get as much moisture out of the hash browns as you can by squeezing with paper towels. (I am always so bad about this because I lack the patience to do it properly, but if you do it right, you will have a crispier crust)
3. press hash browns into bottom and sides of a 9" pie pan
4. pour butter or oil evenly over hash browns
5. bake for 20-25 minutes, or until hash browns begin to brown
6. in the meantime, chop the fennel and garlic and sauté in a bit of olive oil until soft
7. chop the mushrooms and add to the fennel mixture, continue to sauté for a few minutes until the flavors meld
8. in a small bowl, combine the eggs and milk and whisk together well
9. add salt, pepper, and chopped fennel leaves to taste
10. when hash brown crust is done, spread fennel mixture evenly on top, then pour egg mixture on top of that
11. place tomato pieces evenly throughout the quiche
12. reduce oven to 350 and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until egg is cooked to your desired level
13. wait 10 minutes, then cut into six pie slices and serve with a salad

flirting with veganism

I cook vegan a majority of the time since I don't do dairy milk and adding cheese just adds calories.  The main thing keeping me from turning full time vegan has always been the eggs.  I love me some eggs!  Not that I eat eggs everyday, though I probably could, but what is brunch without eggs florentine? a quiche? an omelet? a scramble?  So after watching Vegucated after Christmas break, already starting off 2013 with a vegan diet, just for the health benefits, I freaked out.  I couldn't eat eggs anymore unless I knew the farm they came from.  I won't go into the gory details here, suffice it to say that just because it says "organic, free-range, blah blah blah" doesn't mean you can trust it.  It's really about the terrible things that happen immediately after the hatching of the chicks which will someday produce those eggs.

So...was that enough to keep me vegan forever?  I really really thought so, and I was doing so well, but my busy life at SCI-Arc got the best of me.  You really have to have the time or the money to be vegan, I know others will argue, but for me it is true.  As soon as I have the time: easy!  I'm cooking vegan every day, no problem, I may miss my eggs, but it's totally fine.  If I were rich, I could be vegan during school, I would just eat at RFD, Sage, Native Foods, and shop at Whole Foods.  It would be fine and I could do it.  But when you don't have the time or the money, you do the best that you can, for me that is continuing to be a part time vegan.

Here's a raw vegan dish that I made the other night with some golden beets that I accidentally bought at the farmers market.  This dish is labeled as "ravioli" but let's be honest, raw foodies only do things like this to make it seem like they are eating something other than raw vegetables.  This is NOT ravioli.  In fact, I don't recommend cutting the beets into squares as shown, unless you want to take a pretty picture.  Just slice them into matchsticks and throw it together as the salad that it is.

Golden Beet Salad with Olive-Basil Tapenade
Adapted from Vegetarian Times

Ingredients:

2-3 Golden Beets, thinly sliced on a mandolin, then cut into squares (or like I said, matchsticks)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 T orange zest (don't grate off half of your knuckle like I did!)

1 c arugula

tapenade:

1 c pitted kalamata olives

1/2 c fresh parsley leaves

1/4 c fresh basil leaves

2 T capers, drained

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1 t red pepper flakes (omit or use less if you don't like spicy food)

Preparation:

1. toss beets in oil and orange zest, set aside

2. combine all tapenade ingredients in food processor until well blended but still chunky

3. put together the beets and tapenade atop the arugula

4. squeeze fresh orange juice on top

5. enjoy!

let's try this again...

I've failed to keep up with my blog due to perhaps the most difficult year of my life.  Second year M.Arch 1 at Sci-Arc is finally over and I have my life back.  First thing's first: A big shout out to my biggest (and probably only) fans, Jonathan and Cody, who inspired me (a few months ago...) to get back to my blog because someone might actually read it!

As summer is upon us here in beautiful sunny Southern California, I will no-doubtedly be posting the numerous delicious recipes I will be cooking, the fabulous restaurants I will be frequenting, and all of my many travels.  So, allow me to post my projects from this past year, before the sweet summer breeze takes me away.

Fall semester we were required to take 18 credit hours, that's studio+4 seminars.  I was fortunate enough to get out of Environmental Systems 2 and took Andrew Atwood's class "From Objects to Forms" where my teammates and I made these bad boys with foam and a robot.

I had Marcelo Spina for studio and together with my partner Johnny Ng, produced this theater tower along the High Line Park in NYC:

Then, for 2GB they did the unspeakable...they made us be in partners again!  Luckily I partnered up with my friend Garrett Santo and we created this urban housing complex with Ramiro Diaz-Granados as our instructor:

And our precedent: Robin Hood Gardens, but transformed into so much more... 

Andrew Zago's visual studies "Of Marginal Interest:" *

*drawings from midterm, even at their reduced size are too large for blogger...stay tuned for my website coming soon-ish.

And of course there was Tom Wiscombe's squished, you can see the video of just our project here.  And here is the one put together by Jonathan and Brandon.  And, the last thing to happen this semester...an animation for Peter Zellner, here you go.

Next up: lots of food and working out.

I wish I were back in Greece

Total fail at studio right now, losing motivation, so why not finally post pics from Greece?  Sidenote: these pics are completely out of order.  Enjoy!

the Parthenon

the Caryatids

Oia, Santorini

Cliffsides in Oia, Santorini

Red Beach, Santorini

Nassos, the handsome groom

Nassos and Katerina arrive to the church

fava and tomato fries changed my life

total European breakfast

kayaking around Milos

kids jumping over fire for a full moon festival

Kleftiko, Milos

theater at the Acropolis

theater of Dionysus

my very architectural summer

My summer break is nearly over and I haven't blogged at all, shame on me.  It has really been a great summer, and while I have done a lot of interesting things (more to come), most have been more architecturally related than I had originally anticipated.

INTERNSHIP: Belzberg Architects

PROS:  

• The best office I've ever worked in. Everyone is really friendly and awesome, the boss (Hagy Belzberg) is smart, talented, and kind.
• We sometimes ate lunch on the beach.  Working on Main Street in Santa Monica, there is never a problem finding a good place to grab lunch or after work drinks.
• They are really busy and the work is great.  Perhaps you have heard of the Museum of the Holocaust?  If you've picked up an Interior Design magazine in the past two years you have probably seen their work at Club Nokia, the Kona Residence in Hawaii, or the Stone Residence in Toronto.  While highly known for their residential work, Belzberg is stepping into the civic realm and I think they will be a firm to watch in the upcoming years. 

LA Museum of the Holocaust, courtesy BA website

The Conga Room at Club Nokia, LA Live, courtesy BA website

Kona Residence, Hawaii, courtesy BA website

CONS:  

• The commute from downtown to Santa Monica every morning, but worse, the commute back in the evening.  One Friday I began to cry angry tears when after 45 minutes I had yet to make it East of the 405 :(
• They are in an interim office that is not very nice, but they have a new office next to Urth (SM) that will be underway shortly.

WHAT I WORKED ON:  

• A facade and slight interior renovation of a commercial building in Westwood Village, which should be underway within the next year.  This will be the first time I have worked so single-handedly on something and will actually get to see it manifest.  Very exciting!
• The preliminary schematics and programming for a library renovation at a cancer research campus North of Los Angeles.  Super fun, tons of line drawings and diagrams, loved it!

I also scored a second part time job that began in June...

RESEARCH ASSISTANT:  Getty funded SCI-Arc Exhibition, working with Todd Gannon, Ewan Branda, and Andrew Zago

PROS: 

• I will continue to work on this until the exhibition opens in next spring.
• It pays a fair wage.
• I pretty much pick my hours.
• It has been really fun looking back in the history of architecture and researching a show that I knew nothing about, now feeling that I know everything about it.
• Getting to sit down and chat with Thom Mayne, Frank Dimster, Craig Hodgetts, and Robert Mangurian.

Thanks to my bestie, Scotty Carroll, I have immersed myself in architectural reading where I would normally have read girly beachy novels and magazines all summer.

WHAT I'VE READ:

"Collage City" Colin Rowe and Fred Koetter
"The Architecture of the City" Aldo Rossi
"Invisible Cities" Italo Calvino
"Los Angeles: the Architecture of Four Ecologies" Reyner Banham
Log 21, 23, 24, 25
"Toward An Architecture" Le Corbusier- a re-read for me, but a much needed one
"The Possibility of an Absolute Architecture" Pier Vittorio Aureli
"House of Leaves" Mark Z. Danielewski- though fiction and not academically architectural, still a good "architectural" read, specifically the way it is written.

And that's how I spent my summer vacation :)  Next up: GREECE!!!

T+D do NYC