Press Your Luck

A guy walks into a doctor’s office and says, “Doctor, it hurts when I do this..” The doctor says, “So don’t do that!”

If only I could be such a smart patient. But I decided to drive to Los Angeles with A.T. instead. Who can pass up a road trip? Besides, if it hurts when I sit, that big fat corporate ride of his has a nearly full recline on the passengers side. I can lay down for a while (not out of character for me on a long road trip.) A.T. had to be in L.A. for work (a golf tournament) on Monday anyway, so why not accompany him on the drive and spend a few days exploring down south?

After a quick and relatively traffic-free commute to L.A., with the obligatory get-out-and-stretch stops and a tasty layover at In-N-Out burger, we rolled into Casa de Mitch in time for the festivities. Mitch has a fantastic setup. He sits on his cute little front deck every Friday after work, watches the cars go by, sipping cocktails or beer, and welcoming all his friends and neighbors as they eventually join him in his Friday merriment. Mitch’s full bar and keg full of home brewed beer await his smiling guests. There is no plan for the evening. No one calls ahead to confirm that they are coming. People just show up. At some point, the group orders dinner. His latest entertainment option? His Nintendo Wii.

Now, I am not a video game person at all. Not since Atari have I been addicted to a video game. Frogger. Donkey Kong. You know, Old School. However, I decided to try my hand at Wii bowling, tennis, and baseball. So much fun!! I’m very glad that lazy kids and adults all around the world will be getting some exercise with their gaming! To say that A.T. was taking his game seriously is an understatement. I video taped his first few matches because the grunting noises coming out of his mouth made me giggle like a schoolgirl. Email me for a copy. Hah!

But I digress. We had a lovely night at Mitch’s place in Santa Monica, filled with friends, good conversation, and entertainment. Heather brought fresh strawberries from the farmer’s market, and A.T. delighted the guests with several variations of a fruity strawberry drink that left all of the girls drooling for more. He also taught the ladies how to make the cocktails themselves, so that they can muddle their way to popularity at their next event.

I am envious of Mitch’s role as the Social King of Santa Monica. He has surrounded himself with a phenomenal group of friends. Mitch was talking with a young lady once. When he told her where he lived, she asked “Do you live near those people who party every weekend?” to which he replied, “I *AM* those people”. Apparently there was no further contact from said woman. Ouch! Nicole and Adam, neighbors, had felt the merriment emanating from Mitch’s house several times and wanted in. They came by one day and offered up a whole cheesecake (from The Cheesecake Factory!). They said that they had somewhere to be that night, so they couldn’t stay, but they definitely wanted to join the fun at a later time. Mitch wasn’t sure if the cheesecake was poisoned or not, but the crowd finished off the cake without any trouble. Shortly thereafter, Nicole and Adam became a regular part of the crowd, and very proud of bribing their way into the festivities.

Saturday I woke up with a very very achy back. Drats. Must have been that long car ride. Or that really uncomfortable sofa bed. (Mitch says his dad thought it was VERY comfortable. But if it was so comfortable, why did his dad give it to Mitch!? Hmmmm? Very suspicious!). A.T. and I went for a very lovely breakfast, followed by a walk along the ocean (looking for dogs to pet and movie stars to leer at), and a cruise down the Santa Monica Pier for a ride on the ferris-wheel-like ride. After that? Another dog-stalking walk home, a nap, and a trip to Pinkberry. A.T. has been told that if you are in L.A. you MUST try this frozen yogurt, so we set off without a map to find the closest one. (Reminder: we are map people). As soon as I told A.T. that he was absolutely going the wrong way and that we needed to backtrack, the Pinkberry appeared. (magic!!). Pinkberry is a frozen yogurt of the sour (surprise!) variety. They have regular & green tea, and lots of tasty toppings. I chose the regular yogurt with Fruity Pebbles and Captain Crunch. A.T., who as a child was not allowed sugared cereals as a child, chose the kiwi, mochi and mango. Very tasty indeed.

Saturday night, we met up with Cynthia (Mitch’s lovely lady), Becky, Heather and Alex for (surprise!) cocktails at a bar that supposedly boasts one of L.A.’s finest bartenders. That’s quite a claim to make to A.T., who reads cocktail blogs for a living! So we went there for a sip before heading out to the Culver City Art Walk. The bartender was OKAY, but after seeing Chris MacMillan in New Orleans, we were spoiled. I didn’t particularly care for any of the bartenders-choice drinks that he brewed up for our group. To be honest, AT can do a better job! But this showmanship was very good. He set a lot of things on fire. He mixed everything in a pitcher full of ice instead of shaking it. Lots of razzle dazzle. And we all had a great time. Did I say we stopped in for one drink? Six or seven rounds later, we were running down the street, trying to catch a bus to the restaurant so that we weren’t late for dinner! (Public transit in L.A.???) Fortunately the restaurant also had an attached art gallery, so technically we did do the Art Walk and did not abandon it entirely. We had a delicious meal, stopped in for a horrible margarita at the Mexican restaurant next door, went back to the first bar for our “free” round of drinks, but I was so tired that I fell asleep at the bar (how gauche!). We tried to call a cab, but 45 minutes later (or so it seemed when I was sit-sleeping), AT was sober and he drove us home. Did you know that it’s darn near impossible to get a cab in Los Angeles? Sheesh.

On Sunday we had a very delicious brunch at Nicole and Adam’s house. Then we went on a mission to uncover the truth about El Pollo Campero. Back in January, when AT & I were flying home from San Salvador, we noticed an odd phenomenon. We saw 27 boxes of El Pollo Campero (El Salvadorian version of KFC) enter the airplane. Not a single person ate any chicken before, during or after the flight. When going through customs, we though surely they would confiscate this food. Customs didn’t bat an eye, nor did they inspect any of the chicken boxes. Hmm. Odd. We finally asked what was up with the chicken and were told that people bring it home to their families. Wow! That must be some GOOOOOD frickin chicken! Sometime a few months later, A.T. found out that there are, in fact, some El Pollo Camperos in Los Angeles. We set out to find one and uncover the mystery of this poultry to tasty that customs turns a blind eye to it crossing the border. The verdict? Pretty delicious! A light and very crispy coating with yummy spices, very tender and juicy on the inside. Served up with fried plantains and beans. We weren’t disappointed. The restaurant was BOOMING. At first we were intimidated by this chicken-crazed crowd, and didn’t know where the “line” started, but the 20-person-deep queue moved very quickly. With the exception of the pair behind us, we were the only non-Central-Americans in the place, which lends to its authenticity. But I do wonder… does it taste the same here as it does in El Salvador???

After the chicken-hunt, we went to visit Mitch’s parents in their FABULOUS beachside home. Mitch let me drive his snazzy electric car. (Did you know that you could squeal the wheels when taking off in an electric car?) Their front porch overlooks the bike path, about one block north of Venice beach. Mitch’s dad introduced a very excited A.T. to the concept of the pickled brussell sprout martini.

Back to Mitch’s house for another social gathering. A crowd assembled yet again to grill some food, mingle, and watch old-school Family Feud (with Richard Dawson in his snazzy polyester suits), Press Your Luck (big bucks! no whammies!), and Entourage. Sadly, I had to depart to go to the airport. What a fabulous little weekend getaway. I never did see anyone famous. Perhaps next time. I just want to see how tiny they really are in real life, compared to a normal person!

p.s. that back pain? It wasn’t from the ride down. It was from the Wii sports!!!!