Woo Blog

“When Adria first invented this new process of taking liquids and forming them into self encased bubbles of caviar that held juice inside, I was not only mesmerized but excited…excited to know that this new form of food could be applied in so many different ways….”

Read more about these parfaits at Luxirare and check out the rest of the amazing photos capturing this scientific process: http://luxirare.com/parfait.

Reasons why I love this new addition to MoMA’s retail store:

-anything coffee-related is my friend (okay, so that probably doesn’t matter to you)
-easy-and-quick-serving set for six
-bamboo tray
-unique personal coasters for each espresso cup
-six stainless steel spoons that rest across the cups

Designed by Fellina Sok-Cham, winner of a student design contest in 2008. See it here: MoMA store

I’ve posted about a place in New Orleans called Cafe Du Monde before, one of my favorite coffee places. Unfortunately during that trip, I failed at getting a Du Monde souvenir. 

Luckily, Adri’s parents went to New Orleans just recently, and were so kind enough to get a Cafe Du Monde mug for me!

Here it is, a photo of my new mug from Cafe Du Monde, drinking my first cup of coffee out of it:

I have lived in this area for a little over a year. Studio City is not a big town. But I have never ever noticed this burger place before. It’s a sit-down burger joint (with the usual fries and shakes as well), but you choose what you want, everything from the meat and toppings to the sauce and cheese. You write everything down on a sheet, checking boxes next to the things you want. I got a veggie burger in a bowl.

Conclusion: Choices are many, crowd is great, food is tasty. But it’s a bit pricy for a burger ($10 for my veggie “burger” in a bowl), so with splitting up our drinks and two sides, my total came out to be $18-$19. It’s a bit much for a burger you wouldn’t consider “fine dining” or “gourmet”. But it was a generous portion and the place has a classic vintage look and feel.

I can’t talk about coffee houses and a coffee tour and not mention Cafe Du Monde. This was probably the number one place I ever had coffee.

Besides the fact that they are known for their long-standing coffee stand, chicory coffee, and beignets, they are located in the heart of New Orleans, Louisiana. I remember that I chose to not drink coffee on this trip, but gave in when we got to New Orleans. I couldn’t resist. It was raining that day (also was the 2-year anniversary of Katrina). The seating area inside, under the roof, is also open to the outside street.

So we were seated under the roof, eating beignets and I was having a cup of black chicory coffee, and rain was wetting the streets near us and sliding down the roof. I don’t really know how to describe it that well. All I know is that with those donuts, coffee, the rain, the French Quarters, the liveliness of the people there, it was the ultimate coffee experience so far and I have been wanting to go back ever since to sit at Cafe Du Monde and drink a cup of coffee.

I recall a group of Du Monde employees gathering around some tables, looking like they were having the time of their lives. They were laughing, being so animated and jubilant, and dancing so merrily that for a second I felt like I was witnessing a celebration of family and good friends. It pretty well reflected the whole pleasant and sociable atmosphere we felt all around New Orleans. The energy was felt all around, at least in the downtown and French Quarters area. I can’t speak for outside the populated area, only that I knew not to venture out with the high crime rates and deserted areas.

I think I heard about Du Monde before, but didn’t realize really that I was at THE place. We were looking up places to eat at in New Orleans (Mother’s is another highly recommended place for sweet potato pie, po-boys, and gumbo), and I came across this Cafe Du Monde online. We had a taxi take us to Decatur (which wasn’t really that far at all from where we were staying). I wrongly pronounced it “Deck-etter” at first, which is probably why I remember what street Du Monde was on.

I think that’s about everything I remember. It’s been two years. All the places around Du Monde are also worth checking out, taking a walk in. I miss the southern riverfront jazz music. I will definitely go back someday, hopefully soon. 

The Original French Market Coffee Stand: see their web site here.

It’s still puzzling to my mind, why people are such fanatics about coffee, people like me. I start loving everything coffee, like the smell, accessories, best places to sit to sip coffee, and coffee houses. One of my ultimate dream trips is a coffee house tour.

I started thinking about doing that trip just now, and remembered a unique coffee house I came across two years ago. Traveling on the road around the U.S., we came across Rembrandt’s Coffee House in Eagle, Idaho. The coffee house is a former church. I remember high ceilings, tall colorful windows, art on the walls, and many different places and types of places to sit. The whole room had the classic church shape, symmetrical with a large arch. There was a small stage for mic nights, they also did movie nights.

I googled this coffee shop and came across their website: http://www.rembrandtscoffeehouse.net/.

So if you’re ever around Eagle, check out Rembrandt’s.

Two forces combined (Anna and me) equal one large BBQ group!

Here is my notebook grill being started off for the evening! It was a good enough size for cooking some hotdogs for friends. I think I already mentioned the pro’s and con’s in an earlier post. But overall, I love it and think I should keep this in the back of my car for spontaneous road trips. Steinbeck had his coffee maker in his camper, and I’ll have my notebook grill. He’ll have his Charley, I’ll have my Stephen (DVX100B), in my cross-country road trip I’m still dreaming about.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next photo is of a string of Flower Lights! The leaves come from pipal trees (renamed the “Buddha” tree, or “Bodhi”, “Enlightenment”). They’re never picked off, but rather only fallen off. The trees are also never cut down to make these Flower Lights. The maker of these lights claims that their “special treatment process strengthens the leaves so that they are durable and translucent”, dyed to give this beautiful red color. All I know is that they don’t turn brown and they self-”bloom”. The lights came packaged tightly, with the leaves closed up. Soon after putting them up in the backyard, they opened up! The leaves just need water sprayed on them every now and then.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So there it is! The notebook grill put into action. I also did receive those Victoria’s Secret heels in the mail and they fit fantastically. That’s for a later post.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last night I got a chance to try out the notebook grill! It’s a small-scale grill that you can collapse and carry easily with a handle. The grill is an A+R exclusive item. Thanks to my sister for a birthday gift card, the day I decided to use it, I found what I wanted right away.

I first saw this grill online (there is a new stainless steel version out now, I just noticed: http://aplusrstore.com/product_detail.php?show=product&pid=397) and was immediately attracted to its sleek and simple design and portability.

 

I drove to Fashion Island in Newport Beach after work one day. As soon as I got out of the car, I saw “Design Within Reach”, and thought I could find something cool there to buy. Headed straight for it, looked in the window and right away noticed the notebook grill that I had seen online couple months earlier. Walked right in, said I wanted to buy the little grill in the window, and they said, “Fantastic! We have only one left.”

We had about 13-15 people last night in our backyard for a bbq. We were able to use this notebook grill and another grill we already had. The notebook grill was great for cooking our hotdogs. The only things to worry about is not having a lid to cover the grill, but I think getting a large pot lid to place over the food in the future would work fine. It uses coals, which is nice to not have to buy propane or have greasy leaks. It’s definitely easy to clean and carry, so I recommend it for the beach, park, or road trips.

I’ll be sure to post pictures from last night’s bbq soon!

My sister and I were walking in downtown San Luis Obispo when she noticed a cute purple building that we haven’t seen before. It’s the Granada, apparently just a couple months old. It’s a mediterranean restaurant with apparently good wine, we hear, and what looks like a nice relaxed crowd of customers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The purple walls, the open window, the rustic awning, and the word, “Bistro”, are enough to make anyone wander in.

The weekend was filled with good times with friends in Ventura, Los Angeles, and Orange County. It was also filling with great food!

See the full gallery here: http://jennywoo.shutterfly.com/339