[photo from their website]

I occasionally like to imbibe a cocktail or dine in a hotel. It feels extra glamorous and I can pretend I’m a traveller in a foreign land. So when a visiting friend suggested we meet for lunch at the Hotel Intercontinental, on Avenue of the Stars, I jumped at the chance to put on a pretty frock and heels (despite LA’s pre-emptive June gloom – okay, I added a chic cardie, aka sweater) and tool over there.

The Park Grill dining room at the Hotel Intercontinental is surprisingly unpretentious. Diners can relax in the clubby atmosphere of the dining room, with its gay, striped carpeting and comfy, upholstered armchairs.

Beyond the large, glass french doors lies the garden patio, where I’m sure we would have dined had it been a sunny day. It’s an attractive and intimate little garden and the umbrella’d dining tables skirt an expanse of lawn. Apparently this is a popular venue for weddings.

The menu offers a decent range of two soups, several salads and sandwiches, a few hot meals and desserts. My dining companion went for the great sounding watermelon and spinach salad ($15). This came out as a kind of log cabin of sticks of watermelon with a mass of baby spinach, chunks of chevre and candied walnuts in the middle. On either side of the ‘cabin’, the long, rectangular plate was attractively drizzled with the mango dressing as well as cross-hatched drizzles of vibrantly ‘kermit’ green basil oil. Now, while this looked impressive, in fact it’s a little tough to get the dressing off the plate and onto your food. But the baby spinach was also lightly dressed and sprinkled with black sesame seeds (love them!) so this wasn’t an issue, just a tiny bit irksome.

She also ordered a prosciutto and arugula pizza ($19) that was, shall we say, extremely disappointing. Suffice to say, upon reflection, one probably shouldn’t go to a hotel and expect them to have a roaring pizza furnace…

I opted for the ‘Bento Box’ ($35) as it gave me four small courses with two options per course. It arrived all at once, on a large, white, square ceramic platter with four smaller square dishes within.

The soup was the soup du jour; a chicken broth with a hint of lime, neat cubes of breast meat and finely chopped vegetables. Delicious! Of the two salads, I went with the wild rocket salad. It was studded with candied walnuts (actually, too many…), sweet slivers of dried pear, and a couple of teeny little heirloom tomatoes. The rocket was generously dressed with a rich balsamic vinaigrette that was perfumed with white truffle oil. Rich and satisfying. I couldn’t imagine a whole bowl of it; it worked really well as one small course of four. It also came with two batons of plain but toasted crostini.

The ‘entree’ portion of this bento was one of their cooked entrees, and I would recommend dining at the Park Grill for this dish alone. A small but sufficient hunk of Chilean Sea Bass, beautifully cooked, was resting on a bed of ‘forbidden’ black rice that actually looks dark red. The modest portion of fish was served with two gorgeously braised and grilled wedges of endive and a sprinkling of soft greens. It was superb!

For my fourth course I went with the plate of fruit over the pastries, and I was glad I did. A sprinkling of blueberries, boysenberries and raspberries were complemented by a slice each of honeydew melon, cantaloupe, orange and pineapple. All the fruits were exquisitely ripe. This was a perfectly balanced, filling and delicious meal.

I noticed they are doing a special buffet for Mother’s Day. I definitely think hotels are the ideal place to pamper the grande dame in your life. I’ve already raved about the exquisite afternoon tea at the Peninsular Hotel.

But the Hotel Intercontinental might be just the place for a family gathering. If it’s a nice day, you can dine outside and the kids can run about on the grass. There will be a band performing soul, jazz and Latin music.

The buffet menu is pretty extensive and has something for everyone. Highlights from the menu include:

Kid friendly choices such as wild berry mini pancakes, triple decker peanut butter sandwich, mini BLTs, mini nutella and banana club sandwiches and baby sliders.

Assortment of miniature breakfast pastries and a seasonal sliced fruit display. Egg dishes include omelettes by request and crab eggs benedict with paprika hollandaise.

There are salads such as mushroom and shrimp salad with green papaya, multicolored heirloom tomato salad with bocconcini and aged balsamic reduction, ahi tuna salad ‘a la nicoise’, grilled marinated artichoke salad with Asian beef and so on.

In addition to a sushi and sashimi display, there’ll be shrimp, mussels, oysters, clams and crab claws. Pasta dishes include truffle gnocchi with sage and brown butter or wild mushroom risotto.

Barbecue items include prime rib eye steak, citrus marinated organic white salmon, and baby lamb chops marinated with whole grain mustard and lavender. Loads of grilled and roasted vegetables, such as parmesan grilled corn on the and roasted vegetables with fresh cilantro and lemon oil.

Assorted cakes and desserts, including panacotta, tarts, pies, cookies, brownies and blondies and even a sweet crepes station with fresh fruit sauces.

This gastronomic spread will cost $68 for adults and $34 children 4-12, (with no charge for children 3 and under).

Happy Mother’s Day!

Park Grill, Hotel Intercontinental

2151 Avenue of the Stars,
Los Angeles
Front Desk: (310) 2846500

[FYI – Validated valet parking was $6.00]

But if you are looking for authentic, unpretentious, delicious Mexican food, that will often surprise you, then look no further then Salsa Y Beer.

The space is small, and decorated with large, brightly colored murals of suns, moons an rustic scenery. We were greeted warmly but then had to wait for a table. If you go on the weekends, expect a wait because this place is almost always packed.

After sitting down we were served fresh, warm tortilla chips along with a spicy bean dip.

If salsa is a bit more to your liking, check out their small salsa bar. Their offerings range from your standard salsa fresca, to an unusual spicy orange salsa with coffee and chocolate notes, much like a mole. Or they have a spicy green, creamy avocado salsa that has terrific pepita and cilantro flavors.

Our drink order was taken pretty quickly and I should tell you that they serve only beer and wine, so if you are looking for tequila, you won’t find it here, although they do offer wine based margaritas and sangria. Our drinks came quickly but then our server dashed off to take care of another table. We noticed that the service was a little slow, but what the waitresses lacked in speed, they made up for with great attitudes.

While we noshed on chips and sipped our beers we check ed out the menu which serves food from the Jerez, Zacatecez region in Central Mexico. There are your traditional menu items and others that sounded a bit more unusual, like the Carnes con Salsa de Molcajetes. Vegetables, rice, beans and potatoes are served with your choice of meat and topped with Molcajetes sauce. A molcajetes is a stone mortar and pestle used to crush the fiery red peppers that are the base of the sauce.
This dish is not for the faint of heart. The flavors were delicious, the adovada, or cubed pork meat was beyond tender, but the heat of the dish was intense.
Another word of warning: don’t overindulge on chips and salsa at this place because the servings are huge.

The carnitas, grilled pork, was also pretty damn good.

It was steaming hot and practically falling off the plate. The meat was incredibly moist, rich and flavorful, with that perfect caramelized crisp on the outside.

We also ordered the Steak Torta. The portion was easily enough for two. The crusty white bread was toasted to a golden brown and the cream sauce dripping off the sides was so good that finger licking was definitely in order.

Spicy Green Enchiladas also did not disappoint, in heat or in taste. The all white meat chicken wasn’t dried out as is so often the case. The green sauce was creamy, sour cream based, not tomatillo as I had expected. I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious it was.

The Fajitas Tostada came with shredded carne asada, some of the best I have ever had, along with freshly grilled onions, peppers and zucchini.

We also tried the Tortilla soup. For the price, $3.99, the portion was more than generous. The chicken was, again, all white meat, the veggies just tender enough without being mushy and the broth had a nice kick to it without being too spicy.

Like I said, Salsa Y Beer might not be the right call for a first date, a romantic evening or a night on the town, but it’s certainly a good choice for a family dinner or a casual evening out. It’s for sure a great choice anytime if you are looking for delicious, quality food, friendly service and a reasonable price.

But before you tell your friends about Salsa Y Beer, make sure you ask them that one question: “What are you looking for in a Mexican Restaurant?”

Salsa Y Beer
6740 White Oak Ave.
Lake Balboa, CA 91406
818.609.8877
Hours: Sun-Thurs: 11 am - 9 pm
Fri - Sat: 11 am - 10 pm

We are nearing our 1,000th post, which should happen sometime in late May. Over the past three years, we have had nearly 50 different writers, some who are active today, and some who have moved on. I’m personally thankfully to all who have been part of the la.foodblogging family. Many of the authors I have met and even shared a meal with. Would you believe that there are also authors who I have never met face to face, only through email?

It’s worth noting some of our more active posters. Their dedication is one of the factors that keeps our readers coming back.

• Even though she hasn’t posted in two years, SoCalorie remains the top poster (not counting myself). She brought a true journalist’s style, breaking coming trends and restaurant news in addition to providing dining reviews. She is truely missed
• We are lucky to have Pauline still writing for us. Even with her time spent at Notre Dame, finishing her MBA, she managed to rack up the second most posts behind SoCalorie. Pauline has reviewed some of the finest dining spots in town, and has also provided insight on hidden gems in the SGV — often detailing why a restaurant’s cuisine is authentic or unique.
• Rene has been with us from the beginning, turning out consistent posts, representing the kind of dining I think many of our readers enjoy. Rene covers a broad region of Los Angeles, highlighting not just restaurants, but also markets, festivals and special events.
• MaxMillion brings her skills as a professional writer, along with her passion for good food to lafb. As a result, her posts are well researched and narrated in a style that makes you feel like you were right there with her during the meal. Not only that, but she makes a heavenly Pavlova!
• KT generously writes her restaurant reviews here at lafb while maintaining her own foodblog at Gastronomy 101. KT makes it a point to try out some of the most talked about new restaurants in town and reliably reports back to us whether the talk is hype or if the buzz is justified. Always giving us pictures and a detailed account of her meals, I often look to her reviews for dining ideas for myself.

I appreciate the efforts of all of our authors over the past three years. In addition to those mentioned above, we have enjoyed posts from Cybele of Candyblog.net, Kristy from Best of LA, Dylan from Eat Drink and Be Merry, Sarah from The Delicious Life, and Zteve from Gastrologica.com. We also enjoy contributions from a host of creative minds who stop in from time to time to give their insight.

I enjoy the different perspectives that everyone brings to the table, it’s a true joy to come to la.foodblogging and see what dining adventures are being had.

As I mentioned last week, we are adding new contributors. If you’re interested, drop me an email at “foodblogging” at gmail.

Tarzana has a lovely European-style café restaurant that is one of the best kept secrets in the Valley. The only reason I am telling you about it because I want it always to be there, but please don’t tell everyone you know or we’ll never get a table!

Located right next door to the Corbin Bowl, in the corner of a large mall, is Nona Café and Restaurant, a little slice of the Mediterranean that offers some truly fabulous and seriously affordable food.

First things first, you have got to start with their sangria, either red or white. I’ve tasted both sangria, but far prefer the white. It is a little on the sweet side, but it has some delightfully peachy high notes. If sangria’s not your thing, they also offer wine and soju cocktails.

By far the best things on their fairly large menu are the tapas, and for once, the portions are generously sized.

One dish I always get is the creamy, dreamy burrata with roasted tomatoes ($5). For those of you who haven’t already encountered this heavenly dish, burrata is a very soft, yielding and exceptionally fresh version of mozzarella cheese mixed with cream. Yep, cream. The outer shell is solid mozzarella while the inside contains both mozzarella and cream, giving this Italian delicacy its unique soft texture.

I also love their ahi tuna tartar ($7), which is a generous portion of chopped, raw tuna served with scallions, piquant ginger and crisp sesame crackers. Their seared hamachi tuna is paired with avocado dip, ‘supreme’ sections of ruby red grapefruit (meaning the pith and membrane removed, with just the tender fruit remaining) and drizzled with citrus ponzu sauce. They do several middle eastern-inspired and fantastic shrimp dishes, including crisp rock shrimp with lemon aioli ($7) and a wonderful grilled shrimp served with plump pearls of Israeli couscous, fried leeks and spicy carrot puree ($7) – incredible!

Then there’s the lamb and mint kabob with pine nuts and tahini ($7) or sautéed salmon with refreshing cucumber, medjool date and walnut salad and saffron emulsion ($7) as well as a few LA small-plate standards such as shaved fennel salad ($5) or beet salad with chevre, tangerines and marcona almonds ($6). Their full-sized salads are enormous and well-priced, averaging around $11. A variety of sandwiches are also available. They bake their own irresistibly delicious bread and make their own desserts.

It’s all truly wonderful and eclectic cuisine. So far, I’ve been back about four times as there are so many different small plates to sample.

Breakfast looks fantastic, too, and is served until 2pm (take that fast food joints!), and as late as 3pm on weekends. Everything from the usual suspects of egg white or wild mushroom omelettes or even portobello mushroom benedict ($12) to buckwheat or berry waffles or blueberry oatmeal pancakes ($10) to an intriguing-sounding Oatmeal Crème Brulée (also $10).

Indoor seating is warm and pleasant, but they also have a large patio. Best of all, there is plenty of parking available.

At Nona they also have live music some evenings during the week. You might wanna call and find out. One Thursday night we were expertly entertained by a duo of guitarists, one of whom had played with Carlos Santana.

Love this place!

Nona Restaurant & Café

Open 7 days a week
Breakfast until 2pm, ’till 3pm on weekends
Lunch, dinner and tapas bar ’till late

19598 Ventura Boulevard, Tarzana CA 91356
(818) 881 9855

But I sort of feel it my mission to find places that are amazing YET relatively undiscovered.

Enter 4 on 6.

One of the first things you’ll notice is that it doesn’t look like your average sushi joint. The space has a modern meets Zen vibe with a beautiful, rough hewn, wooden sushi bar. There is also jazz streaming out of the speakers. Music in a sushi bar? Jazz in a sushi bar?

If you do go you’ll get a really warm welcome. If you go more then twice they’ll greet you by name - how often does that happen in L.A? .

After placing our drink orders – Japanese beer and a surprisingly yummy unfiltered sake in a very girly pink bottle – we checked out the specials. We then asked our sushi chef Saito what he would recommend. Without a word he pointed to the specials board he said anything on that list would be terrific. Who are we do disagree?

FYI there are no prices on the specials menu so if budget is an issue, make sure to ask. But then again, if budget is an issue - you might not be eating sushi very often.

We started off with Spanish Mackerel sushi. Amazing. A touch of garlic was the only garnish and it was so good with a velvety texture.

Next? Sea Bass sushi.

This came with a spot of chili and lemon along with a sprinkling of sea salt. As he set the plate down Saito said, rather gruffly , “no soy sauce!” Okay. Again, who am I to argue? I love a man who takes charge. Besides, he was totally right, the flavor was light, the texture delicate and soy sauce would have just taken away from the blend of flavors. At that point we went for Hamachi – or Yellow tail - sashimi.

The portion was generous and this time, since Saito didn’t say anything, we tried a little soy sauce. The Hamachi’s buttery flavor was to die for.

The vibe is really laid back and we never felt rushed. We sipped our beer, the creamy sake, and just people watched.

Surprise, surprise with in minutes we were hungry for more so we got a Spicy Scallop Hand Roll, not on the specials menu. Unfortunately, this was the low point in an otherwise stellar experience.

The spicy roll was not spicy and there was way too much rice and seaweed paper that overpowered the fish. In his defense I will say thatSaito himself does not make the rolls – he leaves that task to one of the other chefs working the sushi bar.

Hoping to get back on a roll (ha, ha, no pun intended) we went back to the specials menu …this time taking a chance on the Toro – or Fatty Tuna. It was seared with a kitchen torch and served with a ponzu sauce. Score one for Saito! This was so mouth-watering we ordered another round.

We finished up with some fresh water eel flown in from Japan. It had a melt in your mouth quality that again need no assistance from soy sauce or wasabi. In fact, I touched my soy sauce only once the entire meal, that pretty much says it all.

The bill came to about 125.00 for two, with drinks. A bit pricey? It depends on your point of view. For us it’s a no brainer. Incredibly fresh fish, good variety, and Saito. He’s not exactly a Sushi Nazi but it’s clear he is really passionate about what he does. Good enough for me.

4 on 6: 16573 Ventura Blvd. Encino, 91436 818.501.7191

You’ve got Pinks, Cupids, QT Chicago Dogs and Carney’s, just to name a few. There are even those that will vouch for the tried and true Wienerschnitzel or Tommy’s.

But there is one place that has something going for it that these other dog joints don’t - ambiance.

That right. The Standin Encino not only serves up a mean dog, among other menu items, but it’s also bright and clean and cheerful. They even have a lovely outdoor seating area surrounded by a small stand of pepper trees.

I’ve lived in the Valley for almost 30 years but only found The Stand about 3 years ago. It’s a great little neighborhood place - perfect for a family dinner or even a casual date. Hey - on Thursdays and Sundays they even have live Jazz music outside.

We went there last night to enjoy a leisurely nosh and a beer.

The menu has a big selection of hot dog and burger choices along with salads and sandwiches. If you’re thirsty for something other then a soda they also offer beer and wine - burgers and dogs are comin’ up in style baby!

On this particular day I went for the loaded Stand Dog with kraut, grilled onions and cheese.

The grilled onions were great, nice and buttery tasting, but the kraut was almost non existent I’m sad to say. Also, I do wish they would pony up for some heartier buns. These are your classic whiteys and if you ask, they will grill it for you. A much better choice if sogginess is an issue.
You can also see that the dogs come with chips rather then fries. They’re tasty chips - but for my money - fries and a dog are kind of like Forest and Jenny (you know peas and carrots, they just go together!)

Like I said they also have a small selection of salads - and we decided to try out the Mediterranean.

Good leafy greens, not skimpy on the feta and the garbanzos are a nice touch. Pretty straightforward for a Greek salad. Be warned though - definitely go for the vinaigrette on the side - it is SUPER SALTY. Whoa! I mean the feta and the olives are salty enough as it is, in my opinion some simple oil and vinegar would be a better option.

Other times we’ve visited we’ve had the Bleu Cheese Burger which was fantastic and the Beef Brisket which had a nice little spicy kick to it.

On Mondays they have $1 Dog Night - so during football season you can watch Monday night football and have some cheap eats.

Does The Stand serve up the bestdog in Los Angeles? I’m not even gonna get involved in that debate! But they do serve a very tasty one and their other menu choices have been solid as well. But like I said before I’d give up finding “the best” and settle for enjoying a good meal and a cold beer on a warm summer evening outside in their picturesque dining area.

Oh, and for those of you “over the hill” they have locations in Westwood and Century City.

The Stand - Encino: 1700 Ventura Blvd. Encino, CA 91316 Ph: 818.788.2700

The waiters at Kam Hong were pleasant and accommodating to the vegan in our group, which is always a plus. Most of the noodle dishes on the menu gives you the option of ordering hand-shaved (dao xiao), hand-pulled (shou la), and sometimes even rice ovals (nien gao). I prefer hand-pulled noodles in fried dishes and hand-shaved noodles in soup dishes.

While it’s no Heavy Noodling (RIP), Kam Hong Garden does a good enough job with its handmade noodles to satisfy my craving.

View Larger Map
Kam Hong Garden
848 E Garvey Ave
Monterey Park, CA 91755

I’ve noticed the last few months there are quite a few new joints opening all up and down Ventura Blvd. I’m officially excited.

That’s the good news. Here’s the bad news - or part of it: you have to look really hard and keep that head on a swivel ’cause they open - then it seems they close the very next week. Add to that, they are often next to some really obscure places, um, like We The People. I won’t go into why I had to visit the venerable WTP several times over the last few months - but suffice it to say when I did I noticed a new joint - Vino Wine and Tapas Room.

Wine? Small bites? Hello! This is the kind of thing I can really get all worked up over. Let’s just say I walked into this place wanting to love it. They were going to have to work really hard to make me hate them.

I’ve been to Vino a few times since its soft opening and each time I’ve walked through the door I’ve thought - “almost.” The mood is all dark woods, plush leather and candlelight and they always seem super happy to see you. One time we sat at the bar towards the back, another at one of their tables for two and last time we sunk into one of the comfy leather couches at the front.

Each time we were given a wine and tapas menus immediately although once we waited close to ten minutes for our first wine order to be taken – what?? Really? The server did apologize profusely and was extra attentive after that. I’ll cut her some slack.

We started off with a glass of the J. Lohr Cabernet and the EOS zinfandel both decent glasses of wine but nothing to write home about.

For food we had the Roasted Almonds and Marinated Olives and the Calamari The almonds were nice and warm and the olive selection was pretty good. The calamari was great – although you gotta really try hard to screw up something deep fried right? It came with two dipping sauces – an aioli and a marinara sauce. The sauces were respectable if not mind blowing but the plating was really lovely.

From there we tried the Chicken and Potato Croquette. Why, why, why do people put these kind of dishes on the menu? Why? I don’t think I’ve ever had this kind of dish taste as good as it sounds and shocker of all shockers, this was no exception. The chicken and the potato were dried out, the breading a bit thick and the cheese fell flat.

To go with the croquette (or rather to wash it down) we had a couple glasses of white wine - an Albarino by Vionta – from Spain and a Frei Brothers Chardonnay.

Here is where my biggest disappointment with Vino Wine and Tapas Room rears it’s ugly head. Hey, I am by no means a wine “aficionado” AT ALL! But I do like to try new wines and was excited by the prospect of having a local place that could introduce me to things I couldn’t get off the shelf at Bev Mo.

I actually cut and paste every wine off their list onto the Bev Mo site (yes, I have too much time on my hands. I know.) Guess what? I’d say 95% were available there. C’mon people! I get that they have to have a stable of wines for their day to day menu – but how about a revolving list (on a chalkboard behind the bar perhaps?) that has little heard of wineries or vintages you can’t get every day. If you are going to call yourself a “wine room” then be a wine room dammit.

Okay….getting down from my soap box.

Our next culinaryorder was the Filet Mignon. This was seriously delicious. The steak was cooked perfectly (medium rare) and the baby vegetables were tender yet toothy (isn’t “toothy” just a fun word to say?) The sherry sauce was so yummy we wished we’d had a giant baguette to sop it all up. We also tried the mini burgers. In a word - tasty. Instead of French fries the chef sauteed thin slices of potato and served them as “chips.” Yummy.

Over all, the multiple experiences at Vino were never 100%. Potential? Yes. The mood was great, the service was warm and very well meaning – if a little disorganized - and the food was over all pretty good - showing lots of promise. If they can get their act together concerning their wine list, I think Vino Wine and Tapas Room could be a place I’d go to often - and take my friends to. Crossing my fingers….

Vino Wine and Tapas Room: 18046 Ventura Blvd. Encino, CA 91316. 818.342.2525

We have been hosted at MediaTemple for a while now. They are a decent host, but the limitations they put on their gridserver accounts are confusing and their support response times were pretty terrible for me. We’re talking more than a day to respond to issues about not being able to connect to their database server.

Our new home for this site is over at WiredTree. I have been hosting Digesty and Cheww over there and couldn’t be happier with their performance and support. I don’t get any kickback or discount for recommending them, you really should check them out if you are in the market for a webhost.

The new look is built on the awesome template “The Morning After” from The Master Plan, with a few tweaks and a few more to come. Let me know if anything looks broken.

Finally, we are adding new contributors. We added one this week and I am looking for a few more people who are passionate about sharing their food finds around Los Angeles. If you think you are interested, please read the About Page and email me at foodblogging [at] gmail to discuss further.

Enjoy the new look and the new zippy server.

We actually haven’t made it out to a restaurant yet with the baby, but we do have plans to make a sushi run this week.

We have had some great meals provided by family and friends, both home made and taken out.

Since we delivered at Santa Monica UCLA, we had some food from some of the Westside spots, including at least one place that I hadn’t tried yet — Izzy’s Deli. Izzy’s is a convenient spot when you’re at SM UCLA, it’s right across the street, has an enormous menu, and is open 24 hours. I had a chicken caeser salad delivered by my parents. It was huge and the ingredients were fresh.

My wife was able to order room service all day, anytime she wanted. The food was actually pretty good, plenty of options and enough variety to keep her interested.

I ate most of my breakfasts from the cafeteria. It’s probably the best meal available there. The cook makes up breakfast burritos and breakfast quesadillas to order. I have been long searching for a good source for breakfast burritos, and I may have found the spot in the SM UCLA cafeteria. Made with fresh scrambled eggs, cheese, onions, potatoes and wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla, a great way to start the day.

In the hospital we had two meals delivered by family from Jinky’s. I had a really good southwest chicken salad and my wife had her favorite: the chopped salad with turkey.

One night friends brought over Hawaiian BBQ Chicken from L&L Barbecue. The chicken, rice and macaroni salad was the perfect comfort food and after finishing dinner, I had enough left over for lunch the next day.

After we made it home, we had cooking support from my wife’s mom who did some shopping around for some special ingredients. Some of our treats:

• Burrata and Fresh Baked Bread from Bay Cities Deli, topped with basil pesto and tomatoes from Wednesday’s farmer’s market
• Cupcakes from Yummy Cupcakes
• Baked goodies from Amandine
• Chicken, hummous, garlic sauce (of course) and tabbouleh from Zankou — Twice!
• Fresh beef medallions from a vendor at Wednesday’s Farmer’s Market
• A full fridge from Trader Joe’s

The guard has changed and my mom is here now to take care of us for a bit. Chicken romano last night and french toast this morning to kick things off.

We’re a lucky family to have such great support and food. I’m lucky to be able to take a fair amount of time off of work, for all those new and soon to become dad’s, don’t miss out on California’s Paid Family Bonding Time.