Day 37: Main Street Farmer's Market

We've been coming to the Sunday farmer's market on Main Street in Santa Monica for years.  When the boys were little they used to ride the ponies.  They used to climb the trees - now it's not allowed because the poor trees couldn't take it anymore.  Now we settle down on our blanket with omelets and pancakes from the Omelet man and the pancake people.  The pancakes are fluffy and delicious, and as big as your head.  Afterward, I like to shop around and load up on veggies.  There are flowers, tamales, luscious heirloom tomatoes (not in the winter, but when they are in season).  There are almonds, dates, figs, excellent homemade cheese -- Sunday I bought sage cheddar.  There are eggs, mushrooms, a great coffee and tea stand with 5 or 6 different varieties of hot coffee.  My son always snickers when he sees "Bitches Brew."  There is live music which is usually a child-friendly sort of peppy/folksy group that the little kiddies like to dance to.  There are lots that offer Farmer's market parking down on the beach, and if you bike over, there is a free bike check.  Sometimes, since L.A. is not a walking city, nor is it a city with decent public transportation, it can be a little alienating.  But coming to the Main Street farmer's market is on top of my list for things that really make Santa Monica feel like a community.  It's a place where people interact, and smile.  Oh, I forgot to mention the man with the mini pecan pies - a round three inches of heaven on a plate.

Day 36: Fig

Autumn offered to turn me on to happy hour at Fig so I would have material for my blog.  Twist my arm.  The stars aligned as I happened to be free from 5:00 to 7:00.  Fig is a lovely bar/restaurant inside the Fairmont hotel on Wilshire and Ocean (Fig's entrance is on 2nd Street) that opened about a year ago. I love the comfort factor - instead of a formal restaurant, the management has gone with a casual place that's part wine bar, part California bistro. The chef is Ray Garcia, whose focus here is fresh, local ingredients.


The happy hour deal starts at 5:00.  The technique is to order up a storm before 6:00 and everything is half price. Drinks, and anything on the menu. We sat at a tall communal bar table.  We didn't want to sit at the bar, because as Autumn pointed out there is a big cheese platter selection (you can order a set flight of cheeses or create your own flight) but if you sit too close it starts to get a little smelly.  After you've ordered before the stroke of 6:00 you are free to linger and enjoy your spread. Kalli and Rose joined us and continued ordering where Autumn and I left off.  We had a drink, some cheese, bread, olives, which snowballed into croquettes, potato dumplings, a beet salad, a charcuterie plate, and a few mozzarella balls.  We got caught up, laughed about the smelly cheese, and getting caught on camera speeding tickets (the ultimate L.A. nightmare!) We toasted Rose on the eve of her birthday.  Mark has a deadline to meet, so I had to leave at 7:15 to go home and help him with the boys.  Also, this semi-lactose-intolerant gal had overdosed on cheese, and it was time to go home and have some peppermint tea and detox.  Nikita showed up just in time to take over where I left off.  Great company, amazing eats, damn good wine.  I was sorry to leave.

Day 35: Panini Garden

Writers are always looking for an office.  Aka, a totally casual place where they can loiter for hours un-noticed and undisturbed, while ordering little or nothing.  This means self-serve.  And NOT Starbucks - that's my husband's office.  Today I made it Panini Garden, one of my favorites.  I was a little bummed out to see their prices went up (9.50 for a panini).  I must say though I ate that thing so damn slow I almost stretched it out to two meals.  The front patio and indoor cafe are cozy, but the garden out back is so charming it's a Merchant Ivory film.  There are pebbles, cafe tables in the sun, a fountain.  The only thing missing is Helena Bonham Carter chasing after a blonde society boy.  I usually order a Tachino - turkey, mozz, tomato and avocado on rustico bread, with an iced tea.  You have to scoop the ice with a scooper out of an ice chest and get the iced tea yourself, so you sort of feel like you're at a house party.  I like a partial sun/shade table so when I'm getting too hot I can shift.  When I'm writing and I'm completely blocked it's a great place to eavesdrop.  And yes, in case you were wondering, everything I do revolves around food.

 

2715 Main Street

                                                                Santa Monica, CA 90405

Day 34: Mother's Beach

Today was a total weather fluke.  My 8 year old was invited to a party on the beach in Marina del Rey at Mother's Beach, just behind the Cheesecake Factory.  Who could have planned a more perfect day?  It is warmer today than it's been in months.  82 and sunny in the Marina.  There was volleyball, digging and volcano building, the kids had an impromptu mud fight, tug of war, and they all ended up in the water. As if all that wasn't enough, there was pizza, bbq, and a pinata.  The birthday boy, Peter took one final whack at Spongebob -- candy and little rubber gekkos rained down.  I am afraid to google the dirtiest beaches in L.A...I'm sure Mother's Beach, nested right in the marina with dozens of boats coming and going all day, is right up there on the schmutz-ometer.  I didn't want to be the only mother at the party saying my kid can only go in in a Hazmat suit.  So I let him play.  Let's just say he was ordered into a hot shower to do a surgical scrub when we came home.

Day 33: The Nutcracker

It's hard to sell two boys on the ballet.  Every year our friends the Novaks invite us to see Molly dance in the Westside Ballet's production of the Nutcracker at the Wadsworth theater, and every year we never seem to make it.  This year I vowed I would take my sons to see the show.  We rallied with Dana and Liv, made it in a nick of time (OK, we were late, but we almost made it in time).  


The Westside Ballet's production of The Nutcracker is a Los Angeles tradition 

dating back to 1973. Brought to life by falling snow and a Christmas tree that grows, Westside Ballet's Nutcracker is not only the longest running Nutcracker production in Los Angeles history — it's the closest to George Balanchine's original version in quality, integrity, and musicality.

I thought Beckett would really like it and Aidan would be luke warm, but it was the other way around.  Beckett, who stayed up too late at a sleepover lost interest early on, but Aidan stuck with it.  He really appreciated Molly's talent, even if there were moments when he was ready for the ballet to be over.  There was one dance where the ballerinas moved so swiftly up on their toes (which you could not see underneath the long costumes) Aidan said it looked like they were gliding on wheels.   Liv and Dana loved it.  As for me, I have always had a thing for Tchaikovsky's music, and for this show.  It was great to see all the younger kids getting to take part, and the more mature, experienced dancers who took center stage were very graceful and gifted.  Molly has danced in this production for several years, and has developed into quite a talented and poised performer.  It was a treat to watch her.  The show was a heavy dose of holiday confection.  I have sugar plum fairies dancing in my head.

Day 32: Bay Cities Deli

I would argue that Bay Cities Deli is the best Italian deli outside of Italy.  This Santa Monica establishment is so popular, when you come and take a number at lunchtime you will find you are knee deep in people who had the same idea.  You look, sadly, at the number counter and it reads "43" and your ticket says "52."  But don't despair, the guys who work behind that counter are pros, and they are fast.  The wait is usually not bad.

Bay Cities is great for lunch (they have outdoor tables, if you like dining al fresco on fugly Lincoln Blvd.), they have take-out, and they cater for any party or event you can imagine.  Apart from the amazing deli (marinated mushrooms, hot and cold Italian fare, amazing heroes to order on fresh-made bread), there is a whole store packed with jars, cans, and bottles of all different products, domestic and Italian.  There is a refrigerated section with homemade pastas and sauces.  There is a houseware section with great gadgets, dish towels, utensils and pretty provincial Italian ceramics.  The cheese counter is the bomb.  And there is a whole wine shop to boot.  I could spend an hour in this store easily.  Before my husband determined that he is a celiac and can have no gluten, he used to live for the Godmother sandwich.  A hero piled high with provolone, mortadella, salami, and five different other kinds of meat which I have blanked out.  Today I put together a care package to take to a girlfriend who had a little minor surgery -- some chocolate covered cherries to cheer her up, peppermint tea, honey, and breadsticks.  For myself, a chicken hero, provolone, lettuce, tomato, oil and vinegar.  And that bread.  I dream about that bread...

Day 31: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker

My son, Beckett and I were treated today to a great field trip (I chaperoned) to UCLA's Royce Hall to see the Hot Chocolate Nutcracker with 2 third grade classes.  We arrived at UCLA and Beckett announced I am going to play basketball here.  We waited outside with all the fidgety third graders, along with kids from other schools, excited for the show to start.  The Hot Chocolate Nutcracker is Debbie Allen's updated, funky twist on the old holiday tradition. The show was spectacular.  Narrated by three wise-cracking rats (Debbie Allen plays one, and the kid who used to play Urkel plays another rat) the show starts out with little Kara, who receives a nutcracker on Christmas Eve, filled with hot chocolate.  In the night the nutcracker comes alive, and he is fabulous - leading her on a global journey featuring dances from New Orleans, Russia, Egypt, and the urban streets of the USA.  Beckett's favorite number by far was a group of candy cane boys, including the tiniest member of the troop who looks to be about 4 years old, who did breakdancing and hip hop moves.  The choreography was fantastic.  The show was getting a few kinks out - they are performing for schools today, tomorrow they have their gala, then performing on the 10th for schools.  On December 11th they have two shows for the public at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.  They ran long - we actually had to drag the kids out before the show ended because we were running so late and did not want to have to pay the City of Santa Monica for overtime for the bus!