I recently had the pleasure of accompanying my wife to Los Angeles, where we could spend a few days together sans children (thanks, Moms!), eat some incredible dishes and do some fun things around town.
Some of my more memorable food experiences included the decadent sweet potato muffin topped with scorched marshmallow (Republique)…
…the flavorful salmon tartine with mint, cucumber, radish, tomato, olives and more (Republique)…
…the really complex eggplant katsu with so many great flavors (Animal)…
…the tender veal tongue with black mustard, salmon roe, apple and pickle (Animal)…
…and the savory sweet fried radicchio topped with mozzarella, spiced walnut and fried rosemary (Osteria Mozza).
Concerning our fun events, we went to the Hollywood Bowl one evening…
…to see a musical performance of A Nightmare Before Christmas.
The music, lights and projections were incredible…
…and I was so delighted to see the return of Catherine O’Hara, Paul Reubens, and Danny Elfman when they sang “Kidnap the Sandy Claws”…
…as well as Ken Page, who returned to sing “Oogie Boogie’s Song.”
Definitely a magical evening.
Staying with the Halloween theme, we also went to Hollywood Forever Cemetery…
…location of some very well-known grave sites (Toto/Chris Cornell)…
…to celebrate Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).
Throughout the cemetery, there were many decorated alters…
…and they were so beautiful…
…creative…
…and with so many skeletons.
It was so much fun exploring the cemetery…
…appreciating the costumes and make-up…
…enjoying the parade…
…and even making some friends along the way (Jingle Bonez).