Lots of Food, A Little Crochet

This past weekend Larry and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary. We met in Louisiana at Jazz Fest 1990. We got married on Fat Tuesday, 1992. At our Lousiana-style wedding reception, the Zydeco Party Band performed and we had a Cajun/Creole dinner for our guests. As you can see, we've tried to keep that Louisiana spirit alive.

On Friday, Larry took me to dinner at La Louisianne in Windsor Hills. We've been wanting to visit this elegant restaurant for years. There was a live jazz band in the bar. The place was packed. Everyone was enjoying Creole and Southern-style meals. We ordered Shrimp Etouffe' with dirty rice and Breaded and Fried Pork Chops stuffed wtih seafood. Both meals came with wax-beans (not my favorite). The entrees were delicious, the drinks were reasonable and good, the atmosphere was lovely. This is a party place. There were groups there celebrating special occasions...everyone was having a good time. I must say that even though all the food was prepared well, it wasn't the best Southern-style meal I've had. I've had better at Harold and Belle's on Jefferson and even at my beloved Pann's Coffee Shop in Ladera Heights. We'll go back to La Louisiane for drinks, appetizers and to hear the music.

On Saturday, our friends Jeff and Audrey came over. We went to an art opening at Billy Shire Fine Arts on Washington near Fairfax in East Culver City. There's always an eclectic crowd at this gallery. The artwork, by Daniel Martin Diaz called "Apocalyptic Resurrection" was very detailed and fascinating. Interspersed among Diaz' pieces were pinhole cameras constructed by Wayne Martin Belger, along with the images these cameras produced. Verrrrrry interesting. As always, the openings at this gallery are always well-attended and offer great drinks and appetizers!

Next stop, our fave westside restaurant, The Metro Cafe. I know I've written about this place alot, but I cannot express how great this little restaurant is. Aleks and Sasha are the creative chefs. We are always surprised and delighted with the quality, creativeness and flavor of the food. We started out with an appetizer of grilled romaine lettuce, sprinkled with some sort of divine oil and vinegar and sprinkled with freshly grated parmesean. Audrey ordered the chicken with thyme, Jeff ordered pasta, Larry ordered the medallions, and I ordered a grilled vegie plate. They brought us a complimentary slice of flan-cake for desert. Of course, it was delish.

To top off our weekend anniversary celebration, my Mom and Step-Dad took us to brunch on Sunday at the Pacific Dining Car in Santa Monica. The Los Angeles location of this restaurant is the classic steakhouse in a railroad car, established 1921. The Santa Monica restaurant is located on Wilshire and Princeton in a boxy 80's building. The interior is very Britsh and club-like....quite comfortable. They serve the most wonderful breakfasts.....crab cakes hollandaise, blueberry pancakes, Spanish omelettes, all on beautiful china and silver, white linen tablecloths, the works!

The rest of the day Sunday was spent doing chores around the house and watching the Academy Awards extravaganza pre-shows, show and post-shows. During that time, I got lots of crocheting accomplished. My Mother asked if I would crochet her a lacy black slipover that she can wear brightly colored turtlenecks under. She wants a boat neck, tightly ribbed and knitted bottom border and long sleeves, drop shoulder. Below is the result.....I should finish up this week!