Local Field Trip

L.C. Brand's Miradero Estate (1904)

Yesterday, Larry and I took a mini-field trip. We'd recently viewed PBS's "No Passport Required" with Chef Marcus Samuelsson. The first show of the new season featured the Armenian culture of Los Angeles. The show started out in East Hollywood and then traveled over the hill to Glendale, the west coast city with the largest Armenian population outside of Armenia. Needless to say, all of the places Chef Marcus visited were enticing!

OK, we couldn't justify driving to Glendale just for lunch, so we incorporated a visit to the Brand Library and Park. I've always loved the Moorish designed library, formerly L.C. Brand's mansion (Nathaniel Dryden, architect), on the grounds. I hadn't been there in years. The gallery was closed yesterday, but we hung out in the Library for a bit. The building has been lovingly restored. You can easily see that this was a home. Each room, dining, living, den, etc. has areas for reading and studying. I could live there!

Restored Reading Rooms at the Mansion/Library

After perusing the excellent art book section, Larry and I strolled the grounds of the park and wandered into The Whispering Pine Tea House and Garden. Very serene.

Whispering Pine Tea House and Garden

We'd finally worked up an appetite to seek out one of Chef Marcus's lunch suggestions. We headed over to Mini-Kabob, just off Central Avenue, south of The Glendale Galleria. Parking is scarce is this neighborhood, but we managed to find a spot about a block away.

My motto: "You Can't Eat Atmosphere," applies here. This is really a hole-in-the-wall place with 3 tiny tables inside. Patrons were kind enough to shift their seats so Larry and I could sit together. Because the tables are in such close proximity, we struck up conversations with our fellow diners and were given tips as to the best dishes to order.

Mini-Kabob, Glendale

We both ordered Lule kabobs, Larry had the beef and I ordered chicken. They came with rice, hummus, garlic sauce and fresh lavosh bread. Our meal was totally DELICIOUS!

Chicken Lule Kabob

We will return to Glendale and East Hollywood to check out Chef Marcus's other recommendations!