OMG OMG OMG

Photo by Wesley Wong of TwoHungryPandas.com

Stop what you're doing. If you're mid-sentence trying to capture your life's moments in a 140-character status update on Twitter, put the crackberry down and run... don't walk... to Breadbar on 3rd Street in Los Angeles. 

If you've been following along, you'll know that my friends and I were eagerly anticipating our dinner at Ludo Bites which has been featured since mid-May through mid-August at Breadbar. It exceeded our expectations and so I strongly urge you to try it while you can. 

While we pretty much ordered one of each item on the Ludo Bites menu, I can really only take you through a sampling. Here are some highlights of my taste experience:

• A warm bowl of chorizo, cantalope and cornichon soup...deliciously creamy but light and smokey with a hint of sweetness when you bite into the glassy cubes of cantalope... 

• Then, there was the bowl of creamy polenta with earthy black truffle shavings, slowly braised oxtail and a hint of nuttiness from cantal cheese...

• Finally, there was the exquisite vanilla panna cotta bathing in a luxurious caramel sauce and topped with salty black caviar.
  

My mouth was very happy with me last night. Shouldn't yours be happy, too?

Until then follow @chefludo on Twitter or check out his website. 

Punchlines

The last party was a complete snore, I tell ya. I think next time I'm gonna line up shots of tequila in the entry way and...

...nobody will be the least bit surprised. At George's house, this is called Tuesday. 

Ludo Bites

One of my favorite things to do is eat. No kidding. And one of my favorite foods to eat is basically anything Ludo prepares. Ludo Lefebvre started cooking at the age of 13 and trained under some fairly impressive chefs in some prestigious three-star Michelin restaurants in France, including Marc Meneau at L'Esperance, Pierre Gagnaire, Alain Passard at L'Arpege, Guy Martin at Le Grand Vefour who then recommended him to the owners of L'Orangerie in Los Angeles, where he was executive chef in the late '90s. Yeah, he's pretty awesome as far as chefs go, but for me, he has a knack for combining unusual flavors and spices together that your palette experiences so many sensations while you taste his food. 

Tonight, some friends and I will be gathering at BREADBAR which features Ludo Bites. Just as last time, I'm pretty much going to defer all menu decisions to Krissy, who happens to be pretty fabulous in her own right (attorney, model, celebrity TV star). I'm beside myself this morning, just anticipating what tastes are to come this evening. Here's just a sampling from a recent menu:

Chorizo with Cantalope and Cornichon

Green Beans Salad with Peach, Coconut, Apple Horseradish and Lemongrass 

Bacon Tart with  Almonds, Petite Basque Brown Butter, Coffee Chantilly

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Red Onions, Feta Mousse and Olive Powder

Baked Snails with Herb Butter, Spinach Curry Yogurt

Lobster Medallions with Honey Sherry Vinaigrette Rosemary

Creamy Polenta with Cantal Cheese, Oxtail Beef and Black Truffle

Foie Gras Terrine with Black Croque Monsieur with Cherry

Cod Onion Soubise with Grilled Chanterelles, and Balsamic Kumquats

Pork Belly with Potato Vadouvan and Mustard Ice Cream

Spaghetti Carbonara with Santa Barbara Prawn Sage

Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Smoked Eggplant, Goat Cheese, Shallots and Chives

Cheese Board with housemade Condiments

Vanilla Panna Cotta with Caramel and Caviar

Chocolate Cup Cake with Foie Gras Chantilly, Candied Bacon, Almonds and Maple

Organic Strawberry, Wasabi Mascarpone and Pistachio Parfait

If anyone is in Los Angeles, stop by Breadbar on 3rd Street before August 22nd which is the last day of Ludo Bites.

Punchlines

I need a second job just to help make ends meet. Unfortunately, I have no salable skills whatsoever, which means I will have to resort to...

...elective office in Washington DC.

RIP Blake

News spread quickly among the writing community of the sudden death by cardiac arrest of Blake Snyder this morning. The impact that he has made for budding and seasoned screenwriters is absolutely staggering. His book Save the Cat! became nothing less than a movement, changing the ways scribes approached the process of creating. He helped me break-through in a couple of stories as well as help me do coverage on other scripts. Several others have elaborated about his life and contributions, particularly in the Examiner as well as on Tracey Jackson's website. Rest in peace, Blake. You will be missed.