Mmm... Asada

This isn't really a Christmas song but it does mention December. I don't know whether to love or hate Vampire Weekend. I guess before hearing this song I was only indifferent because I was simply unimpressed.

This track has definitely changed my mind. Give it about 58 seconds and you'll be hooked. It reminds me of waiting in line for tacos past midnight when I go back to LA for the holidays.

Thanks to the bzablog's unofficial correspondent to the hipster world-- 'lil grumbles, who posted this vid recently on Facebook.

Ray's Hell Burger

The first snow of year fell as we followed our noses across a strip mall parking lot in Arlington, VA. The entrance to Ray's Hell burger was virtually unmarked aside from the laminated menu taped up next to the door. It's your typical no-frills burger joint. The burger spoke for itself.

Behind every great burger is a carefully chosen bun. At RHB the buns are spongy, soft and moist. They soak up the juice from the burger well. I usually don't like seeds on buns, but the poppy seeds on the brioche buns at Ray's add a perfectly subtle hint of flavor. Like a kaiser roll, these buns are round on both ends almost making for a horizontally symmetrical burger (if not for the cheese and other tasty toppings).

Any burger lover can tell at first bite that these are made to perfection. The patties pack enough flavor to make you want to eat them plain. And if not for the abundant options of grilled savory goodness they offer as trimmings you just might.

I'll save you time and give you the two reasons you must go to Arlington before you die.

1)The Burger of Seville: seared foie gras, Sauteed mushrooms, Bordelaise sauce, white truffle oil.

2)The "Let's Get It On" burger: Applewood Smoked Bacon, Swiss & Vermont White Cheddar Cheeses, Cognac & Sherry Sauteed Mushrooms, Grilled Red Onions, Sauteed Peppers, Roasted Garlic, Lettuce & Tomato

Tis the Season

The temperature is dropping but the spirits are rising! Get in the mood and start listening to Christmas songs (don't say you hate them either). Every Christmas I load some seasonal tunes on to my iPod and play them until I inadvertently start speaking in melody with a crooner voice. Give Fiest and Fleet Foxes a rest already and put on some festive tracks for chrissakes... literally.

This is Coldplay with a warm rendition of a holiday classic that always makes me think of friends I won't be seeing around the holidays. I've been lucky enough to meet and have some great times with kind friends from various places. With so much going on it's unlikely that I'll get a chance to spend time with you all this holiday season. So here's one for all of you who won't be in or around LA or NYC this holiday season.

The Return of the TOP 10 LIST!

I'm back. After taking a 4 month hiatus to hit the books for the LSAT and settle into my new digs in the nation's capital I have officially got my groove back. The new posts I've got coming up are sure to be plump and delicious (like Angela Basset's lips).

In the past few months I've been making weekly trips to the supermarket. While trying to cook at home more I've come to the realization that you need some pretty *obscure ingredients to put together good food at home. I'll usually find myself one teaspoon short of cumin, or a sprig of rosemary short once dinner time rolls around. Ever since I had to leave the kitchen and run down the street for some dried onion flakes while my ground beef was browning, I have made it a habit of collecting different spices whenever I make trips to the market, even if I don't need them for anything in particular in the foreseeable future.

Here is my list of top ten condiments/spices/sauces to have in your pantry. I've selected them for there versatility and overall flavor they add to a meal.

In no particular order:

1. Kikoman Soy Sauce - Forget the "Reduced Sodium/Light" kind. Go with the original recipe. They didn't achieve "300 Years of Excellence" by going easy on the salt.

2. Frank's Red Hot Sauce - It's like the White Out of cooking. When all else fails.. cover it in Frank's Red Hot Sauce

3. Crushed Red Pepper Flakes - They aren't just good for pizzas. Try them in pastas or on broccoli

4. Dried Rosemary - It doesn't go bad in a week like fresh rosemary and seems twice as potent

5. Balsamic Vinegar - If you can afford to dish out the cash for the real stuff (thicker like a syrup and aged 25 years) then the possibilities are endless. I'm not talking about the stuff they give you at Soup Plantation either.

6. Oregano - I couldn't really tell you what this does to food in general. I've used it two or three times to make some lemon chicken. I think it's the stuff they sprinkle over home fries. (?)

7. Ground Mustard - One of the secrets to my sloppy joes

8. Lea Perrins' Worchestershire Sauce - a few dashes for your burger patties or whenever you use ground beef

9. Liquid Smoke - This is like magic. It makes everything taste like it's been licked by flames on the grill. I wonder what would happen if you put it in a dessert?

10. Tarragon - Still haven't used it. I bought it because it sounds like a planet from Star Wars.

*Note: I am a novice in the kitchen when it comes to preparing anything that requires more technical knowledge than grilled cheese or sunny-side up eggs. I acknowledge that ingredients that I consider "obscure" might be commonplace in your kitchen.... So cut me some slack.

Office Jams - vol. 1

Office Jams

Enjoy this, the first installment of Office Jams I will feature starting today. Bump these embarrassingly addicting tracks in the office-- where you are protected from ridicule by over-courteous coworkers.

Beat LA?

I consider myself a sports fan. I casually watch sports without religiously following any one team or sport except for the Lakers. But admittedly, on average I only watch about 70% of regular season Laker games, allowing myself to miss weekend night games and some of the unexciting match-ups (e.g., Pacers, Grizzlies, Bobcats). Sure, come late-May every Laker fan is "die hard", but that's expected. But I digress...

I believe it was during the 2008 NBA Finals when I first heard the chant. Or it might have started earlier. A part of me wants to say it started during the Finals Series against the Pistons a few years back, but I may be mistaken for the equally irritating "DE-TROIT BASKETBALLL!"chant. Most recently this infamous chant has been adopted by Phillies fans against the Dodgers in the NLCS. Regardless of its origin, it always seems to get under my skin. In unison, a steady roar fills the arena and shakes the very foundation of the playing field or the basketball court. "Beat L.A.! Beat L.A.! Beat L.A.!"

Every time I think of fans cheering this I envision a shabbily dressed "bro", with his backwards cap, gripping his Bud Light and pumping his fist into the air. He's fueled by the sexual frustration that he has built up all year long dividing his time between Sports Center and Facebook stalking his no-longer-attainable random hook-ups from high school. He grew up in a sleepy northeast or midwest town half an hour outside of Philly, Boston, Chicago or Detroit and used to dream about moving to sunny LA. He won't admit it, but he shed a tear on the last episode of the OC. and never misses an episode of Entourage. He secretly still hopes that one day he'll actually be able to make the big move West he has always dreamed about. But for now, he'll have to make due as he climbs the corporate ladder at Bank of America (which oddly enough he treats like the Boiler Room and where he works as a teller Monday through Friday, sporting a gelled up fauxhawk and obnoxiously bright shirt and tie combinations).

It's in the mid 80s in LA in mid October and he's in a winter coat, walking to the bar to watch his team play the Dodgers or the Lakers. Now his buzz from Happy Hour is wearing off and the only emotion that pierces through the insecurity that plauges his everyday life is pure rage. It's so unfair. His team is losing, despite being heavily favored in this match-up, it's so sunny in LA it could be noon in July and the dude who his girlfriend left him for last month bares a striking resemblance to Luke Walton. It's hard to believe the game is being aired live when he peers out the window to see street lights glistening off the wet asphalt.

At this point he doesn't even care who wins. The only thing he wants to see is LA lose. "Beat LA! Beat LA! Beat LA!"

As much as it irks me to hear fans screaming this with conviction, a part of me loves it.

Rule #45

No matter how you try to deny you believe it. . . YOU ARE NOT A CYCLIST FROM THE 80s!