Started off last Sunday screening (finally) SHAUN OF THE DEAD, the cheeky zombie flick from the Simon Pegg and the same folks who brought us this year's RUN FATBOY RUN. It was on Comedy Central, randomly. On a Sunday!
SHAUN OF THE DEAD
plot: A romantic comedy. With zombies. (yes, that was lifted from their press kit)
thought: Random plot, good follow through.
in five: 3.5/5
find it: http://www.shaunofthedeadmovie.com/noflash.html
And it somehow made sense to move from matters of the undead to matters of the sick and living. I'm not usually into documentaries (and I also lazily roll my eyes at 'based on a true story' flicks), but Michael Moore usually presents his bombastic and at times annoying--and usually depressing--tirades in a humorous light, so I thought, why not?
SICKO
plot: American health insurance sucks hard.
thought: I'm moving back to France.
in five: 3.5/5
find it: http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/dvd/
From the same friend who gave me SICKO, I was able to nab two more pictures, both centered around the industry in which we work. The first already is hailed as required screening for film and tv kids who dream of 'making it big.' The second should be.
SWIMMING WITH SHARKS
plot: Be nice to your assistant.
thought: Or hire a better assistant!
in five: 4/5
find it: http://www.amazon.com/Swimming-Sharks-Kevin-Spacey/dp/1573624047
Unlike the kid who played the less-than-mediocre assistant in SWIMMING WITH SHARKS, David Duchovny (did I just compare him to Frank Whaley???) shines in THE TV SET. And so does Sigourney Weaver! This movie is an hilarious look at how a tv pilot makes the trek from script to production to eventually--often unfortunately--reach our living rooms. It's honest and bleak and funny and pretty much good stuff.
THE TV SET
plot: Studio butchers project for cash.
thought: And isn't that the point?
in five: 4/5
find it: http://www.netflix.com/Movie/The_TV_Set/70063592?lnkctr=srchrd-sr&strkid=656221981_0_0
samedi 7 juin 2008
dimanche 1 juin 2008
WE EAT THE CITY (Memorial Day weekend)
A friend in town, who we'll call Alimenti (which apparently means "food" or "nourishment" in Italian), forced me to stretch my stomach muscles last weekend. I haven't fully recovered (just ask the full plate of cheese, crackers, cookies and brownies I crammed down the hatch last night as "light appero" at a friend's soiree), but it was a mission worth eating for.
The project goal was to take Alimenti to a number of eating and drinking destinations that, in my opinion, define Fire City's ever-changing, lip-smacking, lick-worthy palate. Starting Saturday of the loooong weekend, we enjoyed an early morning cupa at my favorite organic anytime eatery, Urth Caffe. Their honey chai latte is definitely worth revisiting. But that's for another weekend, since we zipped off shortly after for brunch at Toast.
The first time I ate at Toast, I was awed and amazed not just by their food, but also by the ambiance and the pleasurable waitstaff. This time, though the sofa seats were still sublime, the tri-berry pancakes...not so much. I know better than to get pancakes anywhere but IHOP! What was I thinking?
We took a break after Toast then decided on late lunch. Why? Because I'd made 3pm reservations at the uber-up tight Pizzeria Mozza and didn't want to upset them by cancelling. This place is nothing but annoying before you get in the door, but once seated, you're well taken care of and deliciously content. It is worth the hassle. I almost don't want to say that, but it's true. The pizza is that good. Not to be outdown by the appetizers, though! We started with the avocado, agretti & walnut (a MUST!) and went big with the Eggplant Caponata. Both so delectably and interestingly flavored. "Agretti" is a bitter green, tastes kind of like spinach but looks like a small, grassy fern. And it's great against the avocado and the light brushing of mustardy vinaigrette over the walnuts. Our all-star pizzas included the BIANCA (very best, pure perfection), SQUASH BLOSSOM (the burrata is heavenly!) and the FUNGHI (over-salty, unfortunately, and the mushrooms were overcooked...but it was the one-pizza-too-many that we shouldn't have ordered anyway, so I almost blame us).
Because lunch at Mozza set us back one hundred dollars (yeah, 'cause we got wine, too) and filled us--or at least me--in an unnatural way, I swore off food for the rest of the day. But I did take Alimenti to pick up dessert at Michel Ricard, a French patisserie just next door to the Robertson location of my nostalgic favorite, LE PAIN QUOTIDIEN. If I hadn't been so full, I would have tried something to re-imagine myself in France....
Sunday brought on a new rush of food and beverage activities, for Sunday was unofficially Wine Day. Along with another friend who I'll call Ithaca, we set off early (after a pit stop at Urth) for north of Santa Barbara to tour the wine region. On our way we stopped at my new favorite in-the-midde-of-nowhere bakery (did I have an old favorite?) called Anna's Bakery in...well, the middle of nowhere. Their cookies were fantastic (I had gingersnap and snickerdoodle--oooh, one too many). From there we managed to hit four great wineries: Palmina, Melville, Babcock and Mosby. Alimenti bought a half case at Palmina (their Treminer wooed him in); I bought a wonderful white from Melville, as did Ithaca, and she also bought a delicious raspberry dessert wine at Mosby. We've got food and dessert plans galore as a result.
Post-wineries, we traveled back downward to Santa Barbara, stopping at a cute coffee bistro off State Street called Pierre Lafond. Like I hadn't already had one, I had *another* gingersnap cookie (Anna's was way better!) and downed an okay espresso (only okay) to make the drive home.
Monday morning before Alimenti's flight we trekked out to Santa Monica to Caffe Luxxe, where I had the best espresso of my life since coming back to the States...and the worst madeleine ever. I think they were a few days old. But the coffee did the trick, and I will recommend them in the future. We skedaddled our way to the airport after that, and I bid Alimenti adieu...that is until weekend after next when I head up to Town City to enjoy a gastronomic visit of my own.
Oy, I'm full just thinking about it.
THE SPOTS
urth caffe - http://www.urthcaffe.com/
toast - http://www.toastbakerycafe.net/
pizzeria mozza (and the even more pricey osteria) - http://www.mozza-la.com/
michel ricard - http://www.maisonrichard.com/
anna's bakery - http://www.annas-bakery.net/mozilla/index.html
wine country - http://www.sbcountywines.com/
pierre lafond - http://www.pierrelafond.com/
caffe luxxe - http://www.caffeluxxe.com/
THE RATINGS
urth - 5/5
toast - 3/5 this visit, 4/5 usually
pizzeria mozza - 4.5/5 (i *almost* blamed me for that pizza. but it was them.)
michel ricard - looked good
anna's bakery - 5/5 for cookies!
palmina winery - 4.5/5 (loses for ambiance, gains for snack and obviously wine quality)
melville winery - 3.5/5 (mediocre wines except the one I bought...but they forgot to charge us for our visit, so hey, I still like them!)
babcock winery - we missed the tasting, can't say
mosby winery - 3/5
pierre lafond - 3.5/5
caffe luxxe - 4/5
Updates to come:
- Sushi at the famous Studio City KATSU-YA (five stars!)
- The fabulous SEX AND THE CITY film (five stars!)
The project goal was to take Alimenti to a number of eating and drinking destinations that, in my opinion, define Fire City's ever-changing, lip-smacking, lick-worthy palate. Starting Saturday of the loooong weekend, we enjoyed an early morning cupa at my favorite organic anytime eatery, Urth Caffe. Their honey chai latte is definitely worth revisiting. But that's for another weekend, since we zipped off shortly after for brunch at Toast.
The first time I ate at Toast, I was awed and amazed not just by their food, but also by the ambiance and the pleasurable waitstaff. This time, though the sofa seats were still sublime, the tri-berry pancakes...not so much. I know better than to get pancakes anywhere but IHOP! What was I thinking?
We took a break after Toast then decided on late lunch. Why? Because I'd made 3pm reservations at the uber-up tight Pizzeria Mozza and didn't want to upset them by cancelling. This place is nothing but annoying before you get in the door, but once seated, you're well taken care of and deliciously content. It is worth the hassle. I almost don't want to say that, but it's true. The pizza is that good. Not to be outdown by the appetizers, though! We started with the avocado, agretti & walnut (a MUST!) and went big with the Eggplant Caponata. Both so delectably and interestingly flavored. "Agretti" is a bitter green, tastes kind of like spinach but looks like a small, grassy fern. And it's great against the avocado and the light brushing of mustardy vinaigrette over the walnuts. Our all-star pizzas included the BIANCA (very best, pure perfection), SQUASH BLOSSOM (the burrata is heavenly!) and the FUNGHI (over-salty, unfortunately, and the mushrooms were overcooked...but it was the one-pizza-too-many that we shouldn't have ordered anyway, so I almost blame us).
Because lunch at Mozza set us back one hundred dollars (yeah, 'cause we got wine, too) and filled us--or at least me--in an unnatural way, I swore off food for the rest of the day. But I did take Alimenti to pick up dessert at Michel Ricard, a French patisserie just next door to the Robertson location of my nostalgic favorite, LE PAIN QUOTIDIEN. If I hadn't been so full, I would have tried something to re-imagine myself in France....
Sunday brought on a new rush of food and beverage activities, for Sunday was unofficially Wine Day. Along with another friend who I'll call Ithaca, we set off early (after a pit stop at Urth) for north of Santa Barbara to tour the wine region. On our way we stopped at my new favorite in-the-midde-of-nowhere bakery (did I have an old favorite?) called Anna's Bakery in...well, the middle of nowhere. Their cookies were fantastic (I had gingersnap and snickerdoodle--oooh, one too many). From there we managed to hit four great wineries: Palmina, Melville, Babcock and Mosby. Alimenti bought a half case at Palmina (their Treminer wooed him in); I bought a wonderful white from Melville, as did Ithaca, and she also bought a delicious raspberry dessert wine at Mosby. We've got food and dessert plans galore as a result.
Post-wineries, we traveled back downward to Santa Barbara, stopping at a cute coffee bistro off State Street called Pierre Lafond. Like I hadn't already had one, I had *another* gingersnap cookie (Anna's was way better!) and downed an okay espresso (only okay) to make the drive home.
Monday morning before Alimenti's flight we trekked out to Santa Monica to Caffe Luxxe, where I had the best espresso of my life since coming back to the States...and the worst madeleine ever. I think they were a few days old. But the coffee did the trick, and I will recommend them in the future. We skedaddled our way to the airport after that, and I bid Alimenti adieu...that is until weekend after next when I head up to Town City to enjoy a gastronomic visit of my own.
Oy, I'm full just thinking about it.
THE SPOTS
urth caffe - http://www.urthcaffe.com/
toast - http://www.toastbakerycafe.net/
pizzeria mozza (and the even more pricey osteria) - http://www.mozza-la.com/
michel ricard - http://www.maisonrichard.com/
anna's bakery - http://www.annas-bakery.net/mozilla/index.html
wine country - http://www.sbcountywines.com/
pierre lafond - http://www.pierrelafond.com/
caffe luxxe - http://www.caffeluxxe.com/
THE RATINGS
urth - 5/5
toast - 3/5 this visit, 4/5 usually
pizzeria mozza - 4.5/5 (i *almost* blamed me for that pizza. but it was them.)
michel ricard - looked good
anna's bakery - 5/5 for cookies!
palmina winery - 4.5/5 (loses for ambiance, gains for snack and obviously wine quality)
melville winery - 3.5/5 (mediocre wines except the one I bought...but they forgot to charge us for our visit, so hey, I still like them!)
babcock winery - we missed the tasting, can't say
mosby winery - 3/5
pierre lafond - 3.5/5
caffe luxxe - 4/5
Updates to come:
- Sushi at the famous Studio City KATSU-YA (five stars!)
- The fabulous SEX AND THE CITY film (five stars!)
samedi 24 mai 2008
movies i don't care to discuss: MADE OF HONOR and INDY 4
MADE OF HONOR
PLOT: Reverse "My Best Friend's Wedding"
THOUGHT: Stick to McDreamy, McDreamy! Seriously!
IN FIVE: 1.5/5
BEE HIVE: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/madeofhonor/
INDIANA JONES: CURSE OF THE COLLIDING PLOTLINES...er, I mean KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
PLOT: Jumps, traps, hats and subterfuge.
THOUGHT: Dr. Jones is a...Scientologist now?
IN FIVE: 2/5
SEE WHY: http://www.indianajones.com/site/index.html
And that's a wrap.
PLOT: Reverse "My Best Friend's Wedding"
THOUGHT: Stick to McDreamy, McDreamy! Seriously!
IN FIVE: 1.5/5
BEE HIVE: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/madeofhonor/
INDIANA JONES: CURSE OF THE COLLIDING PLOTLINES...er, I mean KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
PLOT: Jumps, traps, hats and subterfuge.
THOUGHT: Dr. Jones is a...Scientologist now?
IN FIVE: 2/5
SEE WHY: http://www.indianajones.com/site/index.html
And that's a wrap.
lundi 19 mai 2008
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN
Darker and much more serious than its predecessor, the latest installment in the vaguely Biblical Narnia series had the double brother-sister quartet teaming up with another cute Brit to fight some bad guys, befriend some talking animals and make me question whether or not I'm a sexual predator. I mean, come on, between both Ben Barns (Prince Caspian) and William Moseley (King Peter the Magnificent--and indeed, he is, dahling) playing high school age heroes, can you blame me? But I did my homework; I looked them both up on IMDB--Ben's 27 and little Will's 21.
Cute just-of-agers aside, I can't decide if PRINCE CASPIAN interested me or bored me. The action was cool, but the plot felt very...aged. I wanted a children's film, and instead I got a borderline war epic, complete with blood, wounds, shrilly delivered battle cries, and lions, tigers and bears--oh my. I was expecting the Pevensie kids to grow up, but I almost found myself saddened by the weight of maturity they had to bear by story's end. They were disenchanted soldiers before the movie hit an hour and thirty. Luckily, by the time they announced they were once again deserting Narnia for Canada--er, I mean London--at film's end, they'd been rewarded for their bravery, if not via an awkward yet enjoyable love scene between Susan and Prince Can-we-elope-together Caspian, but by the love and acceptance of their friends--which, really, is what all children seek. Turns out it was a kids film after all.
PLOT: Aslan ain't done just yet.
THOUGHT: Kids grow up so fast!
IN FIVE: 3/5
THE FILM: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/narnia/
Cute just-of-agers aside, I can't decide if PRINCE CASPIAN interested me or bored me. The action was cool, but the plot felt very...aged. I wanted a children's film, and instead I got a borderline war epic, complete with blood, wounds, shrilly delivered battle cries, and lions, tigers and bears--oh my. I was expecting the Pevensie kids to grow up, but I almost found myself saddened by the weight of maturity they had to bear by story's end. They were disenchanted soldiers before the movie hit an hour and thirty. Luckily, by the time they announced they were once again deserting Narnia for Canada--er, I mean London--at film's end, they'd been rewarded for their bravery, if not via an awkward yet enjoyable love scene between Susan and Prince Can-we-elope-together Caspian, but by the love and acceptance of their friends--which, really, is what all children seek. Turns out it was a kids film after all.
PLOT: Aslan ain't done just yet.
THOUGHT: Kids grow up so fast!
IN FIVE: 3/5
THE FILM: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/narnia/
dimanche 18 mai 2008
The leaf is always greener... (lunch)
A new "you must think we're healthy"-themed restaurant has opened in My Hills called GREENLEAF. Two words that immediately make me think of spas, golfing and zero-calorie living, or in short, the good life. Had to try.
Now, poor little GREENLEAF has some stiff competition at its post on the edge of BH, sandwiched between a Subway and what seems to be an antique store at a little-to-no parking spot on Wilshire B, but I want to give her the benefit of the doubt. Only open two weeks, and already the line at the door is long and hungry and long and...waiting.
My friends and I (one, yes, Connecticut, and the other we'll call Sparks) ventured to eat cheaply at our newfound eatery, one, because we were in a rush and two, because we're only feigning to be living on that side of the fence (the good life side). But lucky for us, though the joint is slow, pricey, it isn't. With under ten bucks spent, I ate and was content, if not for a few shortcomings that the newbie restau has yet to iron out.
FIVE TIPS TO KEEP GREENLEAF FROM WITHERING AWAY
1. Carbon Copies. Invest in them. The man at the door who (unnecessarily) took our orders wrote everything down--count it--one, two, TWICE; one copy for us, one for the salad preparers to begin making our meal. And he wrote SLOWLY. I enjoyed the so-called "personal touch" of having him take jabs at the lettuce wraps I chose to construct, but honestly, would have been better if that time spent on banter had been put towards efficiently preparing my meal.
2. Shorthand. This is another speed issue. Silly me (so silly!), I ordered pomegranate vinaigrette for my first tofu cilantro mushroom lettuce wrap (weird huh?). And slowish, bantering manager man wrote it out, letter by letter, on each of his non-carbon-copy-producing receipt pages. Um...pom vin, anyone? Or even PV. Learn shorthand, and you will save at least 30seconds per customer.
3. Amenities. I would have liked a place to get more napkins, a place to get some spices to flavor my meal, if desired, some cups next to the water machine...these things make a restaurant go round. As opposed to "go down."
4. Staff. The man at the register was very nice, even after he handed me someone else's order (and I didn't notice until I sat down and opened it, about to bite in). But there were about seven others behind him running about and to what end, I couldn't tell. For all their bustle, the line was still long, and their overall confusion was pungent. But then again, maybe we should blame manager man.
5. Desserts. I think they mentioned cookies. I saw a few, packed into a bowl behind the register, stacked like so many forgotten Pillsbury break-and-bakes waiting to find love at the lips of an unpicky child. I was not that child. Give me REAL cookies, Greenleaf. 'Cause I know your salads aren't that healthy. You don't have to hide your cookies in shame.
OVERALL: 3/5, with hope of improvement
WHAT I GOT: two orders of lettuce wraps: (1)grilled tofu, cilantro and mushroom with pom vin - $3; (2)bbq shrimp, candied ginger and almonds - $4, total = $7.58 w/tax (though really, they should round off their prices to multiples of five...tip #6).
THE SPOT: http://gourmetchopshop.com/
After lunch, we saw PRINCE CASPIAN, and today (dimanche) I saw MADE OF HONOR. More on that to come.
Now, poor little GREENLEAF has some stiff competition at its post on the edge of BH, sandwiched between a Subway and what seems to be an antique store at a little-to-no parking spot on Wilshire B, but I want to give her the benefit of the doubt. Only open two weeks, and already the line at the door is long and hungry and long and...waiting.
My friends and I (one, yes, Connecticut, and the other we'll call Sparks) ventured to eat cheaply at our newfound eatery, one, because we were in a rush and two, because we're only feigning to be living on that side of the fence (the good life side). But lucky for us, though the joint is slow, pricey, it isn't. With under ten bucks spent, I ate and was content, if not for a few shortcomings that the newbie restau has yet to iron out.
FIVE TIPS TO KEEP GREENLEAF FROM WITHERING AWAY
1. Carbon Copies. Invest in them. The man at the door who (unnecessarily) took our orders wrote everything down--count it--one, two, TWICE; one copy for us, one for the salad preparers to begin making our meal. And he wrote SLOWLY. I enjoyed the so-called "personal touch" of having him take jabs at the lettuce wraps I chose to construct, but honestly, would have been better if that time spent on banter had been put towards efficiently preparing my meal.
2. Shorthand. This is another speed issue. Silly me (so silly!), I ordered pomegranate vinaigrette for my first tofu cilantro mushroom lettuce wrap (weird huh?). And slowish, bantering manager man wrote it out, letter by letter, on each of his non-carbon-copy-producing receipt pages. Um...pom vin, anyone? Or even PV. Learn shorthand, and you will save at least 30seconds per customer.
3. Amenities. I would have liked a place to get more napkins, a place to get some spices to flavor my meal, if desired, some cups next to the water machine...these things make a restaurant go round. As opposed to "go down."
4. Staff. The man at the register was very nice, even after he handed me someone else's order (and I didn't notice until I sat down and opened it, about to bite in). But there were about seven others behind him running about and to what end, I couldn't tell. For all their bustle, the line was still long, and their overall confusion was pungent. But then again, maybe we should blame manager man.
5. Desserts. I think they mentioned cookies. I saw a few, packed into a bowl behind the register, stacked like so many forgotten Pillsbury break-and-bakes waiting to find love at the lips of an unpicky child. I was not that child. Give me REAL cookies, Greenleaf. 'Cause I know your salads aren't that healthy. You don't have to hide your cookies in shame.
OVERALL: 3/5, with hope of improvement
WHAT I GOT: two orders of lettuce wraps: (1)grilled tofu, cilantro and mushroom with pom vin - $3; (2)bbq shrimp, candied ginger and almonds - $4, total = $7.58 w/tax (though really, they should round off their prices to multiples of five...tip #6).
THE SPOT: http://gourmetchopshop.com/
After lunch, we saw PRINCE CASPIAN, and today (dimanche) I saw MADE OF HONOR. More on that to come.
dimanche 11 mai 2008
THE FALL
There is something about Lee Pace's career choices that baffle and impress me. He is a man's actor; he plays a role as if he lives for it, whether he be a pre-op transexual (SOLDIER'S GIRL), a secret agent of the CIA (THE GOOD SHEPHERD), a suicidal stuntman (THE FALL) or a shy pastry chef with supernatural powers ("Pushing Daisies"). In my mind, actually, he doesn't play characters at all--he works. He works his way into a role, so much so that you forget he ever worked at anything else.
That's the first reason why I desperately fell in love with Tarsem Singh's THE FALL. The second reason was Catinca Untaru who embodies the role of Alexandria, the young girl who's acting chops at the age of eight speak loads for her cinematic future. You go, little girl!
This film is breathtaking in its artistry and compelling in story; both full of meaning and completely nonsensical. "Man in hospital tells little girl story that she vividly imagines as true," is the gist, but here, the pictures definitely speak louder than words.
PLOT: Fantasy and reality are interchangeable.
THOUGHT: And they should both be scored by Beethoven. (that's right)
IN FIVE: 4.5/5
THE FILM: http://www.thefallthemovie.com/
That's the first reason why I desperately fell in love with Tarsem Singh's THE FALL. The second reason was Catinca Untaru who embodies the role of Alexandria, the young girl who's acting chops at the age of eight speak loads for her cinematic future. You go, little girl!
This film is breathtaking in its artistry and compelling in story; both full of meaning and completely nonsensical. "Man in hospital tells little girl story that she vividly imagines as true," is the gist, but here, the pictures definitely speak louder than words.
PLOT: Fantasy and reality are interchangeable.
THOUGHT: And they should both be scored by Beethoven. (that's right)
IN FIVE: 4.5/5
THE FILM: http://www.thefallthemovie.com/
brunch & tea on samedi
Met with a couple girlfriends for brunch on Saturday at the beach-side location of JACK N JILL'S, a popular little place apparently known for its muffins and its egg masterpieces. All I had was a flavored coupa with rice milk, but what my friends ordered looked "formidable," as the French say.
My coffee was flavored hazelnut, and though it made me slightly ill (I didn't realise rice milk had dairy...is that dumb?), it tasted good before that! I won't fault them for their food, either, which was large-portioned and tasty to my fasting eye (I had to abstain, as I had already made food plans with another friend for just two hours later). The only disappointing peccadillo of my brief stay at JJ's, then, was their lack of a recycling bin. They were serving green tea at the door and invited their patrons to promptly garbage their plastic, eco-unfriendly cups. And for a place that had ORGANIC stamped on everything, I just expected a wider-cast net of earth-love. Apparently organic is just a trend and not a way of life to Jack n Jill's. So be it; I'll bring my own cup next time.
After my non-brunch, I walked the pier with Connecticut and her friend British Visitor. We did a little shopping then stepped into YE OLDE KINGS HEAD for high tea. Yes, high tea. (You see that? I will be international no matter where I stay.) Though the selection of teas was minimal (Earl Grey, Darjeeling or English Breakfast), the most important three were there, and the selection of mini sandwiches and bite-sized cakes that followed complimented our tea choices grandly.
We were seated in a room with very low leather booths whose walls were deep red and paneled into sections that celebrated a few prolific kings of England's royal history. It all felt very authentic, and with British Visitor there to verify both our meal and our surroundings, it almost felt like a history class, or at least a brief seminar on British culture, but better, because there was food. And so I tried everything, even the sandwich of cheese and pickle spread (it was good). The tea was complete--with raisin scones, jam and Devonshire cream, as well as egg sandwiches, cucumber cheese sandwiches and both Battenberg marzipan and Victoria sponge cake--and it left us completely stuffed. Luckily, we were able to walk it off up and down the promenade for the rest of the afternoon.
BRUNCH: http://www.eatatjacknjills.com/
IN FIVE: (can I really rate it if I didn't eat there?) 3.5/5
TEA: http://www.yeoldekingshead.com/
IN FIVE: 4/5 Definitely worth giving a try.
My coffee was flavored hazelnut, and though it made me slightly ill (I didn't realise rice milk had dairy...is that dumb?), it tasted good before that! I won't fault them for their food, either, which was large-portioned and tasty to my fasting eye (I had to abstain, as I had already made food plans with another friend for just two hours later). The only disappointing peccadillo of my brief stay at JJ's, then, was their lack of a recycling bin. They were serving green tea at the door and invited their patrons to promptly garbage their plastic, eco-unfriendly cups. And for a place that had ORGANIC stamped on everything, I just expected a wider-cast net of earth-love. Apparently organic is just a trend and not a way of life to Jack n Jill's. So be it; I'll bring my own cup next time.
After my non-brunch, I walked the pier with Connecticut and her friend British Visitor. We did a little shopping then stepped into YE OLDE KINGS HEAD for high tea. Yes, high tea. (You see that? I will be international no matter where I stay.) Though the selection of teas was minimal (Earl Grey, Darjeeling or English Breakfast), the most important three were there, and the selection of mini sandwiches and bite-sized cakes that followed complimented our tea choices grandly.
We were seated in a room with very low leather booths whose walls were deep red and paneled into sections that celebrated a few prolific kings of England's royal history. It all felt very authentic, and with British Visitor there to verify both our meal and our surroundings, it almost felt like a history class, or at least a brief seminar on British culture, but better, because there was food. And so I tried everything, even the sandwich of cheese and pickle spread (it was good). The tea was complete--with raisin scones, jam and Devonshire cream, as well as egg sandwiches, cucumber cheese sandwiches and both Battenberg marzipan and Victoria sponge cake--and it left us completely stuffed. Luckily, we were able to walk it off up and down the promenade for the rest of the afternoon.
BRUNCH: http://www.eatatjacknjills.com/
IN FIVE: (can I really rate it if I didn't eat there?) 3.5/5
TEA: http://www.yeoldekingshead.com/
IN FIVE: 4/5 Definitely worth giving a try.
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