B-Side Blog

RACHEL ZOE PHOTOCAP: Putting On A Fashion Zoe

Well, The Rachel Zoe Project is back, and I’m proud to report that the show still manages to cram absolutely nothing in the span of an hour. For the big season premiere, we watched Rachel obsess about orchids, obsess about bangs, obsess about Prabal Gurung, obsess about her androgynous child, obsess about figurative hats, and obsess about bangs some more. Along the way, she prepped for her first big fashion show — all while attending various events for Oscar De La Renta, Michael Kors, and Marchesa, the latter of whom she struggled to find in the hustle and bustle of Grand Central train station. This of course led to many panicked moments of “omg. Where is Marchesa? Where is the Marchesa show?” as if Rachel herself had been transported to the remote corners of Bangladesh.

In terms of supporting players, we once again saw Mandana (who I had forgotten all about), but fan-favorite Jeremiah was nowhere to be found (we were told that he’d since departed). Professional hanger-on Joey emerged for a brief cameo, and even Brad Goreski popped up… and was promptly ignored by Rachel, who instead lavished a hug on nearby Andy Cohen (oddly making a cameo on the show he produces). Meanwhile, Rodger remains as whiney as ever, but now with worse hair. The guy has attempted to grow his hair out, but the resultant shag is like a terrible Reality Bites nightmare from the mid-90s. Just when we thought he couldn’t be any more annoying…

Anyway, after the jump, a photocap!

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REAL HOUSEWIVES OF BEVERLY HILLS PHOTOCAP: Paris Je Temperance

Are those croissants I smell? Or just the crusty remnants of a day-old baguette on Kim’s breath? It can only mean one thing: The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills have gone to Paris! Yes, it’s trip time on RHOBH, and unfortunately for us, you could have found more drama in a Molière play (get it? Because Molière wrote COMEDY. IN FRENCH). The big deal this week was that Kim continued to slur her words and ramble like a sunny homeless lady, and that naturally made everyone think she was drunk again. Inferences were made, questionable jokes cracked, and in the end, Kim wound up crying to her sister in that classic we-shouldn’t-be-laughing-but-we-are way that we’ve come to adore.

Eventually we learned that Kim had taken drugs, but the sort of drugs that keep you sober (seems a bit counter-intuitive, but mmmkay), and in the end, she got a free bag from MAURICE; so all was good. Oh, and Kyle complained to Lisa that she felt there was still tension between them, and Lisa tried her best not to chuck her ass off the Eiffel Tower. C’EST DOMMAGE.

After the jump, check out the photocap!

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VANDERPUMP RULES REUNION PHOTOCAP: Wherein Idiots Confront Idiots

One of the worst shows to land on Bravo in ages has to be Vanderpump Rules, but unlike those legions of terrible and forgettable series like Mis/Advised or LOLwork, this vile turd is so bad it actually has become fun to watch. Now I’m not an ironic TV viewer — I don’t generally tune in to something awful simply to mock it. If I’m ridiculing something, I tend to enjoy it at some base level.

However, Vanderpump Rules is so loathsome, I couldn’t help but immerse myself in it. Even worse, I’ve become invested in it. I wouldn’t say that I care about any of the vapid servers at SUR, the tacky restaurant that provides the backdrop for this show. It’s more that I’m fascinated to see actual Mean Girls doing what they do best: instill fear in the weak, inspire hostility in the equally matched, and divide and conquer the rest. The intrigue stems not from whether Jax and Stassi might reunite but rather from the always looming possibility that someone might please, please put these idiots in their place (spoiler alert: it never seems to happen).

By the time we wound up at the reunion this week, we’d amassed so much deplorable behavior from the entire cast, that it was a minor joy seeing these kids face the stinky bullshit they’d been tossing around. Some people, like professional doofus Jax, caught plenty of heat for questionable, if not downright sleazy choices. However, others like queen B Stassi seemed to only get a light slap on the wrists. Not fair, I say! Luckily, the thrashing Stassi’s surely receiving on the Internet will more than make up for Andy Cohen’s lack of needling. And I’m only too happy to participate!

After the jump, a photocap from the reunion…

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ADVENTURES IN DOMESTICITY: Chickpea Sauté with Greek Yogurt Edition

Well, it’s the New Year (Chinese, at least), and I’ve been more or less keeping to my resolution to eat healthier in 2013. This has meant cutting out late night McDonald’s visits (sadness) and, well, early afternoon McDonald’s runs visits (more sadness), but not all has been lost. In the place of delicious Big Macs have been a variety of veggie-oriented meals, many of which have stemmed from Yotam Ottolenghi’s magnificent Jerusalem: The Cookbook as well as his previous tome, Plenty. It’s from the latter book where I found a recipe for Chickpea Sauté with Greek Yogurt. You see, I had just returned from the Hollywood Farmer’s Market where I had spontaneously purchased two bundles of rainbow chard. This was not normal behavior for me, but strange things have been happening in 2013 (healthy eating, watching American Idol again, bought a knit cap — everything is topsy turvy).

Anyway, the sudden influx of chard meant I could do two things: a) find a way to use the chard, and b) come up with several chard puns. Sure enough, it was a good day to die chard because the aforementioned Chickpea Sauté recipe called for mass amounts of chard, and that’s exactly what I had. But could this recipe truly thrill me like two all beef patties with special sauce? Or would I be facing the cold chard facts that veggie food simply isn’t as good as the greasy stuff?

Answers after the jump…

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Oscar Bingo Is Here!

Hey err’one. This is a random little shilling post (don’t worry, an Adventure In Domesticity is forthcoming too). I get a lot of junk sent my way, but today I actually have something amusing to share. It’s called Oscar Bingo, and it comes courtesy of Evite Postmark. Basically, you print out these cards from the Postmark blog and then hand them out to your assembled guests at whatever Oscar party you’re at. And if you’re not at a party, well, then this is very awkward. Anyway, as the red carpet events unfold, players mark off squares, with merriment and mirth to ensue. Sewwwwwww check it out, and have fun!

Also, um, sorry I only did one Downton Abbey photocap. I’m not even done with the season yet. I’m so far behind. [crawls under rock]

Healthy Dining From ‘The Biggest Loser’s’ Devin Alexander

Well, it’s January, which means most of the country is still feeling rather bullish about eating healthy and finally getting into shape. You can count me in on that bandwagon, and while I do feel rather cliché for adopting a lighter diet (I’ve already made quinoa twice in the span of eight days — what is happening to me??), I’m hoping I can ride this nutritious journey all the way to the Xanadu that is Summer Abs. Of course, it doesn’t help that I spent ten boozy hours in Los Angeles’s Koreatown on Saturday eating things like fried chicken, cheesy corn, and kimchi pancakes. But I digress.

The point is that I’m aspiring towards a healthy lifestyle, and so I was most excited when my friend Devin Alexander invited me down to the Shade Hotel in Manhattan Beach to sample her healthy menu at Zinc Lounge. Devin, you see, cooks healthy. Real healthy. How healthy? She’s written all the Biggest Loser cookbooks (in addition to several of her own). In fact, Devin appeared on the show just last night to demonstrate her nutritious wares. Clearly, I needed to dive into Devin’s low-cal menu (named “30 Days of Devinly Decadence”).

I only had one concern: what if the food didn’t taste good? I mean, no disrespect to healthy dining, but it doesn’t always cause the tastebuds to sing. Would I be headed down an awkward path of me pretending to enjoy my friend’s menu??

Answers after the jump!

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ADVENTURES IN DOMESTICITY: ‘Jerusalem’ Shakshuka Edition + Bonus Pics of Other Stuff

Back in November, a serious obsession began for me in the form of Jerusalem: The Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. This glorious tome arrived in the mail one morning, and I’ve been more or less cooking from it ever since. How much do I love this book? Let’s put it this way: Jerusalem landed on my doorstep the same day as Ina Garten’s Foolproof, and after nearly three months, I still haven’t touched Ina’s book. Clearly, this is a serious situation.

In the past several weeks, I’ve made plenty of amazing dishes from Jerusalem, but I’ve failed to document them on this here blog because — like my photocaps — I simply haven’t had the time. Well, people, yesterday I turned in a draft of a project I’m working on, which means I can don my blogger cap once again (at least for the time being). I haven’t penned an Adventure In Domesticity in forever; so I thought why not take pics of my latest foray into Jerusalem and share this exciting culinary journey to THE LEVANT?

To celebrate this most Israeli experience, I decided to make shakshuka, which is apparently a very common egg dish in Israel (although, it’s origins are from Tunisia… so think about THAT). There are many recipes for shakshuka out there (including a variation in Ottolenghi’s other cookbook, Plenty), but this is the one I will basing all the others on because a) it was my first, and b) it turned out so so so well.

After the jump, check out pics of the shakshuka process as well as some of the other dishes I’ve made over the past few months, including a nifty dinner party that my friends and I put together…

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Smashburger Opens First LA Store

Exciting news in the world of burgers: Smashburger has finally arrived in Los Angeles. The chain, which has been growing steadily since opening its first outpost in Denver several years ago, is known for its patties, which are actually smashed from meatballs. The resulting burger is thus juicier and more evenly cooked, according to Tom Ryan, the founder of Smashburger. I was able to sample one of these “smashburgers” today during a media-comped event to kick off the restaurant in Culver City. Pics and impressions after the jump…

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THE QUAFF: Fresh Cocktail Hour Returns!

A horrendous thing has happened in Los Angeles: my dear friend Sly and I have ceased making cocktails. Terrible, I know. To be fair, it really isn’t my fault. Every time I invite Sly over to make a beverage, she always denies me coldly — often with some excuse such as “I’m sorry, I just ate three pistachios” or “I’m sorry, but I’m currently perusing a pamphlet about Rodin” or “I’m sorry, but I may have just boarded a flight to Durban.”

Luckily, as the fates would have it, Sly decided to grace me with her presence this past weekend, and with her was Aletheia, who sharp-minded blog readers may remember from the verrrrry first Quaff post, known affectionately then as Fresh Cocktail Hour. Anyway, the two lovely ladies showed up at my apartment with sacks of produce from the farmer’s market, all meant to be juiced, muddled, and transformed into cocktails. Clearly, we had work to do.

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Le Ka Serves Up Le Tasty Food

There’s a bit of confusion about the relatively new downtown eatery Le Ka. Some people think it’s called Leka, others Ka Le, and perhaps a few truly misguided souls believe it’s something named Kale. Let the record show that the restaurant is named Le Ka. The story — as I remember it after a few glasses of wine — is that “Ka” means “family” in Chinese. Furthermore, “Ka” is the surname of the owners. Meanwhile, “Le,” as you may know, means “The” in French, and so the restaurant name literally means The Family… in Sino-Franco language fusion.

Sino-Fanco fusion is also at the heart of several of Le Ka’s dishes, which I recently enjoyed as part of a media-comped dinner. Located in Downtown LA (where everything cool is these days), Le Ka boasts a big, glassy space and a hearty menu full of some definite hits (and a few near misses). Check out pics of the food after the jump…

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