The Adnostic

Now this is some meme action that I can totally get behind! List my favorite local eateries. Growing up in the Valley there was a dearth of real good restaurants within easy reach, and now that I live in WeHo it seems as though there is no end to the good eating within a walk or a few minutes' drive. It is the pleasure of my taste buds and the bane of my waistline. Stop me before I wax poetic about the Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe's within walking distance of my residence.

My Favorite Local Restaurants:

Lucques - When I sent the Zen Master the link to this little gem, his gut reaction was that if we went for the Sunday Supper Pre Fix then we must resign to only eat off the dollar menu for the rest of his visit. I pashawed the very idea and replied this simply would not be the case as long as we invited my parents. He likes how his little Jewish American Princess thinks.

The atmosphere is rustic and small, as though you were dining in someone's provincial home than a bungalow on Melrose. The service was attentive and fluid and after a delectable meal of squash, fennel, and arugula salad, roasted veal with root veggies, and a Latin chocolate mouse cake with baked baby pumpkin seeds we were hooked. The other day my mother wistfully requested to go back and I cannot wait to oblige.

Susina Bakery - Not only is this where Jamie and I host LikeMind every month, but whenever I am in need of a cake, without fail, I order their Berry Blossom. The Berry Blossom is vanilla sponge cake brushed with orange liqueur covered in whipped cream frosting with mixed berries and crushed meringues. It is the most delicate kind of sweetness anyone can ever hope to taste. The scones and savory croissants aren't bad either.

Galanga - This is an unassuming Thai restaurant housed in a converted shipping container next door to a Fat Burger, with a poor grasp of English and only a vague notion of what "fusion" means (apparently it means offering a garden salad with Italian dressing, but I don't hold that against them). The food is amazing, the curries are delicious, and the prices are CHEAP. Bring your own booze and don't miss out on ordering the fry bread with green curry sauce as an appetizer.

BLD - This is a place I had been meaning to go to for a long time, but never got around to it until ZM's last trip. We managed to drag ourselves out of bed at a reasonable hour to enjoy the most amazing breakfast on the planet. I had rich blueberry ricotta pancakes that ZM thought tasted like a giant doughnut (I didn't argue) and he had a fried egg sandwich with Gruyere cheese, thick cuts of bacon and a creamy mystery sauce with chorizo home fries on the side. Heavenly.

If you ever go, don't leave without ordering a pot of mint tea. It tastes so fresh its as though it was plucked right off the bush.

AOC - I think that if we gave Suzanne Goin (she who is also responsible for Lucques) the option, she would rule the culinary universe and the world would be better off for it. Hadashi may go for the cheese bar, but for me, I enjoy the non-Spanish tapas dining. Its easy to go nuts when you can order small plates of lots of different foods and exotic wines by the glass (thank you stainless steel wine tap, thank you). The best aspect is the ability to share everyone with the table. It makes the experience more intimate and communal.

My Favorite Places for Food on the Web:

Tastespotting - I love aggregators. One-stop sites curetted by users or ranked by algorithms that bring me the best of what is happening on the web. This is a repository specifically for user food findings that always makes me want to be daring in the kitchen.

Leites Culinaria - Food articles with a sassy attitude and cookbook reviews with sample recipes. Whee!

Jonathan Gold's 99 Essential LA Restaurants - Whenever I want to try a new restaurant in a new area, or a new place for ethnic dining, I always reference this list. Did I mention that he won a Pulitzer? Oh. What about the interactive map? Did I mention the interactive map?

Now I tag Ms. Jen, Mike, Dave (one day he will yield), Jamie, and Glenda. Give me some food!

I admit it - I'm a hater. The Olympics, like London, has a history and refined culture that should be reflected in the logo design. On the surface this just looks like some designers put their ego before the greater task at hand and gave the committee something even Picasso would need a minute to understand. It also really does look like Lisa Simpson giving head.

And just think of the poor bastards who are lucky and skilled and talented enough to actually win a medal. They're going to have that fugly logo on their lifelong symbol of achievement. They're probably going to want to mount it in a frame just so that friends, family, and future generations only have to see the see the classical international Olympic logo on the one side and not be faced with the hideous blobs for years to come.

Now for the elements I do like:

It is original. It is a refreshingly different take on what is normally a key piece of brand identity that is usually noticed once and immediately forgotten. It is also polarizing. On an intellectual level, I love polarizing. It inspires passionate love or fervent hate (too bad I fall under fervent hate). Truth be told, this is a logo I doubt anyone will find easy to brush aside and easily dismiss, and that's a good thing.

Think about it. When was the last time an Olympic logo inspired this much enthusiastic debate? Beijing hasn't even happened and we can't stop talking about something four years from now. Holy heck that's great! I may not like the look, but I'm loving the response and as a planner, I have got to go with the reaction generated and say that Wolf Olins did a fantastic job.

Then there is the brand identity video that I just fell in love with.

When the Dream Team of USA Basketball was formed, and the mild debate of allowing professional athletes to complete in the Olympic games was had, it made me sad. For me, part of the appeal of watching the games was seeing relative nobodies, anybodies, rise to great feats of athleticism. These were people who were at the top of their game and may not see professional competition. Their crowning moment was just being there and if they came home with a medal then they may as well have just died and gone to heaven, then they went to Disneyland.

As a kid I saw myself in those anybodies. That was the real dream.

The brand video revives that dream, by making personal elevation though sport an attainable goal. Bike to get in better shape. Earn a karate black belt at 70 to maintain fitness, agility, and mental health. Lose weight to feel better about yourself and help others with the same problem. Recognize the heroic athletic achievements that happen every day the amateur athletes all around us. That is the new dream.

Apparently the look of the logo is supposed to still evolve. I'm hoping that if it refines at all, that I will one day love the logo as much as I love the brand identity.