Weekend bits

Happy, stormy (here anyway) Tuesday, everyone! Now, don't let those above photos fool you. I didn't get another tattoo. (Not to say I haven't thought about it-- sorry, Mom!). I did, however, eat some yummy food. See, all of those photos are just snapshots from my weekend, which was spent in the wacky and wonderful town of Hollywood.

The boy has been dog-sitting for the past week for a couple who lives just a few blocks away from the corner of Hollywood and Highland. Even though there is tons to do, he has been a bit lonely, so I went to visit him and the pups he's been watching.

Unfortunately, I didn't think to snap a photo of Edna and Babe, so you'll just have to take my word for it when I say they are adorable. They are mom and daughter, so they love to snuggle and, as strange as it is, lick each other. Babe is young and full of energy. Edna is a tad chubby and seems to waddle about on her stick legs. At first, Edna was frightened of me-- she was even shaking!-- but she soon warmed up and decided that, in fact, she loved me and wanted to sit on my lap and be pet all. the. time. Still, so cute.

While the weather has been awfully gloomy and drizzly, the boy and I did get out to explore the neighborhood. Our weekend included:

:: Eating at Aroma Bakery Cafe on Sunset, where much of the food has a Mediterranean vibe, the picture menu goes on for days and the portions are huge. The waitress talked us into a sampler, which included pita bread, hummus, french fries, a cucumber-and-tomato chopped salad, pickles and hot sauce. It was enough to feed four people, at least, so by the time we got our rosemary chicken (served with delicious pine nut rice and a house salad) we were almost too full to eat!

:: Searching out High Voltage Tattoo, better known by TLC watchers as LA Ink, Kat Von D's studio. I've loved and tuned into the show for years, and continue to be a fan even though the last two seasons have been more focused on personal drama than tattoos. I was hoping to see Kat, of course, but the only people I recognized inside the shop were Adrienne and Khoi. While I didn't leave the shop with some new ink (not yet!), I did purchase a High Voltage hoodie. (I couldn't resist.)

:: Waiting in line outside The Griddle Cafe. It was so worth the wait, which actually went more quickly than expected. (We were quoted 45 minutes but I'd say it took 30.) Ever since seeing The Griddle Cafe featured on Yahoo! a month or so ago as one of the best pancake houses in the nation, I knew I had to go. It did not disappoint. Because I couldn't decide and because our charming server suggested it, I got a single (but still huge) Banana Nana, a buttermilk pancake filled with brown sugar-baked bananas, plus an order of Eggs Benedict. But their Benny isn't like anywhere else. The poached eggs sit atop a thick slab of ham and instead of English muffins as a base, The Griddle Cafe uses potato skins. The whole thing is swimming in creamy, dreamy hollandaise sauce that makes you feel guilty but it is so good you don't care. I even added avocado, which was totally unnecessary but still delightful. I also had a bite of the boy's French toast, which had a heavy hand of vanilla extract that made it taste like there was unseen vanilla bean ice cream on top. Seriously, to die for. Go. Now. And if my recommendation isn't good enough, maybe you'd believe Justin Long? He was in a booth just a few feet away from us. That's Hollywood, baby.

:: Trying unsuccessfully to go see a movie at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre (there were no good movies playing, incredibly) and having a creepy homeless dude that reeked of alcohol come up to the boy and pull on his sweater while we were looking at the celebrity footprints and handprints outside. Again, that's Hollywood, baby. As an alternative, we went to Hooters (my first time!) for a late-night snack. Five pieces of medium, naked chicken wings and an Amstel Light for me, training burgers and fried pickles for the boy.

So... where did your weekend take you?




P.S. On Friday night, I went back to my alma mater, Pepperdine, for "Blue and Orange Madness" (aka, Midnight Madness). It was wonderful to see my sorority sisters and even my little sis. I kind of felt like I was in college again (complete with a midnight trip to Jerry's Deli afterward). But the reason I'm telling you is because part of the festivities included a dunk contest. Last year, Keion Bell dunked over five people and the video became a YouTube sensation. Well, this year he had to one-up himself... and he did! "Seven human beings!!!!!" as the announcer said. Basketball fans, you can watch it here.