Huge Hurricane Swell! Too Big For This Wimp. But…An Awesome Banh Mi For Lunch!

So last week I got out to the beach a few times and had some fun, first with my Mentor doing some wave management and then paddling out solo on some really mellow waves a couple of days later.  I planned on going out over the weekend again, but plans change! What happened was first one and then another hurricane was churning down south off of Baja.  Now the first caused some bigger swells that affected the weekend.  I headed out to the beach Sunday, but things were very choppy and the waves getting big. So I swam only. Then came Hurricane Marie. Marie was a monster storm that produced the kind of swell that apparently hasn't been seen in So Cal in years. I'm talking ten to fifteen feet at south facing beaches like in Malibu.  Crazy stuff.  I mean these waves, and these water conditions, are for expert surfers only.  I know a few who were most likely having a blast.

But today, Thursday, things were starting to calm down, and so I took the board out to Santa Monica, where conditions weren't quite so fierce.  Shout out, again, to the guys (and girls) of the LA County Lifeguards for watching over us.

These guys made a lot of rescues over the past few days.  So brave.  Anyway, I left the board strapped to the car because even in Santa Monica there were some pretty steep waves, but I put on the wet suit and managed to do a little swim and wave management session.  It was fun, and it felt so good to be back in the water after a few days of staying away because of the conditions.  One day maybe if I work really really hard at it I'll be able to get out on some really epic waves, but for now it's the smaller ones that'll do.

But since I was out at the beach, I decided to stay for lunch. I'd been wanting for the longest time to try out this sandwich that sounded very delicious that you can find at Gjelina Takeaway in Venice.  If you haven't been to Gjelina, and you like really good food, go!  A few months back my big brother was in town from back east and we had dinner at Gjelina.  Here's some of what we had, and I can tell you it was all excellent, starting with a Charcuterie board, continuing to one of their excellent wood-fired pizzas, and then on to I think it was a lamb chop (I can't quite remember!), and then there were some very delicious meatballs, and finally a butterscotch Budino, which is right up there with the one Nancy Silverton serves at Pizzeria Mozza.

But the sandwich I had been wanting to sample was Gjelina Takeaway's Brisket Banh Mi.  Now, I have become something of a Banh Mi fanatic.  It's pretty much my new favorite sandwich, but it's not easy making a good one at home, I've learned, so I usually get them out.  Michael Voltaggio's Ink Sack in West Hollywood, for example, makes a couple of really delicious Banh Mis, including a spicy tofu one I'm just addicted to. Viet Noodle Bar in Atwater makes some pretty good ones to, as does Gingergrass in Silver Lake.  But I'd been really after that Brisket one so take a look, first wrapped up in nice brown paper, with an Arnold Palmer on the side, and then ready to scarf down.

Okay, this sandwich was so, so good.  The brisket was exceedingly tender.  It's rich, but the richness is cut by the pickled vegetables, which I think included carrots, and daikon. Also there was lots of Cilantro (sorry Sam!).  It's pressed and the bread is crisp.  Wow.  Amazing.  So next time you find yourself in Venice, and you want lunch -- maybe even something you can take down to the beach, hit up Gjelina Takeaway.  You won't regret it!