Last Surf Was A Washout. Another Lunch At Gjusta was not!

A big South swell came pounding into Southern California this week. This was good news for the pros. But it kept a kook like me out of the water for days -- the waves were just way too big, and there was lots of rip currents too. Even really expert surfers were getting into a little trouble on the biggest days. But as the swell started to ease, I was anxious to get back in the water. However, as usual I made some mistakes. I went too soon and didn't pay close enough attention to the reports on Surfline. So what appeared, after a look at the Surfline cam and an 'analysis' of the data, to be doable for me, in short was not! The water was very, very choppy, and while most waves were small enough, some larger sets were still rolling through, and of course those always spook me. Again, I have to learn to really pay attention to these reports. However, the trip to the beach was not a total waste. I got in the water, and I managed to catch some smaller inside stuff, which is always good practice, I say. Any time in the water, I think, is a good thing.

Afterwards it was lunch time again. Gjusta in Venice beckoned because that Porchetta Banh Mi from last week was so superb and still on my mind. This time, however, I was in the mood for something a bit lighter. I was curious to try their smoked meats, so when I saw that Cold Smoked Lox on a Bialy was an option, I had to try it. Here, take a look:

Another Gjusta win! First of all the bialy -- it's so hard to find good baileys anywhere really. There used to be a real old-timey Jewish bakery on Pico near Robertson whose name I can't recall, but it's gone. They had great bialys though. Do you know where the bialy -- that cousin of the bagel -- came from?  I didn't until I did a little research. The word is short for bailystoker kuchen. Apparently they originated in a city in Poland called Bialystok. Okay, so up to speed! Gjusta's bialy -- onion and poppy seed -- was slightly crisp on the outside, but soft, although in no way doughy, on the inside. It was layered with cream cheese, the lox, some house-made pickles, arugula, tomato, capers and red onion, so it was loaded. Everything came together perfectly. So if you find yourself in need of a lox fix, and you're in the beach areas, hit up Gjusta!

www.gjusta.com