Going Strawless In Hollywood! You Can Do It.

Okay, this post isn't exactly about surfing and food, but it kind of is. Because, well, yes, there is indeed a picture of a cheeseburger, animal-style, from In-n-Out, and I know that's distracting you, but this post is about something else in the photo.

No, not the fries either. It's the drink. Note that there is no plastic lid, and no plastic straw with my drink order this time. Here, see?

I have to confess that I used to instinctively reach for a lid and straw when at In-n-Out and places like it. Why not? They're right there, and they're free, right?

Well, actually they may be free but there is a cost to all these straws floating around. It's an environmental cost. All those plastic straws...millions of them...billions most likely...all those straws are one of the biggest sources of plastic pollution in oceans the world over. Not only do they never biodegrade, they also injure, maim and often kill ocean wildlife. I don't want to get overly preachy, but seriously, people, how often do you actually need that straw, and the plastic lid that goes with it?  Okay, I'm good with straw use if you have a medical reason, or you're like four years old, but there are good solutions there too -- there are reusable straws made of steel, as well as paper ones like the straws they used at the Rincon Brewing Company up in Carpinteria.

Well, you might say, I need it in the car, so I don't spill.  Well, lookie here! 

I drove all the way from the In-n-Out in Hollywood toward home, and because the cup fits nicely in my cup-holder, not one drop was spilled. Okay, if you made an emergency stop, maybe you'd get spillage, but I've had that happen even with those lids. 

So as somebody who enjoys the ocean whenever possible, I'm asking anybody and everybody who may see this to just think about those plastic straws? Do ya really need it?  Really?  If you don't, why not pass on it. The oceans, and all the creatures that swim around in them will thank you.

If you want to learn more about plastic straws and ocean pollution just google Plastic Straw Ban. There's tons of information out there.  

Okay and thanks for letting me get a little preachy.

World Oceans Day? Here's One Way To Help. And It's Delicious!

It was World Oceans Day last Thursday, and though I didn't get a chance to swim or surf, whenever I am in the water or on the beach, I try to do what I can to help. For instance on my way to the showers after a surf, if I see a piece of garbage on the beach I'll pick it up and toss it in a proper bin. I do this even in the ocean. Not too long ago, the nephew (my former surf caddy...he got a job, damn it!) and I paddled out in Santa Monica, and for some reason there was a lot of trash in the water, which, luckily, is not often the case. I'll usually grab any piece of plastic or trash that I can reach, and I tuck it into the arm of my wetsuit. Then, later, again it gets properly disposed.

I encourage everybody to do what they can to help the oceans of the world. There's many ways to do this, but one of the biggest is use less plastic. Do you really need a plastic straw? No, probably you don't. Can you bring reusable bags to the market? Of course you can. There's numerous ways to cut down on plastic, but there are other ways to help too, and one of the biggest? Eat less meat. A plant-based diet is much easier not just on oceans, but on the environment as a whole. Now, we are not vegans, but we eat vegetarian and sometimes vegan several times a week. Okay, you might say, but eating this way is just not delicious. Well, take a look at this burger from Impossible Foods, that was recently scarfed down at Umami Burger!

Impossible Foods, which is based up in the Bay Area, seems to have done the impossible. They've created a plant-based burger that is so close to looking and tasting like meat you'd almost not know the difference. I've tried the vegan burger at Veggie Grill, from Beyond Burger, and although that one is good, the Impossible Burger beats it hands down.This burger was insanely delicious, and although I could eat In-n-Out every day of the week, I could do the same with the Impossible Burger.

So if you want to eat something delicious and help the world, try it. Here in Los Angeles, you can also find it at the excellent vegan restaurant Crossroads Kitchen, but I think it's only on the menu at lunch, and late night at the bar.

Here's more info:

https://www.impossiblefoods.com
https://www.umamiburger.com
http://www.crossroadskitchen.com
http://www.worldoceansday.org

Sharing The Stoke. In Surf And Food. Like Pink's!

They say that sharing the stoke -- introducing surfing to somebody new to it -- is a great thing, and I'm here to tell you that it's true. Recently our nephew Bart graduated from college and decided to move west to pursue career options in California (never a bad idea!). Although he grew up near the ocean in Maine, he was always more into sports like hockey, skiing and lacrosse (plus there isn't really a huge surf culture in Maine, although you can, of course, surf off its coast). Anyway, we spend a lot of time at the beach and I, of course, continue my kooky surf odyssey any chance I get, so when Bart expressed an interest in surfing I put him together with my former instructor, and soon he was bitten by the bug. This is not uncommon. Now he has the essentials -- a board, a wetsuit, a buddy a short drive south of her who surfs extremely well, and an Uncle who's willing to paddle out any chance he can get.  It's a joy watching a person take a shine to something you love, and I'm sure that soon (if not already) Bart will be surfing way, way better than his lame uncle.

Speaking of joy, a quick side note: I recently had the honor of volunteering for a wonderful organization that shares the stoke with special needs children. It's called A Walk On Water, and what these intrepid surfers do is paddle out with kids who most likely would never get a chance to get on a board. They get the kids up and surfing like pros. I spent the day on the beach at Malibu during the most recent event, assisting wherever needed, and I have to say seeing the smiles on those kids' faces was unforgettable (another side note: got to meet surf dog Haole, a surfing retriever, seriously, the coolest dog you will ever see!) Anyway, can't wait to volunteer for this amazing group again.

Meanwhile, you can't talk about surfing without talking about food. Well, maybe you can, but I can't, and with Bart still learning the ins and outs of Los Angeles, there's also much to teach in terms of what to eat after a surf (or just whenever). In fact he's already working on a super-long list of must-tries. Near the top of the list, of course, is Pink's, the original on La Brea, where's it has stood since 1939! After our most recent paddle-out, we headed to Pink's and here was a nice light (haha...just kidding) lunch.

The chili-cheese dogs are a must-try in my book, but I also went for another classic combo from my New York days, just mustard and kraut, while Bart sampled a Lord of the Rings dog because it has some of Pink's excellent onion rings on top. So Pink's is crossed off the list. What will be next?!

Here's some useful info, not just about Pink's but also A Walk On Water and Haole:

http://www.pinkshollywood.com
http://awalkonwater.org
https://www.instagram.com/haoleboysurfs/

B-Day Waves. Plus A Vegan Lunch at Santa Monica's Erven.

Winter swells (and lots of winter rains -- a very good thing for California) have been keeping me out of the water the last couple of weeks. It's not just that heavy storms have a tendency to stir up a lot of junk, much of which is best avoided for a couple of days, but also the swells that accompany these storms are just too big for this Kook. Yes, still. I will remain, probably always, mellow day surfer, and I'm good with that. So what do you do when you can't get in the ocean? Well those same storms brought a lot of snow, so you head to the mountains, and you ski. I hit up the very old-school Mt. Baldy, which is barely an hour from LA, this past weekend.  Conditions were just awesome -- the best on Baldy in years.  Maybe the best I've experienced there ever.  The only drawback?  Huge crowds!  So lesson learned: hitting Baldy is only for sneaking off on a weekday after big snows. Otherwise there's just too many people.

But I keep my eye on the surf reports daily, eagerly searching for those conditions that are in my sweet spot and, lucky for me, some nice conditions popped up. On my birthday! It was one of those days, though, where I got to the beach, and things were a little different than the Surfline report. Yeah, it was pretty mellow but every once in a while, a bigger set would roll through. I paddled out anyway, sat out the bigger ones, and had some fun trying to go after the smaller ones.  After getting out of the water I was, of course, hungry. Since I knew the b-day dinner was going to be not exactly healthy (we were going for French bistro fare), something lighter was called for. I'd been reading a lot about the recently opened Erven (for chef Nick Erven) in Santa Monica. The restaurant is Vegan and I like to eat Vegan as often as possible, especially for breakfast and lunch, so that's where I landed, and I had the delicious sandwich you see here--

Tucked inside the excellent bun was shaved squash, Thai basil, golden raisins and some kind of creamy sauce, made with some kind of nuts certainly. Those blue corn tortilla chips came on the side and to drink I had a fresh juice made of carrots, ginger, turmeric, fennel, orange and apple. Can't get much healthier than that, huh? The juice was amazingly delicious too, though. Here's the thing about eating like this at lunchtime. You eat a lot, but you feel great after, not bloated or weighed down in any way. Also, it's good for the planet. I will return to Erven and try a bunch of other stuff because everything looked great.  

Here's more info. about Erven.  Go!

http://ervenrestaurant.com

Two Paddle Pomerance Strikes Again. Plus the Nomad Truck!

It happened again. I had a nice (at least I for me) surf session, and I was sitting in my car looking at emails and stuff, and this dude comes up to the car, and he says, "Hey, can I offer a piece of advice?"

"Okay, yeah, sure, but I know what you're gonna say," I answered.  "I get up too soon. It's kind of my Achilles Heel."

"Yep," he said.  "I was watching you. Two paddles more is all you need."

I thanked him for the pointer, even though I've heard it before. Two paddles more! It's become my mantra, and what you can call me if you see me out there (although here's another quick tip that I recently came across, also a new thing I repeat in my head -- when you're trying to catch a wave, it's all about speed and momentum. I should know this by now, of course, but I still have the tendency to not paddle hard enough to pick up enough speed as the wave comes. So I'm repeating these words a lot too: speed and momentum).

As always, two paddles or no, an after-session lunch was required. I had been hearing much lately about Daniel Humm, of New York's Nomad, coming to Los Angeles. Well, his new restaurant is coming and will be downtown. For now a Nomad Truck is cruising the streets of LA, and one of items I'd been hearing about from the menu is this hot dog you see here:

It's called the Humm Dog, and it's been available back east. For sure, it's not your ordinary hot dog. It's off the charts! Seriously. It's a bacon-wrapped dog -- sort of a tribute to those ones you pick up late at night after a concert or something -- topped with a celery relish, and on the bottom a truffle-flecked mayonnaise. The bun is one you usually associate with a lobster roll -- it's split on top, then each side is grilled, so it's browned, crisp and insanely delicious (clearly there is butter involved. Lots of butter). If you like hot dogs, go and get one ASAP.  Oh, the fries are excellent too.  Here, look--

So that's it. Two Paddle Pomerance will get back to the waves, and you should check out Daniel Humm's Nomad Truck. And stay tuned for the opening of the restaurant.

You can follow the Nomad truck on Twitter to find out where they are. Do it.

https://twitter.com/nomadtruckla?lang=en

My Very Own Surfer Girl. Plus Wings At Gus's on Crenshaw.

Not sure I'd ever say this, but I have a surfer girl. Not like a surfer girlfriend or anything like that, of course, but a girl who surfs who I sometimes hang out out with and chat with. Like the other day, I paddled out on a pretty mellow day, and there was my Surfer Girl friend already perched on her board in the line-up. I've been seeing her around for a couple of years, and we'd often get to talking. What defines her as a surfer girl, in my mind? Well, she seems to spend every minute she can in the water or at the beach. She's got sun-kissed bleachy hair and the vibe of somebody who maybe partakes of a little cannabis (although maybe not -- I know she's got a couple of kids).  She's a really great surfer, and I think she gives swimming lessons too.  Anyway, she was out there that day and we got to talking. She watched me paddle into a couple of waves, and actually catch some, and she said she was stoked at the amount of improvement she was seeing since the last time she saw me.

Then, of course, maybe I got overly confident but I totally nose-dived off a wave and ate foam.  Surfer Girl, watching me, pointed out exactly what I did wrong -- when I caught the wave and started to pop up, my hands were way too far forward on the board.  They have to be back at your side -- like those chicken wings I've talked about before.

The mention of chicken wings, of course, made me hungry, and since I'd been meaning to try Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken since it popped up at the corner of Pico and Crenshaw, I stopped on the way home and got the little lunch you see here:

This was the three wing plate (but for some reason they gave me four...not complaining!), with really nice creamy cole slaw, and I swapped out greens for beans because I love collards, and these were smoky and delicious too.

Gus's is a small chain that began many years ago in Tennessee and has slowly been expanding. I love wings -- if I make fried chicken I go for the wings. If I'm out somewhere and can order them, I do. These wings were really superb. Crispy but meaty, with a little spice but not too hot.  Definitely worth a return visit.  Get to Gus's if you like fried chicken (and even if you don't you could make a meal of the amazing sides!).

More info. on Gus's here:

http://gusfriedchicken.com

Look The Part. Plus Another Vegan Burger...This One With A French Laundry Connection!

For the second time in a matter of months, I've been mistaken for somebody who knows what he's doing on a surfboard. No joke. The first time I was headed to the water in my wetsuit, board under my arm. I was almost at the shoreline and a couple was seated there in the sand. The girl looked up at me and said, "Are you our surfing teacher?"
     "Huh?" I answered.
     "We're waiting for our surfing teacher," said the girl. "I thought you might be him."
     Well, needless to say, I set her straight. Later, I texted this incident to a real surfing teacher, the one who did his best with me for a really long time.  He got a good chuckle out of it, for sure

Then, just the other day, I was out again. It was a pretty mellow morning surf on some pretty small waves, so a good day for me. There was a long time between sets and so lots of downtime. At one point this girl on a board nearby said something that sort of made me laugh.  "I'm just going to watch you," she said.
     "Really?" I answered.  "Why?"
     "Well, because you kind of look like you know what you're doing."

So I set her straight too. I can sometimes look like I know what I'm doing, and sometimes, if everything comes together right, I can even impress myself, but most of the times I'm still in the Kook category.

Knowing what one is doing is good thing, both on a surfboard and in the kitchen. One chef who way  more than knows what he's doing is Timothy Hollingsworth, whose career I've been following for a while. Hollingsworth (who also surfs, btw!) was for many years Chef de Cuisine at the French Laundry in Yountville, and he may even have been there when we were lucky enough to be chosen as guests to attend a meal at the French Laundry by a dear friend. This was a multi-course menu, complete with different wines for each course.  It started around lunch time and we all rolled out of there several hours later. In short, that was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and anybody interested in cooking or food should definitely make a journey to Yountville, if you ask me. But back to Chef Timothy. He's now in LA, with two restaurants under his belt -- the barbecue-oriented Barrel and Ashes in Studio City, and Otium, downtown next to the Broad Museum. I haven't gotten to Barrel and Ashes yet, and we're reserving Otium for a special occasion like an anniversary or a birthday, so I was happy to hear that Chef Timothy was doing a partnership with Burgerlords, which is a really awesome little burger spot in Chinatown. I've had both their regular cheeseburger, and the Vegan version.  Burgerlords has begun doing monthly partnerships with chefs around town, available I believe on Mondays only, and Chef Timothy was the first.  He created two burgers, one featuring eel, and a Vegan burger that included shaved carrots, carrot top pipian (kind of like a mole), avocado spread and habanero pickled onions, which you see here, along with that heaping mess of crisp, delicious fries. I chose it because I like to eat vegetarian or vegan when I can, and it was a great combination -- it totally satisfied, and I didn't miss the meat at all.

So keep an eye on these guys. I, for one, can't wait to see who they'll collaborate with next.  More on Burgerlords here--

http://www.burgerlords.com/#new-page-1

Jason V. Stingray! Stingray For The Win!

If you spend any time in the ocean -- either as a surfer or a swimmer -- you probably have heard of something called the Stingray Shuffle. My first surf teacher told me all about it, about how you need to shuffle your feet in order to convince stingrays to move out of your way. Otherwise you risk getting stung. And, I was assured, getting stung is no fun. So I pretty much always shuffle my feet when I'm heading into the water. Once you can jump on your board and paddle, you generally don't have to worry about Stingrays.

Except...

When ya do!

First, a little background on these little creatures: these little suckers are cartilaginous fish, more precisely from the suborder Myliobatoidei, which derives from the order Myliobatiformes. Got that? (and thanks Wikipedia!). They are flat fish (like the skate you might dine on at a good seafood restaurant), bottom feeders that like to hang out in the shallows just beneath the sand. The key thing you need to know is that they have one (or more than one) barbed stingers on their tails. These are put to use when you accidentally come in too close contact, and when you get stung venom is released.  Here's a typical Stingray, just for your information--

Sort of freaky to see what lurks in the sea, huh?

Anyway, back to the Stingray shuffle. The other day, I headed out for a surf because conditions were nice and mellow and in my sweet spot. Of course I shuffled my way out in the shallows, then hopped on my board to paddle out to the sparse line-up.  As is my custom, I just watched the waves for a bit, just to size up what was coming and what it looked like I could handle. Along came a wave I thought I could go for, but I was a little late and missed this first one.  Then came another, and this too looked like a good one, so I paddle-paddle-paddled, caught the wave, and got up on my board.  All good so far. But my balance was off, and I toppled over. My right foot went straight down and touched sand, and right at that moment, I felt it -- like something bit me, right between my pinkie toe and the toe next to it!

The first reaction was something like this: "Ouch! What was that?"  It didn't initially feel like much but a quick nip, but when I got back on my board and looked back, there was blood. And then came the pain!! This Freakin' hurt!!  (Oddly enough, another thought passed through my head just before I noticed the blood...."Can I stay out and keep going?"  Well, once blood was involved I figured it was time to head back to the sand, and with the pain and the bleeding it seemed like a good idea to consult with the lifeguard.

Lifeguard Alex was, I have to say, awesome.  He got on his radio and before I knew it along came another lifeguard truck and then before I knew it here was a yellow bag filled with super-hot water and I was told to stick my foot in it because the hot water would 'cook' the venom and help ease the pain. You have to soak the sting for a good half-hour to forty-five minutes and Alex sat with me the whole time, and then when my foot was done soaking he bandaged up my foot! This is a good reason to always swim and surf near an open lifeguard tower if you can. If you run into trouble, these guys and ladies are the best, and I wholeheartedly thank them for helping me. Look, here I am all fixed up, and I got to keep the soaking bag!

So, in a way, I feel like I've been initiated into some club. Although I'd have preferred to have been excluded from this club, to be honest.  I had planned to check out Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken for lunch and report on it after this session, but with my still achy, bandaged foot, I figured maybe next time.  But a bit about food. I was pretty hungry when I got home, and after something like this comfort food was in order, so I made an egg and cheese on a roll and pretty much devoured it.

Next time, Gus's!!

Old School Surf Spot. Old School Tacos -- El Porto and El Tarasco

While I love going down to El Porto because it has its rough edges and can still be kind of old school (although that's being threatened on a daily basis, unfortunately), I have yet to get a really good session in. A big reason for this, of course, is my Kook status getting in the way. For example, I look at surf reports and see that it seems like conditions may be in my sweet spot at Porto, but when I get there it's different. It's not just that the waves are bigger -- Porto is different in other ways, and I think I may have figured out one reason why on this past expedition. It's such a wide open beach break, and probably because of the shape of the ocean floor or something waves seem to form further out from shore than at, say, Santa Monica, Venice or even parts of Malibu. This may be the reason (in my head anyway) that the waves just seem to pack more power -- they have a longer distance to travel before they break and so they gather up strength. I could be wrong about the mechanics of these waves because I'm far from an expert, but that's just been my experience at Porto. Not that it's not fun to give it a go here -- it's always fun. And I'm determined to get it right at this spot on a day that works for me. So the lesson here? Persistence! And patience. They will, in the end, pay off.

I'm also big on old-school Mexican food -- Tex-Mex some might call it, or Cali-Mex. Anyway, I love crispy tacos, and platters that include refried beans and rice. If you're in the mid-city area, for example, I'd send you to El Cholo (although they have other locations but the one on Western near 11th Street is the original and dates back to the 1920's!). Tito's Tacos, of course, are always excellent, and I've also always been a fan of Lucy's El Adobe across the street from the Paramount Lot (although beware...the service at Lucy's can be spotty). But walk into Lucy's and you could be in the 1970's California, especially if you sit in the booth with pictures of the 1970's-era Governor Jerry Brown and his then girlfriend Linda Ronstadt. But if you're in El Porto you'd have hit up El Tarasco on Rosecrans just east of Highland (and hat-tip here to Osoporto Founder/Guru Jon Berry for the recommendation). After my session the other day at Porto, here was lunch--

This was the #7 dinner plate. It features two fully-loaded crispy beef tacos, along with rice and beans. If you like old-school Mexican you will love this place, which has been there since 1969. The guy next to me ordered a burrito, wet (drowning in sauce and topped with cheese) and the thing was gigantic! I'm not sure if he was going to be able to finish it, but I'll have to come back and try one of those too. And the Chile Relleno, because I'm nuts for those.

El Porto is really, I gather, the northern end of Manhattan Beach but it was once independent, and it still maintains a bit of scruffiness -- the little beach town of Carpinteria south of Santa Barbara has a similar vibe. I love these old-school beach towns. But these places may not be able to maintain their low-key scruffiness forever, so if you like places like it, don't delay. And while you're at it, hit up El Tarasco.

http://eltarasco.menu

As always, if you're looking for a great beach read, click my website, hit the Women Like Us icon and order a book!

Chicken Wing Elbows! Chicken Wings at Howlin' Rays!

Surfing looks simple. And for some people, who make it look really easy because they're so good, it is. But for a Kook like me, it's never simple. Like executing a good pop-up. It's just getting to your feet! But, for me anyway, there's so much going through my brain at the same second it's often hard to get it all right. But lately I've been really trying to always nail it. Especially when it comes to hand placement. When you're paddling into a wave, and you start to move down it, it can feel like you're nose-diving. What do you do when you start to fall forward? If you're like most people, you throw your arms out in front of you to break the fall. Well, with surfing that's exactly a recipe for disaster! Don't ask me how I know this. Your hands need to be down by your ribs on the board -- so it looks like you have chicken wing elbows is how I've heard it described and it's a good description. So lately, while also trying to focus on where my feet are landing when I get to my feet (another recurrent issue), I've also been really trying to focus on hand placement and thinking about those chicken wings.

Which of course made me hungry. I love chicken wings. In fact I think wings are probably my favorite part of the chicken. So when I heard that the food truck Howlin' Rays, which does riffs on Nashville Hot Chicken, had opened a bricks and mortar space down in Chinatown -- just across from Chego and next to Pok Pok Phat Thai, and downstairs from Ramen Champ and now also including Scoops Ice Cream and...what the Hell kind of food court is this? A shockingly good one. Anyway,  I wanted to try Howlin' Rays, and because I had chicken wings on the brain, that's what I ordered. Here's a look-see:

First of all, here's a secret: I ordered the 3-wings, not too spicy, and they gave me four!! I didn't even ask for the extra! Nor did I ask for extra pickles, or extra sauce for my super crunchy and delicious fries. Okay, so the bottom line is these guys at Howlin' Rays? They totally rock. Get yourself downtown and try anything here. It's all going to be amazing. Just be aware -- the line gets long really really fast. So plan on waiting a bit.  But...just go. Eat hot chicken. And if by chance you're trying to improve your surfing skills, think of your elbows like chicken wings!

Howlin' Rays:  http://www.howlinrays.com

Even Kooks Can Sound Knowledgeable. Then Republique's Kimchi Fried Rice!

Sometimes I have really good days in the water. I paddle somewhat fearlessly (for me) into waves (okay small ones) and even catch them. Often, I'm still pretty much a Kook, not paddling hard enough and missing the wave, or popping up too soon and stopping dead in my tracks. My last surf session was a combination of the two. I was going well on some tame little waves, but just as I was feeling good about myself, a fellow surfer came along and decided to give me some pointers. This happens a lot, and I don't really mind. Except by now, I pretty much can identify every mistake I make. So when he said, "One or two more paddles, and you'd have had that wave," I knew it already. Still, I told him thanks and we chatted a bit about this and that. Then, a short time later, as I was strapping the Greco back to the roof of the car and getting ready to leave, there was a car that had pulled up next to me, with two guys and a girl, maybe college age, and they were unloading boards and wetsuits. One of them asked me how it was out there. Without even missing a beat, I said "Oh, well, you know waves were kind of mushy, and a little hard to gauge but it was fun." And the girl said, "Looks like they're closing out," and I answered, "Yeah, yeah. Maybe better later on when the tide gets higher, though." As I was driving off it occurred to me that I sounded like I knew what I was talking about, even if I'm not quite sure what I said was perfectly correct. I've picked up some information over the last few years of my surf odyssey though, and it seems that I might be able to pass some information along.

Here's some more information to pass along, in case you haven't made it to Republique on La Brea, in the old Campanile space. My advice is go! I've been here for a couple of lunches. The first was to sample Chef Walter Manzke's version of the delicious, but ultra-simple sandwich, the Jambon Buerre, which is basically ham and butter on a baguette. Republique's version was excellent, and there's a picture on my Instagram if you want to see it so check that out. But this time I got the Kimchi Fried Rice, because it's another dish I just love (I've talked about my fondness for the Kimchi Spam Bowl at Chego too -- get that if you're downtown!). Instead of Spam, Republique's version has chunks of tender braised short rib, and a couple of very softly poached eggs on top. This makes for very good eating. I pretty much want to go back to Republique and sample just about every breakfast, lunch and dinner item on the menu. Here's the Fried rice:

But wait, there's more!! This was a business lunch, and consumed by my lunch partner was this bit of deliciousness you see here, a seriously good Belgian waffle with seasonal fruit (in this case cherries) and Vermont Maple Syrup. Take a look:

Can't go wrong there, can ya? So if you're looking for seriously good breakfast, lunch or dinner and you're anywhere near La Brea between Sixth and Wilshire, go to Republique. Only warning: it gets very, very crowded!

More info: http://republiquela.com

The Blob!!!! Plus Other Creatures From The Sea at Ohana Poke Company

This was a first -- after a nice little session in somewhat choppy seas the other day, and as I was heading in, I noticed a lady in a big straw hat. She was standing at the edge of the water waving and gesticulating somewhat frantically. When I reached the sand and unhooked my leash I got a better look at her -- She was maybe 70-something, with grey wind-blown hair under that big hat. She wore a very blue blouse, and she had an accent. I think it was Scottish, but maybe it was British. Anyway, turns out she was waving at me. Here was the conversation that unfolded:

Lady In Hat:  Did you see it?
Jason: See what?
Lady In Hat: There was a big thing out there.
Jason: A...what?
Lady In Hat: "It was swimming very close to you."
Jason:  It...whaaa...?
Lady In Hat: Kind of a big blob of a thing.
Jason:  Oh.  Um...Well, it was probably a dolphin.
Lady In Hat:  Oh...hmmmmm.
Jason:  Or a sea otter.  We see those a lot.
Lady In Hat: It could have been. Yes. Sea otter. Well, I just thought you should know. Big blob of a thing!

I thanked her for the heads-up and went to shower off. It's funny because there was a time when something like that would have totally flipped me out. But since I really hadn't even noticed anything swimming nearby it was all good. I've noted this before but we share the ocean with creatures of the sea. I've seen dolphins and I've seen sea otters, and I'm pretty sure that once I saw a baby tiger shark as it bumped off my leg. Pelicans soar overhead all the time, sometimes frighteningly close, like they might take off your head with those big sharp beaks. I've seen whales, but mostly when walking and mostly off of Malibu. Whatever The Blob was it decided to leave me alone so it's all good!

I was, of course, hungry after being in the water, and since I had creatures of the sea on the brain, some seafood seemed appropriate (okay in a weird sort of way!) I had been meaning to try the new Ohana Poke Company in Silver Lake so that's what I did. Here was lunch:

This bowl included heirloom brown rice, nicely spiced Tuna, kimchi cucumbers and a bunch of other delicious stuff. I like to spread some on a chip, like these from Rusty's. This was a really good light lunch to have after a surf, and if you want to go veggie or vegan you can do that too because you can get the bowl with tofu. Poke originally hails from Hawaii and is definitely surf-friendly food. And if you've had any blobs or creatures following you in the ocean, turnabout is fair play. Go eat some creatures from the sea!

Here's more info on Ohana Poke:

www.ohanapokeco.com

Swells Still Too Big Plus New Tattoo = No Surf. Consolation Prize: Malibu Seafood.

These big swells just keep coming, from winter into spring, which means us mellow-day surfers sit by the sidelines and watch the pros. It's kind of a bummer, I have to say. I wish I was braver about big waves. Still, I've said this before but you can learn a lot just by watching good surfers, and so a trip to the beach isn't a total loss even if you can't get in the water.  Meanwhile, I'd been waiting for heavy rains because of El Nino, but while Northern California got dumped on, we didn't get them here in LA. Why wait for rain? Well, if you've been following along on the Women Like Us voyage to publish (and click the link below if you haven't!), you'd have seen updates that had to do with my getting a tattoo honoring our dog Derric, who was rescued from life in a lab by the Beagle Freedom Project. When you get a new tattoo, you're supposed to stay out of the ocean for two weeks, which seems like an eternity if you love to be in the water.  But if we had the heavy rains, you'd most likely want to steer clear of the ocean anyway so I'd been waiting for a series of storms because that would have been a good time to get the tattoo done. Unfortunately I was out of luck on that front (plus we could have used the heavy rains). Still, we're getting these big swells, which for me means not a lot of surf time so I finally made the appointment and just got the new tat. But just because you can't get in the water, you can still have good eats with the ocean in view.  Like at one of our old favorites, Malibu Seafood.  Here was a recent lunch when the nephew was in town:

This is a combination platter. It includes really nicely fried fish, shrimp, scallops and squid.  Of course we also had clam chowder. You have to eat chowder at a place like this. And don't forget the oyster crackers. They're integral.  It's all extremely delicious. Why does food always taste better when you eat it by the sea? When we lived in Malibu, I'd often stop at Malibu Seafood to buy fish to cook, but we'd eat there too, sometimes in the car if it was too crowded! This place gets super-busy, especially on summer weekends, so it's best to try and time your visit so it's not at a prime lunch or dinner hour.

So if you can't get into the water, you can eat within sight of it.  Here's more info about Malibu Seafood:

www.malibuseafood.com

And if you want to read about the tattoo and Derric the beagle, and maybe even order a copy of my upcoming novel, here's that link too:

https://www.inkshares.com/books/women-like-us

El Nino Is Tough On Us Kooks. Plus A New Tuna Melt!

Wow! I just can't seem to get a break. And by a break, I mean one of those nice mellow wave days when I feel best on my board. Of course I must add that the real good surfers are having a blast. This is due to El Nino, which has been sort of a dud so far in Southern California in terms of rain, but it's still producing massive storm surges way out in the Pacific that are sending big, big swells into California, and that's what those guys and ladies live for. So I keep waiting for mellower days, but they've been rare these last few weeks. I'm sure they'll be back soon, though. Sorry big guys and ladies! Oh, but the good news for California with this El Nino is snow has returned in force, most especially up in the Sierra around Mammoth. Haven't made it to Mammoth yet, but I did make it up to Baldy to take some turns, and they had some pretty decent snow for a while. So there's your silver lining.

Meanwhile, I almost forgot  to post this sweet picture that Kate Funk took of a most delicious tuna melt -- because you can never have too many tuna melt pictures -- or ideas on where to get one, right?

Not bad looking, huh? This one came from the newly revamped Rose Cafe in Venice, where we had lunch after one of my little excursions in the water on a mellower day. I remember going to the Rose Cafe years ago. I recall it being sort of an earthy-crunchy kind of place, with lots of granola and alfalfa sprouts. Well, it's gotten sleeker, and more like the Venice of today, with upgrades all around on the food too. The bread was super delicious, the cheddar was aged, and I'm pretty sure those pickles are house-made. Fries couldn't be better too. So next time you're out by the beach, and you have a taste for a tuna melt, can't go wrong with the Rose Cafe! If you've had a good day in the water, it's a reward. And if you've had a bad day, it's consolation!

rosecafevenice.com

Big Winter Swells Mean A Lot Of Looking (And Learning) And Eating

Big winter swells hitting both Northern and Southern California are great news for most surfers, who live for this kind of stuff. For the more mellow-inclined like me, it's good surf-watching weather. You can actually learn a lot by watching surfers do their thing, and so my last few outings at the beach have mostly been about observation. Also, for the longest time I've been wanting to give Topanga a try. Often when you drive PCH and you pass Topanga the surf looks pretty mellow, with waves that don't seem too intimidating rolling around the point. But, as in many things about life, looks can be deceiving. In fact I think I once consulted with my former surf teacher about Topanga and I'm pretty sure he warned me that not all is as it seems, but I have a bad habit of not listening to good solid advice and and just forging ahead, which is something I am always trying to change. Anyway, not too long ago, with big stormy swells making conditions out of my comfort zone at Venice and Santa Monica, I noticed things might be a little quieter by Topanga, so I figured I would check it out. Well, the first couple of surf-checks revealed waves that I wasn't liking the looks of. Then came the day where things did look better. So I suited up, grabbed the Greco and headed for the water. Now, the tide was going out on this particular day, which revealed something I hadn't noticed before about Topanga -- rocks! Lots of them. Rocks everywhere. You have to negotiate these rocks into order to get into the water, and it's a little tricky. This was not entirely new to me -- Little Dume has rock issues too but it also has a rock-free area where you can wade in without worry. So I negotiated the rocks (not easy!) and started a paddle out -- and then, not sure what, but something spooked me. It was probably a combination of things -- the current much stronger than expected, plus how far it was to paddle out, plus another surfer coming close as he rode a wave in. Anyway, it was a total fail and I turned around and headed back to the beach (or...rocks!) as fast as my arms would take me. So chalk that up to some days the surfboard also works as a lunch caddy, like you see in this picture here!

That was, by the way, a very delicious sandwich, a BLT and C, or bacon, lettuce, tomato and cheese sandwich. It sort of was a consolation prize, I guess, for doing so badly. The good news is the big swell backed off, and yesterday I got in some nice water time. For the first time in what feels like forever I caught a couple of waves, got up and got my little ride. So whatever you're doing that frustrates you? Keep doing it. And if you have a bad day, eat a good sandwich. You'll feel better.

Surfing, Jackie Onassis, Diana Vreeland, and Shepherd's Pie! And, Yes, I can link them.

First a bit about surfing. Trying something new can often be a good thing, even if at first it may seem somewhat intimidating.  Like a new surf spot. This past weekend, after too many days of not being able to get in the water because of rain and then bigger swells than are good for me, things finally backed down. Unfortunately they backed down a little too much. When I got to my spot at Tower 26, the ocean was just completely flat. I mean, really flat! I headed down to Tower 24, where a couple of guys on boards were trying to catch some waves, but they were having no luck at all. So the day was looking like it might be a wash. Until I pulled out my phone to check Surfline and reports for Malibu and other spots. Venice seemed to be slightly better and was closer so I headed a bit south. Sure enough, just north of the Venice Pier some nice small waves were rolling in. There was a few other mellow day surfers already there when I paddled out, and I wound up having a blast on these little waves. Later that night we had Shepherd's Pie for dinner, which was made from leftover Roast Beef from Christmas Night dinner. Here it is:

What does legendary style maven and magazine editor Diana Vreeland have to do with surfing and Shepherd's Pie? Well take a look at this!

https://youtu.be/3wRmpc-Fh3o

Not only did Vreeland love surfers, but she thought skateboarders were great too. GREAT!!

So there's Vreeland. Did you know Diana Vreeland and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis were very dear friends? Well, they were, and one thing that Mrs. Vreeland would like to eat when she came to Mrs. Onassis's for dinner was Shepherd's Pie. This fact was picked up in a book called "Cooking For Madam," by Marta Sgubin, who was Mrs. Onassis's longtime cook. So the next time you find yourself with leftover roast (it could be beef, or lamb, or even chicken or turkey), make a Shepherd's Pie. Here's how:

Shepherd's Pie
(Recipe adapted from Marta Sgubin's "Cooking For Madam")
Serves 6

3-4 cups cooked roast beef or lamb (or turkey or chicken)
3 tbsps. butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tbsps. flour
1 3/4 to 2 cups beef stock (or chicken if you're going poultry)
Salt and fresh ground pepper
Mashed potatoes (recipe follows)
*note: if you have leftover vegetables you can throw them in too. I had a cup or so of cooked green beans, which worked really well. Just fold them into the sauce with the meat.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Finely chop the meat and set aside.  Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onions and saute until tender and translucent, about five minutes.  Add garlic.  Saute 30 seconds more. Sprinkle in flour and stir, without browning, about two minutes, until flour is blended in. Slowly pour in stock and whisk. Bring to simmer and cook, whisking, until thickened about two or three minutes. Fold the chopped meat into the sauce. Season well with salt and fresh ground pepper.
2. Spoon the mixture into a two quart oven proof casserole. Spread the mashed potatoes over the top. Use a fork to rake a design into the potatoes. Dot with more butter if you like.
3. Place the dish on a baking sheet lined with foil. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the potatoes are browned and starting to crisp.

Mashed Potatoes

2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

2 tbsps. butter

1 tbsp. horseradish

Salt and Fresh ground pepper

About 1 cup milk

1. Place potatoes in medium pot and cover with cold salted water. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer potatoes until very tender, about 20 minutes. 
2. Drain potatoes and toss butter into the pot, along with horseradish and salt and pepper. Using a potato masher (or a ricer if you want a really find texture) mash the potatoes well.  Now start adding in milk, starting with about 1/2 cup. If the potatoes seem dry, add more milk, up to about a cup, until you reach a nice soft and smooth consistency.  Taste again for salt and pepper.

As always if you're looking for a good read, please also check out and pre-order my novel "Women Like Us" on Inkshares.  Here's that link:

https://www.inkshares.com/projects/women-like-us?referral_code=68914607

Sometimes It's Just Recon. In Surfing And Eating. Plus Trois Familia!

With fairly massive surf dominating much of California last week, I had to stay out of the water. Swell was way too big for the likes of me. But even good surfers were passing on some of the nasty conditions that were out there, all of this due to a pretty massive low pressure system blowing south and then east. Before this big swell really got going, though, I headed out to the beach because I thought I might get a session in. However, as is often the case, even if Surfline reports make it seem like it might be a good day for me, it turns out that you don't really know until you get to the sand and look for yourself. This was one of those times where when I got out there, it was clearly not a day in my wheelhouse. However, the day was not a total loss. I mostly surf around Santa Monica and occasionally Venice, and sometimes Zuma, or if we're lucky Carpinteria. But I've been so curious about Sunset Beach and Sunset Point, which are both closer to town. Sunset Point always looks sort of mellow, but I've been warned that it's deceptive, and that getting into those waves is tricky and requires a good bit of extra paddling. A check on Surfline revealed smaller waves at Sunset on this day, so I headed up there. I found a good spot to park, left the board on the car and just watched guys surf the waves that were coming around the point. Again, these were actually a bit on the big side for me, as was how to negotiate the paddle out, tricky because there's no real beach, just stairs down to some really big rocks. So I was happy just doing recon, observing, and from a vantage point you don't often get, which was up above surfers as they caught waves. This was interesting and somewhat instructional because one got a new perspective from this angle.  All in all, I was happy with this session, even though I didn't come close to wave catching. I did return to Santa Monica to just swim a bit because I didn't want to leave without getting wet.

Another recon mission this week was to check out Trois Familia, the new spot in Silver Lake from Jon Shook, Vinny Dotolo, and Ludo Lefebvre, the trio also behind the wonderful Petit Trois and Trois Mec. Trois Familia is only open for brunch and lunch, and these dudes have come up with a menu that's somewhat French, somewhat Mexican and, of course, entirely delicious-sounding. I'd seen reports (including from Jonathan Gold in the LA Times) about the potato tacos. Sam and I discussed checking out Trois Familia, but we figured on a weekend it would be a mob scene, so I decided to do a recon during the week, early-ish, hoping it wouldn't be too crowded. Of course, even mid-week, it was pretty busy. If I hadn't been solo, there would have been a wait. But I snagged a seat at a table with other diners -- it's all communal seating on picnic tables in a space that used to house Alegria. You grab your own silverware too so if that, and sharing tables, bothers you, this isn't your kind of place. I don't mind it. It can be fun eavesdropping actually, and everybody seems pretty stoked about what they're eating and sharing their suggestions.  I really wanted the tacos, but I must say almost everything on the menu sounds so good, so a return will have to be in order. Here are the tacos:

So there was potato, shredded carrot, lots of diced chilis (I think Jalapeños but they might have been Serrano...they had some heat so FYI) and definitely lime. Then there's Jack cheese and creme fraiche. All of this goodness is stuffed into a crispy taco shell, which is then stuck inside a soft taco! The combination -- crisp, gooey from the cheese and spicy is just incredible. I loved these tacos, and they're vegetarian too. If you're in the Silver Lake area and you're looking for a good brunch spot, Trois Familia will not disappoint. Here's their link:

www.troisfamilia.com

It's The Smile That Gives It Away. Plus Flatbreads!

I've had good days and bad days in the surf (and for sure more bad than good). But one thing that often stays the same is the smile on my face. Because any time I can get in the water I consider a good time. I've had sessions when my performance seriously sucked, but recently when this happened this lady I've come to know who surfs and teaches swimming commented on how I was smiling as I headed to my car.  I fessed up and told her how bad I'd done, but she just laughed it off. Yesterday was a super mellow day. My kind of day. And I did pretty good so I must have been smiling extra big because not one but two people made comments as I came out of the water. I guess maybe the lesson here is it's good to find a way to smile when things are bad as well as when things are good. Because it's infectious -- people notice.

Another thing that makes me smile? Well, if I've spent a bit of time on a recipe, it's always good to find a way to repurpose leftovers. Maybe it's because I value frugality, but when I can make something new out of something old it makes me happy. For instance I recently received the wonderful gift of Chef Tal Ronnen's cookbook, "Crossroads," which features recipes from his most excellent vegan restaurant of the same name here in LA. There are many recipes I want to try in this book, but the first one I went for was flatbreads with tapenade and roasted cauliflower. These came out delicious, but I had enough flatbread dough left for another meal. I wasn't going to need them for a few days, but according to the recipe they're good to freeze, so I popped the extra in the freezer.
A few days later, defrosted, they became the post-surf (non vegan this time) lunch you see here:

That's smoked salmon, creme fraiche, freshly squeezed lemon juice and capers on top of the flatbreads fresh out of the oven.  Totally simple, but super delicious. Here's how to make these very versatile flatbreads:

Flatbreads
(adapted from Tal Ronnen's Crossroads cookbook)

1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 cup, plus 2 tbsps. lukewarm water
1 teaspoon sugar
2 3/4 cups bread flour, or more, plus additional for dusting
2 tsps. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the bowl and more for brushing on dough
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine yeast, water and sugar. Stir gently to dissolve yeast and sugar. Let the mixture stand until it looks foamy, about 10 minutes (if it doesn't, toss it and start again...it means your yeast is no good).
2. At low speed slowly add the flour in three batches. When the dough starts to come together, increase speed to medium and add the oil, salt and pepper (side note: I had to keep adding small amounts of flour at this point...the dough was just way too wet, but it may have something to with humidity so you'll have to judge).  Knead the dough in the mixer, stopping the machine periodically to scrape the dough off the hook, until the dough has come together and is no longer sticky, about 10 minutes.
3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead the dough for a few minutes more, until it's smooth and elastic.
4. Form the dough into a ball and place in an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour. Meanwhile, if you have a pizza stone (and you should!) place it in the oven and preheat oven to 450 degrees.
5. Divide dough into four equal portions and roll each into a ball. If you're only using two, wrap the remaining two in several layers of plastic (you can oil it if you want; I didn't). You can keep it in the refrigerator up to five days, and the freezer up to a month. I froze two, and took them out of the freezer the day before needed. A couple of hours before baking, place the dough balls on a floured board to come to room temperature.

When you're ready to bake the flatbreads, here's a couple of tricks I've learned for getting pizza, or  flatbreads like these, into the oven without making a big mess.

1. If you have a pizza peel line it with a piece of parchment paper. Dust the parchment paper with cornmeal.
2. On a well floured board press and stretch one piece of dough until you have an oval, approximately 8 inches long and 6 inches wide. Transfer dough to parchment. Do the same with a second ball of dough. You should have enough room to do two flatbreads at a time.
3. With a fork prick the surface of the flatbreads all over. Lightly brush flatbreads with olive oil. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper.
4. Carefully slide the parchment paper with the flatbreads onto your pizza stone. Bake for ten to fifteen minutes, until lightly browned all over (after about 6-8 minutes, if you like, you can remove the parchment from underneath the flatbreads but you can also just leave it).
5. Let flatbreads cool slightly. Then top however you like.  For the ones above, just spread on some Creme Fraiche, then top with thinly sliced smoked salmon. Spoon on some capers, squeeze on some fresh lemon juice and you're good to go.

Here's that vegan version, as mentioned.

If you're looking for a great vegan restaurant experience in LA, definitely hit up Crossroads on Melrose.  For more about it, here's the link:

www.crossroadskitchen.com

If you're looking for a great book to read, or give as a gift, here's a link to Inkshares, where you can search and pre-order my novel "Women Like Us".

www.inkshares.com

William Finnegan's "Barbarian Days" - Best Book About Surfing Ever? Plus Burgerlords!

It has taken me a while to get to William Finnegan's "Barbarian Days," which is all about Finnegan's life as a surfer, beginning with his early days in Hawaii and California.  I haven't read that many books on surfing, but I have to say I am totally enthralled by this book, and if you have any interest at all in surfing -- or what goes on inside the mind of a surfer -- go and get a copy right away because it's so, so good.  Even though I am such a bad surfer still, and I've only been at it a relatively short time, I relate to so much in this book (which, by the way, is also a great portrait of California and Hawaii in the 1960's and 1970's, which I always find fascinating and so cool). Also, I've learned important things from this book -- for instance I'm constantly referring to myself as Kook, which is surfer slang for a dorky surfer. However, what I did not know is that Kook comes from "...kuk, a Hawaiian word for excrement"! This is good information to have, and it paints a colorful picture, doesn't it? I guess what Finnegan really nails for me is a sort of obsession, which I guess applies to surf enthusiasts of all stripes. He began surfing as a kid, and while I don't have that (I have the sort of equivalent of that on skis, though), what I do have is surfing on the brain -- I think about it all the time. When I'm not in the water, I'm wondering when I can get back in. In many ways I've been rearranging my life around a surf schedule, and so Finnegan's obsession totally rings true. How many times a day can you look at Surfline cams? Many.

Another takeaway from "Barbarian Days" is the surfer's connection to nature. This is in some ways obvious -- you're in the ocean so can't get much closer than that -- but also in less tangible ways. You begin to understand -- or try to understand -- things like swell direction and swell size, and what it means when storms are churning away down in Baja because they're going to have a bearing on where you might surf and when.  But also it's just about appreciating things. Like the other day was a pretty good day for me in Santa Monica. Waves were on the small side, and there was the mid-tide I always like, but once again there were dolphins passing lazily by, and pelicans soaring overhead, and the water was nice and clear. It felt so good to just be out there. I was thinking about what to eat after the time in the water and, maybe because it was just such a pretty perfect Southern California day I wanted to do something nice for the planet, which means eating something vegetarian or even vegan. So it was a good day to hit up a new spot I'd read about downtown, in Chinatown, Burgerlords. This is a the vegan cheeseburger I ordered--

I'm generally not a huge fan of veggie or vegan burgers -- if you're gonna have a burger, go to In-n-Out for goodness sakes -- but pictures I'd seen of these made it look really delicious, and I have to say it was. Did it taste like meat? Not really, but it was hearty and filling, and I felt really good about eating it. I forgot to ask if the cheese was vegan. I suspect it was regular cheese, but if you're a total vegan get it without. The fries were prefect too, crispy and salty and hot. It's an interesting spot for lunch too, in the middle of this old-school Chinatown mall. I noticed a bunch of elderly Chinese men milling about, studying all the hipsters and such who were eating at Burgerlords. It was as if they were seeing the future and they weren't quite sure what to make of it.

I'll definitely go back to Burgerlords to try the real burgers but this vegan version definitely hit the spot.

So go!  And get William Finnegan's "Barbarian Days".  It's from Penguin Press.

And by the way, if you're looking for a good novel, please visit www.inkshares.com and search for "Women Like Us".  You can pre-order a book, and I will thank you heartily!

www.burgerlords.com

14,000 Days Of Surfing? 'Every Day Dale', Is Old School Surf Royalty. Plus Roscoe's For Another Old School Lunch!

Have you ever heard of Dale Webster? No? Well, to be honest, I hadn't either until recently, but if you surf -- and even if you don't -- this man is an inspiration. Why? Because, since September of 1975, Dale has surfed every single day. Yes, every single day. That's something like over 14,000 of them. Over forty years. He's only stopping now because he has to have minor surgery, and then, at some point, he says he'll get back in the water. But still -- 14,000 days of surfing! Man, we should all be so lucky. Dale surfed on good days and bad. Dale surfed when the sun was shining and when storms were so brutal the wind and rain slashed and bloodied his face. Now that's perseverance. Also Dale had something else to say in this recent interview in Surfer Magazine that struck a few chords. He had to surf three good waves in order to count the surf session as complete, and he was asked how he came to the three-wave idea. Dale said the idea came from Doc Paskowitz (another surf legend...Google him) and surfer Phil Edwards, who didn't consider the wave real unless you surfed it all the way in to the beach, with you fins scraping into the sand. That's where I really started paying attention, because that's still a huge goal for me. To get a long enough ride on one wave is an accomplishment for me. To ride three all the way into the beach is something I would love to be able to do. Okay, so new goal: to surf at least one wave all the way into the beach because I generally wipe out about halfway. I wish I could be like Dale and surf every day, but right now that's not possible. Still, it's always good to have goal. Oh, and Dale also had this to say, which I totally relate to -- When asked what surfing taught him, Dale said this: "Surfing is really a challenge. Sometimes you end up looking for perfect waves that only exist in magazines. But when you go to the beach, you have to surf the waves you have on hand. It may not be barreling, but the act of putting on a suit, going out there, and just being in the water feels wonderful." It's that last part that really struck a chord. I have such a long way to go in my surfing life, but just getting out there does, indeed, always feel wonderful.

Dale is old school, and I've been on a sort of old school eating kick these days too. Like after a recent session I was hungry for good, old school fried chicken, which brought to mind Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. Roscoe's is totally old-school. The menu has stayed pretty much the same, as has the restaurant itself, at least the one on Gower. They stick with what works, really good fried chicken and really good waffles. But I also love all the sides at Roscoe's. Here was lunch:

It's the three-wing combo, with greens, but instead of corn bread I got the Mac and Cheese. It was all, as usual, delicious, the wings crisp on the outside, moist within, the mac and cheese super creamy, and the greens long-simmered until ultra tender. When you do something long enough -- like Dale or like Roscoe's, you usually get it right.

So read about Dale in Surfer Magazine:

www.surfermag.com

And if you want to hit up Roscoe's:

www.roscoeschickenandwaffles.com