Tanned

I’m a little down and out on New York right now. It’s nothing personal, but I just returned from a stint on the West Coast and I quickly got back into the swing of sandals, T-shirts, and singing to the car radio. Oh, and I’m suntanned, but you wouldn’t know it, since I’m bundled up, neck to toes, daily. After seeing my friends in New York for the first time in a few weeks, they collectively exclaimed, “You look so healthy.”

Is that one of those funny, backhanded compliments? Five years ago, after I left my awesome but very stressful managing editor post, I often heard, “Wow, you look so much better.”

This week I’m writing a little love letter to the West—miss you great big Pacific and San Gabriel and Santa Monica mountains—and summing up my favorite eating moments of my trip. This recent journey took me to Los Angeles and Maui, Hawaii, where I ate like a king.

I didn’t go to my usual haunts, Apple Pan or In-N-Out.  Me and beef are taking a sort-of break. Instead I revisited some new joints and forgotten favorites. The hipster enclave of Silver Lake bookended my LA visit. Gingergrass on Glendale Boulevard is a Vietnamese restaurant that’s not as crowded as my first fave, Pho Café, and has a more varied menu. The Wok-Tossed Noodles are where it’s at. I went here with Mariana and Eric, who were taking a much-needed break from their work on the 3D version of Alice in Wonderland. Also in Silver Lake, Café Stella, at the heart of Sunset Junction, is the sweetest of French bistros. They serve the most fantastic pot de crème chocolat, a cross between pudding and mousse.

A quick shot on the 2 Freeway away, Kathleen’s in Pasadena offers the most authentic, whole-stick-of-butter Armenian style rice pilaf. Her lamb shish kebab is tops too, but I always order the grilled chicken kebab. It’s juicy, fresh, not saddled with marinades, and very tasty. Kathleen Abajian just celebrated her 28^th year of business, which reminds me that I’ve been going to this place most of my life and it hasn’t changed a bit.

The next town over, Arcadia, where I spent my formative years, is also home to the US outpost of legendary Taiwanese dumpling house, Din Tai Fung. I wasn’t even aware of my proximity to this dough-y deliciousness until a Vietnamese chef from Williamsburg enlightened me. What stands out most about their selection of dumplings is how fresh everything was. You can stand and watch the dumplings being made in house, which makes for a distinct difference in taste and texture. My mom’s friend Christine, Taiwanese by origin, showed us how to properly eat the soup dumplings—steamed pork and shrimp and pork shaomai—without burning our tongues.

Later, five hours over the Pacific, I was stepping off the plane on the island of Maui, Hawaii. Upon feeling the blanket of warm that enveloped me, I thought, I love this place. I don’t want to go home. The sun was shining, the plumerias fragrant, and cold New York was like a bad, bad dream. In the hippie north shore town of Paia is Mama’s Fish House. If you’ve been to Maui, chances are, you’ve heard of this place. They advertise everywhere and anywhere. My parents first had a Mama’s meal years ago after hearing too many television and radio commercials. Luckily, Mama’s lives up to the hype. It’s an open-air restaurant set on the beach, need I say more? The fish is local and fresh, and the menu even lists the names of the fisherman of each particular catch. Usual Hawaiian favorites like Ahi, Mahi Mahi, and Monchong are all on the menu, prepared in creative ways that include ingredients like macadamian nut crusts or stuffed with lobster.

I spent a week on the West Coast eating well, swimming, and sun tanning. Did I say I was a little down and out on New York? Wonder why.