RESTAURANT REVIEW: Marmalade Cafe

I just left Marmalade Cafe in Malibu. I still have a sour taste in my mouth...and it's not just from the mis-ordered cobb salad.

Marmalade Cafe located in the Malibu Country Mart was filled with loud screaming babies, clearly a family restaurant, but that didn't stop us from entering and ordering.

We were miraculously seated instantly, but other than that the service was pretty poor. I ordered a chopped salad, which sounded tasty based on the menu description. We got our food, a long while after, and my salad looked confused.

I started eating it...and blegh. When I finally got the waiter to come to our table, it was already time for us to leave, and I asked if this was a chopped salad. He said "that's a cobb salad". I told him I'd ordered the chopped, and he said "Oh, I thought you wanted the cobb salad...chopped". It was a pretty weird encounter.

Needless to say, I was disappointed in the service and the food. I can't NOT recommend the restaurant, because maybe if I'd gotten the food I'd ordered, I would have enjoyed myself. But I can say the ambiance was far from pleasant, unless you like constant reverberating noise, as you try to eat and talk to your dinnermates. The only redeeming quality for me, was the paper kids menu avec crayons, which gave me the opportunity to color, play tic tac toe with my friend, and distract me from the surrounding chaos and poor service.

Thumbs down, Marmalade Cafe. Thumbs down.

If you want to try your luck, you can learn more about Marmalade Cafe here: http://www.marmaladecafe.com/

13. Los Liones Canyon

Los Liones is a some-what hidden street that becomes a trail, also in the Santa Monica Mountains along the border of Pacific Palisades and Malibu.

We drove up the winding street, into the hills, and parked. We walked up and found a quaint spot underneath a tree to have a painting/picnic day. We hooked up a hammock onto the tree, laid out a blanket, and were inspired by the stunning view of the ocean.

This is a magical spot to spend the afternoon. I'm not sure how the hike is, but many people were walking up and down the hills behind us.

The one downside of sitting in this one spot for the afternoon was the copious amount of large ants that kept trying to steal our picnic! But other than that, I'd recommend :)

Learn more about Los Liones on Yelp Here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/los-liones-canyon-los-angeles

12. Solstice Canyon

After learning of my recent Vitamin D deficiency, I realize more than ever, why being outside is almost a craving for me. Spending the week indoors (in buildings without windows!), I long for the great outdoors on weekends. I've been on the prowl for the best hiking spots or most scenic areas around LA.

Last weekend, I went on a hike in Solstice Canyon - another spot in Malibu. Solstice Canyon consists of a hike throughout the Santa Monica mountains. The hike leads to ruins of an old home - the remnants or remains still standing from one of the big fires.

After hiking up the Solstice Canyon trail (not too difficult, but long), we landed upon the ruins. It was pretty interesting. There were old stoves, fireplaces, a bathtub, and we could even tell where the pool used to be.

Just beyond the "house", was a small, but lovely waterfall, which lead into a babbling creak. We climbed up some of the rocks, which was a bit more challenging, to get to a higher vantage point. The hike was certainly beautiful, but not the most scenic, I've seen. Along the way we saw one snake, several lizards, and birds.

After sitting on a large rock that rested in the middle of the creak, we took the Rising Sun trail back towards the parking lot. This trail was much harder. It was mostly uphill and facing the sun (I guess that's where the name comes from). It was very beautiful. We were very high up and could see great views of the ocean, the mountains, some of the very expensive and expansive homes that sit atop the hills, the sun setting, etc. Quite luxurious for my peepers.

When we finally got to the car, I was so relieved. My feet were killing me from my old sneakers, and I was out of breath from the majority of the Rising Sun Trail. For about three days after, I was sore. Which to me - means that was a successful hike. Interesting and beautiful sights, and a work out.

Recommend!

Learn more about the Solstice Canyon here: http://www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/solsticecanyon.htm

11. El Cid Short Film Night

I used to live a block away from El Cid Restaurant and Bar, but for some reason I never went. I had seen advertisements for a Short Film Night there, and thought that might be a fun event to go to. Every evening is different at El Cid: there are open mic nights, band performances, sketch comedy/stand up, and short film night.

I arrived at 7:30 PM and staked out a table. I thought this night might prove fruitful for networking, but most people kept to themselves and their group of friends. So I wouldn't recommend the evening for that.

The show started at around 9 PM. 7 short films were projected on a screen at the front, over the stage. The venue is organized with long tables, high wooden chairs, and booths. The decour almost looks like England from the Elizabethan era, but the food is Spanish (Tapas). I ordered the calamari, and it wasn't too die for. It was a bit too chewy and not crisp enough.

The film program was okay. Each filmmaker spoke before their short played, and their gaggle of friends screamed with support. I enjoyed about three of the seven films, the other four were entertaining, but for lack of better words, just not that good. The ones that I didn't like were dramatic shorts. This venue is great for comedy, because most of the "audience" is drunk and chatty. When the dramas hit, it was a big buzz kill and kind of awkward.

Overall, I had a good time. I saw some short movies, hung with some people, had some laughs, and did something different with my night. I'd recommend the evening for the sake of doing something out of the ordinary and possibly seeing some funny shorts. If you're a filmmaker, this might be a good way to see how your comedy short is received (where people laugh or don't laugh, etc.), but it's not suitable for networking or meeting people. It's mostly just a place where people can show their friends what they've been working on in a cool venue, which is still pretty fun.

You can learn about El Cid Short Film Night here: https://www.facebook.com/elcidshortfilmnight

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Lil Piggy's Barb-B-Q in Coronado

If you take the trip to Coronado, only a 2 hour drive away (highly recommend), you will land on a quaint island city with many sweet homes, boutique shops, and fun restaurant/bars.

When we arrived at Coronado for 4th of July festivities, we went to a few bars, and the small (kind of lame) fair they held in a park, but we ate our main meal at Lil Piggy's BBQ, since we were cravin' some rul American food (said in Southern accent).

Lil Piggy's BBQ had quick service, and a classic USA picnic vibe. Wooden tables, checkered cloths, and only bbq food. I got side orders of corn on the cob, mac and cheese, and a hot dog (off the kid's menu). It was all pretty tasty. The cheese on the macncheese had a kind of strange consistency, but it was still good.

If you are looking for a simple, all American lunch spot, when visiting Coronado, I'd recommend Lil Piggy's :)

Learn more about the restaurant here: http://www.nadolife.com/lilpiggys/

10. Big Bay Boom - Firework Display in Port of San Diego

Big Bay Boom. Ha. That's a pretty ironic title for the name of the firework display that goes off every year in the San Diego Bay.

The Big Bay Boom takes place in the port of San Diego on the 4th of July. It's allegedly one of the largest displays in the United States, garnering over 500,000 viewers. Four barges located in the bay are set to let off fireworks at the same time, revealing an amazing eyegasmic display over the water. Well...this year's show is becoming known as the Big Bay Blunder.

We arrived at the port at 8:30 PM. We sat on a floating public dock in the middle of the bay. Many people had been waiting all day, trying to claim the best spot to see the show. At 8:55 a huge boom did go off across the bay. It looked like a finale. It was amazing, like nothing I'd ever seen before. Pretty much the way I'd imagine an explosion to look. It lasted about 20 seconds. I thought we were in for a huge treat, if that was the beginning of the show. But then, we waited...for 30 minutes, and there were no more fireworks.

We heard mutterings that the show was cancelled. But how could a firework show be cancelled on the fourth of July? The hoards of people started to diminish. We got up too, it was cold. I asked a police officer what happened. Apparently, a technical difficulty had shot off all the fireworks at once, causing a 20-30 minute show to erupt in 20-30 seconds. It was disappointing, but kind of cool. I just couldn't believe what a huge mistake that was.

When we got back to LA (NOTE: San Diego is a great day or weekend trip - only about a 2 hour drive away), we saw that someone's mistake was all over the internet. You can even read about it on the Big Bay Boom's official website.

If I don't have other plans for next year, I would like to try to see this show again. It had the potential to be an amazing show - fireworks over water, in various places, etc. And hopefully, they'll try to make it up to all the people that traveled far and wide (we met people that came down from Arizona, and heard people traversed from different countries, as well!), and have a spectacular show. I can't necessarily recommend it though, since we saw a blunder and not a bang.

Learn more about the show here: http://www.bigbayboom.com/

MOVIE REVIEW: Beasts of the Southern Wild

Excuse me while I dry my red, puffy eyes. I've been crying for an hour and 31 minutes. That's the running time for Beasts of the Southern Wild, a fantastical yet gritty drama about a little girl who lives in "the bathtub," an area in New Orleans that wavers on becoming fully submerged in water due to natural disasters.

Hush Puppy (amazing name) is played by Quvenzhane Wallis whose performance is breathtaking. Her deep-set brown eyes told the emotions for her. She was endearing, vulnerable, and strong all at the same time. I'm not sure if this was a mixture of Benh Zeitlin's directing and her acting, or if it's due to the fact that she is a New Orleans native, and not an actress riddled down by methods and styles of performance. Hushpuppy's father, Wink, played by Dwight Henry, was also impeccably true to life. This is probably because, he has never acted before!

I went to the screening at the Landmark that had a Q+A afterwards, and Dwight spoke of being discovered in his bakery. He rejected the role three times because he needed to provide for his family, through his business, and when he finally conceded, he had to rehearse over baking pastries into the wee hours of the morning. This story sounds like a fairytale, but it happened, and I think the proof is in the pudding (that's a good pun, right there). His performance was so raw and real, not something an actor who was trying could bring to life.

Aside from the emotional, engaging performances, the actual storytelling was daring and captivating. The film was a blend of fantasy/imagination and realism all through the eyes of a little girl in a very precarious living situation. It's a story of longing, and that's something everyone can relate to. Hush Puppy just wants to find her mother, she wants her father to hug her, she wants to be a man (her idea of being strong). I especially loved the attention to detail, particularly in terms of character. My favorite trait was when Hush Puppy would listen to the heart beat of every living thing, she even tries to find the heart beat in a leaf.

There were a few elements of the film that I think needed to be fleshed out a little more. The beast as a character was not as rounded out, as I thought it could have been. The beast was a symbol, but for what exactly? Was the beast a symbol of Hush Puppy's absent mother? Was the beast a symbol of her internal conflict that she had to face head on? Was the beast the external storm or the storm within her? It wasn't clear, and I think it could have been woven throughout the story a little better. The VFX were also a little shoddy, which took me out of the story.

The structure was something I liked and didn't like about this film. I liked it because it was bold. Most movies seems to follow the same formula: Beginning, Middle, Climax, End with Resolution, or some form. Where other films can be graphed with a line, this story to me was like a big scribbled blob of emotion. I liked that it dared to be different, but it also felt like things just happened, and I wasn't sure of anything at the end. Was Hush Puppy going to be okay? What was going to happen next? It wasn't a complete enough ending, for me. But I am happy that a movie that is so well recognized and well received, does not fit "the formula" because it opens more doors for filmmakers and writers.

Overall, I think Beasts of the Southern Wild is a must see. It's emotional, in tune, sensitive, creative, and beautiful. I really loved it. And it inspired me, greatly.

Learn more about Beasts of the Southern Wild here: http://www.beastsofthesouthernwild.com/