An Epicurean's Journey

An Epicurean's Journey

Just like the iconic surfers in Zuma
beach about to catch another wave
and break through white foaming
waters, my company - citysearch -
was about to embark on a new wave
and break into the TV business by
launching a morning segment, airing
weekly on abc7. Up to this point our
roundups, reviews, interviews, best-
of ratings and business profiles were
only available to our readers in
written form, designed to constitute
an online magazine and insider city
guide. Taking up a new challenge by
going on the air was not only a smart
business move but also enabled
editors to have a bout at
broadcasting and broaden their
career opportunities. This is when
I got invited to join the team -
comprising camera men, Jane, the
abc7 anchor, and Tara, the senior
editor - on their quest for the most
budget-friendly dining spots in L.A.:
"The Top 3 Cheap Eats".

"New e-mail from Tara", the unread
message in my Outlook inbox made
me cringe with excitement. Since
Tara's mails usually heralded exciting
projects and fun assignments - I was
ready to tackle a new challenge. As a
senior editor Tara frequently worked
on location, sampling food and drinks
at exquisite eateries and insider bars.

"Hi Kamila", would you like to join me
on the next abc shoot?" My excitement
grew with every line, and while rushing
through the details on the project my
excitement turned almost into despair,
as if Tara might change her mind by
the time I get back to her. Instantly I
hit the reply button to deliver her an
all caps "YES" followed by a jovial
emoticon.

It was on a sun-drenched early dawn
when I embarked on the Sunset bus
and on my quest for arriving at the
first scheduled location - which was
in Thai Town, L.A. - on time."Jitlada",
a pint-size, first-rate, family-run Thai
cuisine eatery and a foodie's paradise
was the first destination and scenery
of our TV-segment shoot. Tucked
away in a sedate, non-descript mall at
Sunset and Harvard, and supposedly
being a best-kept culinary secret in
town, this seemingly hole-in-the-wall
specialized in the cuisine of southern
Thailand. Alongside the abandoned
mall and it's little lot, a fairly scruffy
intersection reigned the at that time
yet non-existent traffic. Grim
architecture sprawled out around me -
like a ghost-town out of a western
movie scene. Who knew that the
world-famous Sunset Boulevard had
so many diverse facets: from hipster
Hollyweird in Silver Lake, to tres chic
Hollyglamour at the Sunset Strip, to
lush hedges and estates in majestic
Bel Air - Sunset Blvd. runs the whole
gamut of the distinctive Los Angeles
Way of Life.
Tara and Saira - our intern - showed
up very soon and we were getting
ready to get the vibe and taste of
authentic Thai cuisine and it's culture,
while an abc7 camera team would
capture the scenes of our culinary
exploration and our whole 'journey of
indulgence' - that had yet two more
restauratns in store.

A waft of mouth-watering, spicy
aromas hit my nose the moment
we entered this Thai eatery. Being
warmly welcomed by the friendly
staff, and cheerfully ushered to the
bright main dining room - which
was traditionally decorated with
gracefully curved oak-wood chairs
and compatible tables, that were
tastefully draped with patterned
purple table cloth and artistically
folded pink/orange napkins - we
set to work, studying the menu
and the exotic ambience.
White walls studded with
photographs, picturing Thailand's
landscapes and portraiting people,
cultural artifacts, artificial exotic
flowers and elaborately patterned
cashmere scarves set the perfect
scene and mood for Thai food.
Streams of a highly positive and
energetic vibe seemed to be
omnipresent at this Epicurean's
temple of indulgence - all soaked
with Buddha's glorious power.

A buzzing camera team was jostling
and bustling around our tables
setting up their entire broadcast
equipment with several lights and
mics, while the female chef of
Jitlada's kitchen was scurrying back
and forth, step-by-step serving us
with sizzling hot specialties of the
house, that were artistically
arranged and beautifully garnished
on white blue patterned porcelain.
Prepared from scratch, the exotic
foods and distinctive aromas were
a true feast for taste buds and eyes.

"And Action!"Finally, when cameras
and lights were arranged all around
the dining room and Jane - abc7's
anchor and L.A. glamazon, sporting
a 50s style white & black polka-dot
dress and needle-thin high heels,
had one final layer of compact powder
applied - casually delivered all details
facing the lenses and holding a mic in
a perfectly manicured, slender hand.
"This Thai culinary gem in Thai Town
serves you with delicacies to reasonable
prizes amid an spiritual atmosphere".
"And cut!" The first scene was wrapped
up.
All lenses pointed on us when we
noshed on steamed mussels, sipped at
creamy fruit-infused concoctions,
sampled crispy coconut-mango salad
and munched on crabs in curry sauce,
while delivering our insider knowledge
on the taste of Thailand during the
second scene of our TV segment shoot.
A short interview with the chef filled
the third scene and made our segment
complete.

From Thai Town to Hollywood: Saira
and I cruised over to the second
location and while being stuck in
traffic we went through our interview
notes and shots of appetizingly
garnished foods and smiling waiters.
Dominic's was our next dining
destination which was nestled on
Beverly Boulevard. This long-
established mainstay, serving simply
executed Italian-American fare, was
where Frank Sinatra used to be a
regular in the 50s. In order to get
into the right mood and ready to
experience Hollywood's vintage
glamour we tuned in Frank's
famous song: "L.A. is my Lady".
With the tune still in our heads we
slid out of Saira's red Mustang and
into a red-brick building. Inside, a
brown tile floor stretched out
underneath burgundy booths and a
dark wooden bar. All walls were
neatly plastered with photographs
of beaming Hollywood's icons. A pair
of French doors led onto a spacious
patio that was covered with all-
weather eaves; strings of fairly lights
sprawled underneath. A brick hearth,
three olive trees and vine-covered
red-brick walls created a perfect
atmosphere to settle back and snuggle
up. Tenderly charred artichoke hearts
along with butter cups served as a
signature, palate-cleansing start. The
appetizer followed a caper-topped
whitefish piccata. Homemade gelatos
like icy blood-orange or rich vanilla
topped off the lavish feast.

Our third and last stop was a long
ride away but completed our TV
segment decidedly. Violet's was
located on Pico Boulevard in Santa
Monica. A fine dining establishment
serving farm-to-table, spiced up
Californian fair, freshly prepared
from organic, local produce and
boasting about it's homemade
pastries, breads, dips and pastas.
Chef Jared Simons' passion is a
style of cooking reminiscent of the
heyday of California's cuisine.
House-cured salmon tart baked
with macaroni and Gruyere
cheese was yet another mouth-
watering and $$-saving highlight
of the day. Washing down the tasty
chow with a handcrafted beer, we
arrived at the end of our "Top 3
Cheap Eats" culinary mission.
I couldn't wait to see the segment
(and in it myself) airing live on abc7
and looked forward to another
delicious restaurant hopping tour.