PHELPS, COFFEE & HALF OF A CRUMBS CUPCAKE (?!)

Michael Phelps is the golden boy... literally.

He has definitely been the face of U.S. Olympics during these Beijing games; if not one of the definitive faces of the Olympics in general. Probably the coolest news footage regarding Phelps in the last few days was from the recent scrimmage game for the Baltimore Ravens. After the Ravens' game (back in Maryland), the crowd remained in the stadium to catch Phelps' race on the big screen. Watching footage of this gave me goosebumps, and it was really cool to watch the crowd rooting for Michael with signs, pom-poms, and jumping up and down. This morning, on The Today Show, they even showed a couple of the Ravens' players say notes of well-wishes to Michael. It was definitely one of the cooler media-moments of the games.

I haven't been more proud of being from Maryland. And it's great to have these "hometown" heroes/Olympians: Phelps, Dominique Dawes, Elise Ray, Courtney Kupets, Kimmie Meissner, etc. Just goes to show that "home" is just as star-filled as any other place in the country.

Rock on, Michael Phelps! I'm sure that Baltimore, and the rest of Maryland, will give you one hell of a homecoming... (!!!)

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I have to make mention of my Monday morning breakfast, which consisted of a cup of coffee & half of a red velvet cupcake from Crumbs. Don't ask. Just let me bask in my moment of Monday morning gluttony.

UH, OK? (DEUX)

Just caught the women's vault final in Beijing, and I am - once again - baffled by this Cheng Fei chick from China. She did a kick-ass first vault, but her second one --not so much. She even fell on her landing. But still, her non-pretty ass still beat Alicia Sacramone, who was edged out for the bronze. I'm sorry, but this Cheng Fei chick is way whack. I'm convinced that she's getting extra points because she isn't cute.

It's ok, Alicia. At least you're pretty. But still, you were robbed.
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This was a chill weekend for me. After having my parents and sister over last weekend, I needed some time to do absolutely nothing. I was able to finally go to the beach both yesterday and today, worked out, and I cooked tinola. If you're not familiar with Philippine cuisine, tinola is one of the staples. But for some strange reason, I've always felt like it's such a difficult dish to make. But, as I realized, it's super easy. Here's what I did...

Ingredients:
- chicken (I used drummettes)
- papaya (peeled and sliced into wedges)
- garlic (minced)
- onion (sliced)
- ginger (sliced into thin strips)
- water
- patis (Philippine fish sauce)
- ground black pepper and whole peppercorns
- cooking oil

I also tend to use something green - as in leafy and green. But I didn't have anything in the fridge. Oh well.

I pre-heated a pot, and added some cooking oil (not a lot). I sauted the garlic until it started to brown a little. Then I added the onion, the chicken, and the ginger. I stir-fried these items, and then added pepper and some peppercorns. When the chicken started to brown, I added enough water to just submerge everything, and I added patis for taste. Once the chicken started to look close to done, I threw in the papaya wedges, and let the stew cook some more. Next thing you knew, it was done! And it was GOOD. Actually, at first it was a little tabang (bland), so I added more patis.

I need to cook Philippine cuisine more often. I just get super lazy. My next venture will most likely be ginataang manok sa pina... I'll explain later. Hee.

This isn't my a pic of my dish, nor is this my picture (thanks to nicoteena from flickr.com...!). But this is pretty much what it looked like.

UH, OK?!

Olympic gymnastics is awesome... IF. And I say that loosely. For the U.S. men's team - their bronze medal win was awe-some. They were totally underdogs, and winning a medal was simply icing on the cake for them.

But for the women, not so much.

So the women were poised for a gold medal finish in Beijing. And the gold could've easily been theirs. But in the prelims, they were plagued by all sorts of mistakes: Nastia's botched landing on the uneven bars, Chellsie's fall on the same apparatus, and then there were the out-of-bounds steppin' that several of them did on the floor. Whack.

During the team finals, though, it seemed as if they were scott-free. But again, not-so-much. I think the damaging blows came from their team captain: Alicia Sacramone. Her nerves got to her, and she totally fell off the beam (while trying to get on), and then failed a landing during one of her tumbling passes on floor. PLUS, she stepped out of bounds at the end of her floor routine. Nastia and Shawn both stepped out of bounds during their final floor routines, too, leaving the door wide open for China to swoop in and take the gold.

Well, all is well that ends well. I feel like the U.S. women were hell-bent on making sure they got gold. But they were too focused on that, and stopped having fun. You could see it in their faces. The Chinese, on the other hand, went out there and had the time of their lives -- despite the allegations of having way-too-young competitors.

My ultra-mean theory is that China got the gold not only for being awesome, but because their team captain, Cheng Fei (or Fei Cheng, please forgive me), is way too facially unfortunate for her own good. Their win was like 90% hard work, and 10% consolation for her lack of being cute. Sorry. (I said I was mean, didn't I?)

Alicia Sacramone: SO ANNOYING

Cheng Fei: SO NOT CUTE

GOTTA GYU...!

This past weekend, I was able to visit an “oldie but goodie” restaurant; one that I hadn’t been to in a long while. Gyu Kaku Japanese BBQ Dining first came into my life back in 2005, when my cousin decided to have her birthday dinner there. Later, the restaurant would be featured in episodes of the first season of The Hills – making it a part of L.A.’s MTVesque dining scene. But before its exposure to American TV via Heidi and Lauren, it was (and still is, as I just realized) one of my favorite places to go and hang out with friends, and to eat/cook yummy-ass Japanese BBQ.

Unlike the “all you can eat” BBQ houses that dot Koreatown (Manna Korean BBQ, Tahoe Galbi), Gyu Kaku does not offer an overflowing supply of meats (at one price) to be grilled and eaten like a food-whore. In that respect, you can go in and not get that feeling like you’re about to embark on a race to eat the most meat out of everyone in your dinner party. It’s quite subdued that way, but just as tasty and flavorful. The menu offers an array of meats (beef cuts, pork loin, chicken) specially marinated in different specialty sauces:

Shio: White soy marinade (hint of garlic and ginger)
Tare: Sweet soy marinade (soy sauce, roasted garlic and fresh juices)
Miso: Soy-based BBQ sauce
Garlic: Chopped and roasted garlic combination
Teriyaki: Sweet and thick soy-based marinade
Basil Pesto: Special pesto sauce made especially for chicken

Likewise, there are special dipping sauces:

Sweet & Spicy: Garlic, Chinese chili, fruit juice; best with steamed rice, miso & tare marinades & seafood
Tsuke: Traditional fruit soy based dipping sauce; best with kalbi short rib with tare sweet soy
Ponzu: Japanese citrus soy sauce; best with salt & pepper items, vegetables & seafood

Each table at a Gyu Kaku has a charcoal brazier in the middle (in U.S. restaurants, at least). Menu items vary from soups, salads, Japanese restaurant staples (edamame, tofu, miso soup), and a few Korean-influenced items such as kalbi short ribs and bibimba (bibimbap). The grills are pre-heated once you’re seated, and soon after the cooking and eating-fest begins. Being that you control how long items are grilled, you have your choice of meats cooked anywhere from rare to well done. Fish fillets (miso butterfish is amazing) and seasoned veggies come wrapped in foil, which are placed on top of the grill. Freshly cut vegetables, meats, and tofu are placed directly on the grill; cooked to your preference. Dip your meats and veggies in any of the sauces, and you’re in for fun times.

Their drink menu features a decent selection of wines (red and white), Japanese plum wines, sake, beer (bottled and tap), and sochu cocktails. Happy Hour occurs twice a day Mondays and Fridays –-usually after the work crowd lets out, and again an hour before closing time.

The vibe of the restaurant is a fusion of Eastern and Western influences – gorgeous wood-based walls and furnishings are cast aglow by dim lights and table candles, random pieces of traditional and modern-esque Japanese art are spread across the room, and the sound of group chatter meshes with the pulsating tunes of 80s hits (at least when we were there last). All of this makes for an intimate, and un-pretentious, dining experience.

It had been a while since I’d popped my head into the West L.A. location, but it all came back to me as soon as I sat down. My friend, whose birthday we were celebrating, had a good time as well. And we went home not overly stuffed, but perfectly pleased (and full).
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Photos courtesy of Flickr member, jeremy!. Thank you!