FAT FOOD: MUWAAAHAAHAHAHA!

One of the things you get to look forward to as being a part of corporate America, especially in the line of work that I am in, is that (during the holiday season) the office becomes a drop-off place for a plethora of amazing (and not-so-amazing) things from suppliers (and wanna-be suppliers). They send/bring-in muffins, danishes, donuts, cakes, cookies, candy, and everything else that's super bad; everything but fresh fruit. The first day is fine, but after a while you start to get really sick of it. The worst part is that you don't stop eating the shit that keeps pouring in. The eating part essentially becomes a part of your job description. Right now my mouth hurts so much from the fake smiles that I give off as people bring in the goods. If they only knew that as soon as they leave me, I start cursing them under my breath, wishing and hoping beyond all that is glorious that they're the ones who magically get fat. Yes, even though it's really me who will go down that road.

(Give me a second as I stuff another candy bar down my throat... Oops. I gagged a little... 260 calories full.)

I know I could easily choose to NOT eat those things, and politely pass them off to other people in the office (who aren't as "fortunate" since their jobs actually suck), but that's the strange thing about all this. Despite feelings of grossness, the "bad" stuff remains.

I hate to be that guy who has to come into the office and shower the group with morsels of fatty goodness, just so that by the time Christmas comes, they can't even fit into their jeans anymore. Sad, right?

Oh but alas... I am going to be that guy. You see, I have a presentation to give to my colleagues tomorrow, and in order to glaze them over at 8:00AM I will be bringing in a dozen (or two) glazed donuts to start their morning off right. Hopefully, by the time my presentation is done, they'll be too sleepy to ask me questions, and then I can somehow slip back to finishing up my Friday. That, my friend, is the master plan. It's a classic case of fighting fire with fire. Only this time, I will not be the victim here. I will not eat one donut that I bring into the office tomorrow morning.

Mark my word, bitches.

OH, THAT eBay...

I'm usually one of the last people to jump on the bandwagon when it comes to getting involved with an "on-line community." I remember reluctantly joining Friendster baaaack in the day only after several friends of mine prodded me to do it. Even still, it must've taken me a whole year before I actually accessed that account again. I probably gained just about 250+ friends before I got over it. Myspace and Xanga came next, and just this year I got hooked on Facebook. I've also hopped on board other sites like Multiply and WAYN, but rarely do anything with those.

I'm not sure what it is about these things, but for some reason I always find myself getting sucked in. My latest stint with Facebook has probably been the best experience so far since it 1) isn't a complete skank-fest like Myspace, and 2) I've re-connected with a good number of elementary and high school friends whom I haven't been in contact with for many years. So in that respect, joing FB has been awesome.

Just this week, however, I decided to re-hash an old account I had started years back with eBay. Mind you, I never got into the whole eBay craze that hit the web a while back. While all my friends were buying and selling on-line, I kept away from it. I don't know what possessed me to toy with the site this past week.

So I started bidding on certain things on eBay, and then I'd lose to some freak-bidder at the last second. The first time it happened, I was like, "Eh, whatever... win some, lose some." The second time it happened I wanted to pull my hair out. The third time it happened, I felt like going insane! I was being consumed by an incessant need to "win."

In the past night or so, I even stayed up to monitor another bid that I had in motion. I was not going to let this one go. My eyes were bloodshot, hands shaking, and I was doing everything I could to fight the sleep that wanted to set in. And just when it came down to the last seconds of the auction, I used all I had learned from my past losses and went in their to do the damn thing... and -- I EFFIN' WON! VICTORY WAS MINE! MUWAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAH!

Next thing you know, I crashed. Hard.

When I woke-up, I didn't even realize what I had done until I looked at my email and saw a "win" confirmation from eBay. I opened the email to find out what it was that I bought, and it was... eh, I'll spare you the details. Now that I think about it, I'm kind of embarrassed to say it. But whatever. What you don't know won't hurt you. (It burned $325 in my pocket, but again, what you don't know won't hurt you. *grin*)

Ha.

Note to self: Do not give in to the self-deprecating debilitation of emo purchasing on eBay (*ahem* ...while drunk. Oops. Guess I left that part out. Teehee.). You never know what'll come out of it.

FOODIE FLASHBACK: UNION OYSTER HOUSE

One of my good friends here in L.A. is also an "East Coast" transplant like me. She's from Connecticut (from the other side of the Long Island Sound), and went to school in Boston. The two of us have a blast exchanging stories of our experiences growing-up back East. There can be a great rapport between people who've grown up in the corridor between D.C. and Boston, and - if you're like me - you'd consider it one of the best places in the world to grow up.

I traveled to Boston several times during and after my college days. I was usually in town for some kind of school-related event (conferences at BU and Harvard), so I was usually limited in my time to check out the city and enjoy it. But I did have my share of getting to know Beantown. It's definitely not super huge, but for me - that was part of the overall charm. Being a self professed city guy (I grew up in the suburbs, but was literally 5 minutes outside D.C.), I tend to indulge in all things "city-ish." Boston, no doubt, has enough for a person like me to indulge in. I've run the gamut of Boston staples: shopping and dining at The Prudential Center, hanging out at Fanueil Hall (beer!), checking out Fenway, riding around town on the T (gotta love cities with awesome subway stations: D.C., NYC, Beantown, Philly, Chi Town, San Fran...), going to Cambridge/visiting Harvard, taking a stroll in Boston Commons, and shopping along Newbury Street. It doesn't have the overwhelmingness that tends to loom over say NYC (which I'm all about), but it has just enough energy and life. The Boston accent puts Jersey accents to shame (sorry to my Jersey peeps), and the city gives off a sense of toughness and pride. Not so much a sense of "power," as NYC or D.C. gives off, but we don't need all cities having that air about them. Boston is a great place to be.

So back to my friend, she and her boyfriend visited Boston earlier this year, and beforehand the two of us were sort of talking about the things they were going to do while there. This was her BF's first time there, so it would definitely have to include some of the staples that I mentioned before. I even suggested a Duck Tour as a joke, and we got a good laugh out of that one (Duck Tours, if you haven't already done one, are these land and water tours that go through cities.). When I mentioned the Union Oyster House, my friend's eyes lit up, and she asked me if I'd been. I looked at her like she was crazy. How do you go to Boston and not go there? She had been before, so we both laughed about it, and she added it to their "to do" list.

The last time I'd gone was about 5 years ago, and we went after some drinks and laughs all over the city. The restaurant itself is a designated national historic landmark, and is a spot along the Freedom Trail. Established in 1826, it is noted to be America's oldest. It's famed oyster bar has been an integral part of the restaurant since that year, and it's been said that Daniel Webster spent time there daily having no more than six plates of oysters with his tall tumbler of brandy and water.

The menu covers all things seafood, and it's prized catch is - of course - their oysters. But oysters aren't the only draw. The restaurant is also known for its mussels and clams, among other things. On the menu at UOH you'll find everything from Clams Casino, Oysters Rockefeller, Cape Cod Littlenecks and Cherrystones, New England Lobsters, and New England Clam Chowder (sorry, Manhattan, but I'm a NECC fan). For the not-so-seafood-savvy, there are a few dishes made from land animals, but they're too boring to even list. The UOH is a place for seafood, afterall.

If my memory serves me right, I ordered the Broiled Seafood Platter. I was at the height of my weight-loss quest back then (damn you, freshman 15!), and I was not going to let fried food get the better of me (esp. since I was drinking like a wreck back then). The platter came filled with a swordfish steak, salmon fillet, scallops, scrod, grilled shrimp, and potatoes (I think; but I gave my potatoes to one of my friends - ahaha). It was a feast for the senses, and a party in my mouth. Beer and vodka tonics washed everything down. My friends indulged in lobster, fried platters, and tons of oysters. And, if I can remember correctly, the restaurant served crab legs that night, and our table was crackin' them left and right. Afterwards, I definitely needed five lemons to squeeze on my hands to get rid of the seafood smell, and I would've rather wheeled myself out on a chair than have to stumble back towards the car. At any rate, the place was definitely worth it. As Chesapeake Bay seafooders, we definitely were happy with what our New England neighbors had to offer. We were bonded, for life.

If you're ever in Beantown, then you can't miss out on this place.
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Union Oyster House, 41 Union Street, Boston, MA 02108, 617-227-2750

SO WHAT IF I SAW NKOTB IN CONCERT?!

I am embarrassed to admit it, but last week I went to see NKOTB in concert. Go ahead. Gasp. Laugh. Make fun, snicker behind my back. Whatever you need to do --just do it. I will take it. In fact, I probably deserve it. NKOTB is the last group I would have expected myself to see in concert, but for some strange reason it was already written that I, Wendel Jay Damaso Ladringan, would go to an NKOTB concert at least once in my life.

But my going was a total fluke.

Let's rewind. Back in 1989, I had just finished my last year at Oxon Hill Middle School (in Maryland), and was preparing for my freshman year at Oxon Hill High School. That Summer, while all of my friends were probably hanging out and doing fun things, I got to go to work with my mom. She, along with many of her close friends, worked the evening shift at a processing center just across the Potomac River in Alexandria, VA. I, along with some of the other kids of my mom's friends, went into work each night, doing whatever kind of stuff was legal enough for kids (as young as we were) to do. The lame thing was that while my friends would go into work like 2 or 3 nights out of the week, my mom decided that I would have to go 5 nights of the week. She wouldn't have it otherwise, and I couldn't throw a tantrum about it or else she'd shoot me "the look," and it would be all over. I hated every minute of it. I hated going into the office at 4PM, and not going home until midnight. It wasn't fair on so many levels, but it was absolutely fair in my mom's eyes. My only consolation was that I had complete control of the car radio on the quiet drive home. I remember one night, for the first time, I heard a song called "Please Don't Go Girl," which featured an almost baby-sounding kid on leads. The group, I later found out, was called New Kids On the Block, and the song sort of became my solace during that boring ass Summer that I had to go into work with my mom each night of the week.
NKOTB then...

NKOTB now...

Soon enough, the craze over this "boy band" started to pick-up, and more of their songs were hitting the airwaves. While I appreciated the songs (for the most part), there was something annoying about the New Kids. All of a sudden they were everywhere. Their songs played on loop on several radio stations all the time, and their images were plastered all over the malls. It was a bit much. For the most part, me and a few of my friends were not on board, choosing to instead follow the music and careers of Janet Jackson, Paula Abdul, or whoever else was "in" back in the day. The New Kids were more for my younger sister and brother's wave of friends. But for some strange reason, I knew their songs... sort of how I somehow know songs by Celine Dion, but find her completely annoying.

And I sort of knew the personas of each of the guys: Joey was the "baby" of the group, Jordan was the "star," Donnie was the "bad boy," Danny was the "muscle," and then there was Jon -- the "quiet/shy one." I mean even if you didn't follow them, you definitely knew who they were, and what they sang.

They were going strong for a good couple of years, then all of a sudden the madness just stopped. I, personally, didn't really know what happened. But by my freshman year in college, the New Kids were headed towards "extinction." Just as quickly as they had brushed onto the scene, they were out. After graduating college, I remember both Jordan and Joey Mac embarking on solo careers along with the teen pop boom (Backstreet Boys, N'Sync, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Mandy Moore, etc.). Donnie was already making movies and TV shows, with a memorable part in The Sixth Sense. But I had no idea what Danny or Jonathan were up to, nor did I actually care.

Then in 2001, I remember coming home from work and plopping in front of the TV to watch Oprah (something I did every day for a good few months straight), and she featured Jon and Jordan on a show about anxiety disorders. I remember the feeling I got when I saw that show: shock. I had no idea that Jon had been suffering from anxiety, and seeing him on the show really made me feel for the guy. It seemed somewhat painful to be him at that moment, and I instantaneously started to feel bad about thinking all those lame things I thought about the New Kids, or NKTOB.

But I got over it. I still felt bad for Jon, but I totally got over it. And again, they sort of slipped away from the limelight. In the years that followed, I would hear random things about Donnie being on Boomtown, which didn't last too long (but was a good show, to his credit); Joey played 'Fiyero' in Wicked, and was also on Dancing With the Stars; and Jordan had a quick stint on The Surreal Life. But again, all these things came and went so quickly that I just didn't get to pay them any mind.

Fast forward to 2008. So I heard that NKOTB was coming back with a brand new album, and were going on tour. I didn't even think much about it at the time. One of my roommates, who was (is) an avid fan, sent a bunch of us an email asking who would be interested in seeing their concert at Staples Center in October. I was so not one of the people who bit; I was not the least bit interested. But soon enough, two of my roommate's friends had to back out at the last minute, and she was out two tickets. She asked me if I wanted to go, but I still wasn't interested. But since I was just coming down from a high after seeing Janet Jackson's concert at Staples, I decided to do her a favor and take one of the extra tickets. I remember the day the concert came, I was so not in the mood. I didn't want to go. But I kept my word, and went with the gang; five of us in all: Anna, Lesley, Maria, Alex (thank goodness there was another guy), and myself... symbolically (they pointed out; the fans that they are) "perfect" since there are five "new kids." Great. All I needed was alcohol to get me through the night.

So there I was... one of a few guys (actually, there were a lot more than I expected) amongst a sea of 30/40-something-year-old women who were still hard-core fans of NKOTB. I actually found them to be endearing, and I started to get feelings of nostalgia about "the good old days" when we were young, and life was simpler. I remembered those nights I'd go to work with my mom, and I'd listen to "Please Don't Go Girl" on the car radio. Once the lights dimmed, and the video-tron started to go off, the Staples Center became ablazed with screaming fans jumping up and down, clapping their hands, shouting from the top of their lungs... and then it started. The guys came out with the same old swagger, but with so much more maturity. Goosebumps actually started to form on my arms. I couldn't explain the phenomenon.

They started the show with their new single, ironically entitled "Single," which they actually do with Ne-Yo on their album. It was the perfect song to start the evening, and the moment Joey Mac started with the vocals, the crowd went wild. Like clockwork, Jordan and Donnie filled in the additional main vocals, with Danny and Jon doing their parts. The concert then took a life of its own from that point on, and the gang went through all of their old hits, with new songs performed in-between. They still had it. Their energy level was totally high, but not oozing with too much teeny-bopper annoyingness (which I remember from back in the day). To their credit, they were pretty awesome for guys who are in their mid to upper 30s. Aside from aging very well (the Knight brothers both aging extremely well actually), they were hittin' their dance steps, and singing their notes, and performing much to the delight of their devoted fans.

I couldn't help but feel sort of proud. The whole experience was a throw-back to my generation of youth. The whole time I kept thinking about how my generation had the best toys, the best TV shows, the not-so-best clothes and hairstyles, but definitely the best music. And I have to admit that NKOTB was definitely a part of that. I felt that the guys made their comeback at the right time; doing things on their own terms, and doing it out of their love for their craft - not so much for the fame.

As a guy who easily came to appreciate the Backstreet Boys and N'Sync, I couldn't help but realize that those boy bands that came later would be nothing without NKOTB. NKOTB came about at a time when my generation needed something like them most. They were (are) the Beatles of my generation, and that was evident that night at Staples Center.

I actually left the concert with a new-found respect for the guys, and a deeper appreciation for their contribution to pop culture. I also caught the VH1 Behind the Music special on them, and that's where I really got to figure out what the guys experienced during their hey-dey. To know that it wasn't cake-walk for them, and to see how much they've accomplished on their own (getting married, having kids, starting their own companies) only added to my new-found respect. I think this time around, NKOTB has actually "arrived." They definitely have nothing to lose.

While I still can't believe that I went to their concert, I'm glad that I did. I honestly feel like those who missed out, really missed out on something special. It was an opportunity to re-live those days when we could be absolutely care-free, and the memories that it brought about totally made me sit back and smile... a lot.

So there. I am now a fan. Admitting so is the first step (by step... HA.).

TAPAS, POR FAVOR

I recently visited Santa Barbara over the weekend, and I met up with friends for a few glasses of wine along busy State Street. We stumbled upon a Spanish tapas restaurant/bar called Matador Tapas Bar & Spanish Steakhouse, and decided to give it a try. While our main draw for the place was wine, we became interested in their menu of small dishes. Our waitress, Jessie, turned us on to a bottle of Argentinian cabernet sauvignon called “Terrazas,” which she described as having an “explosion” of tastes. She was spot-on with the description, and we found the wine absolutely enjoyable. For eats, we decided to go with both frias y calientes. Our cold selection was the Seleccion Matador, or special selection antipasto, a nice mixture of cheeses, olives, bread and Spanish cured meats. It was a sure-thing, and we ate it up. The green and brown olives were not strong tasting, but very mild; a nice compliment to the mild cheeses and meats as well. It would’ve been more interesting to have more daring flavors, but it seemed that the establishment decided to go for “safe” rather than “exotic.” We found the same to be true with the warm dish, Plato Mixto – a dish of chicken & beef skewers, miniature lamb chops, and a mixture of roasted veggies. While the flavors were good enough to be enjoyed, they could’ve pushed the envelope a little bit and added more fuel to the fire. To be fair, we didn’t try any of the restaurant’s main dishes, but we were left a little wanton after the tapas. The wine, however, made up for the experience.

I give Matador an A- for ambience. It has a nice, dark interior which makes it a nice place for a “date night.” There are interesting art pieces on the walls, and you get the feeling that you’re in a cozy wine bar. It doesn’t scream “trendy” at all, but definitely is more comfortable. For food, I give it a C+. For a nice place with nice wines, I expected more flavors to come alive in their dishes.

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Matador Tapas Bar & Latin Steakhouse, 714 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, 805.965.1307

ONE FISH. TWO FISH. LUCKYFISH.

Innovative Dining Group (Sushi Roku, Katana, Boa Steakhouse, Robata Bar) has brought their flare for all things “sushi” to Beverly Hills. Not that the 90210 needed another sushi spot to compete with the likes of Matsuhisa or Bond St. L.A., but this time IDG decided to go for something completely different: hip, yet casual, kaiten-zushi; which isn't so typical for BH. The BH dining scene is one that thrives on the not-so-quick dining experience. One usually would expect to spend anywhere from an hour or more at a BH restaurant – often times slowly eating and drinking, engaging in all sorts of banter, and – if you could score a table on the sidewalk – people-watch. At Luckyfish, however, you still get all the frills that comes with other BH-ish restaurants – but you (1) wait less, and (2) are usually out of there almost as quickly as you went in.

Luckyfish is located alongside a slew of other eateries and shops in the business district of BH; a hop-skip-and-a-jump away from Rodeo Drive. The kaiten-zushi establishment is a sushi restaurant where patrons will find plates of sushi (and other food items) traveling along on a rotating conveyor belt that winds through the dining area, passing every table and/or counter seat. Luckyfish also offers items that must be ordered through waitstaff, but – for the most part – the draw comes from the dishes that are made available for the taking on the belt. Items are priced according to color-code, and all plates are colored accordingly.

The freshness of the food is ensured through an RFID tag embedded in each plate. The system allows the restaurant’s lead sushi chef to program a unique ID for each dish. The belt then automatically “dismisses” any plate that has been on rotation for longer than an hour.

Don’t expect the flavors of Sushi Roku or Katana at Luckyfish. While they are all sister restaurants, Roku and Katana pride themselves more with ambience and serving overly-priced, yet moderately decent, sushi and other Japanese fare. Luckyfish is much more casual, and you will note this in the food as well. Flavors fall a little short of IDG’s only moderately-flavored tastes (as one will find at their other establishments), but it's workable for that quick meal during your lunch break. Fun “finger” foods such as popcorn shrimp, gyoza, edamame, and chicken kara age are perfect accompaniments to the sushi, sashimi, and cut or hand rolls available. Cut rolls come at four pieces each, and you’ll find all the usual suspects: crunchy spicy tuna, California, toro jalapeno, and soft shell crab to name a few. Sushi/Sashimi favorites include shiro maguro, ama ebi, hamachi and uni. You’ll also find “firecracker rice,” with shrimp or seasonal veggies; yakisoba, salads and miso soup. Beer, sake and wine are also available.

The waitstaff is super-attentive, and the restaurant manager is very friendly and accommodating. The little space attracts a mixed crowd of suits, office groups, hipsters, and shoppers stopping in for a quick bite. It may not be anything to write home about, but it's worth a visit or two. At Luckyfish, the experience of having food via "conveyor belt" in a hip and trendy spot makes for great conversation. With the right company, you'll probably find yourself back again.

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Luckyfish, 338 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210, 310.274.9800