Last night was a special enough evening that, rather than lump it all into one weekend update, I want to talk about it on its own. Dinner and a concert. Ah, but so much more.
Conrad and I headed to Van's late afternoon, dressed up a little pretty. We said our hellos and goodbyes to Olive,
then we were off to Hollywood in the rain. We parked at the concert venue then walked along Hollywood Boulevard to Musso & Frank Grill.
OK, so here is what you need to know: Musso & Frank is truly an institution. The oldest restaurant in Hollywood, it dates back to 1919 and has had a family line of ownership since 1927. It is proudly old school - waiters in red velvet tuxedo jackets, for one thing. The menu is a thing of beauty.
Consomme? Chilled consomme? Grilled lamb kidneys (next time, I swear)? Not a hint of fusion on the menu. Famous for its martinis. I LOVE LOVE LOVE places like this. Bonus points if the food is good.
Friends, the food was good. Also, generous. Oh, the cup of clam chowder I started with us very average, could have been, well, more clam-y. But it was fine. The martinis - we each had one, made with Nolet's - were good and came with side cars so that much of your cocktail could remain chilled until you were ready to pour it.
Awesome! And best of all? Liver and onions!
I unapologetically love liver and onions, as does Van (Conrad does not). Van and I each had an order, and we really could have shared one order. Wow, that was substantial. No, I could not finish it. Conrad had a petit filet mignon, and even that was big. We dined heartily, loading us up for the rainy two-block walk back to the Dolby Theater.
The walk was cool. Hollywood is tacky as all get-out, truly, though there are little glimpses of show biz and glamour.
Still, it is cool to see the stars as you walk even if it's bloody slippery in the rain.
Umbrellas definitely needed this weekend!
We headed into the complex where the theater (which is the site of the Oscars) was located, past an ice cream shop advertising New Zealand style ice cream, which left us with questions, for sure.
And then on into the theater and to our seats.
A little wait, drinking in the sights of the auditorium around us,
and the show began.
A crack ensemble - the current iteration of The Tijuana Brass - took their positions on stage, and then the man himself, Herb Alpert, came out.
90 years old. Toting his trumpet. The crowd roared its approval. And then we were off. Alpert was great. He had good stories and stage banter. He had sage advice. He can still blow a horn. He and his band went through a number of hits, and I realized that even if I knew the names of only a couple of songs, I was familiar with a lot more of the music than I would have guessed. He brought out his wife, and she sang a medley. There was vintage footage interspersed and showing during the songs. It was two hours without intermission, and it was a damn fine show.
That makes the second of three Fridays in a row of going to see live music, and wow, was I glad we did this one. And I definitely want to go back to Musso & Frank, concert or no concert. All that, plus much needed rain. A highlight of the month, for sure.
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