Tuesday night at Maestro/Wednesday morning at Amara

Friends, I have finished packing.  I am all set for tomorrow.  It's the last day of September.  One last blog entry for the month.  Short and sweet folks, short and sweet.

Because of travel and Conrad's case of Covid, we've missed a lot of time at Maestro and Amara lately.  And we have missed them, truly.  Since we can't go in this weekend or any other Friday/Saturday until near the end of October, we took care of this before we leave.  So, it was a Tuesday night at Maestro, sitting outside, enjoying the warm weather, chatting with Sergio, Paul, Rigo, and Nestor when they came by the table.  Guacamole to start,

cochinita pibil as a shared main. 

I had their drink special, a mezcal and ginger cocktail that was nice and light. 

We enjoyed our meal, said our goodnights and told them we'd see them in three weeks, and brought home a piece of their tres leches carrot cake for us to enjoy when we were tired of doing travel prep for the evening.

This morning:  a very short walk and on to Amara for right after they opened.  The usual for each of us, the arepa for me and a breakfast croissant for Conrad. 

Oh yes, the decaf latte as well. 

We had a nice little chat with Amara, and then home in time to begin getting all the things done today that we needed to do.

Van will come over for dinner with Olive, and then he'll take us to the airport in the morning.  Gosh, 18 hours until we are in the air! 

last weekend in August

Wow, September.  Where did that come from?  A new month, and now just one month to go until the year's big trip.  I'm getting a little anxious as well as excited.  Plus, if you know me, then you know how important this is:  we are closer to Christmas, into a fall month.  I played some Christmas-adjacent music in the office today.  Shhhh.  Our secret.

With the new month ushered in, let's usher out the old one.  On with the weekend that was.

Can you predict these weekend recap blog entries by now?  Friday night:  Maestro.  Saturday morning:  Amara.  Same old, right?  Well, be prepared for a shocker.  Yes, we did go to Maestro on Friday, but no, we did NOT go to Amara on Saturday.  We went on Sunday.  What a twist!

But back to Maestro.  I asked for the Mezcal Negroni but with the Campari swapped out and Cynar used instead. 

I've had that variation before and liked it, so I thought it would be good again.  Conrad and I ate lightly, neither of us super hungry.  We shared oysters,

we had the grilled octopus dish. 

We came home and had a drink and some chocolate and listened to music rather than watch television.

Saturday morning I had a massage booked on the earlier side.  As a result, I didn't want to have a breakfast in my belly or a decaf latte making me have to pee.  Sorry for that detail, but that's what it was.  So we did a morning walk,

and then I headed to massage and grocery shopping.  We had invited Van for dinner, that evening, so at a certain point late in the afternoon, I got into the kitchen.  I made something of a creole sauce for us, based on recollections of what we used to make at the restaurant.  I cooked peeled shrimp in the sauce and served it up for each of us in a bowl with some basmati rice that was pretty much my best ever attempt at cooking rice.  Tasty dinner, not pretty for photography.  I tried a new cocktail that night (minus the fresh mint leaves I thought I had on hand but did not):  the Stone's Throw. 

A good one.  I'll be making that one again some time.  Anyway, after dinner it was an episode of Stanley for us, then Van took Olive home, and the night wound down a little on the late side.

Sunday morning started with a walk,

and then on to Amara. 

This time I ordered the breakfast burrito, taking home half of it because it's so substantial. 

A decaf latte for me as well. 

We came home from that and started in on some stuff for the big trip ahead, getting a few things done.  By the end of the afternoon, I was at Van's for a rare Sunday night television date night.  A good time:  we finished watching the series, Looking, as well as the wrap up movie that was made.  Really well done show despite some of our final frustrations with it.

The first two weekends this month will be out-of-town weekends, so the regular, predictable, at-home weekends will be missing for a few weeks from here.  They will be back.  In the mean time, may the new month be kind to us all. 

fourth weekend in August

Most of the week gone, almost the next weekend, the last weekend in August.  What better time to check in on the previous weekend, right?  And I know, I know.  Maestro and Amara again, right, Peter?  Well, yes.  Unapologetically.

So let's kick it off with the usual:  seats at an end of the bar late Friday afternoon/early Friday evening at Maestro. 

I did NOT, however, go with the usual drink.  A Guayabita for me this time to start with,

followed by a glass of rose. 

Sometimes it's good to switch things up!  We ate relatively light, given the heat.  Oysters to start,

some chicken mole to share. 

Did we have queso as well?  No photo, but I dimly recall we may have, which totally makes a lie of the eating light.  We came home and watched some television, winding down, having a mellow time of it.

Saturday morning there was a mild walk, but yep, Amara.  Lattes and a shared burrito (they're pretty filling for one). 

Back at home, there was the usual assortment of things to get done, and I added the baking of two banana bread loaves to that list. 

Check!  They'll make for nice slices some mornings with coffee.  By early evening, we were swinging by Bristol Farms and picking up fixings for dinner.  Van wanted shrimp cocktails, and we obliged. 

I also bought a nice piece of coho salmon and served it atop a warm okra salad and Israeli couscous.

After dinner the guys showed me the photos of their recent road trip, telling me more of the stories.  Nice to see.  No television after they were done - it was too late for that.  We headed to bed.

Sunday morning I didn't get up early for a solo walk despite best intentions.  I slept really well, but when I finally got up, I soon heard Conrad.  And if Conrad gets up, that means Olive is awake with him.  She really loves him.  A short walk for the three of us, then a further short walk for me to get some more steps. 

Conrad and I had coffee while Van slept in, then the four of us headed off to Starbucks because we weren't quite up for a big breakfast at home.  Conrad and I got home around noon, and then it was an afternoon devoted to online happy hour.  Sushi and television to finish the day.

That, friends, was a very regular, normal, no-frills weekend for us.  Nice one, I have to say.

second weekend in August

You know, it was a nice weekend.  And an easy one.  Isn't that lovely when those two things coincide?

As I did the Friday before, I started out my day with a good and lengthy walk from Van's place. 

No, not nearly so long as the week before, but a respectable distance just the same.  It was a work from home day, and that allowed me to shift hours around and go pick up Conrad from LAX in the middle of the day before getting back to the laptop.  Come 5:00, or a few minutes thereafter, he and I were seated at the bar at Maestro for a regular Friday night.  A cherry-tomato cocktail for me,

some oysters to start,

followed by the roasted beet salad we've been enjoying a lot lately,

and then the shortrib burritas. 

We were home fairly early and settled down to a bit of television and then music and reading before bed.

Saturday was lazier.  A shorter walk that culminated in a satisfying breakfast at Amara. 

A bunch of laundry, some reading, and I'm pretty sure I recall there being a nap in there somewhere.  Van picked us up that evening,

and we headed to Little Beast

over in Eagle Rock for dinner with Mitch and Ted.  Nice evening, too.  The biscuits with ham were a good starter to share,

and I also enjoyed the salad that Van, Conrad, and I split. 

My salmon dish was good although I thought the salmon was a little overcooked. 

Still, the curry sauce and the chickpea cake were terrific accompaniments.  Oh, and the cocktail, the Dark Til Dawn, was a success. 

None of us were wowed by the dessert menu, alas, so we headed home, and I had a little Amaro Breva as we wound down.

If Saturday was lazy, well, Sunday outdid it.  An even shorter walk, no laundry, more reading, and again some napping.  The highlight was a nice FaceTime chat with Courtney and Robert.  We had plans for leftovers for dinner, so there really wasn't any cooking save for a bit of rice.  Conrad started making a little pre-dinner set-up for us, and he did get the food plated, but I shook up the cocktails, and that was a great little pre-dinner treat, sitting at the counter and chatting. 

We watched some television, then I hopped online to buy things I think will make nice little party favours/guest goody bag fillers for Conrad's big birthday party later this year.  That brought Sunday and the weekend to an end.

The days ahead may be a little mild for me in terms of posting.  Conrad and Van are heading on a road trip, and I will be taking care of Olive.  I have few plans during my week with her.  Still, if I throw together something halfway edible, it may just get posted here. 

first weekend in August

How about I check in on things from a week ago?  Sounds about right for the way this blog goes most of the time lately, right?  It's been a very easy, lazy Saturday, and even then, I've only just found the wherewithal to get some things written and posted.  Nicely done, Peter!

Alright then, a week ago yesterday.  Starting out with a good long walk since I didn't have a morning commute to be mindful of.  Over 11 miles that morning.  Yep, a great way to end my July step count.  I was pretty pleased with that.

The workday at home proved uneventful, and before we knew it, it was done.  We weren't at Maestro right at opening as we sometimes are, but we were seated at the bar not long afterward. 

I haven't been indulging in Mezcal Campfires much lately, but I did have one that evening. 

Calamari

and the chicken mole

for me and Conrad to share.  Nice, easy evening, and home after that to watch a little television and wind down.

Saturday was a little fuller.  The middle part of the day included housework and errands, but we also made time to go see a condo at an open house.  A really good and promising unit were we in a position to buy right away.  But we aren't.  Still, that was impetus for us to begin getting financial ducks in a row.

Framing the midday activities were the morning walk and breakfast at Amara (shared burrito for us)

to start the day, and then a jaunt down to San Pedro early in the evening.  We were invited over to Lessa and Christian's home for drinks

before heading to dinner with them at Trani's Dockside Station. 

It was nice to come down their way - they've come up this way a few times now, and it really is a drive.  Plus, how nice to see their home (I love to see what books people have on their shelves) and meet their chickens. 

Van is such an animal lover!

Dinner was a great recommendation.  I struggled with the menu because there was a lot I wanted to try.  Lessa, Conrad, and I shared oysters, and then I had a swordfish special. 

Lightly breaded, which was interesting, and I liked it.  Some greens on the side. 

The chocolate gelato dessert was fine

- I preferred the brown butter cake that landed at the other end of the table and that I couldn't readily finish.  The restaurant had a good bar as well, and the Saging Grace cocktail was refreshing. 

A nice night with local friends as the highlight of the weekend.

As is often the case, I have no Sunday photos.  I recall spending a very good deal of the day reading old XMen comics on my iPad, and what a delight that was.  Such an easy day.  I put together a board of easy nibbles for dinner so as not to cook on a hot day.  Television, to bed, and then... Monday.