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! 

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. 

last weekend in July

Last weekend in July.  The pre-birthday weekend.  We fit in a lot this weekend, or so it felt.  And yet, that was a nice Saturday afternoon nap, I tell you!  So then, let's talk the weekend that was....

Friday I worked from home, and not having to allow for commuting time, plus getting up early, plus staying at Van's overnight meant that I was able to do a good, long morning walk.  Over 8 miles for me.  Not bad!  My step count for July has been pretty darn good.  I was pooped and sweaty come the end of it. 

I was happy to start the day that way, though.  Nicely done, me!

We absolutely love our friends at the restaurants where we are regulars, but we also find ourselves wanting to go to other restaurants sometimes.  Last Friday was one such time.  We sort of tossed around options for dinner, and I found myself not really wanting any of them, until he reminded me of Perle.  We'd enjoyed our last time there, sitting at the bar, so we decided to go back.  Other than cocktails (the La Plage for me),

we shared everything:  bread and butter, escargots, mussels and fries and green salad, Basque cake for dessert. 

A second round of cocktails (Last Words, thank you!) capped the evening there.  Nice time of it, and not too late a meal. 

It was good to have that little bit of change.

Saturday was an easy day with some self-care.  A more casual walk to start the day, then, of course, Conrad and I made our way to Amara. 

Conrad then took care of odds and ends at home whilst I headed off to a massage, a haircut,

and lunch with a friend before meeting Conrad to do some grocery shopping.  That's where I picked up a nice pair of steaks that turned into an enjoyable dinner in

with a bottle of a Justin reserve Cab to pair with the food. 

Cocktails first, of course

- sometimes I like to sip with Conrad while he watches me cook dinner.

Oh, and there was a cute little gift from Courtney and Robert in the mail,

a farfalle (bow tie, get it?) keychain from Eataly. 

Fun!

I was so looking forward to Sunday.  Van had invited Heath and Nicole over, and he was going to grill burgers for us.  He went to such great lengths to make it a lovely evening, and it all paid off.  We hadn't seen Heath since the cocktail party and Nicole in far longer, so it was terrific having them over.  Bonus:  they brought their dogs.  I only got a shot of Rollie, but what a cutie. 

Olive mostly ignored them, so that was a relief.  Anyway, Van

made us mai tais to start with,

then on came the burgers.  Tasty, especially with tater tots. 

Dessert was a carrot cake that he'd picked up.  It all felt very special, a nice way to end 55.

It's taken me days to get this post written.  I fear that I may lapse into some gaps in posting if I'm not careful.  We shall see what August brings!