War Child: Heroes

I have always been a sucker for a good cover song. Sometimes I even find myself liking the cover better than the original. One of these instances is the cover of the U2 song Running to Stand Still by Elbow on the new War Child: Heroes compilation. 

I guess this is the point where I segue into my brief little sales pitch for the entire War Child: Heroes album. It contains 15 covers by great artists such as Lily Allen, Hot Chip, Duffy, and Estelle. The Lily Allen cover of Straight to Hell by The Clash is probably my favorite track on the album but in all seriousness the whole album is great. 

You really should pick it up. Especially when you consider that the proceeds support the UK based charity War Child. From my brief research, War Child seems like a pretty worthwhile project and seems to help make a difference in the lives of children impacted by war and poverty.

So yeah, check out the album and maybe feel good about yourself by making a charitable contribution at the same time. 

THE_REAL_SHAQ

If you are on Twitter and are not following THE_REAL_SHAQ than you are totally missing out on the highest of high comedy. Not only does The Big Aristotle, or is he The Big Cactus or Shaqtus now? I can't keep up, post frequently but his posts are absolutely perfect. A couple of days ago he confessed to tweeting from the toilet and as a result dropping his phone in the toilet. Yesterday he posted that he was in a mall in Phoenix and the first person to touch him and mention Twitter would receive 2 tickets to a game. So seriously. Follow THE_REAL_SHAQ. Your days will be so much better as a result. 

New Deputy In Town

This past Saturday was a momentous occasion in my life. Just how momentous of an occasion was it? Well let me put it in context for you. It was more momentous than the birth of my 3rd child. Pretty momentous, yeah? Has the anticipation been sufficiently stoked? I hope so, because here is the big reveal:

On Saturday I sampled the second best tier 2 burger in LA. Thanks to a great suggestion from a quite reputable source, I made it over to a great little Korean BBQ Restaurant/Lounge in Culver City that goes by the name of Gyenari. Before I get into the details of the Gyenari experience I think it is safe to say that Koreans do it better when it comes to burgers. As evidence I gladly submit Fathers Office and Gyenari for your consideration.

So now for the Gyenari experience. They had a couple of options on the menu but I decided to go with the one they referred to as The Original Half-Pound Prime Burger which is served on a challah bun with garlic aioli, arugula, tomato, caramelized onions, and cheddar cheese. The beef was expertly seasoned and of excellent quality but it would be foolish of me to not mention here that it did not quite measure up to the bastion of perfection established by Fathers Office. The garlic aioli added a nice bit of flavor and the caramelized onions were delectable. My favorite aspect of the burger though was the challah bun. It wasn't all dry and cardboardy like something you would find at The Counter and it added an air of sophistication that you would not find at Fudruckers.

So yeah, the burger was excellent and all the pieces complemented each other so nicely that after my first bite I immediately proclaimed it the second best tier 2 burger in LA. After the second bite I reaffirmed my initial assertion and I stand by the judgement two days later. Second best tier two burger in LA. 

The sweet potato fries however are a completely different story. I didn't like them at all. They had absolutely no flavor. There was not a delectable sauce to dip them in. Oh yeah, and they put Parmesan cheese on them and by Parmesan cheese I mean the gross Parmesan cheese that comes in a can. I am not sure you can even call it cheese. It didn't work. At all.

So definitely go to Gyenari for the burger but skip the sweet potato fries. I have heard that the traditional fries are pretty good so that might be a better option. And one more thing, the location itself was quite aesthetically pleasing. Don't hesitate to sit in the lounge section. It is what I did and received excellent service and access to the full menu.

***Photo by lead.salad - I forgot my camera. Dumb. I know.

Kid Cudi

I have been loving the Cleveland hip hopper Kid Cudi ever since I heard him on Kanye's 808s and Heartbreaks. His song Day 'n' Nite makes me happy every time I hear it. It is just so damn catchy. There are also some really good remixes floating around out there. The Crookers remix is fantastic and the Jim Jones remix is pretty cool as well. So yeah, hop on the Kid Cudi train. I promise you will enjoy it.

Americana

What is more American than the Super Bowl? Extravagant commercials filled with boobs, animals, and dudes getting hit in the junk of course. Oh yeah, and apple pie. That is why I made an apple pie for the Super Bowl Viewing Extravaganza I attended yesterday. I was pretty nervous to make the pie available for public consumption because of the difficulties I had with the crust. For some reason it wouldn't roll out right nor hold together when I tried to place it in the pie pan. However, after taking it out of the oven it looked decent enough but I was still nervous that it might taste funny due to the crust problems I encountered. Turns out this wasn't the case because people seemed to really enjoy it. Unless they just didn't want to hurt my super sensitive feelings which would not surprise me.

So yeah, the Super Bowl. Pretty exciting. Fantastic 4th quarter. Some decent commercials. Am still basking in the warm glow emanating from the lovely memory of Bruce Springsteen's junk coming at me in full HD quality. Wish I would have had my 3-D glasses on for that. And The Office. I laughed so hard I cried and suffered a horrible coughing fit when Dwight became Hannibal Lecter. Sheer genius. Boom. Roasted. Loved it even if it was quite uncomfortable at times. Best episode of probably the last two seasons.