Now playing in continuous rotation on my inner jukebox.
Listen here.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Restaurant Review: Gemmell's in Dana Point
Yesterday was my birthday, which means I’m a picky Virgo. I was in the mood for superior seafood, lobster bisque and soufflé, and I didn’t want a long drive with a late reservation. While researching my options, I happily discovered that Byron Gemmell had relocated his kitchen to Dana Point. I first dined in his Costa Mesa restaurant back in the nouvelle cuisine heydays when his homey Gallic comfort food stood in stark relief to the less-is-best excesses of the 1980s. I was gratified to find that time and distance have not nibbled away at his dedication to fresh, flavorful, classic French cuisine for the hungry masses.
Gemmell’s is a true gem in a rusty setting – an older mixed use center at the Dana Point Harbor with ample free parking and no valet in sight. I give our meal 5 stars for quality, portion size, service, price, location, and accessibility. Our party of 4 food-loving adults agreed that it was well worth paying $210 for our meal plus the 73 highway toll, not to mention the extra drive during Monday night rush hour. All dishes were generous and very reasonably priced. My son, another picky Virgo who just returned from a culinary pilgrimage to the upscale buffets and designer chef restaurants of Las Vegas, pronounced his meal at Gemmell’s better than any he had in Sin City.
The evening breeze was balmy, so we asked to sit in the patio area, which is more like a sun room with large open windows, ceiling fan, evocative artwork and a not-too-cheesy fake fireplace. Even the patio tables have fine linens, silverware, a muted candle, and a long-stemmed rose. French music played unobtrusively in the background. As my dear husband and I like to joke, sing it if you know it.
The wait staff was attentive, good-humored and not at all stuffy. They brought us a basket of 4 aromatic, round, oven fresh french rolls with butter. Aromatic is a good word to describe every course – pleasing to the eye, nose and mouth.
My brother and I enjoyed a deliciously different, earthy lobster bisque – not as buttery or sherry-laden as the usual bisque but with an intriguing seasoning blend I could not identify. My husband gave me a bite of his tasty wilted spinach salad with hot bacon dressing. My son had a hearty onion soup with croutons to soak up a rich broth and topped with plenty of gooey gruyere.
Our entrées arrived on extremely hot plates that retained their heat without overcooking the meat, making each bite all the more heartwarming. My brother chose the roasted duck with caramelized bananas in a reduction of rum and banana liqueur. The skin was so crisp and meat so yummy that he cleaned the bones. My son had the scallops in champagne garlic sauce, which were large, perfectly cooked and perfectly seasoned. I had a bite of my husband’s succulent rack of lamb with thyme garlic demi glaze before he devoured the whole thing, despite his strong willpower and earlier plan to leave half for leftovers. The food really was that good.
My selection was a moist, tender poached filet of salmon in a champagne lemon dill cream sauce that complemented the fish without overpowering it. I love fresh dill, especially with salmon, and the flavor synergy was just lovely. Each entrée was accompanied by a scoop of rice delivered on its own small plate and circled by a wreath of fresh vegetables: a shot-sized puree of carrots, a few haricot verts, florets of cauliflower and broccoli, and bites of green and yellow squash. All our entrées were less than $30.
We ordered the individual chocolate soufflés with a chocolate crème anglaise sauce poured into the center of each soufflé by the wait staff. Dessert lived up to our high expectations. Some restaurants serve a lava cake or sweetened popover and call it a soufflé, but this was the real deal in all its lofty glory. In addition to the soufflé choices, the dessert menu includes an apple tart tatin, lemon tart, mousse au chocolat, flourless chocolat (cake, I presume), and the ubiquitous crème brulée.
Gemmell’s also offers a variety of fine wines and after dinner drinks from coffee concoctions to dessert liquors. When he learned of my birthday celebration, the host kindly offered me a complimentary glass of port. Byron Gemmell is also the Executive Chef of the Vintage Steakhouse at the San Juan Capistrano train depot, which actually features an authentic Pullman car as one of its dining venues. Next stop!
Gemmell’s is a true gem in a rusty setting – an older mixed use center at the Dana Point Harbor with ample free parking and no valet in sight. I give our meal 5 stars for quality, portion size, service, price, location, and accessibility. Our party of 4 food-loving adults agreed that it was well worth paying $210 for our meal plus the 73 highway toll, not to mention the extra drive during Monday night rush hour. All dishes were generous and very reasonably priced. My son, another picky Virgo who just returned from a culinary pilgrimage to the upscale buffets and designer chef restaurants of Las Vegas, pronounced his meal at Gemmell’s better than any he had in Sin City.
The evening breeze was balmy, so we asked to sit in the patio area, which is more like a sun room with large open windows, ceiling fan, evocative artwork and a not-too-cheesy fake fireplace. Even the patio tables have fine linens, silverware, a muted candle, and a long-stemmed rose. French music played unobtrusively in the background. As my dear husband and I like to joke, sing it if you know it.
The wait staff was attentive, good-humored and not at all stuffy. They brought us a basket of 4 aromatic, round, oven fresh french rolls with butter. Aromatic is a good word to describe every course – pleasing to the eye, nose and mouth.
My brother and I enjoyed a deliciously different, earthy lobster bisque – not as buttery or sherry-laden as the usual bisque but with an intriguing seasoning blend I could not identify. My husband gave me a bite of his tasty wilted spinach salad with hot bacon dressing. My son had a hearty onion soup with croutons to soak up a rich broth and topped with plenty of gooey gruyere.
Our entrées arrived on extremely hot plates that retained their heat without overcooking the meat, making each bite all the more heartwarming. My brother chose the roasted duck with caramelized bananas in a reduction of rum and banana liqueur. The skin was so crisp and meat so yummy that he cleaned the bones. My son had the scallops in champagne garlic sauce, which were large, perfectly cooked and perfectly seasoned. I had a bite of my husband’s succulent rack of lamb with thyme garlic demi glaze before he devoured the whole thing, despite his strong willpower and earlier plan to leave half for leftovers. The food really was that good.
My selection was a moist, tender poached filet of salmon in a champagne lemon dill cream sauce that complemented the fish without overpowering it. I love fresh dill, especially with salmon, and the flavor synergy was just lovely. Each entrée was accompanied by a scoop of rice delivered on its own small plate and circled by a wreath of fresh vegetables: a shot-sized puree of carrots, a few haricot verts, florets of cauliflower and broccoli, and bites of green and yellow squash. All our entrées were less than $30.
We ordered the individual chocolate soufflés with a chocolate crème anglaise sauce poured into the center of each soufflé by the wait staff. Dessert lived up to our high expectations. Some restaurants serve a lava cake or sweetened popover and call it a soufflé, but this was the real deal in all its lofty glory. In addition to the soufflé choices, the dessert menu includes an apple tart tatin, lemon tart, mousse au chocolat, flourless chocolat (cake, I presume), and the ubiquitous crème brulée.
Gemmell’s also offers a variety of fine wines and after dinner drinks from coffee concoctions to dessert liquors. When he learned of my birthday celebration, the host kindly offered me a complimentary glass of port. Byron Gemmell is also the Executive Chef of the Vintage Steakhouse at the San Juan Capistrano train depot, which actually features an authentic Pullman car as one of its dining venues. Next stop!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
John MacArthur Explains Christian Love to Andrew Sullivan
Dr. John MacArthur's October 18, 2006 appearance on Larry King Live in the wake of the Mark Foley scandal has been posted at YouTube. The panel that evening also included Andrew Sullivan.
Dr. John MacArthur is a Bible scholar, prolific author and expository preacher of God's word. My husband Luis and I drive one hour each way to attend his Grace Community Church as many Sundays as we can manage. God willing, Luis will attend both his Master's College and Seminary.
In the video clip below, Dr. MacArthur gets a few words in amid the cross-talk to share what the Bible says about sin and the role of Christians in political activism. To learn more, I highly recommend his recently published book, Right Thinking in a World Gone Wrong.
Dr. John MacArthur is a Bible scholar, prolific author and expository preacher of God's word. My husband Luis and I drive one hour each way to attend his Grace Community Church as many Sundays as we can manage. God willing, Luis will attend both his Master's College and Seminary.
In the video clip below, Dr. MacArthur gets a few words in amid the cross-talk to share what the Bible says about sin and the role of Christians in political activism. To learn more, I highly recommend his recently published book, Right Thinking in a World Gone Wrong.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Jason Castro Signs with Atlantic Records!
Finally, the announcement Jason Castro fans have been waiting seven months to hear (but who's counting) — the talented daydreaming boy from American Idol season 7 has signed with Atlantic Records and will be working with Executive Vice President Pete Ganbarg himself. Jason hopes to have his debut album out by summer.
Congratulations, Jason!
You can watch his announcement below (h/t MJ's Big Blog).
ETA: Here is Jason in the studio with Kara DioGuardi.
Congratulations, Jason!
You can watch his announcement below (h/t MJ's Big Blog).
ETA: Here is Jason in the studio with Kara DioGuardi.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Love Ballad for Luis
So I was perusing Adam Lambert's profile on his American Idol web page when I came across the following quote, which you can find if you click on side arrows in the Q&A section:
Immediately, I thought, "Yeah. I get it. That's what happened to me."
Nine years ago, give or take a few weeks, I fell in love. It was the proudest, bravest, smartest thing I have ever done. Despite all my carefully cultivated caution, my 10-year wound from an agonizing relationship that wouldn't die until I finally pulled the plug, my insistence that I had given up on men forever – I fell truly-madly-deeply in love with someone I expected would inevitably reject me.
Luis and I couldn't have seemed more different on the surface. He was 21, Hispanic, raised in poverty in East L.A. in a world where conservative political opinion and Protestant theology were rarely spoken, a theological skeptic who mocked Christians, drop-dead gorgeous despite that don't-mess-with-me walk and averted stare born of necessity during a childhood marred by gang violence. I was 43, divorced with a 16-year-old son, a reformed spoiled youngest child, a middle class WASP, a lapsed Lutheran, proudly conservative, 50lbs. overweight not counting the invisible armor that was supposed to protect me from further heartbreak.
We were forced to work together on the Board of Directors where I lived. He swears it was love at first meeting. It took three months and a scary car accident that emboldened him to make his move. I never saw it coming.
It took a month for me to go walking with him at a local park after work. I agreed, thinking he would soon realize how impossible it was to overcome the obstacles between us. I hoped, after spending a few hours together, we could part as friends and continue working together on the HOA. Instead, I discovered innate intelligence, irresistible charm, humor, depth, maturity, wisdom, humility, manliness and gentlemanliness in one beautiful package – a combination of traits I never found in the dozens of men I dated from my teens through my forties.
We kept walking and talking – and I kept balking – until somehow I was eager to take the biggest risk of my life. Nine months after our first date, I married my soulmate – although I was stilled bedeviled by the fear that he would reject me in old age.
For the past 6 years, Luis has been the most dedicated partner imaginable in my battle against breast cancer. Just as I had to confront the very real possibility that I would never reach old age, his constant support and unconditional love completely erased my vain fears. Without reservation, he took in my deaf brother while I was undergoing chemotherapy – moving him 3,000 miles from Florida to our home in California when my sister suddenly died – and raised my son as his own.
When I was treated for my first episode of metastatic breast cancer in 2006, he committed his life to Christ, became an evangelist and enrolled in Bible college. Then I had a miraculous remission, the likes of which my oncologist had never seen before.
Since December 2008, I have been undergoing chemotherapy for my second episode of metastatic breast cancer, which is considered terminal and incurable. Barring divine intervention, I am in the last months or dozens of months of my life. Luis and I are fused by unbreakable bonds – the deepest of earthly loves and a shared devotion to our Savior, Jesus Christ. God has given us His peace, hope and strength. We are as happy together as ever.
Tomorrow will be the sixth Deaf Awareness Day we have attended together with my brother at Disneyland. At the last minute, I decided I should get a long-sleeved Winnie the Pooh shirt to wear to amuse our niece and nephews, who will accompany us. While shopping at a Goodwill thrift store, George Benson's uptempo version of the Jeffrey Osborne/LTD song, Love Ballad, came on the muzak system. The lyrics instantly reminded me of my wonderful husband – and I cried, which I rarely do these days.
I wish I had the time left to write a book about my amazing Luis, but these lyrics are a good start.
Better yet, here's George.
What's your proudest moment?
Falling in love.
Immediately, I thought, "Yeah. I get it. That's what happened to me."
Nine years ago, give or take a few weeks, I fell in love. It was the proudest, bravest, smartest thing I have ever done. Despite all my carefully cultivated caution, my 10-year wound from an agonizing relationship that wouldn't die until I finally pulled the plug, my insistence that I had given up on men forever – I fell truly-madly-deeply in love with someone I expected would inevitably reject me.
Luis and I couldn't have seemed more different on the surface. He was 21, Hispanic, raised in poverty in East L.A. in a world where conservative political opinion and Protestant theology were rarely spoken, a theological skeptic who mocked Christians, drop-dead gorgeous despite that don't-mess-with-me walk and averted stare born of necessity during a childhood marred by gang violence. I was 43, divorced with a 16-year-old son, a reformed spoiled youngest child, a middle class WASP, a lapsed Lutheran, proudly conservative, 50lbs. overweight not counting the invisible armor that was supposed to protect me from further heartbreak.
We were forced to work together on the Board of Directors where I lived. He swears it was love at first meeting. It took three months and a scary car accident that emboldened him to make his move. I never saw it coming.
It took a month for me to go walking with him at a local park after work. I agreed, thinking he would soon realize how impossible it was to overcome the obstacles between us. I hoped, after spending a few hours together, we could part as friends and continue working together on the HOA. Instead, I discovered innate intelligence, irresistible charm, humor, depth, maturity, wisdom, humility, manliness and gentlemanliness in one beautiful package – a combination of traits I never found in the dozens of men I dated from my teens through my forties.
We kept walking and talking – and I kept balking – until somehow I was eager to take the biggest risk of my life. Nine months after our first date, I married my soulmate – although I was stilled bedeviled by the fear that he would reject me in old age.
For the past 6 years, Luis has been the most dedicated partner imaginable in my battle against breast cancer. Just as I had to confront the very real possibility that I would never reach old age, his constant support and unconditional love completely erased my vain fears. Without reservation, he took in my deaf brother while I was undergoing chemotherapy – moving him 3,000 miles from Florida to our home in California when my sister suddenly died – and raised my son as his own.
When I was treated for my first episode of metastatic breast cancer in 2006, he committed his life to Christ, became an evangelist and enrolled in Bible college. Then I had a miraculous remission, the likes of which my oncologist had never seen before.
Since December 2008, I have been undergoing chemotherapy for my second episode of metastatic breast cancer, which is considered terminal and incurable. Barring divine intervention, I am in the last months or dozens of months of my life. Luis and I are fused by unbreakable bonds – the deepest of earthly loves and a shared devotion to our Savior, Jesus Christ. God has given us His peace, hope and strength. We are as happy together as ever.
Tomorrow will be the sixth Deaf Awareness Day we have attended together with my brother at Disneyland. At the last minute, I decided I should get a long-sleeved Winnie the Pooh shirt to wear to amuse our niece and nephews, who will accompany us. While shopping at a Goodwill thrift store, George Benson's uptempo version of the Jeffrey Osborne/LTD song, Love Ballad, came on the muzak system. The lyrics instantly reminded me of my wonderful husband – and I cried, which I rarely do these days.
I wish I had the time left to write a book about my amazing Luis, but these lyrics are a good start.
LOVE BALLAD (George Benson)
I have never been so much
In love, in love before
What a difference
How true love made in my life
So nice and so right
Lovers come and then lovers go
That's what the people say
Don't they know
How it feels when you love me
Hold me and say you care
And what we have is much more than they can see
And what we have is much more than they can see
Baby what we have is much more than they see
Oh baby, whoa yeah
I'm in love, I'm in love with you
I say love I never knew that a touch
Could mean, could mean so much
What a difference
And when we walk hand in hand
I feel, I feel so real
Lovers come and then lovers go
That's what the people say
Don't they know
How I feel when you love me
Hold me and say you care
And what we have is much more than they can see
And what we have is much more than they can see
Baby, what we have is much more than they can see
Better yet, here's George.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
