You'll never find this place on your own; you have to know someone. The Thin Man and I are just that lucky. Michele lives close by and does a fast focus so we can shoot and eat while everything's still hot. DaoFu is in Normal Heights and the fusion menu shares Thai, China, India, Vietnam and Japan. Michele says, "There's nothing normal about Normal." I don't see anything weird other than a guy on the street with his dog, who's still in the same spot when we emerge later. The dog is clearly unhappy.
To check it out, you have to be a detective. That's because in December they were told to stop using the name Tao and so they became DaoFu. Back story: Vegas dudes took issue with the name, according to our server. Why is Tao Asian nightclub in the Venetian Hotel agonizing over a place 326 miles away? Vegas Tao seats 3,000; Tweets to 75,000; lists 139,000 Facebook friends, hosts an annoying website and features scantily clad women. DaoFu, nee Tao, has no website, no Twitter presence, it closes at 9, and seats 50 fully dressed crunchies in a storefront. Same thing.
DaoFu is a place you want in your neighborhood, but not if you live in Nevada. It's chic with flowers, dessert, beer, wine and smart servers. It's also funky and the funk part is writing on the walls. Every inch is covered in graffiti. The owner says to himself, what else? "Okay, hungry people, go draw on the walls." The dominant theme is animal motifs. Of course.
With my weekend plans suddenly cancelled, I got to drive up my beloved
Central Coast for a second visit to Cambria in a month. Both times, I
had one place in mind at which to dine: Black Cat Bistro. Since I first
enjoyed dinner there last year, I have made it a point to return each
time I have the opportunity. While I enjoy exploring new restaurants,
Cambria is a small enough place, so I have almost gone to all the fine
dining restaurants in town. Black Cat Bistro is my first choice, and I
have pretty much made it my mission to try the whole menu this year.
Even with my point overages on my Weight Watchers plan, this
oh-so-delicious task will be worth it!
Finding a great restaurant isn’t easy. I read hundreds of reviews and clip the best ones but they usually just languish in a file. I would never have gone to Chung King but for 
I'm an obsessive travel planner. I leave nothing to chance when
venturing far away from my home. I need a lay of the new land to feel
safe and happy. I don't always do everything or go to every place I
research, but the last thing I want is to be bored when I'm away from
home sitting in a generic hotel room. Since I've also been, at least
until the last year, a fairly picky-eater I like to know my dining
options. I will only eat fast-food in an emergency, i.e. when there is
absolutely no other choice. As a result, my pre-trip planning involves
many sessions on the Internet, trying to find the best and cheapest
restaurants that also have a decent wine list and cuisine that isn't
too ethnic (the Man won't eat Indian, Thai or Chinese that doesn't come
from a container). This is not an easy task.
Last Friday I took my daughter Hannah to tour Chapman College located only an hour south of Los Angeles, making it very convenient for her to bring me her laundry should she get in. Chapman is located in the charming area of Old Town Orange and we were given a personal tour of the campus by none other than the Dean of Admissions himself, Michael Pelley. Look in the dictionary for the opposite of ‘stuffy’ and you'll find Michael Pelly. Hannah had never interviewed at a college before and she was uncharacteristically mute when meeting with the Dean of The Film School. But not with Pelly. He was the ultimate host giving us a comprehensive tour that created the appropriate sense of longing.