Here's what I like about California: People think nothing of driving 82 miles for lunch. (In New York, this never happens.) The Thin Man and I are now two of those people as we head out from La Jolla to Plums Cafe in Costa Mesa. We've brought the Boston mechanical lady along to tell us where to get off. She acclimates, more or less, and in no time it's north on the 5. Our LA cousins, who are meeting us, drive 56 miles and they've lived here long enough to get over their New Yorkiness. I guess we have too.
Just in case, The Thin Man prints directions. As it turns out, she not only does not get lost but she sees into the future. Five miles ahead, on the way home, she tells us repeatedly to get off because there's trouble ahead. We don't, there is, but it works out.
How do you define an ideal California lunch? Although I'm no slouch in the lunch department, a perfect lunch will be one I didn't have to make. Ideal is every plate beautifully arranged. Ideal is having to choose. Will it be soup and salad, waffles, chopped or Caesar, greens? Ideal comes with a brother and cousins. Ideal is a chic vibe. Home? If only.
Though I'm not a betting person, I would have put my small stash of
savings on the line if anyone had told me a year ago that I would
become a seafood lover. While still not on the sushi bandwagon, I have
to say that 2009 changed my mind about how good fish can be. Of course,
that is, when prepared by professionals using the freshest fish
available. Chef Ludo Lefebvre prepared the best seafood dish I have ever
had at LudoBites 3.0, one that I instantly wanted more of, much to my
husband's disbelief. When we go out to dinner, one bite of his fish is
usually enough for me. However, I know I wouldn't have enjoyed it as
much if I hadn't discovered Pier 46 Seafood first.
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 
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. 