The Weight’s Over

A couple of days ago, I went to the gym and weighed myself on the scale and my jaw dropped to the ground. I had lost twenty pounds in the past six months. Physically, it’s not that big of a difference, is it?

Before

different size, same pose

Winning Miss LA Chinatown 2010 First Princess is not the best reward I received from this whole pageant experience.

This body was. For the past four months, I dragged myself out of bed nearly every single morning and worked out, whether taking ballroom dancing classes, lifting weights or just using the bicycle machines. I moderated what I ate, chomping on carrot sticks like I was Roger Rabbit and turning a blind eye to every burger joint and taco shack.

It was not a easy task. I am a girl who loves to eat. If I could choose eternal beauty or the opportunity to enjoy amazing meals every single day of my life, food will win every time. I get giddy over a beautiful piece of steak. I anticipate for Restaurant Week. I think sharing a meal with someone is one of the most worthwhile ways of bonding and communion. I take pictures of food, for goodness sakes! So yea, it’s safe to say I like food a lot.

And I am not naturally skinny. While it is true that I am skinnier than most, I am by no means a lithe size 0 with a six pack (maybe of beer…). I worked hard to get to this size. There is secret magic shortcut to staying thin.  You pretty much have to love yourself and your body enough to want to eat healthy and work out.  Taking care of your body the right way will not only give you a satisfactory physical appearance, it will make you feel better all around.  I’m more alert, more awake because I don’t weigh myself down with sweets and fatty foods. I don’t break out as much. I go (you know, go) easily and on a regular basis.  Endorphins flow through my veins, making me happier and smilier. I’m more flexible and quicker on my feet (still as klumsy as ever, though.)

Two weeks before my pageant, a most wonderful and atrocious thing occurred.  DineLA’s Restaurant Week was announced.  Oh yes but OH NO.  I dug myself out of my mountain of salads and tried out two restaurants.

SPAGO Beverly Hills

The flagship restaurant for ubiquitous celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck, Spago is nestled between the luxurious streets of Beverly Hills.  This classy establishment specializes in Californian cuisine, rich in fresh Cali produce and products.

The restaurant was very warm and cozy, filled with an intimate vibe despite the intimidating price tag of the meals. With a narrow bar, an open-air kitchen and a beautiful center garden patio, Spago is the epitome of Californian cool.

Eunice and I dined on a first course of heirloom apple and endive salad (top left)and our dates opted for the heavier wild mushroom raviolini with mascarpone and reggiano (did I just copy that from the online menu? You betcha!). The salads were light and sweet, though the blue cheese scared off some taste buds. The raviolini melts in your mouth and was in a small enough portion to be the ideal starter of the evening.

For our main course, the boys ordered the roasted rack of kurobuta pork, Eunice ordered the loch duart salmon and I had the slow braised beef short ribs (not pictured). Here is a tip: when you do DineLA, if you can avoid it, DO NOT order any types of braised beef or pork! These are easy dishes to prepare so restaurants often leave them as an option during restaurant week. My braised short ribs looked like a chunk of chocolate cake smothered in chocolate sauce and was way too salty and…heavy for my taste. In no way, did I taste fine dining in that dish. Spago made up for it, however, with the kurobuta pork (lower left) which was roasted to perfection and paired with an appealing cabbage and apple rosemary sauce. If all pork was prepared this way, I would even be a fan of Miss Piggy! The salmon was also very scrumptious (I’m sorry, in my personal opinion, my papa makes the best salmon so nothing else even compares.)

Overall, our fine dining experience was perfectly fine. This being one of our first times at such a fancy establishment, we did feel a little out of our comfort zone but no worries, practice makes perfect!

I would say to go to Spago for the ambience, the name and the possible celeb-gawking. If only for the food alone, my tastebuds have found better friends in Josie. (Just found out Josie is having an extra week of Restaurant Week! Check it out!)

Filled with fun wall illustrations of celebrities and high high ceilings, The Palm has a very relaxed ambience. I had wanted to try it because an episode of Entourage took place there but sadly, the food will not allow me to return.

The best part of the meal was the Chilean sea bass fillet (top right). Though the sundried tomatoes and bacon pieces were too salty, the sea bass had an excellent texture that was neither too chewy nor too flaky. Victor may argue with me that the best part of the meal was the side dish of chips and deep fried onion strips (bottom), the boy finished nearly half of that monstrosity. All of us can agree that the filet mignon, the main draw to the restaurant’s menu, was absolutely horrible.  Too tough, too bloody, too chewy, too bland, it was a waste of a cow.

It was undeniable that Jessica’s favorite part of the meal was dessert. Can you guess who demolished her New York cheesecake while the other two only nibbled at our sweets not because we didn’t like it but because “it was just too good?” Not fair that she is the skinnier sister.

Restaurant Week classifies meal prices by the type of dining you are getting.  Because Spago was fine dining, each person cost $44.  The Palm was premier dining for $34.

Restaurant week is a fabulous chance for those of us Los Angelenos to try out fancier establishments and get a better taste of the whole menu for a cheaper price. But it definitely helps to do a lot of research before you make a reservation.  I usually go through the list, see what restaurants I’ve heard of, then check out their menu to see if I like it. Then, I yelp the crap out of them.  Next time, I have learned that I will not go by the hype of the restaurant but rather by actual, in-depth reviews. There are still so many places I want to check out on that list (Drago Centro, Fig, Simon LA) but until next time!

In the words of my friend and fellow blogger, JLoeats, “happy eating!”

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posted by Janice | Comment: 4 | Food, Los Angeles

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