Enjoyed a going away weekend for Alex at Dad’s.

Styx from henry james on Vimeo.

#29: Go to five live music venues in LA

Styx at the Rose in Pasadena.

#19. Read 8 Fiction Novels

Slow to start, but it grew on me.

IMG_1367 from henry james on Vimeo.

An overdue graduation present.

#13: Try 10 Jonathon Gold Restaurants

Valentine’s Day dinner at Jar.

We all wish we were Hemingway.

IMG_1277 from henry james on Vimeo.

#13: Try 10 of Gold’s top 101 LA Restaurants

Spring. Lobster risotto. Very good.

#14: Watch a Rocket Launch

Granted I wasn’t there, but watched this one live and it was more exciting than the Super Bowl. With a fair chance of failure, the biggest rocket blasted into space, but equally as cool was the sight of the boosters re-landing to be used again.

#46: Sit around a campfire

Visited mom and Jim’s campground for some family time.

New year, same result. We lost.

Keep dancing like no one’s watching!

Jonathon Gold is L.A.’s, and probably the country’s best food critic.  Whether it’s fine dining, culinary performance art or a value meal at a taco truck, he always puts together a solid top 101 list.  We need to try ten new ones, so I’ll start by crossing off the ones we have already eaten at and will not count towards the ten.

1. 1. Vespertine
   2. Providence (Top notch Seafood and truffle)
   3. Spago (Wolfgang’s original. Remodeled and as good as ever)
   4. Lukshon (Culver City Asian Fusion)
   5. Taco Maria
   6. Spring (Downtown French)
   7. Trois Mec (Tasting meal. Second time wasn’t as good as the first)
   8. Cassia
   9. Mozzaplex (All three restaurants are excellent)
   10. Rossoblu (Favorite new DTLA Italian spot)
   11. Rustic Canyon (Farm to table)
   12. Shibumi
   13. Q Sushi
   14. n/naka
   15. Lucques (Loved it, but it’s been about eight years)
   16. Cut (There are better steak places. Great asparagus dish)
   17. Bestia (Great small plate Italian)
   18. Lasa
   19. République (Another great small plate French place)
   20. Animal (Animal centric, but the snapper collar was the best)
   21. Kismet
   22. Manuela (Farm to table in the Arts District)
   23. Night + Market Song (Best Thai)
   24. Shunji
   25. Alimento
   26. Here’s Looking At You (Serving whatever the Chef found that day)
   27. P.Y.T.
   28. Guerrilla Tacos
   29. Chengdu Taste
   30. Orsa & Winston (Italian/Japanese from the Mexican chef building a DTLA empire)
   31. Michael’s
   32. Otium (Swedish minimalism)
   33. Vincenti
   34. Broken Spanish (Gourmet country Mexican. I ate cock’s comb)
   35. Soban
   36. Pizzana
   37. Sun Nong Dan
   38. Mélisse
   39. Holbox/Chichén Itzá
   40. Baroo (closed)
   41. Officine Brera (Elevated Italian)
   42. The Bazaar (Jose Andrea’s LA spot)
   43. Gjelina
   44. Salt’s Cure (unimpressed)
   45. Alma (A young chef succeeding)
   46. Salazar (Señora style Mexican. All outdoor)
   47. Sqirl
   48. The Tasting Kitchen (Venice Beach hot spot)
   49. Odys + Penelope (One of my favorite sharing plate restaurants)
   50. Petit Trois
   51. Sea Harbour
   52. Redbird (Another sharing plate staged in a convent)
   53. Jitlada
   54. Girasol (closed)
   55. Sotto (Excellent Italian)
   56. Le Comptoir
   57. Park’s BBQ
   58. Gwen (Australian chef, Curtis Stone’s meat restaurant)
   59. Jar
   60. Meals by Genet
   61. Church & State (DTLA French bistro)
   62. La Casita Mexicana
   63. Maude (Curtis Stone’s ingredient a month restaurant)
   64. Brobard Chateau
   65. A.O.C. (Simply great)
   66. Asanebo (Best sushi anywhere)
   67. Kobee Factory
   68. Craft (Consistent Century City lunch spot)
   69. Connie and Ted’s (#2’s casual seafood spot)
   70. Rosaliné (excellent Peruvian)
   71. Erven
   72. Angelini Osteria
   73. Adana
   74. Little Sister (Best Vietnamese spot in town)
   75. Mian
   76. Drago Centro
   77. Aburiya Raku
   78. Locol (closed)
   79. 71Above (Best views in DTLA)
   80. Grand Central Market (Great variety)
   81. Coni’Seafood
   82. Kogi BBQ (The Godfather of the food truck. Korean/Mexican)
   83. Guelaguetza (Most authentic Mexican. Biggest mezcal collection in the US)
   84. Manhattan Beach Post
   85. Rice Bar
   86. Bellwether (Had a great Nashville hot chicken sandwich)
   87. Playground
   88. Colonia Publica
   89. Attari Sandwich Shop
   90. Irenia
   91. Tsujita
   92. Gjusta
   93. Garlic & Chives
   94. Valentino
   95. Mariscos Jalisco
   96. Union (Pasadena’s gem)
   97. Sapp Coffee Shoo
   98. Mayura
   99. Howlin’ Ray’s (Two hour minimum wait for some decent Nashville hot chicken)
   100. Marouch
   101. Langer’s (The king of the Pastrami sandwich)