los angeles | april 2013

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So. Much. Food. And family.  And, though thankfully not pictured, *a lot* of Law and Order marathons.  (And, in a post to come, friends!  Expecting friends!)  It was a relaxing wee little trip, just four days long, but long enough to clear my head and reclaim some lost sleep.  And the food.  Good lord, the food.  Mom’s birthday lunch at AOC, then a birthday dinner at Lukshon.  A lazy late lunch at Obika.  A soupy, laid back lunch with Dad at a place I can’t remember, but which had some great banh canh tom.

A highlight: in the third photo below, taken at Hinoki & The Bird, the centerpiece is black cod with pistachio and sweet potato.  Atop the cod: a piece of hinoki — Japanese cedar cypress — set ablaze.  The whole thing smelled amazing.  My aunts joined me in taking photos of the wondrous madness.
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The weekend before I left, I also made some miso ramen, with chashu pork.  From scratch. (Well, everything but the noodles, which were fresh from Sun Noodles in NJ.)  I was pretty pleased with the results, I have to say.
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