bowling

I went bowling at this new bowling alley in El Monte. It's been a while since I've bowled, but I thought the computer system was very modern. It records the speed of your ball during each throw. I found that I do best bowling slower (8-10 mph) with a heavier ball.

garden grove

I spent the weekend in Garden Grove. Being so close to Little Saigon, I couldn't resist having 7 Courses of Beef again. It was great! The food was better than the place I went to in San Gabriel, but the presentation wasn't as good. I loved the salad and even finished off the big meatball. Too bad they gave us large rice paper that was cut into quarters instead of the small round ones. That made it more difficult to roll.

beef salad

riverside

On Saturday, I went to the University of California Riverside/California Museum of Photography (UCRCMP), the largest photography museum in the state. They have permanent and temporary exhibits. My favorites were the collections of old cameras and the family albums of Pearl Harbor survivors. Ansel Adams photographs are always a treat. My friend told me how he developed the zone technique which everyone now uses.

Afterward, we had afternoon tea at Streeter Teahouse. Tea two weekends in a row! I thought this assortment was excellent. Instead of bringing everything out at once on tiered trays, they bring everything out as it is prepared. They have three seatings a day. I ordered the Kayla Tea, which includes a pot of tea, one scone, 4 tea sandwiches, 2 savory pastries, and 2 sweet pastries. We had fun chatting, looking at pictures, and analyzing all the food.


ucr/cmp


streeter teahouse


chamomile tea


possibly the best scones i've ever had. light, crispy, flaky on the outside, moist on the inside. they can't be good for you. served with whipped cream, clotted cream, and lemon curd


tea sandwiches--pickled artichokes with cream cheese and dill on squaw; sun-dried tomato and olives on white; goat cheese with pecans and a pear slice on white; creamed spinach on white; finely chopped egg salad on wheat


savory pastries--cheese, spinach with mushrooms, chicken, sausage. if you like empanadas, you'll like these.


sweet pastries--german chocolate cake (2 layers), cheesecake with graham cracker crust, cream puff with caramel, cheesecake with nuts, chocolate chips, and an oreo crust

afternoon tea

On Sunday, instead of watching the first half of the Superbowl, I had tea with some friends and one of my high school teachers at the Ritz-Carlton in Pasadena. Everything was beautiful and tasted great. It's a wonderful place to have tea. Also, I heard the afternoon tea at the Huntington Library Tea Room is not so great.


courtyard


tea sandwiches


desserts

dessert heaven

After the 7 Courses of Beef, we headed over to my friend's place for a dessert party!


our hostess spent 3 days baking


only one picture doesn't do it justice


close-up of mini cherry cheesecakes taken by a guest photographer


chocolate fountain with a mix of dark and milk chocolate. we dipped pretzels, strawberries, marshmallows, angel food cake, and pineapples


dessert wine in chocolate cups

beef heaven

On Saturday, my friends and I had 7 Courses of Beef at Vietnam House in San Gabriel. It is a big meal, so we ordered 2 full meals for the three of us. It turned out just right.


course 1--beef dipped (and cooked) in vinegar broth


courses 2-5--charbroiled beef in aromatic lot leaf, grilled beef steak, sate beef with sate sauce, baked ground beef, with shrimp chips


course 6--beef salad


course 7--porridge beef


you eat the meal by putting the beef with lettuce and herbs and rolling it in rice paper. i made this roll after a tutorial. better than my first attempt (pre-tutorial) because the sauce didn't leak out the sides.