Dining at Crustacean-Beverly Hills

If you live by the Bay Area or the Los Angeles Area, I am sure you have heard of--  and most likely dined in the famed Thanh Long Restaurant better known today as Crustacean. Their signature roasted cracked dungeness crab and garlic noodles won over foodies, food critics and aficionados like me. The original place was in San Francisco (on Judah Street ) and is owned by the An family who hails from Vietnam. The Crustacean attracts a diverse crowd ranging from the jet set to tourists and families.... and what do they all have in common???.... a soft spot for fabulous seafood. The legacy lies in the " secret kitchen " --- which is a completely enclosed kitchen within the main kitchen. The kitchen is off limits to all their employees. This is where the family prepares the legendary garlic noodles and roasted cracked crab using their secret recipes that was passed down for three generations.

The Crustacean Restaurant in Beverly Hills is one of the premiere seafood-serving hot spots in the city. It is also great for a romantic evening ( they have booths ) or group dining. Reservations at the Crustacean is a MUST.... and their service is very pleasant. The price is a little on the high side..... but the delicious meal is worth every penny....

A day at Huntington Gardens Part 5- The Desert Garden

THE DESERT GARDEN


Finally my last post of the Huntington Gardens. Thank you for sticking with me. The Huntington Desert Garden is a fitting place to end. This garden was stunning; with wonderful plants in a well designed garden. You should definitely put it in your place to visit when you are in Los Angeles.

The Huntington Desert Garden is by far the largest themed garden I have seen. It covers 10 acres of various desert plants collected all over the world. This garden has the most complete species of more than 5000 cacti and succulent plants. When one talks about the Huntington Garden... they always tell you not to miss the Desert Garden. I love the alienness of the Desert Garden with all its spiny cacti.  It is really so large that it is mood altering to just wander its paths.

A day at Huntington Gardens Part 3- The Japanese Gardens

Our next stop..... THE JAPANESE GARDEN

The Japanese traditionally revere nature and their gardens are a quiet retreat from the pressures of life rather than a place to show off.

The Japanese Garden is a masterpiece of landscape design. The features of this traditional garden lure photographers like me. The Huntington's Japanese Garden is one of the oldest in America. This is definitely one of my favorite gardens in Huntington Garden. It is so peaceful and zen-like.

A perfect place to escape to when you just want to take a deep and meaningful breath from the hectic pace of city living. There 3 elements found in a Japanese garden.. They are water, rocks and plants.

A day at Huntington Gardens Part 2- The Chinese Garden

THE CHINESE GARDEN - The Garden of the Flowing Fragrance

This garden is one of my favorite gardens at the Huntington Garden , the other one is the Japanese Garden. The Chinese garden or the The Garden of the Flowing Fragrance is the largest classical garden outside China. It is the latest addition to the Huntington Garden. Incorporating the natural geology of a landscape the architects carefully arrange the scenes you encounter to create a story, like the stories you see on their painted ancient scrolls.

I suggest that you just flow along, photographing whatever catches your interest ( like what I did )... I didn't know where to start... There was  simply too much here to see and describe which you should capture in your camera.

Far from the frenetic pace of modern China, hidden behind the walls of San Marino, a placid garden links botany with poetry with the elegant grandeur of its ancient civilization. The Chinese Gardens opened in 2006. They hired  11 stone artisans from China to install the hand-carved bridges and to place the stones all around the lake. Another 50 Chinese wood carvers, roof tile experts,  and stone pavers to work on the structures inside the Chinese garden. Nearly all the materials used except structural steel and concrete materials came from China.

A day at Huntington Gardens Part 1- The Rose Garden

I have seen botanical gardens around Asia.. like the Orchid and Botanical Garden in Singapore, the Orchidarium in Chiangmai, Thailand and in the States--- I have seen the Hakone Garden in Saratoga, The Los Angeles Arboretum and Botanical Garden in Arcadia and now the Huntington Garden. Visiting these places gives me an opportunity to take a lot of photos and admire the many plant and flower species. Each of the botanical gardens I have visited had their strong and weak points... I have enjoyed all. 

Today Ernie and I decided to go and see the much talked about Huntington Gardens at San Marino. The Huntington Gardens or THE HUNTINGTON for short is owned by Henry and  Arabella Huntington. We decided to make our own version of a walking tour around the 120 acres of the Huntington. We carefully planned which themed garden we were going to visit and both of us agreed to leave out the art galleries and exhibition halls for another visit to the place.

If you are planning to go to the Huntington, make sure you are wearing your most comfortable walking shoes because there are 120 acres of themed gardens with an amazing variety of trees, plants and flowers. You can walk across the expanse of lawns to admire the fountains and statues, sit on a bench under the shade of a beautiful massive tree.

I have decided to make a couple of blogs on my visit to HUNTINGTON -- so you will be able to  appreciate the place like I did. So... please follow me as I take you on a tour around the gardens!!!!!

Post Birthday Celebration at Paradise Cove

If you are looking for a secluded beach spot to enjoy a beautiful sunset with a cocktail in your hand, spend an afternoon at Paradise Cove in Malibu. Paradise Cove is located just off the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu and it is privately owned by Bob Morris.

It is a lovely, laid back spot to get something to eat and sit back to enjoy the sun and sand. The place is absolutely gorgeous and you can easily see why it is called PARADISE COVE. The beach attire is 100% casual. Paradise Cove is located at 28128 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu. It is North of Pepperdine and South of ZUMA beach.

Exploring Downtown Hollywood

Since it was a nice cool night --- Lulu, Ernie, Ciony and I decided that we drive down to Hollywood and visit the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Grauman's Chinese Theater and Kodak Theater ( where they hold the OSCARS every year ). Come with me and follow my little tour downtown Hollywood...