Restaurants and Cafes to Try in LA

royal t ****
an experience; modern art, salmon with edamame, japanese french maids
http://www.yelp.com/biz/royal-t-culver-city

espresso profeta ****
very homey and quaint; choncey's art is spectacular
http://www.espressoprofeta.com/

clementine ****
nice little restaurant, great for a weekend brunch
http://www.yelp.com/biz/clementine-los-angeles

http://www.clementineonline.com

venice grind ****
great on sundays, right next to the mar vista farmer's market.
limited seating
http://www.yelp.com/biz/venice-grind-los-angeles

alibi room**
nice interior, but crowded, narrow and loud. when we were there, we had to wait over an hour for tacos, and the bar owners called the cops because some a**hole was outside drumming on the front door
http://www.alibiroomla.com

la mill coffee boutique****
http://www.lamillcoffee.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/la-mill-coffee-boutique-los-angeles-2#hrid:ztAEOIztD-8siiC-5449Hg

bolivar cafe and gallery****
great arepas, a little chilly
www.cafebolivar.com
http://www.yelp.com/biz/cafe-bolivar-santa-monica

applepan**
all right, great counter service. best burger in la? i don't know.

funnel mill***
very zen writing spot in santa monica
http://www.yelp.com/biz/funnel-mill-rare-coffee-and-tea-santa-monica

18th street****
great french cafe with booths perfect for sitting cross-legged in!
http://www.yelp.com/biz/18th-street-coffee-house-santa-monica


the hall at palihouse holloway****
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-hall-courtyard-brasserie-at-palihouse-holloway-west-hollywood
Great decor and service


empanada's place***** Absolutely amazing Empanadas

caffe luxxe***
http://www.caffeluxxe.com/index.htm
http://www.yelp.com/biz/caffe-luxxe-santa-monica
upscale cafe, nice place to meet an old friend for coffee

--

amelia's expresso and panini
http://www.ameliascafe.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/amelias-espresso-and-panini-santa-monica

17th street cafe
http://www.yelp.com/biz/17th-street-cafe-santa-monica

gyenari
http://www.yelp.com/biz/gyenari-culver-city

akasha
http://www.yelp.com/biz/akasha-culver-city
http://www.akasharestaurant.com

argentinean empanadas

The Little Next Door

bonano's chicken in northridge

griddle cafe

Ye Olde Kings Head English Breakfast

Staglevision: Valentine's Day update

Dear friends,

It's been a while. I hope you all had a pleasant start to 2009. Here's what I've been up to:

LIFE IN LA
A year and a half after moving down here, I'm finally starting to feel at home in LA. I have my favorite local haunts: dinners with my sister at The Nook, a neighborhood bistro; writing at Cafe Balcony or Intelligentsia; catching the latest great movie with Tyrrell after work at the Landmark or Vista theaters.

No matter how much time I spend here, there's always more to discover. I recently saw The Bird and the Bee (one of my favorite bands) perform at the Natural History Museum amid display cases of extinct mammals. The night after, I heard Edward Albee discuss his plays at UCLA.

WRITING
For Christmas, I asked for subscriptions to a few top literary magazines. I am now a proud subscriber to McSweeney's, Zoetrope: All-Story, One Story, and The Threepenny Review. After reading short stories from some of my favorite contemporary authors, I am excited to return to this form.

In January, I wrote a couple drafts of a poem currently titled, "The Night We Went to Fubar." I don't write poems very often, but I find that it exercises a certain muscle that I'd like to develop more. I enjoy the surgical precision that a poem requires, the microscopic attention to every element of the line. Thanks to Shamala and Larry for all their helpful comments on my revisions!

This month, I've returned to work on the novel, which by now feels like an old friend. I completed revisions on Chapter One in the fall, and I'm very pleased with them, though the chapter has doubled in size. I'm now combining Chapters Two and Three, hoping to finish by the end of this month so I can move on to the Oktoberfest chapter.

WORK
For almost a year, I've been working at SpiritClips, a new media company that produces high-quality inspirational content. At SpiritClips.com, you can watch moving short films and share them as exquisite, personalized FilmCards.

I'm responsible for producing our website, and I'm learning a ton about web development, HTML coding, Google Adwords and Analytics, project management, copywriting, the works. Since I only took Intro to Computing in college, this is very exciting!

Watch a Valentine's Day FilmCard featuring our newest film, "Montgomery."

If this FilmCard inspires you, please share it with a friend or loved one!

Here's the best way:
1) Join SpiritClips.com
2) Select the Free Trial to send one FilmCard, free.
3) Personalize "Montgomery" by adding a cover, photo (optional), and message.
4) Address and send!

Thanks for listening. If we haven't spoken in a while, give me a call, or let's hang out. I want to know how you've been!

Best,
Steven

The Bird and the Bee Concert at the Natural History Museum

Finally saw The Bird and the Bee live at the Natural History Museum on Friday. They were great!

"Fidelity"

Great video from the Courage Campaign.

"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

http://www.couragecampaign.org/page/s/divorce