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Hurricane Jimena, now a Category 4 hurricane in the Pacific is headed towards Western Mexico with a track headed towards the Baja Peninsula. Sustained winds of 140 mph make for a very dangerous storm.
Jimena is expected to increase in size and become a Category 5 very soon. She is moving West-Northwest at about 8 MPH.
Pressure is 27.91 inches.
Filed under: Weather
I had a great time tonite. I just have to tell you. This evening I found myself at Sur La Table’s newest store at South Coast Plaza. Friends Tim and Jennie were there along with Jennie’s friend Claudine. We had a great time exploring the store and I was instantly transported back to 2002 when I worked for Sur La Table and was answering cooking and cookware questions. We each walked out of the store just a tad bit poorer, but with big smiles on our faces!
After the Sur La Table pre-Grand Opening party, Tim and I headed out to dinner. He asked what I wanted to eat and I said I was game for anything, however, it had to be a place we had not eaten at before. We found ourselves driving around Costa Mesa and eventually drifted into Costa Mesa/Newport Beach border and landed ourselves at Eat Chow at 18th and Newport Blvd. Nice little place. We shared a few dishes together while Tim and I talked about our evening. Tim said he saw a different side of me tonight and I noticed it too. Being at Sur La Table tonight brought out some of my best qualities and skills.
After a Cubano sandwich and some black truffled shoestring potatoes, we headed out to MetroQ Bar & Grill in Huntington Beach for a drink. MetroQ is the OC’s newest gay bar. We got to meet the owner of MetroQ and congratulated him on the opening. Tim and I looked up and one of the many screens in the bar and saw that a brush fire had broken out on Rancho Palos Verdes. That isn’t good. There are definitely alot of homes there. The fire started this evening and due to the rugged terrain, it’s hard to get hand crews in the fire area to battle the blaze. Meanwhile there are 3 other fires burning with little containment in SoCal.
Two Kettel Ones was my limit tonight and we both headed home. Tim dropped me off at South Coast to get my car and I headed home to Mission Viejo. I still need to watch last night’s Top Chef but I cannot keep my eyes open. i also need to do a review of Eat Chow…
Have a good night everyone!
Filed under: Personal LogIt was a perfect day for a battle! Cooking battle, that is. Today, GLAAD was holding their Summer Fundraiser and today we have Chef Jamie Lauren and Chef Rich Sweeney from Top Chef Season 5 battling out in front of GLAAD supporters and foodies. My friend Tim came with me to the event as I was attending as Press for my food blog, Foodie In Disguise.
For those of you who recall, Richard and Jamie were 2/3 of Team Rainbow. Patrick packed his knives in the first episode. Emceeing the event today was Paul McCollough. Some of you may remember Paul as a contestant on The Next Food Network Star. He owns and manages a catering company here in Los Angeles.
Richard and Jamie started the event with a Quickfire Challenge; dice 4 onions, chiffonade basil and slice 2 oranges Imperial style. The Quickfire was neck and neck but Richard prevailed. Next was the real challenge. They both had 25 minutes to create their dishes. Richard was making a Watermelon/Cucumber Gazpacho and Jamie presented a Tomato Salad with Feta and Watermelon. The judges for the event were Robert Gant, Elizabeth Keener, Wilson Cruz and Edison Briones. After the judges did their tastings, the VIPs at the event also got to taste the dishes and vote.
So who won? Who was presented with the big GOLDEN WHISK??
It was an audience tie, but the judge’s vote but Richard ahead and he wins the Top Chef Invasion Challenge! Congrats to Richard. The Watermelon/Cucumber Gazpacho was wonderful. Lite and sooo tasty!
More pictures to come!
Filed under: GLBT, Just Too Gay!, Top Chef!
What a weekend! On Saturday I spent most of it running from store to store looking at various zoom lenses. I’m attending a fundraiser event later today up in Los Angeles benefitting GLAAD. The event is co-sponsored by Bravo and it’s called Top Chef Invasion. Chef Jamie Lauren and Chef Rich Sweeney will be battling it out for the guests. Former Next Food Network Star contestant Paul McCollough will be serving as emcee for this event.
Later today, if I wake up, I have to head up to LA just a tad bit early. I’m still looking for a lens case to hold my zoom lense and I also need a lens hood. More importantly, I need to find a nice shirt to wear to the event. I’ve never actually attended a fundraiser like this before. Lots of Hollywood star power will be there as well as other celebrity chefs. I’m covering the event for my food blog, FoodieInDisguise.com.
Hopefully I’ll be able to find a lens case there. Thanks again go out to my friend Ian at work who graciously lent me his Canon camera at the last minute to cover this event. My friend Tim is attneding the fundraiser with me, then we’re supposed to attend this Stepehn Schwarz event at the Ford Theater in LA.
Hopefully I’ll make it back to the OC in one piece – translation: stay away from the hosted bar! 
Friday I took the day off and worked on the food blog and interviewed a team member from a new Sur La Table that is opening up at South Coast Plaza. Later I did some shopping and then headed over to my sister’s place and hung out with them. I hung out mostly with my nephew Dallas and the little one, Jessica. This is probably the first time that she has hung out with me without mom in tow. She is a HUGE Dora the Explorer fan and it is amazing how she can find the one Dora item in the store and focus on it. She is so adorable, she if fast approaching her 3rd birthday. Dallas is doing well and entering his junior year. He’s started his prep for the SATs and he showed me his practice book from collegeboard.com and I almost had a heart attack! It brought back such bad memories! I was able to answer quite a few questions from the verbal section, but the math stuff, omg….did we really learn all that and then what did we do with it after it?? It was nice hanging out with them and with Jessica, who incidentally doesn’t call me Uncle Scott, she just calls me Scott!
Well if you are going to be at the GLAAD Top Chef event today, make sure to say hello!!
Filed under: Family, Just Too Gay!, Top Chef!A former employer of mine, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), will be hosing an event in Hancock Park, CA called Top Chef Invasion this Sunday, August 23, 2009. If you can attend this fundraiser this weekend, please attend – the work they do benefits everyone.
Special guests Jamie Lauren and Richard Sweeney from Bravo Television’s Top Chef, as well as incredible food from Los Angeles area restaurants will be on hand. They are also hosting a silent auction as well as hosted cocktails. Special Emcee for the event with be Paul McCollough who was a contestant on Food Network’s The Next Food Network Star.
DJ Joe Gathreaux, Bailey featuring Boom Kitty and Dangerous Muse are scheduled entertainment for the event.
Our judges for this Top Chef challenge are actors Robert Gant, Elizabeth Keener and Wilson Cruz along with Event Chair, Edison Briones.
The event is to celebrate GLAAD’s work and accomplishments. For more information on this event, visit http://www.glaad.org/hancockpark
You can purchase tickets for this event at: http://www.glaad.org
GLAAD does some of the most important work in the entertainment and media industries in regards to representation of the GLBTQ community in the media whether it be on TV, Radio, Film or the Internet.
GLAAD is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.
Filed under: Just Too Gay!Get your DVRs ready cuz it’s going to be a Top Chef night!
Bravo will present the newest season of Top Chef and this season they are in Las Vegas! Join 17 cheftestants as they battle it out for the title of Top Chef.
Right after the season premiere, Top Chef Masters will come to a close and will will see who will be named Top Chef Master. Left in the competition are Hubert Keller, Rick Bayless and Michael Chiarello. One last elimiation battle will determine who wins. Guest judges Tom Collichio, Padma Lakshmi and Gail Simmons along with the regular panel of Top Chef Master judges will be on hand.
Read more about Top Chef and food news on my food blog: www.FoodieInDisguise.com
Filed under: Top Chef!
