Summer DineLA at Patina

DineLA, restaurant week, in Los Angeles is held in January and July every year. I've visited a few restaurants for DineLA in January (different years), but I haven't been very consistent at making a post and sharing photos. 

Patina Restaurant is located at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown Los Angeles and serves Contemporary French Cuisine. I have been to this restaurant before, but I usually go in December (my birthday month) and I usually order from their regular three-course menu. While they do have their regular three-course menu and Chef's Tasting during DineLA, this was the first time that I came here to try out their DineLA five-course menu. Every meal I had here was amazing, remarkable and astounding. The wait staff and management were always amiable, charming and delightful. This is the only fine dining restaurant that I've been to more than once. While the food is amazing, I keep coming back mainly for their customer service. The wait staff, especially management, is charming and extremely sweet.

Normally, I prefer to make my blog posts about different events and places very unbiased so that readers can decide on their own terms to try (or not) these different events and places, but when I've been to the same restaurant and made a blog post more than once, it's hard to continue sounding unbiased. If you're curious, here is my first blog post and my second blog post.

Please forgive as I don't have the names to each plate or bite as not all of them were listed on the menu and I can never remember the names to all of them even though the wait staff always tells me.

rye bread (top) and brioche (bottom). I also tried the miso bread and fig (?) bread, but the brioche and fig were my favorites

Hokkaido Scallop Crudo

Braised Veal Tortellini

Wild Long Island Skate Wing

Binchotan Grilled Snake River Farms Ribeye

Summer Fruit Pavlova

Strawberry Sorbet

Koroneburg Renaissance Festival 2019

The Koroneburge Renaissance Festival was held from May 25 to June 23 this year. I didn't go on the last day, but I went on the last weekend. This festival was a little bit different and the opposite of the Renaissance Pleasure Faire in Irwindale, CA where there were no costumed workers walking throughout the faire to make fun of each other or the guests, but the performances were very entertaining (the Renaissance Pleasure Faire is the opposite). I almost left after an hour and a half because I was bored until I decided to sit down and watch a performance on stage. Then I decided to watch another performance. I thought they were quite entertaining so I decided to watch as many performances that I could.

To see more photos from this festival, visit my photo album here.

Renaissance Pleasure Faire 2019

Every year during the months of April and May, the Renaissance Pleasure Faire is held at the Santa Fe Dam Recreational Park in Irwindale, CA. Guests have the option to dress up to take part in the experience of being in the time period.

I went to the Renaissance Pleasure Faire this year. It was from April 06 to May 19, and I went on the very last day. I almost didn't go at all because I actually forgot that it was going on. Normally, I have no interest the live performances held at various staging areas as I find them boring, except for the Bird Of Prey show. However, I always enjoy my time there with the entertainment from the Faire workers walking throughout the faire as they are loud, dramatic and obnoxious towards each other and towards plain-clothed guests. I am always on the look out for these workers and photograph them which causes them to be louder and more obnoxious towards me and my camera pointed in their general direction.

For more photos from the Faire, please visit my photo album.

Masters Of Taste

 

I recently went to Masters Of Taste which was held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. Local culinary masters came together to share their creations for the food fans.

Normally, I try not to write/talk about what I actually think about a business or event and keep my posts completely unbiased because I like for my readers to decide for themselves to visit an event or business. What may be good to me, may not be good to someone else and vice versa. Originally, I had wanted to come as "media press", but I decided to pay as a regular guest as the admission went to support the Union Station Homeless Services to help those who were put in an unfortunate situation that was out of their control. Also, because to be respectful and courteous to other guests in line eagerly waiting to taste what was offered by various culinary masters, I tried not to keep them waiting while I took photos and many of my photos didn't come out as good as I wanted. For the VIP guests, they got an extra hour of tastings plus many other perks while the regular guests had three hours. All guests had unlimited tastings. This event was for ages 21 and over as there were alcohol offered. There were many culinary masters at the event that I was a little bit disappointed for not paying extra to be a VIP guest and getting an extra hour to visit all the masters. Some masters had very long lines. I'm glad that I didn't come as a VIP guest as I didn't need the extra hour (I wasn't interested in the other perks). I didn't get to try all the tastings because my stomach had enough after two hours. I originally didn't plan to try any alcohol until I heard another guest talk to another guest how delicious some of the drinks were. I really enjoyed this event and will go again next year.

For more photos, please visit this photo link.

Holi Festival Of Colors 2019

I recently went to the Holi Festival Of Colors. Holi is a Hindu Spring festival in India and Nepal, also known as the festival of colors or the festival of sharing love. This is the seventh annual event. While I hadn't gone to this festival every year (due to work obligations), I've been going since the first year.

For more photos that I took from this event, visit my photo album. I also took some videos that you can view here.