Dragon Whiskers Candy

We usually avoid Hawaii Supermarket in San Gabriel because the crazy busy parking lot is hell. But on one recent Saturday, we decided to brave the insanity so we could visit Alex Goh's dragon whiskers candy cart. That's one of the nice things about Hawaii Supermarket, the small line of street-food vendors outside the entrance. They make the food right there so the confections are super fresh.

What's dragon whiskers candy? A wonderful, delicate sweet made from honey. As you'll see in the video I found on YouTube, the honey is stretched into hundreds of thin strings until it really does look like "dragon whiskers". It's then stuffed with things like peanuts or coconut. Alex even did a live demonstration for us. It was unbelievable the way he turned a lump of cooked honey into "dragon whiskers", all in about sixty seconds. Now that's magic. Alex told us that he cooks the honey for something like eight hours in preparation for the whiskers. Sadly, very few people still make the candy this way. Today's young people just find the work too tedious.



I think Alex is at Hawaii Supermarket on most weekends. Here's the address.

Hawaii Supermarket 
120 E Valley Blvd
San Gabriel, CA

Vista Theatre

Yesterday, we went to see The Artist at the Vista Theatre. What a wonderful theater. Only one screen, beautifully restored, the Egyptian motif a time capsule back into pure Hollywood whimsy. I can't think of a more perfect theater to see The Artist, a modern silent film about Hollywood in the 20s and 30s. (Great, fun film, BTW.)

The Vista first opened in 1923 and it's had a rough history, according to an old LA Times article. At one point, it was a porn house! Now it's a lovely, romantic theater, a great place to have a first date. One caveat: we found their sound system a bit harsh, made worse because the sound was being played on the loud side.


Vista Theatre

4473 Sunset Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 660-6639

Pasadena Cheeseburger Week

Pasadena is celebrating the cheeseburger next week. Why? Well, apparently the cheeseburger was born in Pasadena, way back in 1920 something...

Sadly, it's nothing more than a very noncreative way to promote Pasadena businesses. I mean, there aren't even any contests and just a handful of discounts. But I suppose it's not a bad excuse to eat more cheeseburger...

Santa Ana 2011

They're calling it Windpocalypse. And it was pretty bad. This poor ancient tree was one of the victims. It lived just a couple of blocks from where I live, and yet, I'd never really noticed it before. How could I not notice such a massive tree?

Sadly, there's a BMW underneath there somewhere. The tree fell right over the garage. I don't think anyone was hurt.

Moffett's

I love that SoCal still has restaurants like Moffett's. Opened in 1975, it's a time capsule back into another era. One that appreciated food like chicken pot pie. That's what Moffett's specializes in, pies from chicken to fruit. Of course they have other things like hamburgers and sandwiches, but just stick to the pies, which are single-portions of granny's-love-goodness.

Their lunch special is a particularly good deal. For around $6 you get either chicken or beef pie, gravy, whipped mashed potatoes, carrots and peas, and a choice of either a roll or biscuits. Get the rolls. Baked in-house, they're really, really good.

And before you leave, buy some fresh unbaked pot pies for your freezer. I try to keep four in mine at all times.

Arcadia too far away? If you live in Hollywood, Huntington Meats at the Farmer's Market on Fairfax sells the unbaked pies. That's actually where I first learned about Moffett's. I think the pies are a dollar or more at Huntington, though.

Moffett's

1409 S Baldwin Ave
Arcadia, CA 91007
(626) 447-4670

Bhan Kanom Thai

One of the things I love most about LA is all the tiny little ethnic delis and bakeries you find tucked away in strip malls. My newest favorite is the Thai dessert specialist Bhan Kanom Thai in Thai town. The little store is an irresistible treasure trove of Thai cookies, crackers and preserved fruit, along with ice cream, puddings and freshly made pastries. I loved their rice crackers which were drizzled in caramel. Their preserved golden kumquats were fantastic too. Can't wait to go back and try more things.

Bhan Kanom Thai
5271 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90027
323 871-8030

Pasadena Air Force Open House

Last June, the Pasadena Police Department’s Air Operations Section hosted an open house. We went and was impressed by how much hardware the police department so proudly displayed. Like their SWAT vehicle (in case there's a zombie attack), which was used in a demo of what the police department would do if there ever was a sniper in town. Here are some pictures.