Ξ January 17th, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ 90041 |
Last night, the guys from Yorkblvd.com decided to satisfy our sports fix by heading over to Occidental College to check out the 21st ranked…in division 3…Men’s Basketball program. The only problem was that as they lost to Claremont McKenna over the weekend, they’ve been bounced from the top 25. Despite this demotion to the “Also Receiving Votes” category of the rankings, we were relatively confident that our Tigers would trounce the visiting Caltech Beavers.
For those of you unfamiliar with anything beyond the earthquake readings that come from the California Institute of Technology, Caltech is the place of ‘80s comedies. (Real Genius, starring Val Kilmer, was based on Caltech though it was filmed at Oxy.) The male to female student ratio is about 2.5/1, they boast 31 Nobel Prize winning alumni, and are consistently ranked above the venerated MIT. As you may have guessed, their athletics take a considerable backseat (locked in the trunk is more like it) to their academics. In fact, while I was at Oxy, the rumors were that Caltech students were required to play a sport for “stress alleviation”. I’m not sure if that’s true, but I do know we only won about 6 league games per year and three of them were against the Beavers.
Caltech’s basketball program has even become a minor cause célèbre with a documentary on the team’s struggles having been screened at a few national film festivals. The film’s tagline? “Quantum Hoops: Before they can change the world, they need to win one game.” Apparently this dream had come true as Caltech won their first game since 2004 against Bard earlier this year. To put that win into perspective, the Bard victory was their first win over an NCAA Division III opponent since the ’95-‘96 season. Not to worry though, Caltech was still working to keep their 245 game conference losing streak alive against Oxy. Would the unfamiliar taste of victory in the Beavers’ mouths lead Oxy to fall into a classic “trap game”? Well at halftime it appeared so. Oxy led 41-35, but only six minutes earlier, the game had been tied at 31. Unfortunately, the Beavers wouldn’t score for the first five and a half minutes of the second half and would eventually lose 92-49.
Still, denied a historic upset, I took away a few positives here. First, although I was hoping for a Revenge of the Nerds gameplan (Booger plotting trajectories with a slide rule and using quantam mechanics to hit three pointers) there is something surreal about watching a team of guys who haven’t played organized basketball since thier YMCA rec league compete in college basketball. Second, there aren’t many levels above high school where you can sit courtside at a basketball game for free. Finally, small college athletics is one of the last vestiges of an actual student-athlete. These kids hit the showers and then hit the books hard. There’s something refreshing about watching successful athletes who aren’t being accused of sexual assault, taking money from boosters, or taking advantage of institutionalized cheating simply because they can jump through the roof. The two games I’m looking forward to on Oxy’s remaining schedule are their February 6 rematch against Claremont McKenna, the team that knocked Oxy out of the rankings, and their February 20th game against California Lutheran University, who is also on the fringe of the top 25. See you there.
We in the Northeast are all aware of just how great our location is here in L.A., and few fortunes stand out as much as our proximity to some of the best and most authentic Asian food in the country. I’m not speaking of Little Tokyo or Chinatown in nearby downtown, but rather Alhambra, Monterey Park and San Gabriel just to the east of us. There one can find amazing dim sum, luscious dumplings and one of our favorites, Pho.
In case Pho doesn’t ring a bell it’s a brothy soup full of rice noodles, some kind of beef (might be rare slices, well done brisket, sometimes tripe, etc.) and then garnished with lots of fresh basil, bean sprouts and sliced jalapeños. When done right it’s delicious. When not done right, it can actually still be pretty good. It’s a simple dish that practically defines Vietnamese food and culture. In fact, it’s their “Official Soup” for goodness sake.
Anyhow, good Pho used to be a frequent reason for heading East for lunch and dinner. And I could go on and on about the virtues of eating out that way (it’s cheap, for one), but then again this isn’t a blog about Alhambra, now is it? So why mention it? Because now we in NELA are fortunate to have a great Vietnamese restaurant open up right in our own backyard, that’s why. Pho just got a lot closer.
Lemongrass on Colorado not only serves up delicious Pho, but also makes some great springrolls and a mean Bun. Bun is often referred to as “noodle salad” which I think makes it sound less than appealing, but is nonetheless a fairly accurate description. It consists of cold vermicelli (more rice noodles), julienned cucumbers, basil, mint, cilantro, shredded green lettuce and then topped with either hot stir-fried vegetables, pork, beef or often shrimp. I for one always prefer the lemongrass beef. The dish is perfectly refreshing on hot days and yet also satisfying on colder days too. It bursts with contrasting flavors, textures and temperatures while balancing them all at once. Truly a simple but elegant culinary feat.
I love Lemongrass for a variety of reasons, though, not just because their food is top notch. For one, it’s a place that I’ve seen really come into it’s own since opening. When we first ate there right after opening the food still needed a little work, while the service was slow and the atmosphere a bit cold. Recently, however, Lemongrass has found itself on my weekly dinner rotation. The service is much better, especially when compared to what you will find in Alhambra… Didn’t get what you ordered? Too bad. More water? Not a chance! Here the waitresses tend to be young, but are always super friendly and eager to please. The atmosphere has warmed up with candles on the tables and pictures on the soft green walls—and during the recent rain it was a wonderfully cozy place to get some hot soup, in fact.
Lemongrass also maintains some authenticity. Not just in food and flavors, but in little ways too. The menu is in Vietnamese and you order things by number if you’re uncomfortable or unfamiliar with an item’s name. This is opposed to such places like Silverlake’s Gingergrass where the menu consists of “Soup” and “Noodle Bowls” instead of “Pho” and “Bun.” Lemongrass doesn’t cater to a hipster-doofus crowd in that way, and I appreciate it.
And a final reason to love it is their lunch menu. Exactly the same as the dinner menu, but on Monday through Friday, between 11 and 4, everything is just $5.95. Granted, that’s about what you might pay at any given time just East of here, but for the proximity, service and charm, it makes it a true bargain for Eagle Rock.
And coming soon: Lemongrass 2, with an expanded menu and frozen yogurt, opening right next door.
Lemongrass
1952 Colorado Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90041
(323) 258-8050
