Tommy Burger Again

Gerry and the Number One Special.

I'm in Woodland Hills tonight having a very quiet evening with friends. A quiet evening instead of drinking and partying - it's a nice change of pace. I feel like I'm recovering and exploring sobriety for the first time in weeks. Maybe the haze is starting to clear.

We're not doing too much except hanging and wasting time. Part of me is itching to go back to L.A. and find some trouble, the other part is cool with just cruising. After awhile we're hungry and head out to Tommy's Burger.


My Number One Special, with regular fries.

Unlike the last outing to Tommy's, this time I'm actually hungry and eating a burger. It's better than I remember. More flavor, less grease. The Tommy Burger is famous around here. Two beef patties, two slices of cheese, chili, pickles, lettuce, tomato, onions and sauce. It's pretty darn good. Not the best burger in the world, but quite good nonetheless.

Whatever the case, Tommy's has an intense and loyal following here. Add some fries and a Diet Coke and it's a pretty good late night eat.


Christian prepares to eat his Number One Special.

Cruising L.A.

Traffic on the 405 in West L.A.

Sometimes I think L.A. isn't a bad place to live - and then I run into traffic. It's 7:45pm on the 405 North and there's still a backup past Santa Monica Blvd. Unbelievable. I wonder how Angelenos put up with this stuff.

I abhor traffic. It impedes my flow. I can't drive 55. Hell, we're barely doing 25. Sucks.

As I make my way across L.A. to the San Fernando Valley, I reminisce about the old days in SoCal. Back in my paintball days, I used to stay with my cousin in Van Nuys, then make the drive all the way down to Hawthorne. It didn't seem too far back then and, somehow, I don't remember ever running into traffic. From what I recall, the drive was quick and easy. But now it's long and far away. Who knew?


Descending into the San Fernando Valley.

In my movie days, I would stay again in Van Nuys or at friends places in Los Angeles. Those seemed like easy commutes to the studios or supply houses. Now, a trip from Hermosa to Location Sound is quite a haul that needs to be planned accordingly.

I'm considering living in L.A. for the very first time. Possibilities abound here and because of the traffic, I've been considering flats in West Hollywood and surrounding areas. The one house in the Hollywood Hills looked pretty tempting, but at $4,000/mo. I thought it better to pass.

One of the girls out here encouraged me to live in Marina Del Rey, which is quite nice and by the water, but I'm not sure about the commute to WeHo - although she assures me that her commute to Beverly Hills is about fifteen minutes. We'll see.

King's Hawaiian

Hawaiian Sweet Bread French Toast

Years ago, when I used to live in Honolulu, my friends and I used to go to the old King's Bakery Coffee Shop on South King Street. Fond memories of the Hawaiian sweet bread french toast and early morning shop talk.

Today, the old bakery and coffee shop are gone - replaced by the new bakery in Torrance. No more King's in Honolulu. With that in mind, I headed over to the Torrance location in search of french toast and found it just as good as I remembered. How nice it is when you can eat something so comforting without actually having to make it yourself.


Loco Moco Kim Chee Fried Rice


King's Hawaiian Bakery & Restaurant
2808 Sepulveda Boulevard
Torrance, CA
310-530-0050
www.kingshawaiianrestaurants.com