Victor and Rebecca met in college and since then, they dated for six years. Two years ago, Victor proposed on New Year’s Eve and since then, their lives have been very busy. Rebecca was attending graduate school when Victor proposed and instead of balancing the hectic life of a student and trying to plan a wedding, they decided to have a longer engagement so she could finish up her Masters Degree. That also allowed for Victor to continue saving money for the wedding because, in his words, Rebecca deserved it. Isn’t that just the sweetest thing? He said it with such sentiment and a loving glance over at Rebecca that it could make anyone swoon. The longer engagement also allowed for them to reserve that perfect Saturday, January 1, 2011, for their wedding to coincide with the proposal.
The way that Victor and Rebecca describe themselves as a couple is like the characters Carl and Ellie from the movie Up. They see themselves that much in love with each other and when a family member said, “But Ellie dies in the movie,” Victor responded that they are living that type of lifestyle, the younger Carl and Ellie. I thought it was adorable because after all, don’t we want that Carl and Ellie relationship? Sigh…and swooning again at how much Victor and Rebecca mean to each other. What is even cuter is that they did photos based off of Up and Victor even made a mailbox where they painted their handprints on it! Too cute!
So for their engagement session, Rebecca expressed how much she loved the colors of Olvera Street, which remind her of where the ceremony and reception are taking place, a Spanish hacienda. There were vibrant colors everywhere and before the restaurants and vendors opened up, even the stalls provided these wonderful backdrops. The session ended up being a tour of Downtown L.A., moving to Union Station, riding the metro, hopping off at the Walt Disney Hall, and even exploring the Music Center. It was a wonderful adventure and not only was it fun capturing Victor and Rebecca’s love for each other, I felt like I was giving them a quick tour of Los Angeles!
Victor and Rebecca, congratulations again on your engagement! I hope you have a wonderful ride together and may the two of you find your version of Paradise Falls!
We grabbed some coffee before we headed off to Union Station, eventually hopping on the Metro to discover more of Los Angeles.
Off we headed to the Walt Disney Hall and Music Center:
Today we had one major activity planned, which was to go see Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. Since it was a matinee show, we decided to go get breakfast first and the place that Taro chose was Urth Caffe. We have been there a couple of times before, but never for breakfast. Each time prior was a good experience and I really enjoy their coffee. So this morning, we headed off to Downtown Los Angeles to grab some breakfast with my brother and Vivian. When we arrived, it was pretty packed and as I walked up the steps, I glanced at what others were eating outside on the courtyard area. The presentation of the food looked fantastic and I caught a plate with a Belgian waffle in the corner of my eye. I was pretty much set, until I looked at the menu further. According to Urth Caffe’s menu, their Bread Pudding Breakfast -fresh brioche bread pudding served warm and topped with a choice of baked apples or baked bananas with steamed milk – is the best breakfast in Los Angeles. The best breakfast??? Taro said, “You have to get it” and that was that. Taro ordered the Natural Beef Hash while my brother had an omelet and Vivian chose the quiche of the day. Taro and my brother both ordered coffee, Vivian chose an iced tea to go with her breakfast, and I had an English tea latte. Like I said earlier, I love their coffee and the latte was perfect for the morning.
When our food arrived, I loved the presentation and color on the plate. The only thing that I was upset at was that I did not bring the Canon. Since we were going to the Mark Taper Forum, I knew I probably would not be able to get in with it and I am not a fan of leaving things in the car. Luckily, Vivian had a point and shoot and I was glad that I was able to take photos of the food with it. (I will definitely return to Urth Caffe with the Canon, though!) So was the Bread Pudding Breakfast the best? It was pretty good, especially with the apple sauce on top. It was not too sweet or rich for a breakfast item and dipping the bread pudding into milk was a bit divine. The Bread Pudding could easily be enjoyed as a dessert as well, but as breakfast? Mmmmm…. I enjoyed a bite of the Natural Beef Hash, which reminded me of beef stew. It had a lot of flavor to it and Vivian’s quiche was pretty tasty, too, with the incorporation of tomatoes into the egg custard. I cannot wait to go back and try the Belgian Waffle because I love waffles.
After breakfast, we headed off to the Mark Taper Forum to watch Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. Taro heard about this play on KCRW and was able to find tickets for it. It is a finalist for the 2010 Pulitzer Prize and that alone made me curious. What did I think about the play overall? When I read the program, it said that the play used magical realism and immediately I asked Taro, “Is it a ‘tiger’?” meaning a man acting as a tiger, who really isn’t a tiger (like aspects of Life of Pi). Taro gave me a confused look and at the start of the play, I knew it was a man acting as a tiger with a voice, which was an interesting concept in a play which I have not seen before. For me, it seemed the life of the tiger paralleled the way Iraqi people might have been treated by American soldiers -encaged, mistreated, and disregarded. The irony is that the Iraqi people originally caged the tiger up, thus showing how we, as people, may be no different from each other. This was only one of many concepts I saw in the play. There was the trauma of the life of American soldiers, the conflict a man has when going against his own people, the perspective from Saddam Hussein’s son on why he felt it was right to fight against Americans, and the question of God’s existence or lack of in our lives, including in the life of a tiger. It was a moving, poignant, and well-written and directed play which left me asking questions at the conclusion. Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo was unlike anything I have seen before and I was intrigued by the characters, the conflict each one faced, and it left me questioning so much.
Isn’t this what we ask for when we witness something and watch it unfold on a stage? The way I felt walking out of the theatre made me understand why the play was up for a Pulitzer Prize. If you get a chance, watch Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. It was truly an experience and something you won’t regret.
“I’m sorry I’m bothering you but you’re the only person who can hear me besides the tiger, and the Tiger just keeps on bugging me about epistemology and original sin, which is annoying as f—….”
Omelet (left) and Natural Beef Hash (right):
Urth Caffe Bread Pudding Breakfast:
To celebrate Daisuke’s birthday (now my brother-in-law), we all decided to meet at The Palm Restaurant for dinner. Even though it was not the actual date – Taro’s mom was actually in Japan on the actual day – it was nice to get together and have dinner since all of us are constantly busy. It was a time to catch up and talk about Daisuke’s upcoming events that he will dj for, hear about Mrs. Takeoka’s trip, and share our trip with her since she left the day after we got back. It was a “catch-up” session surrounded by great food.
Taro and I have actually been to The Palm a few times and each time, we think it gets better. The first time we came was for his birthday a couple years back and even then, I remember how tender and perfectly cooked the lobster was. Since then we have brought my family to the restaurant and Taro has dined with a friend at The Palm. So when Taro suggested having steak for his brother’s birthday, I mentioned The Palm since we are members of the 837 Club and they had a pretty good deal for the month of April-May. We each were able to order either a 9 ounce Filet Mignon or 12 ounce New York Strip. Since Taro’s mom does not eat meat, she ordered the Pan Roasted Wild Alaskan Halibut Fillet. To make the night even more fun and special, we ordered a four pound lobster! It was a beautiful sight as our waiter set it down in the middle for all of us to share – and gave us lobster bibs so we wouldn’t make a mess all over our clothes.
As always with the The Palm, there was an excessive amount of food since a starter – either salad or lobster bisque – was included and there was one side included with everyone’s entree. To end the night, we shared a slice of Key Lime Pie (one of my favorites at The Palm and the best Key Lime I have found so far) and Tiramisu. It was nice to go out as a family, which we have not done for a while, and celebrate Daisuke’s birthday.
Happy birthday again, Daisuke, and cheers to good eating with family!
I started off with the Lobster Bisque, which is not too bad. Taro ordered the Caesar Salad with Anchovies so it was a nice balance of soup and salad. Our food came out relatively fast. Taro ordered the New York Strip au Poivre – Aged USDA Prime 12 ounce with brandy peppercorn sauce served with sweet potato fries and creamed spinach. It was a nice cut, but nowhere as tender as my filet!
At The Palm, I have learned to order my meat medium-rare, but on the rarer side. It was delicious, especially since my filet mignon came with jumbo lump crabmeat with hollandaise sauce served with grilled asparagus and three cheese potatoes.
The Takeoka Family:
take full advantage of Flickr, you should use a JavaScript-enabled
browser and
version of the Macromedia Flash Player.
Leave A Comment