I decided to take Boy Wonder out to dinner for all of his hard work lately. Being Monday we had few options, until he suggested the new space that recently opened up in WeHo across Larrabee Street from East West called Eleven. We had been watching this space go through a massive renovation lately with its mosaic patio and concert style lighting that we would see at night.

The place is two stories, lit on multi-levels with warm, orange light and square decorations creating a strong, secure confident space. Above the front door is a DJ booth like no other. Appropriately at 11 the place turns into a lounge, removing the tables upstairs allowing for patrons to dance and hang out in this masterfully done atmosphere. The “booth” looks out over the entire space and is lit like a stage allowing the music man to interact with his subjects creating a harmony between them. Many of my DJ friends have expressed countless times that they perform better when they have a visual and an exchange of energy between them and the guests.

I always begin my critique of a restaurant when I walk in and meet the host or hostess. Our hostess was illuminated with personality, walked us upstairs to a perfect table and told us that she would be coming back to ensure our experience was nothing short of wonderful. So far so good; very good, in fact.

The waiter was from Australia and with that accent was sure to get me salivating long before anything else. He presented us with a drink menu and wine list first. I love that. When I was back in Boston I would always allow my guests to enjoy their arrival by offering that they sit with an aperitif of some sort before continuing with the dinner menu. This was of course done Sunday through Wednesday when the time to turn the table was not as important as the guests’ relaxation and enjoyment of the ambiance and everything thereafter. There was no rush for anything and we were presented with the dinner menu after our wine was delivered, which was a Pinot from the Carneros region here in CA.

On a Monday night you can expect a more relaxed vibe in restaurant service, but the leisurely pace we experienced had nothing to do with slow trade. The staff paid close attention to our needs to ensure that we savored every moment and that is exactly what we did.

If there is Tuna Tartare on the menu that is always our first course. We were not disappointed. This was not your run-of-the-mill tartare. It was Japanese Hamachi with Blue Fin Tuna Tartare. It was accompanied by a Cucumber, Avocado and Daikon Salad. The presentation was on a large, rectangular plate that allowed for one of us to eat the Blue Fin while the other was busy deconstructing the Hamachi. The pieces were more than adequate. They were thick slabs of succulent flesh wrapped around the salad creating two towers of decadence. The classic paring of the Daikon and Cucumber was elevated a notch with the inspired addition of avocado and a drizzle of Yuzo Ponzu.

For my main course I had a Pan Roasted Cod Filet with Romesco, Chorizo, Clams and White Beans. The cod was finished with a bright Garlic Parsley broth and toasted almonds. I was a bit hesitant with this dish; the long list of accompaniments was a little concerning. My reservations were not justified. It could not have been done better. A fish such as Cod was made to be paired with subtle compliments like Chorizo and White Beans. The Parsley broth was superb and the chef is genius. This dish was all about the ways that flavors can tease and play on the palate in a scrimmage of taste and texture. I was most impressed with the size of the portion. Just as I was saying to myself, “I had better stop now to save room for dessert” I was lifting my fork with the last bite.

Boy Wonder had a Macadamian Nut Crusted Maple Leaf Duck Breast with a Celery Root puree, Swiss Chard, Mizuna Radicchio, Golden Raisins and Black Trumpet Mushrooms in a Wild Huckleberry Sauce. My concern with the cod also extended to the Duck, but it should come to no surprise to you that my fears were unfounded. The Huckleberry sauce is what tied this dish together; the dark sweet flavor profile was a harmonious match for the rich and savory duck breast. The radicchio, spinach and celeriac gave the perfect amount of earthy tones to balance out the rich and sweet elements. I watched Boy Wonder’s eyes sing along with the dish and I knew that this was going down in the food books as the best meal yet.

For dessert I was pleased to see a Chocolate Crème Brule. I requested that along with two glasses of a Tawny Port, a fortified wine from Portugal that I find is always a good pair with chocolate. Unfortunately this fell behind the first and second course in presentation and taste. It was rather large sitting quietly on a dish with a lonely dusting of powdered sugar. The chocolate was bitter and immediately put me and the port off. There was also one more thing that I have to say on the note of lacking and falling behind. I only say this because it is a pet peeve of mine and has been for years. The salt and pepper shaker should be removed after the main course has been cleared to finish the meal and introduce a new course, dessert. One does not need to season their Crème Brule or any other dessert for that matter; it is part of the meal that, like the plates, should be removed.

The wait staff, the décor, the food and everything in between was absolutely superb and executed with pride and excellence. And by the way, our hostess did come back just in time to find us purring with delight into the final sips of our Pinot.

This week I have three scenes to film and two box cover photo shoots. That may not sound like much, but I assure you I will be really, really DONE when we wrap things up.

I checked into my hotel room this afternoon and it’s the biggest room I’ve had yet. I have been staying at this hotel for about two years now and I know all the staff by name. Since this hotel is my home away from home(s) coming from the East or from Palm Springs I have grown to adore the people working there. They make every attempt to put me all over the grounds of the hotel so I do not get bored. This room ROX! BW is going to love this one when we have our long overdue date Wednesday.

I got the chance to hang out with my good buddy Greg Thompson Monday night. He is “it” when it comes to photography and he is also a great bloke who seems to sport a new hairdo every time I see him. BW and I always enjoy his company. We went over to “Here” lounge for an amateur drag show hosted by Jackie Beat with tunes by DJ Chi Chi LaRue. Chi Chi played my song while Greg and I were seated on prime bar real estate watching the patrons. I leaned over to Greg and confessed to him that hearing my song gave me serious butterflies. I didn’t puke, but did leave rather early to make an early call. More on that later.

After work on Saturday, which was one of the slowest nights I have ever seen, Saya, a co-worker and good friend, and I decided that we would love nothing more than to escape Boston for a couple days and head up to New Hampshire. Why you ask? Well, her Mom and Step Dad own a lovely home with east facing windows on a lake that spans a good couple of miles. This is the kind of thing that you see on postcards or on the big screen. Huge green leafy trees intermixed with powerful strong pines that line the lake humming with the sounds of bull frogs and the distant laughter and splashing of children. What we love to do best there is float. They have a couple of full length air inflated rafts that we blow up, throw into the water and do nothing but float around on and talk. This being the first time I had the chance to lay in the sun this season, I got greedy and stayed out a bit too long resulting in a mild case of sun stroke. Not to mention a mild case of sunburn.

I had Saya take a snap shot of me on my lazy raft. I wish she had taken it so you could get a glimpse of the mountains and trees behind me, but just use your imagination.

I have to work tomorrow. We are one of the only restaurants open so I think the night should be lucrative. At least that is what I am hoping. Last Saturday felt like a snow day minus the snow. The streets were dead, the sidewalks empty and all of us were sitting around the bar in our uniforms talking about anything just to pass the time. I couldn’t remember a night like that before because I have never worked the Saturday before the 4th before. Realizing that, I know very well that the city has emptied with everybody going to the Cape or staying home and having a cookout. When you expect something it makes much more endurable. I knew it was going to be like that so it didn’t hurt… that bad.

My drive to LA was absolutely perfect. I was in no mood for traffic and whaddya know – there was none! I checked in at the hotel and 2 hrs later Boy Wonder arrived with a bottle of a lovely domestic blend from Napa Valley and a flood of ideas scribbled on a pad. I brought a bottle of 95 Perrier Jouët complete with engraved stemware encased in a velvet lined box. Unfortunately, I was still a bit hungover and jet lagged to really enjoy such a great Champagne. We spent the evening toasting thoughts over red wine, salads and little nibblies from Trader Joe’s.

We had other things besides thoughts to toast. We had our first sale at my shop Sunday from Stephen in Chicago. A perfect occasion for a bottle of 95 PJ! The shop project seemed to go on forever, but I must say it was worth the wait. I try not to think about the hours of work and years off the life of my steadfast web master. Hell, I never expected I would have to work so much on that thing. So hey Boy Wonder – Cheers, dear friend, to a job well done!

There is so much happening now from a technical POV it’s sick. My friends at Channel 1 are working with us to bring some pretty cool things to fruition in the coming months. This blog is really the first step to making my site a real destination on the web. When we’re done it will be easy to lose hours looking around.

My Mother posted her first entry on HazzardAhead.com today. Hot! I love that! How can you not? This gives me such a connection with her and makes me so grateful that we are who we are together. Porn put a small wedge between us at first, indirectly, I mean. It’s a very unique situation to have your kid do porn. It’s not something you typically prepare to cope with. For a while it was a subject that rarely came up between us. Uncomfortable feelings on both sides were to blame, but I feel that her visit really personalized what I do. I hope her guest posts become a regular fixture here.

My little tour this weeekend ended beautifully, I am richer than I was on Friday morning and I have chapped lips from the 3 different climates I have been in.

I changed my flight home from Orlando. Originally it departed at 6:45pm, arriving in Palm Springs at 11ish. That would never do. I changed it to a 7:30am out of Orlando this morning, getting into Palm Springs in just enough time for me to write an entry, pack a bag and leave for LA. I will be doing a scene Tuesday with a hottie newcomer named Justin Slater. Boy Wonder and I are having a pajama party slash business meeting slash drainstorm, I mean brainstorm tonight.

You might think I am a little crazy for arranging such a masochistic travel schedule with meetings and scenes literally back to back, but I was having too much in Orlando to leave that night. I am really very excited to see BW tonight for our pow wow . We have really come far in the last month. Awards, shops, bank accounts, ideas, names and concepts have been a standard element of our daily conversations. Tonight we put all our thoughts and ideas on paper over a bottle of Bordeaux and catch up!