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Love: The Oaktown Spice Shop. At first I was jealous that someone had actually executed an idea that always lurked in the back of my mind: opening a version of Milwaukee's Spice House out here in the Bay Area. But then I met the guys who did it, found out that they, in fact, were from Milwaukee and had worked at the Spice House, and couldn't hold it against them. Their Better Than Everything Bagel Spice mix is a new favorite.

Like: The *free* Video Star app that lets you easily create professional-looking music videos, complete with a wide range of effects and seemless jump cuts to allow for costume and location changes. We now have a veritable library of Stella's takes on One Direction, Taylor Swift and Adele.

Discovery: Spencer's Pantry, a restaurant that comes to your house. My friend Jaime arranged this as a birthday dinner for her husband James last month, and it was such a lovely evening - an intimate, delicious, relaxed 6-course dinner in the comfort of your home, for no more than you'd spend at a nice restaurant. Chef Spencer grows or forages most of what he serves - vegetables from his own and his parents' gardens, eggs from a friend's chickens.  

Obsession: Stella's, with typewriters. We've raised her to appreciate all things vintage, and it's finally manifesting itself. A trip to San Francisco's The Perish Trust turned her onto typewriters and prompted one of the best questions ever: "Did you live in the Time of the Typewriter?" "Yes," I said, "I was alive when Smith Coronas walked the Earth." Truth be told, if I concentrate, I can still conjure up the smell of Liquid Paper. Her new-found fixation has had me scouring Etsy for the perfect candy-colored relic for her birthday later this year.

Complaint: I've been making my French Press coffee wrong for, like, ever!? I had the chance to meet Peet's Coffee Master Roaster Doug Walsh and learned a lot about the art and science behind what Peet's calls an Uncompromised Cup of coffee. Here are their precise instructions. Try it their way and you will notice a difference. Possible next experiment: would this sexy wood-handled press pot put it even further over the top?

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Love: Cocktails at Aviary, where the science and imagination of molecular gastronomy is applied to alcoholic concoctions. Of course, I had to go with the Negroni-based option, called the 2-in-1. You start with a glass vial of carbonated Negroni and a tall glass with a white lady, all frothy egg whites and gin.  After a few sips you mix them together and a new drink emerges.  When I'm next in Chicago I want to try the 7-course cocktail tasting menu for sure.

Like: Ruxbin, a down-to-earth but gourmet Chicago BYOB, named one of the 10 best new restuarants in America by GQ.  Run by a brother, sister and friend trio, all surnamed Lee, we had delicious stuffed calamari,hanger steak, and a chocolate pot de creme topped with bacon cotton candy.

Discovery: That Bill Cunningham is pretty much the sweetest man on the planet.  Such a rare and unusual character, and such a lovely documentary. 

Obsession: Take Shelter, a terrific small movie from late last year, with Boardwalk Empire's Michael Shannon (decidedly non-Agent Van Alden-ish) as a working class family man in rural Ohio who becomes obsessed with his dreams and visions of an apocalyptic storm.  Is he prophetic or descending into paranoid schizophrenia?

Complaint: Hotel room service – how long it takes, the awkward standing around in a robe while someone brings the tray in, deciding how much to add to the 2 gratuities already on the bill.  Thankfully, this complaint has been solved at Public, Ian Schraeger’s new stripped-down hotel concept in Chicago, which aims to offer everything you need and nothing you don’t at a surprisingly affordable rate.  The best part of the stay: 6-minute room service left outside your door in a stylish bag. 

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Love: 1970s station wagons - big wood-paneled land boats with a third seat that flips up in the way back, facing out the back.  A pristine, beautiful black Ford Country Squire made an appearance in the parking garage by my office, and I couldn't resist taking its photograph, and then looking for more images online.  I kind of wish I had one of these babies to take out for weekend trips to Sonoma, complete with a Pendleton blanket in back.

 

Like:  This recipe for salmon burgers with a bright accent of tarragon, from Epicurious. If you make it with a lower fat mayonnaise and whole-wheat bread crumbs, it's as healthy as it is delicious.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Fresh-Salmon-Burgers-with-Tarragon-Mayonnaise-1542


Discovery: It's super Portlandia, but this French press cozy actually works surprisingly well to keep your coffee warm.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/quiltymcquilterson?section_id=7646512


Obsession: The trailer for Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom has me longing for May 25th.





Complaint: The announcement of this year's Oscar nominations this morning drove home that I could not be more behind on award season movie viewing.  There are so many I need to fit in before February 26th.  Number one for me, without a doubt, is Hugo.

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Love: I am a very big fan of roasted vegetables, warm, wood interiors, and Edison bulbs. So naturally I love Gjelina, on Abbot Kinney in Venice. I wish it was MY neighborhood restaurant. Just looking at the part of their menu below makes me want to jump on southwest.com. Oysters, charcuterie and a bunch of different warm vegetable dishes? Does anything sound better?

Like: Sofia Coppola's Somewhere, which, despite A.O. Scott's over-the-moon review, seems to have pretty much disappeared. Coppola is a master at establishing a mood and letting it wash over you. I've found myself thinking about the movie a lot since I've seen it.

http://movies.nytimes.com/2010/12/22/movies/22somewhere.html

Discovery: For going on 12 years now we've had friends over for an Oscar party. Aside from the wagering over ballots (and a side contest to come up with the best porn title for any nominated film) the thing everyone looks forward to the most are these tuna and olive croquettes I make. The recipe was found in a Tapas cookbook a friend loaned me.

Obsession: L.A. Confidential. I completely love this movie and, sue me, completely prefer it to Chinatown. The Castro Theater is showing both films as a Los Angeles-themed double feature this Thursday.

Complaint: One of my favorite spots in L.A. is Silverlake's LAMILL Coffee Boutique. I've never seen such a swanky spot for coffee and tea before (they're now serving wine and dinner too, since the space seemed to demand it.) In addition to artful tableside chemex and drip service, they offer amazing drinks like a mocha with Vallhala chocolate. So what's wrong? We need one in San Francisco too.