List 42

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.