Friday, October 20, 2006

Listed on OC Weekly's "Best of OC" Issue



Question: What do this blog and Tommy Lasorda have in common?

Answer: No. 60 and No. 61, respectively, in OC Weekly's Annual "Best of OC" Issue.


I am honored, delighted, amused, ecstatic, and humbled.

Thanks again to OC Weekly, Gustavo Arellano, my friends (both blogging and non-blogging) and my readers, for tolerating this hobby of mine and making it so much fun.

To read the whole list click here, or pick up an issue throughout the County.

32 Comments:

At 10:48 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Congrats Dude - You deserve it!

 
At 11:33 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Congratulations! I love reading your reviews and seeing the pictures!

However, I think the whole "eschews clichés and silly metaphors in favor of gorgeous pictures" is totally off.

I mean, just to quote from your French 75 Brasserie review: "And there I was, feeling like a reluctant Hannibal Lecter, about to devour my latest victims. If this were a film, it would have to be titled 'Silence of the Ducks'".

Or how about your Bluefin review? "Succulent crab meat swam and danced playfully in the fruity elixir and then in our mouths."

I rest my case and look forward to more silly, yet delightful, metaphors.

 
At 12:07 AM, Blogger Daily Gluttony said...

Elmo, I am squealing in delight for you! Very much deserved...congrats!!!!

 
At 12:10 AM, Blogger melissac. said...

Monster Munching-- the quintessential OC food blog. It's the only place I come to choose a place to eat.

 
At 3:11 PM, Blogger elmomonster said...

Kirk,

Thanks! Although I still bow my head respectfully to uber-food-bloggers like yourself.

Paul,

And you can count on me for more silly metaphors! By the way, it's really surreal that you quoted me. For a second there, I did a double take: "I wrote that?!"

Pam,

Thank you! I kinda squealed too. I'm glad you're posting your food adventures on your blog again. Our little cyber-community wasn't the same without you.

googiemel,

Thank you so much for the endorsement! Hope my recs don't disappoint. By the way, I've been really enjoying your coverage of Googie sites around O.C. You're doing essential work, documenting these places before they are replaced with yet another Starbucks.

 
At 9:48 PM, Blogger henrychan888 said...

elmo,

congrats! well-deserved!

henry

 
At 2:23 PM, Blogger Christine D. said...

Congratulations!! Aptly named so (your blog is my premiere source for OC eats).

Wow, and #58...i can't believe the parking structure is hip! I've never seen anything besides people going to and from their cars in there.

 
At 9:05 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Congrats!!!!!

I've been meaning to leave a comment on here ever since I happened on your blog this past spring. My husband and I moved to Tustin/Irvine earlier this year and have had many a great dinner thanks to your reviews. Your pool of restaurants is very well-rounded and diverse! It's great how you seek out good food and write well about it. We live down the street from Maki Zushi and have eaten there once a week since reading your entry on it.

I recommend a trip down to Pacific Whey in Newport Beach and Plums Cafe in Costa Mesa plus Keans Coffee in Newport Beach for the best cup of joe in the county.

I lived in SF for 3 years and Barcelona for 1 year so if you ever need food recs for either of those amazing cities, drop me a line through my blog!

 
At 10:28 PM, Blogger Christine D. said...

So while my family and I were driving to Trader Joes, a copy of OC Weekly slid towards me from under my dad's jacket! I already read the article online before we left, and now it came to me in paper form! Weird...

 
At 11:35 PM, Blogger elmomonster said...

Henry,

Thanks! I hope you get recognized for the awesome coverage you are doing on SGV restaurants.

Christine,

Thanks for the comment and the vote of confidence. And isn't it weird about the parking structure? It's not weird that people practice there (I've seen that first hand since I used to stay late into the night at the GSM building across the way), but it's weird that OC Weekly knows about it!

And oh yeah, I raided the Wahoo's on Newport and grabbed about 5 copies of the print copies. And I went to a Toyota dealership in Anaheim yesterday, and almost everyone had a copy. The Weekly sure does get around more than I thought.

Michelle,

Thanks for finally writing in. I'm so glad you are able to get some recommendations from here. Maki-Zushi may be owned by Koreans, but I'm still a big fan. In fact, I just had omakase there last week. It was probably the most I've ever spent on omakase (even with the 20% discount), but the quality of the ingredients justified it. I have never eaten live uni until now, or Blue Point oysters, and man...now I'm spoiled to heck!

I will definitely tap you on the shoulder the next time I go to SF. And thanks for the other recs in the area. More to put on my list!

 
At 9:27 AM, Blogger melissac. said...

Thank you so much for enjoying my blog! I only wish I had more time to dedicate to it. :)

It's hard looking back at some of the posts in my blog, knowing that a lot of the places I've photographed and documented in even the last couple of months have changed or been destroyed.

 
At 9:29 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

And that's you on the cover of the issue, right?

CONGRATS!!

 
At 11:41 AM, Blogger Juliet said...

What can I say that hasn't already been said? Congratulations! It is understandable why you would receive such an honor. Your blog is a joy to read, and you are guilty of making me very hungry when I read it. :-p

 
At 12:13 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Paul: Elmo doesn't do silly metaphors--his metaphors are great! Congrats again, Elmo!

 
At 12:37 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Congratulations Elmo! Very happy for you, keep up the great work as always. I always look forward to reading & drooling in front of the computer!

 
At 3:26 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

You're No. 1 in my book, Elmo.

 
At 5:19 PM, Blogger Chubbypanda said...

Congratulations, my friend.

Now, when are we doing that com tam faceoff?

- Chubbypanda

 
At 5:22 PM, Blogger ChristianZ said...

Congratulations! I'm shooting for the 2007 list. Gotta brush up on my metaphors.

 
At 10:55 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

That is so cool to be recognized by the OC Weekly! Congrats elmo! You totally deserve the recognition within the Orange Curtain. And also, happy (belated) birthday!

 
At 4:43 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Congratulations, yours is my favorite food blog, love your commentary, and you do have amazing photos. What kind of camera do you use?

 
At 8:55 AM, Blogger elmomonster said...

googiemel,

I for one would take Googie architecture over some of the bland designs of today. Take for example the Irvine/Tustin Marketplace where all the buildings are essentially plain colored cubes. Sooo boring, and antiseptic.

BTW, if you haven't been to Park Avenue in Stanton, you must. It's a new restaurant, so it's in no danger of being demolished -- but not only do they embrace the existing Googie structure they have, they revel in it. The interior is even Googier than the exterior!

JB,

If I were a giant robot, the first thing I'd stomp on would be the misconception that OC doesn't have its share of great places to eat.

Juliet,

It is my pleasure and honor to quell hunger in people. Thanks again for your ardent support.

Gustavo,

And thank you maestro! You are both an inspiration for and a friend to this blog.

Shaun,

If I can make someone drool, then my efforts aren't for naught.

MzMaggie,

Aww, shucks! Thanks! I hope I don't let you down. Ahh! The pressure!

Law,

Thanks bud! Being on the same list as Freakin' Disneyland (I hold an annual passport and used to be a Cast Member) has already made me more than pysched. Beating Tommy Lasorda is icing. I hope he doesn't jump me one night in a dark alley...In any case, I'll keep chuggin' away as long as you keep reading.

Chubbypanda,

Let's schedule the com tam face-off soon. Let's chat offline to schedule!

ChristianZ,

You've got my vote!

whowantscandy,

Double thanks for the pat on the back and the birthday wish!

mina,

Thanks for vote of confidence! To answer your question, I use two cameras (but not at the same time), one is a 5 Megapixel Sony DSC-W1, and the other is 5 Megapixel Canon SD-450.

 
At 7:50 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Elmo,

Well done and congratulations, o, mentor. You deserve every accolade.

That being said, I still have cheese crisps and you don't.

So, NEENER. :o)

(Good show, elmo!)

 
At 9:20 AM, Blogger elmomonster said...

Seth,

Ah, but my day of cheese crisp is coming. I don't when, I don't know where, but I will have my cheese crisp and eat it too! ;-)

Thanks again for your support Seth. When are you coming down to OC again? You need to collect on the lunch I owe you!

 
At 2:01 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Congratulations! Yours is the first place my wife and I go to when looking for the answer to life's great daily mystery: what are we going to eat tonight?


Julian

 
At 3:20 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey Elmo,
congrats! much deserved as Pam said. I love your site, been to many restaurants that you have recommended including 2 of my favorites now: cafe hiro and honda ya. Keep up the good work! Oh btw, thanks for your saltado recipe, I made it and it turned out well despite missing one of the spices.

 
At 3:54 PM, Blogger elmomonster said...

Julian,

That's a grand compliment! Thank you!

Sai,

Hey you tried the saltado recipe! Cool! That reminds me that I haven't made it in a while. I think I'm due! And ain't Honda-Ya and Cafe Hiro great! I hope they stick around for a while.

 
At 4:16 PM, Blogger Eddie Lin said...

Look at all your fans! They luvsya! You rockstar, you!!!

 
At 7:34 AM, Blogger elmomonster said...

Eddie,

Me? A rockstar?! That's crazy talk.

 
At 5:54 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Congrats! your reviews are always insightful as they are thoroughly indepth. you deserve the recognition and maybe you'll even get a job doing this...not that you're not doing this already :D keep them reviews coming!

 
At 7:04 AM, Blogger elmomonster said...

ramen,

Thanks! I wish I could get paid doing this hobby. But for now, being a pro-bono food critic is fine by me.

 
At 12:09 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Stumbled across your blog while perusing the Chowhound threads and have thoroughly enjoyed reading your various reviews. The pictures are great for whetting the appetite, and the commentary is very insightful.

Keep up the great work. I'm working my way through your entire list of reviews. Just a suggestion for improving the blog. Maybe you can put up a city listing with a link to the different restaurant reviews. That would allow readers to do a quick search of restaurants if they happen to be in a certain location.

 
At 6:08 PM, Blogger elmomonster said...

Anonymous,

Thanks for the nice comment! I was thinking of reorganizing the Index by City. Now to get my lazy butt to do it!

 

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