ericka "she grew up in an indiana town" L.'s Profile

Corazon and I have been trying to go here together forever. But I just couldn't wait any longer for our schedules to magically coincide!

I was in Glendale last Thursday and suddenly realized I was right around the corner from Mashti Malone's. Well, actually, I didn't realize I was around the corner and spent ten minutes walking up and down the block before I finally looked up the address on my Blackberry. Helpful hint: it's in the courtyard alley off Maryland; it doesn't face the street.

I tasted a few flavors and settled on two scoops: ginger rosewater and lavender. Surprisingly sophisticated for ice cream, it was deliciously creamy and aromatic to the last lick. I sat in the sunshine eating this lovely treat and it made me feel like a million bucks.

Why four stars? Well, the guy behind the counter was nice, but not any nicer than he had to be, in my opinion. If the staff was a tad friendlier (a la Scoops), it would definitely put them in the five star category.

You always hope you won't have a run-in with the police. You don't want to be a victim of a crime (or a suspect, for that matter.) But sometimes you need the police, and if you have a good experience, you are grateful they were there.

I programmed the telephone number for the Pasadena Police Department into my phone a couple of months ago, after I heard what I feared were gunshots in my neighborhood. (Come to think of it, I never found out what happened that night, but I heard sirens almost immediately after I called - quick response time!) Since then, I've only called one other time...until last Wednesday.

I was in a pretty bad accident on the 134 - a motorcycle hit another car and then slammed into the back of my car. My rear windshield exploded and I hit my brakes, watching in horror as the motorcyclist flew through the air and landed two freeway lanes away.

I jumped out of my car with my cell phone in hand and ran over to the man, who was unresponsive. I truly thought he might be dead. I had already dialed 911 but wasn't able to get through.

As several off-duty medical personnel stopped to assist, I moved my car to the shoulder and continued dialing 911, as did several other people around me. None of us could get through. Either the line rang endlessly, or the call wouldn't go through at all.

After trying 311, my ex, and even Masa to no avail, I was shaking and in tears. I finally remembered I had the number for the Pasadena Police Department in my phone and called, praying that someone would help me. As soon as the dispatcher answered, I blurted out that I had been in a bad accident and couldn't get through to 911. I begged to be patched through.

The dispatcher asked if I was hurt; I told her I was okay and she  promised to stay on the line with me while she dialed 911. We waited for five straight minutes as the line rang and we received a standard message over and over: "You have reached CHP's 911 Emergency Line. All operators are currently busy, please stay on the line." Throughout my panicky fright, the dispatcher was reassuring and professional, eventually calming me down. When we finally got through, we learned help was already on the way. The dispatcher checked once again that I was okay before she left the line.

Not a single one of the half-dozen people standing on the side of the freeway managed to get through to 911 except for me. One person actually tried to get connected by the Burbank Police Department, but they did not stay on the line and she never got through.

The dispatcher that helped me that evening exemplified a dedication to service that reflects on her entire department, so I am giving five stars to the Pasadena Police. Thank you for being there when I needed you!

Despite snarled traffic backed up as far as the eye could see, Monterey Tow Service got a truck out to Bumpy and me before the clean-up of our accident yesterday finished.

The tow truck driver, Ed, was kind and professional. (Not to mention handsome!) He could tell how freaked out I was, so he made small talk on the way back to Pasadena, keeping my mind off the horror of the wreck of which I'd just been a part and keeping me calm.

When we arrived at my house, he was apologetic that we'd gone over my allotted AAA mileage (7 miles) and he had to charge me $27. He called in my credit card and I overheard him speaking to the gentleman in the office, who he always called "sir" - I do love a polite tow truck driver.

Because I'd left my emergency lights on during the entire time from the accident to when Ed arrived, my battery died, so he did me one last kindness and jump started my car.

I've been towed a number of times, but this was the best service, the cleanest truck, and the utmost professionalism I've ever experienced. Hopefully I won't need to be towed again any time soon, but if I do, at least I'll know who to call.

This restaurant made me wish I was on a first date with a dashing, intelligent man that I could ravish later in the evening. It has a very sexy vibe.

The space is inviting, with exposed brick and touches of dark grey and deep red. The lighting and music are at the perfect levels. It's cozy enough to be romantic, but hip and chic enough to enjoy an evening out with a friend. Service is very warm and friendly. If you have a chance to sit at the bar and peek into the open kitchen, you'll see a line of chefs making the delicious food you'll be enjoying.

Wendy ordered the chorizo with potato, which had an egg broken over it before it was put into the oven. INCREDIBLE. The flavors sang; I could eat this any day of the week. I had the winter squash soup with dates and creme fraiche, which was savory and sweet and so good on a chilly evening.

For our main course, I ordered the snapper and Wendy had the beef tenderloin (I think) with pommes anna. Her dish was lovely, though mine, unfortunately, came covered in shallots, which I detest. I had to scrape them off, scrapping half the vegetable portion of my dish in the process, which made me sad. The dish wasn't listed as having any onions in it. I can't remember if I asked if there were onions or not when I ordered. (I almost always do.) At any rate, what really matters is that the fish was cooked PERFECTLY and was absolutely delectable once the shallots were removed.

For dessert, we ordered coffee and a cappuccino. Wendy picked the flourless chocolate cake with toffee and I chose the orange butter cake. The chocolate cake was perfectly fine, but the orange butter cake was amazing...rich, moist, and not overly sweet.

We had four glasses of wine, but they took two off the bill because of the shallot incident. I really appreciated that gesture.

I should note that originally I was reluctant to go here because this space once housed one of my favorite restaurants, Osteria Nonni. Now, I can't wait to go back...I just need a date first.

It's a little pedestrian in terms of flavor and quality, even given the price point (about $11-$14 a dish). There wasn't a wow factor to anything we ate, though the bread was admittedly pretty good. Even the wine we ordered was fairly blah. Olive Garden is a better deal, seriously.

I had the Pappardelle with Lamb Ragu, which was almost flavorless except for the gamey flavor of the lamb. Michael had lamb shanks, which I thought were nice, but not amazing. Wendy had the Fettuccini di Spinaci e Salsiccia - I actually kind of wish I had ordered this, because I love sausage. Still, it wasn't outstanding, though it was better than my dish.

We were originally seated near an emergency exit door that ended up being opened and closed repeatedly (on a cold and sprinkly evening) because the band was bringing in equipment. We had to ask for another table so we wouldn't freeze to death and I wouldn't have to stab anyone in the eye.

There have to be better places to eat in Sierra Madre!

The homey atmosphere wasn't what I expected at all, but it was charming and cozy on a cold February evening.

The food we had was decent, but not mind-blowingly good. (As an example, I tried my dining companion's gnocchi, but it wasn't until I tried gnocchi again at Osteria La Buca that I understood why people truly love the dish.)

Service was friendly and helpful in pointing out onion-free options. Plus, since you can pretty much make any pasta/sauce/meat/veggie combo you like, you have quite a bit of freedom to design your own perfect dish.

I'd come back again if invited, but I don't see myself trekking to the Westside because I particularly crave it.

I love this place!

I was looking for a small dresser after the Ex visited one day and noted that I seemed to have created a carpet of clothing for my room. How embarrassing! I told him I didn't have enough space for all my clothes, but his comment motivated me to go shopping.

I stopped by a few places near Pink Plum with no luck. One place had a nice dresser in the style of my bedroom furniture, for $300. Um, cross that one off the list! Another had a cheap-looking small dresser for about $60, made out of particle board. Blah!

But then, like Goldilocks, I found one that was just right. At Pink Plum, there were plenty of cute knick-knacks, furniture, jewelery, books, clothes, art, and more to keep me shopping for hours. However, I was a good girl that day and only purchased a nice little four-drawer dresser made of wood and painted a pale creamy yellow for just $20! (I actually saw one that was ever more perfect, but alas, it had been sold already.)

The owners are friendly and helpful. (They assisted me in carrying my find out to my car, even though it wasn't too heavy.) They are constantly visiting estate sales and bringing back great items to sell at reasonable prices. If you're looking for some furniture and don't want to spend an arm and a leg, try this place.

You might even want to visit just for the awesome Hawaiian/Polynesian/Tiki section in the back of the store!

I was the first one in our party to arrive and so I ended up talking to some guy at the bar. That was a mistake, because then he and his friends kept getting up to "go to the bathroom" as an excuse to walk by our table and say hi to me over and over while we were eating dinner. LAME. Dudes, we are not in junior high. Grow up.

As for the food and drinks...the mojito I ordered wasn't awful, but it was too sweet for my taste. I would have preferred a little less sugar and a lot more rum.

The bread that was brought out while we contemplated the menu was the highlight of the meal. It was warm, slightly crusty brown bread. That said, it wasn't exactly what I expected at a Cuban restaurant.

I was sad that there weren't more veggie options for my beautiful Jenn, but then I ordered steak. I chose the churrasco, which was nicely spiced but not fabulous. However, the accompanying rice and beans were very blah. And like a woman in a Woody Allen joke, I will also complain that the portion of beans I received was very small.

To add insult to injury, we ordered dessert. Jenn and I shared a chocolate mousse cake that would have been much better if it hadn't been drizzled in what tasted like (and probably was) Children's Nyquil.

Finally, when we were ready to pay, I tried to break a twenty and no one who worked there would admit to having any change. WTF? How can you run a restaurant that way? Do you expect everyone paying in cash to use singles? Is this place secretly a strip club?

Next time I'm in the mood for Cuban in this part of town, I'll just head to Versailles.

They almost never run out of donuts.

They price their donuts fairly (i.e., ridiculously damn cheap).

They almost always have my delicious raspberry-jelly filled donut on hand.

They didn't laugh too hard when I got overly excited looking at the donuts and bonked my head on the glass.

this bar is delightfully dark and unapologetically out to get you drunk.

if you're coming with a group, reserve the back booths. you won't find a seat otherwise, i'm sure.

based on past experiences, i'm going to say this is an excellent place to make-out with a stranger.

minus one star only because you pretty much have to valet.