I Love Cupcakes (June 22)
so the last 2 weeks, Sarah and I have been obsessed with finding new and delicious places to eat. It started with this Cuban restuarant in Encino called "Versailles". They have, by far, the best rotisserie chicken i have ever had simply because they marinate it (drown it, really) in this ridiculous lemon-garlic sauce and then serve it with rice and black beans. truly one of the best lunches i have ever had...i have a feeling they are going to become very familiar with us.
also...what is it with LA and your frozen yogurt? it's everywhere. i have to admit, at first i was skeptic. why the hell would i eat frozen yogurt...a "desert" with little or no fat when i could get a hearty scoop at Baskin Robbins or Foster's Freeze down the street? the answer is "Cantaloop" at Hollywood and La Brea. they only feature 3 flavors per day but the last few times we went, we split a mango/blueberry swirl with fresh mangos and strawberries on top. and the best part is even though i know it's fat free, it still tastes so good. we are planning yet another trip tomorrow between shows.
our food finds don't always consist of healthy choices. last week, we went to Skooby's on Hollywood Blvd for some of the best fries, lemonade and hot dogs in the city. they are said to rival the world famous "Pink's" (we'll see soon enough) but we had a great time there. a little pricey for a few dogs, fries and lemonade but pretty damn good. sarah had a chili cheese dog and when making their chili, they use 3 bottles on Guinness beer in every batch. and lucky for me, she has a small stomach so i got to finish it (and everyone in the cast subsequently got to enjoy it on stage later that night).
but hands down, my favorite place we have stopped at so far was in Santa Monica just this past Tuesday. the place is called "Yummy Cupcakes" and i am still dreaming about it. i got the brown sugar cupcake which essentially is a cupcake similar to a coffee cake (but better) with a huge smear of buttercream icing on top. it literally was the best cupcake i have ever had and i am almost happy we aren't living near Santa Monica or else i would be there every day. Sarah was equally as happy with her Red Velvet cupcake.
now look, i don't want our families to think we are not eating healthy. we have been making some delicious and healthy dinners at home as well as having sensible lunches...but every once in awhile you just need a cupcake, a frozen yogurt or an In and Out burger!
moving on...
LA continues to be a lot of fun. i had lunch with a good friend, Fred Buchalter, on Tuesday. Frede and I did "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah" together in Detroit right before i left for the tour and it was great to see him. also with him at lunch was my very first theatre teacher, Jim Gilchrist (Calabasas High School, retired) who Fred had as a teacher almost 40 years ago when he taught in Michigan. "Mr. G" looked great and i can't tell you how great it was to spend some time with the man who truly inspired me to continue my craft beyond high school. every once in a great while, you have a teacher who's passion for something bleeds to you, and Mr. G was certainly that for me. He, Fred and Fred's sister also were able to come to the show last night and what a treat it was getting to perform for them. Guess i've come a long way since Charlie Cowell in Music Man freshmen year.
the show is doing great. everyone in the ensemble just resigned our 6-month riders so it looks like the whole crew is sticking together until December. seems crazy to me that it has already been 7 months and we have another 6 guaranteed. that will take us through Sac, Tempe, Costa Mesa, San Diego and into Seattle. and it turns out that tonight, June 22, is our 200th performance! un-freaking-believable.
July is going to be a whirlwind. first off, i guess the show is sold even better in July than in June (didn't think that was possible), and come July 15, we have to say goodbye to my dear friend Michael Ingersoll and hello to Steve Gouveia as they switch casts in the Nick Massi role. the week that follows will be intense with Steve's put-in on wednesday and then understudy rehearsal that Thursday and Friday while most of the creative staff is here to see all of us in all our understudy roles.
Best thing about that week though...
I am playing Bob Gaudio on July 17. Bergen is taking a personal day back in NYC so it is official. I am so excited to have a chance to play Bob here in LA and the best part is not only is Mom and Jeff driving in from Los Osos to see the show, but Dad and Karen are flying in all the way from Michigan to see me go on as a Season! July 17 could not come any sooner!!!!!!
anyway - that's it for now. Sarah and I have to finish getting ready to go to this great Sushi place she found in Studio City.
best to everyone!
also...what is it with LA and your frozen yogurt? it's everywhere. i have to admit, at first i was skeptic. why the hell would i eat frozen yogurt...a "desert" with little or no fat when i could get a hearty scoop at Baskin Robbins or Foster's Freeze down the street? the answer is "Cantaloop" at Hollywood and La Brea. they only feature 3 flavors per day but the last few times we went, we split a mango/blueberry swirl with fresh mangos and strawberries on top. and the best part is even though i know it's fat free, it still tastes so good. we are planning yet another trip tomorrow between shows.
our food finds don't always consist of healthy choices. last week, we went to Skooby's on Hollywood Blvd for some of the best fries, lemonade and hot dogs in the city. they are said to rival the world famous "Pink's" (we'll see soon enough) but we had a great time there. a little pricey for a few dogs, fries and lemonade but pretty damn good. sarah had a chili cheese dog and when making their chili, they use 3 bottles on Guinness beer in every batch. and lucky for me, she has a small stomach so i got to finish it (and everyone in the cast subsequently got to enjoy it on stage later that night).
but hands down, my favorite place we have stopped at so far was in Santa Monica just this past Tuesday. the place is called "Yummy Cupcakes" and i am still dreaming about it. i got the brown sugar cupcake which essentially is a cupcake similar to a coffee cake (but better) with a huge smear of buttercream icing on top. it literally was the best cupcake i have ever had and i am almost happy we aren't living near Santa Monica or else i would be there every day. Sarah was equally as happy with her Red Velvet cupcake.
now look, i don't want our families to think we are not eating healthy. we have been making some delicious and healthy dinners at home as well as having sensible lunches...but every once in awhile you just need a cupcake, a frozen yogurt or an In and Out burger!
moving on...
LA continues to be a lot of fun. i had lunch with a good friend, Fred Buchalter, on Tuesday. Frede and I did "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah" together in Detroit right before i left for the tour and it was great to see him. also with him at lunch was my very first theatre teacher, Jim Gilchrist (Calabasas High School, retired) who Fred had as a teacher almost 40 years ago when he taught in Michigan. "Mr. G" looked great and i can't tell you how great it was to spend some time with the man who truly inspired me to continue my craft beyond high school. every once in a great while, you have a teacher who's passion for something bleeds to you, and Mr. G was certainly that for me. He, Fred and Fred's sister also were able to come to the show last night and what a treat it was getting to perform for them. Guess i've come a long way since Charlie Cowell in Music Man freshmen year.
the show is doing great. everyone in the ensemble just resigned our 6-month riders so it looks like the whole crew is sticking together until December. seems crazy to me that it has already been 7 months and we have another 6 guaranteed. that will take us through Sac, Tempe, Costa Mesa, San Diego and into Seattle. and it turns out that tonight, June 22, is our 200th performance! un-freaking-believable.
July is going to be a whirlwind. first off, i guess the show is sold even better in July than in June (didn't think that was possible), and come July 15, we have to say goodbye to my dear friend Michael Ingersoll and hello to Steve Gouveia as they switch casts in the Nick Massi role. the week that follows will be intense with Steve's put-in on wednesday and then understudy rehearsal that Thursday and Friday while most of the creative staff is here to see all of us in all our understudy roles.
Best thing about that week though...
I am playing Bob Gaudio on July 17. Bergen is taking a personal day back in NYC so it is official. I am so excited to have a chance to play Bob here in LA and the best part is not only is Mom and Jeff driving in from Los Osos to see the show, but Dad and Karen are flying in all the way from Michigan to see me go on as a Season! July 17 could not come any sooner!!!!!!
anyway - that's it for now. Sarah and I have to finish getting ready to go to this great Sushi place she found in Studio City.
best to everyone!
posted by The Guter at 6/22/2007 10:53:00 AM
8 Comments:
Sounds like you're enjoying LA. Glad to hear everyone will still be together for another 6 months. Hopefully I can catch all of you together again when the tour stops in Sac.
Also nice to hear you'll be going on as Bob. Although I'm dissapointed I couldn't see your Bob in SF, I did see your Tommy and thought you were great.
And tell Michael that the SF fans are going to be glad to see him back, although now we'll miss Steve. I think the general consensous from the regulars is that we love his Nick as much as we love Michael's. They both have different takes on the role. But hey come September both casts are only going to be about a 90 min drive apart.
How do you maintain your boyish figure with the way you eat? Is it the gym, or portion control? Glad to know there are other omnivorous eaters in the world. BTW, there's something called the Vanilla Bakeshop coming to Santa Monica that supposedly will put Yummy to shame. It opens in late July.
I love the title of this blog! You had me laughing before I even started reading. : ) I'm glad to hear that L.A. is going well, and though I'm a little sad to hear that Michael Ingersoll is leaving, I'm glad that the rest of the cast will be staying together.
I also liked reading about your meeting with your high school theater teacher. As a high school drama student, it was nice to read about!
Best of luck as Bob on the 17th!
Hi Eric - I wish I could join the family on the 17th to see you as Bob Gaudio but LA is a little too far for me to travel - Hopefully when you are closer to Michigan the rest of the family will be able to see you as one of the Four Seasons - So enjoy with your folks - I told my cousins to try to get tickets for that day - hopefully they will be able to - Love you both - See you when you get closer to Michigan
Love,
Bubi
So, are we excited to see you as Bob? You betcha!!! You were great as Tommy and I know you'll be great as Bob. We cannot wait to come down to L.A.(aka "Smell-A" or "Hell-A")to see the show. How wonderful that dad and Karen are flying in to see you!! We'll see you on the 17th.
Love, Mama xxooxx
I am on a quest to find the best paella in the USA, so needless-to-say I was interested to read about your experience in a Cuban restaurant. Did you ever go to Vincenzo's in Detroit? My fingers were a beautiful yellow (from the gobbs of safron) after I ate the paella. Let me know if you find anything else inspiring. Wishing well July 17. Wish we were there. Be happy, love, Bonnie
that's pretty random...I have tickets to the show on the 17th (and I bought them about 6 months ago). Must've been written in the stars. Check me out in Row P!
Eric, you have to try "The Original Pantry" on 9th and Figueroa, especially for breakfast. And I need to adopt your diet of those yummy cupcakes. The lettuce and tomato thing just ain't working for me anymore! Regards to Sarah, Eric.
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