Family Meal

Sorry Chef Lee, but some of the best food at Spago isn't necessarily found on the regular dining menu.

Fondly known as "Family Meal," this twice daily ritual, served first at 10:30am, then again at 4:30pm, brings the Spago staff (from bussers and dishwashers, to sous chefs and management) together before service begins.

It doesn't matter that we're not getting grilled Carpenter Ranch squab breast or Snake River Kobe beef when there's coconutily spicy chicken curry, melt-in-your-mouth buttered cornbread, damn good corndogs, and the "all white meat" chicken pot pie which... well, it even puts Marie Callender to shame!!!

"Family Meal" is that welcome "second breakfast," after a protein shake and coffee, which entices me into the office in the mornings. It's the perfect "tide-you-over-til-dinner" afternoon snack, which, along with my double-shot latté, I wouldn't make it through the early evenings without. And most importantly, it's certainly helped me bulk this fall, I'm a whopping 196 as of last weigh in!!!

PS - Don't forget to set your Tivos for Chef Lee's upcoming appearance on Bravo's Top Chef.

PPS - I'd never had a corn dog before working at Spago!

2006 Excalibur Championships

The 2006 Excalibur Bodybuilding Championships, another local bodybuilding contest that Joe and I didn't go to, was held this past weekend at the Veteran's Memorial Auditorium just down the road in Culver City, CA.

The winner of both the superheavy weight class and the overall title was a "wee slip of a lad" by the name of Trey Brewer from Atlanta, GA.

Brewer, a former high school star fullback, relinquished the pigskin in favor of the fulltime pursuit of the iron game. Back in 2005 at the tender age of 19, the 6 ft tall, then only 225 pounder, earned an impressive third place finish in the heavyweight division at that year's NPC Teen & Collegiate National Championships behind the crazily coiffed Steve Kuclo.


Now at only 21 years old, not only has Brewer ballooned up into the super heavyweight class (weighing well over 225 lbs), but he's won a major Californian contest that now qualifies him for one of the big national competitions (like the NPC USA or NPC Nationals).

This is one “little one” who can now truly play with the “big boys.”