La Chinoise, La Vietnamienne et La Francaise

I made a new friend tonight. Her name is Yipeng, a Shanghainese who runs an art gallery in that booming Chinese city and brings cool electronica-influenced musicians from Norway and other distant countries across the Pacific to the Middle Kingdom. A friend of a friend, Yipeng is visiting the U.S. for the first time. Another friend and I decided to show Yipeng how the artsy-fartsy folks in Los Feliz live by taking her to see French torch singer Adele Jacques at Tangier restaurant. I had an ulterior motive; I wanted to go somewhere within walking distance of my house and get my fill of mid-week martinis. Jacques stuck with a repertoire of songs originally sung or composed by Serge Gainsbourg. It was a fine choice. In the duets where she played the Brigitte Bardot/Jane Birkin part, her pianist channeled Gainsbourg in his striped pants, wide-cuffed pink oxford and dark blazer. I waited and waited until they sang "Bonnie and Clyde," which is my favorite Gainsbourg song. The small but cheerful contingency of French expats bellowed along to "Elisa" and other popular tunes. After "Bonnie and Clyde" and "Ford Mustang," the only other song I knew by heart was the scorchingly sexy "Je T'aime, Moi Non Plus," which was originally a duet Gainsbourg had recorded with Bardot until he met and fell for the British-born Birkin. After the show, Yipeng and I hung out at my apartment until her sister came to pick her up. Yipeng asked to look at my CD collection. I happily obliged and played some Goldfrapp, OOIOO and Gainsbourg for her. The verdict: "You have good taste in music," Yipeng said. I felt as if Chairman Mao himself had given me a red star sticker.

Sleeping Stress Ball

My stress ball has a cute pudgy face with a wrinkled nose. It doesn't sit up straight, so I store it in the cardboard box that its maker, Cao Maru, packed it in. But when my right hand is cramping from typing under tight deadlines at work, I set the polyurethane resin sphere under my monitor in close proximity for a quick squeeze. Today, mirroring my half-alert state, the stress ball toppled over and took a snooze.

Katsuya

Philippe Starck designed the new Japanese restaurant Katsuya that recently opened in Brentwood. Though the location is what the French would describe as BCBG, or bon chic bon genre, the decor was a hybrid of a Japanese tea house and a French boite. Of all the sushi, sashimi and katsuyaki that I tasted at Katsuya's opening party, the spicy tuna rolls were the best. I am usually a snob about my sushi. I demand that nothing taints the pure flavor of the fish, although I make an exception for negitoro because toro is the food of the gods. I have never liked spicy tuna rolls. But Katsuya grilled the rice with some soy sauce and layered the mash of chopped up tuna and chili sauce, along with a slice of jalopeno, on top. The restaurant's signature drink is a Norihito -- a mojito made with fresh mint, watermelon and cucumbers. Countering the hyper-bourgeois setting were the eerie photos decorating the walls. The back wall was covered with a photo of a woman’s kohl-lined eyes, another wall showed one of glistening crimson lips, a third displayed a picture of a powdered hand. Did Monsieur Starck want diners to debate metaphysical issues about nibbling on freshly cut raw fish while gazing at a dismembered geisha? Missy said the photography reminded her of the horror flick "The Grudge."

Mmmmm...Meats on Sticks

Call it what you want: couture corn dogs, skewered snacks, the impaled and the beautiful. But meats on sticks are the best.

Soaking in a Cool Martini

It was so sweltering on Saturday that my girlfriend Eileen and I escaped to Edendale Grill in Silver Lake for a couple of cocktails and snacks. We maxed out on drinks starting with the letter "m" -- she sipped a mojito and I downed a Stoli martini, a little dirty, garnished with three -- yes, three! -- olives. To prevent the booze from getting to our heads, we nibbled on crab cakes, goat cheese and arugula salad and French fries mixed with blue cheese, and dished on our favorite topics: clothes, boys and writing.

Candy Nails

Three coats of Francois Nars' Ultraviolet nail polish created a sheen as yummy as that you'd find on a Jolly Rancher candy. To prove my point, I had to contrast the delicious digits with some lavender M&Ms.