Chung King and Barney's Greengrass

We had an important errand in Temple City yesterday, and happened to drive by Chung King. We've been hearing about this Szechuan instititution for awhile but never had a reason to be in its vicinity, so we stopped in for takeout.

All in all, I still like Best Szechuan on Garfield better. However, my opinion is largely colored by Chung King's disgusting rice. I know it probably isn't like this all the time, but our rice was overcooked and gummy to the point of being completely inedible. It tasted like someone had taken day old rice, poured some water in, re-heated it so the top was dry and the bottom was saturated with water, then mixed it up. And if you've had Szechuan food, you know how hard it is to eat it without rice. The "ants up a tree" were also overcooked and all chopped up. The watercooked lamb and cold dishes, however, were all quite tasty. It's not like I would refuse to go back, I think it's just a restaurant with hits and misses.

Another L.A. institution checked off: egg cream at Barney's Greengrass off Rodeo Drive. It's not the best egg cream in the world, but fifty cents for a big cup of chocolate milk off Rodeo is pretty darn good in my book. BONUS: if you get your parking ticket validated at the cafe, you get to park for three hours free instead of two.

Finally, has anyone heard of Shawn Ray Fons? I tried on a gorgeous red gown the other day at Saks, but haven't ever heard of this American designer. I did appreciate that for the a lower price than more famous designers (Vera Wang, Bagdley Mischka, Monique Llhuilier), the fabric and lining he used was much higher quality. Who uses 100% silk satin for lining any more? It felt like buttah. And Made in the USA for cheaper than China? Errrr...