The Los Angeles Spanish Dinner group

well i just e-mailed nicole about all of us out here in Los Angeles to get together at La Luna Negra Restaurant in Pasadena. For anyone who lives in Los Anegeles and who is a memeber of this board,let's set a date we can all go and get together for a night of spanish food and flamenco! let's start it up!!! Ole!

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Spain Page!! Check it out! http://www.geocities.com/missmadrid98/homepage.html?957296168010

i am going to have cancel the date we have selected for our Los Angeles dinner group at La Luna Negra restaurant on Oct 27th. my teacher will be out of town at a show in Idaho, so there will be no flamenco performances that weekend. We'll have to find another date, suggestions welcome!!

[This message has been edited by missmadrid98 (edited 10-17-2000).]

Idaho? whereabouts? I'm in Boise..

Leche

MissMadrid98,
Keep me posted, I am rather flexible just give me a little time and I'll be able to go.
I am still looking forward to the dinner show. Hope we can get a nice turnout from the Southern California based contributors of this board. Besides Mencey was going to have to miss the original date, hope he can come to the rescheduled date.

I am quite flexible too. Let me know when and where, and I'll show up.

if Friday Nov 3rd at 9:30 is okay with everybody, we'll set that as our new date!!!! let me know if you can make it so i can get a head count for reservations!!! Ole!!
Leche- i will find out what and where she will be, maybe you can go!!

[This message has been edited by missmadrid98 (edited 10-17-2000).]

Nov 3 suits me fine. Looking forward to it

[This message has been edited by Shawn (edited 10-17-2000).]

Would Sat. Nov. 4th be better, because some of us have a commute, (San Diego) and Friday traffic can be a ....
Count me in!

yes you are correct friday's can be harsh for those who are going to commute, we can do Nov 4th!! all in favor say "I"........

I!!!Ole! Whatever! I'll be there!

Sat Nov 4 is fine. Ole!

Any extra room in this dinner group? I may be away on the 4th, but I would love the opportunity to swap stories with those who love Spain at some future date. I vaguely remember that in the City of Orange, in the old-town area there is a Spanish-Cuban restuarant...FYI. BTW: Since I'm a junior member and new to the game, what distinguishes a junior from a "regular" member on this board, time? Just curious

of course anyone is invited whenever they like!!

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Spain Page!! Check it out! http://www.geocities.com/missmadrid98

[This message has been edited by missmadrid98 (edited 10-20-2000).]

Just an idea. Could someone take a picture of the great dinner night? And could Madridman put it somewhere in his site?.

Antonio

I, for one, do not have a flash for my old pentax camera. So, evening & indoor shots are impossible. Don't know about anyone else..

Calibasco, I can't say for sure what makes you a "member," but I am assuming it has something to do with the number of posts, and replies and stuff. I recently noticed that I have officially moved from "junior member" to "member" - all without evening me noticing. I expected horns to blow and confetti to rain down upon joining the ranks of such an illustrious group..

[This message has been edited by Nicole (edited 10-27-2000).]

Nicole,

I, too, recently was 'promoted' to Member. I think you're right that it has to do with posts...maybe when MadridMan or Antonio come back in and see this they'll verify or refute that idea.

Sadly, I was also 'promoted' without balloons...waah.

[originally posted 10-30-2000 12:52 PM by missmadrid98]

Can everyone send me an e-mail that will be attending, i need to place the reservation this week, so i want to get a final head count. Once again this will be at La Luna Negra restaurant in Pasadena Saturday Nov 4th at 9:30pm, hope all of you can make it, everyone is invited!!! Ole!

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Spain Page!! Check it out! http://www.geocities.com/missmadrid98

ole, ole ole ole. ole...ole.

that's all I have to say. I am there baby!!

Thanks to madridman for the forum. I had a great time last night with missmadrid and Shawn!!! I couldn't believe missmadrid was so good at Flamenco. Her teacher pulled her up on the stage, and she just went to it and was sooo good (until the performance sadly ended by the infamous shoe falling off moment). The people in the restaurant were all amazed, because they thought she had never done it before and was just improvising.

Shawn has the most amazing knowledge of South America and Spain. I think you should consider becoming a professor of Latin American studies Shawn!!

Thanks again for a great night!!

The restuarent and flamenco show were fantastic! I really enjoyed putting faces to the informative messages that I revel in reading nearly daily. I echo Nicole's sentiments regarding Missmadrid's dancing prowess, I am certain that her natural talent and ambition will pay dividends in Spain. It was enjoyable to hear the wonderful firsthand tales of Spain. Nicoles' travels made me green with envy, I aspire to see just a portion of what she has treked through. I hope that prior to Missmadrid's departure to Spain a similar event can be arranged, and hopefully some more faces will be added to the rich mix.

BTW, The sangria and the stuffed peppers were quite good, and the show was first rate; even though, Missmadrid's shoe failed to cooperate in her improuptu performance.

Buen Provecho!

WOO HOO!!!!! I wish I could have gone!!! Sounds like a wonderful time. It's SO MUCH fun talking passionately with others who share your love for Spain (i.e. @ 'Party With MadridMan").

I don't suppose anyone took any photos of this get together and flamenco spectacle, did you?? We'd love to see them. So missmadrid98 is really that good, eh?? I can't say I'm surprised. Who knows, maybe she WILL be able to make some money with her flamenco talents while she's in Spain! That would be great. Best of luck to you, missmadrid98!

Nicole and Shawn, thanks for sharing your experiences here in the thread with the group. If anything else comes to mind I'd/we'd love to hear about it!!

(CaliBasco, congratulations on being "upgraded" to MEMBER!!! Yes, it takes 31 postings to reach elite "MEMBER" status. hehehe)

Saludos, MadridMan

ah, how i wish i could have been there. grrr..if only i was still in san diego, i would have driven up in an instant. anyway, that sounds like a brilliant evening! i hope that someone took pictures as well!! glad all of you had such a great time.

I am sad to say that there were no pictures taken. I hope we can drag out senorita madrid one more time before she runs off to spain.

I am actaully tempted to check out the gran tapa in san diego, but cannot imagine driving home from there after a couple of glasses of sangria...

yes it was fun!!! and if my darn shoe didn't fall off i would have acheived a better finaly!!! it was so much fun and i'm glad us 3 got together, we should definitely do it again, perhaps sometime in the begining in December!!

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Spain Page!! Check it out! http://www.geocities.com/missmadrid98

HEY! YOU ALL WON'T BELIEVE THIS!! Someone was apparently at La Luna Negra Restaurant in Pasadena the night Nicole, Shawn, and missmadrid98 were dining. He was a visitor of MadridMan's Spain Message Board and knew of the dinner meeting with 3 of our members. He went, didn't introduce himself, but stayed in the background and snapped a shot of missmadrid98 while she was dancing. I can't tell from the photo is this is BEFORE or AFTER she lost her shoe. I'm guessing it was taken AFTER she "lost it". HERE'S the photo . She certainly look professional though.

Saludos, MadridMan

Oh my god!!

You scared me there for a second

[This message has been edited by Nicole (edited 11-07-2000).]

Hey MM, you didn't tell us YOU were there too! Dig that stripey shirt - What a mover! Anda, guapo! Ole!

[This message has been edited by El Boqueron (edited 11-08-2000).]

Wow! I had no idea flamenco dancing was like that!

Leche

That isn't flamenco...I think in Toledo they call that "Doing the Mahou"

Shake it, don't break it!

I know I want to see the photos of the rest of the evening. Can you say table dancing?

Leche

you are so BAD madridman!!!!!!!!!! that is a picture of me dancing at a bar in spain 2 1/2 years ago.....you are so bad. i am sorry i haven't been on the board lately, but i don't own a computer and the temp job i had at weddingchannel.com was cancelled, so my agency is trying to find me another job, so i am at a cybercafe right now. As soon as ai get another job i'l be back!!!

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Spain Page!! Check it out! http://www.geocities.com/missmadrid98

hmm. how would he have that picture? Sounds like there might be a story here...

Who is your lovely partner there? Speaking of "boyfriend's relief"...

Nicole, check out the link to that image of missmadrid98 and you'll see in the URL that it's from her website. hehehe..

Sorry missmadrid98! (well, not really). Just kidding around. Hope you weren't offended by that, but you really seemed to be enjoying yourself that I couldn't resist. hehehe.. Hope to see you regularly online soon!

Awhh man. I was hoping for some juicy gossip, maybe a sordid love affair - or just a previous "party w/madridman.

wow, los angeles is a SMALL city...

missmadrid98 i almost became one of the system admins a weddingchannel.com... it's over in santa monica, no??

anyway, this thread of posts is hilarious!

ps> by the way, isn't that Juan Antonio Samaranch (head of olympic committee) that you were dancing with??

[This message has been edited by real_megia (edited 11-13-2000).]

oh madridman i am not offended at all, hahahahha. that is a picture of me dancing at a bar in spain with a teacher named mr. flax, he was so much fun!! that man had so much life inside him!! I love to dance, you should have seen me in the club!! weddingchannel.com is in downtown l.a. i hope to find work soon, i have the interview with international house tommorow morning at 6:30 am our time, wish me luck!!

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Spain Page!! Check it out! http://www.geocities.com/missmadrid98

Good Luck!!!

For those in the LA basin, I went to lunch at Cafe Felix in Orange on Wednesday. It's a Spanish/Cuban restaurant. Of course I had to order the paella, which was pretty good. They also had the best bread I've had in this part of the country since moving here. The my sister ordered carne con papas and gave it a big thumbs up.

The restaurant was good, there's a nice outdoor eating area, and the paella seemed to be the most expensive thing on the menu, which had enough variety. I was just happy to be eating paella again.

If you're interested in going, it's a can't miss in Orange Plaza right in the middle of "old town" Orange, in the southeast part. Enjoy!

In an unrelated note, if you like "tripotxa" which to you hispanohablantes is "morcilla" which to you anglos is "blood sausage", the Chino Basque Club is having a lunch on Sunday. They're located near Chino Hills Parkway and Central Ave. in Chino. I'll try to post a time just in case anyone is interested in dropping by. I know there's something else authentic on the menu, but I can't remember what it is. I'll get that and post it, too if possible. Sorry my details are so sketchy!

Sorry I missed the updated post...nobody complained so I'm sure you were all busy.

I have to report on my trip to La Gran Tapa in San Diego, since I'm too poor right now to go to Spain .

The restaurant was started by a guy by the name of Paul(?) Dobson, who apparently was a bullfighter. There are pics of him all over the wall, as well as signed pics from other toreros.

The prices were a little up there, but I did get some jamón serrano, empanadas (a little Americanized, but good), GREAT queso, some tortilla, and some good chorizo. I thought the ensaladilla rusa was nasty...it wasn't at all like the homemade stuff I used to get while living in Spain! My buddy ordered the cordero a la parrilla and raved about it. He's the best barbecuer I know, so I value his opinion.

They only have flan and crema catalana for dessert, but after we got stuffed, there was no room for that nonsense!

All in all, the food was good, the service average, and I was in my own little slice of heaven, if only for a few hours.

If anyone is interested, we are thinking of getting together again this Saturday for a dinner saturated with talk and memories of Spain. Any new members that are interested, just email me. This time we'll try to bring a camera (assuming none of the participants are secretly in the Witness Protection Program or something...)

Calibasco, I'm glad your experience at La Gran Tapa in San Diego was not horrible...I have a confession to make...my husband used to be the manager there, so I waited to see if you would post an opinion about it... glad to hear it wasn't totally a bust...It is the best Spanish restaraunt we have in S.D., and we only have 4.
Anyway, next time a poster comes down to S.D., let's make a party of it!!!

p.s. Nicole, wish I could make it up there for this next dinner rendez-vous, hope you all have a great time.

laduque-
What I meant to say was that La Gran Tapa was disgusting and I saw rats coming out of the kitchen grasping their throats! :P

Actually the food was good, and next time we're down there I'll e-mail you first!

How come your hubby left? I would stay for the tortilla!

ah,nicole..i so wish i could make it. make sure you send all of my best to those who go. i'll be there in spirit.

calibasco...i too am glad you had a good experience at la gran tapa. laduque is quite right, we only have four spanish restaurants in san diego. it stands above the rest with tapas picasso coming in a close second. like you said, the food is pretty good and service rather relaxed. at least the odd occasion it transports us to our own little world.

laduque: yes, do tell. what happened with your husband's situation? by the way, i'll be headed back home to san diego for chirstmas. if you put together a dinner gathering do let me know.

Well, if you must know, mi esposo had a conflict of scheduling, he wants to finish his degree as soon as possible, which meant he had to sacrifice the restaurant...alas, we are still great friends with many of the workers there.

Nicholeye, are you also going to Spain in January? here, there, we are going to meet!!! E-mail when you get to S.D.

laduque:
i certainly will be in spain in january. to be exact, i arrive on the 7th. if you have a look at the "tavern crawls of madrid thread" i went into a bit more detail on that when puna asked me the same question.

we should certainly try and meet up in either place. hey... here, there and everywhere sounds great to me! =)

I just heard on the radio last night that they are opening up a Cafe Sevilla in Riverside in a few weeks. Should be interesting.

I just wanted to say thank you to Shawn, Nicole and MissMadrid98 for a wonderful evening of dining, dancing and conversation last night. I had a great time, and hope to have the opportunity to do it again soon.

Those of you who haven't had the privilege of seeing MissMadrid do the Sevillana are truly missing out! She's terrific! Best of luck in Spain to you MM98!

I'd love to see her dance, unfortunately from Hawaii you can't drive over to LA for a weekend. Maybe the rest of us will get to see her in Spain

as calibasco mentioned i was asked to perform that night, so the dinner group was able to see me dance 2 dances. My teacher asked me that day if i was availible to perform that night. I had alot of fun talking afterwards with everybody, and hopefully i will see some of those familiar faces next time in Spain!!

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Spain Page!! Check it out! http://www.geocities.com/missmadrid98

Thank you so much guys for a truly fun evening. I really had a great time hanging out with you. And once again, the Divine Miss M was fabulous!!

As soon as I get those pictures developed, I will send them in to MM, so you all can see Miss MAdrid doing her thing (I have never used a disposable camera before, so we'll see how they turn out).

Hello to you ALL.Having dropped into this forum is a little like walking into a movie theatre halfway through a movie,..I'll try not to step on anyones toes and I will be seated as soon as I find an ampty chair, oh, look; there's an empty spot in the back,...not much of a view, right next to that nasty little room with the porcelain feet,..okay,now , just let me clap a couple of times....." cerbeza por favor'... now I hope you can hear me over the rhythmic beat of clicking heels...Firstly, for MissMadrid;you must be a remarkable spirit if you've learned Flamenco, and if your shoe has EVER come off, as it seems to have done then I need to refer you to a Flamenco site I'd found.There are some 30 different styles of Flamenco shoes for dancers available in multitudes of colors.You may have noted these types of footwear have over foot straps to prevent such mishaps and may find yourself requiring a pair or two. Secondly, for Madridman; YOU SIR, are a genius!! This page of yours is a Godsend and a treat, even if I wasn't going back to Spain, You have copiled an assortment of resources more extensive than ANY OTHER PAGE I have ever visited.Just for being such a great service to the Spanish Ex-patriots relocation industry, the Spanish gov. should issue residency visas via e-mail to all your members!!Thirdly, I want to express my thanks in advance to everyone for contributing postings of informative and placebo nature to facillitate the paper trail as well as the psychological transition required to actualize "THE MOVE". We have A Spanish Flamenco bar restaurant here in S.F. in North Beach, on upper Grant Ave, and it has served on occassion as a 'home away from home'for myself and my Spain hungry heart.I travelled to Spain in '58 as a 6 yr. old, via Le Harve, Madrid, and Barcelona; where I had my 7th birthday as I explored the winding little streets and learned the language.Thence to Sevilla where we lived for about 4 years. There is nowhere else on the planet that I want to return to.I have been around the world twice, did my schooling in four different countries and speak rusty but on the improve, Sp. Fr. Grmn. It..I shall be making my exodus within a year or so and plan on remaining as Renaissance Sailor Handyman Artist. My healing arts include Volkswagons,yachts,houses,bodies and auras, and I intend on remaining a freelance operator in my self employed capacity,as waterfront do-all. I've made contact with a yacht club in Mallorca that can use my 32 yrs of accumulated skills on their members fleet.My contact has assured me that the Police know who is who and turn away except for trouble, so illegality may not be too bad.....more later.......Rev. Mike

munchimike... that night i was just eating at the restaurant wearing my tennis shoes when i was pulled up to dance, i am aware of the array of shoes they offer in flamenco and all the ones i have, have a strap.

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Spain Page!! Check it out! http://www.geocities.com/missmadrid98

so happy to see that l.a. dinner group II was as great an evening as the first. despite the fact there was no lost shoe this time around. certainly really wish i could have joined all of you. need to keep them coming. cheers all!! =)

[This message has been edited by nicholeye (edited 12-11-2000).]

Hey MunchiMike, welcome to the group!!!
Just a little question, you wouldn't happen to run that little place called La Bodega, would you?

But of course MissMadrid, that is the price of fame!!impromptue performances are difficult for me to pull off with complete aplomb too...glad to hear you're already stocked with footwear...9Duh, what WAS I thinking)? And no sir < I do not own that little Bodega charmer, but I wish I did! That is one of the last of the great local secrets on the street. Ever notice how hard it is to find it open? Thanx all for greatness that you are...no wonder we all love Spain so MUCH!!? look at your beautiful hearts!!.......Rev. Mike

I have to echo the remarks of the other Los Angeles Dinner Group, it was a splendid night. Here are some passing thoughts on the affair:

MissMadrid is a fabulous dancer, but don't let trust her with yout flamenco shoes- The shoe may end up for sale at the Rastro. Heeheehee!

Nicole is amzingly well traveled with many thoughtful insights on this small world of ours; however, her ordering Bratwurst and mashed potatoes on an evening dedicated to Spain raised a few eyebrows. Hahahaha!


CaliBasco tales of Basque cuisine and of his extensive Spanish travel were both entertaining and informative (apropos for the acomplished teacher he is); although, given his restaurant reviews, I fear that his tales may have been apocryphal. Jajajajaja!

Given that this terrific trio was there, where were the other Los Angeles based contributors to this board? I have to wish happy holidays to everyone. Hohohohoho!

munchmike, you sound like Woodpecker.

Shawn!!! Okay, it wasn't exactly BRATWURST, but it wasn't chorizo either. I really should have known better. sheesh. good thing you guys were there to help clean up the plate or the sausage chef might have been offended.



[This message has been edited by Nicole (edited 12-12-2000).]

Wish I could have joined you for the dinner party!!! I would have loved to meet all of you in person-Such an interesting group!

Just a little clarification for Munchi, and others who may have wondered...I am not a "sir" but am actually the contrary. My posting name is a play on my real name...Notice the "la" attached to Duque. That should tip you off.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Okay...I was trying to be nice and diplomatic, but since Shawn is letting us have it on our little quirks...just kidding.

Yah, hear me now and believe me later, Nicole loves the 'wurst like a good German should. That spicy andalucian sausage was okee dokee by me!

MM98 was great, and I must admit, as MunchiMike said, she is amazing for having learned the ways of the flamenco dancer. It was really cool to see an Asian man playing flamenco guitar. That, to me epitomizes the pull...er...GRAB that Spain has on all who fall under its tractor beam-like spell.

I found out why Shawn has so much knowledge of economies, as he attended the University of Spoiled Children and received his B.S. parchment from that jewel of South Central... If we could only get him to economize his words! ¡jajajajaa a tí!

Who the heck else lives in SoCal, so we can do this again??? I need more people to bore with my tales of travel and adventure. Also, I need to spring more of my fabricated farcical fishing fables! Haha.

You can only imagine the mesmerized look on Nicole's face as I again shared the old-world secrets of the Basque mariners and their centuries-old practice of harvesting the best cod from the waters off of Spain. "Tell me more, O wise one" she seemed to say...

Anyone who is going to be in the LA area needs to let us know so we can call a special MM dinner occasion.

At the risk of this becoming a MunchiMike-esque post (for length...:P) I'll close with an emphatic:

Espero que a todos les vaya bien durante las fiestas.

I wish I could have been there!!! That makes me 0for2 in the LADG meetings! I told my wife(je je je,I'm still not used to saying that) that we have to go to the next one, there will be a next one right? Thanks so much for the invite Nicole, it sounds like you all had a blast. When do the pics go up?

Oh wise one, you are so observant. That is exactly what I was thinking!

I will try to get the pics developed this week end and send them on to MM.

Nicole, (and everyone) before sending me any photos, please give me warning via email first and I'll send along special emailing instructions/destinations. Thanks! I could tell you horror stories about people sending me 25megs of their holiday-in-Spain photos without notice. I'm guessing they probably didn't realize what they were doing or that they sent the photos from work using a high-speed connection. But at home, with my (at the time) 33.6 MAXimum modem speed, it took several hours to download the photos and I was so mad that I immediately deleted them before even looking at them. I couldn't just SKIP the email either -- it had created a "log jam" and I couldn't view/receive any other email until I completely downloaded that one. People make the mistake of scanning their photos at the OPTIMUM size (sometimes 1mb EACH! OUCH!) to get the best quality and my modem, now at 56K, STILL takes a long time to download files.

I can't wait to see the photos of the dancing/dinner. Hope missmadrid98 looks more sober than the last photo I saw. hehehe... just kidding.

Saludos, MadridMan

[This message has been edited by MadridMan (edited 12-13-2000).]

yes i was sober madridman, you are so funny!!! I hope they came out okay and you guys find them enjoyable!

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Spain Page!! Check it out! http://www.geocities.com/missmadrid98

umm. I am such a dork. See, I was just going to send them to you in the mail. regular mail.

I may need more complete instructions than you imagined. I will email you though first...

Waiting to see the LA MM members' photo. What are you folks going to do when Miss Madrid leaves for Spain?

I just wish where I live, we could have an DC-MD-VA MM Spanish dinner group.

This is for MadridMan and everyone else with this phot problem. I've just figured how to beat the system......Set up an e-mail account, send your pictures to it, then just share the password! ....f'rinstance,....MadridMan@hotmail.com...password...MadridMan.....Then I, or you, simply go to Hotmail, type in MadridMan as user name,...MadridMan as password and voila!! or , (oops) Ole. That way anyone can access them in a third party location and we can just maintain our own suppository of photos for everyone to visit without clogging up anybodies personal e-mail account,..more to come.....Rev. Mike

LADG - My husband and I live in Fresno, but my brother-in-law and his family live in Glendora. I would LOVE to coordinate a visit down to the LA area when you all might have another MM dinner group. Any plans for late January or February? Probably too early, but keep the posts coming!

P.S. My husband and I will be in Spain until the middle of January, so we'll be freshly Spainked. (I just made that up - that's really funny!! I always laugh at my own jokes. Sorry, but somebody has to.)

Then I go to that e-mail and spam the entire free world...hahaha it's perfect! Nobody on this site would do that...would they?

So MM, I should go ahead and delete that 340MB mpeg file of the Luna Negra bartender who looks like the Wassup beer-dude? I was sure you wanted it...

Well... Ahem... Since I've owned MadridMan@hotmail.com for years now I'm not about to hand over my password!! Heehe... However, YOU CAN join the nearly UNKNOWN MadridMan eGroup @ http://www.egroups.com/group/MadridMan and upload your files there for us all to see... However, I'm not entirely sure that non-members can view the files....

Saludos, MadridMan

I will be in San Diego for a few days following Christmas. Does anyone want to try to get a San Diego Dinner Group together?

Oh yea Calibasco, ..your ipo or whatever it is they trace with would be your downfall, I mean whomever tried "it",...but sorry MM, bad example, ...let's say we call it newpix@yahoo.com, ..pasword,...newpix,....you get the picture,..members could not only e-mail their shots, but also review them,...anyway.....Rev. Mike

What's the charge on that if you're caught? 3 to 5 for Spamming?

I would love to do a San Diego thing, but I am not sure whether or not I could get down there before spring. I will have to see.

Mclarke, I don't know what we will do without the Diving Miss M here in L.A.

Nicole,

I noticed you removed your e-mail posting. Have you been getting love proposals from all over?

I WISH!!

Just Kidding. No proposals. I just thought it probably wasn't a good idea to have all that information about myself out there.

naw, worse,....they manacle your hands in a pair of boxing gloves and put you in solitary with your laptop....and you know that's no lapdance!.....yee, hee, hee......Rev. Mike

Does anybody know when the next LA dinner gathering will be?

Good question! Can I come?? Man, that would be GRRRRRRREAT! Don't forget to take pictures!

Well...if SOME people would answer my private messages (cough...cough...CathyM...cough), we might get somewhere...

Oh MM, that would be so cool if you came out!! What a great excuse to spend a few days in SoCal.. We always take pictures at the gatherings, but never manage to send them to you...at least I haven't. :p

So...how 'bout that dinner group meeting?

I'm up for it! I just (finally) got our pictures developed from the last dinner. Someone else has gotta organize it though..

Well, I'm busted on not answering the private emails. Been a little distracted lately. :o

I'm up for another dinner gathering but we need to find someone who can plan it. I'm up to my eyeballs with business plans and the tax season.

If you're all up for a Northern California member joining your LA Spanish Supper Club ... I can always find a reason to come south. My sister and a few long-time friends now reside there. If it were to be on a Saturday I might just join you all for the dinner. Keep us posted. Saludos, Jason

I DEMAND PHOTOS!!!! hehehehee... Really, I just hope you all have a great time and would LOVE to attend but.. alas... SOCAL isn't nearby and I'm going to Madrid next month (April) so my time-off has/will-be exhausted.

Can't wait to hear all about it! Saludos, MadridMan

MM, you lucky guy. If all goes according to plan, I will be dipping my toes in Iberian soil some time this summer.

As for the pictures (actually, I only have one pic), I'll get someone at work to scan them and send you a copy - if that's ok with everyone else

That's fine by me Nicole,as for the dinner gathering, I guess I'll go ahead and step up to the plate. When would you guys like to do this? I'm thinking toward the end of march or beginning of April. Anybody that is interested, drop me an email at chewee1@yahoo.com, and we'll set something up. Please let me know in your emails the dates that work for you and I'll make reservations accordingly. Thanks.

Oh, and I was thinking that a good central southern cal location would be "Tapas" in the Newport Beach Area of orange county.

Aside from the fact that I have a little bambino due on March 22, I'm in. Maybe I could bring my little 3-year old to get her out of mommy's hair if we go in April...okay, I just reaching for excuses to come. I want in, but it may be rough.

My second job has me working most Saturdays through April...could I petition for a Friday get-together??? Please???

I was just thinking about this the other day as I heard a radio ad on Saturday morning on KFI for Cafe Sevilla...mmmmm....tapas is the way to go mencey!

Calibasco!!!! You've been holding out on us! Congratulations on the new little one.

For those of you that sent me emails, thanks, For those that didn't, it's ok, I'm sure you were thinking about sending one and as we all know, its the thought that counts. How does April 4th sound to everybody. This is a friday and I took into consideration the fact that friday traffic sucks on the 405, but we also must recognize that it sucks on every other day that ends in Y as well. So Friday, April 4th? Who's in? Let me know ASAP, and I'll make the reservations. I'll make the reservations for 730pm.

I have called the restaurant "tapas" to reserve a table for seis on Friday, April 4th at 730 pm, They had an automatic answerer for reservations and they are supposed to call me to confirm the reservation. If I don't here from them in the morning, I'll call in the afternoon to follow up on that.These are the people I received confirmation from/ or tentatives that i hadn't heard from through my email but expressed interest on the board, tell me if anything has changed or if I missed somebody...calibasco(tentative), nicole(for sure)Catherine M.(for sure, myself(for sure), Aida A.(tentative), and i reserved a tentative seat for JJP, who is always lookiong for a good excuse to get to southern California. If any of you tentatives can either yea or nay on whether or not they will be coming, I'd appreciate it. Thanks all! (last time we did this, Nicole reserved a table for 9, and we held onto it for as long as we could, but eventually, our table for nine, turned into a table for two! They gave us the ol' heave ho from our extremely large table.)

ok, looks like there will be 8 of us! The restaurant is called Tapas, in Newport Beach. THe address is 4253 Martingale Way and the restaurant's phone number is 949-756-8194. Here's how you get there...from LA...take the 405 south to MacArthur Blvd. and turn left(towards John Wayne Airport), turn right on Corinthians, and left on Martingale.
....from San Diego....take the 5 north to the 405 north exit MAcArthur, turn left(toward the airport) turn right on Corinthians, left on MArtingale
.....from Riverside County....take the 91 west, to the 55 south, to 405 south,exit MacArthur, turn left(towards John Wayne Airport), turn right on Corinthians, left on Martingale.
This restaurant is not in an area like 4th street in San Diego, or Downtown Pasadena with lots of restaurants and bars etc. its actually in a pretty quiet area, with the exception of airport traffic from the airport.When you are travelling on MacArthur, Corinthians is the first street after you pass the Radisson Hotel of Newport Beach. And if you get to the street Jamboree, you've gone too far. If you'd like my cell number in case **** happens, email me and I will give it to you.

Just a reminder that this Friday is the Dinner Gathering at "Tapas" in Newport Beach! I hope to see you all there!

...sorry I missed it...if I missed it. Did you all get together? My newbie has us all upside-down...

I'm posting some info on upcoming Basque gatherings in CA...perhaps we can get together then!

Yeah, Cali, we did get together and we missed you. Those that came were Rafael, ( I dont know his online name) Nicole and a couple of her friends came, and Aidance came with her husband, Roger. We had a great time chatting about Spain.And the food was absolutely wonderful. We did it Spanish style. that is, we did no order main course meals, we ordered about 7 or 8 Tapas. My favorites were the Spanish Tortilla, Gambas al ajillo,Jamon serrano y queso, and empanadas de pollo. mmmmmmm. We'll definitely have to do this again sooner than later. Sorry you couldn't make it, we'll get you next time!

Has anyone eaten at La Masia in Los Angeles? It's located next to the Troubador. I took my parents there for their anniversary about 23 years ago and frankly don't recall too much except that they had ran out of paella and we settled for the medallions of veal. I had heard that they changed the format of the restaurant, more trendy and nouveu Latino with salsa dancing.