Erik's visit
Since this was a big birthday milestone for both of us, Erik decided to fly in and celebrate. Original plan was to have a big party with all four of us from childhood-- Majed and Constant and Erik and myself-- but that got nixed due to COVID-19. Erik took appropriate precautions on his flight, but yeah... so many of us together still didn't seem like a prudent risk.
Hit up Maude (Michelin 1*) for their lasanga family meal to start the trip. Their rustic-style lasanga was excellent, the chilled soup was both tasty and refreshing, the rolls were good (but required twice the cooking time expected)... it was the charred romaine with green goddess dressing that blew us away. Erik knows Italian food far better than I do, and he was equally amazed.
Wandered Beverly Hills after doing our pick-up from Maude. Very few wearing masks in many areas, overall mask compliance was maybe 55%? Aka people don't seem to think COVID-19 is a thing anymore? *sigh* And signs of precautions against looting were ample, although stores clearly were beginning to reopen.
Wrapped up the day with Shunji (1*)'s deluxe sushi bento. Appetizers were a little weird for Erik but he tried most of them, while the sushi was excellent as always. Definitely ate well! Even managed to video hangout with Constant to make the birthday celebration a little bit closer to the original plan!