Test Kitchen Shenanigans

Before I start, this is NOT a review of the Test Kitchen. 

Now that we have that out of the way... on to the shenanigans.

When the announcement came out that the after-party to the Blogger Prom was going to be at the much praised Test Kitchen, combined with actually having a night free, the plan was obvious.  P & I have been trying to figure out how to successfully crack into the blogger underbelly that is the awesomeness of our heroes like Caroline on Crack, LA and OC Foodventures, & e*starLA, to ensure we get ourselves invited to the Prom 2011.

However we soon realized that we've gotten old and Angelino comfortable, when a 9:30pm dinner reservation which we used to do all the time back in NYC, was making our stomachs growl audibly.  Plus web stalking the chef Brian Redzikowski and watching his incredibly dramatic foie gras lollipop video certainly wasn't helping.  But it did make us late.

And Test Kitchen was packed.  So much so that our 10 minutes late lost us our table.  But we were told to wait at the bar and they'd figure out a way to fit us in, which we were happy to oblige and test out the delicious sounding drinks from Julian Cox & Joel Black.  A Polish Punch later were were sadly told that they'd run out of food, apologized profusely & offered to comp our return visit.  What torture after sitting by the kitchen and watching Brian work his magic for the past 15 minutes.  But I know my wallet is silently singing joyously.

So at 10pm we weighed our options.  Search for a restro within walking distance so as to not loose our awesome free parking spot, or say fuck it and leave the foodies to their fest?  Walking out we rationalized that Factor's was within spitting distance & we trekked the 3 blocks over only to find out that they close right at 10.  As did all the other restaurants in the neighborhood.  "This would not be a problem in WeHo." - P

Then inspiration in it's ghettoist form struck.  Ralphs.  The location of my 21st birthday, my first legal alcohol purchasing experience right at midnight, and thus we knew it'd be open.  Starved I opted for a shrimp & crab louie salad (yes I realize that seafood at 10pm might not be the best of choices, but the crab is imitation & there were only 4 tiny shrimp in the container) and P went for a sandwich.  Being true alcoholics we also purchased wine filled juice boxes that boasted 3 glasses + per container.  Perched on the random terrace attached to the Ralphs locale, we ate the exact opposite of what the diners like Epicuryan at the Test Kitchen were experiencing. 

After hanging out on quarter operated kiddie rides, (because really this night couldn't get any sillier) we headed back to the Kitchen for some Blogger mingling.  I met a few new friends, Michael from South Bay Foodies, Michelle Woo & Mr. Steven Armstrong of Shangri-LA.  Also even ran into an old high school friend, because really LA is a tiny town.  Plus the open bar provided more than enough lubrication to keep conversations constantly flowing all evening long. 

But the BEST part of the night?  Meeting my mixologist idols, the adorable Alie & Georgia! 

I do wish that this had been a post about the delicious 10 course meal at the Test Kitchen, but at the end of the day, what really matters is that life is full of unexpected experiences that can sometimes lead to greatness. This was a night of greatness.