About Town: SPORT

photo by Neil Leifer

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I'm not a huge sports person, whether it's about watching sports or doing sports myself it's just something I'm not that really into. I'm by no means a girly girl, just not that into sports. That said, I appreciate what it takes to be an athlete and I obviously love great images. The two have combined beautifully for a show at the Annenberg Space for Photography, for their newly opened show SPORT featuring the work of two of the greatest sports photographers of our time, Neil Leifer and Walter Iooss. If you live in Los Angeles, make time to see this show. It's inspiring. It shows the power that images can have in capturing timeless moments.

photo by Neil Leifer

photo by Walter Iooss

I was lucky enough to score a invitation to the opening reception filled with celebrities and sports legends. My husband and I made an evening of it, enjoying the powerful and iconic images on display, then heading over to Craft for a rare grown up dinner out.

photo by Walter Iooss

DELICIOUS BOOKS FOR KIDS

Today many families have a mixed cultural heritage, ours is no exception. In fact, our family is a melting pot of different cultures and as a result the foods we eat are varied.

On a recent trip to London, our 19 month old son went with us to every restaurant, whether high brow or low brow and he ate what we ate. We ate Italian, but also had Lebanese, Chinese, Thai and Indian. I've always believed that food is a gateway to a new culture, and if you can open up your palate, you can open up your mind.

So far my son has demonstrate a real curiosity for different types of foods and I want to further encourage this. To my delight I discovered a series of children's books by Amy Wilson Sanger that takes children on fun culinary explorations, so I had to share. These are a few of the books I picked up today at the fabulous Children's World Books. Unfortunately, they don't sell online, but you can find these books at Amazon, by clicking on the links below the book covers.

Yum Yum Dim Sum (World Snacks)

Chaat and SweetsMangia! Mangia! (World Snacks)

THIS AIN'T PUB GRUB

photo Ben Anders for the New York Times

A couple of friends and I met for lunch at Gordon Ramsay's at the London Hotel West Hollywood. The decor was ultra chic and surprisingly feminine. I say surprisingly because if you know anything about Ramsay, it's that he has a foul mouth and is a bit rough around the edges, so the softness of the decor was definitely a surprise. Immediately upon arriving I was kicking myself that I hadn't brought my camera, so the photo above is not mine. But I reminded myself that this was really about spending quality time with friends, not about documenting every photogenic moment.

For the record, the food lived up to expectations, but as has been noted in some online reviews, this is a restaurant for foodies. Don't be fooled by the decor this is not a restaurant for scenesters, though there are plenty of the latter who frequent the bar. To really enjoy the restaurant you have to appreciate food and be willing to move out of your comfort zone. I for instance had black cod with pig's tail. I've never had pig's tail before, and one of my girlfriends had rabbit, which she told us she had never eaten before because as a child she had had a bunny named Bumbum. So, if you want a chic decor and haute cuisine it's worth adding to your list.

We're going to London in a few weeks and are likely to go to Ramsay's Maze Grill. For an ex-footbaler turned chef, the boy's done good, real good.

TOO GOOD TO EAT

In our family we love good food and we particularly love good food when it also looks good. On a recent trip to San Francisco we made our pilgrimage out to the Ferry Building and just couldn't get enough of all the yummy food. Don't get me wrong Los Angeles has many great restaurants, but there is no food mecca like the Ferry Building. I really wish there were a Ferry-type Building here. I'd go every week!

My favorite treat of the day was a pretty cupcake from Miette, an old fashioned chocolate cupcake covered with meringue icing. If you don't mind the sugar rush, these would be great for a little girl's birthday party.