CLEMENTINE

I don't know how Joyce and I never grabbed brunch at Clementine, but we finally stopped by and the food made up for the mediocre meal at City Tavern.  The roast beef sandwich and broccoli/cheddar/chicken soup were legit.

PUMPKINS

Annual friends and family pumpkin carving. My cousin Lucas was more interested in making the pumpking lid a fortress than carving his pumpkin.

CITY TAVERN

Joyce and I grabbed some dinner with our friends Amar and Suzing. We decided to stop by the new City Tavern in Culver City. The spot is nice. Great ambiance, more beer than you can imagine, but the fare is subpar. The poutine was decent, the burger was pretty good, but if you are interested in some southern cooking and want the shrimp and grits; don't. It was like eating sandpaper. Who fries grits into sticks and then places dry grilled shrimp on top? This place, major fail.

TRES

Continuing with the dineLA festivities, Joyce and I made a stop at TRES in the SLS Hotel. The food was great as well as the setup. It was like eating in our ideal family room. By the time we got to the main course my camera died, so there are no pictures of the amazing truffle burger or dessert. Sorry folks!

I did get pictures of the octopus tacos and yellow tomato saffron soup with pan con tomato and manchego cheese.

ENGAGEMENT LUNCH

Joyce and I got our closest friends and family together to celebrate our engagement.  It isn't a Joyce and Derrick party without some great food, so we had the Burnt Truck whip up our favorites.

JOAN'S ON THIRD

Joyce and I hung out at Joan's on Third for some tasty sandwiches and the best Mac n' Cheese in town.