Johnson's: Angeles National Forest

More hiking adventures...this time in Angeles National Forest in the snow!

Our Favorite Restaurants

Animal **** (trendy atmosphere, innovative menu...I ordered bone marrow...and it was amazing. Los Angeles)
Barefoot Cafe **** (best fried calamari, Fairfax)
Bludsoe's BBQ **** (best BBQ around: ballsy, spicy sauce, great smoke and char, to-go only, Compton)
Bluefin Sushi ***** (ridiculous ocean view and sushi bar, Crystal Cove)
Bluewater Grill **** (Seafood, Newport Beach)
Bovine Bakery ***** (best "slippers", Point Reyes Station)
Brussels Bistro **** (killer atmosphere, bread and gourmet burger, Laguna Beach)
Campanile***** (insane eggs benedict and french toast, Los Angeles)
Fairfax Scoop ***** (best organic ice cream EVER, Fairfax)
Farm House ***** (best gourmet mac n cheese ever, Olema)
Gabbi's ***** (gourmet Mexican: killer atmosphere, Orange)
Ghiringhelli's **** (Woodfired pizza, Fairfax)
Hamamori **** (fantastic sushi, service and atmosphere, South Coast Plaza)
Hans **** (ridiculous homemade ice cream, Costa Mesa)
Haven Gastropub **** (one of our favorites, creative and changing menu, Orange)
Javier's *** (gourmet Mexican, hip atmosphere, Crystal Cove)
Jeanine's Cafe **** (decadent banana foster's french toast...I crave it, Montesito))
King's Fish House ****
Lawry's Carvery **** (insane prime rib and creamed corn, South Coast Plaza)
Los Arroyos ***** (Mexican, Santa Barbara)
Lucille's Smokehouse BBQ ****
Lulu's Creperie Cafe **** (French: best crepes & creme brulee ever, Laguna Hills)
Marché Moderne ***** (voted best bistro in OC and we agree, penthouse South Coast Plaza)
Market Restaurant ***** (modern gourmet American Del Mar)
Michael's ***** (Italian, Belmont Shores)
Palace Grill **** (incredible cajun cuisine...crawfish crabcakes blew us away, Santa Barbara)
Panama Joe's **** (fantastic Mexican, Belmont Shores)
Park Avenue ***** (gourmet American, Stanton)
Pizzeria Ortica ***** (fabulous atmosphere, artisan wood fired pizza, Costa Mesa)
Reyes Cafe **** (artisan wood fired pizza, Point Reyes Station)
Sage **** (trendy and really good, Newport Beach)
Sol Cocina ***** (warm modern atmosphere, fantastic Baja Mexican, Newport Beach)
Strickland's Ice Cream ***** (creamy frozen custard, Irvine)
Suzie Cakes Bakery ***** (expensive, but so moist and yummy, Costa Mesa)
Umami Burger **** (gourmet burgers, Santa Monica)

Movie Reviews

127 Hours [A] Gripping...Extraordinary...Touching
A Christmas Carol 3D [A] A classic. Touching story and unbelievable animation. Sure to become a holiday tradition that fills hearts with the Christmas Spirit.
A Team [B] A cross between Oceans 11 and The Transporter. Starts out a bit shaky, but got better and better. Incredible action scenes. Great cast. Very entertaining and creative plot. Ultimate popcorn flick.
Alice in Wonderland 3D [C+] Be prepared for a colorful Tim-Burton-style adventure that stretches the imagination in some ways, but ultimately falls flat. Take a lot of colorful/sour goodies to munch on so you can get your sugar buzz and bring out the child within.
Antwone Fisher [A-] One of the most touching real-life dramas. Denzel does a fantastic job directing and acting. A movie with substance.
Avatar 3D [B-] For a blockbuster this incredibly good-looking you'd expect the plot to be more imaginative. It's nothing you haven't seen before. But, go just for the unbelievable 3D animation.
Bourne Identity, Supremacy, Ultimatum [A] High-octane suspense thriller series at it's finest. Damon delivers.
Bucket List [B] Heartwarming film. Funny and touching.
Dan in Real Life [C-] Trying to be a touching family drama, but ended up sickeningly sweet.
Dark Knight [A] Dark. Thought provoking. Action galore. Loved it. Fantastic performance, Heath. Definitely not for anyone under 18.
Dejavu [A-] Thought provoking and intense plot. Interesting and suspensful.
Finding Nemo [A-] Classic Disney animation with a heart warming story. Beautiful animation. Fun characters.
Finding Neverland [A] Laughed and cried. Phenomenal performance by Depp.
Happy Feet [A-] Excellent family flick. One of the most visually stunning digitally animated films. Definitely makes you happy.
Harry Potter Half-Blood Prince [C-] Mixed reviews. I liked it, Scott had issues with it. I say go, he says no. The special effects were great, but the plot was thin.
Hugo 3D [A+] Visually stunning. One of the best looking movies we've ever seen. Great for all ages. A classic.
Ice Age 3D Dawn of Dinosaurs [A] Take your kids and go see it in 3D...you'll love it.
Inception [B] Entertaining. Skillfull acting and directing. But the dream sequences lacked imagination.
Incredible Hulk [B] One of the best we saw summer 2008. Great special effects and cinematography. Even touching at times.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull [C] Lost us after Shia LaBeouf started swinging in the vines with the monkeys. Cheesy CGI special effects.
Ironman [A] All around winner. Downy Jr. made this movie. An action hero we could relate to. Looking forward to sequel.
Leatherheads [B] Cute wholesome family flick. Take the kids and grandparents to see it. Fun football movie set in the 30's. Clooney successfully directs and acts.
Matchstick Men [A] Inventive and entertaining. Unbelievably great casting, screenplay and directing.
Moneyball [A+] The best baseball move ever...possibly the best sports movie period.
National Treasure I & II [C-] Insults audience's intelligence. Two of the most predictable movies ever. Ultimate popcorn flicks.
Night at the Museum [B] Laughed a lot. Great family film. Silly humor. Love Stiller and Owen Wilson. Looking forward to the sequel.
Night at the Museum Smithsonian [B] Great family film. Zaney, fun and entertaining. Big-hearted comedy.
Oceans 11, 12, 13 [A-] Slick. Witty. Stellar cast. Intelligent heist flicks.
Oceans [B] Disney delights. Beautiful ocean footage. Very similar to Planet Earth series on TV. Love the baby sea turtles and whales. You can probably wait for it to come out on DVD.
Phenomenon [A] Steph's fave. Really pulls at the heart strings. Brilliant performance by Travolta.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End [B+] Visually stunning, but sometimes over the top. Tia Dalma's transformation into a giant left us befuddled.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl [B] Enjoyable but predictable. Fun pirate flick. Depp is the main attraction.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest [A] Popcorn flick at it's finest. Endlessly entertaining. Davy Jones is one of the best villains of movie history. Visually stimulating.
Ratatouille [B] Incredibly realistic animation. Attention to detail was unparalleled. Too much time spent in the kitchen. Wanted more adventures in Paris. Food critic at the end stole the show.
Robin Hood [B-] Visually stunning, but a bit slow in parts. Interesting premis-- showing how Robin Hood came to be an outlaw. Looking forward to the next one which will be the story we all know.
Star Trek IMAX [B+] Surprisingly good. Made me laugh and cry. Tons of action and pretty good acting and plot. I'm not a Trekky, but looking forward to more.
Super 8 [C+] Middle of the road teenage film. Nothing special.
Taken [B] Refreshingly unpredictable and intense. Adult subject matter. Liam is awesome. Twists and turns. Sheik scene (fat dude with a butter knife) at end is bad.
Terminator Salvation [A-] Dark and thought provoking. Excellent characters. Terrific special effects. Suspensful. Intelligent. Left us wanting more.
The Apostle [A] Stellar performance by Duvall. Refreshing and rare film.
Transformers [B+] Action packed to the max. Popcorn flick. Masterful special effects. Will definitely hit the sequel for another thrill ride.
Transformers Return of Fallen [C+] A little disappointing. Sam's classless mom and teeny-bopper story line detracted from the coolness of the autobots...if those elements were left out it would have been much better.
Transporter 3 [C] Too much of the same. Disappointing that he broke his rule.
Tree of Life [A+] Scott thinks it's the best movie ever made. Truly original and ingenious. You will never see anything like it again.
Vantage Point [C] Popcorn flick. Too bad it didn't leave anything to the imagination. Doesn't require brain usage.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Angeles National Forest

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