Taylor Negron -
My Favorite Weekend...
Taylor Negron grew up in L.A. “I remember when the palm trees were short and Tomorrowland was modern,” says Negron, who lives in Venice and whose credits include “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and a blog at Huffington Post’s 236.com. He also has a home in France. “I’ve been abroad for most of this year. I’m savoring being in California every minute, learning that traffic is just God’s way of saying ‘Hi.’ ”
HUNTING AND GATHERING I like to think Venice is the Joan Didion L.A. of the ’70s. Friday starts at Venice Farmers Market, the most sedate in the city. I get a week’s worth of veggies, fruit and great flowers. Then it’s off to Santa Monica Seafood, where I’m keen for the Byzantine selection of fish that sleep on ice.
GOLD STANDARD Saturday mornings are at Gold’s Gym, which is like the movie “Speed” but set in a gym. If any of us stop doing our reps, the whole place will go. For a dinner treat, there’s La Vecchia on Main Street – the friendliest bar with a respectable wine list. The chef, Mark Mollica, stuffs squash blossoms his mom grows in Culver City with ricotta.
TALKING LOUD If I must drive to Hollywood, it’s to see Pat Loud and her live-in ex Bill. Her dinner parties rock you with a steady roll of names from the past and future. If I’m lucky, Pat will make a hobo steak, a recipe from the old Chasen’s. Delicious, and it makes that long drive down foggy, shaggy Venice Boulevard a bit cozier.
LAZY DAY I don’t rush on Sunday. I get up early and head to Axe on Abbot Kinney. The nicest staff of people; the serene garden transports you to Provence – plus buckwheat pancakes, miso bowls that bring tears to your eyes, the best coffee and the New York Times. Valerie Velardi, my French wife, loves Pamela Barish on Abbot Kinney. I don’t mind being dragged there to watch her try on dresses because Pamela gives me cake. We also love Danny’s Delion Windward for Tony Bill’s postcard collection. Sunday night is the famous drum circle [on Venice beach]. Everyone must go once. It looks like the wrap party for “Blade Runner.”
From The LA Times