Lazy lazy dineLA!

Really struggled through 6 miles at the gym today. Lately, it seems as if I'm alternating between great days where I feel invincible, and days like today when I'm dragging. I feel sluggish and heavy and have to split the run into manageable 2 mile chunks.

Some days, the running gods are just not happy. I can only keep going and trust that tomorrow's run will be a breeze, and I'll feel like a badass athlete again instead of a creaky tired mess.

In happier news, we came home to a lovely surprise Halloween package from Joe's Aunt Val.

Multiple layers of Halloween goodness!

Chilling chocolate popcorn!

Petrifying pumpkin heads!

And my favorite, an amazing little swirled cake to top it all off. Nom nom nom!

On the downside, dinner at The Palms in West Hollywood was a bit of a letdown. My friend Alexis and I were excited to try out a classic Hollywood steak joint at bargain prices...but the food left us a little..meh.

The problem with dineLA Restaurant Week in LA is that a lot of places seem to use the cutprice menu to sell basic, unsophisticated food to customers with a limited meal choice. By all accounts, The Palms is a sophisticated steak joint, but we couldn't help feeling like we'd been served the Sizzler version.

Started off positive with starters - I enjoyed my lobster bisque (although it was a little heavy for a starter) and the Iceberg lettuce looked promising.

My loster bisque starter - creamy and thick, could easily have been a main course..

The steak and seabass mains really let the side down though. Messy presentation, stodgy food which left us both feeling uncomfortably full and served (inexplicably) with a gigantic mound of deep fried onion strips..

(Aren't my photography skills dreadful? Must. Improve.)

Imagine a newborn baby. Now imagine the size and weight of a newborn baby in deep fried lardy strips.

We were too full to pay much attention to dessert. Ever notice sometimes how average food fills you up so much quicker, but so much less satisfyingly than a really great meal?

Alexis' key lime pie...my creme brulee didn't come out unfortunately, so it remains in my heart only.

Fear not, I have not lost my faith in dineLA week. I'm determined to squeeze some more juice out of this puppy before it finishes on Friday!

Tomorrow, Joe and I are braving another steak meal when we go and see Gordon Lightfoot at the Canyon Club, Agoura Hills. Until then, I'll be in a darkened corner wearing something with an elasticated waist, occasionally cursing myself.