Bonfires, beers, and bratwurst.

Friday morning I woke up to the sound of barking puppies. At 4 am. Not exactly the most gentle way to start your day.

The cuteness makes up for it though, and my endlessly patient brother walked me down to the local coffee shop so that I could achieve optimal caffeination, then we strolled along the pier at Venice beach, drinking our java and watching tenacious surfers ride the intermittent waves.

After our walk, we took the puppies to the dog park, then visited Cook's market in El Segundo to grab groceries for dinner. Kristine (my brother's wife) prefers simple fare, so we stuck with steak, potatoes, and carrots. My brother popped a couple of wines and helped me prep dinner, then afterwards we grabbed some firewood and another bottle of wine and headed back down to the beach.

There were surprisingly few people out on a Friday night, which worked out well. We staked out a good fire pit, sat in the sand, and drank Syrah from plastic cups while conversing about politics and philosophy, the lull of the waves and occasional jet leaving LAX our only interruptions. It was a perfect evening.

The pups decided that 4 am was indeed the optimal time to practice their vocalizations, so Saturday morning was also a little "ruff". (Oooh, sorry about the pun!) I tried jamming a pillow over my head to no avail. Oh well, sleep is for the weak.

Alex was excited to take me to Wurstkuche, a sausage restaurant in downtown LA, and I happily obliged. I never refuse complimentary beer and sausage...

They had a case with an impressive array of house-made sausages, some more exotic than others.

We ended up with some German Oktoberfest brews, and (clockwise from top left) buffalo-beef-pork, rabbit-rattlesnake, Belgian fries with blue cheese walnut and Thai peanut sauce, and a duck and bacon sausage, my personal favorite.

The sausages were cooked over a super-hot grill, so the outside was crisp, the inside was bursting with flavor and juicy, and the fries were on-point. Topping were caramelized onions and tangy sauerkraut. The selection of house-made mustards didn't hurt either.

I will definitely be visiting this Wurstkuche again next time I'm in LA, the food was really good, and the service was welcoming. I also have a special affinity for German beer, and they were happy to indulge me with about 20 or so different brews on tap. My kind of place!

After another beer, some coffee, and plenty of relaxing puppy-cuddling time, I had to head back to Las Vegas.

The drive coming home is really spectacular; on a clear night, you can see the glow of Las Vegas from hundreds of miles away. When you break over the crest of the mountains surrounding the valley, light spills out in front of you, as though the stars had been ripped from the sky and tossed to the ground in a technicolor fury. Vegas is a spectacle like no other, and I'll always love her for that.

Tonight is all about homework and whatever sleep I can slip in edgewise, as we begin filming for "Secrets of a Chef" tomorrow. This coming week is going to be very busy, but I'll try to keep up with blogging as best as I can.

Adios!