Wed 6 Apr 2011
Monday was so beautiful and warm that Ann decided to snatch me up after work to explore a Laguna Beach rooftop bar for drinks and appetizers. The Rooftop Lounge sits atop the classic hotel La Casa del Camino, mere feet from the beach with a gorgeous ocean view. Unfortunately, by the time we got there, the place was completely packed due to nice weather and their awesome happy hour. So we went downstairs to the indoor restaurant bar, K’ya Bistro Bar. We were seated promptly and our waiter looked like an off-duty actor (think younger version of Stephen Moyer). He was one of those guys who pulls off jokes with a total straight face so you’re left guessing a little, and yet was perfectly nice and accommodating.
The menu was the most shocking thing of all. Premium ingredients and quality seafood, salad, pasta, meat small dishes (altho they turned out to be way bigger than tapa-sized), averaging $8 each. I think I saw 2 or 3 items over $12. Crazy! Even their drinks were inexpensive (around $5), unbelievable given their primo waterfront real estate. Ann and I each got a wild berry mojito (virgin for me, waiter’s suggestion as I was apparently being “penalized” for being pregnant), and she ordered a goat cheese, fennel & orange salad ($5) and some wild broiled scallops atop spinach, arugula, fingerling potatoes ($12). I had a lobster truffle risotto ($10) that had plenty of chunks of lobster and visible black truffle shavings that was sooo savory. For dessert we had berries & cream with chocolate liqueur on the side (she dipped, I skipped). Ann had purchased a discounted voucher for 2 mojitos and 2 appetizers, and our waiter was nice enough to apply it to our most expensive orders (risotto and scallops), and made sure I could sub the virgin mojito. We knew we had to come back.
On the drastic opposite side of the spectrum, here’s what’s going on at work. A robbery trial began yesterday (not in my courtroom), and they were set to do jury selection. The only witness in the trial didn’t show up. Turned out, on his way home from work the evening before, the witness was gunned down and killed. So the court ended up doing a GSR (gunshot residue) test on the defendant’s hands. The defendant was apparently out on bail. Kinda makes you wonder if you would agree to be witness on a case if you saw something bad go down. =P
Not that it matters, but the dude had already testified on direct and had stopped at work for a couple of hours before going to court that morning. Makes it worse. 🙁 Was very unsettling.
And your evening sounds sooo awesome!!
They managed to pick a jury, complete opening statements, and finished direct on a witness all in the first day?! I feel lame. =P
But, goes to show… going in to work could kill ya. Are they gonna continue by reading his prelim transcript now?
Yeah, my evening was in stark contrast to this poor witness’s evening. =/
I once witnessed a car burglary (I almost started writting short-hand and penal codes cuz of my job…lol) and ID’d the guys when they were caught and everything. I was called to testified however no one told me they accepted a plea and I showed up to court. Go fig!
Good samaritan. The miscommunication is on the DA’s end. But I see it often cuz the defendant(s) often plead out on the hearing date, so by the time everyone knows the case won’t go forward, it’s too late to contact the witnesses.
Your evening sounded delightful!!!
Poor witness!! Hopefully they will be able to tie in his killer to the case he was on his way for. If I were witness to a crime, I would have to ask myself if I want to risk my life to free someone else’s tho!!
No comment about Steve Moyer? I thought of you when I wrote about that. 🙂
Yeah, if they can tie the defendant (who was just convicted today of the robbery) to the witness’s murder (he was shot once in the head and once in the chest), the court may consider adding the murder charge to the case. But I think it’s more likely going to be a different/separate case.
LOL I didn’t remember that was his REAL name!! lol Bill Compton would have made me perk up 🙂 Oh gosh, was his voice LIKE Steven Moyers? I love me some True Blood!!
I can’t remember anything in particular about his voice. I guess that means his voice was normal and expected (whatever that means).
Case is done-dude is convicted. And I believe arrested on the new charge.
I had to look up Steve Moyer. Cute.
Re Steve Moyer, I made it a link to his photos on my post. Did you look him up separately yourself, or click on the link?
So the deft’s new charge is going to be a new case, right? It seems odd to add on to a case that’s already over otherwise.
sounds like great weather, great food, great drinks, great company, and an awesome evening overall. i’m sooo jealous.
p.s. i have no idea who that actor is. i clicked your link and he didn’t even look familiar 🙁