From LA to Culver City: An Amazing Race and Original Thai Barbecue

For Nicole’s last birthday she wanted to do something different.  This wasn’t a landmark b-day so parties and events weren’t called for.  Spending time with friends and having a good time were the only things required.

We’re fans of the TV show The Amazing Race, the show where contestants race all over the world solving puzzles and doing stunts to win prizes.  Nicole decided she wanted to try something similar and signed us up for The Amazing Los Angeles Race.  Same concept except this race is based right here in LA.  We picked a couple team mates based on their skills and their potential for victory.  We were in it to win it!

We enlisted Kelvin — a math major — for his numerical-analytical-puzzle-solving skills, and Margaret for her native-Angeleno-ness.  We know LA well but we’re transplants and figured we might need someone with a bit more LA experience.

After picking up some “designer” shirts from The Alley in LA’s fashion district we named our team: The Autobots.

I can summarize our LA Race experience by saying we had an absolute great time!  I’m not going to reveal any details (can’t make it easy for you if you try!) but I will say that I enjoyed seeing parts of LA that I hadn’t before and getting a new appreciation for our public transportation system.

We worked hard to solve our puzzles and even broke out sweating as we dashed from one location to the next.  The other teams put up a good fight….but we came out on top.  AUTOBOTS FOR THE WIN!!!!!

Autobots for the win!

During the awards ceremony (ha!), we toasted with beers provided by the folks who put on the race.  Then we headed out for our own celebratory feast.  We ended up at The Original Thai Barbecue in Culver City, one of Nicole’s favorite places to get Thai food.

Margaret scored the Crispy Turkey, a fried turkey leg served with a sweet sauce.

Crispy Turkey

Kelvin went for the Shrimp Pad Thai, a classic noodle dish with shrimp grilled to perfection.

Shrimp Pad Thai

Nicole shunned all untensils and went for the Thai BBQ Ribs.  Finger licking good!

Thai BBQ Ribs

I went for the signature dish, the Thai BBQ chicken.  I try to get other dishes at Thai BBQ but always come back to this well seasoned and nicely cooked quarter chicken served with fried rice.

Thai BBQ Chicken

At the end of our meal we were completely satisfied.  Our bellies were full and our championship egos were bigger than the Staples Center*.  It was a great birthday celebration for Nicole!

The Amazing LA Race
http://www.amazinglarace.com

You can also get discount tickets from Gold Star!

The Orginal Thai Barbeque
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-original-thai-bbq-restaurant-culver-city

10036 Venice Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 559-9711

* Not a clue for the race! LOL