Oreo Pancakes!!!

Burbank is rife with coffee shops, yet somehow good food manages to elude them. At least Frank’s makes real milkshakes from real ice cream, but I’m still pissed off that the attached motel tore down the zigzag Googie roof. And don’t even get me started on the Coral Cafe and Lancers, where the customers all look like Ralph Steadman drawings.
Then Bea Bea’s opened this year to save our mornings. There is no other place to hit for breakfast brunch, or even lunch anymore. Sure, we still go to Porto’s for takeout, but for a delicious and comfortable sit-down breakfast, Bea Bea’s has stolen our hearts away.
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Spam Spam Spam Spam

Tired of your Spam not falling into into lovely, even slices like you see in the ads? Sick of the hassle of pushing around that rusty old Spam knife? Well, have we got an answer for you! Worry no more! Call now to take advantage of this one-time offer!!!

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Cake Divas Sugar Coats Rachel Rosenthal’s Birthday

At performance art legend Rachel Rosenthal’s birthday, Cake Divas set up a sugar-coated wonderland of candy and miniature goodies.

The red velvet mini-cupcakes were popular, but the teensy eclairs and chocolate petit-fours were swoon-worthy.

The cake was so perfect at first we thought it was a decoration. It was vegan for animal-lover Rachel.

Candy apples brought a lot of whimsy to the event

No one could keep their fingers out of the goodies
Pink champagne
Sexy cupcakes
Random chef
The birthday girl
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John and Elise’s Wedding

A giant old Craftsman in Echo Park made a beautiful setting for John and Elise’s wedding reception. Her dress was simple and elegant, the weather was beautiful and fun won out over stuffiness.
Inside the dining hall, the linens were gorgeous and reminiscent of New Orleans ironwork, as was the entertainment later in the evening.

A simple salad of mixed greens and edible flowers was topped with deep-fried goat cheese.

Then I stopped photographing food because it was a buffet, which never turns out pretty and I was having too much fun!

The March 4th Marching Band rocked the party

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Chef Marilyn’s Soul Food Express

It’s easy to find Chef Marilyn’s Soul Food. Just head south off the 10 at Crenshaw and look for the line that stretches out the door from 10:30am to 9pm. It’s easy to be tempted away by the smoke from Phillips Bar-B-Que, but Chef Marilyn’s has a line for a reason. Advertising “99-cents and up”, the tiny cafeteria-style eatery sells food a la carte (or a la Chinese buffet). The prices range from 99 cents for dishes like lima beans, neck bones and links to $8 for oxtails. There is also a location on Pico.

The menu rotates, with check marks on the chalkboard next to items in that day’s hot buffet. Know what you want and don’t dawdle. Service is friendly, but there are 15 people behind you. You pay the cashier at the end, just like at a cafeteria. The next thing you know, the line moves you right on out the door. This is a place to pick up your plate and go home, or enjoy it on the hood of your car. Remember, there is no shame in eating on your bumper.

Chef Marilyn was brought up in Louisiana on creole and Cajun food. It especially shows in her cornmeal-crusted catfish, perhaps their best dish. With main dishes, you can’t go wrong with anything smothered or fried. Some people go crazy for the meatloaf, but I haven’t tried it myself. I always order the catfish; it’s so good I could eat myself to death like a goldfish and float up to the top of the fishbowl.

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Pizza Fries!!!!

Unbeknownst to many Angelenos, the East coast has been holding out on us. Philly, Jersey and New York all enjoy the wonder of Pizza Fries. Why didn’t we think of it? It seems so obvious now. I have hunted for Pizza Fries here in LA to no avail. Philly’s Best just poured Cheese Wiz on the fries, which made me very sad.

South Street on Victory in Burbank (the Westwood location is now closed, though they are sold at Dodger Stadium) doesn’t have Pizza Fries on the menu, but they do have a “top your own fries” option and are willing to go off the list and give you whatever you want. Finally, Pizza Fries are mine!

Local entertainment moguls Mitchell Goldman and Robert “Smitty” Smith used to commiserate over the lack of decent cheesesteaks in LA. They finally decided to stop complaining and open up South Street, which is admittedly authentic. Besides Philly steaks, pizza, and hoagies, they also sell “Water Ice”, a kind of Italian ice slushee, and Tastycakes.

The Amoroso rolls are flash-frozen in Philly and finished in South Street’s oven. They come out soft and a little chewy, just like in Philadelphia. They use rib-eye and chop the meat, two more of my criteria.

The only place they veer off the standard is that they use a blend of white American and Provolone. A strict Wiz vs. Provolone is the usual policy (Wiz is offered for an additional buck). But you can’t really taste the difference in the Provolone mix with the meat, onions and peppers fist-pumping in your mouth.

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My Top Five from LA Food Fest

Better late than never…

1. Ta Bom’s croquettes coxinha, filled with chicken and cream cheese

2. Jalisco’s shrimp tacos, a crowd and judge favorite – deep-fried and flavorful. it’s the only thing that made me eat two

3. Crepe’n Around’s short rib crepes

4. The eternal favorite, the grilled cheese truck’s short rib and mac n cheese sandwich
5. Last but not least, the amazing roti with beef randang, which I haven’t had outside of Toronto

6. OK, I had to add one especially for newcomer Rosa’s arancini

Oh, and Manila Machine’s pork belly adobo, and Gastrobus’ fruit salad..and…and
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LA Food Fest Winners!

 The LAFF event at the Rose Bowl wasn’t just a foodie wonderland, it was also a contest! Judges included Susan Feniger, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Chef Walter Manzke, Jesse Williams, Rene Lynch of the LA Times, and blogger Bill Esparza. I saw some of the judges picking around station to station, and others collecting big boxes of food to take back to the judge’s table. 
Susan was doing double duty, with a booth for Border Grill. But she is always happy to smile for me. I must have more pictures of her now than some people have of their grandchildren.
Best Nouveau – Sedthee Thai’s Pork Sparerib
Sedhee had at least three offerings – when I hit their table they were serving up noodles in a delicious peanut sauce, some with shrimp, or sans meat. They definitely went all out with the decorations, beautiful serving ware, and delicious food. Big thumbs up!



Runner Up – Manila Machine’s Pork Adobo
I have to admit that I thought the pork belly adobo and stunningly greaseless lumpia were my top bites. I hope my sister-in-law doesn’t read this, but they were the best lumpia I have ever eaten.

Best Old School – Chef Robert Dahni’s Explosive Thai Bites
Sadly, I missed out on these. Sometimes you just can’t eat everything.

Runner Up – Tamales Elena
This was a delicious surprise, since I always hear about these tamales at the Tamale Festival in El Indio (But it’s too damn hot in Indio to actually go there, even if they do have camel races). Elena’s tamale did not have a filling; it was like a sweet corn tamale with a light strawberry flavor. The texture was light and fluffy with no trace of grittiness.

The Sweet Tooth – Munchie Machine’s PB&J S’Mores
There was a point in the day when I was trying to rush out by sneaking behind the booths. I was handed one of their veggie sandwiches out the back of the booth, and it was delicious. Next time on the S’mores.




Runners Up – Scoops Westside & Vintage Longboards
Again, I missed Scoops. I did hang out a little bit with the Longboards guys as they celebrated selling out their whole inventory. The chocolate-covered ice cream on popsicle sticks did look amazing.



Best in Show – Mariscos Jalisco’s Shrimp Tacos
These old-school deep-fried tacos were delicious. It was the only thing that made me eat two. I think the shrmp inside were breaded and deep-fried before being sealed in a tortilla like an empenada and deep-fried. They were then topped with salsa and avocado slices at the perfect stage of ripeness.



Best Original Showmanship – Starry Kitchen’s Crispy Tofu Balls
This category was added at the last minute especially for Nguyen Tran from Starry Kitchen. He told me his house is even listed on Yelp!
The People’s Choice Award goes to…Starry Kitchen & Mariscos Jalisco!

So the judges weren’t far off the people’s palates. But I have a few more favorites of my own to talk about next time…

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Photographing the LA Food Fest: The LIST

Oh my God! LA Food Fest was car-a-zay! Imagine the length of a football field length of food. Twice. It was seriously an entire football field! The Rose Bowl, which is seriously hard to find for such a famous place, was filled with food, food, food.

I suppose they couldn’t drive the trucks onto the field, but it had a side-effect of them being able to fit way more food into the Bowl. The LAisters were there, Lindsay, Zach, Koga and Julie. Plus my other blog pals. I missed Tien, unfortunately. But I was on a mission. I was going to get my pictures if it killed me. Instead of flitting around drinking and chatting, I was going to get photos of every single booth on the West side of the field. If it killed me.

Val, from Trippyfood.com

When I work a big event, I have a secret list I need to fulfill before I can relax. A list of photos that I think makes for a complete event. After the food, which is the most important, I want pictures of pretty girls.

Second, cute kids (and I always ask the parents for permission to post the pic, even when I have to chase them all the way across the field)

Famous chefs

Susan Feniger
Fred Eric? Shenanigans! You don’t have a truck!

Then my secondary goals are:

People serving the food

Cooking the food

And enjoying the food.

Reallyyyyy enjoying the food

And if there is liquor, an attractive bartender either shaking or pouring. Especially if his name is Julian or Michel

Done! Everything else is just cake, but I try to get the ambiance, people hamming it up, and other random activities

Longboards celebrating their sell-out

And if I can manage it, a sneaky picture of the breast of a certain friend who shall remain nameless

 Of course there is always one fatal flaw, like this delicious finger sandwich

So how was the rest of the food? Where is all the delicious food porn? Just you wait!

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Channa Masala

India Sweets and Spices is a local grocery chain with an attached vegetarian deli. They have eight stores in Southern California. The deli serves vegetarian and vegan specialties from both northern and southern India.

You may find more elegant surroundings than the plastic-laminated tables and walls plastered with posters from Bollywood movies, and you can definitely find better Indian food. But for a delicious and filling meal at only $1.99 you can’t beat the fiery flavors of the samosa chana.

Most people are familiar with samosas — deep-fried snacks of dough-wrapped potatoes, and peas dotted with mustard seeds. But at India Sweets and Spices you can go full throttle. Samosa chana is usually served in a large deli cup, but at the Atwater location it is served on a plate.

First they drown the samosa in a huge spoonful of chana masala (chola). Then it is like watching a sundae being made. The toppings can vary from deli to deli, but there are some standards. In Atwater Village’s deli they top the samosa with chopped onions, mint sauce, tamarind sauce, and then cover the whole thing in a thick dusting of cumin and chat masala. Finally it is garnished with chopped fresh cilantro.

The fun thing about the samosa chana is that it is insanely hot. It is a challenge, an exercise in endurance, to finish the whole thing. Then you can douse the fire with cooling treats. Most people go for a mango lassi, but I wait for dessert because they have turmeric ice cream!

You can probably afford to sample other dishes, even splurging on $6 combos. Seriously, check out their low, low, prices. But those who have strayed from the samosa chana soon realize their error. There is nothing like it. Afterwards you can load up on Indian and British imports in the grocery. Bollywood music! Incense! Clothes! A world of sweets and spices!  Plus you can watch movies on the big-screen while you enjoy your channa masala.

3126 Los Feliz Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90039

9409 Venice Blvd Culver City, CA 90232

18110 Parthenia Street Northridge, CA 91325-3302

22011 Sherman Way Canoga Park, CA 91303-1852

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Angeleno!

Photo from last year’s event

I am so excited! Tonight is the night that Angeleno Magazine hands out its annual awards as chosen by Food Critic Brad A. Johnson. That means delicious samples, and lots of them! Not to mention free-flowing drinks and all of my favorite chefs and bloggers. Time to party!

This year’s award winners…

Best New Restaurant: Lazy Ox

Best New Chef: Michael Voltaggio (most recently of The Langham)

Chef of the Year: Michael Cimarusti, Providence

Restaurant of the Year: Hatfield’s

Pastry Chef of the Year: Zoe Nathan, Huckleberry Café & Bakery

Outstanding Wine & Spirits: The Bazaar

Outstanding Service: The Grill on the Alley

Vanguard Award: Water Grill

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Nobu’s Omakase on a Budget

                                

Upscale dining at an elegant restaurant like Nobu West Hollywood may seem unrealistic for some of us, especially these days. But as we have learned, the frugal diner’s secrets for eating beyond their reach is to arrive for lunch and/or to eat from the bar menu. Nobu’s new “Chef’s Tasting Tapas Menu,” or Omakase, for those of us who like to sound cool, allows us a taste of pure heaven for only $40 a person. We are talking about pure heaven. Your palate will grow little wings and fly around the room in ecstacy.

The “Chef’s Tasting” offers six courses following the traditional Omakase structure. First a cold plate arrives with three small dishes, then a hot selection of two items, and finally a single dessert.

The cocktail bar is stylish but welcoming. The room is rather dark, with the stark contrast of red and black lightened by the use of natural materials like woven branches and wood. The room and the menu are both well-suited to either an informal business meeting or a romantic tryst.

Last week LAist was invited to try the “Chef’s Tasting” menu. The server first asks about preferences and allergies. After I finished pointing out menu items, asking questions and talking about ceviche and foie gras, the waiter gave me a look like, “This person clearly does not understand the meaning of chef’s choice.”

We started off with cocktails, for me the Matsuhisa Martini made with vodka, Hokusetsu sake, and ginger garnished with cucumbers. It was a nice clean drink that wasn’t too sweet. My dining partner tried the Cucumber Martini. It was sweeter than the other martini, but the sugar was not overwhelming. It was a nice pairing for the food and refreshing with the spicy and salty complimentary bar snacks – tempura edamame, nuts, homemade corn nuts, and peppers.

The cold plates that arrived were identical.

The first bite was Whitefish Tiradito, sushi chef Matsuhisa’s take on a Japanese-influenced Peruvian ceviche. The thin gossamer slices float in a light marinade that tastes of lemon and mirin.

The next dish is composed of two pieces of Yellowfin Tuna Tataki with Cilantro dressing. The fish is so pure it barely even tastes of the sea. Cilantro, yuzu and ponzu dress the fish but don’t overwhelm the purity. Being used to raw tuna served tartare or thinly sliced, the big chunks seem more beefy, and yet the texture isn’t that of beef either …surprisingly, it is almost the texture of a stone fruit, like a fresh peach.

Last on the cold plate is Nobu’s signature Yellowtail Sashimi with Jalapeno. The thinly sliced fish is wrapped around cilantro and draped as delicately as a kimono.

We tried two more cocktails for the round of hot tapas. The Champagne 95, though much sweeter than the other drinks, was delicious, mixing Grand Marnier, Creme de Peche, Pineapple juice and Domaine Chandon. The Japanese caiprihanha was made with muddled shiso leaves instead of mint. The taste was not too different, as the plants are in the same family, but it was less intense and a bit more herbal-tasting than mint.

For our “Hot Tapas” we each received a different pairing. I was lucky enough to receive the Gyoza filled with wagyu beef and foie gras. Well, maybe not lucky so much; maybe I hynotized the server by repeatedly pointing at the gyoza on the menu. The dumpling wrapper was as perfect as could be. I savored the meatiness, the umami, the richness of the dumpling. My server asked which dipping sauce I had liked better, but I hadn’t even dipped the gyoza. I wanted to taste it in its naked purity.

The Ginger Panko Encrusted Scallop was also too delicious on its own for me to bother with the sauces. That scallop was so good it made me want to punch someone in the face. Somehow it felt unfair that such delicious tastes exist in the world and only a select few get to taste them. I felt extremely fortunate to be dining at Nobu that night.

Speaking of only a few people getting to taste things, my dinner companion received a Wagyu Taco with a thin crisp yet delicate shell filled with a slightly sweet chopped wagyu beef. It was gone before I could even get the teensiest taste and when I asked him what it was like, he would only say, “F-ing amaaazing.”

 The Miso Cod arrived on a single butter lettuce leaf that fanned out like a Dale Chihuly glass-blown scallop shell. The sear around the edges intensified the fish’s natural flavor, making it one of the strongest flavors of the night.

Some diners would be ready for dessert at this point, but the addition of one or two items from the “Hot Tapas” menu to share makes it a more satisfying meal (“Tapas” are priced between $7 – $12 each). At this point we are veering off of the Omakase menu for a little detour. Some items come with two or three pieces, so consult with the server before deciding how many plates you would like to add.

We chose to add on the Foie Gras and Crispy Soba. The soba was formed into a little cracker, like a gourmet rice cake. But the star of the plate was the seared foie gras. It was adorable, like a little Barbie foie gras, but afforded two or three bites. The teriyaki-style sauce was unusual, but provided the same sweet balance of foie’s natural fruit accompaniment.

In spite of the Ted Nugent reference we also tried Wagyu Dango in a pool of wasabi and saffron aioli. It was a dumpling, a wagyu meatball enveloped by a crisp rice shell. Sticking out from the top of the dumpling like a mohawk was a deep-fried shiso leaf, transluscent as spun sugar, fragile as a butterfly wing, and thin as parchment. It melted on the tongue with a whisper of salt in the blink of an eye.

Our final dish was Suntory Whiskey Iced Cappucino. It was multilayered like a parfait. Layers consisted of a light chocolate mousse, chocolate espresso rice krispies, and whipped cream infused with the crisp, clean Japanese whiskey.

When I close my eyes and remember the meal at Nobu, I begin to think of calligraphy and fine brush strokes, watercolors and color washes. There is a subtle beauty to each dish. They exemplify perfection in simplicity, the serenity of the subtle. When something is simple it must be done exactly right. The flavors must be balanced with the precision of the sushi knife — salt, acidity, umami, coolness and heat, sweet and sour, it was all there in the citrus and the soy, the yuzu and the shiso. But above all there was respect for the main ingredient, whether it was the folding of the Yellowtail or the dusting of the perfect scallop. $40 is a small price to pay to surrender yourself to the chef and allow him to show you the sublime.

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Laurel Tavern

Why is lunch on Ventura Boulevard always cause for so much shouting? “It’s up on the right. No, further down…wait…wait…you passed it!” Laurel Tavern, which only started serving lunch last month, is helpfully painted black to stand out from the neighboring businesses. It is your standard gastropub, perhaps one of our best imports from England since the Beatles …well, maybe Radiohead. The ceiling is high, and large windows that open out to the less-than-bucolic street still give the room an open feel that makes you feel less guilty about sitting in a bar drinking beer at noon.

The menu is a mix of small plates for the people who came to drink and more substantial offerings for those who came to eat. You have to discuss portion sizes with the bartender since descriptions on the large chalkboard menu don’t offer hints. Some salads are big, some salads are small, and some salads are just right. Like Father’s Office, you order at the bar and the food is brought to the table. Unlike Father’s Office, you are greeted with a smile and an explanation of protocol at the door.

Unfortunately the lunch menu is limited, so there are no roast marrow bones or pork belly skewers. Fortunately, what is on the menu is still pretty good. The goat cheese salad is comprised of fresh mixed greens topped with a baked pear and a bright vinagrette.

The giant Laurel burger is topped with gouda and served in a cake pan so you can bake your own dessert if you really need one. The french fries do stay hot and crisp in the unusual pan.

The mussels even passed our East coast transplant’s strict seafood test. The artichoke is charred black. A well of intense lemon vinagrette rests in each half. But be prepared for black fingers from the artichoke’s char (and if you park on Ventura, don’t forget to feed the meter).

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Oinkster

You can find the Oinkster on Colorado in Eagle Rock by keeping an eye out for the giant red A. That’s A for umm, Angster? Bravo to them for keeping the same landmark building and sign as the previous occupant, Jim’s.

Everyone seems to love Oinkster. They slow-roast their pork and cure their own pastrami. The french bread is tightly stuffed with massive amounts of meat until it is as round as a burrito. The giant sandwiches must be eaten with caution, as they are ready to burst at any moment. Not first date food. For the pulled pork, we highly recommend their killer barbecue sauce It comes on the side and sometimes you have to ask for it.
The hamburgers are also gigantic, with thick, meaty patties. The onion is sharp, the tomato is Farmer’s market fresh, and the housemade ketchup has a bite. Best of all, the burger is topped with a rich Gruyere.

In the crazy fries department, the Oinkster fries come topped with grilled onions, cheddar cheese and their own Thousand Island dressing. It is just as interesting, but not as horrible as it sounds. Our only suggestion is that the cheese should be sprinkled on the bottom instead of the top so that they melt into the hot fries.

If you have a sweet tooth, Oinkster’s serves up hand scooped shakes made with Fosselman’s ice cream and specialty cupcakes, especially their famous peanut butter and jelly cupcakes.

Service is above and beyond friendly. Employees are downright chatty — they make everyone feel like a regular. No matter how hip this place is, there is no nasty hipster vibe. Sometimes the line is kind of long, but as in any establishment with food this good and a positive staff, the patrons are happy to wait. The customers are happy, the servers are happy, I’m happy. I suspect you’ll be happy too.

Keep an eye open, according to Squid Ink, Andre Guerrero may be opening “a second Oinkster, possibly in Culver City or downtown.”

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Tonys Darts away

When friends come to visit my Magnolia Park neighborhood, they sometimes ask where my “local” is. I’m left blank, because we don’t have a local here like we did in Los Feliz. Other than Tinhorn Flats and the standing bar at a few restaurants, this hood has been devoid of a comfortable watering hole.

That is, until Tony Yanow came to town and renovated a little hole-in-the-wall to create the first draft-only “bottle-less bar” in Burbank. All of the bartenders at Tony’s Darts Away are experts and can help you choose from the 30-plus rotating beers on tap.

The bar serves only the best locally sourced craft beers available. In keeping with his green philosophy, Tony’s goal is to narrow the geographical gap between the brewer and the customer. By keeping the “beer miles” low, it decreases the carbon footprint. The menu is heavy on IPAs because IPAs are a true California innovation.

Beers are served by the glass, “honest pint” or in some cases, in a tulip glass. The best way to get a feel for the beers is by buying a “flight” or sampler of four. Ask the knowledgeable barkeep for your preference, be it sweeter beers, IPAs, a combination, or even something “hoppy” and they will come through for you. You can also pick and choose your own flight from the menu.

In addition to craft beers, Tony’s brought in sommelier Andy Lynch to select wines from California red and white varietals, all served on tap (as well as a few sodas for the teetotalers).

Another interesting difference is Tony’s bar food. Whereas a token vegan dog is usually hidden down near the bottom of the menu, Tony’s displays them front and center. Four kinds of vegan sausages join the other locally sourced artisanal sausages.

So far our favorite has been the bratwurst. There are a number of vegan toppings, including a vegan cheese and a garlic aioli. For the carnivores, we recommend straight-up mustard and peppers as being the best match for the sausages.

Surprisingly for bar fare, the salads are actually at the top of our list. The beet salad is a definite winner.

The hand-cut chips and curly onion strings don’t hold a candle to the sweet potato fries. They come covered in a sweet glaze, but if you ask real nice they might make you a special batch of naked sweet potato fries to dip in that garlic aioli.

The one wrench in the works is the size of the game area. It is so small that the pool table, dart board and satellite jukebox are all crammed up against each other. It is virtually impossible for people to play both darts and pool at the same time. And if you want to put another dime in the jukebox, baby, be careful you don’t get a dart in the forehead.

Update:
We just returned again tonight and they had moved the jukebox to avoid dart accidents. It was perfect for our crowd of college-aged visitors.

The service and vibe are friendly with just a touch of dive still hanging in the air. A marijuana leaf sticker and the occasional broken glass keep the place from being too hip for its own good. So pull up a barstool, because we finally have a place to call our “local”. Oh, and don’t play pool with George. You can’t beat him.

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