How I Ate My Way Through LA - Day 2

Day 2: We hit the LA Farmer's Market to hunt down some lunch. It's an amazing collection of ethnic foods and little shops. After much deliberation, I decide on Singapore's Banana Leaf because I haven't had real Indonesian food before. (Although I do find the packaged Mi Goreng noodles to be curiously addictive. Could be the MSG...) I order the Chicken Rendang, a gingery red curry concoction. It was pretty good, but the best was yet to come...

My husband went to Moishe's, a famously popular stall selling Mediterranean food. He ordered the falafel and it was the most incredibly flavorful, addictive thing I've tried in a while: spiced garbanzo and fava beans formed into delectable balls and fried, then wrapped in a warm pita next to a ripe tomato slice and drizzled with creamy tahini/yogurt sauce. As soon as I got home, I got online and found their recipe and I plan on making it for dinner one night this week. It was that good! (Maybe I will post that later this week....)

My dad stopped at the Gumbo Pit and ordered alligator, fried like chicken. It was a little rubbery but novel (for us).
Last stop was Du-pars, where we sampled pie. I went for the gooseberry pie (pictured before). The gooseberry turned out to be like a small tart grape; I enjoyed it! Du-pars makes their pies without preservatives behind a window where you can watch them assembling them.

While walking along the Walk of Fame, we got some lemonade at Skooby's, which was voted the best in town. It really was quite tasty.
While walking down the street, we spotted a Beard Papa's store and had to stop for a chocolate cream puff. This is an Osaka-based chain that sells the above irresistible treats. So good!


For dinner, we ventured to the predominantly African-American territory of Roscoe's, home of the chicken and waffles. It's greasy Southern food, but a must try. Paul got the classic chicken and waffles; I went for a combo with collard greens, cornbread, candied yams and fried chicken. Then we shared. It was an experience to remember!


We finished the night by sharing pina coladas with our friend Charlie on the 35th floor of the Bonaventure building. It's a restaurant that slowly revolves in a circle, giving you full view of the skyline of LA. A very nice spot to enjoy the city by night.


Day 3 still to come...

How I Ate My Way Through LA - Day 1

I have returned from our latest trip! My cousin Joel got married down in Southern California this weekend, so my husband and I took this opportunity to take a little tour of the area like we had never seen it before. We planned the little time we had around what I love best: food. Here are all of the sides a city I came to know through its cuisine.

Day 1: We have lunch at Clementine's, an adorable little cafe suggested to me by my friend Rachel. It's the kind of place where the menu is written in chalk and the upscale clientele isn't too intimidating, despite its location just minutes from the gates of Bel Air. Paul, ever the carnivore, ordered the grilled cheese with bacon and chili; I went for the grilled eggplant and tomato confit with goat cheese. Delish!



The Battle of the Cupcakes: Next, we hit our first iconic stop at Sprinkles. Prepared to wait an hour if needs be, we were relieved to obtain our 4-cupcakes sampler in under 15 minutes. We tried the coconut, red velvet, lemon, and dark chocolate marshmallow varieties. (By the way, did you know that they only prepare a handful of what's on their menu each day? It took us several tries at ordering to catch onto that. They put a little dot on the menu next to the cupcakes that are being freshly made that day.)

We compared the cupcakes at Sprinkles to those of the competition down the street at Crumbs, ordering a Key Lime cupcake there as well. Our conclusion? Crumbs is all about appearance, but were a bit stale. Sprinkles was the clear winner when it came to a quality, buttery taste and for freshness. However, the best cupcakes we have ever tried are still nearer to home in San Francisco. Kara's Cupcakes (located across from Ghirardelli's) are still the best we have ever had, hand's down. While I'm giving out cupcake advice, may I suggest that eating more than, say, two gourmet cupcakes on any one day is not a great idea. Thank goodness we had something light planned for dinner...


Celebrity Sighting: Finally, we conclude our day with dinner at Real Fresh Daily, a vegan restaurant. I tried tempeh for the first time (that's fermented bean curd) with my Asian stir fry. It was odd. Paul ordered the Mexican salad, pictured below, and really liked it. Like I said, this comes from a die-hard carnivore, so that really is significant.

Randomly, we ate our meal next to minor celebrity Mike White (aka Ned Schneibly from School of Rock). He was eating dinner there with an incredibly obnoxious blond companion, who kept debating whether or not to go to New Orleans with him and their friends this summer. As it turns out, IMDB reports that he is, in fact, a vegan. And Paul swears that Kevin Bacon was there too, but I doubt that one. The famous actor appeared to be sitting with two twenty-something thug-like young people. I simply cannot believe that Mr. Bacon would keep such company..... Or would he? Opinions? Conspiracy theories?


To be continued...

How I Ate My Way Through LA - Day 3

Day 3: Our trip to LA was busy, and I couldn't be bothered to track down the Kogi truck, no matter how much I wanted to try it or how hyped it was. Not to worry- it found us, as we were walking down the street by Venice Beach, looking for lunch.

It was fate that we found the Korean tacos. I know this because after I ordered a chicken, spicy pork, and short rib, the dude who took our order even gave the two of us free samples of their newest dessert - a chocolate concoction that you simply must try if you ever get the chance! It goes a little something like this: chocolate with crispies, topped with a layer of liquid chocolate and caramel, then hazelnuts, and dusted with a spiciness that lends warmth. To die for! The tacos (pictured below) were sensational too- juicy meat topped with fresh kim chee, sitting inside tender tortillas. This is fusion cooking at its best - and cheap, too! Just $2 per taco.



Gimme Some of Your Tots: Next to the Kogi truck, which is known for its persistently long lines, sat the Dogtown Dogs truck. Partly because we felt sorry for it and partly because we were still a lil hungry after sharing the 3 small tacos, we decided to show some love and order a couple of specialty dogs. Mine came with grainy mustard, fennel slaw, and roasted red peppers. Paul's was topped with chili, cheese, and Frito's. Both were accompanied by 3 small, perfectly crisp tater tots, and no, I did not steal Paul's tots, in case you were wondering. And the dogs were good, but they're no Kogi!

The Macaroon Trend: Our friend Charlie tipped us off to a patisserie in Venice Beach where we could try macaroons, the tiny, delicate French cookies which are popping up everywhere these days. We got a variety pack (see half-eaten picture below) with flavors ranging from ordinary (chocolate and raspberry) to exotic Ube. They were ok, not something I would crave, but I'm glad I tried them so I can now differentiate the French version from the more familiar dense coconut macaroons.

Joel's Wedding: Last but certainly not least, let's talk about the reason for our trip to LA, my cousin's wedding reception. Influenced heavily by the bride's Persian heritage (her father and many of the guests were Persian), the food included grilled beef and chicken kebabs with pita bread; grilled lamb chops and salmon; lots of fresh fruits; an orange-peel studded rice pilaf (my favorite new ethnic dish!); and for dessert, there was even a rosewater-flavored ice cream (which my family felt tasted similar to old ladies perfume). It was an enlightening cultural experience and very unique!


This brings us to the conclusion of our memorable food tour of LA. We tapped into the varied ethnic roots of the city, the vegetarian/health vein, and many food trends, from gourmet cupcakes to Korean tacos. We enjoyed it so much that we hope to have many more food tours in the future!

Chicken and Waffles

I cannot survive the mundane nature of day-to-day working life without a trip to look forward to. I am currently anticipating a trip to LA this April, during which my husband and I hope to take a "foodie tour" of the city. One of our planned stops: Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles.

I was introduced to this common Southern food combination recently at the local Sandra Dee’s restaurant. I initially found the idea of it bizarre, but once I tried that crispy, savory chicken with a piece of sweet waffle, I realized that just like chocolate-covered pretzels, the sweet and salty combination is as addictive as it is delicious. It is also supremely comforting food.

We are still working on developing our list, but the LA Farmer’s Market is another stop, where myriads of vendors offer their wares and one can taste a little bit of everything. Any other suggestions?