Snack Track: Mr. Tea’s Wild Ride

September 18, 2011

The flower is edible. We tried it.

As tea-loving as Mr. Tea is, he’d never been to a real afternoon tea. So I surprised him with a trip to the Tea House on Los Rios in San Juan Capistrano (a little over an hour south of LA). Even though he drove, he didn’t know where we were going– I set his GPS and told him to follow its instructions. Bwahahaha.

I was worried that the tea house might be sort of a girly place to take a man, but I figured Mr. Tea could handle seeing a few ladies in funny hats. And when he finally figured out where we were going, he seemed more than happy to sit in a floral-wallpapered room. It’s like going to your proper-but-wacky grandmother’s house.

We ordered the Los Rios Tea spread– “Assorted Fingers Sandwiches, freshly baked currant scone with our own Famous Early California Cream & preserves, fresh fruit accompanied by cream and brown sugar. Your selection of tea.”

My teacup reminded me of the scene from “The Birdcage” where they use the soup bowls with the naked Greeks on them.

Are they... playing leapfrog?

The tea we selected was the “House Special Reserve,” a black tea with vanilla and grenadine. It sounds weird, but with some milk and sugar it was quite delightful. It was loose leaf, so we had to pour it through a strainer. Faaancy.

And then came the scones!

Eat your heart out.

I don’t know if you can tell, but that’s definitely a heart-shaped scone. These are my people! I’m not really a scone aficionado, but it seemed to be fluffy and crusty in the right places. And it was HUGE. (That’s what she said.) (I mean, look at it compared to the average-sized knife.)

Even though I’m not typically a fan of things with mayo or cream, for some reason I love tea sandwiches. I think it’s the neatness, or the bite-size-ness. Or maybe I secretly like egg- and chicken-salad sandwiches, but only in tiny portions once a decade. (Hehe.)

Love the presentation.

They gave us half & half and brown sugar to pour over the fruit… to “glaze” it. That must be a British thing. It tasted good, but I think fruit is sweet enough on its own.  The edible flower tasted like… a flower smells. I spit my petal out, once I got the jist of it. (And in case you’re wondering, the sandwiches were egg salad, chicken salad, ham salad, and cucumber. Mr. Tea traded me because I don’t eat ham, so there are two egg in my picture.)

We were too full for dessert, so we walked around San Juan Capistrano trying to digest enough to get an ice cream. (Never happened. We were too full.) It was sunny AND we got rained on. Luckily the rain passed just as we entered the Mission. I haven’t been there since I was a kid, and I forgot how gorgeous it is! (I probably didn’t appreciate the gardens when I was little.)

Haha, that’s another name I could have given to this secret trek– Mission: San Juan Capistrano.

Lily pond!

There were two ponds– this one was koi-free. The second was very koi-ful.

Cue "Jaws" music.

I loved the reflections of the sky and trees in the water.

And look at these souvenirs. I guess all aspiring home cooks could use a grocery shopping angel?

What the WHAT?

There are plenty of places in LA to get tea, but it was nice to get out of the city for an afternoon and have an adventure. And if you don’t want to venture outside the comfort of your own home, this post was a cheat sheet– now you know what to make if you want to have a proper tea of your own.

Happy Sunday!

xoxo…

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Sunday in the Market with Lisianthus

September 11, 2011

New to me!

Today I finally visited the Los Feliz Famers’ Market, in the Post Office parking lot on Vermont. I saw several types of flowers that I’d never encountered before– in the picture you can see lisianthus and coxcond. Just when I thought I could call myself a flower person… there are still so many more to learn about. It’s an uphill battle.

I picked up some delightful little heirloom tomatoes…

I can't wait to eat you.

… along with green grapes, strawberries… and I couldn’t walk away from the lisianthus. I’m a sucker for purple flowers. (I might have purchased more, but I DID have to carry everything home.)

Hey buddies.

Now that the weather has HOPEFULLY taken a turn for the cooler, the apartment seems to be more hospital to living things.

Speaking of pretty things… thanks to the influence of Lauren and Whitney, I recently got a Pinterest account. I’m looking forward to pinning all sorts of flowers and recipes and other delights. (I just acquired a crock pot… very exciting.) (Send me your time-tested, easy-peasy recipes.)

Happy Sunday. I hope you get a chance to stop and smell a new (to you) flower!

xoxo…

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Snack Trek: Holy Mole at MEXICO CITY (Los Feliz)

September 1, 2011

Not super photogenic, but very good.

This story started when a friend tweeted her excitement about going to Mexico City– not the place, but the restaurant on Hillhurst in Los Feliz. I’d never been, but assumed it was a typical, mediocre Mexican food joint. You know the type. So I tweeted an inquiry, and she replied, “It’s seriously my favorite restaurant in LA.”

That was that. I had to check it out.

A note: I went to Yelp just to see how the Yelpers felt about Mexico City. I have to say– Yelp can be really confusing. The reviews were all over the map. So I was just like– whatever! My friend likes it! And I have been hearing more and more often about shady Yelp-review-pulling and stuff… so. I don’t know how to feel about Yelp anymore.

And now a word about mole. I tend to spell it “mo-lay” when I’m talking to friends about it, because I don’t want them to think that I love to eat moles, as in the weird burrowing animal. I always thought that mole was spelled with an accent, but after I finally learned how to insert an accent (Option E, vowel– molé! olé!), I found out that it’s just mole. Weird.

So I’m talking about the food. Not the animal. (Or the skin thing.)

I will not eat you, little Sir!

It just looks like a nose!

I didn’t even know that I liked mole until I tried Huarache Azteca at Taste of the Eastside. At Mexico City I was hoping that lightning would strike twice, so I ordered chicken with the mild Mole Poblano sauce (the one with chocolate). And guess what? It was awesome! (The second time I went, there were no random onion slices on top.)

I liked that it came with a side of tortillas. (I like my carbs.)

Also– when you sit down you get chips with two types of salsa. They’re both mild/medium-ish. This picture looks weird– I swear it’s more appetizing in person.

Salsas coloradas.

The chips are good, but I’m weirdly loyal to the chips at Chipotle. (And the guac– I heard the guacamole at Mexico City is really good, but I haven’t tried it yet.) It might be the salt.

I guess the best testament to Mexico City is that I’ve been there twice and somehow the only pictures I’ve managed to take are these crappy ones– because once the food comes, I forget about anything else. (Oh– and that I’ve craved it. I don’t often crave specific restaurant dishes– and on second tasting, it stood up to my memory.)

Now you know– if I email you and ask if you’ll accompany me to Mexico City to eat some mole, I’m not talking about the city in Mexico nor the animal.

Probably not, at least.

xoxo…

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Consider the LOBSTA TRUCK (Los Feliz Din-Din A-Go-Go)

August 26, 2011

Lobsty lobst.

Los Feliz Din-Din A-Go-Go is a really cool weekly event in my neighborhood (in the Catholic church parking lot), at which several food trucks congregate. I believe Mandoline Grill is always there, and there’s a rotating cast of other trucks.

My friend Ris and I were already planning on going a few weeks back. That morning, I checked Twitter and found out that the Lobsta Truck was going to be in attendance. I was very happy to reveal the news to Ris, who hails from the Boston area and is VERY MUCH a lobster fan.

The Yelpers warned that the lobster rolls were small, but I don’t have a huge appetite so I wasn’t worried. But you know what? The Yelpers were right. I don’t know if you can tell how small this is… but that’s definitely not a standard size hot dog bun. The lobster roll may or may not be as long as that spoon.

Mini-roll.

(I just realized I posted the same picture twice. You know what? I like it. Not taking it down. Breaks up the paragraphs nicely.)

I got the butter version, by the by. You can also get it with mayo, but I’m not a mayo fan. I liked the lobster but it was a little colder than I would have liked… other Yelpers said that, too. I don’t know, maybe it’s SUPPOSED to be cold? For $12, I kinda wanted it hot. (Ris also got the clam chowder, and said it lacked clam.) (Hehe.) (And now onto a similar-but-different line of tee-hee…)

I probably should have eaten the roll and been done with it, but I ended up going over to the Great Balls on Tires truck. I was torn between the Ballafel and the Ballywood. Luckily the decision was made for me, because they were out of Ballafels and only had one Ballywood left.

Balls. Get it?

The picture on the truck only showed one ball but I got two, and like I said I don’t have the biggest appetite. For some reason I ate both those chicken-balls anyway. I was going for the gold!

And then Ris got a Tornado Potato, and I had a bit of that. Because… I mean, look at it.

Swirly fried potato.

It’s hard to tell from that angle, but that’s all one potato, masterfully swirled.

We were sitting near some people who’d seen some show on Food Network about a potato-swirly place on the East Coast. Apparently at that place, there were special dips or something. And the most popular one is called “Shmutz.”

Me: What’s shmutz?

The People: It means dirt in Yiddish.

Me: I know, but what’s in the sauce?

The People: They wouldn’t say, but it’s the most popular one.

Therefore, I learned nothing.

Then we left the Din-Din, and went over to Gelato Bar. Because… I wasn’t already overfull.

Crazy enough, there were three flavors on tap that I hadn’t tried yet! And one of them was olive oil flavor… and I LIKED it.

Trade secret: I think you get more when you order a cone.

Olive oil tastes like the “ice cream” (soy) in Tofuttis. Which I actually like. So… cool.

If you’re in Los Feliz on Monday nights… go to the A-Go-Go! It’s fun and crowded, like a food carnival.

I probably should have just gone with my standard Mandoline banh mi, but whatever– I tried some more trucks for you! There’s always next week… or the next week…

xoxo…

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Snack Trek: BRUXIE (Old Towne Orange)

August 26, 2011

Wafflin' around.

You may remember Bruxie from Emily’s guest post. Recently I went to Bruxie for the first time, and I couldn’t NOT take a few pictures. So here they are. I can’t deny the world some waffle-pixels.

I went with my high school friend, Karen, who was in from the East Coast. We decided to brave the heat and the line… you can see that the misters were on at full blast.

Misters for the misters and mistresses.

Misters never seem to work on me. I just end up feeling sweaty.

Anyway. I ordered the one with mushrooms. I wasn’t sure if I was in the mood for mushrooms, and even despite that I liked it. The mushrooms were marinated all deliciously. Karen ordered the one with lox, but I guess I didn’t get a picture.

Note to the wise: The seating/standing at tall tables situation isn’t great. Karen and I got our food to go and walked across the street to Chapman, to get some space/quietude. (Don’t take too long to eat it, or your waffle will get soggy. That kinda kills it… I only had a few soggy bites, and they made me sad.)

Because we were leaving the vicinity of ketchup, I armed myself with a CUP of ketchup.

Enough? Not enough?

You can see the regular-sized dipping cups on the right. (I think I actually filled this a little higher after the picture.)

I must say, the waffle fries were quite delicious. I loved that you could SEE the pepper.

Fries!

Bruxie offers several waffle-y desserts, but I’m glad now that we didn’t get one because it probably would have gotten soggy while we ate our sandwiches. The problematic thing about the Bruxie line is how long it would take to go back and get dessert, so you pretty much have to order everything at once. (Although it arrives quickly, once you order.)

We ended up ordering the Dairy Treet custard (Bruxie was a Dairy Treet before it was Bruxie). My picture came out super blurry, but it just looked like vanilla frozen yogurt. To its credit, it did not melt while we ate our sandwiches.

I gotta say, I preferred Ted Drewes. But I mean, Ted Drewes is still super-famous and Dairy Treet got taken over by Bruxie, so I can’t say I’m shocked.

(My mom was in St. Louis for a few days, and I just kept saying, “Go get some custard!” But I think I was calling it Del Mar’s… which is the name of a street there. So I’m not THAT crazy.)

Anyway… yeah. Bruxie! I would go back. There are only really two sandwiches on the menu that appeal to me (the mushroom one and the burger one), but that’s cool. And I still have to try a waffle-ssert.

xoxo…

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Snack With Caution: BEN & JERRY’S LATE NIGHT SNACK

August 9, 2011

When I chip you chip we chip.

Typically I am pretty good with my portions. If you give me a big chocolate bar, I will eat it in small chunks over a series of days.

If I bake a spice cake, I will eat it in small pieces, and it will take me at least a week to finish. (I actually did that, but I didn’t blog it yet.) (WHY I did that is still unclear/stupid.)

It is probably okay for me to buy a big bag of Baked Ruffles, but it’s safer to buy the individual-sized bags. (Sometimes the giant bag FEELS like an individual size– you know?)

But I am really bad with ice cream. It calls to me.

A few weeks ago, Mr. Tea and I bought the Dreyer’s Slow-Churned Drumstick ice cream. It’s the best parts of a Drumstick all covered in chocolate and swirled around in vanilla ice cream (a bit like Ben & Jerry’s Stephen Colbert’s AmeriCone Dream, which was a danger to my health when we had it in the old office’s kitchen).

I don’t know what it was (perhaps the awesome just-home-from-the-store melty-ness action), but I ate that slow-churned ice cream until my stomach was doing a churn of its own. Maybe half the container, which is probably double the size of a human stomach. I never learn!

Luckily Mr. Tea retained custody of the ice cream, because even after a mundo stomachache, I wanted to eat it again the next day. (See: I never learn!)

When I saw the new Ben & Jerry’s Jimmy Fallon Late Night Snack ice cream at Gelson’s last week (seriously, they carry every flavor of everything), I was mighty tempted by the prospect of chocolate-covered potato chips. But I held myself back, because I just can’t be trusted around ice cream-y goodness.

I ALMOST bought the mini-size of AmeriCone Dream to console myself, but that just seemed like a slippery slope to a freezer full of mini AmeriCone Dreams.

If you’re like me, there IS a way to keep ice cream around the house– sorta. I buy individual-serving ice cream– like the Skinny Cow cones, or the Weight Watchers English Toffee Crunch Bars. And I don’t let myself eat more than one. (I could just ban them from the house, but that would only resort in teeth-gnashing or spending $4/cup at nearby Gelato Bar.)

So yeah, I’m not trying the Jimmy Fallon ice cream unless I can take one scoop and hand off the rest of it to some sort of ice cream parole officer. Until that day arrives (?), I will console myself with the delightful giraffe song. (Apparently the video is expired? WTF, that was the best thing ever.)

(Okay, now I don’t know what to console myself with.)

Another solution: I need to be amongst many, many other people– people who will eat the ice cream before I can go too crazy on it. Basically I need to have an ice cream-tasting party, and send everybody home with the leftovers. (OR they need to release the mini-size of the Fallon flavor.) (No wait, I already nixed that idea.)

How do you deal with those foods that you love so much, you have to set them free (from your kitchen)?

xoxo…

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Snack Trek: VEGAN TIRAMISU (Cafe Gratitude)

July 30, 2011

If it's tiramisu, I'm in.

Today I met a friend for lunch at Cafe Gratitude on Larchmont. It’s vegan and the menu is a little… theme-y. Like, I have no idea how the servers memorize the names of the dishes. I just said, “I’ll have the tacos.”

I forgot to take pictures until dessert– but yeah, I had the tacos (“I Am Transformed”). (For the record– I was not transformed… other than feeling full after I ate them.) We also ordered the potato appetizer (“I Am Grounded”), as I bumped into another friend who gave the potatoes rave reviews. (I did not see any pink salt on them, but the menu says that’s the case.)

The nice thing about Cafe Gratitude is that they’re not taking tofu and trying to make it taste like meat. That can be a little dicey. (They do have a sandwich that they call a “BLT,” but apparently it’s not fake-meaty, and very good.)

The vegan tiramisu is called “I Am Adoring.” I was happy about the cake-to-”cream” ratio… I like cake!

So yeah, next time your favorite vegan wants to hang out, take them to Cafe Gratitude. They’ll be grateful to you, and you’ll be grateful it actually tastes good.

xoxo…

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Sunday Tidbits

July 10, 2011

Plastic desserts on a real dessert!

It’s July. It’s hot outside! I’m totally charmed by these cupcakes with plastic ice creams and popsicles on them, seen at my local Albertson’s.

And here are some interesting finds from today’s Hollywood Farmers’ Market.

I’m not big on the Lakers, but I dedicate these “Laker baker” potatoes to Lauren. (I believe they’re named for their purple/yellow look, but I can’t tell if they’ve been partially peeled or what.)

Serve with Kobe beef.

And I bought this blood orange juice, because I thought I might enjoy a few sips while I watch tonight’s new episode of “True Blood.”

True blood... orange juice.

Okay, I have deli and seafoods in my future, so I gotta skadoot.

Enjoy your Sunday! Go swimming. (I actually swam yesterday… at night, because I’m a vampire.)

xoxo…

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Snack Trek: TASTE OF THE EASTSIDE

July 6, 2011

Local is a restaurant, but also appropriate because I am an Eastsider. Zing!

Okay, I’m obviously a little bit behind here. Taste of the Eastside was on May 15th. Back when I was in a nail-polishing phase (they come and go as they please). Sometimes I take a long time to blog things. Sometimes I NEVER GET AROUND to blogging things. It’s part of the delicious suspense of being a reader. (You can always refer to my Flickr to see what I’m not blogging. I faithfully take photos. I’m only HALF lazy.)

Anyway– I feel that I MUST blog Taste of the Eastside in some capacity, because it was a delightful event. For about $25, I got more than I could eat. At first I was stingy with my food-buying tickets (I can’t remember how many we got… maybe 15?), but then I reached a point where I realized– go for broke, kid! Most of us actually ended up with more tickets than we could use, because we got so full.

First of all, the location was amazing. I’ve passed Barnsdall Art Park a billion times (conservative estimate), but I’d never really wondered what was atop that random hill.

Here’s a picture I snapped as I ascended the stairs (this is the view from Barnsdall– not Barnsdall itself):

This image sponsored by The Hangover Part 2.

As you can see, it provides a lovely view of the Griffith Observatory and the Los Feliz/Hollywood Hills area. I’m already so pumped to return, lugging a picnic lunch in my new insulated grocery bag. (Paging Mr. Tea– and anybody else who likes picnics.) (If you don’t, you’re a monster.)

I met up with several friends at the Fest– including Lindsey, Sara H, and Sara D. Here’s a picture of two mini-pies from Brite Spot, modeled by Sara H and Eli.

Pie to the people!

I believe one was banana and the other was chocolate. And they were really “cheap,” ticket-wise.

Out of everything we tried, there were two major stand-outs– two things I still crave. I think this was a general consensus, because these two booths seemed to have the biggest lines.

In the past I haven’t been the hugest fan of mole (mo-lay, a chocolate based sauce), but Huarache Azteca was getting rave reviews, so I stood in the long line. And it was so worth it.

The holy mole.

The chicken was tender, the sauce was savory, the rice was puffy, and the bread was… a big hunk of bread. It was a big portion, for only 3 tickets (as I recall). Everybody who ate this got some sauce on their face. (That’s what she said…) It was sauce-on-face good. (Luckily everybody was willing to tell each other, “Hey… you’ve got a little something…”) It’s the kind of food that makes you want to call your friends and family and force them to try it.

Pazzo Gelato was a bit of a surprise favorite for me, because I went there several years back and it didn’t leave a lasting impression. They were another booth that gave amazing value (I think this was 2 tickets for two generous scoops). I chose red velvet and blood orange.

The blood orange is on the right. Very red motif.

The blood orange was delightfully sweet and tangy, and the red velvet flavor was rich and creamy. The white base gelato had an almost cheesecake-y quality, which is funny because I don’t usually go for cheesecake. But I was all over this!

I was also very intrigued by this artist. I’m not exactly sure what his style was– maybe plein air?– but he was kinda chopping colors on top of each other. When I first saw it he’d already created the background and was chopping in a few people, and every time I walked by he’d chopped more people and details on top of that. (I know, this is all very technical.)

Capturing the festivities.

It makes sense because Barnsdall is an “art park.” (They have all sorts of cool offerings, from a Frank Lloyd Wright house to wine tastings to art classes.)

And of course, I can’t pass up a chance to blog about macarons (from Les Macarons Duverger)!

Yay macarons!

Those were praline, lavender and coffee. The lavender was surprisingly fruity, and better than I expected. (I tried a rose water flavored macaron the other night and threw it away… I know, shocking.) (Hopefully I’ll blog pictures of THAT later.)

Here’s a shot of the lavender filling:

Looks very berry-ish.

Hope you enjoyed that peek of the Taste of the Eastside. I highly recommend that you attend next year, if you live in the area. There were all sorts of treats I didn’t show– oysters, polenta, ratatouille, short-ribs, cupcakes, pho tacos, breakfast-y foods, and more! (And drinks!) (And a confusing recycling vs. landfill trash system!) (And a DJ!)

There were also people doing crazy handstands-on-top-of-each-other yoga on a nearby lawn. Mocking our gluttony with their… flexibility.

At any rate, make sure to check out the Eastside in your LA adventurings. Maybe I’m biased, but I think it’s an awesome place to eat.

(And now you only have 10 months until the next one. See… that’s the beauty of my procrastination. I should have waited even longer.)

xoxo…

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Eat For a Good Cause (‘Cause You’re Gonna Eat Anyway)

July 6, 2011

All this could be yours.

A friend of mine works for the Saban Free Clinic, and she asked me to spread the word about their upcoming “Extravaganza for the Senses.” Good cause, good food– I mean, this is going to make you feel great! (Unless you overeat, but that’s your problem.)

The event will take place on Saturday, July 16 from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at Sunset Gower Studios.  Considered “one of Southern California’s top 100 events,” there will be over 2,000 attendees who will be treated to unlimited samples from more than 40 of LA’s top restaurants and 100+ wineries, as well as several entertainment options, including: music by DJ Scott Silva, fortune readings by mystics, photo booth and a lively silent auction.  Year after year, guests enjoy a fun night out at Extravaganza for the Senses while supporting a great cause, The Saban Free Clinic.

The Saban Free Clinic provides free quality health care, dental and social services to the most vulnerable members in the Los Angeles community.  With 100% of Extravaganza proceeds benefitting the Clinic, the Clinic will be able to continue to provide services to thousands of men, women and children in need.

For additional details, please visit www.thesabanfreeclinic.org/extravaganza.

It sounds like a blast! What are you waiting for? I’m salivating over the list of restaurants. (I really need to blog Taste of the Eastside… Huarache Azteca is life-changing. Seriously, if they are going to be at the Extravaganza with their mole– start lining up now.) (Mo-lay, not the animal– or the skin thing.)

All the cool kids are doing it!

I can’t call this a shameless plug because there’s no shame involved. I’m doing a mitzvah here, folks. I wish every post could be so full of meaning. (She said with her patented mix of sardonic/earnest-ness.)

And since it’s LA, you don’t even have to dress up! (Judging from the picture, at least.)

xoxo…

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