Showing posts with label localoutings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label localoutings. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Eating & Drinking Options Along the Great LA Walk

Almost sunset @ Pier 
No ocean views at the end of this year's walk, but that's OK.

I can't believe it's time for the Great LA Walk again this Saturday, my favorite of the organized urbanhikes in the area. This time, walkers will be tackling "the Valley" with the fearless Franklin Avenue leading a 17+ mile hike down Ventura Blvd from Woodland Hills to Universal City, then an upward swing to NoHo via Lankershim Blvd.

Of course, equally exciting is the prospect of checking out some of the eats/drinks in the area, since I don't find myself in this area all that often...

...and this quickly turned into a behemoth list of a to-trys & to-revisits, so figured I might as well share this map with fellow Great LA Walkers too.
Hopefully, this will disprove any notion of the Valley being devoid of good food & drinks. Whether you want something casual but tasty (Mendocino Farms, BatterFish), more exotically ethnic eats (e.g. Apey Kade, DarbinZ), a refreshing glug of potent potables (Boneyard Bistro, Murph'sThe Local Peasant) or a guilt-free, healthy bite (LYFE Kitchen, SunCafe), there's something on the map that should fit the bill. And failing all else, I also put in a few markets for stocking up on hiking provisions.

Now the hard part is figuring out where I will be stopping along the way... (asides from the official afterparty @ District Pub, obviously.)

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Pleasure of a Weekday Off at Copa Vida, Petrossian LAX & Crustacean

When given the option of an extra day off, most folks I know prefer to bookend their weekends, tacking on a Monday or Friday. Me? Personally, unless I have an out-of-town excursion, I actually prefer taking midweek days off. It splits up the workweek, I can "staycation" on a mellower day of the week, and not worry about the traffic & crowds from other long weekenders too.

Of course, being able to partake in some tastings was the icing on that cake. So that's exactly what I did last Wednesday.

My first pleasure was, to no one's surprise, sleeping in. Even though I did freak out and bolted up on my usual workday time, upon realizing "oh yeah, I took today off" I went back into the bliss of the warm bed and slumbered for another lovely 2 hours.
After finally getting up & ready around 10:30 a.m., I had a quick but leisurely breakfast at Copa Vida, my new favorite "fancy coffee" place in Pasadena. 
Normally I wouldn't hesitate to order their divine open-faced Croque Madame, but there's another food affair coming up soon so I opted for their ham-cheese-caramelized onions stromboli. And of course, one of their fantastic pourover coffee of the day (this time it's the Colombian El Roble estate roasted by 49th Parallel.)
Following the late breakfast, I headed to LAX; not to fly anywhere, but to check out Petrossian's newly opened shop at their new champagne & caviar bar at the Tom Bradley International Terminal (which has gotten quite a facelift recently). There, we were treated to caviar & roe-topped bites by Giselle Wellman, who heads up the kitchen here & at the Petrossian West Hollywood Restaurant/Boutique. They were all delicious, but my personal favorite were a simple spin off the classic caviar presentation—with a dollop of creme fraiche on a buckwheat blini.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Eat My Blog 5.0 Happening Today!

Today's the Eat My Blog bake sale (with proceeds benefiting the Philippine Red Cross for Typhoon Haiyan relief), so come on down to Coolhaus Pasadena from 10a to 1p today buy some delicious baked goods from bloggers & pros.

As for my contribution? Freshly baked chocoholic cookies (and I do mean fresh, they're being baked in batches right now!)
Chocoholic Cookies for #EatMyBlog bake sale
The recipe is available here (my only modification for the #EatMyBlog edition is I did 50/50 white chocolate & dark chocolate chips.)

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Foodventuring Through Arts District & Little Tokyo

This past weekend, I was invited to check out the inaugural L.A. Sriracha Festival. But when I arrived at its start time of 3 p.m., I saw this right outside. . .
sriracha fest line
(and there's another line equally long wrapped around the corner!)

. . . so I decided to bolt & explore the area a little while before making a return.
Urban Radish Market

About a block down from the festival's site at Lot 613, I came across Urban Radish -- a recently opened market that reminds me of a Surfas & Sprouts hybrid (with some gourmet boutique-y food items, along with fresh, seasonal produce, a sandwich bar and even cold-pressed juices.)

As it turned out, I have been on a hunt for onion jam (for those moments when I'm too lazy to fuss about with caramelizing my own onions) and found a nice one by The Jam Stand there, so I snapped that up and mozied onwards, while keeping this place on notice for future gourmet shopping occasions (for me, it's lot closer than either Surfas.)

My next stop was The Pour Haus, which I've always known as that wine bar next to Church & State. Since I wasn't in any mood to eat until I returned to Sriracha Fest, this seemed like the perfect place to mellow & linger while waiting for the admission lines to dwindle down. 
Pour Haus Wine Flight
And sure enough, I had a lovely flight of three Southern Italian Reds here—my favorite being Cantine Colosi's 2011 Nero d'Avola, which was soft, juicy with ripe berry and plummy aromas—an easygoing red for a warm afternoon. The $9 pricetag for three generous pours isn't bad either.
Sriracha Fest
After the flight (and a glass of happy hour Lambrusco), I made my way back to the Sriracha Festival around 4:30 p.m. (halfway into the event). The admission line was gone, but alas, so were many of the foods (and the few remaining stalls still serving foods had considerably long queues themselves.) But I did manage to sneak in some nibbles and sips, including a fairly fiery Sriracha leather from Pour Vous (which was apparently used on their pork sliders that ran out fast), Eagle Rock Brewery's Manifesto witbier and a Thai Tea soda from Los Angeles Ale Works.
Little Bear
Since I didn't get to eat much, I joined Caroline on Crack for an excursion to Little Bear, where we shared a plate of their heavenly crispy brussel sprouts and a refreshing glass of Firestone-Walker's Vessel 8 Saison, and hungrily eyed her tomato soup with grilled cheese dippers too.

After Caroline and I parted ways, I decided to head to Little Tokyo to see what food mood will strike. Ramen in Daikokuya? Udon at Marugame Monzo? Sushi at Sushi Gen or Toshi? Homestyle foods at Suehiro?

Shabu Shabu House
Alas, I settled upon Shabu Shabu House, since I haven't been in a while and since I'm solo, it's a prime opportunity for me to snag a seat quickly and bypass their infamously long waits. 

Indeed, I got seated within 20 minutes (even while couples were being told to expect an hour wait by the host.) And their beef shabu shabu was pretty solid: the meat was meltingly tender and nicely accented with the sesame & ponzu sauces, and the vegetables tasted fresh and clean. Definitely worth a re-visit if I'm solo-dining again, not so much with company though. 
The Pie Hole

Last but not least, a quick stop by The Pie Hole for some baked goods to go, a bacon & cheddar scone for the breakfast the next morning and a slice of their maple custard pie to satisfy my sweet tooth. Both were heavenly, and intriguing enough for me to want to attempt reverse-engineering at home (though I had already done a version of the cheese scone before.)

In any case, I'm delighted what started out as a single-event invite turned into a foodventurous afternoon and evening through the Eastern parts of downtown. And if Sriracha Festival returns next year, I'll be sure to make a note of getting my butt there extra early!

Disclosure: my admission to the Sriracha Festival was hosted.

613 Imperial Street 
Los Angeles, CA 90021

661 Imperial St
 Los Angeles, CA 90021
(213) 892-1570

1820 Industrial St
Los Angeles, CA 90021
(213) 327-0304

1855 Industrial St
Los Angeles, CA ‎90021
(213) 622-8100

Shabu Shabu House (Yelp page)
127 Japanese Village Plaza Mall 
Los Angeles, CA ‎
(213) 680-3890

714 Traction Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 537-0115

Monday, October 14, 2013

Pitfire Pizza's Cocktail Menu Launch

Since it opened—especially in the closest-to-me downtown LA location—Pitfire Pizza's been one of my regular go-tos for pizzas and pastas without the full service fuss. The ingredients are fresh, the menu changes with the seasons and it feels a lot less cookie cutter than the other fast casual pizza restaurants around town.

And I love their selection of unique & affordable craft beers, eclectic wines and refreshing sangrias.

But the Fairfax/West Hollywood location is taking their bar one step further this past week, and here's a hint from their storefront...
Fairfax Pitfire Pizza Exterior
...that's right, a full bar with cocktails. Even better yet, all their drinks on the menu are $8 all the time (pretty much unheard of outside of a dive bar in L.A.)

Just before their launch last week, I was invited to sample their new cocktails—and pleased to find out the ones I've tried are all pretty good, including:
Pitfire cocktails
  • Rumpkin Pie w Coruba dark rum, carrot syrup, pumpkin spices, lemon juice & soda - not too sweet or overly spiced up, this slightly effervescent drink is great for that "not quite Autumn" weather that's standard in SoCal.
  • Moscow Mule - they have this on tap (and it makes me wonder why more places don't), and it's a solid cocktail - good carbonation, nice gingery bite & just enough limey tang to balance it all out.
  • Cognac Boston Sour - they have three styles of sours here w your pick of base spirit, I opted for the Boston style (slightly less acidic & shaken w egg white) with Cognac, which made for a delightfully light and frothy dessert cocktail.
I only wished I had more liver to try more of their offerings (particularly their classics such as Manhattans, Sazeracs & Negronis.) But guess that'll have to wait till next time.

Pitfire Food To help soak the drinks up, we were also served plenty of Pitfire's tasty grub, including offerings from their new bar menu (smoked olives, oven roasted chicken wings with a spicy-garlicky rub) as well as their Fall seasonal items, including a comeback of my favorite pizzas from Autumns past: brussel sprouts with bacon & fresh mozzarella and the roasted pumpkin with fontina, pumpkin oil & sage browned butter. Another recurring favorite is their Farmer's Market platter, a selection of deftly prepared seasonal vegetables for those rare occasions when I'm not feeling "carby."

For something new: I also enjoyed their spaghetti tossed with linguica sausage ragout—robust & bold and totally perfect for the next rainy day so I can dive into this deep dish of comforting pasta. 

And as thrilled as I am to have a wallet-friendly drinks (and eats) option adjacent to West Hollywood, I can't wait for the cocktail menu to roll out to its other locations, especially downtown L.A.

Other write-ups about Pitfire's cocktail menu launch:
Los Angeles magazine
e*star LA

801 N Fairfax Ave #101
Los Angeles, CA 90046

Friday, October 4, 2013

LQ Fooding @ Vertical Wine Bistro

I've known Laurent Quenioux and his eclectic fare since his Bistro K days in South Pasadena, so when I heard he's doing a few "foodings" (that's food+feelings, a concept that I'm familiar with but still don't fully grasp—and I'm not sure if anyone's meant to,) I made a reservation, snagged Conbon, grabbed a bottle of wine and up the stairs we went to Vertical Wine Bistro.
Stairs to Vertical Wine Bistro
And just like he promised on his site, these foodings are unique, one-of-a-kind experiences, with a menu of dishes that sounds disparate but induces curiosity at the same time. Oysters with chicharrones & figs? Porridge with pomegranate & teriyaki chicken? Would that really work?
Zaca Mesa Z Cuvee
Had I known that Domaine LA was doing the wine pairing & selections for the LQ foodings, I would've readily gone with her picks. But since that wasn't disclosed on the LQ site (and I myself didn't know until shortly before the dinner over twitter,) I wound up bringing along a bottle of Zaca Mesa's 2009 Z Cuvee Rhone-style red blend. And it worked pretty well throughout the meal, with its mix of berry & spice notes, a medium body and soft tannins (which got mellower as the night went on.)

As for the dishes, they were all very playful indeed. With so many different components, no two forkful are ever the same, and wekept playing mix and match with each course. Of the six courses, my favorites were:
Rice & Chestnut Porridge, Pomegranate, Mushrooms, Teriyaki Pintade Hen
Rice & chestnut porridge with teriyaki pintade hen & pomegranate - a surprise to me since I generally prefer my porridges to be on the mellow side, but here it acted as a balance against the piquant pom arils and the luscious, richly flavorful chicken.
Hare Pie, Quince, Huckleberry, Brussel Sprouts in XO Sauce
Wild Scottish hare pie with huckleberries, quince, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, brussel sprouts in XO sauce, sichuan peppercorns - Admittedly the pie on its own was a bit too salty but upon mixing it with the tart berries, sweet, fragrant quince and the savory sprouts, it was like technicolor of tastes compared to the black & white of a standard pot pie, with various flavors and textures mingling merrily on my tongue.
Lychee Cremeaux, Vanilla Froyo, Passion Fruit Gelee, Cherry Granita
Lychee Cremeaux, passion fruit gelee, vanilla froyo, cherry granita, blood orange caramel, cookie crumble - like the hare pie, I loved the fiesta of flavor variations and combinations on this plate. I'm also thankful that this was a lighter dessert, considering the heftier courses we've had prior and because we also ordered...
Cheese Cart
Cheese Plate
...selections from LQ's cheese cart, which has a reputation of its own. With almost 40 kinds of French cheeses of every imaginable variety (aged vs. fresh, hard vs. soft, bleu vs... not), it's another experience that's near impossible to replicate (well, my not taking notes of what we actually might be a factor too.) But the seven we chose spanned all three milks, a range of textures, ages & rinds, and even a vein (to Conbon's hesistance, but even she found that one "not bad.")
Cheese Accompaniments
The accompaniments are just as unique, with an array of fruit forward spreads, some hazelnuts and helping of truffle honey. The last one is worth the $3 extra splurge, since it goes well with every cheese we had that night.

My only real sadness is that this fooding will be LQ's last for 2013 (there are still some spaces available for this coming Sunday & Monday, check out the reservations page or his twitter feed.) But I do look forward to what inspirations he'll bring back in '14, after his debut in London.

More photos on my flickr set here.

LQ Fooding @ Vertical Wine Bistro
70 N Raymond Ave
Pasadena, CA 91103

Monday, September 23, 2013

8 until 8 Happy Hour at Scarpetta

With powerhouse restaurants such as CUT, Urasawa, Mastro's and Crustacean, Beverly Hills isn't exactly a neighborhood where one can expect to dine without shelling out some serious dough. Until recently, my personal options on a budget in that area were M Café & Greenleaf Chopshop, both of which close pretty early and—while I'm thankful to have healthy choices—not exactly the foods I'd seek out when I'm feeling indulgent, in the "more carbs & fat, calorie-counting be damned!" sense, not necessarily in spending more.
Happy Hour Menu
So I was rather excited to find out that Scarpetta has a happy hour with plenty of delicious and filling choices. Furthermore, it's freaking easy to remember: 8 bar plates & 8 cocktails are $8 each before 8 p.m. Monday-Saturday [they're closed Sunday]. For those who prefer beer & wine, those are available for $4 to $6, respectively, during their HH. And when I went about a week ago, they actually had 10 small plates to choose from.

And don't let the term "small plates" fool you; one can easily get full from 2-3 of these sizable orders. In fact, on my most recent trip, three was perhaps a bit much even for me and I had to enlist Mattatouille & Caroline on Crack to help me polish off some of the foods, which included:
Porchetta Piadini
Porchetta sliders on brioche buns - mini sandwiches that are great on their own but made even better with the assorted housemade pickles, whose crunchy tang were a nice foil to the slightly sweet bread & savory pork.
Mushroom - Mascarpone Ravioli
Mushroom-mascarpone ravioli - their ravioli filling & sauce changes up seasonally, but I loved this variation with plump & tender pasta pillows filled with light, earthy mushroom-cheese, finished off a luscious mushroom cream sauce and a bright spinach puree.
Peach & Ricotta Salad
Grilled peach & ricotta salata salad w baby lettuce & toasted almond vinaigrette - a nice dish for those who want lighter fare, or just wants to fill out their fruits & vegetables quota, this salad was a delightful melange of flavors and textures: smoky-sweetness of the grilled peaches, briny-creaminess of the cheese and the soft crunch of the almond & lettuce.
Noce
My happy hour tipple of choice is the Noce - basically a Rye Old-Fashioned paired with some candied pecans to snack on.

But what made this already filling meal into a real belly buster were the assorted complimentary snacks that were also sent out with the order, including . . .
Chips & Nuts
. . . a big bowl of spiced nuts and platter of housemade, herb-infused potato chips . . .
Bread Service
. . . and their famous bread basket, which got LA Weekly's praise of best in the city with good reason. Asides from the assortment of accompaniments (whipped butter, olive oil & caponata), one of the breads in the basket is the stromboli, which is stuffed with gooey mozzarella, bright tomatoes and spicy salami (there's also a meatfree version for vegetarians.)

So needless to say, with all of this going on I can probably order 2 (perhaps even 1) "small plate" and not need another bite for a while.

And at $32 (+ tax & tip), this quickly became my favorite go-to happy hour (and early dinner) place in Beverly Hills, and one of few spots in LA where you can grab some classy bites without breaking the bank.

Other write ups about the Scarpetta Happy Hour:
LA Times
e*star LA
Five Pacific

225 N Canon Dr 
Los Angeles, CA 90210
(855) 370-8021

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Opening Night at The Taste 2013 @ Paramount Studios

The Taste 1
On Labor Day weekend, I was invited to check out The Taste, LA Times' annual multi-day food & wine event taking place at Paramount Studios. I was only able to make it to its Opening Night event, but had a blast hanging out with friends, mingling with industry folks and - obviously - sampling various fare from some of L.A.'s finest restaurants.

Untitled While about signficantly pricier than the other Taste events, I would recommend Opening Night if you're not into waiting long lines (none of the queues that night took more than a few minutes) or if you want to chat up with head chefs (who had a night off and were free to roam, taste, chat and sign - though some couldn't resist getting behind their respective eateries' boothes to prep and serve up food from time to time.)

Also wonderful is that all five of The Taste hosts from the L.A. Times are present too to mix and mingle, so you can get some lowdown on hot nightlife spots from Jessica Gelt & Betty Hallock, cooking advice from Noelle Carter & Russ Parsons, and of course, to dine out tips from Jonathan Gold.

But the star of the show is definitely the food, and I sampled lots that night from hot & new restaurants around town, along with ever-popular "classics," here are some of my favorite bites of that evening:
Untitled
  • Mexicali's Ghost Pepper Rib Eye Taco - love the flash of spice the quickly gives to juicy beefiness.
  • Drago Centro's Corn Agnolotti with Freshly Shaved Truffle - wonderfully aromatic with a luxurious creamy filling to boot.
  • Osawa's Saga Wagyu Beef Shabu Shabu - I know it's clichéd to say this, but it really does melt in your mouth, and nicely balanced by the slightly acidic ponzu-ish sauce.
  • Coco Laurent's Shrimp with White Bean Puree - a fun, modern take on shrimp & grits
  • Oliverio's Braised Short Rib with Gorgonzola Fondue - admittedly, this dish feels more appropriate for cold weather, but I love the robust, meaty comfort of tender short ribs against the creamy tang of the blue cheese sauce.
  • Pizzeria Mozza's Mini Butterscotch Budino w Salted Caramel Sauce & Rosemary Cookies - I think this one is obvious...
The only bummer was the lack of craft beer representation this time around; all the beer offerings were by Stella Artois. While I don't mind Stella beers (and keeping the goblet after,) I did very much enjoy sampling local brews from last year's Taste from Ladyface, Monkish and The Bruery, just to name a few. Here's hoping they will make a comeback for next year...

Needless to say, I can't wait to check out some of these restaurants to try more from their menu (or revisit some of my longtime favorites.) And equally excited to see what next year's festival will bring.

More recaps for The Taste from:

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Lobsterfest-ing @ Quality Seafood

September may signify the end of summer, but for lobster-loving Angelenos, it's also the month of lobsterfests. With three successive festivals taking place on consecutive weekends in Long Beach, San Pedro and Redondo Beach, it can be hard to figure out which festival to go.

My personal choice this year, none of the above. Instead, my friend conbon and I took off to Redondo Beach's Quality Seafood, already well known for their live steamed crabs & other seafood fare, for their monthlong Lobsterfest special.

LobsterFest @ Quality Seafood Instead of paying a $10-15 admission for the other three festivals, and then another $20 or so for the meal, our hearty lunch at Quality Seafood clocked in at a reasonable $18, and it included a 1.25 pound lobster (but it felt heavier than that), whole ear of corn, steamed potato and "butter" for dipping.

And the meal was great, the lobster meat was firm, succulent and faintly sweet, and the corn & potato were nicely cooked as well. They're fine with the butter, but I enjoyed them even more with the tomalley (five year old FDA warning be damned, especially since I only consume this once-twice a year.)

For $2 more, you can get a tall boy of PBR to wash it all down (though the wiser choice would be to hauling your thirst a few stalls down afterward and quench it with some craft brews at Naja's Place, which we did.)

I know, the other lobsterfests offer music, entertainment and rides too -- but if you're going purely for the food, you might as well save yourself some money (from the admission) time (from long lines) and scheduling hassles (from trying to figure which location which weekend) and go to Quality Seafood instead, any day through the 30th.

Quality Seafood
130 International Boardwalk
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 372-6408
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Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Noodling Around @ Tsujita LA Annex

I've heard plenty about Tsujita's "artisan noodles" for a while, but until a few months ago, it was a lunch-only offering. That pretty much trimmed my chances of checking it out to near nil, since I neither live nor work near the "Little Osaka" strip of Sawtelle and rarely do I crave a hot bowl of ramen for lunch—especially in this weather!

So, I'm glad that they finally opened their Annex in April at the former GR/eats spot (a place that I remembered being decent, though a bit lackluster compared to the other dining hotspots in the area,) and that they are serving up noodles thru midnight every day.

Which makes it a natural choice for post-drinking grub after nearby Plan Check and/or Freddy Smalls -- *ahem*

Tsujita LA Annex Though having said that, I think my eyes got the better of my appetite -- their tsukemen with extra char siu is gianormous, and between the rich 60-hours-in-the-making tonkotsu broth, uber thick slices of char siu and smooth-yolked egg -- I think that was my week's allowance of cholesterol in a single bowl. And it was worth it.

Also noteworthy are the tsukemen noodles, which are thicker and more al dente than the ones offered in their ramen, I enjoyed every springy, tonkotsu-dipped mouthful.

Per the tableside instructions, I added generous spoonfuls of freshly minced garlic and onikasu ("devil's scum" per the Ramen Shaman's translation), the latter isn't as spicy as it sounds, but it does add a pleasant extra layer of aroma & flavor to the broth.

Having finally tasted it, I get the raves this place has been getting, but I'm not necessarily sure I'd consider it the definitive best myself. Or even make this a destination restaurant. But if I ever need of some post bar-hopping revival or just some luscious soupy comfort (calories be damned!) on the Westside, this place is definitely on my A-list for that. Though I might opt for an extra egg instead of all that pork next time.

Others' thoughts on Tsujita LA Annex:
Midtown Lunch LA
LA Weekly
Food GPS
Thrillist
O Hei There
The 5-Footer
Eat It Like You Mean It

Tsujita L.A. Artisan Noodle Annex
2050 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 231-0222
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Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Water Tasting @ Ray's & Stark Bar

Water Assortment @ Ray's & Stark Bar

When I read Joel Stein's piece on water menus & water sommeliers several years ago, my first thought was "oh, how precious." Shortly followed by "this is definitely going to be an L.A. thing."

Martin Riese
So when I was invited to taste the water menu at Ray's & Stark Bar with their general manager/water sommelier Martin Riese, my only initial surprise was "what took L.A. so long?!"

Also, a good amount of skepticism that these waters have a flavor profile.

Shockingly though, they actually do - and that's something I learned tasting all the different waters in together (and yes, Ray's will offer a water tasting flight for water-curious patrons too.) Some waters had a smooth body, others left lingering notes. Some were almost sweet while others had a distinct minerally savoriness. Most of this is attributable to where the water came from & how it is processed, which affects the dissolved minerals & gases that translates into effervescence & flavors.

Naturally, all these varying characteristics means they can pair with different dishes, an experience Martin highlighted with this snippet from Ratatouille.


However, my experience was more like this:

Thus, I'd still much sooner go for pairing with a more potent beverage. But it's nice to know that even for something so neutral as water, there are still tell-tale flavor differences, and in the future I'll try to refrain from being judgy when I overhear some patron inquire about some brand-specific water.  
Vichy Catalan Water

And personally, I'm OK with my municipal tap, but I did make note that Vichy Catalan is my favorite of the tasted waters (it's also got the most dissolved minerals, so there is a definitely pop of flavor in there,) and I might even be inclined to order that one if I'm looking for a refreshing, fizzy sip -- even though I remain sketpical of their cholesterol-lowering claims.

Other thoughts around the Web on Ray's water menu:
Caroline on Crack
Gourmet Pigs
LA Times
Jezebel
LA Mag

5905 Wilshire Blvd, 
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 857-6180

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Desserting it up @ Patisserie Chantilly

One of my must-stops whenever I'm in the Torrance area is Patisserie Chantilly. My own words can't really do their desserts justice, so I'll let you salivate over the photos instead . . .
Chantilly Sweets
Chantilly Desserts

Simply put, being a Japanese-French bakery, what Chantilly does really well are mousse-y desserts that are light as clouds but vibrant in flavors. My particular favorites include the Mousse Au Mango topped with coconut milk, tapioca and mango chunks, and the Othello - a heavenly combination of chocolate mousse & cake layered with sesame paste.

Also noteworthy is their freshly filled choux puffs that puts Beard Papa's to shame. The sesame one is especially good, but sadly, just ran out on my last excursion there.

So in short: go, enjoy and get some to-go edible souvenirs too. You won't regret it!

Patisserie Chantilly
2383 Lomita Blvd #104
Lomita, CA 90717
(310) 257-9454
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