Weekender: Flowers and Food

The weekend was spent enjoying LA. We went Downtown for some jewelry findings (so excited about the new styles!!) and walked around the Arts District and Japantown enjoying the sun and our favorite food spots. The flowers in bloom were definite show stoppers and the bites we had were delicious. It was a good weekend!

Carne asada taco and hoisin chicken bun from Flying Pig.

Grilled pork bahn mi! Sooo good and love the baguette.

Hubs enjoying the Earl Grey Pie at The Pie Hole. So good!!

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend. I am looking forward to a good week ahead.

Recent Los Angeles Eats

Since moving to LA in October, we have had the opportunity to try countless awesome places around town. Some places have become fast favorites (see Thai Vegan above) while others are occasional treats, and all are quite tasty.

Various sides at Lemonade. All veg, all good. And their selection of lemonade is quite nice.

Fish tacos from a booth at Atwater Village Farmers' Market.

My newest fave dessert: Blockheads Shavery Co.'s green tea topped with strawberries, almonds, and condensed milk.

A slice topped with fresh basil and parmesan from The Slice Truck.

Super textured Chinese Chicken Salad from Joan's on Third.

And anything from Urth Caffe. I really enjoy their breakfast and drinks.

Have you enjoyed any great food lately?

Little Macaron

Sweet little bite!

Hope your week is sweet!!

Best of Santa Barbara

Each year the SB Independent puts out a "Best of" list that includes restaurants, boutiques, events, foods, and drinks. I try to vote each year, sometimes my favorites win and sometimes they don't. And since we will be leaving our beloved city of 11 years (12 for my husband) it's time for my own "Best of SB" list.

Best Beach: Ellwood Beach. No matter the day (random Saturday or holiday weekend) this beach was like a sanctuary. Never too full, we always enjoyed our own little plot of sand and sun.

Best Nachos: Rudy's. These are my favorite nachos of all time. They're simply chips topped with chicken, cheese, beans, guacamole, and sour cream. One plate feeds 2 and is under $10!
Other awesome places to eat are Rose Cafe, Edomasa, and Your Place Thai.

 

Best View: SB Courthouse Clock Tower. From up here, you can get a 360 panoramic view of all of downtown SB.

Best Ice Cream: Mc Connell's. I'm not a big ice cream person but I am a huge fan of Mc Connell's. There is just something special about freshly made ice cream and flavors like cinnamon and macadamia nut :)

 

Best Flowers: SB Mission Rose Garden

 

Best Farmers' Market: All of them! Fresh vegetables and fruit all year round, in various locations around the city everyday of the week!

 

Best Festival: Fiesta! The spirit in the city and confetti all around make the first weekend in August always a great time.

 

Best Concert Venue: SB Bowl. Nestled in the mountains, cozy and intimate, and about 1/3 the size of the Hollywood Bowl,and the SB Bowl always brings an amazing concert. And the pit provides such close proximity to the acts on stage. It's stellar. Favorite bands seen at the Bowl include Snoop Dogg, 311, No Doubt and Phoenix.

 

Best Food Festival: Avocado Festival in Carpinteria. Such good savory dishes and avocado ice cream.

 

Best School: UCSB. I had an amazing 11 years here (as a student and employee) and would not change a thing for the world. And Kobe has his summer camp here, too!

 

Best Town: Isla Vista. The best parties and the best friends existed here. It will always be part of my "home".

Best Art Installation: Chromatic Gate. A burst of color right by the Pacific Ocean.

 

Best Isla Vista Restaurant: TJ's Grill (now closed) so Bagel Cafe!! My favorite bagel was the Delux Melt with is your choice of bagel (I chose the everything bagel) topped with sun ripe tomato cream cheese, tomato, red onions, cheddar, and slices of avocado. The bagel is put through a toaster oven for a few minutes and comes out deliciously.

 

Best Winery: Firestone. We served their wines at our wedding and loved the tasting experience at the winery. 
 

 

Best Church: Santa Barbara Mission. It is grand yet understated, a parish we called home for years, and we got married here. I will always have a special place in my heart for this place.

I will surely miss this beautiful place.

Recent Little Bites

The last few weeks have given me the opportunity to enjoy some awesome bite size goodies. And while I love a large bowl of spaghetti or burger and fries, I find these little bites to be just as satisfying.

A personal pumpkin pizza! It was such a hot Saturday, but this taste of Fall had me ready for the season.

NY Snow is a mix of shaved ice and ice cream. This one was topped with peaches. I'm in love with shaved ice.

Egg Slut LA makes the best eggs (besides my mom). Their scrambled eggs topped with chives were so fluffy and filling.

Mama Musubi salmon hand roll. The mango inside was such a perfect cool, sweet flavor for a hot day.

Pork belly inside a musubi. Dying for it.

And the perfect way to cool off: a tiny cup of gelato.

Hope that you've enjoyed some good bites lately!

Weekend Feasting at the LA Street Food Fest

We attended the LA Street Food Fest on Saturday and oh, was it a feast! The late afternoon to evening event held some of LA's best food trucks, restaurants, desserts, and drinks. And with a venue like the Rose Bowl, it was great Summer day of walking the grounds and enjoying the field while getting my nosh on. Below are a few photos of the delicious bites! I really wanted to take more photos, but was too busy stuffing my face ;)

The lines did not deter me from trying as many good eats as possible. 

Chicken Pot Pie over fries from Fry Smith! I want to try and make this at home.

Delicious milk tea and boba from The Mighty Boba Truck. They were so nice and let us come back for seconds!

Delicious slow cooked pork over a corn mash and...

Fried pork ear! From Haven Gastropub.

These fresh little bites from Ayara Thai Cuisine were Bangkok Moo-ping pork skewers and Phaya Thai spicy grilled clams, and convinced me to try out the restaurant.

Black Jack Quesedilla by Kogi BBQ! This is one of my most favorite bites of any LA food truck.

 

We enjoyed a lot of sweets, too! From the scoops of ice cream to donuts to cookies, it was all sugary goodness. I loved this chocolate ganache tart. It was filled with salted caramel and just amazing!

 

Mini french toast topped with creme, bacon bits, powdered sugar, and a raspberry. The little pieces of bacon was the best idea! 

 

One of my favorite parts of the day was getting to walk and lounge on the Rose Bowl field! It was really cool to be down on the famous field. There was also a tequila tasting area there, which made time on the field extra good.

And the best view of the day: grilled cheese and the field.

Thank you LA Street Food Fest! See you next year.