Downtown L.A at its' Best!

I started my Saturday morning in anticipation of Artisinal LA  brought to us by the same people that introduced us to The LA Street Food Fest. Artisinal LA was a weekend long event (Oct. 23 and Oct. 24) supporting local vendors that want to give us healthy, sustainable, hand-made eats and treats.  Since this event was in downtown L.A I decided to take the train. I am the biggest advocate of the train!  It saves time, gas, you don't have to pay to park, and it's only $1.50 (each way)!  Every time I get off downtown  I feel like I'm in New York.  Standing amongst high rise buildings galore, I daydream that I'm in the Big Apple, then I wake up and realize it's just dirty ol' Downtown L.A. I kid I kid!  This blissful affair was held at the historic Cooper Building, not too far from FIDM and The Alley. After my brisk walk I  arrived and discovered  there were crafts for the kiddies, chef demos, and samples of everything! So I got right to it, I sampled everything in sight!

Cast Iron Gourmet spice rubs

I scouted out many of the the merchants and found out several of them made there debut at this event,  many items were not in stores, one of which was Cast Iron Gourmet.  They had some of the best bacon I've ever had, they carried dry rubs, like Cajun heat,and Black Pepper and put it on the bacon, genius! I could just  kick myself for not taking a  picture (too busy eating) of their Original Couch Mix, trail mix with candied bacon!

Breakfast Cupcake

A total party in my mouth, I wish I bought two bags! Reluctantly leaving that swine fest I stumbled upon another pork flavored delight. The breakfast cupcake was definitely a surprise.  If you like buttermilk pancakes, sweet maple syrup and crispy bacon then you'll love this cupcake!  I browsed the aisles further and saw a small line forming, I decided to see what all the buzz was about , it was a makeshift taco stand.

Chicken Taco

  Homegirl Café grows all their own vegetables and herbs in their garden, pretty cool, which was very much the trend for the event. While this wasn't the best taco I've ever had it definitely wasn't the worst.  The

Chicken Tamale

Almond Brittle

chicken was very tender, but the taco just seemed like it was missing some ingredients.  Chicken tamale was pleasant, I was so stuffed at this point I don't even know how I ate it.  After this savory dish I had a bit of a sweet tooth, so I decided to revisit the p.o.p candy booth. I discovered some brittle with some interesting blends like rosemary almond, thyme,walnut, and cherry, and fire pistachio. The rosemary almond brittle was to die for, I had to have more of it!  I was on my way out and some how missed a booth.  Sauce Goddess Gourmet had some fab sauces and dry rubs.  They mixed their dry rub with sour cream to make dip and if you're on a diet like myself (he he) you can use plain yogurt instead.  It was so good I could just imagine how those spices would taste on meat!  I had a long walk back to the train, so headed out, I left the Cooper building as my dad would say "Fat, Full, and Delicious!"  For $10, I was able to experience new delicacies, like blueberry butter, taste absolutely everything, and leave with my taste buds very satisfied. This was a fantabulous event, I'm in anticipation for the next foodie event.  I hope this was a great success for Artisianal L.A, I could bet this won't be the last of it's kind.  F.Y.I dineLA will be back January 23-28 and January 30-February 4, 2011.  I'll make sure to keep you posted! 

Giving Back

Ribbon was free at cosmetic counter in a department store, I picked up seven, one for everyday

   So I was in Topanga mall the other day and I stumbled upon a store I had never seen before, I think it was a children's clothing store before. I saw one young black girl, I almost walked right pass it until I saw another black girl. So I took a small detour into the shop. What I discovered was a cute shop filled with organic home, hair and body products. Green Bodee (website is under construction) had some fab soaps, and hair care products.  I browsed the store a bit and noticed a black man in the backroom, my curiosity got the best of me so inquired, "Is this a black owned business?", I asked. "Yes" was the answer I got.  I knew then I had to help stimulate the economy and recycle our black dollars.    

Green Bodee

So I looked around for something to purchase, I settled for a home fragrance item.  It was this solid oil thingy that melts in an oil burner (sorry don't remember the name). I'm so sad to say that it didn't work, I've been burning it all day and sad to say no wonderful smells came out!   Nonetheless, there were some great smelling soaps and hair products, so I will return to let them redeem themselves. They've only been open three weeks so they get a pass. So I continue running my errands for the day and making my bi-weekly run to Target. I'm selecting my items and of course I hit up the cosmetic aisle! I skimmed the shelves and saw a few products that supported breast cancer.  For those that don't know October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I discovered this super cute brush set. Now I said to my self, "Self, you do not need another brush set!".  I thought about it for like two seconds and bought it because it was for  a good cause, 15% of the purchase price goes to BCRF (Breast Cancer Research Fund).  Plus it's a great travel item and I won't have to pack my good brushes. Then I went to Wal-Mart to pick up a few more things and I found this T-shirt by Hanes.

Sonia Kashuk $12.99

Hanes $6

Hanes is supporting Susan G. Komen for the Cure donating $500,00 this year. Who can't use a basic tee? And with such a great cause I couldn't resist. Wrapping up my day I then had to go to the grocery store. Now we all know that I'm on a "strict diet", so I made sure yogurt was on my list!  And what did I find? Yet another way for me to give back today.  Yoplait wants you to send in your (clean) lids and they will donate 10 cents per lid up to $1.6 million to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.  Wow I really  made a difference today,cancer is such an ugly disease that has taken many friends and especially family away from me.  Twenty of my hard earned dollars were spent making real change (no pun intended), and I did so all while stayin' within my budget!

Dining with the Stars

  The other day was a blazing hot day and I thought it would be a perfect night to dine outside (which I almost never do).  It was also another good opportunity for me to participate in dineLA again (http://discoverlosangeles.com/restaurantweekv2/index.jsp ).  I twiddled my fingers a bit but on this fine evening I decided to go to Chablis Food + Wine in Tarzana.  OMG this place was so cute the patio looked like a scene from a movie.  White lights were strung throughout the trees, and man was playing top 40's music on an acoustic guitar outside. It was about 75 degrees when I got there so I decided to share my meal with the moon and stars.  Everything  on the menu looked delish, I wish I brought a companion because I wanted to try everything!  The bread was fab, fresh, and hot.  Although the butter tasted like it was in the refrigerator way to long, it didn't take away from any of the flavor of the bread. For my starter I ordered the beef puff pastry.

Skirt Steak and Mushrooms

In puff pastry drizzled with port reduction

 This was so good I swear I almost licked the plate, there was absolutely nothing left! There's nothing I love more than caramelized, sauteed onions, Yum Yum!! Choosing the main course was a toughie, it was between the flat iron steak or the lobster and seafood medley.  Tryin' to go light and stay within my diet (He He), I decided to go with the lobster medley.

Lobster and Seafood Medley

Served in a rustic tomato saffron broth served over artichoke pea cous cous

Truly a seafood lovers dream, this was a light refreshing dish. Succulent prawns, colossal scallops, mussels, and calamari flooded my plate.  The cous cous was delightful, I have to subtract a few points because the cous cous had peas.  Despite my annoyance of peas, it gave the dish a sweet flavor that was quite stimulating. Leaving a little room for dessert I chose the peach cobbler.

Peach Cobbler

The" peach cobbler" was awesome but I definitely wouldn't call it cobbler. Peach cobbler has a crust right? This was more like an apple crisp made with peaches. It was still delicious, just wouldn't call it cobbler. Now if you're gonna serve me ice cream at a restaurant I'm gonna need it to be vanilla bean, case closed!
  My server was very friendly but could not  recommend some of the dishes because she didn't eat meat . There were long intervals between courses, I think I got a little neglected because I sat outside.  As the evening progressed it got a little nippy.  That was my signal to leave because I DO NOT play around in the cold!!  Had great evening , and only spent $34 on a three course dinner, I will definitely return.  This is the last day for dineLA so I hope everyone was able to enjoy some good food!      

Must be Love

   Have you ever had something that you adore so much but loathe all at the same time?  I have that kind of  love /hate relationship with food. I have a slight crush on all things edible , I just love how food looks, tastes and smells. I'm a "healthy" girl that can't say "No" when a plate is in front of me! I know, I know, I must be stopped! Looking at my mid section is the only thing that makes me think twice about devouring what's in front of me!  Being such a foodie, I decided to take part in dineLA ( http://discoverlosangeles.com/restaurantweekv2/index.jsp ).  dineLA takes place October 3-8 and October 10-15 and allows you to have a three-course meal (appetizer,entree, and dessert) at a special price (lunch, $16, $22, $28 and dinner $26, $34, $44), at some of L.A's best restaurants.  Breaking my diet, I decided to go to Pinot Bistro in Studio City for lunch. As I entered  I observed many activities, laptops were out, movie deals were being made, I felt like I was in a chic New York cafe.  Since I already peeked at the menu online I already knew what I wanted. I started of with the French onion soup.    

Bakersfield onion soup gratinée, Comté cheese, garlic crouton

Now French onion soup is my absolute favorite dish to order from any restaurant and what better  place to order French onion soup than a French Bistro, right? It was a total party in my mouth, I would come back for this soup alone! Satisfied from the soup I moved on to the garlic chicken, with fries.

Roasted garlic encrusted chicken, creamy onions, bistro frites

I ♥ garlic, so I was excited about trying this dish.  The creamy onion sauce was to die for, butter yet light, the chicken was satisfying, moist, and tender. Fries were seasoned well and went great with the dish.  My entree was good but probably something I wouldn't order again.  Not sure if I could continue eating,  but you know I did!  The perfect end to my meal was the apple tart.

Apple tarte tatin, double crème fraîche

Tart and sweet, this dessert aims to please. The buttery crust just melts in your mouth and was paired with some awesome vanilla bean ice cream, wish I had two scoops of that!
   The waitstaff seemed a little preoccupied, three different people checked up on me, so I was a little confused as to who my actually server was, none the less everyone was extremely helpful and polite.   Pinot is an ideal date place, has an extensive wine list, sophisticated atmosphere, and friendly staff.  I'm thrilled that I was able to try such great food at a great price.  I had a three-course French meal for $22! I will definitely be back, hopefully on a date!