The 1st LA Food Swap - A New Community

Last Sunday, a small group of Angelenos came together with our handcrafted preserves, herbs, tinctures, cookies, pastas, tomato sauces, cocktail mixers, and more with one mission: to trade our goods. Of course, after everything was said and done, something else emerged: a new community.


We circulated for a while in a mellow frenzy, checking out what everyone else had brought, chatting along the way. And then the swap began. I swapped my brown butter shortbread and lavender, oatmeal, brown sugar scrub for a bounty of treats:

- rosemary tincture
- herb salad
- garlic confit
- clementine margarita marmalade
- satsuma dust
- two lemon curds
- onion marmalade
- blueberry preserves
- strawberry rosemary jam
- rosemary bundle
- blood orange marmalade
- artichoke cheese biscuits
- brown butter muffins
- cherry pistachio cookies
- fig scones





We've continued the party on Twitter and will reconnect at the next LA Food Swap, happening on April 9th at the Good LA's Launch Weekend.

Big thanks to Emily Ho, who was inspired by other food swaps around the country and decided that LA needed one too.

Read more about the 1st LA Food Swap:

LA Food Swap

LAist: An Old Fashioned Good Time: The 1st Ever LA Food Swap

Fudge Ripple

Everything But The...

Roberta Romero

Street – LA’s Most Toddler-Friendly Restaurant?

We met Valley-based Grandma for Friday night dinner at centrally located Street last night, not sure it would be kid-friendly for our almost-three year old. It quickly became obvious that Street is a restaurant that welcomes everyone, even sometimes crazy toddlers.

Top 8 reasons we'll return to Street often:

1. Reservationist assured me, “kids are welcome!” when making our reservation. Always a good sign. And, she gave us a perfect corner booth, comfy and easy to navigate.

2. “Ugh, there’s a toddler” looks from co-diners quickly ameliorated by warm welcome from everyone from the busser to our server. People, we have an iPhone with toddler apps, it will be ok, promise!

3. Our lovely server assured us there were no pecans, pistachios, or walnuts (our guy’s allergic) in anything, but would make a note for the kitchen just in case. So much better than the annoyed reaction we often get.

4. Kajsa Alger, Street’s Executive Chef and Partner, visited our table with a bowl of strawberries for our guy. She chatted with us about kids (she has a 4 year old) and how they either love or hate Street’s food. Our guy inhaled everything, from the millet rice krispie treat amuse to the carrot & harissa salad, short ribs, Brussels sprouts, and shitake & shrimp fritter.

5. The one bummer, especially on a triple-poop night (sorry, overshare), was the absence of a changing table in either bathroom. Luckily, two big chairs outside the bathrooms were easily dragged into the single-occupancy men’s room for our makeshift changing table. We got an ok from our server before we started moving furniture.

6. On our way to the bathroom for diaper change #3, our server and two others stopped us to say how much they loved having our son there and asked us to come back to Street soon. Non-parents, this is an extremely rare sentiment. Shocked, I told them how much we appreciated their warm welcome and support as we try to raise a well-mannered little diner.

7. Sheparding our guy out the door, we were sent off into the night with sweetly enthusiastic thank-yous and “please come again!” from Kajsa and others.

8. Almost forget to mention, the food was fabulous. Loved it all. Favorites included:
- Black Kale with Refried White Beans
- Braised Short Ribs
- Tatsutage Fried Chicken
- Sauteed Brussels Sprouts
- Kaya Toast
- Shrimp Stuffed Shitake Mushrooms
- Carrot and Harissa Salad

Street
742 North Highland Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038-3415
(323) 203-0500
www.eatatstreet.com

*Image courtesy of Muy Yum: http://www.flickr.com/photos/muyyum/4395467903/

Echo Park's New Greengrocer: Cookbook

Cookbook is the corner store Echo Park has been waiting for and it's finally opening up tomorrow. We had a chance to take a sneak peek during tonight's friends and family night, where Echo Park locals, Marta Teegan and Robert Stelzner(below), opened up their beautiful space to share what they've created.

It's a small shop, and you can tell that they thoughtfully edited the store's offerings. Craving ice cream? Only one brand to choose from, but it's cult favorite Dr. Bob's in several luscious flavors. They've worked hard to bring some of the best from the Farmers' Market scene: Weiser's padron peppers, McGrath's haricot verts, Givens' carrots, Kenter Canyon herbs, plus heirlooms, avocados, late summer fruit, and more. Motivating to get to the Sunday market just got a bit harder.

Aside from the lovely selection of organic produce (at reasonable prices, by the way), Cookbook is the gourmet marketplace I honestly never thought I'd see in Echo Park. I need a few more visits to take everything in but some of the items I spotted included: Fermin Jamon Iberico, Sightglass Coffee (ex-Blue Bottle & Four Barrel guys), Cafe Fanny granola, Rustic Bakery sweets, Morning Glory Confections' artisan brittles (disclosure: my husband)and Strauss Family Creamery dairy.

In addition to organic produce, gourmet finds and staples, Cookbook will also offer an ever-changing array of prepared foods, a blessing for the neighborhood's busy parents. Recipes will come from Heirloom L.A., Marta's archives, and the week's featured cookbook. Tonight's dishes included a fatoush salad with cauliflower and eggplant, gazpacho, roasted asparagus and potatoes, a fava bean & pea tendril salad, pesto gnocchi and grilled corn. We devoured every bite and, more importantly, my two-year-old loved it all. That's him with some corn.

Oh, and there's a huge selection of Heirloom L.A.'s lasagna cupcakes, pasta sauces, lasagnas, and fresh pastas.



On our walk back up the hill, we imagined all of the times we'll head to Cookbook: When we're too tired to cook, if we just need a bottle of milk or some herbs for a recipe, if we skip the farmers' market but need some veggies for the week, when we're in need of a hostess gift, or if we just need to indulge in some Dr. Bob's.



Cookbook
1549 Echo Park Avenue
LA, 90026
213-250-1900
Open daily, 8am-8pm

Tater & Mommy: Forage

OK, so Forage has the basics every parent needs: plenty of high chairs, booster seats, and a changing table. What sets Forage apart is the TLC the staff provides, not as some customer service schtick but because they're all just so darn nice. Can Tater have a side of avocado instead of one of their available sides? Of course! And for $1.50, it's a bargain, trust me. They have little kiddie plates they provide if your kiddo's into his own special plate.

Other than the warm, family vibe they've cultivated, the food keeps us coming back again and again. Succulent Jidori chicken's always a hit with Tater, but so is almost everything else we've ever tried. They always seem to have a pot of Rancho Gordo beans available, another no-brainer for our guy. Today we both gobbled up the watermelon, feta, and arugula salad, the heirloom tomato & ricotta salata salad, and the Jidori. The tomatoes were summer in a bowl...so good. And the classic watermelon dish was juicy, sweet, and salty. I'm still thinking about the fava bean, mint and ricotta crostini and avocado sandwich I had months ago.


Forage is great too if you just don't have time to cook, but you still want your kid to eat whole foods. On our way out, I picked up dinner for him tonight: those heirloom beans, roasted summer vegetables, and navy beans & couscous with cherry tomatoes.

If Tater's losin' it, the crazy good pastries and cookies keep him planted in his seat long enough for mommy to finish chatting with her friend. Forage gets the beauty of thin, buttery cookies - today's oatmeal raisin was perfection. And the cream cheese bundt? Cushiony and creamy with a tender crumb, another winner. Would be perfect with any summer fruit.


Some complain it's expensive. I always end up spending a ton at Forage, though you don't have to. It's just impossible for me to resist the expertly-made food, prepared with the finest and freshest ingredients, much of it from the backyards of local amateur farmers.

We're never the only family there because Forage is a godsend for parents who want the very best for their family in a comfy setting.

In the mood for a little aloha? $50 Roy's Gift Card Giveaway!

Has it really been almost five years since our honeymoon in Maui? After all the stress of the final weeks of wedding planning and the intensity of the wedding itself, Maui was just what we needed. I remember being there and thinking that the landscape looked a lot like parts of Southern California, but the air, the people, the light, the scents, and the food was unmistakably Hawaii.

Is a dinner at Roy's like going to Hawaii? Well, of course not. But there are hints of the Hawaii in the flavors of the food, the decor, and, forgive me, but I completely fall for the copious use of "Aloha!"

Want a tiny slice of aloha? I have a $50 Roy's gift card for one lucky person! Just leave your memories or idea of Hawaii in one word in the comments and make sure to add your contact info so I can find you. I'll use random.org to randomly pick the winner on August 2nd.

Good luck!

Roy's Ohana Tour Preview

Can I blame parenthood for losing the ability to sit down and crank out a blog post? I sure hope so, because other than that I'm out of excuses. Tater's asleep on his Dad, so I'm going to hurry and finish this darn thing!

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting some genuinely charming pr folks and the sweetest couple, The Roaming Belly plus one, at a tasting event at the Downtown Roy's. Strong, herby cocktails and hearty snacks were the perfect way to end my week.

The folks at Roy's were nice enough to include a gift certificate for a dinner on them to be given away or kept for us to use. Sorry, but this cash-starved little lady is saving it for a future date night with my hubby. Thanks Roy's and Kat from Formula PR for a fun night out!

For an actual account of the preview night at Roy's, please head on over to The Roaming Belly. Here's what you need to know about Roy's new Ohana Tour (from The Roaming Belly - my laziness knows no bounds):

• An inaugural trip to a participating Roy's restaurant, where guests are awarded an Ohana Tour card to present at the next Roy's location.
• On the second visit, guests will receive a complimentary Chocolate Souffle (with purchase of entree).
  
• At the third location, guests will receive a $20 gift card (with purchase of entree) and entry into the Hawaii sweepstakes.
• Restaurants participating in the tour include Roy's Anaheim, Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Pasadena and Woodland Hills locations.

Calling Moms and Dads: America's Next Great Restaurant

Finally, an invitation to an event that actually sounds interesting and one where kids are not only accepted but invited! Email your RSVP to ANGRaudience@gmail.com for more details.

AMERICA'S NEXT GREAT RESTAURANT

Bobby Flay, Curtis Stone, Steve Ells & Lorena Garcia

Are Inviting Families with Children Ranging in Ages from 4 - 12
for a very exclusive tasting and taping of a brand new show on NBC
from the production company that brought you “Top Chef.”

This Family Friendly Tasting and Taping will be on
Wednesday, June 9th in downtown Los Angeles.
Please RSVP to ANGRaudience@gmail.com for more information
regarding location and time.

Please include your name, telephone number, number of guests in
your party and the ages of your children.

Tater and the Trash Guys

We've been waiting for this day for weeks. Garbage trucks, otherwise known as Tater's favorite thing in the world, up close and personal at the Annual Bureau of Sanitation's Open House. I suppose we should have known how scary those enormous trucks would be for him, but we just thought it was a no-brainer.

While Tater was thoroughly freaked out, wanting nothing to do with the trucks, we were having a great time. Now, you should know we have watched way too many garbage truck videos on You Tube so we know our Heil DuraPack Pythons from the Heil DuraPack 7000's. Still, I must admit it was interesting to learn about the current fleet of local trucks.
I'm not sure what the Bureau of Sanitation is doing right, but everyone at the Open House was professional, friendly, and eager to tell us about their trucks and various programs. Really, this event was managed better than many weddings I've attended. Who knew the BOS was so on top of it? Free burgers, dogs, snacks, and drinks and the most charming group of high schoolers guiding visitors around the yard.
Above is Herbert, another friendly BOS staffer, who gave us kitchen oil disposal basics.

A DJ spun old R&B while we strolled around, learning about the recycling program, the best way to dispose of oil, how to compost, and other interesting tidbits. We saw their official electric Mini and learned how the fleet is transitioning to all natural gas trucks.
But the highlight of the event had to be the little recycling can they gave out to "winners" of the recycling game. It's Tater's new lovie.

Way to go, BOS!

Fantasy Morning - Coffee and Doughnuts

Ok, here's my fantasy *: It's Sunday morning. We all wake up at 7:30am (this is already far-fetched), throw on some clothes, brush our teeth, and head down the hill towards Downtown. Still groggy, we arrive at the Lazy Ox Canteen where we're greeted as warmly as always.
There they are on the bar, luscious doughnuts just out of the fryer. Today's flavor is anyone's guess. Lemon, rosemary, and thyme? Orange blossom & vanilla bean? Simply perfect cinnamon sugar? We take two and they throw in a little doughnut hole for Tater.

Lucky for us, the Lazy Ox serves SF's Four Barrel coffee (they actually do!). As a decaf drinker, I so appreciate roasters like Four Barrel, who are producing decaf that's as yummy as its regular counterpart.

We get Tater settled into his highchair and give him his doughnut hole which keeps him busy for a half hour (ha!). Our doughnuts are heavenly, still warm, fluffy and perfect with our coffees. Tater is happy and content as we savor our doughnuts and coffee.

Will this fantasy come true? God, I hope so.

*Inspired by a recent morning at Oakland's Pizzaiolo, where their morning doughnuts sell out by 10am. Pizzaiolo's loud and bustling at night, but downright serene in the mornings. Coffee and doughnuts (just coffee and doughnuts - not a full breakfast) would be perfect at the Lazy Ox, but I'm sure would work at any number of places: Wurstkuche, Cole's, or....?

"Best Brittle" Says Martha Stewart Living!!

Other than a few references here and there, I really haven't used this space to write about my husband's labor of love, Morning Glory Confections. It always felt like some sort of weird conflict of interest as I'm a food blogger (or, internet food writer, if you prefer) and he's a confectioner.

But folks, I must say it's time to break the rules because my honey's brittle has just been featured in October's Martha Stewart Living. This is beyond huge for him and I couldn't be prouder.
After grad school, Max worked as a private chef for an LA family, cooking to his heart's content with few limitations. He often made nut brittles for them to snack on, eventually incorporating various herbs, spices, and other ingredients not usually associated with peanut brittle. The family loved the results of his experiments as did I.
In Fall of 2007, Max decided to make it official, creating, refining, and finalizing brittle recipes, using family and friends as focus groups, and basically jumping into this totally new terrain. Our friend Liz, of Department of Graphic Sciences, helped Max realize his vision for the packaging, modern and minimalist.
Fast forward to October 2008, Morning Glory Confections' artisan brittle landed in stores around LA, some of our favorites in fact: Susina Bakery, Lark Cake Shop, Auntie Em's, Cheese Store of Silver Lake, Clementine, and more recently Joan's on Third, Bottega Louie, Cube and others. Pat Saperstein, of Eating LA was the first blogger to take notice of the brittle after tasting a few bites at an Obama bake sale.
A Daily Candy mention in early 2009 was a thrilling indication that Max's brittle was filling a void in the confectionary world. Next came a glowing mention on the LA Times' food blog, the Daily Dish, a Tasting Table post, and other posts from the food blog world.

And now Martha Stewart Living:

BEST BRITTLE
Brittle often has a Goldilocks problem: It's either too hard or too soft, too sweet or not sweet enough. Morning Glory Confections, however, has made its artisinal brittle just right. Produced in small batches in California, the candy has an excellent snap and balanced sweetness, and comes in six delectable flavors. Our favorites: Fleur de Sel & Peanut and the new Thai Curry & Peanut.

I'm constantly impressed with Max for all sorts of reasons, but I had to let you know that, in addition to running almost every aspect of Morning Glory Confections, he's also been a stellar new dad to our precious Tater. Where he gets the energy, I do not know!

Check out his website for brittle descriptions, the full list of retailers, his online store, and to sign up for his mailing list. And if you're around Melrose and La Cienega on Sundays, do stop by Max's booth at the Melrose Place Farmers' Market to sample his six flavors and market exclusives (recently: bacon brittle!).

Morning Glory Confections
http://www.morninggloryconfections.com
MGC on Twitter
MGC on Facebook

Andre Guerrero's Movin' into Glassell Park!

I love this news because:

1. Echo Park's minutes away from Glassell Park

2. While we're occasionally disappointed by The Oinkster's fries, their always good veggie burgers, pulled pork and pastrami sandwiches make it a reliable favorite. I'm confident Andre will create a similar neighborhood favorite in GP.

3. I know they had their fans, but we found Butter Tart's butter tarts icky. It takes a lot to keep me away from a cute bakery close-by, but it was easy to stay away from Butter Tart after that first visit.

4. The eastside (or whatever you call our side of town) needs more neighborhoody breakfast/lunch joints.

5. Intelligentsia coffee without the wait or parking nightmare of the Silver Lake branch? Yes!

Thanks to Food GPS for breaking the news.

Butter Tart Bakery
4126 Verdugo Road
Los Angeles, CA 90065

We've Got a Winner!

Congratulations to May, who won two tickets to next weekend's Los Angeles Luxury Chocolate Salon in Pasadena. For the rest of you, there's still time to buy tickets, which are an extremely reasonable $20 ($25 at the door) for a serious chocolate feast. Click here for all of the details. And thanks for entering and sharing your favorite chocolate dessert.

My favorite, by the way? An old-fashioned chocolate layer cake. Just had a great one at Jongewaard's Bake 'N Broil in Long Beach.

Ticket Giveaway: LA Luxury Chocolate Salon 10/11

Do you love chocolate? No, I mean to you love chocolate...lurve chocolate? If so, do I have a giveaway for you. If you're free on October 11th, enter below for your chance to win two tickets to this year's LA Luxury Chocolate Salon. What is a chocolate salon, you ask? From what I gather, it's non-stop chocolate: chocolate tasting, book signings, chocolate demos, chef/author talks, and more.

I have NO idea how I got so lucky, but I'll be at the Salon as a panelist, tasting and judging more chocolate than I've ever consumed at one time. It's quite a challenge, but I think I'm up for it. Won't you join me?
For a chance to win, just answer this question in the comments below: What's your favorite chocolate dessert? I'll be utilizing the number in a paper bag method to randomly choose a winner on Wednesday, September 30th.

Make sure to either log in using your Blogger ID or provide some sort of contact info. Good luck!

If You Leave, Don't Look Back - Blogger Prom 2009

When was the last time we had a fabulous night out, just the two of us? Now I'm not talking about the quickie coffee shop dinner with us scarfing down a tuna melt while Grandma patiently waits for us to get back home. I'm talking about heels and sequins and fishnets and an up-do. Yes, my friends, I'm talking about Blogger Prom.

Don't ask me why, but for some reason my mom had saved my prom dress from the 11th grade, and by some crazy miracle, it still fit. My better half initially wanted to go as his alter ego, a mulletted, bandana-wearing, trash-talkin', sleeveless denim shirt clad drunk dude last seen at Cal Arts grad night a few years back. I won the battle this time and he instead went for "Country Club Preppy."

Blogger Prom was held at the Andaz Hotel, more famously known as "Riot House" where bands like Led Zeppelin and The Who rode motorcycles down the halls, threw TVs out of the windows, and performed other forms of sexy mayhem.

Sometimes LA is just so beautiful. As we sipped our tequila cocktails from the rooftop at dusk, we gazed over LA transfixed by the endless sea of twinkling lights. The BP Committee arranged for some pretty substantial snacks, including caprese kabobs, charcuterie, beef & lemongrass skewers. We had rushed around town getting ready for BP, so we were starving.


Barrie Lynn, otherwise known as The Cheese Impresario, treated us to an incredible cheese plate. For dessert, we inhaled cheesecake pops and mini-cupcakes.

All in all, Blogger Prom was awesome. Not only did it give us a much-needed date night, but it was great to meet in person so many of my twitter and food blog buddies I've gotten to know over the past few years.

Sunday Dinner: Wurstkuche

Not sure what we were thinking, but after my brittle man's day at the Melrose Place Farmers' Market and Tater and my day in Santa Monica, we just wanted a no-cook night. So off we went to Wurstkuche. Tater's current bedtime is usually around 6:30pm, so if we have dinner out, we're with the early birders at 5pm or even earlier. Not tonight! We were living like gypsies, as my Mom says, leaving the house at 6:30pm.

Man, Wurstkuche gets crazy busy at night. The room was completely full when we got there, but luckily I spotted a lone table in a corner. The Wurstkuche guy kindly moved it over to a little space against the wall and thankfully the portable high chair fit on the table.
Ok, so by the time we got our food it was around 7:15, now way past Tater's bedtime and the poor little guy was on the edge. As always, we quickly ate our sausages while supplying him with cheerios, barley biscuits, napkins (he likes to rip them up into tiny pieces - yes, bussers hate us), his sippy cup, and little pieces of bun. Wurstkuche was quite loud, so Tater's brief outbursts were completely drowned out by the noise.
The sausages were awesome. We split the duck/bacon, sundried tomato/mozzarella and a small fries. After a string of so-so sausages (why did I even bother with the vegan dog??), I turned a corner and started ordering the right sausages, thanks to Twitter buds, Joshua Lurie (Food GPS) and Sam Kim (LAist). Thanks again, guys! We're huge fans of the near-perfect fries, which have to be some of the best in LA.
Tater was near delirious by the time we got home, falling asleep as soon as we finished Goodnight Moon.

Wurstkuche
800 E 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90013

A Quickie Lunch for Me and Tater: Porta Via Italian Foods

Tater & I were on our own today, so we decided that a lovely, yet quick lunch at Porta Via was in order. A little shrimp & calamari salad and arugula & beet salad for me, Tater got a jar of yucky organic chicken with pasta stars (Dad's been busy).

We sat outside on their shaded patio and had about as relaxing a lunch as it gets these days. For a dude who eats almost all daddy-prepared food, Tater didn't seem to mind the processed junk, happily devouring the whole jar.

My salads were just right for this scorcher of a day. The seafood salad was crisp and light, with just a hint of heat. The arugula salad was good, though a bit too sweet for my taste and maybe a little overdressed.

After a few minutes, Tater decided our leisurely lunch was over so I quickly devoured the rest of my salads, gulped down my Pellegrino and off we went to do errands in Old Town.

Porta Via Italian Foods
1 W California Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91105
626-793-9000