
We started out one gorgeous Saturday with a loose plan for the day, including brunch and a comedy show, but by the time the day was over, I realized we had unintentionally had a pretty quintessential LA day, hitting many locations and landmarks that would be pretty perfect for someone in town with only a day to explore. So without further adieu, here's what we did...

First we ate brunch at The Tasting Kitchen on Abbot Kinney, a hip area with a great art and food scene in Venice. The Tasting Kitchen is a little pricey, but you get really great food in exchange for the money. The menu isn't that large, but it was incredibly difficult to decide what to order. Finally, I decided upon the chicken and waffle while Dustin decided upon the short rib hash with a baked egg. We'll definitely have to come back to try the fried oyster egg dish, the duck confit scramble, the eggs in a basket and more. Dustin's short ribs were succulent and melt in your mouth. The fried chicken was crisp, not greasy, and served alongside the best basic waffle I've ever had. Usually, when I order a waffle, every few bites I am adding extra maple syrup to the top because it has absorbed into the waffle and you can no longer taste it. What was so impressive about this fluffy waffle is that they served the maple pre-poured and I didn't even mind because the syrup stayed in the waffles ridges and was the perfect syrup to waffle ratio in every bite. Dustin got mad at me for not ordering the waffle stuffed with bacon, but that's just inspiration for us to make our bacon-stuffed waffles at home! I'd also like to come back for dinner sometime, so as you can imagine we'll probably be back to The Tasting Kitchen many more times. Highly recommended.

From the restaurant, we walked over to Venice Beach (to burn off some of our brunch) and saw the beautiful white sands. We then walked down Ocean Avenue for some good free fun and saw all that is the culture of Venice. It's such a great place for people watching. There are all sorts of wacky people walking around, performers doing their trade, people working out, and vendors selling trinkets of all kinds (but were surprisingly not pushy and obnoxious). You could even head all the way to Santa Monica pier if so desired, but we opted to save that for another day.

Following our time in Venice, we headed over to Beverly Hills. We were actually going to pick up the desk we ordered, but if you were a tourist, you would definitely want to stroll Rodeo, shop the fancy stores (if you are lucky enough to be able to afford them), and ogle at the seriously amazing cars that cost more than most homes. We stopped by Beverly Hills Brownie Company— a nice change from the cupcake craze— for one of their decadent brownies (we ordered the cookies and cream flavor). They were quite good, but we've become spoiled with homemade desserts that Dustin proclaimed they were on par with anything I make at home.

![DSC_0513](/photos/2013/09/DSC_0513-584x450.jpg)

Early in the evening, we drove into downtown LA where you can explore a bit if so desired and grab a bite to eat. We ate at The Parish— a Los Angeles twist on an English style gastropub with a nice, dark and moody ambiance. The Parish has a great craft cocktail menu (Dustin got a killer gin and tonic that I would have even drunk, and I don't care too much for gin) and small plates. We ordered the fried olives and chickpeas (more chickpeas than olives, but very nicely seasoned with Moroccan spices), the flatbread with ricotta, honey, hazelnuts and rosemary (very tasty), the fried oyster poutine (good but not executed as well as I think it could have been...the gravy was a little weird and there was no cheese), and the octopus with grilled peaches and a delicious cumin yogurt (probably my favorite dish of the evening with a really nice texture, not weird and chewy like octopus tends to get).

From downtown we headed over to Hollywood where we were lucky enough to get amazing, free parking. We strolled down Hollywood Boulevard, viewing the stars and passing by sites like Grauman's Chinese Theater (where all the handprints are) and the Dolby Theater (formerly the Kodak theater), home of the Oscars. It was fun seeing this area lit up at night, brimming with tourists, much like Times Square in New York. We ran into a few sketchy people in the area at night, so this is definitely not a place I'd recommend going solo.

We were just walking Hollywood Boulevard to kill some time before our comedy show at the Upright Citizen Brigade Theater. We saw a show called 'Before You Were Funny' where comedians read sketches and things they had written early in their careers that are so bad they are funny (it's actually recorded as a podcast, so you can listen to past shows [here](http://beforeyouwerefunny.com)). This appears to be a monthly show they do, rotating comedians. We were fortunate enough to see Dan Harmon, creator of the show *Community.* The entire show was hilarious, and you can bet we will be going back to UCB! If it were a little closer to our apartment, you can bet it would practically be a weekly stop for us. Tickets were only $10 (some shows are less or are even free), and they have several different shows a night. The crowd was really young, full of people in their 20s (perhaps because we were at the late 10pm show?), and the atmosphere was great. Another _highly_ recommended thing to do in LA.

After the show we were feeling pretty jazzed, so we stopped for late night hotdogs at the legendary LA landmark, Pink's. I warned Dustin the line would be long, even past midnight (we waited about 45 minutes), but we had nowhere to be, the weather was nice, and we were reveling in enjoyment from our comedy show. Pink's isn't high class food or the best hot dog you'll ever eat, but it's been around so long and so many celebrities have graced that little building, you feel like you are eating a piece of history and really experiencing LA. And after all the smells you get while waiting in line, you will definitely be ready to eat– we each got different versions of chili cheese dogs, but they have all sorts of interesting and indulgent dog choices for every taste. We sat inside and looked at all the autographed headshots before heading home, ready to crash after our long and exciting day.


A Perfect Day in LA

a-perfect-day-in-la


I had really high hopes for Son of a Gun, a seafood restaurant (not in the Pacific Northwest style we have become used to) located in Mid-City West, Los Angeles. I had read several good reviews, and we were psyched to try it when we were headed that direction to get our car registered in California one afternoon.

![Screen Shot 2013-09-27 at 10.03.23 PM](/photos/2013/09/Screen-Shot-2013-09-27-at-10.03.23-PM-584x126.png)

We hit Son of a Gun for lunch, where it appears they have the same (or mostly the same) menu that they serve at dinner. They don't accept reservations, and we heard it got crowded, so we figured a late lunch would be the perfect time to stop. We were seated right away at a tiny table, practically on top of another couple dining similar to our experience at [Pizzeria Mozza](/blog/2013/09/pizzeria-mozza).

Service at Son of a Gun was alright, as was the food. Now I don't expect a fabulous meal every time I eat out, but after the reviews I had read and the prices we were paying for small tapas style plates, I did expect more.

Everything is meant to share family style we were told, so we were instructed to order and our server would space out our selections across a couple of courses. We started out with a lobster roll and the smoked mahi dip with celery, radish, and crackers. Our server recommended we order two lobster rolls, since they were just a few bites each, but we stuck with one for just a taste. I think we each got two bites of the lobster roll, which was good, but waaay overpriced ($8) for the amount of lobster you get. And yes, I know lobster is expensive.

The mahi dip was quite tasty, and we were pleased with the complementary radish and celery slices. However, we were quite disappointed that the crackers were literally store-bought crackers like you'd get at an all-you-can-eat salad bar. We figured a restaurant of this caliber would make their own crackers, but even if they didn't, the least they could have done was open the plastic packaging for us and arrange them on the plate. That experience was a bit off-putting for us.

Our second course consisted of the spicy fried chicken sandwich and the shrimp toast with herbs and sriacha mayo. The fried chicken sandwich was large and a much better value for your money than the other dishes we ordered, had a good spice and a nice breading to the chicken. However, given that this was meant to be shared, I'm not sure why they didn't choose to make fried chicken sliders instead. It was quite the messy experience cutting it in half.

The shrimp toast was my favorite entree we tried, but once again, it was quite small. The bread was nice and buttery, and I was actually a big fan of the sriacha mayo. If you eat at Son of a Gun, I'd definitely recommend ordering this one.

We decided to get a light and refreshing dessert— the frozen lime yogurt with graham cracker crumble and toasted marshmallow— because it was super hot out that day. Fortunately, dessert was the highlight of the meal. The lime yogurt was like a nice sorbet, and the toasted marshmallow was divine. Even though it was a small portion, it was the perfect size for two people to share for dessert and not feel remotely guilty.

We left lunch at Son of a Gun for the same price that we would have paid for a nice dinner elsewhere. If we had gone for dinner, we definitely would have needed to order more food, so I don't think we'll be going back since there are definitely better places where you can get better food for a better price.


Son of a Gun

son-of-a-gun


Pizzeria Mozza is a hotspot pizza joint in Hollywood that serves unique pizzas with charred, crispy crust. This restaurant by Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich, and Nancy Silverton, head of La Brea bakery serves delicious, upscale pizzas (and is apparently a good place to look for celebrities when visiting Los Angeles). It was so popular when it opened that it was nearly impossible to get a reservation, and to this day it remains pretty packed.

![Screen Shot 2013-09-22 at 11.31.53 PM](/photos/2013/09/Screen-Shot-2013-09-22-at-11.31.53-PM.png)

And boy do they pack you in. You are packed into the place like sardines, which appears to be a trend we've noticed in LA. It's all about the money, and I guess if you can fill up all of the tables, why not? Being packed in made for a loud dining experience, so if you want a quiet date night, this would not be the place to go. There is a fancy (i.e. more expensive) restaurant by the same people right next door that I imagine might have that sort of ambiance. We could have participated in the conversation of the people sitting next to us because we literally could hear every word they were speaking. But with the right mindset, it actually makes for a fun dining experience.

Pizzeria Mozza has a great Italian wine list. I can't remember what we ordered specifically, but we were very happy with the bottle, plus the price seemed pretty reasonable. Also the wine label was in Italian, which definitely inspires at least some confidence in the quality of the Italian restaurant.

For an appetizer we ordered the fried squash blossoms stuffed with fresh ricotta— the Italian version of a jalapeno popper. We really enjoyed them; however they were pretty small and you only got three of them for the price. I also feel that maybe they could have used a dipping sauce of sorts? I'm not exactly sure what, but I personally think there's some room for improvement for the squash blossoms.

But let's be honest, the real reason we were at the restaurant was to try to the pizza. I thought the crust was great, and I'm not really one for crispy crusts. We got a classic margherita, and while it was basic, it was also delicious. We also ordered the gorgonzola dolce, fingerling potato, raddichio, and rosemary. Honestly the flavor wasn't quite what we expected with the raddichio being more bitter than we were thinking it would be, but it was still great. Next time we'd probably order different pizzas because there were so many interesting sounding ones to try; it was quite the lengthy menu. We debated getting one with fennel sausage and a variety of cured meats, which I'm sure is delicious given how good Salumi from the Batali family in Seattle is.

We finished off the evening with their classic dessert, the butterscotch budino (basically pudding) with sea salt and rosemary pine nut cookies. So rich and so good.

But that's not all we ordered for dessert. One of the other options on the menu included olive oil ice cream. It sounded so interesting, we had to order it, but we will never just order ice cream as dessert as a restaurant. It's kind of an unwritten rule we have that ice cream is usually too boring compared to all of the other options. Olive oil ice cream couldn't be passed up though, so we asked for a scoop on the side next to our budino. We were definitely given more than a scoop, but that's ok with us because it probably was the best part of the meal. That's quite the compliment because we really enjoyed the other courses. The ice cream came with this delicious waffle cone-like cookie stuck in the middle. At first I wasn't so sure how I felt about it, but Dustin loved it from the get-g0. After a couple of bites I was smitten which made it really hard to stop eating. Including a little bit of waffle cookie in each bite really did it for my taste buds. I definitely see us trying to make our own olive oil ice cream in the future, and I'd definitely order it again at Pizzeria Mozza— alongside another dessert, of course!

Overall we had a great experience, but the price tag was a little hefty for such an upscale casual meal. I guess that's L.A. for us!


Pizzeria Mozza

pizzeria-mozza


**Lemonade-** Lemonade is a local chain out here in LA that offers a range of healthy mix-n-match dishes. It's sort of like an updated cafeteria where you go in and can get a hodgepodge of vegetables dishes in addition to meats and freshly made sandwiches. We really enjoyed the unique flavors of the different veggie focused salads and pastas. We've been a couple of times now since it's walkable from our new place (and will definitely be a go-to spot when we are too tired to cook after work/school). We tried most of the current menu and really enjoyed things we didn't think to try since they combine many flavors into each dish. Overall, its a pretty healthy meal until you add on a side of their ridiculously creamy truffle mac and cheese. Lemonade also has a variety of some of the most amazing, surprise, lemonade I've ever tasted. Blueberry mint and pineapple coriander have been the favorites thus far, although the original is great, too. Every time we've eaten there, I've been left completely stuffed!

**Fonuts & Coffee Commissary-** I'd read a lot about Fonuts AKA healthier donuts— baked or steamed instead of fried with a lower sugar content than most traditional donuts. They also have many gluten free and vegan choices though we didn't order any of those. I picked up a maple bacon, which was light and fluffy similar to a traditional yeasted donut with a decent frosting and good bacon, but it definitely was not Voo Doo level good. I also got the salted caramel since my favorite from Top Pot is their salted caramel old-fashioned. It came out fresh from the oven, so the caramel was still soft and warm. The salt they used on top was really great, but the caramel was just ok compared to what we have become accustomed to. I also grabbed a cake-like red velvet, definitely the weakest of the bunch because it didn't taste like red velvet at all and the frosting was most definitely not cream cheese. It was pretty mediocre. Overall, I think Fonuts were pretty good for healthified donuts, but let's be honest, if you are going for donuts, you should probably save up your calories and get the real deal. We probably won't be back, but I'm glad we tried them. We did find some great coffee down the road at Coffee Commissary. It's no [Vivace](/blog/2013/07/smoked-chocolate-covered-espresso-beans/), but good and we'll go back there when we head East.

**Simple Things-** Cute and simple sandwich and pie shop in the West Hollywood area. While we were out exploring the neighborhood with Bonnie, we grabbed sandwiches (me a pretzel BBQ chicken sandwich and Dustin a reuben) and some mini bite sized pies to take to the park. I wasn't all that impressed by the blueberry, but the banoffee (banana cream and toffee) was quite tasty and definitely something I'd like to make on my own. I'd go back if I were in the area and needed a quick bite, but I don't think I'd venture specifically out there again.

**Oscar's Cerveteca-** After we became legally licensed Californians we stopped by this Mexican joint in Venice for fish tacos, Mexican street corn, and celebratory strawberry ginger agua fresca. Dustin went all healthy on me and ordered grilled salmon tacos. I was craving something fried, so I ordered the Baja tacos. Both dishes were incredibly fresh and delicious with slaw, crema and spicy salsas. The corn was like something I'd expect to get on the streets of Mexico with chipotle and cotija cheese. I'd go back for the corn alone, but the tacos are also top notch.

**Sweet Rose Creamery-** We went on a nice long walk through Brentwood one evening culminating at the Brentwood Country Mart where we stopped and shared a chocolate waffle cone with fresh mint and homemade chocolate chip ice cream. Whoa! I've used fresh mint in [chocolate chip cookies](/blog/2012/07/mint-chocolate-chip-cookies/), and now I'll have to use it in ice cream as well because it is AMAZING. This was hands down the best mint chocolate chip ice cream I've ever tasted. You could taste the freshness of the herb, but it wasn't too herby at the same time if that makes any sense at all to you. And homemade chocolate waffle cones that practically melt in your mouth? Yes, please. You can bet we'll be back to try many of their seasonal flavors!

**Santa Monica Farmer's Market-** We hit our first farmer's market during our first week, and I definitely feel they will be a weekly stop for us— so much delicious fresh produce, cheese (we picked up some killer spicy smoked cheddar), meats, bakery products, nuts, candies, flowers, and more. Also, way better and more extensive than what we had locally in Washington. Between Santa Monica/Brentwood, the Hollywood area, and even Westwood there is practically one every day, so if you are busy one day, no fear because there's always another equally impressive market tomorrow. Rockenwagen Bakery was featured at the Santa Monica one we went to, so we grabbed some breakfast— a bacon and egg slider for Dustin and a Cro-Dough for me. A Cro-Dough is their version of NYC's famous and super popular Cronut—a hybrid donut and croissant. The Cro-Dough (I ordered the vanilla) was iced and stuffed with pasty cream. I planned on eating fruit for breakfast that morning, but my plans were thwarted once I saw the Cro-Dough.

**Sotto-** Sotto is a nicer, but still casual, restaurant with dishes from Southern Italy in the Beverly Hills/Century City area. The restaurant was loud and not for the claustrophobic, as the tables were crammed almost on top of each other, which we've found to be common practice in LA so far. The service was a little slow, but the food and cocktails were great. I ordered the Life's a Peach to drink (bourbon, muddled peach, lemon, honey, creme de peach, and prosecco) and Dustin ordered the Barrel-Aged Clover Club (gin, lemon, homemade raspberry preserves, and egg white). Both cocktails had enough flavors so that the alcohol didn't burn, but they weren't overly sweet despite their fruity ingredients. For appetizers we got the crusty, grilled homemade bread with lardo pestato and the grilled pork meatballs with snap peas, pecorino, and bitter greens. The meatballs practically melt in your mouth and were my favorite part of the night. We split two pasta dishes as our next course— the spaghetti with spicy octopus ragu, black kale, breadcrumbs, and burrata and the casarecce with braised lamb ragu, egg, and pecorino. Both pastas were clearly handmade and quite tasty, but I think the lamb was the better of the two. Since we were sitting so close to our dining neighbors, we heard them order a couple of desserts celebrating their anniversary, and they didn't seem all that pleased with them. We'd had such a great experience with appetizers and pastas, we didn't want to ruin our experience with potentially subpar desserts plus we were pretty full and the service was a little slow, so we chose to pass on dessert. Overall Sotto was a fun little date night, and I can definitely see us going back here after we've explored around some more.


#los-angeles

A Perfect Day in LA

Son of a Gun

Pizzeria Mozza

First Week LA: What We Ate