Farmer's Market Review - Los Feliz

My favorite thing about living in Los Feliz is the little farmer's market held every Sunday from 9am-2pm in the post office parking lot. Voila. Post boxes:

I've been going almost every Sunday since I moved here and it's helped me feel like a part of a community. So I went and snapped some photos of my favorite things about it, just for a quick review. If you are in the area at all, it's small and charming and well worth a visit. It's got a great vibe.


The Gastrobus!!!! This is one of the best things to find at the Los Feliz market.

Every morning they get there early and make 6-7 great groumet-ish brunch/lunch offerings out of the produce being sold at the market. Best of all, they also serve strong, $2 Armenian coffee!! They also sell preserves and a tomato confit that is sweet, creamy and amazing.



Live music! soothing, oooo, ahhh.


Oxnard Produce! They are my favorite veg stand. They are all super nice and they have great deals on fresh green beans, bell peppers and avocados, especially. I didn't buy anything that day so I didn't want to get up in their face with tons of photos but at least you know where to go when you get there.


This is my FAVORITE fruit stand. They dont' have a name anywhere so I actually have no idea what farm they are (super helpful, I know) but they are so sweet and last weekend I high-fived the girl who works there. It was a special moment. I love them.

They always have an abundance of seasonal fruits, so for months I've been gorging myself on white peaches and nectarines. Then the plums started coming out too - I love the little sweet/tart green ones. It was looking like an oil painting last Sunday...



And recently they have had GRAAAAPES!! Crunchy and sweet and heavily dripping off the vine.



They also sell Chinese dates dried and fresh. yum.

And though I love the Armenian Coffee from Gastrobus - it can't beat my most favorite new addition to the Los Feliz market - DripBarLA! Serving Blue Bottle Coffee. Say it with me -COR FWOR!! swoon!


I cannot get over how gorgeous and black this coffee is. *superswoon*

Maybe best of all, I get to walk to and from the market past the most magnificent trees.




Los Feliz Farmers Market 9am-2pm
Vermont Ave & Franklin Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90027

Food Book Friday - The London Ritz Book of Afternoon Tea!

For the past week I promised myself I'd drink more water and cut out caffeine, "just to see what happens". Well, my skin seems to be more "supple" but hot-damn, I miss my daily cuppa tea!!!!

So for Food Book Friday (what's left of it) I present to you a divine little book on a divine topic: TEA


The London Ritz Book of Afternoon Tea - The Art and Pleasures of Taking Tea is a fabulous tea-time recipe book full of everything from Welsh Rarebit to Eccles Cakes to Rose Petal Jam.

A bit of history about tea and The Ritz, as well as a tea directory, make it a near-perfect book for those who covet the stuff as much as I do.

Frosted Cupcakery - Hollywood and Santa Monica

Today I read on LAist that, thanks to a promo via Bravo's Top Chef, a few bakeries around LA were giving out some goods for free. I thought I'd be all smart and clever, save gas money, and take the metro down to the very newly minted "cupcakery" called Frosted on Highland. Adventure!


Well, my intention was good, but after having one of those unexpectedly-long, cars-wizzing-by, dirty-bus-wind-in-my-face, sun-blaring-down-on-endless-concrete-trash-swirling-Los Angeles wasteland walks, I was feeling like the whole thing was so not worth it.

But Frosted was cool and clean and made of my favorite color turquoise, so once I walked inside I was able to chill out and enjoy my freebie:



Look at these fat little things!!! They call these "hottops" which I think is totally adorable. That's two cupcake tops sandwiching buttercream. Cute idea, cute looking, cuuuuuuute overloooaad. Mine was even better than it looked: sexy, sticky, moist... yea baby. I love the sprinkles on there. They are just over a buck so it's an easy treat to splurge on for next time and try the other flavors. The chocolate was so rich. No complaints!


The store itself reminds me of Dot's Cupcakes in Pasadena and Lark Cake Shop in Silverlake... that sort of "shabby chic", sterile but charming (is that possible?) girly/retro thing. I also got a 50's vibe from Frosted which I liked. I bet rows of women like this come out at night, grinning perpetually as they top every perfect cupcake with a special candy or swirly frosting design.

The big cupcakes are less than $3! So, dammit, my frugal, metro-taking self totally broke down and bought one of these mint chocolate ones...


Look at those chocolate chips!!! They get me EVERY TIME. I was going to wait for dessert, but I just ate it. This is a grade-A cupcake people! Dense, tightly-crumbed, "cake-like"cake (not dry), divine minty frosting that has that more "crunchy" (powdered sugar-y) consistency that makes salivary glands shudder. HEHEHEHHAHAHAA!! sugar rush!!

I also wanted to try their flavor of the month for September: Chocolate Malt (MALT!!!) and these strawberry ones. I loooove those candy toppings...

And these orange ones too! wowee. These are the ones that looked really 50's to me for some reason.
Thanks Frosted! Good luck with your new store! Being a match for Dot's is no small feat. But next time I'm driving.

Frosted Cupcakery (how cool is it that they call it a "cupcakery" too, by the way?)
1200 n. highland ave.
los angeles ca 90038

(323) 467-1080

closed monday
11am - 7pm tuesday - sunday

Noodles With Cabbage! Noodles WIth Cabbage!

Last Friday was a fun day.

After dancing like a hippie to Jesus Christ Superstar, I built up a crazy appetite and decided it was time to make something special and new for dinner.

I wanted something casserole-y, hearty, creamy/comforting, but didn't want to break the bank OR use my oven - which sets the smoke alarm off every time I use it. After toying with a tasty looking cream and tomato pasta sauce, I flipped through my Beard On Pasta book and found a glorious creature titled "Noodles With Cabbage".

NOODLES WITH CABBAAAAAGE!!!!??? *pop*pop*pop* went the hearts in my eyes.

A simple, yet unique and comforting meal made of soft sauteed cabbage and cream. I had planned to add ground beef too so I was very excited indeed!



You can make this dish with any noodle of course, or even dumplings, but I opted for good old fashioned "egg noodles" so I highly recommend those. They were thick and chewy enough to compliment the big pieces of cabbage and the creamy cream.




It's so fun to cook cabbage but beware, I "blacked" (not browned) my cabbage TWICE. Oops. So BE CAREFUL that you keep an eye on it as it gets soft in those last minutes before you add the cream.

I cut the recipe way down - this one is for 6-8 servings.

NOODLES WITH CABBAGE -From "Beard On Pasta" by James Beard

One 2-3 pound cabbage (I used plain green cabbage, it's so sweet and slightly bitter when cooked. Perfect.)
5 tablespoons butter or bacon fat
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup light cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound noodles

Put the cabbage through the slicing blade of the food processor (or just chop that shit up, yo). Melt the butter or bacon fat in a large skillet and saute the cabbage until it is lightly browned. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Sprinkle on the flour and continue to cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Then add the cream, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened.
Cook the noodles. Drain them, add them to the pot, and let everything bubble together for a few minutes to blend the flavors.

That's it! How easy is that?! Like a casserole without having to bake.

I agree with James Beard that it would be a great meal to have with a glass of beer .

My suggested additions:
*Ground beef - cooked with onions - simple but hearty addition
*Dill - when I had my leftovers the next day I sprinkled some dill over the noodles and holy lord it was a beautiful pairing.
*Mushrooms - I didn't try this but I can easily see some chopped, sauteed mushrooms being a great compliment to this dish as well.

Bon Appetit! Sherman wants some too.

2 for 1 Wine at Palermos in Los Feliz

Palermo's in Los Feliz has initiated a 2 for 1 wine bottle special!

Wine is sexy! CHIANTI is even sexier! So I suggest buying this one when you want something dependable.




Cheap, strong and blood red.

Palermo's is a great "classic" Italian place and thanks to their special we got 2 bottles of the Chianti for $11. The second time around, we chatted with one of the owners (or maybe manager?) about wine long enough that the young guy behind the counter counseled us to "leave before he's starts talking about his ex-wife". Love it.

They have a handful of wines to pick from and most seem to be in the $5-10 range. A good chance to try them all.

Two for one people! Get yer tannins.

Palermo's
1858 North Vermont Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90027-4215

Farmer's Market Review!!! - Silverlake Saturdays with Soledad Goat Cheese and Cam Slocum's Tomatoes

OH MY GOD I am in love with life. Food, once again, is the channel for which I am finding such love inside me and this crazy modern world.

In my first installment of "Farmer's Market Review" (in which I will give you tasty local updates on the weekends for various farmer's markets in the area), I am gloriously overjoyed to say I found two fabulous local food vendors at the Silverlake Farmer's Market this morning.



I came to the Silverlake Farmer's Market because my J man lives nearby and introduced me to it a few weeks ago. I was in a bad mood that day so I was a little nervous today returning to the 'scene of the crime'. I know, I know... but seriously! I'm a gentle flower sometimes :P

As I passed by the rich and practically frothing color of all the fresh veggies and fruits dripping over tables and plastic bins, I could feel my shyness creeping up.




As well as my absolute awareness that I am currently flat broke.

I snapped a few photos, splurged on a bundle of fresh and fluffy dill and wandered back up to my car feeling sort of lame that I hadn't tried harder. I thought of the thing I most admire about Jamie (outgoing) and bucked myself up with some pioneering spirit and walked back, determined to talk to strangers and actually make this a post worthy of the people that will hopefully read it.

I bee-lined to the Soledad Goat Cheese table but in waiting to take photos I scooted to the next table and stumbled upon Lina Slocum tending to her Father's pickled green tomato and salsa display.




OK - HOLY COW.

The theme of this post is now officially DISCOVERY. Lina loves Daft Punk and we chatted about them and their album Discovery, so that was amazing, but most amazing of all was discovering her dad's local tomato goods!

I looked down at the frosty little jars of pickled green tomatoes on display and she almost immediately handed me a big, beautiful plastic spoonful of the stuff. It was so sexy I almost felt naughty. GOD I LOVE LOCAL FOOD! The idea of it, the fact of it, the look, the character, the stories behind it. It's the best. And DUH, that's what farmer's markets are for.

.

I adored the pickled concoction - so fresh and bright, tangy but not too acidic. *Shmack shmack shmack*. I thought of Jamie and his pickling attempts and had to buy one for him. Well, me. I mean, him. :) I so rarely buy the "fun stuff" like this at Farmer's Markets (other than veg and fruit that is) so it was invigorating to do so. $8 was a lot for me but it just had to be done. Like being on vacation and collecting memories that you can't possibly find anywhere else.

After that chunky, tender and juicy pickled green tomato, Lina gave me spoonfuls each of Cam's 2 salsas. The green was very pleasant and mild, with a welcome, warming spice creeping up at the finish. Mm! Good for people who don't love lots of spice but want something super fresh that honors the single flavor of the tomato.

The next one was really different, a salsa with 5 types of radishes. Radishes in salsa!!?? So RAD! (No pseudo-pun intended). I could see this one being great for something like an omelet or hell, even eating it like Gazpacho, or with big chunks of soft french bread "just cuz". It was also relatively mild, very fresh tasting and unique as hell.

Shortly after this mid-morning salsa sampling I got to meet the man behind the tomatoes - Cam Slocum, the "East Side Tomato King". It just kept getting better! Super local food, folks. Cam grows these tomatoes at his farm in Lincoln Heights. Lincoln Heights people. So rad. He poured me a cup of lemonade and was fantastically welcoming and pleasant as we chatted about his farm. My heart and eyes were opening wide with appreciation - yup, food love does it every time!!



Cam is also an artist and has a new gallery (called "Old Fucks", ha) that is holding it's first opening tonight. Perhaps you will see the same picture that adorns the t-shirts he sells.

Old Fuck's Gallery
220 E. Ave 32
LA, CA 390031

You can chat with these awesome peeps and sample Cam's fab tomato creations at these local East LA markets:

Silverlake on Saturdays from 8am-1pm
Atwater Village on Sundays from 10am-2pm
and the NEW Farmer's Market in El Sereno Fridays from 4pm-8pm - DJ's and all! Sounds fun.

I wanted to hang out with them more and talk about food and art and Daft Punk, but there was goat cheese to be had! And you know me and goat cheese. Well, you probably don't, so I'll tell you. I F-ing LOVE it. Back off, I'm going to spread it all over my throat and sing it songs until it becomes a human being and marries me... I love it.

So I saddled back up to The Soledad Goat Cheese table, ready to take some pics and learn more about MORE local food! I was raring to go now! Pumped up on Cam's local tomato fire!



Rob is the name of the man behind the table who works for the husband and wife team who own 300 goats on their goat farm in the Mojave Dessert. As he was bustling around with his samples he told me the two were originally goat-farmers in England with something like 2000 goats! (My pen was on the fritz when he told me, so I hope I'm not quoting that totally wrong). Tragedy struck when a freak fire burned the whole place down, goats and all, leaving the married couple with literally the shirts on their backs. Chilling story that lead them to the States where they now operate a goat farm and supply us with...

THE

BEST

FLIPPING

GOAT CHEESE

E V E RRRRRR



People.

This cheese was like ice cream.

Rob handed me a soft, white spoonful of their god-infused plain goat cheese and I had to do some serious will power action to keep from leaping on the table and screaming my head off with lustful food joy. But I could tell if I started to crow like Peter Pan over this bloody amazing goat cheese I might scare Rob, so I sort of stood there speechless like a dope as my body cranked into high gear. My pupils were probably like saucers. The cheese was fresh and white as newly fallen snow. Thick and soft like cream cheese but lighter in texture with a mild, openly sweet tang that only made sense when it was in my mouth... I'm doing my best to describe it but you'll just have to visit them and try it.

But, the worst was yet to come - the worst for what was left of my frail will-power, that is.

LEMON HONEY LAVENDAR GOAT CHEESE.

AAAAUUUUUUGGGHHH!!!!!! This was not some cloying, conceptual flavored cheese you guys, this was the universe blossoming on my tongue. I have not had such simple and true flavors in anything, let alone goat cheese, for a long time. I'm honestly humble and speechless about it. The lemon was light, the lavender slight and scent-like on the palate, and the honey, well...for anyone who knows how much I adore honey you'll understand that adding a touch of honey to this food-coma party is like giving me a Rufus Wainwright blood transfusion.

As it slid down my throat and dissolved on my tongue, the whole of my senses suddenly tasting and smelling like a sweet summer garden, Rob told me of restaurants that use it as the sole topping for thier cheesecake.

WHAT WHAT!?!?! Super swoon. As soon as I earn some more money, I'm buying cases of the stuff and inviting my friends over for a cheesecake orgy.



Nothing could really follow that first burst of bliss, but Rob generously sampled two more cheeses that were both fantastic. The first was a Cabernet-infused cheese, gently mottled with pretty veins of the wine flashing through as though it were a small slab of marble. It was beautiful and subtle, dense and creamy.

Second was a great, hearty little cheese that didn't taste "goaty" at all. (Not that I mind that, but some people do). He said it was great for kids and he's right, I think it would be. It had a true, straight forward flavor that was just as fresh as the others and full of creamy cheesy tang. I'm a dope because I dont' remember the name of that one. I was so overstimulated, I'm amazed I'm even writing this all down. Maybe if Rob reads this he can comment what it's called :D

Soledad Goat Cheese can be found at over 20 Farmer's Market, the most local for us Eastsiders being:

Hollywood on Sundays from 8am-1pm
Silverlake on Saturdays from 8am-1pm
and Atwater Village from10am-2pm.

*NOTE* they will be at the Hollywood one this Sunday, the 12th.

And with that, my warm food heart and wild food brain, I bid you a very happy food weekend indeed.

Food Book Friday - "Food Lover's Companion" Is My Best Companion

I had a thought just now that I should do a "theme" day, and this was one that came to mind: Food Book Friday.

So I'm doing it. This food book is my most favorite!

The Food Lover's Companion by Sharon Tyler Herbst. Mine is the 3rd edition and looks just like this:



Awww, cute little Food Lover's Companion...You can get the newest edition here.

It's a mini food-dictionary/encyclopedia that has had great information on almost everything food related that I've ever been curious to look up. From cooking utensils to ingredients to food terms, you name it, it's got it.

My favorite thing about it is reading the vitamin/nutrient characteristics and benefits for most of the veg/fruit/edible entries. I often look up the abundant vitamin content for most vegetables I eat. And let me tell you, it's a thrill.

Random page flipped open reveals:

Short Ribs: Rectangles of beef about 2 inches by 3 inches, usually taken from the CHUCKCUT. Short ribs consist of layers of fat and meat and contain pieces of the rib one. They're every tough and require long, slow, most-heat cooking.

and

Brandy Alexander: A sweet COCKTAIL that is usually served after dinner. It's made with brandy, chocolate LIQUEUR and cream.

Sarsaparilla Root Tea and a Touch of History

Woooo doggie! You heard me, SARSAPARILLA! The name alone conjures up many fantastic images for me, namely this:



So the other day when I went to The Spice Station (the apothecary-style, Secret Garden, grotto-fabulous tea and spice store in Silverlake), I flipped out when I spotted one of their small glass jars filled with a caramel colored, wood-chippy looking substance labeled, you guessed it, Sarsaparilla!

"Does it take taste like ROOT BEEEERR??!!" I happily panicked. "Oh my GAWD!"

My heart pounded in crowded sync with memories of brown glass bottles and cozy nights watching Young Riders with my sister eating "cowboy food". I used to be so into this shit. And I guess I still am!

So of course I bought a small stash and stored it away gleefully like a chipmunk in my purse, dashing home with fantasies of turning it into my very own Sarsaparilla syrup for my very own homemade brew.

I haven't gotten that far yet, but I DID just make some of it as tea (with a touch of honey, mind) and boy howdy, it was tasty. It wasn't as strong as I thought it would be, but it had a wonderfully faint, woodsy tone to it, almost like a wine cork ( in a good way) with a light, sweet punch of root beer-esque flavor lingering over the palate. (Listen to me, I sound like a Sommelier)

If you've ever had Pau D'arco tea, it reminded me a bit of that as well. I highly recommend it y'all.

And since I'm now getting all pumped up, I thought I'd offer up a bit of history as well. I looked up Sarsaparilla on that Google doo-hicky and here's what I found, thanks to Wisegeek.com and Wikipedia.com:

*The root of the Sarsaparilla vine is what is used for flavoring. The plant is natively found in Mexico, Central and South America.

*It was used for centuries for medicinal purposes, and in the 1800's when pharmacists distilled the normally bitter chemicals with sugar to make it more palatable, Sarsaparilla (the drink) was born.

*Sassafras - not to be confused with our hero Sarsaparilla - is another medicinal tree (found in North America) of similar flavor characteristics that was first used as the main ingredient in Root Beer, perhaps as a substitute for Sarsaparilla.

*For Sarsaparilla benefits and ailment information, check this page out.

*Root Beer is not interchangeable with Sarsaparilla, as I originally thought, but rather made up of a mixture of ingredients, one of which used to be Sarsaparilla. But that root is now more commonly replaced with sassafras and accompanied by birch oil, wintergreen, vanilla, cherry tree bark and licorice root, to name a few. Root Beer was also first used as a medicinal drink in the 1800's for "mouth complaints".

Now this comes to mind!



10 points if you know what movie this photo is from :)

I love that whacked out "travelling Doctor with his tonics" thing from the 1800's even more than cowboys I think. Time to make that Sarsaparilly soda!

Cowboy photo courtesy of Longhorndave on Flickr.

Tom Kha Gai Thai Soup Recipe! - For the Coconut Lovers

About two weeks ago BoyJamie invited me to have dinner at his sister Lisa's place. Besides having had a great time at a party of hers just a few weeks prior, (she and her husband Paul are foodies and she made RIBS with a ROOTBEER-BASED MARINADE), Jamie told me that she was going to be cooking THAI FOOD for us. Sooo ya. I'm there.

I mean, who the hell doesn't love Thai food?! Let alone people who actually attempt to make it!? It's one of those cuisines that I always think would be fun to make but stop short of it for lack of funds (sooo many ingredients not commonly found in the pantry) and lack of a reason (tiny apartment not suitable for dinner parties).

Well, J's sister has a great house and a great kitchen, and when we got there, a great big spread of Thai ingredients adorning the counter as she prepared our main dish - Tom Kha Gai soup!!!!!!!!!!! HOT DAMN that's my favorite soup!!!

Like Johnny Depp in Once Upon A Time In Mexico who travels around Mexico ordering the same dish, I order Tom Kha Gai whenever I get the chance and judge the restaurant accordingly. (Unlike Johnny, however, I do not kill the best chef to "maintain the balance" of the country).


Lisa did all the work, but at one point I helped her squeeze limes while she tended to the nearly finished pot of soup. Jamie was drinking beer nearby with Paul and lending a hand as well. That, with the lime juice streaming brightly over my hands and lending it's scent to the whole scene, made me quite happy indeed.

But then we got to EAT. And of course that was even better.



My favorite thing was that she offered us a topping sampler-tray to add extra characteristic and flavor to the soup, drooooool. It reminded me of a Thai version of the bacon, cheese and chive toppings that you get at Pea Soup Anderson's.



Those are sweet, small tomatoes, green onions, parsley, fried onion, sliced chilies and bean sprouts! yes!

The soup was so creamy (one of my criteria for good Tom Kha Gai) and one of the best I've had. She kept saying it was too lime-y and even though it was strong, I rather liked it. I felt like it was invigorating my senses.



My other favorite thing was that she dished our bowls out with scoops of white rice, then topped it with the beloved soup. *Swoon*

Their adorable son Griffin quite loved the rice too. Especially as a hair accessory.



When I emailed her to get the recipe she had these helpful notes to add:

I made 6 servings when you came over. However, I would cut the Kaffir leaves and the lime juice in HALF when you make the recipe. I made the soup again and cut back a little on them, but it could be cut back even more so more of the flavors besides the lime come out. Trader Joe's' has low fat coconut milk if you are interested in that (we're on Weight Watchers, so it helps), but if not, any coconut milk will do, and they are super cheap at the Asian store. I shopped at The Bangluck Market (PS I LOVE Bangluck market!!) on Reseda and Sherman Way. Found everything at a great price ( I even picked up two gigantic soup bowls that i LOVE).

So there you have it folks! And here you have the recipe, enjoy.

You can also visit Lisa's blogs here if you are so inclined!

http://www.dancemomma.com/

http://griffinmommy.wordpress.com/

Blue Bottle Coffee in Los Angeles - Hurray for DripBarLA!

This Sunday I bought myself an iced Blue Bottle Coffee IN LOS ANGELES!

There really is nothing like Blue Bottle, the San Francisco based coffee company I came to know and love thanks to my sister, of course, who lived in SF. It was a special routine to go to Blue Bottle every time I went to SF, so to be able to drink it in LA this past weekend, especially when I was feeling down in the dumps, was a terribly happy treat.

Thanks to the fabulously simple and sweet DripBarLA, I was able to indulge in my Bay Area bliss right here in Los Feliz. The girls of DripBarLA go around to farmer's markets and events with the glorious Blue Bottle beans in tow and supply my hometown with the best coffee around.



(*I did not take this photo, I got it from the Blue Bottle site*)

They used to sell my beloved coffee at a cafe in Venice but decided to go-portable when they realized how many people wanted (and needed) Blue Bottle in their local hoods. Hurray for DripBarLA!!

I got the New Orleans' iced coffee. It has chicory in it. Smooth, creamy, refreshing. The best.

You can find them at the Los Feliz farmer's market on Sundays from 8-2 in the post office parking lot, and/or follow them on twitter at twitter.com/dripbar