Los Angeles homecoming is approaching!

Each summer, I say goodbye to Los Angeles and live in the high desert for around three months for work.  During this period, I presume Los Angeles bakers see their sales go down significantly.  Perhaps some even think to themselves, "Kristin, you never call, you never write." Well rest assured, after a little vacation, I will be back in Los Angeles soon and ready to taste and blog devotedly about everything you have to offer.  I also plan to give some attention to my severely neglected oven, which I have not baked in for far too long.

Before going out of town for my annual September vacation, I got a head start on my approaching homecoming by spending a few days moving my life back to LA.  And even more exciting than not living out of a suitcase was my first post-high-desert late night bakery visit: a spontaneous stop at Figaro in Los Feliz.  

It turns out that if you're aching to go to Paris (which is most of the time, for me), you can come here to enjoy something buttery while also overhearing real French people charmingly discuss things in their native tongue.  And even better, Figaro stays open until 10:30 most days and 11 pm Friday and Saturday.  With these hours, The Great American Bakery Hunt can add Figaro to the list of late night LA dessert spots in our ongoing investigation of LA's late night dessert shortage.  (If I wanted to be truly sensationalistic, I might even call it a crisis.)

In the picture above,  you can see Figaro's powdered sugar-dusted butter cookie with jam in the center.  However, instead of enjoying this cookie among the French conversationalists, I enjoyed it back at a cozy LA apartment paired with a Pannepøt, a Belgian beer brewed by De Struise Brouwers.


Nothing says perfect LA homecoming like cookies and craft beer.  Readers, have you also had a busy summer?  Ring in the new fall by making friends with your oven again.  Bake a little, drink a little craft beer, and enjoy the leaves changing-- I've heard rumors that leaves do this in other parts of the world, although I am personally surrounded by palm trees.  Whatever your landscape situation, Happy Fall!