Chef's Tasting Dinner at Fig in Santa Monica

Rabbit with McGrath Farms English Peas

How many different ways can you eat a rabbit?  This question was answered with tasty results (see above) during Chef Ray Garcia's recent dinner at Fig Restaurant at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel Santa Monica.  I was lucky enough to attend this private dinner hosted by Voss Water and Los Angeles Magazine, which served the dual purpose of raising awareness about the Voss Foundation while bringing together the LA food community.  The Voss Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Norway-based Voss Water, engages in efforts to bring clean water sources to areas in sub-Saharan Africa.

This dinner gave me the perfect opportunity to learn more about the foundation's efforts while allowing me to try Chef Ray Garcia's dishes for the first time-- a recipe for a great night.  The intersection of the culinary world and philanthropy is of great personal interest to me, not only because I believe in the practice of doing well by doing good, but also due to my professional background in the nonprofit sector.  I am fascinated by the concept that a little innovation, creative problem solving, and a socially responsible philosophy can make such a tremendous impact.  When the culinary world becomes a part of this equation, it really sparks my interest.  The Voss Foundation is currently creating dialogue about their work in Africa through the "31 days to make a difference" campaign, which will encourage mobile giving from World Water Day (March 22) through Earth Day (April 22.)

As I looked around the private dining room, I was delighted to be in attendance with so many great women who shared my devotion to food media.  My only complaint is that there was so much good food to eat and great people to talk to that it was impossible to meet everyone in attendance.  Nevertheless, the all-female group of diners filled the room with chatter and excitement over the beautifully presented courses, as we befriended fellow food enthusiasts on our left and right.  (By the end, I swear each person at the table was glowing from a collective love of food.  It was a decadent girls' night out indeed.)

Sonoma Spring Lamb

I felt particularly pampered when I took a moment to appreciate the contrast between this luxurious dinner and the rest of my day: by day, I live the life of a nonprofit operations employee with more tasks to check off my list than time to accomplish them.  By night, my only duty was to enjoy an elegant, multi-course meal, sipping wine pairings while learning about how the Voss Foundation helped to construct 32 clean water access points.  It was an unexpected but enlightening collision of worlds. Honestly, the meal looked and tasted so good that had Padma Lakshmi made an appearance, it could have been an episode of Top Chef.  (And yes, Bravo, I'd be happy to serve as a guest judge in case you were wondering.)

Thank you to the Voss Water and LA Magazine for including me in this dinner, and hats off to the Voss Foundation for its continuing efforts.  For more about the Voss Foundation, visit their website at http://www.thevossfoundation.org/

Coolhaus: a satisfyingly sticky treat to share

It's practically impossible to resist the Coolhaus truck during a night congregating at Santa Monica's Main Street food truck lot.

  The architechturally-themed ice cream sandwich truck empowers eaters to choose their own cookie flavor, then sandwich in flavors such as brown butter with candied bacon or balsamic fig with mascarpone.  I selected the oatmeal cookie to devour, but not before breaking off a few messy dripping pieces for my friends to taste.  From structurally sound to destroyed for consumption in less than 30 seconds, our hands ended up chilled and sticky but it was well worth it.  It's not exactly a food you can share gracefully, but it's too good to finish alone.

The Santa Monica food truck lot happens here on Tuesdays:

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The authors of "Bite Me" take a bite out of Santa Monica with The Great American Bakery Hunt

Last week, the authors of "Bite Me", also known as the saucy sisters, joined The Great American Bakery Hunt for lunch in Santa Monica.  After a morning preparing the last touches of their cooking demo, Lisa Gnat and Julie Albert took a break from a busy day of bringing the flavorful pages of their cookbook to life in LA. 


If you visit the "Bite Me" website, you will notice the sisters described as Lisa "whisk girl" Gnat (the chef) and Julie "ink-slinger" Albert (the writer).  But beyond their technical backgrounds, it's undeniable that both sisters bring a sense of carefree fun, humor, and wit to the table.  When I met Julie and Lisa, it was no surprise that just like their cookbook, the sisters were full of life and food-related witticisms.  

In "Bite Me," clever pop culture references peppered throughout the pages combine with music playlists to rock out to while cooking.  This gives readers the opportunity to question conventional cooking habits, for example: who says you can't air guitar while in an apron? While I adore cookbooks of all sorts, this is a unique question that not many in the food writing genre would stir up.  Fresh and original, Lisa and Julie are like the Chuck Klosterman of the food world, giving you nibbles of pop culture and morsels of music to snack on even as you focus on the main recipe.   

Best of all, with featured quotes ranging from TV-series How I Met Your Mother lines to Bill Cosby sound bites, this book is approachable to members of whatever generation happen to be in the kitchen that day.  Julie commented that the sisters have received feedback from parents who have used "Bite Me" to reconnect with their teenagers through cooking.  But beyond the hip appeal of the book's fresh design, their philosophy is all about creating tasty but approachable food, which lends itself well to teaching cooks of all ages about how to make great meals.  

Wanting to give one of the recipes a try before our lunch, I whipped up the cinnamon swirl breakfast bread (page 224) and proceeded to consume it for both dessert and breakfast.  This comforting  recipe is perfect with a piping hot cup of coffee and I am sure to have it in my back pocket for many years to come.  Best of all, most of the ingredients in the bread are probably in your cupboard already, so it's quite simple to make if unexpected guests come into town.

Since the sisters hail from Canada, I quizzed them on where I could find a good Nanaimo bar.  I assumed these originated in Canada ever since a 3rd grade report I did on the country in which I had to make a regional recipe, and my Canadian neighbor gave me her written version of this layered bar dessert. However, I have since learned that the Nanaimo bar's origins are forever under historical dispute.  Despite the Nanaimo mystery remaining unsolved, Julie and Lisa enlightened me about their culinary philosophy and reminded me why fun is an important part of the kitchen.  (My belief in this philosophy probably explains why I own things like this guitar spatula.  One can't resist a little rock and roll twist in a spatula design!)


Perhaps one of my favorite anecdotes from lunch was when Julie handed me a sticker with a recipe for their chunky white chocolate cranberry cookies.  She said that when offering them to others, such as the postman for example, she will ask them if they bake.  And if they don't bake themselves, she'll suggest "Well give it to the little woman!" Lisa charmed me with her approach to chocolate chip cookies, deeming herself a "chocolate chip cookie purist."  Anyone who takes chocolate chip cookies seriously is a friend of mine.  Generous in spirit, fun, and chocolate chip cookie philosophies, Julie and Lisa were a pleasure to meet and I hope the rest of their travels leave them with some time to take a bite out of life! 

Farmer's market nostalgia

When you're a food lover, sometimes a craving strikes and the rest is history.  You convince other people that the item you're craving is one they should desire as well, sometimes persuading them with a fervor misunderstood by more moderate food seekers.  Such was the case this Saturday when I forced my body out of slumber mode and went to the Santa Monica Saturday farmer's market in search of one thing: the alligator.  Now, it's been months since I have sought joy from the Bread Man's alligator pastry, which in the past I have savored while walking sleepily through the market.  On a day where you want to explore, go breakfasting in your flip flops, and swill coffee, the alligator is the perfect treat.  And this was the experience I wanted for others to whom I had promised a sublime breakfast experience.  But sadly, when I arrived to the market this Saturday, the Bread Man was nowhere to be found.  I had definitely heard news of some farmer's market vendor reshuffling, but I know now I was in denial.  I learned the hard way that rolling out of bed and sacrificing groomed hair to get my hands on one of the often sold-out alligators is no longer an option for me on Saturdays.  I'm planning on showing up to Bread Man's other markets with hope in my heart and a little bit sleepier eyes since now it will require long distance travel to hunt the alligator. 

This Saturday, since I was left lacking alligator, with bad bed head and an increasingly growly stomach, I was happy to try the new kid on the market block, Valerie Confections.  After picking up a few bunches of cilantro, I nibbled on their strawberry hand pie, both pictured below.  Delicious, and buttery, this tasty morsel lasted just long enough to comfort me during my defeated exit to the parking lot.  Don't get me wrong, not all change is bad.   I was excited to see Valerie Confections at the market--their galettes and hand pies are beautiful, and I'll be visiting their storefront soon.  But it's definitely the end of an era, and the alligator and I, we had a lot of great times.   

Coffee talk at Huckleberry with The Great American Bakery Hunt

Recently, I've been missing out on quality time with one of my very favorite local bakeries, Huckleberry.  So after work one evening, I stopped by and did some studying while sipping on their refillable coffee to my heart's content.  And since going to Huckleberry and not getting a treat is like going to France and skipping the bistros, I was also obligated to taste the cake pictured above.  This was before I had eaten dinner, but I was guided by the law of the bakery.  Big, fluffy, and chocolaty, this slice of cake is old school.  It's much like the slice of cake I imagine kids returning to after school, particularly kids who grew up on farmland and who were served fresh from-the-oven slices coupled with a tall glass of milk straight from the cows.  

Regional food envy cured after surprise package arrives at office! Announcing Part 3 in the "it's safe to say I work with the most awesome people" series

Back in September, I blogged about a wicked case of regional food envy (RFE) after I discovered the delicious tradition of West Virginia pepperoni rolls.  Completely foreign to my California upbringing, these rolls were just the hearty snack I never knew I always wanted.  The last time I got to enjoy one of these treats was during the summer-- and just when I thought I might never taste a genuine P-roll again, an entire box of them arrived from a colleague in West Virginia!  Hearing they were a "hot commodity" in California, he sent some along to us in Santa Monica.  In an unsolicited comment, April, coworker and long-time contributor of The Great American Bakery Hunt, wrote this enthusiastic early morning email:

From: April 

Sent: Tuesday, January 12, 2010 7:30 AM
To: Kristin

Subject: mmmmm...

"It’s so good, these pepperoni rolls for breakfast, I’m having another. I know, indulgent, but it’s a very rare occasion I can partake in such a morning treat! From West Virginia! Who else in California today can say they are having a breakfast from West Virginia?! Only us, only us!"

   

 

Notice that 7:30 am time stamp on April's email?  She couldn't wait to get to work in the morning to feast on another P-roll.  The Great American Bakery Hunt can't blame her.  Thanks to the folks in West Virginia who made our California day!

the perfect breakfast sandwich, Hooligan cheese, and words to live by from Tina Fey

In honor of the LA Scandinavian film festival kickoff this weekend, I'd like to get everyone into the spirit with a tip about my favorite Danish breakfast.  It involves the following things: a freshly baked roll, like the one pictured above from Hygge Bakery, an aggressively strong cheese (try Grayson or preferably, Hooligan from Andrew's Cheese Shop or wherever you can get your hands on it!), and a sweet jam of some sort, perhaps a little Bonne Maman raspberry-- or swing by the Little Next Door and check out their lovely jam selection.  

       Now comes the important part: Spread a slab of cheese on the roll, add a layer of jam, and experience a hearty breakfast fit for a Copenhagen winter.  Sure, the cheese is stinky, but it's breakfast sandwich magic. While it wasn't Grayson or Hooligan I was eating in Denmark, these cheeses are similarly delicious compared with the unnamed, elusive block of strong Danish cheese that lived in my host family's refrigerator.  A few slices of this stinky mystery cheese, a couple pieces of my host mom's freshly baked bread, and some jam, were the essentials I grabbed and quickly threw into a sack before I ran out the door to catch the bus to school in Copenhagen. 

       It took me awhile of living back in the States to rekindle my love for aggressive, stinky cheese.  I didn't know if I'd ever taste that breakfast sandwich again, and I feared I would try to create the same sandwich and face inevitable dissapointment.  But then, unexpectedly, it happened:  I went to visit my brother in Brooklyn, and discovered Hooligan while strolling the Union Square green market.  I sampled it and immediately knew: I had to buy some and create the essential Danish breakfast at my brother's Park Slope apartment.

        Now, you must realize that this Danish breakfast endeavor took commitment.  My brother had slept in that day, being the night owl writer type.  But as a first time New York visitor I had a whole day of early morning exploration planned-- starting with the farmer's market.  (There was no time to waste in one of the greatest food cities in the world!) 

      I knew I had to buy the Hooligan, but I was planning to explore the city for many hours beyond the market.  I was determined.  I rigged up an elaborate cheese preservation plan involving a bag of ice which later left a few puddles on the subway floor.   For this unprepared traveler, it did just the temporary trick.  Hours later, I arrived in Park Slope, a woman on a serious mission.  My stinky cheese in tow, its odorous presence undoubtedly wafted through many Park Slope apartment windows, to the surprise (dismay?) of residents.  It was all for a good cause, though they didn't know it.  
     The next morning, the time had come for the sandwich reunion.  I ran to a neighborhood bakery that sold fresh, simple breakfast rolls, stopped at a gem of a specialty shop, Blue Apron Foods to buy some jam, and as planned, proceeded to fall in love with this magical Danish breakfast sandwich all over again.   Hooligan came very close to replicating the Danish breakfast sandwich experience for me, and I experienced the perfect culmination of food memories, travel, and culture in a city where anything is possible.  Don't ask me to describe the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty: on any given trip to New York, I'm likely to have better memories of a green market cheese sample than most things.

       While I'd love to go back to Denmark sometime soon, it looks like the perfect breakfast sandwich can be achieved in LA or New York, for now.  As the 30 Rock character Liz Lemon once said, "All of human kind has one thing in common: The Sandwich.  I believe that all anyone really wants in this life is to sit in peace and eat a sandwich."  Words to live by, if you ask me.

Here's to the holidays!

It seems to be a law of the universe that every food blogger loves the simple apple tart recipe of Alice Waters. I baked up this little number to share at the first annual pie swap day taking place at work this week, an event which yielded a surprising number of homemade pies. I took the liberty of making a tart, though technically it was pie-swap and not tart-swap day.

Did I mention that pie swap day also involved a large, precariously wrapped, fresh-out-of-the-oven turkey which a coworker and I transported via dolly from Whole Foods to our office, complete with the bird's juices leaking everywhere throughout the streets of downtown Santa Monica? (See the beginning of our journey, below, pre-juice leakage disaster.) Here's to the holidays!

a stormy Santa Monica invites baking opportunities

To bake or not to bake? That is the question.

The Santa Monica "winter" is approaching, and the first storms have rain-shy Californians flocking inside. After the last rain over our usually sunshine-bathed land, the local beach path was desolate. Usually home to so many outdoorsy folk, it was barren of rollerbladers, joggers, and cyclists.

In cities like Seattle, people may go about their business as usual on a rainy day. But in California, rain can mean having a usually bustling city all to yourself. Thus, bringing The Great American Bakery Hunt to this question: as stormy weather patterns rise, does baking also increase? I can't imagine where these outdoor exercise fiends escape to when the sky turns gloomy, but I'd like to think they use inclement weather as an excuse to indulge in a little home cooking.

One thing is for certain: The Santa Monica Farmer's market on Arizona experiences slower than normal sales on these rainy days-- so it's a great time to get a potential deal and support your friendly, local farmers. If you can get past getting a little damp, it may be the perfect time to buy that exotic ingredient you've been eying every Wednesday.

trying to nurse myself back to health with some chocolate pecan pie

It's June, and the summer camp season is in full effect. Days are full of unexpected surprises, including warnings of thunderstorms (in the middle of the desert in June?), wild horse wranglings, and rattlesnake sightings. June gloom has invaded California, and with this invasion, some unexpected headcolds have also taken residence in my supposed sunny state. With the conclusion of the first session, I've come down with a little bug. Of course, I'm combating my soar throat with a little silky spice tea my friend sent me from Seattle, along with some Blackberry infused Moon Valley honey. But to start the real healing, I've had my mind on some pie. Since for three months out of the year, I live in a "peanut and tree nut free" environment, I could think of nothing better to nurse me back to health on an LA day off than some chocolate pecan pie from Babalu in Santa Monica. If you're a pecan pie traditionalist, I can certainly understand, but I would urge you to give this union of pecans and chocolate just one try. Sure, Babalu's pie slices are a bit steep in price, but for my nut-deprived diet, it's just what the doctor ordered.

Still healing,
The Great American Bakery Hunt

Huckleberry delivers

I blogged back in January about my mouth-watering anticipation of the bakery Huckleberry, a brain child of Santa Monica locals Zoe Nathan and Josh Loeb, a husband and wife culinary duo. Now that we're in April, I'm just now getting the opportunity to give this bakery the blog post it deserves. Huckleberry, Santa Monica's charming new foodspot, is located on Wilshire between 10th and 11th streets. It has been open since February and is starting to extend its hours into the Spring.

Zoe Nathan learned to bake at Tartine in San Francisco, so its unsurprising that Huckleberry has a similar inviting feel, as well as a familiar line of customers to match. Even with far more seating than Tartine, Huckleberry has been so packed on recent occasion that I'm now educated in the Huckleberry code of ethics. If you think you can just pop into line as if you're in a Starbucks, think again. I should start out by saying that Huckleberry serves Cafe Luxxe coffee, so I'm not implying a lack of good java. Coming to Huckleberry is not an experience of convenience, but rather one of appreciating and savoring thoughtfully executed food treasures. So perhaps you've noticed that you have to wait a few minutes in line? Well, there's good reason for that line, and I'm sure often it is rooted in customers confused and racked by indecision due to the taste potential of what they might order. Huckleberry is just the sort of place that The Great American Bakery Hunt loves to see: completely genuine, deliberate in its actions, and inviting to the bakery hunter. While it could easily become an LA baked good destination, it also still feels like a place where one can appreciate great food with a friendly neighborhood vibe.

Thought is put into their seasonal ingredients, items are made fresh, and customers really have to think before they choose. After only a few months of business, it already feels like a landmark on my city map, a place I'd like to linger with old friends over coffee and fruit crostatas. And who knew a maple bacon biscuit could be so good?

Huckleberry's creations are quality, with items such as fresh flatbreads "warm right out of the oven", homemade donuts (sorry Krispy Kreme on Wlishire), and the bustle of a bakery that means business. Their menu is featured on a spread of chalkboards and changes frequently with seasonal ingredients. This is also unsurprising in light of Nathan's ties to the farmer's market community.

With Huckleberry's thoughtful baking, I wanted to buy a tote bag to support in some free advertising, but I couldn't justify the $30 price tag, which I would estimate equals about 6-8 Huckleberry pastries. Huckleberry, I want to support you with an enviro-friendly canvas bag, but I work for a nonprofit! That $30 is going towards the pastries that eventually would go into that bag. Spending $30 on the bag means no pastries to tote in said bag. Do you see my dilemma? For the record, I would mop your floors, knead your dough, and/or continue to write glowing blog posts of your bakery in exchange for a canvas bag that I would shamelessly flaunt in grocery stores, swap meets, fitness centers, and various shopping trips across America. Or I'll wait until I win the lottery and we all know what my first purchase will be!

Until that happens, for now I'll stick with my $2 appalingly pastel but still endearing Santa Monica Public Library tote bag. But I'll be back for the pastries. These, my friends, are priceless.

Huckleberry, my mouth is watering in anticipation!

Back in the summertime, I posted about a farmer's market lecture I attended that featured local Los Angeles pastry chef Zoe Nathan. For all you Los Angeles pastry fans, you might be curious to know that she is planning to open her new bakery Huckleberry this February! Get ready...

Food geekery and Sherry Yard

My jaw almost dropped to the ground when I saw the sign.  I was strolling along at the Wednesday Santa Monica Farmer's market, when I discovered a posting for a free pastry discussion at the Santa Monica Public Library.  Entitled "Sweet Treats-- the Passion of Pastry," and featuring Sherry Yard, among other pastry chefs, I knew that somehow, someway, against all odds, I had to find the time to go to this.  Stay tuned for more about this adventure-- will she be doomed to sit in traffic as she commutes from her faraway office?  Will she meet other like-minded pastry fiends? Will she know the glory that is this free public library discussion for food geeks?  Join us next time for the conclusion of this riveting tale!

late July culinary wanderings

After a few days off from work, I've ventured all over the map for some summer bakery hunting. A visit to my hometown brought me to Marukai, our local Japanese market. Though I was there to investigate baked goods, I had to resist the strong temptation to take advantage of Daikokuya's new Orange County location. If you have not yet sampled their food, know that they produce the ramen dreams are made of-- pure ramen magic if I've ever tasted it! For those of you wanderers who food hunt back and forth between San Diego, Orange County, and LA, their location in Little Tokyo is no longer your only option! Tucked into a strip mall off the 405 freeway, Marukai also offers a food court that includes Beard Papa's notoriously indulgent cream puffs. Beard Papa's is also attached to MamMoth bakery, which features a truly cavity-inducing honey bread among other treats. I could write more about their offerings, but blogger ChubbyPanda has already done so for me in his very thorough blog post.

During my visit home, I took advantage by utilizing the ample kitchen space of my parent's house for a baking opportunity! It's much more spacious than my little studio. After thumbing through my mom's arsenal of cookbooks, I went for an obvious, but classic choice-- recipes from New York's Magnolia Bakery.

While whipping up a batch of chocolate chip almond cookies, I listened to my brother talk about the ten year high school reunion he just attended the night before. The night was full of nostalgia coupled with the reality of ten years passing by-- i.e. classmates faced with a plethora of marriages, trouble with the law, good fortune, high paying salaries--the unpredictability and predictability of life all at once, the stuff of Romy and Michelle. As the stories continued, I thought to myself "This calls for another recipe." Ten years of marriages, jailtime, childbirthing, and career opportunities could not be captured with brevity. I eyed a molasses jar and decided to whip up some random molasses cookie recipe from the label on Grandma's molasses. These cookies were simply delicious and unsophisticated in all of the right ways. (Perhaps a nod to the three for $1 cookies my brother and I once enjoyed from our high school cafeteria. Often slightly undercooked, you could taste the sugar granules in those chocolate chip cookies, but there was something so perfect about them. Grabbing a few at the end of the day meant you were on your way to freedom. It was a little bit of decadence in our bland world of rigid dress codes-- a sweet break from the khaki, navy, collared shirt monotony.)

Walks down memory lane aside, I eventually headed back to my apartment. In efforts to check out a new bakery, I traveled towards Brentwood to give the Belwood bakery a try. Sometimes when I stray from Santa Monica towards Brentwood, I'm a little unsure of what I'm getting myself into. Such was the case that day, when I sat down with my pastries and listened to two stockbrokers arguing over their stance on cell phone etiquette, talking business, and complaining about the youth "with their long hair." Pigeons circled around our crumbs, also noticeably irritated by their loud argument. Can't us Santa Monicans enjoy our pastries in peace?

At least I had happy reading--As I was nibbling on some fluffy bread with chives, I caught an article about Paris bakeries in LA Times magazine, a literal ode to bakery hunting across Paris.

Oh, to be a sweetheart of the freelancing world! If only I could jet set to any pastry of my choice. If only!

Edible office spirit!

Imagine my surprise and delight when the fine folks at our Santa Monica office sent a plethora of cupcakes and edible office spirit up to our campsite. There are many things I start to miss about city life, and easy access to cupcakes is certainly one of them. Pictured, below, is my joyous reaction to the delivery.

rare days off in July lead TGABH to new frontiers!

That's right folks, on one recent day off, I made a plan to conquer unseen territories in the Hunt! After carpooling down to Santa Monica, I was left with only my wallet, my folding bike, and the strong desire to go on a quest for my next bakery discovery. With helmet on head and a plan to bungie cord my leftovers on the way home, I rode my Dahon, determined, down San Vicente Blvd. to none other than SusieCakes in Brentwood. This gem of a cupcake shop also sells cake by the slice, a true measure, in my opinion, of its "all American home-style bake shop" claims. Its cupcakes feature an ooey gooey extra shot of frosting in their cores, making for cupcakes as sweet, if not sweeter, than Yummy Cupcakes on Wilshire. The cake's moist factor was also solid. Among their other selections, they offer whoopie pies-- two chocolate cookies with a thick layer of frosting in the middle. Hard for anyone to resist-- and it seems that SusieCakes is being received well among fellow West side food bloggers.

For the sake of more material (and for the good of my readers!) the next day after my SusieCakes adventure I took a morning run along the beach, then cut up to Montana Ave. to reward myself with a pastry find. I found myself at Cafe Luxxe, and although not primarily a bakery discovery, it is a find I have to mention. If Cheers were a coffee shop (with a modern feel and a selection of pastries), Cafe Luxxe would be the place to grab an espresso where everyone knows your name. Perhaps my perception of this place just comes from my natural tendency to make friends randomly as I wander about the city-- but even still, it was such a friendly place to get a caffeine jolt. Very focused on quality, the fine folks at Cafe Luxxe gave me an encouraging nod when I inquired about the chocolate almond croissants (delicious and from LA's Breadbar). And when my excitement over great coffee led me to consider a 2nd drink, they knew just what I needed-- as if I had been a regular for years.

The best part of all was that it was a place I could sip my coffee, read travel journals for hours, and enjoy the decadence of a lazy day off. The funny thing about having weekdays off is that it's easy to feel that you're stealing moments of time from the world around you. It's an evil but satisfying feeling when you see people walking past in business attire, coming up for air during the lunch hour, and you have nothing else to do but to drink cappuccino and thumb through a newspaper. After several hours of a travel memoir, a pastry and two coffees later, I said goodbye to the fine coffee connoisseurs of Cafe Luxxe and took four Peruvian cookies to go (made, mysteriously, by a local Peruvian woman whose name I cannot confidently pronounce/write), and ran home. Some people run with Ipod's, or pets-- I prefer to run with baked goods in hand.

Later on that day, enjoying some Peruvian goodness on the way back to work...

Hello, old friend...

It's that time of the year when my studio apartment turns into a toaster oven, when the beaches overflow with umbrellas, sandcastles, and well-fed pigeons, and when you may think it not possible, Southern California goes even more casual. It's also the time when kids go away to summer camp, which means I go away to summer camp too-- in preparation for providing campers with the best week of their lives. Since while you're at camp, there is nothing more important than nurturing the success of these campers, this also leads to the annual hiatus of Great American Bakery Hunt.

Never fear bakery hunters, I may never write nor call during the summer, but I was able to hunt around a bit during a rare Sunday off. After many hours of sleep, I was able to catch the last ten minutes of the Main Street Farmer's market-- and just before the air horn signaled the end, I beelined it to the Cafe Laurent stand. Their sweet and savory croissants never let me down-- they taste even better, more decadent during a camp food furlough.

A stroll down Montana and a stop into the charming Hoot and Heart Flower shop gave me a new bakery lead: Christine Moore's Little Flower Candy Company. Hoot and Heart's ode to the decadent includes not only beautiful and unique arrangements, but gives flower lovers something sweet to consider by carrying Moore's mallows. After researching more about Moore, I learned she is also a pastry chef, so I'm definitely looking forward to visiting her storefront in Pasadena.

Farewell for now, old friend. My posts are sure to be few and far between in the next couple months, but I promise to return and continue my dedication to spreading the word of the best baked goods around!

Best breadbasket on the West Side

The best breadbasket on the West side might very well be at Le Pain Quotidien. The breadbasket comes with a variety of their freshly sliced breads & a selection of jams, and is a perfect breakfast to enjoy with a cup of morning tea. I'm also a fan of ordering their hummus on the side, a nice savory addition to the breads! Please write in with your vote for the best breadbasket on the West Side. As always, I am taking suggestions!

If the Beatles had written a song about Amandine, it would have been on Rubber Soul

Go to Amandine Patissiere on Wilshire. Do not stop at Vienna Pastries. Do not stop at Cafe Zella. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. Alright, stop at N.Y.B.D New York Bagel and Deli if you must have a snack. But please, whatever you do, go to Amandine on Wilshire. The perfect place to linger over a pastry and a capaccino and get a bit of reading done. French accents and free parking? A wanderlusting California native's dream. It feels and smells like a good European style bakery should, and I love it. Bless you Amandine. They just don't make 'em like you anymore.

In fact, if The Beatles had written a song about Amandine, it would have been on Rubber Soul. It wouldn't be quite trendy enough to have a number one hit, but it would be darn good...and undeniably classic.

Amandine
12225 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025

7:00 pm cookie coffee interlude (Pacific Standard Time)

There are days when you simply need a 7:00 PM cookie & coffee interlude (Pacific Standard Time, in my case). But no matter your time zone, this generally seems like a good idea.

Today being farmer's market Wednesday in Santa Monica, my buddy and I planned ahead for a nighttime treat with a lunchtime walk to the Rockenwagner booth. After first winning me over with their savory bacon-y cheesey poppy seed bread (unofficial name), I just recently began experimenting with their cookies.

At first, only white chocolate macademia nut cookies were available for purchase, but today the unthinkable happened! A miracle was unveiled, to my delight! Little did I know that they started selling one of my most favorite cookie varieties at the market: the chocolate chip walnut.

I couldn't eat it immediately-- for a Rockenwagner chocolate chip walnut is not a cookie you casually snack on during an evening work session. Now, this was only my first journey of consumption as far as Rockenwagner's C.C.W. was concerned. Even so, I could tell just by its beautiful texture that it was not merely a cookie to nibble on, your eyes glazing over as you squint at the harsh lines of your Microsoft Office calendar. No my dear readers, a Rockenwagner chocolate chip walnut is made to be savored.

A Rockenwagner C.C.W. is a cookie for a 7 pm cookie coffee interlude, an opportunity to enjoy its sweet, beautiful cookie respite and reflect on the day. Thus, prior to consumption, this warranted a well thought out pre-cookie stroll down 4th street over to Leonidas, the best coffee spot in town (heavenly Mochas with real melted chocolate inside and a 10% off discount if you work nearby...not to mention a free square of chocolate with every drink, and ridiculously friendly service.)

When it finally came time for my 7 pm PST cookie coffee interlude, everything fell exquisitely into place. As it turns out, the cookie had a Pain du Monde-like quality to it. If this analogy doesn't speak to you, seek out Pain du Monde's treats next time you're in Orange County-- they make one of my favorite cookies. They will earn your good faith with reliability and freshness. It's great to find a kindred spirit in Rockenwagner's Santa Monica offerings. If you don't have reliability in your neighborhood cookies, then what else do you have left?

Happy farmer's market Wednesday to all, and to all a good night.