sunshine, hipness, and plenty of uni

We landed at LAX an hour early. It was sunny and hot–the air ripe with possibilities. After picking up our rental car, checking into our hotel in West Hollywood, and setting down our luggage, my husband, daughter and I set out to explore the town. And what a town it turned out to be–great food and pockets of hipness wherever we went. LA was much more than we ever expected.

Los Angeles 

Sunset Plaza, Melrose, Studio City, Beverly Hills, Silverlake, Venice, Santa Monica–the City of Angels has multiple personalities. And we were enthusiastic scouts, happily discovering as many as we could in a few days. So much character at every turn–we were constantly amused and fascinated by the nuances of each neighborhood and found something to like wherever we went. We did lots of exploring, lots of shopping, but most of all (no surprise), we did lots of eating!


I always crave comfort food the first night we travel anywhere and this time Osteria Mamma on Melrose perfectly fit the bill. The dining room wall of old world photos evokes the authentic Italian food that’s served. A bright salad of arugula with thinly sliced mushrooms, Grana Padano cheese and lemon dressing was the ideal starter before pasta classics like Linguine Carbonara, Gnocchi with Peas and Ham and a soul soothing plate of Mamma’s Lasagne. A bowl of tartufo capped off our first of many amazing meals in this city.


We were told we must try sushi in LA. If you know me, you know that sushi and I go way back–I thought I’d pretty much mastered the subject. I was wrong. Sugarfish in Studio City taught me new lessons. Chef Nozawa’s philosophy emphasizes the quality of the fish, the significance of perfectly cooked rice and the importance of eating the sushi as soon as it’s served (a point I wholly agree with), with a minimum of sauces. It was a revelation from the very first bite–exquisite morsels of fish and rice have never tasted so tender or sweet. We began with briny oyster sashimi in a bracingly vibrant sauce, followed by albacore, salmon and snapper sushi, and magnificent uni, the first of many on this trip. My sushi standards have risen to new heights.


Sunny Sunday morning in Venice; we head to trendy Abbot Kinney Boulevard. This neighborhood has a very cool vibe: from the coffee houses, to the stylish designer shops, to the funky food trucks–they took a page right out of the Williamsburg playbook. In desperate need of coffee, we were lucky to snag a coveted table for brunch at Gjelina. Seated on the back terrace surrounded by rustic wood walls and greenery, it was a soothing setting for our morning meal.


And the food lived up to its hipster surroundings. The menu is a great mashup of international dishes made with farm-to-table goodness. And in true locavore tradition, there were plenty of house-cured, home-preserved and kitchen-pickled ingredients to be had on each plate.


I’ll let the food speak for itself: sunny up duck egg with a spicy duck confit and potato hash, house cured pastrami salmon (luscious, but not spicy enough) with pickled onions, scallion cream cheese and toast points. I wisely chose Moroccan baked eggs in a piquant tomato sauce with incredibly delicious homemade (of course)  lamb merguez and spiced yogurt, served with a grilled crouton. Strong coffee, freshly squeezed orange juice. Best. Brunch. Ever. (this month.)


Animal is, as it sounds, quintessential nose-to-tail cooking. Blink and you could easily miss this bare bones space with no sign. But you’d be sorry if you did. Jon and Vinny, the chef duo behind this restaurant, have achieved widespread acclaim for their creative combinations of offal creations. Here are just a few dishes we sampled–be still, my sometimes carnivorous heart!

Roasted marrow topped with tangy, green chimichurri and caramelized onions, with toast. 
 


Veal tongue with black mustard, steelhead roe, and gherkins. 

 
 
Barbecued pork belly slider with slaw.
 


And my fave, pig ear with chili and lime sauce topped with a perfectly fried egg. 

 


The Bazaar, at the SLS Hotel, was bizarre. There is a dichotomy of great bites and truly awful service. The restaurant is run by famed Spanish chef José Andrés, who trained with Ferran Adrià of El Bulli and owns many restaurants including minibar and Jaleo in Washington, DC. The menu is divided in half: traditional tapas on one side, modern tapas interpretations on the other. Our waitress introduced herself and was bursting with enthusiasm–and not in a good way. She suggested we order at least 8 to 9 small plates, with a balance of traditional and modern. For the most part, they were awe-inspiring: flavorful, interesting and well-prepared–a few bordering on mind-blowing, molecular gastronomy. Rectangular cubes of eggplant tempura with a honey foam, Jamón Ibérico with fried egg and truffle butter served in a skillet, braised Wagyu beef cheeks in a citrus sauce, and sumptuous sea urchin (more uni!) and avocado on a steamed bun were some of the gastronomic highlights of that inventive and delectable dinner.


But the frenetic service made it impossible to enjoy our meal. From our Mary Sunshine waitress popping over at almost every mouthful to find out how we like e-a-c-h-a-n-d-e-v-e-r-y-b-i-t-e, to the incessant servers who kept swooping in to clear each plate, invariably reaching over us as we were still chewing, this was NOT a relaxing experience. And considering the fact that the food was really superb, that is such a shame. The final irony arrived imprinted on the bill folder that held our check–perhaps the staff should take the time to read their own restaurant philosophy:


And on that note, it was time to say bye bye to La-La Land and hit the road for points north.

Santa Barbara


It was shpritzing in Santa Barbara. We did a little shopping in the mist, weaving in and out of fashionable shops and retail chain stores. Mid afternoon, the main drag was closed off and vendors began to set up farm stands for a market that opened at 3:00. A farmer’s market beginning at 3:00? So odd. But the stands were bursting with some of the most beautiful produce I’ve ever seen. And at ridiculous prices. In a good way.


Berries and veggies and flowers, oh my.



And beautiful asparagus and artichokes abound.
 

My dad had recommended that we head to the end of the pier for the best dungeness crab we’d ever taste and so, being a dutiful daughter and family, we did. The Santa Barbara Shellfish Company is little more than a shack hanging over the edge of the pier, but they handily serve up a mess of crabs, oysters and other crustacean delights.
 


We ordered a couple of beers and a few crabs, steamed with drawn butter and cocktail sauce on the side. They were magnificent: the meat was luscious and tender and sweet. But those babies took forever to eat–to dig out every crevice and suck out every leg, we were in it for over an hour!


And now, so long, SoCal. We’re quite impressed and look forward to a return trip soon (there were a few restaurants we may have missed)! We began our trip winding up the coast on California Highway 1, eager to explore NoCal–San Francisco and Napa await. I’ll be back next week with more West Coast tales and culinary accounts…no rest for the food weary!