No sooner had I returned from Chicago than I was repacking my bag for the city of angels and although this trip was prompted more by business than by pleasure a fortuitous clinic schedule allowed me to tack on a few more days while some of the very best local foodies, gourmands, and chowhounds I’ve ever met volunteered not only their time and knowledge but also their cars, knowledge, and stomach capacity to meet up for some stellar dining during the course of my five day stay. Using the Beverly Hilton as home base during the first three days of the trip and the home of a friend in Hollywood during the subsequent two this series of eating would see me visit as far west as the Pacific where I’d enjoy coffee on the beach and as far east as downtown LA where after escaping the traffic debacle of the Twilight Red Carpet premier I dined on 18 course of White Truffles with new friends in a scene I cannot imagine occurring anywhere outside of LA.
Beginning the trip with a rundown of what I like to call “ancillary eats” – IE the things that did not entail breakfast, lunch, or dinner but at times wowed none the less my very first stop after cabbing from LAX to The Beverly Hilton would be Joan’s on Third, a place long on my list but always missed for whatever reason but a place whose take-away items would prove invaluable in avoiding “conference food” during my first day.
Arriving just after 11am with the sun shining on a national holiday it was no surprise to find the patio of Joan’s quite full and with the scene very much “Hollywood” as pooches sat on patrons laps outside and every woman wore sunglasses large enough to cover the eyes of both herself and three others I made my way through the crowd and eventually to the door only to find the interior equally packed. With the deli line at least twenty deep and all the seats filled I spent a spent a bit of time browsing the cheeses, dry goods, spices, and meats before making my way to my original destination – the pastry counter and bakery – where a short queue awaited and a number of employees were helping guests with various orders both large and small.
Making my decisions as I waited it would only be a short while before I found myself at the front of the line and greeted by a young man named Hugo I placed my order for a half-dozen items and with each selection carefully wrapped, boxed, and placed in a bag I paid the modest tab before making my way to the door and the subsequent walk back to the hotel – a walk interrupted by stopping to taste the first of the items, a “Cloud” Cupcake with a 5 inch mound of marshmallow fluff dipped in a chocolate shell perched precariously atop a dense dark chocolate cupcake quite similar both in texture and in flavor to the Hostess original.
With some of my bounty being consumed during day one of the conference while others remained refrigerated until day two my second taste from Joan’s would turn out to be the only disappointment – a doughy and surprisingly unsalty Pretzel Croissant that was much more “pretzel” than croissant in texture and much more dinner-roll than either pretzel or croissant in flavor. A decent taste with a lot of buttery notes I imagine I would have liked this much more with some crunchy salt or perhaps in a different context; all in all it simply wasn’t what I expected.
Never one to pass up unique cupcake options or the standard-bearer red velvet my cupcake choices in addition to the Cloud would include both a moist red velvet with slightly tangy cream cheese frosting that did not disappoint but also did not ‘wow’ and a Snickers cupcake that would prove to be the best of the bunch with a nearly fudgy thick cake slathered with literally fudge thick frosting and chunks of chopped Snickers candy. Small in size but not lacking at all in flavor this would prove to be one of the better cupcakes I’ve had in all of Los Angeles and a good indicator that the next two items would work well since Joan’s doesn’t seem to do “light” pastries well but certainly packs a punch when making dense and most treats.
For my last two selections, both holdovers for a post-gym breakfast the following day, a small Peanut Butter and Jelly Bar and a large slice of Banana Caramel French Toast Pie would prove to be the best of Joan’s selections as the first was essentially a brownie in texture but rife with pure natural peanut butter flavors and fresh jam while the second was essentially what would happen if you took thick buttery brioche and soaked it in custard (a la bread pudding) before baking and then topped it with a thick layer of sweet bananas drown in fresh caramel. While I personally would have preferred to see the two incorporated (and to have had the use of a microwave) I have to say that all things being equal it was very good and the balance of salt and sweet was spot on.
For a second sweet stop while in Los Angeles I found myself again on Third Street near a place I’d heard about from a vegetarian friend and with plenty of room to be wowed after an entirely subpar brunch at AOC I walked into Fonuts where I was greeted by a young man named Pete and the fantastic smell of baking donuts…yep, you read that right, baked donuts – the brainchild of former Bazaar pastry chef Waylynn Lucas that opened earlier this year.
With the shop small but cute and featuring a vintage stove as its only decoration save for the cases of donuts and large bags of LAMill Coffee I stood for a moment browsing the selections before stepping up to the counter to place my order. Admittedly skeptical given my own experiments with baking donuts twice resulting in tasty but dry round ‘muffins with a hole’ I asked Pete first of all how these little creations were made and subsequently for his recommendation of what was best – the first answer having to do with high humidity, pressure, and heat and the second including no less than half a dozen selections from which I chose three – a $10 quarter dozen bagged up and taken to the street to enjoy.
Having whittled my server’s suggestion down to the flavors most appealing to my sense my first taste of Fonuts would come in the form of the Peanut Butter and Jelly concoction and for a moment I felt my original cynicism was well deserved – the first bite was dry but buttery, almost like a buttermilk biscuit with no semblance of peanut butter or jam at all. Wondering if I’d somehow gotten the wrong donut and taking another bite it turns out that no, I’d not gotten the wrong donut but rather taken the wrong approach as this turned out to be a “filled” doughnut not unlike a hand-pie with the creamy, fruity, and salty amalgam of peanut butter and grape jam at its core.
Moving on to two more traditionally shaped doughnuts my next taste of Lucas’ wares was the Strawberry Buttermilk donut – a riff on my favorite “chain” donut of all time, the Strawberry Glaze at Dunkin – and every bit as good in texture while much better in quality. Beginning sticky and sweet on the exterior with a rich glaze dotted in candied strawberries and progressing to the mellow tang of buttermilk within the moist batter I can honestly say that with all things being equal I rather doubt I would have been able to distinguish this from a fried version if I were blindfolded and if placed side-by-side with Dunkin I’d gladly spend a few dollars more for this one on taste alone.
Eschewing any concept of “healthy” derived from baking instead of frying my final Fonut would be the oft raved “Maple Bacon” and without batting an eye I can say that although not quite as personally relevant to me as the Strawberry this was one helluva donut. Beginning first with the cake – moist, dense, and as good as if it were fried – this fantastic pastry was next topped with an ample layer of creamy maple frosting every bit as good as Tim Horton’s and subsequently piled high with salty smoky bacon; trendy for sure, but fantastic as well and while some may claim that the “baked” donut is essentially just a cupcake with a hole all I have to say to that is if someone wants to start serving cupcakes as good as Fonuts Maple Bacon or Strawberry Buttermilk “baked donuts” I’ll be there in line with cash in hand.
Moving onward, a third sweets stop would be for dessert following my first “real” Thai experience at Jitlada – appropriately at a “real” Thai sweet shop named Bhan Kanom recommended by my dining buddy as we opted to skip dessert at the famed Sunset Boulevard location both due to capacity and him having to return to work.
Having really never experienced Thai sweets in the past I was quite surprised entering Bhan Kanom to find the location not only quite packed with products but also with people, the majority Thai themselves and a good indicator of the authenticity of the cuisine. With options diverse but the store quite full (much like my stomach) and more dining plans for later I spent some time browsing before settling on my choice and in addition was gifted one of my friend’s “Pangchi,” a small fried disc consisting of Taro, Corn, Coconut, and Sugar that was crisp on the outside and creamy within costing a mere 40 cents and packing a whole lot of flavor into such a small and sweet bite.
Paying the modest tab of $3 and making my way to the street after gathering some plastic cutlery my dessert for the afternoon would be based on my fascination with taro – a root vegetable that should absolutely be more prominent in western cuisine – in the form of a simple chilled dessert titled “Sweet Rice with Taro.” Mildly sweet but full of creamy tones and the unmistakable flavor of coconut infusing the panna cotta smooth layer atop an admixture of soft rice and fibrous taro this dessert was part sugary and part savory but more surprisingly very light yet fulfilling – a slightly solid rice pudding, if you will.
Admittedly impressed and at the same time wondering what exactly the sweet rice would have tasted like warm my only regret in visiting Bhan Kanom is was my limited capacity – I’d have loved to try the warm black beans in coconut milk – and the fact that they were sold out of the fried taro, but in the end I can definitely say I’d like to go back and will certainly be on the lookout for Thai desserts during future travels.
Moving along as always to coffee, the conference that I was attending was thankfully supplied with a continuous (free) stream of LAMill and as such for the first three days of the trip I was appropriately stimulated and admittedly impressed by the quality of the brew being constantly refilled in the large silver containers at The Beverly Hilton but when my “supply” ran out at the end of the meeting I was once again set to finding some unique local brews – a bit of a challenge in Los Angeles compared to other major cities but one I was willing to take with the first of these stops being the Groundwork Coffee in Santa Monica; an experience that almost made me wish I stuck back inside at the conference (at least until I took my cup to the beach.)
A small shop on Main Street Groundwork is apparently a chain billing itself as “Los Angeles’ premiere organic coffee resource, and the largest coffee roastery in southern California” and given this descriptor I entered the small shop with high expectations; expectations only improved when a young woman representing the local FOX affiliate handed me a reusable cup as part of the company’s green initiative but expectations that fell off the moment I was forced to deal with the “barista” – a young woman with multicolored hair who not only didn’t bother to answer my question of what they were brewing, opting instead to motion with her head to a chalkboard, but a young woman who also basically told me “tough luck” when the El Salvador Las Lajas coffee I’d ordered ran dry at the fill-your-own-cup station up front thus forcing me to settle for an inferior and over-roasted dark appropriately titled Bitches Brew because “it takes a while to brew fresh coffee y’know?”
Never one to abide the hipster barista attitude (really, you work in a coffee shop and you have tattoos, congrats) I eventually gave up on the ‘brew’ and tried the Lucky Jack despite the “no refills” sign and although a bit better with pleasant almond notes and some spice definitely not something I’d go back for, especially considering the attitude.
Omitting discussion of multiple stops at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf – all pretty much what you’d expect and generally high quality for the price – my other “destination” coffee stop during the trip would be the Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea on Abbot Kinney; their brews plenty familiar to me both from Chicago and from my own French Press but a location like this one featuring some of the white label blends a place I’d not yet had the chance to experience.
With the weather warm, sky clear, and the café surprisingly full just after 2pm on a weekday I spent a short time in line talking with an older gentleman who apparently lived in the area and came here daily for his espresso before making my way to the counter where I was greeted by the standard Intelligentsia barista – hipster, pierced, bearded, and inked – but friendlier than those in Chicago and placed my order for a 10oz pour over of Colombia El Trapiche and a Maple Pecan Scone provided by local bakery “Cake Monkey” and waiting for my order to be prepped and poured I browsed the shop (and more so the clientele including a man with an Ipad who I’m rather certain was wearing a crocheted afghan as clothing) and their impressive collection of cups, machines, beans, and even clothing.
With coffee in hand and parking nowhere near ready to expire but no seating available at Intelligentsia I prepared my coffee before making my way to the street to browse the multitude of unique shopping areas and upon taking my first with a sip of the brew – a soft mouth texture with notes of cherry and almond plus low acidity – I was impressed as ever by the quality of Intelligentsia’s roasting and sourcing but what came next, the scone from Cake Monkey would truly prove to be a surprise as I’ve found Intelligentsia’s baked goods quite subpar in the past. Layered and soft with pockets of butter interspersed with those of sugar and small chunks of candied pecans all topped with a thin maple cream glaze this was definitely a scone worth the $3 and although excellent with the coffee I can only imagine it would have been even more wonderful warm with a side of clotted cream or butter.
For the last (in writing, not chronologically) of these ancillary bites, the early conclusion of my meeting on Saturday would see me without a whole lot to do before dinner plans at Red Medicine at 9:30 and as such I phoned a friend offering to pay if he wanted to drive me somewhere for pizza – either Soto, Mother Dough, or Stella Rossa – the later our final decision given the recent rave reviews as well as the early opening hours and more unique offerings plus my familiarity (and fondness despite the critics) with Lettuce Entertain You restaurants…not to mention chef Jeff Mahin’s considerable culinary pedigree including Heston Blumenthal and Juan Mari Arzak.
With traffic light but the night already setting in our drive to Santa Monica would be quite brief and lucky enough to secure free parking just around the corner we walked up to the doors of Stella Rossa just twenty minutes after opening yet with the wine bar and many seats already filled. Greeted at the combined entry point for M Street Kitchen and Stella Rossa we requested a table for two and within moments were led to a tall two-top near the wood fired oven where we were greeted by our server, a young lady named Brittany who proved my theory about the majority of trendy LA spots hiring models as part time servers but who also did a great job of describing the menu, making suggestions, and keeping beverages filled throughout the evening.
With Chef Mahin working directly in front of us at the large commercial oven we spent a few moments taking in the scene – the room itself is rather Spartan with exposed brick, bulb, and hard wood the only decorations aside from a few flat screens and the decibel level moderate though I can imagine it getting quite loud when full. Having read a bit about Mahin’s year-long process to perfect the dough at Stella Rossa I watched as each ball was removed from a large glass storage jar, stretched by hand, topped, and placed in the oven – a rapid fire process seemingly much more efficient than that at other iconic pizza stops like Mozza, Una, Lucali, etc and within moments Brittany would return to the table to take our orders; 2 pizzas and fully expecting some to go home given our later evening dining plans.
With the room slowly beginning to fill and the bar becoming quite the scene my dining partner and I chatted for a bit as our pies were prepared and within twenty minutes of placing our order the two pies would arrive, both fragrant and golden with cheese bubbling but surprisingly (as it is so en vogue) without much notable char. Beginning first with the standard – the house Margherita with hand crushed tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, sweet basil, and organic extra virgin olive oil I was instantly impressed by Mahin’s work on the crust as the locally milled flour with what I can only assume to be spelt, wheat, and cornmeal mixed in was perfectly crisp on the exterior but chewy and with a lot of sponge at the center. Almost like a “pan” pizza at the edges but moist and Neapolitan at the center the structure of the pie was really quite unlike any I’d tried before – a cross of styles if you will – and the toppings were impeccable while the size was quite ample for the rather low price.
Moving on to the more interesting of the two options, at least in my opinion, the Shaved Mushroom pizza with gruyère, melted onions, black truffle, torn parsley, rosemary, and thyme would actually prove to be one of the best pizza’s I have ever tasted – nearly on par with the Pannocchia at Vetri’s Osteria or the Rosa at Bianco in Phoenix. With the same fantastic crust this time tasting even more prominent as a slightly fermented/sourdough note came through the toppings were clearly the star here; a heaping layer of mandolined mushrooms that were deep, heavy, and elevated by notes of truffle amidst a sea of gruyere and lightly applied onions. With herbal aromatics including rosemary and thyme most notable on the finish this was the sort of pizza that becomes a restaurant signature – the sort that people will (and should) come from miles around to experience.
With the tab a modest $45 for two pizzas, a craft beer, tax, and tip plus enough leftovers to sustain me during the morning and early afternoon of my last day of the conference I can say without a doubt that the hype over the pizza at Rossa is well deserved and although there is no “celebrity chef” like there is at Mozza the scene is much less manic and the pizza, although different, is just as good and possibly even better. It will be interesting to see what happens with Stella Rossa given the fickle Los Angeles marketplace but for my part I’ll just say that while he does the basic Margherita well there aren’t many better pizzas to be had than the Shaved Mushroom.