The lost meals entries consist of meals that occurred at various times throughout 2012 which, for any number of reasons, escaped my documentation – some due to a cross country move and a new job, some due to the Los Angeles Kings run to the Stanley Cup, and some simply as a result of too much travel. Having enjoyed many of these meals with friends or family and with some of them amongst the year’s very best the reality is that with time my memory has deteriorated and as life moves forward I’ve realized there is little hope to ever “catch up” or document these experiences as well as I’d hope, yet in order to preserve them I present these pictures, notes, and thoughts on the experience.
Rainbow Donuts on 7th
Blueberry Cake
Buttermilk Cake
Strawberry Raised
Apple Fritter
Chocolate Oreo
Maple Bacon
La Grande Orange Grocery
Red Velvet Cupcake
Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookie
Gianduja Croissant
Chocolate Kahlua Pecan Pie
Pear and Cherry Tart
Morning Glory Cookie – Vegan Gluten Free with Bananas, Almonds, Molasses
Coconut Buttermilk Cupcake
Granola, Fruit, Straus Organic Vanilla Yogurt with Sesame and Sunflower Seeds, Almonds, Cashews
Chocolate Croissant
Seventh Heaven Muffin – Wheat Bran, Carrots, Apples, Candied Ginger
For their last day in Phoenix I took my mother and aunt to La Grande Orange – easily my favorite spot in The Valley – but being late risers I decided to grab some donuts beforehand just down the street at Rainbow Donuts, an independent branch of the local chain that many claim to make the best donuts in the area. Opening early – I believe 4am – and at least by 5:15am when I arrived on 12/31 the shop is small and anything but trendy, the only other patrons during my visit a trio of old veterans who apparently meet there daily, but with a friendly staff and an interesting selection of classics and novel options alike I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.
Selecting a half dozen donuts and taking portions of each home it likely comes as no surprise that the warm cake donuts were my favorite – the buttermilk bar literally still dripping glaze – and with the blueberry subtle and light plus the fritter less greasy than the average with a great crunch giving way to cinnamon apples within I enjoyed all three more than those that were raised – the dough a bit less wispy or raised than I prefer and the frosting on both the maple and the strawberry a bit too artificial, though the Oreo option was admittedly quite good as the frosting approximated the flavor of Nestle Quick.
Moving forward to La Grande Orange Grocery, essentially a continuation of my original post (https://endoedibles.com/?p=385
as I focused on all new items both on New Year’s Eve and when I visited the new airport location, there really is not much more I can say about LGO to express how much I enjoy everything from the food to the scene to the service, but focusing on a few new favorites I would strongly suggest anyone visiting either location to order one of the Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies – a classic chewy oatmeal cookie with swirls and drops of rich butterscotch in place of raisins – as well as any pie on offer, provided you enjoy its constituents, because while both the boozy pecan and the pear/cherry fillings were nicely prepared it is the buttery crisp crust, baked golden with flaky layers like a good phyllo dough that truly put each in a category not matched by any pie I’ve had locally since moving to the Valley.