Tartes, Tartare, Croissants and more at Chaumont

Saumon Tartare:

Salmon tartar with mango, chopped jalepeño and an avocado purée

Pain aux amandes et chocolat:

Chocolate and Almond Croissant 

(My favorite!!)

Pain aux amandes et chocolat:

Chocolate and Almond Croissant

 Chausson au pomme:

Apple turnover

Tarte aux fraises:

Strawberry tart

Place: Chaumont Bakery and Café

          143 South Beverly Drive

          Beverly Hills, CA

Genre: French - patisserie/café

Hit or miss? Hit!

$$

My opinion:

I'm a francophile, so I'm always on the look out for outstanding French cuisine or simply the most delectable croissant/pain au chocolat. Luckily, I found the place that caters to all my French cravings. Chaumont is the perfect place to have lunch with a friend/friends or quickly grab some coffee and a croissant. The ambiance is serene and beautiful. The tall ceilings, white walls and patisserie display is very reminiscent of the setting at Botegga Louie (but much smaller). It's absolutely stunning and pristine. The owners are so gracious and, my favorite part, native French speakers. So let's get to the good stuff...Saumon Tartare. The tartar was divine. The mélange of flavors was very well done: the subtle salmon, sweet mango, neutral avocado purée and the kick from the jalepeños really complimented one another. Neither ingredient over-powered the other flavors. I think that the mango gave the tartare a fresh taste. Without it, it would've been overpowered by the jalepeños. The three slices of bread were absolutely perfect and helped make a subtler flavor when it served as a vehicle for the tartar. If you like salmon, I highly recommend their Saumon Tartare. Now moving onto my absolute favorite treat...pain aux amandes ET chocolat! They really out did themselves with the almond/chocolate croissant. It's decadent, delicious, mouth-watering, flakey and moist. I think the almond paste is what really ties the bow. Each bite melts in your mouth and I love how the chocolate didn't take away from the natural almond flavor. Chocolate has a tendency to overshadow subtler flavors, like that of almonds, but Chaumont has masterfully combined the two in equilibrium in this "chef d'œuvre" of a croissant. If you get anything from behind the patisserie display, you best be getting an almond pain au chocolat! I love everything about this place. It's beautiful, calm, pristine, and serves exquisite food and pastries.

Dumplings and more at ROC Kitchen

Xiao long bao (fish)

Xiao long bao up close (fish) {a must have!}

Scallion pancakes with a ginger-soy sauce [you need to try these!]

Sautéed shrimp with shishito peppers

Glass noodles with crab 

Red Bean Dumplings (a must have...if you like red bean)

Place: ROC Kitchen (Republic of China aka Taiwan)

           2049 Sawtelle Blvd.

           Los Angeles, CA 90025

Genre: Chinese food - Dim Sum

$$

Hit or a Miss? Hit!

My opinion:

I'm pretty picky about Chinese food. It's actually quite difficult to find on the westside, well at least good authentic Chinese/Dim sum. There's Din Tai Fung, but that's all the way out in Arcadia! Look no further; you can now get your xiao-long-bao fix on Sawtelle. Quite frankly, I liked ROC more that I liked DTF. Why? Well to start they have a lot more pescetarian options. I had never seen the fish xiao long bao at DTF. They have the shrimp and melon one, but the fish xlb at ROC was way better. I mean the shrimp and melon one is fine, but you don't get to experience the broth explosion that's traditionally associated with xiao long bao. You get it all at ROC. The broth is perhaps the best part. The "skin" is a bit different form that at DTF. It's only slightly thicker, but not enough to make it too tough to eat. It actually locks in the broth and flavor, which makes the initial bite even better. Sometimes I feel deprived at DTF, meaning that I don't get the same xiao long bao experience that I used to have and that all of my "carnivorous" friends have, but that's no longer the case! The sautéed shrimp with shishito peppers dish is another great option; however, my only issue is that it's on the salty side. If you decide to get it, I'd definitely eat it over rice so that you dilute the saltiness. Another reason why I loved ROC...they had scallion pancakes! They aren't the most "well known" Chinese dish, but delicious nonetheless. It's pretty hard to find "the perfect scallion pancake" or come anywhere near it, but I may have found it at ROC. The slightly crispy outside with the soft, layered inside dipped in the ginger-soy sauce was just superb. The key to a killer scallion pancake is the perfect combination of the crispy outside and soft/chewy inside. Often times I get ones that are either too crispy, too soft or just don't have enough green onion. They're almost better than homemade ones... The glass noodles were also really well executed. Chinese food can turn out too salty or oily at times, but I didn't run into that a ROC. Let's see...they also have a great selection of sautéed vegetables (not pictured). The sautéed kale, sautéed green beans and sautéed broccoli are probably the top three on the menu. Last but not least, and this was probably my FAVORITE part about ROC, the red bean dumplings (a desert) were the perfect way to finish the meal! I absolutely love red bean buns, dumplings, pastries, you name it. It's definitely an acquired taste, same with taro. The paste was just perfect. Heads up, it's a dense dumpling, but what can you expect from a red bean paste? You can't miss out on these! I've said this before and I'll say it again because it's probably the most important tip you can get when you're going out for authentic ethnic cuisine: go with someone who truly knows the cuisine/grew up with it at home OR ask the owner (if they're there) what's traditional/their favorite. That's when you'll find the good stuff.

Amazing food is one thing, but equally good service is what makes the experience all the more memorable. The owner was so gracious and gave the best advice. So there you have it, a xiao long bao house in the heart of Los Angeles. You can't miss it!

[Note, there's no sign on the front, but it's in-between the pizzeria and SushiStop on Sawtelle]

Tacos at Blue Plate Taco

Guacamole, salsa, pico de gallo and chips

Shrimp tacos with beans

Place: Blue Plate Taco

          1515 Ocean Avenue

          Santa Monica, CA 90401

Genre: Mexican

$$$

Hit or a Miss? Hit!

My opinion:

I'm not very fond of Mexican food (I like it, but I'm pretty picky about it), but I'd have to say I had some of the best tacos I've ever had at Blue Plate Taco. I only have a picture of the shrimp taco, but I've had their vegetarian tacos and fish tacos. All three are absolutely delicious. Which one is the best? It's really hard to say. You honestly can't go wrong. The guacamole was perfect: not too salty and very fresh. The same could be said about the salsa and pico de gallo. My only qualm was that the chips were pretty salted, so they sort of diluted the traditionally bold and natural flavors of the guacamole, pico de gallo and salsa. Now for the tacos: the shrimp tacos were incredible. The shrimp was perfectly cooked. Sometimes you run into over cooked shrimp, which is always too tough and looses its distinct flavor. So even with the cilantro creme, the they stay true to the natural flavor of the shrimp. The cilantro creme was well done, and I loved the addition of the jicama. Jicama, in my opinion, is rather underrated. It definitely added crispness and freshness to "shrimp taco experience." Aside from the superb meal, Blue Plate Taco is ten times better because you feel the cool beach breeze and get a pretty view of the ocean. 

Dinner at Gordon Ramsay's The Fat Cow

Squash Blossoms 

Fat Cow Market Salad with Salmon

Macaroni and Cheese

Place: The Fat Cow

           At The Grove

$$

My opinion:

My overall experience at the Fat Cow was good, not exceptional, but good. I think the best part of my meal was the order of the Squash Blossoms. Though originally an Italian dish, the american twist on it was well done. I would have to say that the corn was a bit over-powering, but still good nonetheless. I was pretty excited for the salad, but I wasn't blown away when I ate it. To start, there was way too much dressing. There was so much that by my second bite, the lettuce was already limp. The hazelnuts were an interesting addition that I actually liked. The salmon wasn't a great combination with the salad. It had a sweet-soy glaze and the salad had a lemon vinaigrette....not very compatible. Then my friends and I shared some of the Macaroni and Cheese. The macaroni was pretty good though. Overall I'd say that my meal at the Fat Cow as mediocre. Is it a restaurant you can't miss? no. Is it good? sure. If you do go, you have to get the squash blossoms though!

Falafel at Moishe's

Fresh Falafel 

(not very photogenic, but these were incredible!)

Hommus

Place: Moishe's
          The Farmer's Market at the Grove

$

Hit or a Miss? Hit!

My opinion:
The Farmer's Market at the Grove is such a great place to go with friends and grab a bite to eat...the only problem is that there are so many options! Trying to satisfy your middle eastern food craving? Make your way over to Moishe's. I was only a bit hungry, so I didn't get the chance to get any of their actual "meals." My friend and I decided to share some falafel and hommus with pita. What I loved about Moishe's was that they made us fresh falafel immediately after our order. At many quick middle-eastern eateries you'll find that the falafel is prepared before hand, but that wasn't the case at Moishe's. The falafel itself was true to it's core ingredients. By that I mean that sometimes you can get a "fried" flavor as opposed to the authentic flavor of falafel. I was a huge fan of these ones. The hommus was also fresh and delicious. I really enjoyed my quick meal at Moishe's. It's one place you can't miss in the farmer's market!

Nothing says "Happy Valentines Day" like bags of candy from Dylan's Candy Bar

[please excuse the after-Valentines Day post]

Dark chocolate nonpareils, dark chocolate almonds, turtles etc. 

Sour cherries, sour peaches and more.

Sandwich at Sweet Butter

"The Yoga" Sandwich: Housemade White Bean Spread, Roasted Cherry Tomatoes & Dressed Arugula on Toasted Rustic Millstone

Place: Sweet Butter Kitchen and Café

          13824 Ventura Blvd.

          Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

Genre: Sandwiches, lunch/breakfast etc.

$$

Hit or a Miss? Hit!

My Opinion:

A good sandwich is sort of hard to come by if you don't eat meat...I mean yea a good caprese sandwich  isn't too difficult to find, but you can only have so many. Sweet Butter has a limited, but good selection of pescetarian-friendly sandwiches. To start, the café itself is much like Huckleberry: Stand in line, order with the cashier, then take an "herb" (instead of a number) and then wait for your food. I'd never seen a bean spread sandwich before so why not try it? The verdict: It's delicious! The bread was crispy, which made for a good balance with the bean spread. The spread itself was really tasty. It wasn't too salty, and it  remained true to the distinctive bean flavor. The cherry tomatoes were a perfect addition as well, giving a sweet/savor finish to each bite. I really like Sweet Butter. It's a cute place to get breakfast, lunch and little pastries. Now their food isn't "exceptional," (very reminiscent of that served at Huckleberry), but Sweet Butter is a great place to get a bite to eat in the valley.