And, oh yeah, I tried Pinkberry...

Our visit to Pinkberry - my first - slipped my mind because it wasn't on my camera. But I found a couple of blurry shots while flicking through Dan's camera phone's album. Consider my memory jogged.

I chose the pomegranate flavored frozen yogurt (or whatever it is) and had it topped with toasted almonds and little round crispy chocolate pieces. I recommend this combination wholeheartedly. Dan's original with oranges and coconut was good, too, but my combination won the day. I liked the tanginess of the pomegranate more than the original, though neither one displeased me, and the almonds were perefectly toasty, which meshed beautifully with chocolate.

Hitting Pinkberry was Molly's idea (she was visiting from the DC area), and I'm glad she suggested it. I was afraid the stuff would taste "diety," but it wasn't bad. It's not that I'm suspicious of restaurant chains that are born in LA. I'm suspicious of things that resemble ice cream but are not ice cream.

Eat the Streets: Culver City, CA

In Culver City, as I have mentioned, we spent a lot of time walking and eating. Here's a little photo essay for you.



In the Helms Bakery District, we happened upon this charming hot dog truck (closed, but decorative).




Lavender Lemon bar and Pomegranate Lime Italian soda from Surfas. We went there a number of times. There's also a great gourmet food and kitchen store in the building.




Oh, how I wish for my own lemon tree. It's second only to my wish for an avocado tree.




One day at the Gallery, artists and staff and hangers-on (like me) ordered enough food for lunch from Bluebird Cafe that two people couldn't carry it all. They had to drag it back in an abandoned shopping cart. That's a lot of food!




Here's my Turkey Reuben from Bluebird. It was great.




And what was in this big box?




Too many cupcakes for us to eat! I tried a green-topped one and was disappointed it was just vanilla with food coloring. I was hoping for a flavor.




Wow! A lemonade nearly as big as my head! It was perfect -- tart and refreshing.




This is where I got the lemonade -- Honey's Kettle (yikes! to the website). While there one night (I went twice), I also tried a chicken drumstick. Better than KFC or Popeyes, for sure. A lot of people agree.




Another day at the gallery, we ordered from Golden China Restaurant. I got crab rangoon and chicken fried rice. Crab rangoon is hard to find in NYC, so I was thrilled to get some (though I like mine a touch bigger). They were good, but the rice was mediocre. I don't know why I like the flavor of chicken fried rice so much better than vegetable fried rice, considering that I never actually like the pieces of chicken in the rice itself. Dan wasn't wowed by his entree, either, so this meal may have been the lowest point of our trip. The experience was pretty tame, though, as a low point. That bodes well!



(flip flops from Havianas - free in a goody bag; paper bag waist skirt from Anthropologie)

This photo was taken on a daytrip to Venice Beach with Angela, my best friend spanning high school and college to today, who flew in from SF for a few days. But the donut is from Donut King in Culver City. Based on its looks and location on a grimy block of Sepulveda, the shop could have been a nothing-special place, but it turned out to have great doughnuts! I loved my chocolate (pictured here) and powdered-sugar kruller.





Sidebar: After browsing the collection for hours (I went two days in a row), we didn't have time to take in a movie or get tea and a cookie (complimentary) upstairs at the incredible Museum of Jurassic Technology, but check out these samovars!



(shoes by Frye)

I only wish someone had been there to play the accordion. It happens to be my favorite instrument favored by street musicians and subway performers.




Dan stopped at In-N-Out to try his first (and second) of their burgers, ordered "animal style" (with grilled onions). I was told that I could order a grilled cheese (even though it's not on the menu), but I was still stuffed from the morning's cheddar and bacon waffle (sadly, not pictured) and hash browns. So I settled for a strawberry shake. It was a little over-the-top, but not disgusting.

Hey, that might be a good way to describe LA -- except that, on this trip, I actually didn't see much of the "over-the-top" Los Angeles I've heard about. I certainly didn't dislike the city in the way I feared I might. I'll have to travel there again soon and widen my circle a little. LA, you were delicious, but I barely got a taste!

A Cookie Photo Session

Who: Snickerdoodle and Peanut Butter Toffee, plus Pomegranate Lime.
What: Cookies and Italian soda from Cafe Surfas.
When: Wednesday, June 17, 2009 at 3:00 pm.
Where: Los Angeles' Scion Space gallery, Culver City, CA.
Why: It wouldn't be fair to eat such beautiful cookies or drink such a sparkling beverage without taking some photographs to share with all of you. Especially when the light is this nice.

Daily at Your Door

Dan and I are in Los Angeles. We're staying in Culver City, where the historic Helms Bakery, home of the official bakers of the 1932 Olympics, is now a gigantic furniture store.



The old building has numerous decorative elements on its walls. My favorite was this seal celebrating "Scientific Baking."



I like Culver City even though I haven't been able to compare it with other cities in this metropolitan sprawl. I have experienced that, unlike much of the rest of LA, it is possible to see a lot of this area on foot. There are sidewalks and everything! And like much of the rest of LA, or so it seems from my research, food and the promise of food can be found around every corner. Both of these factors have made Culver City perfect for this particular trip. So far, we remain car-less and well-fed. I don't mind either situation.