LA Fine Fare

From your comments, my last few posts have taken on a more food theme. As promised, I have “reviewed” more restaurants. I put review in quotes because I realize I am not a food critic. Almost every restaurant I have tried in Los Angeles, I loved. This could be due to my extreme pre-Googling skills before I make a restaurant selection. While my parents were in town a month ago, I was able to sample a little of LA’s finer fare.

Nestled in the hotel my parents were staying at in Santa Monica lies a not so hidden gem, FIG. Before their visit, I had considered trying FIG out during DineLA. I never found the time and was excited when they suggested it. After a long day of doing touristy things around LA, we went back to their hotel for an early dinner. Upon arrival, we were greeted with a pleasant surprise. As mentioned in my previous blog post, a sign notified us that everything was half-priced if we ordered before six. Since I was with my parents, half-priced is interpreted into try more things. I was thankful for my previous research on FIG as a quickly scanned the menu. We only had seven minutes to order, and I didn’t want to miss out on any of their best dishes. I ordered the stuffed honey dates and domestic cheese flight for the table, and the hand-harvested scallops for my entrée. The dates arrived first. A French blue cheese made up the middle of the dates topped with small-slivered almonds and a honey drizzle. While these are easily eaten in one bite, I took the time to carefully cut mine into three. The blue cheese added the needed savory element to keep the dates from being a sweet disaster. Next came the cheese flight, which was paired with fresh honeycomb, apple slices, raspberry preserves and assorted homemade breads. The cheeses ranged from a mild Brie to a strong blue cheese. Not everyone was a fan of the flight, but I enjoyed each cheese. In order not to become too full before our main course, my mom and I split the fennel and mandarin salad. The fennel added a hint of licorice balancing the sweet from the clementines. It was a refreshing course before my scallop entrée. My large diver-scallops were paired with roasted cauliflower, pinenuts, golden raisins and segments of tangerines. The dish was a masterpiece of complementary flavors. We finished the meal with two desserts, a Nutella and chocolate tart and a Melrose apple tatin. The chocolate tart was topped with candied hazelnuts and a marshmallow crème. It reminded me of an upscale s’more. The decadent chocolate paired perfectly with a hint of hazelnuts and the surprising, silky texture of the marshmallow crème. While this was rich, the apple tatin tasted like home. One of my favorite desserts from my childhood is apple pie. This tatin took apple pie to the next level. A drizzle of caramel and a scoop of sea salt ice cream paired perfectly with the cinnamon apples in the tart.  

For a flashback to the lunchroom of elementary school but with better food, check out Lemonade. I hit up the Venice location, but I’m excited one will be opening in the Brentwood Village soon. You first encounter rows of unique, bright salads made up of unique combinations such as butternut squash, sage and pistachios. Classics are also there such as potato, chicken and egg salad. There are almost 20 to choose from, which felt a little overwhelming. My four salads were each distinctly different. I chose the squash mentioned above, a creamy avocado and tomato salad, a chicken, grape and oregano combination and one more I can’t remember. After selecting my cold salads, I slide my tray down to the “stew  selection.” From turkey chili to curry chicken, each looked equally enticing. I opted to pass on this section in favor for a bowl of macaroni and cheese. I don’t know what person who can’t remember having mac’n’cheese for lunch when they were younger. After my tray was filled with savory items, I settled on sharing a variety of macaroons with my mom. Between the chocolate, pistachio and lemon, the lemon definitely stood out to me. My meal finished with the drink that inspired the restaurant’s name. I selected blueberry mint after reading rave reviews online, and it did not disappoint. The drink perfectly combined sweet and refreshing flavors for an unexpected treat. The food was good, but the lemonade is what I will be coming back for! 

A popular breakfast spot by locals, I decided to take my parents to Le Pain Quotidien. The restaurant has various locations around the LA area, but thankfully there was one close by in the Brentwood Village. After having some trouble finding the restaurant, we settled into the tucked away location. I was surprised with the décor. A quaint space filled with Santa Fe style, wooden furniture and art. This set the scene for the rustic food and coffee that followed. The menu mostly consisted of breads and pastries, but there were a few full breakfast dishes on the menu. I settled on a soft-boiled egg with a side of assorted breads. There was already a praline spread on the table along with two different jams, and I couldn’t resist trying them. After my dish arrived, I struggled to properly crack the egg because I had never had a soft-boiled egg before. Despite my distaste for deviled eggs, I discovered I in fact like soft-boiled eggs. The highlight of my breakfast was the assorted, organic breads. The praline spread called Burnette tasted like a sweet peanut butter. I am a big fan of peanut butter, but this blew me away. For me it was a chocolate-free version of Nutella, you could truly taste the flavor of the nuts. My favorite of the two jams was the apricot preserves. With strings of apricot, the jam wasn’t overly sweet but instead slightly tangy.

Hope I got your taste buds watering or intrigued you to try these restaurants. I already have another food post in the works after trying a bunch of new restaurants during my friend Jayme’s visit.