Tag Archives: Studio City Restaurants

A Nutty Place in the Valley

Smiles
One of my favorite tv shows growing up was The Brady Bunch. Not only was it the perfect depiction of 1970’s suburban idealism, but it taught me “caveat emptor” and not to play ball in the house. If you want to check out the actual home used as the Brady house exterior, it’s located at 11222 Dilling Street in Studio City. While you’re in Studio City, I suggest you complete your Brady Bunch expedition by heading over to Spread PB for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, the quintessential suburban after-school snack.

Spread PB is a new restaurant devoted entirely to peanut butter, which they make themselves in numerous varieties including regular, nutty, dark chocolate, maple bacon, coconut, cinnamon raisin and banana chunky. Their extensive menu features childhood favorites such as “Ants on a Log” (celery sticks with peanut butter topped with raisins or chocolate chips) and “Smiles” (apple slices layered with peanut butter and mini marshmallows; pictured above) and creative concoctions such as “Banana Sushi” and greek yogurt peanut butter smoothies.

The main attractions, however, are the sandwiches. You can build your own with your choice of peanut butter, bread and a long list of toppings, or select from a list of house specialities. My favorites are the Chicken Curry Sandwich with green curry peanut butter and “The P’s Please” sandwich with peanut butter, pickles and potato chips. Both are surprisingly good; perhaps even better than the ones Carol and Alice used to make for Greg, Marcia, Peter, Jan, Bobby and Cindy.

SpreadPB is located at 12215, Ventura Blvd, Suite 104 in Studio City. UPDATE: Spread PB is permanently closed. I also heard that NYC’s Peanut Butter & Co. is closing. It’s sad timed for peanut butter.

The P's Please (Peanut Butter, Pickles and Potato Chips) on Cinnamon Raisin Bread

The P’s Please (Peanut Butter, Pickles and Potato Chips) on Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Chicken Curry Sandwich with Green Curry Peanut Butter

Chicken Curry Sandwich with Green Curry Peanut Butter

Dogwich (Banana, Peanut Butter, Jelly and Chocolate Chips on a Hot Dog Bun)

Dogwich (Banana, Peanut Butter, Jelly and Chocolate Chips on a Hot Dog Bun)

Banana Sushi

Banana Sushi

Berry Berry Nuts and Bananas (Blueberry Bread, Peanut Butter, Strawberries, Blueberries and Bananas)

Berry Berry Nuts and Bananas (Blueberry Bread, Peanut Butter, Strawberries, Blueberries and Bananas)

Ants on a Log (Celery Sticks with Peanut Butter and Raisins or Chocolate Chips)

Ants on a Log (Celery Sticks with Peanut Butter and Raisins or Chocolate Chips)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

The Peanut Gallery

The Peanut Gallery

The Brady House in Studio City

The Brady Bunch House in Studio City


Spread PB on Urbanspoon

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The Cheesiest Place in the Valley


Artisan Cheese Gallery is my favorite cheese shop/restaurant in the city. I go there often for lunch, not only because I love the food, but because it’s fun to do a pre-lunch tasting of exotic, unusual and rare cheeses. The people who work there are really nice, unpretentious and passionate about dairy. They possess an encyclopedic knowledge of cheese and will provide you with tastes of various high-end cheeses while informing you that one is made on a farm in Vermont, where it is washed with cider and aged in whiskey barrels, while another is produced in small batches in a remote village in Southern Belgium by a secret order of monks who raise miniature cows. It’s educational and great fun! You can buy cheese to take home, but my favorite thing to do is have them prepare a lunch-sized cheese (or cheese and meat) platter of my favorites from the tasting, along with candied nuts, an assortment of dried fruits and a basket of fresh bread.

If you’re not in the mood for a cheese platter, the sandwiches and salads at Artisan Cheese Gallery are some of the best in the city and each feature one of the store’s excellent cheeses. My favorite sandwich is the Duck Confit, made with fig jam and a Swiss cow’s milk cheese called Le Marechal, and served on ciabatta bread. I also love the Spanish Turkey Sandwich, made with turkey breast, a sheep and goat’s milk cheese from Spain called Campo de Montelban, chopped Marcona almonds, roasted sweet red peppers, and aioli, also on ciabatta bread. As for salads, you can’t go wrong with the Aged Gouda Salad with sliced apples, salted Marcona almonds and an incredibly good honey balsamic dressing. There’s a great assortment of wines, craft beers and artisan sodas to enjoy with your meal, and if you want to end on a sweet note, there are giant gourmet soft chocolate chips cookies, red velvet sandwich cookies and other tasty treats.

Artisan Cheese Gallery is located at 12023 Ventura Blvd. in Studio City. Every so often, they have a wine and cheese (or beer and cheese!) tasting evening. These events are incredibly fun and sell out quickly.

The Classic Grilled Cheese Sandwich


Duck Confit Sandwich


Spanish Turkey Sandwich


Aged Gouda Salad


Cheese Tasting


One of my favorite places in the Valley!



Artisan Cheese Gallery on Urbanspoon

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