June 8, 2011 · 11:00 am

Southern Comfort


There is something very comforting about cobbler. It’s not fancy or elegant. It’s warm, welcoming and homey. And if prepared correctly, it’s very delicious. The cobblers at The Gourmet Cobbler Factory in Pasadena are baked with love from an old Southern family recipe and they are really, really good. I like to buy (and devour) them piping hot out of the oven. They have the most delicious golden brown crust, which is the perfect thickness and not too sweet. Beneath the crust is a warm, juicy, sweet and tart fruit filling.

The Gourmet Cobbler Factory is hardly a factory. It’s a very small and unassuming family-run bakery on a small side street off of Colorado (and not the trendy Old Town part of Colorado). They don’t sell lattes. There is nowhere to sit; everything is to go. The place looks slightly run down, but don’t let that fool you. It’s all about the cobbler here plus a few other baked goods including delicious pecan and sweet potato pies. The cobblers come in many flavors, including mixed berries, blackberry, peach, apple, boysenberry and blueberry. My favorite is the mixed berries. They also serve great seafood gumbo as well as bbq sometimes on the weekends, but I come for the cobbler and pies. It’s a great treat to take a couple cobblers home for dessert and serve them hot with scoops of vanilla bean ice cream. Or, even better, if you’re invited to a dinner party, show up with a couple of these babies and they will no doubt be the hit of the party!

The Gourmet Cobbler Factory is located at 33 N Catalina Ave. in Pasadena.

Sweet Potato Pies


Pecan Pies

More like a hole in the wall than a factory


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The Gourmet Cobbler Factory on Urbanspoon

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June 1, 2011 · 11:00 am

Sausage Fest

Wurstkuche (pronounced verst-koo-shah) is one of my favorite restaurants in all of LA.  It’s basically gourmet sausages and great beer in one of the coolest spaces in the city.  Here’s how it works:  you place your order at a counter for one or more of their awesome homemade sausages.  My favorites are the spicy and buttery Rattlesnake & Rabbit, the sweet and spicy Mango Jalapeno, the sweet Apricot & Ginger and the juicy Duck & Bacon.   They have 21 different kinds of sausages including several vegan, chicken and turkey options.  Next you pick two of the following toppings for each sausage: carmelized onions, sauteed hot peppers, sauteed sweet peppers or saurkraut.  Don’t forget the Belgian fries (and make sure you order them doused in truffle oil!) plus your choice of one of their ten dipping sauces (I recommend either the Curry Ketchup, the Chipotle Aioli or the Bleu Cheese Walnut & Bacon).  Then you select your drink from dozens of mostly Belgian and German draft beers, each served in a special beer-specific glass.  I love dark beer and there are  many nice ones to choose from here.  They also have a great selection of unusual sodas including Cucumber Soda, Ginger Beer and Elderflower Soda.

After you’ve ordered, they will give you a number to take to the adjoining dining room, which is one of the coolest restaurant spaces in the whole city; it’s brick and industrial; a modern indoor German Biergarten.  It’s also in a really interesting and beautiful part of downtown, the historic Arts District, very close to Little Tokyo and the Toy District.   Once you’ve found a place to sit in the bustling dining room, start collecting your mustards, which are scattered around the room.  They have five different varieties: Whole Grain, Dijon, Spicy Brown, Honey Mustard and American Yellow.  Before long, they will bring you your food.  Enjoy, meine Freunde!  It’s like celebrating Oktoberfest (with a cool LA gourmet twist) all year long!

Wurstkuche is located at 800 E. 3rd Street in Los Angeles (Downtown). They are opening a second location soon in Venice.

UPDATE (November 20, 2011): Westsiders rejoice! Wurstkuche has opened a second location in Venice (at 623 Lincoln Blvd; see map below) and it’s just like the downtown location.

A great selection of unusual sodas

The Belgian Fries are awesome! Get them with Truffle Oil.

It's a modern German Biergarten!

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Wurstküche on Urbanspoon
Wurstküche on Urbanspoon

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May 25, 2011 · 11:00 am

The Maine Event

The Kennedy’s are back in the news! Time for a little taste of Hyannis Port (it was either that this week or my recommendation for Austrian food in LA and I’m still in search of a good place for Schnitzel). So I headed over to the Lobsta Truck and waited in line for over a half hour.  Was it worth it?  Hell yeah! It’s Wicked Awesome!

The concept is simple:  The Lobsta Truck serves succulent Lobster Rolls and Crab Rolls with your choice of butter or seasoned mayo on traditional split top buns.  The lobster and crab are flown in from New England a few times a week, as are the split top buns, so everything tastes really fresh.  The also serve Clam Chowder, which was good not great, fresh squeezed lemonade, Maine Root sodas, packaged Cape Cod Potato Chips and Whoopie Pies.  This is one of the more expensive food trucks in town.  The Lobster Rolls are $12 each and the Crab Rolls are $11 each and they are not huge, so you are probably going to want at least two.  But they are mighty tasty and, as Ahnold says, I’ll be back!

The best way to find The Lobsta Truck is the weekly schedule posted on their website.

The Lobsta Truck

Lobsta Roll with Mayo

Lobsta Roll with Melted Butter and Cup of Clam Chowder

I love the simple menu

Lobsta Truck on Urbanspoon

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May 18, 2011 · 11:00 am

Seafood Splendor

Providence is the most elegant, sophisticated and (along with The Bazaar) most inventive restaurant in Los Angeles. It has won all kinds of awards including two Michelin stars. Unfortunately, the high price tag prevents most of us from eating there regularly. But if you can afford it and need a restaurant to impress an important client or celebrate a special anniversary, or if you simply want to splurge and enjoy one of the best fine-dining meals you’ve ever eaten in LA, this is the place. The decor is elegant but not stuffy; minimal yet comfortable. There is an awesome wine list and the service (led by charming maitre d’ and co-owner Donato Poto) is impeccable. The food is exceptional and exciting. Each dish is a work of art.  Simply put: this is a place where magic happens.

Chef Michael Cimarusti will start your meal out with a bit of complimentary molecular gastronomy; a plate of amuse bouches which on my last visit included a mojito gelee, a screwdriver cocktail gelatin bubble, a gruyere cheese puff, and a shooter of parsnip with port reduction on the bottom. The bread, which they will replenish throughout your meal, is excellent here, especially my favorite, a bacon brioche. The main theme at Providence is seafood and they serve some of the best and most beautiful seafood concoctions you will ever eat. I recommend ordering the tasting menu and putting yourself in Chef Cimarusti’s hands. However, if you instead decide to order specific items, make sure to get the Spot Prawns, which are baked in a block of salt and prepared tableside. I also recommend Bobby’s Block Island Scallops with Buckwheat, Dashi and Cabbage and the Spaghetti all Chitarra with Santa Barbara Sea Urchin and Green Onions. The menu is not strictly limited to seafood. If it’s available, I always order the Foie Gras Ravioli with Aromatics and Parmesan Black Truffle; it’s extraordinary. I highly recommend getting the wine pairing (remember, you’re splurging, so don’t hold back). Finally, make sure to save room for dessert. Adrian Vasquez is one of the top pastry chefs in LA; a true genius with sweets. Some of my recent favorites are his “Simple Apple Tart” with Hazelnuts, Cinnamon Calvados Ice Cream and Green Apple Sorbet and his Pumpkin Polenta with Candied Pecans, Mascarpone and Maple Syrup.  Enjoy!

Providence is located at 5955 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles (on the border between Hollywood and Hancock Park; near Larchmont).

Quartet of cocktail-inspired amuse bouches

Quartet of cocktail-inspired amuse bouches

Spaghetti alla Chitarra with Santa Barbara Sea Urchin and Green Onions

Spaghetti alla Chitarra with Santa Barbara Sea Urchin and Green Onions

Spot prawns baked in salt and prepared tableside

Spot prawns baked in salt and prepared tableside

Foie Gras Ravioli with aromatics and parmesan black truffle

Foie Gras Ravioli with aromatics and parmesan black truffle

Pumpkin Polenta with candied pecans, mascarpone and maple syrup

Pumpkin Polenta with candied pecans, mascarpone and maple syrup

"Simple Apple Tart" with hazelnuts, cinnamon calvados ice cream and green apple sorbet

“Simple Apple Tart” with hazelnuts, cinnamon calvados ice cream and green apple sorbet

Comfortable and Elegant

Comfortable and Elegant

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Providence on Urbanspoon

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May 11, 2011 · 11:00 am

This Little Place Has Balls

Sunny Blue is a cool little place on Main Street in Santa Monica and the first (and probably only) Omusubi store in Southern California. Omusubi (sometimes called Onigiri) are Japanese rice balls with different fillings and an optional seaweed wrapper; kind of a Japanese version of a sandwich. At Sunny Blue, the omusubi are made to order right in front of you and they are warm and delicious! My favorite is the Beef Miso which is made with grilled onions and homemade organic miso sauce; it is really well seasoned and tasty. The Hijiki Shitake with tofu, carrots and green peas in a soy sauce base is another good choice and also great for vegetarians. Other varieties include Tuna Mayo, Spicy Salmon, Spicy Tuna, Chicken Takokami, and Shiso Ume (pickled Japanese plum with shiso leaves). The Omusubi are the perfect size for a snack, but unless you’re on a diet, I would recommend ordering at least two if you’re there for lunch or dinner. There are also optional sides including Edamame, Cucumber Sunomono, Daikon Salad and Japanese Pickles. Sunny Blue offers complimentary Barley Tea, which I’m not really a fan of, but it is free. They are also a yogurt shop and have really light and delicious frozen yogurt in a variety of flavors and and with a great array of toppings including some cool Japanese toppings like Azuki Red Beans, Match Green Tea and Japanese Pocky cookies.

Sunny Blue is located at 2728 Main Street in Santa Monica.

Many choices including a few Vegan options


The perfect combination of spices


A variety of side dishes


Chocolate frozen yogurt with corn flakes for dessert!


It's a cute place, but not a lot of seating

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Sunny Blue on Urbanspoon

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