January 24, 2018 · 12:12 pm

14 Best Peanut Butter Treats in LA for 2018


I am a peanut butter fanatic, a peanut butter fiend, a peanut butter junkie. I am nuts about peanut butter and I love it more than almost anything else. If a restaurant or bakery has a peanut butter dessert on the menu, I automatically order it. And I always keep a jar at home in the fridge for snacking or adding to other desserts. After years of dedicated research, I share with you my 14 current favorite peanut butter treats in Los Angeles (in no particular order).

Peanut Butter Meringue Pie from Pie 'n Burger

1. Peanut Butter Meringue Pie from Pie ‘n Burger (913 E. California in Pasadena) This is one awesome pie. Creamy and delicious peanut butter pudding in a delcious butter crust topped with meringue. They serve it every other day, alternating with Butterscotch Meringue Pie.

Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream from Mashti Malone's

2. Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream from Mashti Malone’s Ice Cream (1525 N. La Brea Ave. in Hollywood) This frozen treat is rich and creamy with chunks of peanut butter and chocolate. It’s surprising that a store famous for their Persian rosewater ice creams and sorbets would make the best peanut butter ice cream in the city, but they do!

“Old School” Peanut Butter and Strawberry Jam Sandwich from PBJ.LA

3. “Old School” Peanut Butter and Strawberry Jam Sandwich from PBJ.LA (317 S. Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles) The hippest new stall in Grand Central Market is a purveyor of old school goodness, including this round sandwich of house-made peanut butter and house-made jam on two slices of soft crustless white bread which have been pressed together around the edges to form a pocket.

The Huell from Stan's Doughnuts

4. The Huell from Stan’s Doughnuts (10948 Weyburn Ave. in Westwood) Stan’s actually makes three amazing peanut butter doughnuts: a Peanut Butter & Banana Doughnut, a PB&J Doughnut and “The Huell,” with chocolate chips and peanut butter, named after local TV celebrity Huell Howser.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Cake with McConnell’s Double Peanut Butter Chip Ice Cream from Charcoal Venice

5. Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Cake with McConnell’s Double Peanut Butter Chip Ice Cream from Charcoal Venice (425 Washington Blvd, Marina Del Rey) If this rich, moist layer cake made with chocolate and peanut butter wasn’t decadent enough, it’s served with a generous scoop of McConnell’s incredible Double Peanut Butter Chip Ice Cream.

Peanut Butter Popcorn from California Frozen Poppers

6. Peanut Butter Popcorn from California Frozen Poppers (7138 Shoup Ave, West Hills) If you’ve never had frozen popcorn, this is a good place to start. The Peanut Butter flavor at this awesome store is crunchy, salty and perfectly sweet.

Peanut Brittle Cookie from M Street Kitchen in Santa Monica

Peanut Butter Cookie from M Street Kitchen

7. Peanut Butter Cookie from M Street Kitchen (2000 Main St, Santa Monica) This is my favorite peanut butter cookie in town. It pairs well with a nice glass of milk.

Peanut Butter Chip Cupcake from Sprinkles Cupcakes

8. Peanut Butter Chip Cupcake from Sprinkles Cupcakes (9635 S. Santa Monica Blvd. in Beverly Hills) This is my all-time favorite cupcake. Chocolate chip-studded peanut butter cake with peanut butter frosting covered in chocolate sprinkles. They only have them on Tuesdays and Sundays.

Peanut Butter and Marshmallow Cakewich from Cake Monkey

9. Peanut Butter and Marshmallow Cakewich from Cake Monkey Bakery (7807 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles) Happiness is a yummy yellow cake sandwich filled with peanut buttercream, housemade marshmallow and coated with bittersweet chocolate.

Peanut Butter Icebox Pie from Magnolia Bakery

10. Susie’s Nutty (Whoppie Pie) from SusieCakes (Locations in Los Angeles, Calabasas, Woodland Hills, Studio City, Brentwood, Manhattan Beach and Marina del Rey) Who wouldn’t love two chewy peanut butter cookies sandwiched with peanut butter buttercream?

Susie’s Nutty (Whoopie Pie) from SusieCakes

11. Peanut Butter Icebox Pie from Magnolia Bakery (8389 W. 3rd Street in Mid-City) This is one of several peanut butter offerings from one of my favorite bakeries in the city. It has a super light, creamy and delicious filling which sits atop a denser crust. I can devour a slice in about five seconds flat.

Peanut Butter Stuffed Mochi from Fugetsu-Do

12. Peanut Butter Stuffed Mochi from Fugetsu-Do (315 E. 1st St. in Little Tokyo/Downtown) This sweet shop has some of the best mochi in town and my favorites are these soft and chewy mochi disks stuffed with peanut butter. It’s the Japanese equivalent of an Abba Zabba bar!

Deep Fried Fluffer Nutter with Fresh Bananas from Black Market Liquor Bar

13. Deep Fried Fluffer Nutter with Fresh Bananas from Black Market Liquor Bar (11915 Ventura Blvd. in Studio City) Top Chef’s Antonia Lofaso has created this dessert sandwich of peanut butter, marshmallow and bananas on sweet brioche, which is covered with panko bread crumbs and deep fried until golden. It’s wicked good!

Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwich from Diddy Riese

14: Diddy Riese Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwich (926 Broxton Ave. in Westwood) There always seems to be a line outside Diddy Riese, which bakes up delicious cookies. I love their ice cream sandwich made with Dreyer’s Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream and peanut butter cookies. At $2.50, the price can’t be beat!

If you enjoy Consuming LA, please subscribe, like me on facebook and/or follow me on instagram and twitter at the top right of this page. And please forward to your friends!

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January 18, 2018 · 2:36 pm

Great Danes


Denmark is ranked every year as the happiest country in the world. With the amazing food scene they have there, this is hardly a surprise. My daughter and I recently visited Copenhagen for the first time and, in addition to falling in love with this beautiful Scandanavian metropolis, we had one of the best and happiest meals of our lives at a mind-blowing restaurant called Kadeau.

Dinner at Kadeau involves a fifteen course tasting menu celebrating the tiny Danish wilderness island of Bornholm, where Kadeau’s sister restaurant resides and from where many of the ingredients have been sourced and harvested. There are savory tarts of king crab, tomato, caramelized cream and sugar kelp, as well as flower-shaped ice bowls cradling mini apples spiced with black currant leaf, rhubarb root and silver fir. There is homemade bread roasted with herb butter infused with cherry wood embers, as well as hay-roasted slices of celeriac on beds of white asparagus sauce which are whimsically (and, yes, deliciously!) peppered with wood ants.

Every dish is amazing and the experience is transcendent; a brilliant blend of creative culinary mastery and Danish hygge (the cozy enjoyment of life’s simple pleasures). Service is impeccable and, if you play your cards rights, you can get a tour of the kitchen, hang out with the friendly chefs and hear about the philosophy of the restaurant. Dinner at Kadeau is, just by itself, worth the trip to Copenhagen.

Smoked Mackerel, Cockles and Wild Carrot

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Preserved Vegetables, Cherry Blossom and Salted Gooseberry

Sauerkraut, Parsley, Oysters and Lyme Grass

Smoked Salmon, Figs and Rosehip Vinaigrette

Roasted Bread, Herb Butter Infused with Cherry Wood Embers

Tart of King Crab, Tomato, Caramelized Cream and Sugar Kelp

Scallop, Horseradish and Scots Pine Flowers

Celeriac, Buttermilk Whey, White Asparagus, Woodruff and Ants

Barley, Parsley Seeds and Cured Duck

Cured Danish Beef, Kale, Hemp and Bone Marrow

Chicken Wing, Black Garlic, Beach Onions and Leek Flowers

Ymer, Buttermilk Fudge, Potato and Chamomile

Plum, White Currant and Schnapps

Honey Cakes made with Bees Wax

Caramelized Buttermilk Tart topped with Pinecones

The Library Lounge where your adventure begins with a pre-dinner cocktail

The Dining Room

The Kitchen

The Chefs

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December 30, 2017 · 2:48 pm

The 10 Best Things I Consumed in 2017


As we bid adieu to 2017, let’s just focus on the good stuff. And by “good stuff,” I mean the food we consumed to tantalize our taste buds, lift our spirits and provide a bit of pleasure in these ever-changing and uncertain times. Keeping with tradition, here is my annual list of the ten best things I ate and wrote about during the past year:

Shul Lung Tang (Korean bone broth) from Han Bat

10. Shul Lung Tang from Han Bat. Is bone broth a miracle elixir that will cure all your ailments, align your chakras and balance your chi? Probably not, but there’s nothing better than a hot bowl of this soup on a cold rainy day.

Pork Chop “Niman Ranch” from Salazar

9. Pork Chop “Niman Ranch” from Salazar. The penultimate dish on my top ten list is smoky, fatty and juicy. As excited as I am about this pork chop, I’m equally excited about using the word “penultimate” in my post.

Flaky Bread with Labneh, Preserved Lemon and Honey from Kismet

8. Flaky Bread from Kismet. The servers at Kismet are flaky and so is the hipstery restaurant’s best dish: a melt-in-your-mouth pan-fried bread served with labneh, preserved lemon and honey.

Banchan from Genwa

7. Banchan from Genwa. We all like free things, and the ridiculous amount of complimentary banchan (side dishes of fermented vegetables, fishcake, seasoned peanuts, braised beef, scallion pancakes and other Korean delicacies) at this Korean BBQ joint has the additional benefit of being exceptionally tasty.

Ceviche Tostada from Holbox

6. Ceviche Tostada from Holbox. How do you make an octopus laugh? With ten-tickles. The Ceviche Tostada at Holbox is a lot better than that joke.

Macarons from Ladurée

5. Macarons from Ladurée. The French know a thing or two about creating incredible baked confections. I know a thing or two about eating them.

Marinated Short Ribs from Chosun Galbee

4. Marinated Short Ribs from Chosun Galbee. I know what you’re thinking: Where’s the beef? It’s right here at #4 and it’s amazing.

Fresh Uni in the Shell from Jolly Oyster

3. Fresh Uni in the Shell from Jolly Oyster. Fun fact: uni is actually a sea urchin’s gonads. These gonads are especially delicious when eaten right out of the shell at the Jolly Oyster stall at DTLA’s weekly Smorgasburg.

Pastrami Sandwich from Ugly Drum

2. Pastrami Sandwich from Ugly Drum. “Oy gevalt!”…is something you will not be saying when you eat this pastrami masterpiece (which is also found at Smorgasburg).

Carrot Mole Enchiladas from Trois Familia

1. Carrot Mole Enchiladas from Trois Familia. You haven’t really had carrot mole enchiladas until you’ve had the ones from Trois Familia. They are insanely good and the best thing that I consumed and wrote about in 2017.

If you enjoy Consuming LA, please subscribe, like me on facebook and follow me on twitter and instagram at the top right of this page. And please forward to your friends!

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December 23, 2017 · 12:21 pm

10 Best Korean BBQ Joints in LA


There are few things in the world that I love more than Korean BBQ. Nothing beats gathering around a fiery tabletop grill with your friends while marinated meats are cooked to perfection right in front of you. Grab a hot piece of caramelized short rib with your chopsticks and pop it in your mouth followed by a swig of cold Korean beer. Yes, life is good.

After years of extensive research, here are my 10 favorite Korean BBQ restaurants in LA:

Kang Ho-dong Baekjeong

1. Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong (3465 W 6th St, Los Angeles) Part of a chain from Seoul owned by a comedian/wrestler, this place has everything you want in a Korean BBQ joint: a super fun and bustling atmosphere, fantastic service and incredible food. The only downside: they don’t take reservations and there is always a long wait.

Chosun Galbee

2. Chosun Galbee (3330 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles) While the food here is authentic and traditional (and absolutely amazing), I’ve found Chosun Galbee to be very accessible for Korean BBQ novices and it’s where I usually bring first-timers. Everything here is big — the menu, the restaurant (including a large patio) and the flavors. There are private rooms in the back which are perfect for parties. My favorites here are the chadol (thiny sliced brisket), spicy pork bulgogi and marinated galbi.

Magal BBQ

3. Magal BBQ (3460 W 8th St, Los Angeles) Magal is the cool new kid in town. It’s a recent import from a successful chain in Korea and has a party-like atmosphere. Make sure to check out their signature Beef Sushi and Volcano Fried Rice.

Genwa Korean BBQ

4. Genwa Korean BBQ (5115 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles and 170 N La Cienega Blvd, Beverly Hills) The big draw here is the banchan, the little side dishes of kimchi and other fermented vegetables, sliced pancakes, potato salad, boiled peanuts, braised beef and other Korean delicacies. While most Korean BBQ places give you between 4 and 7 different kinds of banchan, Genwa gives you around twenty different varieties and, as with virtually all Korean restaurants, they’re all refillable upon request.

Park’s BBQ

5. Park’s BBQ (955 S Vermont Ave, Los Angeles) This joint is the top choice for ballers and foodies who demand the highest quality meats and don’t mind paying the highest prices. Their heavily marbelized Wagyu beef may ruin you for all other Korean BBQ.

Soowan Galbi

6. Soowan Galbi (856 S Vermont Ave B, Los Angeles) While the decor of this small strip mall eatery is a bit plain and the atmosphere is a bit staid, the BBQ is anything but dull. The quality of the food here is incredible and their marinated meats are among the best in town.

Hanjip

7. Hanjip (3829 Main St, Culver City) Owned by celebrity chef Chris Oh and LA restaurant maven Stephane Bombet, Hanjip is one of the few great LA Korean BBQ places outside of Koreantown. It’s also my favorite of the all-you-can-eat joints. In addition to the meats, make sure to order their incredible Kimchi Fried Rice, Uni Steamed Egg and Bone Marrow Corn Cheese. For extra fun, enjoy Soju poured into your mouth through a marrow bone “luge.”

Quarters Korean BBQ

8. Quarters Korean BBQ (3465 W 6th St, Los Angeles) Located in historic Chapman Plaza in the center of K-town, this is where I usually wind up when the line is too long at neighbor restaurant Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong. It’s fun and modern and they have great banchan and excellent bulgogi.

Soot Bull Jeep

9. Soot Bull Jeep (3136 W 8th St, Los Angeles) The pork baby back ribs here are insanely good. All of the meat is cooked at your table on charcoal grills, which adds a great smokey flavor to your food. The charcoal smoke fills up the restaurant and creates a magical atmosphere on a cold wintery night. The fact that the smokey smell remains in your clothes and hair when you leave is a small price to pay for all of that charcoal grilled goodness.

Chung Ki Wa

10. Chung Ki Wa (3545 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles) This traditional looking joint has old school charm and solid BBQ. The galbi is especially good here. Make sure to also order their famous cold buckwheat noodles.

If you enjoy Consuming LA, please subscribe, like me on facebook and follow me on twitter and instagram at the top right of this page. And please forward to your friends!

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November 17, 2017 · 9:30 am

The New Cruelty

Kismet, a newish hipster hot spot in Los Feliz, does a couple things right and couple things horribly wrong. On the bright side, their Mediterranean fusion fare is pretty awesome. Their melt-in-your-mouth “Flaky Bread” (similar to Roti) is phenomenal, especially when dipped in a combo of labneh, preserved lemon and honey. Their Shakshuka (poached eggs in a tomato stew) which you sop up with chewy seeded Barbari Bread is also a winner. Their signature daytime dish, called the “Turkish-ish Breakfast,” is the best of all with little tastes of different yummy things such as olives, dates, persian cucumber salad, marinated feta and a spiced soft-boiled egg.

However, as good as the food is, a dining experience is always going to leave a bad taste in your mouth if the service is bad, and unfortunately the service at Kismet is surprisingly disappointing. Vanishing servers, hour long waits to get your food after ordering, and an air of indifference from the front of house staff are major buzzkills. Adding insult to injury is the fact that Kismet adds a non-discretionary 20% service charge to all bills, which might contribute to the lack of hospitality of the serving staff who take home generous tips regardless of satisfied patrons.

The other thing to be wary of at Kismet is the food is quite overpriced. That “Turkish-ish Breakfast,” for example, costs a whopping $24 and if you want more than the couple pieces of bread they include with the dish (which you probably will), you will get charged extra for that. It’s expensive to be an Eastside hipster foodie.

Kismet is located at 4648 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles in Los Feliz.

Turkish-ish Breakfast

Marinated Feta with Tomato, White Grapefruit and Marigold

Soft-boiled Eggs

Flaky Bread with Labneh, Preserved Lemon and Honey

Sesame Walnut Granola with Fruit and Yogurt

Lemon Verbena Custard with Apple with Strawberries and Salt & Pepper Tuile

Located in Hipsterville

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