Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Square One Dining

A few weeks ago I had brunch with my ex-roomies at Square One. I've been wanting to try this place for a while but never had the chance. We arrived a little before noon and was told there'd be a 45 minute wait. I think we ended up waiting a little more than that, but the good conversation made the time fly.

Eggs Benedict// poached eggs, house cured salmon & wilted frisee on a shredded potato pancake with hollandaise, shown here with a side of the house potato.

The house potato is BOMB. and I never use that word, bomb.


Omlette// garlic/lemon thyme chicken sausage, roasted tomato and gruyere, shown with side salad
I have to say I'm not as impressed with this dish. The salad dressing wasn't that great, and the omlette was nothing special. I saw my neighbors with fancy looking baked egg dishes in skillets though. Must get that next time...




French Toast//four slices of brioche french toast, with seasonal warm fruit topping and whipped cream

Yes I saved the best for last. The brioche french toast were flavorful and thoroughly battered (no naked bread parts!). The fruit toppings were an extra $3, but well worth it.


I also tried their house coffee which I didn't love. It tasted somewhat sour to me. My friend order a hot chocolate (off menu item!) and it was very rich and satisfying.


Square One Dining
4854 Fountain Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90029
(Near an enormous Scientology building...)


Parking//Street
Price//$20 per person after tax & tip

Monday, February 20, 2012

The Blue Cow Cafe

I have always been a fan of Mendocino Farms in Downtown LA. So, when I found out that the folks behind the legendary Bahn Mi Sandwiches are opening up a sit down, I couldn't wait to try it out.



The Blue Cow Cafe has a very hipster vibe complete with super friendly waitresses in plaid shirts. Their food did not disappoint either. I tried the French Dip with Carmelized onions and mushrooms, and I have to say, Best. French. Dip. Ever. It was like Drinking a French onion soup but with juicy, tender meat. So good.



I also tried their special of the day, the Steak Sandwich, and it was delicious as well, with toasty bread, perfectly pink steak slices, roasted red pepper, and a mini spicy kick to it. All sandwiches come with a side salad, which is simple yet refreshing.



I also tried the baked then fried potatoes. Wow, those things are deliciously crunchy. Plus, you can try to convince yourself they're healthy because they're baked....right??

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Cupcakes are better when you get to pick your own flavors


Are there rules on how long blog titles should be? Because I think that title is definitely a bit lengthy for the internet. It’s true though, cupcakes are way better when you get to pick your own flavors. Case in point, I had lunch at the Century City Mall today and stopped by Vanilla Bake Shop afterwards.


I had seen it last week when I was there for lunch, but decided to be good and not eat cupcakes. That day, the store was pretty empty save for the employees. But of course, since it’s Valentine’s Day today, there was a longish line for cupcakes. And of course, where there is a line, you will find me. Plus, I figured since it's Valentine's Day, I deserve some pretty cupcakes. I think one of the joys of buying cupcakes is picking the flavors. From strawberry champagne to mom's birthday cake. The names alone make me a little giggly on the inside. I ended up with the red velvet, marshmallow graham, and meyer lemon raspberry cupcakes. If I didn't pick my own flavors, how would I know meyer lemon raspberry from generic vanilla-but-tart-with-heart-decoration?




The packaging was super cute, and so were the cupcakes (did I mention they were “cupcake babies?”). More importantly though, the cupcakes tasted a.m.a.z.i.n.g. The cupcake fad has came and went, and during that time, I’ve had my fair share of fancy cupcakes and have decided more or less to retire from the cupcake game. But man, these babies were delicious. The cake was super moist, and their flavors, on top of sounding delicious, were actually pretty damn delicious. Case in point, the marshmallow graham, which consists of graham cracker crust, chocolate, vanilla cake, all topped with flambĂ©ed marshmallow cream. SO GOOD. I think the best part is that none of the cupcakes are too sweet, which is dangerous, because I can totally see myself eating a dozen or more in one sitting (they’re bite sized!). I guess the other good thing is that they’re kind of pricey ($1.75 each), so that’ll stop me from gobbling down a dozen or more. Hopefully.




I think Vanilla Bake Shop is officially my favorite cupcake place (for now!) Sorry Sprinkles!