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Today’s post is short & sweet because the place I am writing about is small and sweet 🙂
Churros Calientes lives up to its name, the churros are freshly made with organic flour, and come out piping hot. The storefront is only about 300 square feet with a counter and two tables inside, and a few outside, so you instantly bond with the other patrons.
The owner asked me to compare his churros to ones I had eaten in Spain and I would have to say these are BETTER. They are crisp, tender, and lightly dusted with organic sugar, adding a touch of sweetness that makes them excellent plain. Because they are also freshly made (and fried in a light oil), they are a bargain at $3.85! Where else can you get a made to order hot dessert for that price?
I ordered the churros con chocolate for $6.75 which included a thick creamy drink made of organic cacao beans with the churros. When asked why I was not drinking the chocolate, I responded that I use it to dunk my churros, just like in Spain. If you are a serious chocolate fiend, perhaps you can drink the super rich hot chocolate, but after one sip, I used it as a “sauce” for my churros.
The small cafe also serves soups, salads, paninis, and a range of organic coffee and teas, so if you want something besides churros, you can get it here. Several people came in for orders to go, and since I couldn’t finish my order, the owner packed my leftover chocolate & churros to go for me.
They are only open in the evening and since they are literally next door to the Laemmle Royal cinema, it’s a great place to stop after a foreign movie. Where else besides Los Angeles can you watch a German film, eat at a Japanese place across the street, and get a Spanish churro next door? (Ok, maybe New York, but we have better weather here:)
Sycamore Kitchen is my Mid City alternative to Huckleberry in Santa Monica. Even the fact that the owners are married and she specializes in sweet baked goods and breads while he tends to the savory side of the menu are common themes!
Their spectacular salads made me drive to them twice in one week for lunch! Even at 2pm, there was a line, so in less than a year people have already made this a favorite. With an enclosed patio and rustic/industrial interior, you have a choice of atmosphere if you manage to find a seat (there are communal tables which do not get filled as quickly).
They offer several specials which seem to be semi-permanent, but on my first foray I ordered the permanent menu choice of a Choinoix Chicken Salad, made with shredded chicken, cabbage, tat soy, apple, almond, puffed rice, carrots, and muddled ginger vinaigrette ($12). It was delightful. The light vinaigrette enhanced rather than drowned the salad. I was impressed by the creative mix of greens, nuts, and puffed rice in what would otherwise be a mundane salad. The portion size was very generous and many people took half their meals to go, but I loved mine so much, I ate every bite:)
Another day, another salad, so the next time I came in I ordered the Vietnamese beef salad special for $15. Five spiced flank steak, cabbage, red peppers, chile, cilantro and peanuts in a soy lime vinaigrette made this a taste of a green Vietnam. Even though I HATE cilantro, I still loved this salad (I simply picked out the offending cilantro and left it in my bowl). The five spice was subtle, the beef was tender, the vinaigrette refreshing, and the medley of colors and flavors was exotic and complex. If this is available and you eat red meat, order it!
I can not live on salads alone, so I took advantage of the short rib sandwich special for $13 on another visit. Made with onion stout jam, mushrooms, Swiss cheese and horseradish mayo, this was pure comfort in a sandwich. Served with a side salad of mixed greens, this tender concoction of meat could probably turn a vegetarian into a meat eater (maybe not, but it might at least tempt them).
Since they are a bakery and are as well known for their baked goods as their meals, I had to at least try a few sweet treats. The Lemon Polenta pound cake with blackberries had fewer blackberries than I would have liked, but the fact that there were fresh whole blackberries in this cake was in and of itself a nice surprise. The pound cake had a nice tangy lemon taste and the polenta gave it texture that set it apart from regular flour pound cakes.
The blueberry oat bar is the dessert to order if you want something fruity that is not too sweet. I liked the texture of the bar, and the generous layer of blueberries. If you like oatmeal with blueberries, you will love this dessert. All their baked goods are about $3 and they offer everything from Quinoa bran muffins to Dark Ale Spiced Gingerbread, so you can be as adventurous as your palate demands.
It seems the Hatfields have managed to create a second success; not all that surprising since they have also managed to raise two children 🙂
Life in Los Angeles can be very good with a bit of advice. Double or triple the estimated drive time given by your map/direction/gps application. Don’t drive too far during rush hour (1 mile may take 30 minutes by car at 5pm). Don’t drive at all when it rains because even if you know how to drive in the rain, most other people who live here do not. Yes, all my advice has to do with driving, because even though I will travel for food, there are limits to the amount of stress I will endure. I would gladly swap going through TSA at LAX rather than be stuck in a car on the 405 heading to the Valley at 5pm.
Thankfully Lyfe (Love Your Food Everyday) just opened in Culver City, which means that I don’t have to drive to Stanford in Northern California to eat their lovely food. Lyfe focuses on sustainability, community, and being eco-friendly. Their version of “fast food” is healthy, varied, and embraces those who are gluten intolerant or vegetarian.
Everyone I encountered at Lyfe did their best to be helpful from the moment I entered (or got into line to enter) the restaurant, explaining the availability of different menus (one for regular, one for gluten free, and one for vegetarian), and offering samples (the flatbread Margherita was superb).
I ate in the first few times and received a GPS table tracker after placing my order. This handy device lets the food runners know EXACTLY where you are in the restaurant so you are assured to get your order as soon as it is ready.
For to go orders, their utensils are biobased (made from potatoes).
You may add either free range chicken, Gardein “chicken”, agave-lime tofu, grilled shrimp or grilled salmon to any salad for an additional $2-$4, so I added Gardein to the Farmer’s market salad ($8.99) of organic winter greens, blackberries, agave pickled onions, spiced pecans, and goat cheese in a balsamic vinaigrette. The menu listed calorie counts and sodium counts beside every item, so I knew my meal came in at 428 calories and 649 mg of sodium. I didn’t care about the counts as much as I cared about the flavor, so I was very happy to find that the low calorie count did not diminish the taste. The combination of fresh berries with the crunchy sweetness of the pecans, the creamy goat cheese, and the tartness of the vinaigrette worked very well together. I could eat this salad with a different protein combination all week.
I also tried the Gardein crispy chicken sandwich for $8.99 which came with a small side salad of kale and carrots. The sandwich had some very nice components, like shishito pepper relish, organic tomato and romaine lettuce, red onions, and chipotle aioli on multigrain bread. The quality of ingredients and the creativity of this sandwich recipe makes this a good choice for anyone who wants a healthier (and tastier) chicken sandwich than most places offer.
Seeing grilled Barramundi listed as one of their entree choices for only $12.99 surprised me in the best possible way. Barramundi is one of my favorite fishes and for those who like Sea Bass, it is a great alternative to the ubiquitous salmon found on nearly every menu. Served with edamame, napa cabbage, baby spinach, shittake mushrooms, and scallions in a spicy broth, you can choose the regular version with soba noodles, or the gluten free without (which is what I chose because I don’t like soba noodles). It was not very spicy at all, but I enjoyed the broth, vegetable, and fish combination very much. The grilled Barramundi was a bit over cooked, but dipping it in the broth alleviated the minor dryness.
Yes, life and Lyfe are good in Southern California, especially when there are fresh and healthy choices in a pedestrian area close to home.
Rita’s is opening today in Redondo Beach and I was invited to a sneak preview yesterday to try out their unusual blending of Italian Ices and frozen custard with mix ingredients. Italian ices were a childhood staple during the Summer in New York City. Italian Ices were as ubiquitous as hot dog and pretzel pushcarts, offering a colorful and refreshing bit of cool when temperatures and humidity climbed past the 80’s.
This small shop located in a mini mall with Whole Foods, has a pleasant patio and a very friendly staff. The sign over the cash register embodies the attitude of this new dessert place:
There are two screens on the wall which show you the options available.
Unlimited toppings means you can literally order all 20+ toppings in ONE Sundae!
They have name brand candy and cookie mix ins.
I usually don’t like custard (aside from creme brulée) and the thought of blending it with Italian ice did not evoke any thought other than “huh?” But their “Misto” was delightful with enough creaminess to satisfy those who like that texture, with enough freshness from the freshly made fruit ice to make it taste like a light milk shake (which they call a “Misto”shake made with frozen custard).
Italian Ice made fresh daily with real fruit.
There is a large assortment of flavors of Italian Ice from the blue cotton candy (the one flavor I thought tasted terrible) to the Alex’s Lemonade made with fresh lemons (wonderfully refreshing).
Yes, of course they have the perennial favorites like chocolate and cherry, as well as the bright yellow “Birthday Cake” which tasted just like yellow cake.
If you need a birthday cake, you can get one to go.
Open from 11am-9pm everyday, this is a new and easy choice for a sweet treat or refreshing break on your way to or from the beach.