Pasadena Round Up

While some have referred to Pasadena as a culinary wasteland, we have a different opinion and find Pasadena to be a hidden wonderland of culinary delights. From coffee to sushi to cocktails, Pasadena has a little something for everyone. You just have to know where to look….


Breakfast – The Market on Holly
While the breakfast is to die for we do frequent the Market on Holly at all times of the day. But we do have a special place in our hearts for their breakfast. They offer both Stumptown and Handsome Roasters coffee, they have an amazing selection of freshly baked pastries from croissants to cinnamon rolls and they also offer an assortment of egg based breakfast options like frittatas and breakfast burritos. There is nothing more enjoyable than enjoying a cup of coffee and an almond croissant under the sunshine on their patio, it is the best way to start the day.

Lunch – Slaw Dogs

We were surprised by how much we loved all of the offerings at Slaw Dogs. The thought of hot dogs may not wow you, but the dogs at Slaw Dogs are definitely wow inducing. With offerings like Kimichi Dog with pork belly and kimichi or the Picnic Dog with potato salad, onion rings and bbq sauce, the dogs are all together appetizing and satisfying. Paired with an order of their perfectly cooked fries and you’ve got a winning lunch.
Dinner – O2 Sushi

The sushi at O2 is some of the best in and around LA. The Chef hits the local fish markets early in the morning to find the best selection for the day. The result is fresh and flawless sushi. Paired with some sake and an order of their daily vegetable specials, this will be a dinner you won’t soon forget.

Drinks – Pop Champagne Bar
Who doesn’t love bubbly? Whether you have a reason to celebrate or are just looking for a fun night out, Pop Champagne bar is a great way to enjoy an evening in Pasadena. The atmosphere is lively without being too loud or stuffy and we love their selection of champagne cocktails. And they offer a fantastic happy hour! It just doesn’t get better than that – bubbly and bar bites at great prices; this is why we love Pop Champagne Bar.


Dessert – Mother Moo Creamery

This little gem located in Sierra Madre makes their ice cream fresh daily, using the finest organic dairy. Mounted on top of house-made cones, this ice cream is to die for! Not only do they serve these delicious treats, but they offer home preservation classes and weekly workshops. Itching for a sweet? Try Mother Moo Creamery!

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1:02 pm | Shawna | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments »

The Market at Santa Monica Place

Just last month at our Artisanal LA Spring Show, we gave you a sneak peak into The Market, set to open the following month. Boy how the times flies.



Now Open: The Market at Santa Monica Place



This weekend marked the grand opening of The Market at the newly renovated Santa Monica Place. San Francisco has the Ferry Building, Napa has Oxbow, Manhattan has Chelsea Market, and now LA has its own westside version of a locavore destination: The Market at Santa Monica Place. It is a gourmand’s mecca comprised of more than a dozen local, specialty purveyors.

At The Market you will find cured meats, cheeses, fresh baked bread, homemade pastas, a selection of wines, an artisan chocolatier, a coffee house, a cookie guru, organic ice cream, a florist, a cooking school and more! The marketplace is bright, inviting, and buzzing with an excited energy. And located just minutes from the beach, could you ask for more?

Why yes, yes you could. We’ve got the icing on the cake for you: in celebration of The Market’s grand opening, Artisanal LA will be hosting a month long pop-up shop.  From now until June 12th you can find a rotating, curated selection of some of your favorite local vendors, and find a few new favorites making their debut. (Complete schedule below).



Local Specialty Purveyors at The Market


Here are some of our favorites from The Market:

L’Artisan du Chocolat offers an array of beautifully crafted chocolates and Parisian style macarons. The selections of flavors are sorted by categories like fruit and flowers, the farmers market and traditional. Who doesn’t love chocolate?

Making their debut at the Artisanal LA Fall Show last year, Beachy Cream offers all natural ice cream sandwiches at their brand new Market kiosk. They pay homage to retro beach culture with their uniquely crafted ice cream sandwiches in flavors like Key Lime Cowabunga and Ginger Wipe Out. Did we mention that they have gorgeous ladies in retro chic bathing suits serving you ice cream? Tasty ice cream and hot babes near the beach? Sold.

Piero Selvaggio makes his mark on The Market with three new shops. You can enjoy Italian small plates and wine in a casual Trattoria setting at Primi al Mercato, purchase fresh, handmade pastas from Laboratory di Pasta, or how about enjoying a charcuterie plate or two at Norcino Salumeria Cheese Bar? There is a little Italian here for everyone.

Want to learn how to make the perfect Southern Cake? How about sharpening your knife skills? The Gourmandise School of Sweets and Savories offers a range of classes from cookie baking to soufflé making. The classroom is an intimate place to learn new kitchen tricks or simply refine your skills. The Perfect Summer Pies class is calling our name. Look for weekly events with the nearby Santa Monica Farmers Market, book signings, and appearances from the likes of Evan Kleiman and Jonathan Gold.

Near the rear of the Market and not to be missed is WeHo transplant Venokado. The chic wine shop is a mecca for esoteric California varietals and a great spot to shop next time you need the perfect gift. They deliver locally, too.



Artisanal LA Pop-Up at The Market



Artisanal LA Pop-Up Calendar

Don’t miss your favorite Artisanal LA vendors!


May 20-22:  Le Bon Garcon (handmade caramels), Fancifull Fine Food and Baskets (gourmet meats, cheeses, custom gift baskets), and Cast Iron Gourmet (small batch, bacon inspired products)

May 23-25:  Gleeka’ (Greek pastries), Wallace Comestibles (artisanal fruit marmalades and syrups), and Beyond The Olive (California extra virgin olive oils)

May 26-28:  ExfoLatte (coffee-rich body scrubs), Van Dorn Gourmets (seasoning blends, spice rubs and mixes), and Auntie Fruf (handmade chocolate and fudge)

May 29-31:  Ebisu Roll (Japanese-style sponge cake rolls), Bangers & Smashed Gourmet Mashed Potatoes, and Kings Road Apothecary (locally sourced herbal teas and elixirs)

June 1-3:  Modern Bite (local boutique gourmet bakery), Anca’s Romanian (Romanian flatbreads), and SugarBird Sweets & Teas (artisan organic teas and sweets)

June 4-6:  San Angel Molé (authentic Mexican sauces), Morning Glory Confections (artisan brittle and caramels), and Batch From Scratch (family-owned and operated cookie bakeshop)

June 7-9:  Orgasmo de la Boca (local, naturally salted and cured olives), I Heart Pies (fresh, local, organic pies), and Bare Skin Organics (all-natural body products)

June 10-12:  Janie XY (fun, colorful plush toys for foodies), Cast Iron Gourmet (back by popular demand!), and Friandise Pastries (artisanal bakery specializing in cakes and Parisian macarons)



WHERE: The Market at Santa Monica Place

395 Santa Monica Place, Santa Monica CA 90401

WHEN: Mon-Thurs: 10am-9pm; Fri-Sat: 10am-10pm; Sun: 11am-8pm

WHY: This is a one stop shop for any food-lover, a locavore’s dream.  With ocean views!

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10:51 am | Shawna | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Cinco de Mayo, LA’s Dia de las Margaritas




Yxta Margarita

Grab a margarita and follow the sound of mariachis – Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner! While Cinco de Mayo has a more modest significance in Mexico itself, the 5th of May transforms Angelenos into margarita guzzling, taco consuming, fiesta fiends. Let’s face it: we like a good excuse to eat, drink and be merry, and that is precisely what we plan to do!



Al Pastor Tacos



There are countless options for soaking up Mexican food and bev, but here are a few of our picks around town for a good time without the Cinco de Drinko amateur crowds:


Yxta Cocina Mexicana

Located in Downtown LA, Yxta (pronounced eeks-tah) offers authentic Mexican — handmade tortillas, fresh guacamole, sopes, slow-cooked carnitas, enchiladas de mole, and empanadas, as well as many more delicious offerings. For Cinco de Mayo they will have $6 Yxta Margaritas (Zavaño Blanco, triple sec, fresh sour) and $8 Jamaica Margaritas (Centenario Rosangel, fresh sour, Jamaica). All margaritas are made daily onsite using the freshest ingredients. In addition, Yxta’s bar pours over 50 premium silver, reposado, and añejo tequilas. If margaritas aren’t your thing, opt for your favorite Mexican beer instead with $4 Dos XX Amber draft and $3 Tecate. They also carry draft and bottled beers from Corona and Modelo Especial to the Mexicali-imported Cucapa Chupacabras Pale Ale.  To soak up all of the alcohol you are sure to be imbibing, they will be offering a $3 al pastor taco special all day.

Yxta Cocinca Mexicana 601 S. Central Avenue, Los Angeles


Cacao Mexicatessen

Located in Eagle Rock, this neighborhood gem boasts some of the best duck tacos in town. While Cacao has no offerings in the alcohol realm, this is a great family friendly locale to fill up on your favorite Mexican eats. In the mood for some swine?  Try Tres Puerquitos “three little pigs”, a sampling of cochinita pibil, house made chorizo and carnitas served with hot, fresh flour tortillas and guacamole. Cinco de Mayo specials include Chile Relleno de1862, a poblano chile filled with Mexican cheese & roasted corn that is topped with mole poblano, sesame seeds and pomegranite seeds. Another special offeredcommemorates the Mexican flag - Taquitos de La Guerra, chicken taquitos topped with salsa verde, crema, salsa roja and cilatro. At Cacao Mexicatessan you may not fill up on margaritas, but that just leaves you more room for their plethora of Mexican delights.

Cacao Mexicatessen 1576 Colorado Boulevard, Los Angeles


Mystic Pizza

Fiesta-ed out on tacos and guacamole? Well Mystic Pizza, an Artisanal LA crowd fave, has just what you are looking for. Come May 5th your covert neighborhood pizza dealer will be hosting an underground Mexican Pizza & Beer Pop-Up in Echo Park. The details remain mysterious until Thursday but keep checking their facebook page for more information. They will be serving up a variety of wood fired pizzas along with freshly made margs and beer.

Mystic Pizza Echo Park, CA


Las Perlas + Pal Cabron

One of our favorite mezcal bars, downtown’s Las Perlas, is teaming up with another favorite,  Pal Cabron, for a Cinco de Mayo celebration for the ages. They will open at 2pm and serve until the wee hours of the a.m.. Pal Cabron will have some off menu specials like chicken mole nachos, in addition to their regular menu. Las Perlas will have $5 margaritas palomas all day, as well as $5 shots of Herradura. With so much to eat and drink be sure to bring an appetite and thirst to this one!

Las Perlas 107 East 6th Street, Los Angeles





Las Perlas + Pal Cabron


With so many options available for Cinco de Mayo festivities we have only one game plan this year: we plan on arriving early and enjoying a tequila filled afternoon. Throw in a some carnitas, a few sopes, and some guacamole and we’ll be well on our way to a Mexican food coma. Feliz Cinco de Mayo, Angelenos. Vamos a celebrar!


WHEN:  May 5th, 2011

WHAT:  Cinco de Mayo

WHERE: Everywhere!

WHY:  Because frozen, fruity, or on the rocks, we love margaritas and any excuse to spend the day drinking them!

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3:44 pm | Shawna | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments »

Bread, Butter, Cheese, Victory – The Grilled Cheese Invitational 2011



Behold.... The Cheese!

This past weekend was the 2nd *8th Annual Grilled Cheese Invitational. Yes, you read that right. If you weren’t Downtown this past Saturday (over)indulging in cheesy goodness you missed out, but we’ve got a cheesy wrap up just for you.



Grilled Cheese Invitational 2011


GCI's Tim Walker & Sauce|LA's Shawna Dawson

The Grilled Cheese Invitational, created by Tim Walker (Founder and Instigator) back in 2003 as a friendly little competition amongst friends, has since grown into the largest and craziest grilled cheese cooking competition in the country. Tim Walker made fast friends with us in the trenches of organizing and producing self-financed major food events. As one of this year’s executive judges, we had one very important task: muster up our lactose tolerance , consume tons of of hot, buttery melted cheese and bread, and award a victor our Judges’ Award.



The Judging Table


After conquering more than 80 decadent bites of rich melty cheese last year with fellow executive judges Elina Shatkin (LA Weekly), Lesley Bargar Suter (LA Magazine), and Lesley Balla (ChowBalla), we came into the competition with a clear game plan – divide, conquer and consume. We teamed up and took on hundreds of grilled cheese sammies over the course of four “Heats” and five  hot hours over the grills and under the sun. We sampled more than 40 sammies in the first Heat along, and got lost in a cheese coma somewhere between Heats two and three.

The competition is made up of four cheese filled categories:


  • Love, American Style – White bread, butter, orange cheese (American or Cheddar). NOTHING ELSE.
  • The Missionary Position - Any type of bread, butter and cheese. NO ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS.
  • The Kama Sutra - A sandwich of the savory nature, with any type of bread, butter and cheese PLUS additional ingredients, and the interior ingredients must be at least 60% cheese.
  • The Honey Pot – Any kind of bread, any kind of butter, and any kind of cheese, and the interior ingredients of the sammich must be at least 60% cheese, PLUS additional ingredients, and with an overall flavor that is sweet and would best be served as dessert.

With so much bread, cheese and butter consumed, the cheese began to blur,  but here are some of our standout faves:



Our Judges' Award Winner: The Beer Baron


It’s no secret we have a thing for foreigners, and The French Surrender —  a perfectly golden crisp sweet Honey Pot entry on small rounds of French baguette soaked in honey and brie and a stealth secret ingredient — definitely hit our sweet spot, but  our hands down winner and the recipient of our Judges’ Award was an amateur category Kama Sutra competitor, The Beer Baron — a meaty, crisp, cheesy combination of porter braised pulled pork, pickled onions and Vermont cheddar, sandwiched between slices of homemade spelt grain beer bread.



Chicken and Waffle Grilled Cheese from The Grilled Cheese Truck

Another standout sandwich came from pro category contender,  The Grilled Cheese Truck’s Dave Danhi: Winner Winner Chicken Dinner – slices of cheddar cheese melted on top of homemade waffles filled with more cheese and fried chicken, served with a side of homemade gravy and maple syrup.




Daily Dose's The Elvis

Of the sweeter grilled cheese varietals, The Elvis from Daily Dose was another personal fave. Chocolate and hazelnut mascarpone cheese, Oro Seco dry jack cheese, bruléed bananas, double smoked applewood bacon on pan de mie bread – it was sweet, nana goodness. We’re hoping they have this on their menu when they open in Downtown this week on May 28th.



Chef Ricardo Zarate in The Grilled Cheese Thunderdome

In addition to the competition of hundreds of cheese-grilling fiends, there was a Grilled Cheese Thunderdome where some of LA’s top chefs competed against GCI veterans Hot Knives for grilled cheese glory. Amidst all the cheese mayhem, we were able to catch the intensely heated battle between Chef Ricardo Zarate (Mo-Chica and soon to open Picca) and Hot Knives.  Both teams were determined and focused in their preparation of the ultimate grilled cheese, but in the end, Hot Knives’ veggie entry didn’t stand a chance against Zarate, who emerged victorious with his Peruvian inspired lamb and chorizo melt.


All in all, a heck of a lot of cheese was consumed, and we were grateful to have remembered to bring our antacids. Thankfully, we were also able to cut the cheese with a tart and refreshing ginger lemonade from Mark Peel’s Campanile booth. It was the perfect sunny afternoon refreshment — fresh squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest simple syrup and ginger.


Now it’s time for a cheese detox. At least until tomorrow.

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4:35 pm | Shawna | Tags: , , , , , , , | No Comments »

LA Chefs Team Up With Local Farmers: Farm to Table Tour

The Toyota Farm to Table Tour is making its way to Southern California tomorrow,  Thursday April 14th 4-8pm  at the South Pasadena Farmers Market, you can experience Los Angeles chefs teaming up with local farmers to showcase a variety of produce grown in and around the LA area. Nine LA chefs, including one of our favorites Susan Feniger, will be on hand preparing free tasting dishes using fresh produce available at the South Pasadena Farmers Market. This is an incredible celebration of regional cuisine and the importance of eating and buying local – and it is no secret that we are big supporters of Eating Local. We’ll be there checking out the beautiful Spring produce and enjoying the tasty bites from each chef.




Toyota Farm to Table Tour



In addition to culinary delights, guests have the opportunity to receive complimentary potted culinary hears as well has the chance to experience Toyota’s extensive line of fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles.




Eat Local



WHAT: Toyota Farm to Table Tour at the South Pasadena Farmers Market

LOCAL CHEFS:

  • Susan Feniger – Susan Feniger’s STREET
  • Paul Rosenbluh – Firefly Bistro
  • Bill Disselhorst – Fiore Market Café
  • Jennifer Kreft and Derrick Shields – Nicole’s Gourmet Foods
  • Sally Cook – Heirloom Bakery & Cafe
  • Tim Guiltinan – The Raymond Restaurant
  • Erica Lins – Mike & Anne’s Restaurant and Bar
  • Luis Alfonso Ortega Banuelos – The Shiro Restuarant
  • Kyu Yi – Guys Barbeque

WHERE: South Pasadena Farmers Market: 913 Meridian Ave., SouthPasadena, CA 91030

WHEN: Thursday, April 14, 2011 4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

WHY: This is a fun way to spend your Thursday evening. Support your local community and local farmers while enjoying samples from your favorite LA chefs. Who could say no to that?

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