Living it up in LA

I enjoyed a fabulous long weekend in LA. The weather was gorgeous (70-80 degrees and sunny everyday), the scenery was beautiful (I had to stop and smell the roses and the heavenly scent of jasmine everywhere I went), the company was delightful (Jonno was a gracious host) and the food was of course unforgettable.

Brunch, always a favorite, was a testament of sweet strength at Griddle Cafe. This Hollywood hot spot garners long lines of devotees for their hotcakes and french toast. As you can see from the photo these pancakes were as big as my head and they were three deep to boot! The "Golden Ticket" was filled with bananas, caramel and walnuts and of course topped with a huge dollop of whipped cream. I ate maybe 1/8 of the entire dish. Jonno enjoyed the "Peanut Bubba" french toast. Decadent. I had to help myself to several tastings. My dear friend Lauren would be in PB heaven! We also visited Blue Jam Cafe, another brunch hot spot, luckily the portion sizes were more reasonable, and the dishes included more fruit and veggie options leaving me feel like I was making "better decisions". I opted for the Loxex, a salmon and egg scramble, while Jonno feasted on the decadent Kamil, breakfast mac and cheese.

The Outdoor Cinema Food Fest is a weekly event that bills itself as the ultimate picnic, "no basket required". There's a movie in a park (one of my fave Chicago activities), a live band and food trucks galore. With so many options it was hard to choose! We both loved the Vietnamese banh mi at Nom Nom Truck. The sweet potato fries topped with tamarind chicken and cashes from Frysmith was a favorite of mine too (I  happily ate more than half my share). LOVE this sort of festival and am dreaming of the day when we too can enjoy cooking on board food trucks with the viewing of a good movie in the city of Chicago (for those unfamiliar with the city of Chicago's archaic laws, it is illegal to prepare any foods outside of a licensed kitchen. Food trucks in this fair city can only serve up pre-prepared feasts).

Of course there were other dining highlights. We visited Susan Feniger's Street where we ate succulent tempura battered chicken; dined on on tempting bites at a Hermosa Beach festival; sipped Coronas along the beach in Malibu; and of course I ate my fill at Cali fave Pinkberry.

If you've got an LA dining spot you think I need to check out, please let me know!!