The Best Thing I Ate Today: Doughboy's Pineapple-Coconut-Macadamia Nut Pancakes

Three words:

Off. The. Charts!

Doughboys has long been one of my favorite standbys in LA. When they shut down for a few years, I cried. Literally.

Now that they're back and better than ever, JMT, Jenny and I have made it our business to work out way through their entire tome of a menu rather than clinging to our perennial orders (their Pan Bagnat and I go way back).

To that end, last night we decided to order the Pineapple-Coconut-Macadamia Nut pancakes for dessert and all of a sudden it was like we were acting out a scene from "When Harry Met Sally."

The truth is, the pancakes started out just o-tay. They have a nice tropical flavor, accented by the rich crunch of macadamia nuts and flecks of meaty coconut, but I wouldn't stop traffic for them.

That was until our waitress brought the magical missing ingredient: The sauce. Oh, lord have mercy, the sauce!

You see, these bad boys don't come with syrup. They are served with the thickest, richest, most luscious caramel sauce you can imagine. Stop the presses! Excuse moi! We are talking slap-your-grandma good. All you could hear was us gasping through stuffed mouths, "Oh my GOD! OH MY GOD! That is AMAZING!"

Thick, fluffy and creamy, the "sauce" is almost a caramel pudding and we showed no shame, plunging in for spoon and finger-fulls, as evidenced by our bowl, which we licked clean.

We're already planning to get extra "sauce" on the side the next time we're there. To be honest, I kind of hate the fact that we ordered those damn pancakes. Now, it's all I can think about.

Caramel, you are the siren song.

The Best Thing I Ate Today: Trader Joe's Roasted Seaweed Snacks, Coconut Water and Edamame

Seriously, could it be any hotter in LA today?

I know it's August and all, but oy!

Too scorched to even consider turning on an oven or burner and too heat stroked to want to chop anything, lunch had to be easy squeezy, so I reached for my new obsession, Trader Joe's Roasted Seaweed Snacks.

I've never been a once-you-pop-you-can't-stop person. Way more of a Sweet than a Salty girl, I could live my whole life without eating another potato chip and be perfectly fine. But these crispy, salty, faintly sesame scented delights are irresistible to me. I can't be trusted.

TJ's was out a few weeks ago and I had to fight back tears. Then, when I saw an overflowing display at the entrance a few days later, I literally dumped armloads into my cart, grabbing for it like a looter in a riot.

The way they crackle and then dissolve on your tongue, leaving your lips flecked with bits of inky seaweed and tiny crystals of salt, is heavenly!

Next, an Amy and Brian's All Natural Coconut Juice with Pulp. I'm all about coconut water these days. I love that it pumps up my electrolytes and gives me little something sweet that's still healthy, but the real treat in Amy and Brian's is the chunkage. I said it: Chunkage! As you drink, you have to swirl the can to keep all the glorious young coconut pulp afloat. That way, you can finish each swing with a chew of the sweet al dente meat. So good!

Tossing in some edamame for protein and I was a happy camper. No cooking involved.

Now all I need is a cold shower.

The Best Thing I Ate Today: India's Sweets and Spices

Before settling in to watch last night's finale of "Private Chefs of Beverly Hills," the girls and I struck out for some pre-crafting fun at Michael's, my first trip to the mega-amazing Super King and a brilliant to-go dinner from India's Sweets and Spices.

Caroline and Erin in the feather aisle.

Rachel and I getting our swerve on in the oversized glass aisle. Seriously, what are you supposed to use a 10-gallon cognac snifter for?

$12 dollars later, from Sweets and Spices, we had enough food for everyone to enjoy. Our two item combo came with fragrant pea and carrot-studded basmati rice, raw cabbage salad, chapati, pappadam, a fiery somosa flecked with whole cumin seed, spicy curried chickpeas, and punjabi kahdi, which is a creamy vegetarian yogurt curry. Because I'm obsessed we also got a ton of extra green chutney, a spicy, refreshing mix of cilantro, mint, garlic and chile, to pour over everything.

Masala Dosa in the house! Fresh off the griddle, yeasty and crispy, brimming with turmeric spiced potatoes, the dosa comes with a super gingery lentil stew of sorts that you pour into and over it, followed by the roasted red pepper sauce and a creamy version of the aforementioned "green chutney." Total mouth-gasm.

My half massacred plate.

I can't think of a better way to wish "Private Chefs" bon voyage (That is, unless we get picked up for 13 more episodes). Crawling into bed, my fingers still scented with curry and cilantro, I was one very happy camper.

India's Sweets and Spices
3126 Los Feliz Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90039

The Best Thing I Ate Today: Hunan Cafe

Every week for the last three seasons, my dear friends and I have gathered to watch Lost, a show whose end is so unfathomably traumatic, I can't even think about it. Last week, when my pops was still in town, we gathered as we always do for delivery dinner and one of the best hours ever to grace a television set.

John, Jenny, Leah and I have a few restaurants in heavy rotation for Tuesday dinner. Bossa Nova often gets a call for their Chico's Salad and mysteriously disappearing and reappearing Black Bean Soup (it's the Christian of menu items). RoRo's Vegetarian Platter and Chicken Breast Plate make a frequent appearance. But we decided to go hog wild and order Hunan Cafe.

As a transplanted child of New York City, there is many things about Los Angeles I have come to love, respect and admire. LA Chinese food is not one of them. For over a decade, I have choked down “Chinese” Chicken Salads (don’t call it Chinese just because there’s some sesame oil and a wonton in there) and low sodium, steamed, white meat only abominations to my palate. In truth, a trip to Panda Express is usually far more satisfying. But then I found Hunan Café. Tucked between a supplement store and a cigar shop, dwarfed by the Virgin Megastore and The DGA, sits a West Coast restaurant that makes you feel like you are supping on 81st and Broadway.

For anyone who has ever enjoyed East Coast Chinese food, there are three magic words; “Cold Sesame Noodles”. The mere mention sends chills of ecstasy down my spine and joy leaping to my heart. You will not find a better version then at Hunan Café. Slippery, al dente noodles covered in a light, spicy, sesame dressing, chopped peanuts, and scallions, offer an improvement on the overdressed peanut butter noodles you occasionally stumble upon in the Big Apple.


The sautéed string beans are incomprehensibly delicious. Coated in a spice rub and dry fried in a wok that has been seasoned for decades, these are vegetables on a whole other playing field.


Of course, because this is LA, they offer low carb, white meat only, low sodium renditions of everything and certain dishes even have the caloric breakdowns. I was initially cynical, but one bite of their lo-cal Kung Pao Chicken studded with whole peanuts, chopped water chestnut and melted scallions and I was convinced. If I could be like Jared and eat that instead of subs all day, I would be on that diet forever.

Marty P eagerly awaiting a plate from John.

Jenny and I before we stuffed our faces.

Leah and Jenny priming their chopsticks.

As if the end of Lost weren't miserable enough, now I have to give up my Tuesday night dinner party. We need a new show obsession. FlashForward, anyone?

The Best Thing I Ate Today: Urth Caffe's Tuna Sandwich, Eggplant Panini and Pecan Pie

Check out the food porn. It's an embarrassment of riches, baby!

I used to visit Urth Caffe two or three times a week until I became so complusively addicted, I burnt myself out and now rarely return. But this week I found myself in Santa Monica with time to burn and a yearning for a tuna sandwich.

Urth, here I come.

The thing I love about Urth's tuna is they use mayo on the bread rather that mashed it into the fish, instead adding chopped onion, cucumber and tomato, and a few splashes of oil and vinegar to the mix, creating a surprisingly refreshing and mouth dazzling blend of zip and richness on crusty cibatta.

The Panini Portobella with roasted portobello caps, grilled yellow peppers, artichoke hearts, arugula, pesto and herbed goat cheese was equally delicious, though it did require a few visits from the salt shaker. Served with a bright spinach salad topped by fresh, sweet cherry tomatoes and caramelized pecans, it was a quickly forgivable minor misstep.

Finally, a mini pecan pie whose nuts gave way to an eggy, luxurious custard held in puff pastry.

Oh, Urth, how could I have forsaken you? I've missed you, m'love, and will see you again very very soon.

The Best Thing I Ate Today: Hostess Cherry Pie

Yesterday was horrible. My car crapped out, I got a letter from the IRS informing me I owe them the equivalent of three months worth of rent, my dad left to go back to Northern California, and I was innundated with work, none of which is the work I should be doing on my book.

Gah.

Worst of all, I didn't even have time to eat anything until almost 6pm and then it was just what I could grab at a 7-11 on my way to a screening of "Prince of Persia" (which was way better than I expected). Wrung out, exhausted and miserable, the only thing left to do was eat my feelings, so I reached for a treat I usually reserve exclusively for road trips: A Hostess Cherry Pie.

450 calories and 20 grams of fat later, I actually felt a little better. Thanks, Hostess!

The Best Thing I Ate Today: Caioti Pizza's Roasted Beet Salad and Porcini Pizza

My dad's in town! And nothing makes me happier than a few days spent hanging with my poppa.

Ladies and gentlemen: Marty Perlmutter...

And the crowd goes wild!

We kicked off his LA sojourn with a trip to Runyon at sunset where I saw my first ever gopher that wasn't either animated or dramatic and on YouTube.

I probably blinded the poor thing when I took his picture, but I was just so excited to have a Wild America moment.

Next, Sunday dinner.

Both my father and I would be more than happy to live our entire lives eating nothing but carbohydrates. While my mother not only requires meat at every meal, earning a reputation for cracking chicken bones open with her teeth to suck the marrow, when Marty and I are left to our own devices, we're more than happy to feast on bread alone. That's why we headed straight for Caioti for pizza and garlic rolls.

In Studio City, on Tujunga, there's a quaint, charming one block village where amazing pizza awaits. As the sun dipped down, twinkling lights lit the street and the smell of crisping crust and roasting garlic drifted through the air, welcoming us.

Garlic rolls are hard to come by in LA. Known as "garlic knots" in New York, they're sold at almost every pizza parlor in the city, but, here in LA, Caioti and C & O Trattoria in Venice are two of the only places they're found. Makes sense in a town where being "camera-ready" is the major focus since they knots are baked rounds of dough (OMG, carbs!), tossed in oil (OMG, fat!), minced raw garlic (OMG, my breath!), salt and herbs like oregano. Back fat be damned, they are scrumdiddily.

I can't say no to a roasted beet either. The beets in Caioti's Roasted Beet Salad are still warm, served with spiced pecans, goat cheese and mixed greens tossed in a lightly creamy vinaigrette.

For the Porcini Pizza a sauce of pureed porcini mushrooms, with their meaty earthiness, replaces marinara on the wafer thin crust, that's then topped with arugula, roasted cloves of garlic, cheese and tomato. The only thing that might make it better, is a little truffle oil to really bring out the woodsiness. Then again, these days I'm so into truffle oil, I want it on everything from eggs to toast so I might just be jonseing for a fix.

Caioti Pizza Cafe
4346 Tujunga Avenue
Studio City, CA 91604
(818) 761-3588

The Best Thing I Ate Today: Joan's on Third's Turkey Meatloaf Sandwich

You wanna know how good my Turkey Meatloaf Sandwich from Joan's on Third was? So good, there's no picture to accompany this post. I got that excited. One bite and everything else in the world melted away until all I could do was open wide and savour.

Joan's on Third is an LA culinary institution so exceptional, they have their own Wikipedia page. Walking in, it feels very Hamptons meets Hollywood. If Ina Garten every got Barefoot in the City of Angels, this place would be right up her alley.

The problem with Joan's is it's addictively delicious but prohibitively expensive. Two sandwiches with a beverage can set you back over $30. God forbid you want a side or something from the cheese case. You might have to take out a second mortgage.

But every bite is worth the lein they're going to put on you.

This afternoon I met my friend Stacy for lunch and found myself elbow deep in $12 worth of sumptiousness with their Turkey Meatloaf Sandwich.

Served on your choice of bread, I opted for the crusty french baguette which arrived smothered in chili aioli, creamy, spicy and faintly sweet with just the slightest hint of chipotle, topped with mixed greens, cooling tomato slices and some of what could be crowned the best turkey meatloaf in Los Angeles (though Basix is running neck-in-neck for that title). The densely spiced, garlic-studded meatloaf has a souffle-like quality which melts into the aioli and bread, making each bite swirl with flavor and texture as crust gives way to tender meat.

Since it's the end of the month and I'm on a budget, I refrained from my usual side order of roasted baby carrots, which I like to pile onto the sandwich the way you might with chips on a $5 dollar foot long. Instead, I used Joan's house pickles, dill chips and white onion slivers to lend an added dimension.

It was total sandwich rapture.

Joan's on Third
8350 West 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 655-2285

The Best Thing I Ate Today: Mexico

If this post is a little wonky, g'head and blame the scrumptious watermelon margaritas that washed down my happy hour dinner.

On a recent Runyon hike, I ran into Komisha, a friend from USC who I hadn't seen in years. Rather than passing like ships in the night along the trail, we decided to catch up on the last decade over half-priced ceviche and margaritas on the terrace of Mexico in West Hollywood.

This evening, at the end of a pristine day, with the sun shining and a cool breeze blowing, we kicked off their 5-8pm happy hour by attacking a basket of fresh chips served with tart tomatillo salsa, heavy on the lime and cilantro, and smoky salsa negra.

Needing something extra to sop up the tequila hitting our very empty stomachs, we asked for an order of guacamole, unprepared for the magnitude of what would arrive. It was phenomenal! Super chunky and incredibly fresh, I wouldn't be surprised if Mexico mashes each serving to order. It was a meal in itself.

A watercress salad with jicima, cotija cheese, and tortilla strips was light and peppery, though I picked out the overpoweringly large pieces of red onion.

Halibut ceviche and carnitas tacos. The ceviche was bright and tender, the tacos were succulent and spicy.

One of Mexico's waitresses used to work with me back in my Avalon/Spiderclub days. She very kindly brought us a bevy of desserts, including a remarkably tasty gluten-free chocolate chip mini bundt cake, ancho chile truffles, and a divinely decadent caramel macadamia nut blondie that was not only the best thing I ate today, but the best thing I've had all week.

This is how you end a happy hour. Nothing says style like a sombrero.

8512 Santa Monica Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 289-0088

The Best Thing I Ate Today: Tender Greens

After a three month absence from the gym thanks to a nasty bout of tonsillitis, I finally made my triumphant return today. At least, I thought it would be triumphant, until I almost fainted during boxing class and could barely do 15 curtsy lunges without feeling like my legs were going to fall off.

Quads quivering, stairs my new nemesis, all was made right by seeing Jesse, one of my true blue homies, and Zach--ahhh, Zach. We like to call Zach "Bag of Snakes" in homage to the rippling muscles of his back which look like a bag of angry snakes when he starts throwing hooks and upper cuts. Add that to his azure eyes and a jaw so square, it belongs on a drafting table, and what you get is one magically delicious man. Unfortunately, he isn't the best thing I ate today.

After he gave Zach a good stretching (what, me jealous?), Jesse and I bid him and his Bag of Snakes farewell and set off for the new Hollywood outpost of Tender Greens, a restaurant committed to sustainability and local produce, which serves massive plates of some of the best, freshest salads I've ever eaten. A frequent visitor to the West Hollywood branch, I've been yearning to try their new digs at Sunset and Vine. How can you not love a chain restaurant that specializes in salad?

We decided to go halfsies on the steak salad, but with seared albacore substituted for steak, and a plate of their new offering, "Sexy Things," a quartet of composed salads surrounding a lemon dressed bounty of organic mixed greens.

The Albacore Steak Salad...

Seared albacore, butter lettuce, radishes, golden and red beets, and chives in a garlic-laced, horseradish vinaigrette, that's the perfect balance of tangy, buttery, fresh and earthy.

Our Sexy Things...

While the sunflower and strawberry offering (lower right) left both Jesse and I cold, I rarely enjoy fruit mixed into a savory dish unless there's an aged cheese involved, and even then I'm quite particular, the bright, lemon and mint flavor of the mung bean salad (upper right) was ravishing, golden lentils and sweet potatoes (upper left) were deliciously dense and oniony, and the cannellini bean and black kale salad (lower left) had a wonderful balance that was both reassuringly buttery yet quietly bitter.

They might not have been as sexy as Zach, but they were delicious, nonetheless.

I have a feeling the best thing I'm going to eat tomorrow will be the banana that eases my already aching muscles. Someone pass me the Epsom Salts.

The Best Thing I Ate Today: Niko Niko and Ice Cream Plus

Without a man in my life to squire me around, I have to rely on my boy BFFs to take me on pseudo dates to movies or sushi. Long walks on the beach are optional.

Tonight, Mahdi swooped in to pick me up so we could head to the Westside version of our sushi standby, Niko Niko.
What looks better: the sexy man or the bento box behind him? The bento box. Definitely the bento box.

Dueling plaid with the guy sitting behind me. My shirt is a 70s hand-me-down from my dad so it's way more gangster.

Our beautiful Rainbow Roll (California roll covered in assorted fish) arrives...

Along with the Aloha Roll, spicy tuna, albacore and pickled jalapenos. Taste the fire!

Next, seared albacore with crispy onions in ponzu sauce. We both had to admit, the version we get at the Los Feliz Niko Niko is better, lighter and more refined, though both are delicious and feature melt-in-your-mouth albacore.

While Mahdi and his crazy body dismorphia refused dessert, I needed something sweet so we went to Ice Cream Plus, one of my regular haunts, for a scoop of their Oreo and coconut frozen yogurt. I don't even have to order it any more. When I walk in the owner just starts scooping. I'm their Norm.
An array of delightful selections in the Ice Cream Plus case. Just one of many reasons why they're one of my most solid go-to's for sandwiches, soup, froyo, fresh juice and smoothies.
Laughing hysterically as Mahdi imitates my super secret crush, aka: The White Tiger.

Niko Niko
1755 North Vermont Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90027

Ice Cream Plus
8158 W. Sunset Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90046

The Best Thing I Ate Today 4.24.10: Chan Dara's Pad Thai and Cucumber Salad

Last night, after hitting Space 15 Twenty with Erin, Caroline and Rachel for some less than mindblowing art and a whole boatload of hipsters, I met up with my old friend Adam for dinner.

It's been years since we've had a chance to catch up, so we set off in search of an easy, quiet place within walking distance to grab a bite for me and some coffee for him. Not as easy as one might think on Saturday night along Cahuenga Blvd. We went from Stout (I love their 3am Chicken Burger) to Caffe Etc., to Kitchen 24, to Groundworks, before finally coming to rest at Chan Dara.

Starving, but more interested in conversation that perusing a menu, I went with the oldest Thai Food Stand-By in the book: Pad Thai. And it was surprisingly good.

I began my meal with cucumber salad, which is totally crack-a-licious to me. I could eat an entire barrel of the stuff and then take a bath in the leftover vinegar, I find it that irresistible. This one was spicy and sweet thanks to chili and rice wine vinegar. I ate half and spooned the rest over my main course, letting the sugary, fiery tang infiltrate my noodles.
A heaping plate of Vegetarian Pad Thai. Chan Dara's includes raw vegetables like red cabbage and carrots, giving the dish a fresh, lightness it often lacks.

Adam and his coffee. He's watching his girlish figure.

What better way to spend your Saturday than with an adorable, charming, wonderful man and a big ol' plate of noodles? Surely there's a dirty pun there, but let's keep it classy, people.