The Best Thing I Ate Today: Dodger Stadium Cotton Candy

Judge me all you want, Cotton Candy is one of my favorite foods in the world.

I can't tell you how many times I've eyed the mini cotton candy makers at Bed Bath and Beyond and thought, "I should so buy one of those," before realizing that having one in my house would send me into the 300 lbs range in a matter of months.

Maybe that's why I love going to sporting events so much. It guarantees a visit from The Candy Man.
On Friday, Lizzie offered me a ticket to see the Dodgers womp the Pirates and I jumped at the chance. Of course I love being at the game, rooting for my team, gettin' down with some peanuts and Cracker Jacks, but the real moment of bliss was this one right here...

It looked so good, Lizzie decided to get in on the action.

After we left the game, I met up with Rachel, Erin (both below) and Caroline at Pure Luck, a vegan place on Hyperion, for a bowl of delicious curried chickpea soup. It was the much needed downer to my sugar upper.

But as we went to pay the bill, what did they bring us?

A cotton candy flavored lollipop!

You can't go wrong with pure sugar.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things: Runyon Canyon

I firmly believe that claiming to hate LA is simply a failure of imagination. We have amazing food, great culture and fantastic weather, what's not to like?

Yesterday, on an impossibly blustery but pristinely clear afternoon, JMT and I hit the slopes of Runyon Canyon for some cardio amidst the wildflowers and it was one of those times where I was struck by how lucky I am to call Los Angeles home. What can I say? I was raised by hippies. I see flowers and blues skies and it instantly takes me to my happy place.

While there were none of Runyon's usual star sightings (on a recent trip up the mountain I ran into the very unsweaty cast and crew of "The Hills" filming an upcoming episode), the Hefner-rescued Hollywood sign winked at us from the east.

My new favorite artsy-fartsy shot: The sunglass reflection image. Oooo. Ahhh. Ohhh.

One day, I'd like to have a house in them thar hills.

Wind-whipped and triumphant...

This is the view from the top.

As if I needed another reason, Runyon always makes me love LA a little bit more.

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