What are you Grateful For?

Right Downtown
on Main Street!

Hadley Evarts, my best friend from high school, was visiting me in LA for Spring Break.  I took her to all my favorite Los Angeles spots.  Shopping at the Promenade, hiking to the Hollywood sign, watching the skateboarders at the Venice Boardwalk.  We had a week full of activities.

My Hearty Romain Spicy Salad

 Seasoned vegan meats wok, white onions, 
green onions and chili flakes,
romaine lettuce, garbanzo beans, 
red bell peppers, and persian cucumbers, 
and chimichurri dressing. 

(with Hadley's hand sneaking in)

Along with the busy site seeing, I gave her taste buds a tour of the city.  Hadley loves to fuel her body with healthy and hearty food.  Throughout high school she was vegan, and at one point, even raw.  I took her trip as an opportunity to try Dr. J's Vibrant Cafe, an organic and locally sourced cafe in the heart of Downtown.   I have driven past it several times, and wanted to try the macrobiotic dishes with an Asian twist.  

I tried the Hearty Romaine Spicy Salad.  I haven't seen many "spicy" salads, in my life, so I thought I would give it a try.  The romaine lettuce was crisp and the garbanzo beans made it pretty hearty.  The seasoned tofu wok was really the highlight of the salad.  It was salty and savory, and quite filling.  I love chimichurri sauce, and it made a great salad dressing. The salad already had a oil base on it, so when I started getting to the bottom of the bowl, the lettuce was pretty saturated.  But I would definitely order it again if I was craving salad and spice.

After showing Hadley some of the classic USC spots (Bacaro and La Barca), I wanted to treat her to another renowned LA vegan restaurant. After picking up our other high school friend, Meggie, I took us to one of my favorite under-the-radar streets in LA.  Larchmont Blvd in Central LA is a trendy village with lots of shops, restaurants, and cafes.

At the north end of the street is Cafe Gratitude.  Cafe Gratitude is collection of vegan, heath and sustainable conscious restaurants with great atmospheres.  With the other location on Rose in Venice, they truly identify with the culture of the neighborhoods around them.

We sat out on the heated patio decorated with string lights.  This is the perfect atmosphere for a first date.  The servers are all friendly and very personable.  Ready to give the spiel about the restaurants' mission and provide lots of recommendations of their favorite dishes.

The names of the menu items are all adjectives (I'm guessing on how you will feel after consuming them?)  Last time I visited the restaurant, I ordered the "Humble".

Fortified

It was a great take on an Indian dish, I just wish there were more lentils, and less sweet potato.  The lentils really made it more hearty, while the potato was a little too mushy.

This time I decided to try to getting "Fortified".  The basic dish was quite simple, as I ordered it with the red pepper harissa sauce.  The sauce definitely spiced it up a little, as the zucchini, squash, and broccoli was a little plain.  It was still very healthy and hearty tasting, and I would recommend it to a hesitant vegan eater.

Hadley and Meggie decided to share the "Terrific" and the "Transformed".  The Mexican and Asian mix sounded a little interesting to me, but they loved both dishes!  The almond sauce on the light kelp noodles tasted like a fresh pesto.  And the tacos looked rich and authentic.

Hadley about to feel Terrific

Although we looked over the dessert menu, Hadley had mentioned that she really wanted to try Babycakes sometime during her trip.  She follows the Vegan, Sugar-Free, and Gluten-Free bakery on Instagram, and has be dying to give it a try.  She hasn't had dessert and months (due to her sugar-free diet), and had a craving for some cupcakes.

Meggie with the Transformed

I choose the Larchmont Cafe Gratitude location because it was right up the street from Babycakes.  We headed down there immediately after paying our check.
Hadley tried the special Pumpkin Cupcake.  I didn't get to take a picture because she was so anxious to eat it!  I ordered the brownie with espresso frosting.  It was also very hearty (for containing no eggs, dairy, or wheat flour).  A little dry, but still great for a gluten-free dessert!  Meggie tried the banana bread and gobbled it up.

The three of us had such a great time reminiscing on high school memories, and catching up on the latest news in our lives.  I was truly grateful we were finally able to be back together! What were you grateful for this week?

My Gluten-Free  Brownie with
Dairy and Sugar-Free Espresso Frosting

Black Bottle

JOEY is one of the best options for a decent and casual dinner on the Eastside.  All of their appetizers and salads are consistently pretty good  The service isn't usually the best, but they advocate for a more laid back and bar like atmosphere anyways.  My mom considered trying Lot no. 3, the Pub-like restaurant next to Purple Cafe and Wine Bar (which are both owned by Heavy Restaurant Inc), but decided against it.  Purple is overrated, over priced, and not that fun.  I kind of assumed that Lot no. 3 would be the same   Instead of JOEY, or the expected overpriced pub, we decided on Black Bottle Postern.  This "across the lake" descendent of Black Bottle Seattle, is located right on Bellevue Way across from JOEY.  Opened in February 2011, the gastro-tavern is quickly gaining a name for itself in the thriving Eastside nightlife.  I'd read some reviews of it, and have had it on my "wish list" for sometime now.

The decor was modern industrial style with high ceilings and long wooden tables.  Definitely very causal and not ideal for an intimate night out.  As a great best place to come after work with coworkers for happy hour drinks and snacks, it was quite crowded for a tuesday evening.  Probably due to the somewhat nice weather we were having in Seattle, these Eastsiders refrained from hibernating in their houses and apartments.

After a quick glance over the drink menu, I spotted the "Major Danger" a Strawberry-infused lemon drop.  That is a definite "must-try".  We were greeted by a quirky waiter in his early 30's wearing yellow tinted glasses.   The service was not exceptional.  It looked like they only had two runners, and with a large party at one of the long wooden tables, my Mom and I were only attended to a couple of times.

yellowfin tuna sashimi poke

We ordered three items to share.  Our first choice was the yellow fin tuna sashimi poke.  The poke was thinly sliced and displayed beautifully.  The sauce was quite salty. It could probably use a tablespoon or two less of soy sauce, but the green onion and sesame still brought out some flavor.  I could have done without the large strips of ginger, but that's just my personal liking.    Even my mom said the strips were pretty overwhelming, and she loves ginger!

Both of our eyes and stomaches were directed towards the beef short ribs.  The malbec glaze gave them a nice sweetness and the meat literally fell off the bone.  It was a little fatty, but had a nice overall consistency.  The oyster mushrooms almost acted liked mashed potatoes, as the soaked up all the of the juices from the glaze.  My mom ordered a basket of bread to dip into the juices, but unfortunately the staff failed to bring it.

beef short ribs
malbec glaze oyster mushrooms

Mom and I needed some veggies to compliment our poke and ribs.  We wavered between the taverns' well known "broccoli blasted" and the roasted vegetables verjus.  Even thought the broccoli is all the rage, our server actually directed us toward the mixed vegetables.  If you like a big plate of broccoli then go for it, but otherwise the other dish offers a lot more variety.

roasted vegetable verjus

The medley of veggies ended up being the side as it came out with the ribs.  The vegetables were nicely roasted and not too overwhelmingly oily.  The carrots and peppers could have been grilled a little bit more to my liking, but I still snacked on them like candy.  The veggie that stuck out the most was definitely the parsnip.  I don't have much experience with this root, but the taste was surprising and refreshing.  The white, carrot-like taproots held a certain sweetness matched with the acidity from the verjus.  The combination created a tangy punch that really zinged in your mouth.  A definite shocker for a vegetable.

Now we could not go home without trying the bread pudding.  If this dish is ever on the menu, my family rarely resists.  The bread base was dense and thick.  The spongy texture was perfect to soak up the caramel-like bourbon sauce.  Atop lied giant cubes of bread, with a nice crunchy baked texture.  I prefer the overall crunch of my mom's version due to her thinner slices of bread, but it was fun being able to pick off the large croutons. The best part of the dish was definitely the Makers Mark bourbon sauce.  Very thick and caramely-almost creating a creamy sensation.  I spooned the extra sauce on to each bite, in order to maximize the flavor.  Because of the bread mix up earlier in the night, the bread pudding actually ended up being comped.  I'll take bread pudding over bread any day!

bourbon sauced bread pudding (maker's mark)

My Mom and I really enjoyed our meal at Black Bottle.  Even though the service wasn't the best, the food was such a treat! It's a great new tavern located in Bellevue, definitely an alternative to the popular Palamino, JOEY, Maggiano's, and other large chains available.  The plates are great for sharing, but you could also easily finish one and a side on your own.  The service wasn't the most attentive, but the layout of the restaurant is perfect for bringing large groups.  A definite go-to for happy hour after work with the co-workers or a late night out with friends.


To try next time---
major danger- strawberry infused lemon drop
crispy fried chicken with ginger soy dipping sauce
ceviche and tortillas
chola batura eggplant potato chickpeas hot
roasted baby artichoke hearts & chickpea salad curry vinaigrette
pastrami and slaw crostinis on house marble chocolate rye


  

Zoe's Grad Dinner and Dessert

Zoe finally graduated from high school! I am so proud of her and in the words of my Dad "Thank the lord she made it".  To celebrate, she wanted the family to go out to our favorite mexican place in Ballard- La Carta de Oaxaca.  It's a little more difficult to find authentic mexican food in Seattle, than in LA. I've been told that there are some pretty good food trucks downtown, but I haven't had the courage (or time) to pinpoint them yet.  El Camión is supposed to be pretty good, I'll have to try it out.

Enchiladas Verdes con Pollo

After a brisk rollerblading adventure around Green Lake with my friends Hadley and Corinne, my parents picked me up at UW and we headed into Ballard.  Because it was a Monday night, the restaurant wasn't as packed as usual.  Of course, the Family P is still considered a pretty large party and we had to wait a couple of minutes at the bar.  My parents sipped their margaritas as we snacked on house made chips and guac.  Nothing particularly spectacular.  The chips are warm, but a little greasy.  The award for my favorite house made chips definitely go to Más Malo, on 7th in Downtown LA.  Their deep-fried salty taste is matched with a doughy and crunch-less texture.  I have still yet to find a guac that I enjoy more than my father's homemade jumble of avocado and various salsas, but what are you going to do?  You don't want to waste your appetite on chips and salsa anyways.

After we were seated, we all basically knew what we wanted and ordered promptly.  My parents always get the chicken mole, and Zoe ordered the Entomatadas.  The mole dish isn't my favorite, but my parents swear that La Carta has the best around.  I do enjoy the Entomatadas, but I wasn't in the steak mood after all of the red meat I've been eating at my new internship @ John Howie Steak (more to come).  I ordered the Enchiladas Verde de Pollo.  This is a new item on the menu and I thought I'd try it out.

I was hoping for some dense and cheesy filled tortillas with shredded chicken and salsa verde on top.  The home made corn tortillas came out rolled tightly and packed almost like taquitos.  They were actually a little crunchy and didn't taste as fresh as usual.  The chicken inside also wasn't very moist.  My favorite component of the dish was definitely the salsa verde atop, with sliced onion and crema.  The peppery salsa is cooled with a light cream and the onions bring a nice crisp to the overall dish.  The plate was served with rice and beans.  Nothing spectacular but I would consider ordering it again if I was in the mood for some verde chicken taquitos.

After dinner we headed next door to Hotcakes, the "molten chocolate cakery" Seattle has been raving about.  I've read about their "Boozy" Milkshakes and grilled chocolate sandwiches online and in Seattle Magazine.  My parents were enchanted by their bread pudding last time we went and craved more.

The Bread Pudding
Maple-Clove butterscotch, sautéed apples and pears, vanilla ice cream

"Peanut Butter Cup"
Molten Chocolate Cake
Theo milk chocolate cake, pb fudge,
pb ganache, vanilla ice cream

I ordered the "Peanut Butter Cup" Molten Chocolate Cake.  It was delivered hot in a cute little mason jar with a side of vanilla ice cream.  The cake itself was dark, rich, and chocolatey.  The type of chocolate that almost dries out your mouth it is so rich.  The slightly scorched texture may be due to the fact that it is gluten free. Inside the chocolate sponge is a peanut butter fudge and ganache.  To me, the fudge texture didn't really stick out, but I did notice a light brown molten ooze.  The whole cake was VERY rich.  I found myself constantly going back for more of the vanilla ice cream to mellow out the chocolate abundance.  Peanut butter and chocolate is a pretty typical craving of mine, and although I really did enjoy the dessert, it wasn't my absolute favorite.  I think just the combo of a heavy mexican dinner and then a rich cake threw me off.

My mom and sisters shared the bread pudding, while my dad had his own "Dark Decadence" Molten Chocolate Cake.  The bread pudding was spongey, caramel-y, and deliciously salty (will definitely be getting that one next time), and the Dark Decadence was basically my dish, minus the pb.

Hot cakes is a great dessert destination for you adventurous sweet tooths out there.  The atmosphere is really fun and it always seems to be jam-packed every time we pass by.  I really want to try the alleged "boozy" and regular milkshakes.  I think next time I make a trip it'll have to be not following a large plate of enchiladas.

My dad about to devour his "Dark Decadence"

That's Fo-Crazy

Earl Grey Blueberry Fonut with
Vanilla Ice Cream

Here's a short post about a dessert adventure I recently had with some of my swim and dive friends.  Late thursday night we drove to a donut shop called Fonuts near the Grove.  I found this place online and have been dying to try it.  Its a donut shop that bakes/steams their donuts, instead of frying them. Healthier? Maybe.. not sure.  They also have really interesting flavors and some vegan and gluten free options. When we arrived, I ordered the last Earl Grey Blueberry Fonut.  Similar to Diddy Riese and Sprinkles, they offer a sundae special with their homemade ice cream.  With a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top this was a great dessert.  Interestingly, because the donut wasn't fried, it was a lot denser than normal.  It almost had more of a cake like consistency.  The earl grey flavor was a great choice, and the whole blueberry inside moistened the cake.  Not my top dessert choice, but I'm still glad I finally got to try this place out!

Hillstone and HIP

Although USC does not have a hospitality school, I am fortunate enough to be a member of HIP (The Hospitality Industry Project).  Because of diving, I have never really had enough time to go to any of the events.  Last year I attended one at the end of the year where a panel of event planners from the Los Angeles area came and talked to us about the industry and their professions.  I thought it was really interesting and could definitely identify myself with the personalities and characteristics that they carried as professionals.  Organized, committed, impatient, energetic, type a (yep, that's me).  But as you can tell from this blog, my true passion is for restaurants.  Today was very exciting for me, I basically decided that my ultimate goal is to either work in management of a restaurant, or own one myself. 

As part of the club, I submitted my resume to the head of HR at the Hillstone Restaurnat Group, and was selected with nine other members for an information session and tasting at the Houston’s location in Pasadena.  I felt extremely fortunate that I was able to be included in this exclusive event .  We were greeted by the head of HR and operations manager, who gave us a detailed overview of the company as a whole. and the main focus of their restaurants.  I love how they pride themselves on having the freshest ingredients delivered everyday, and how everything is made completely from scratch.  They only have one small freezer in the entire kitchen, but it carries the most important food group of all-ICE CREAM!  Of course I was the one to answer that question.  We were then given a tour of the dining area, kitchen, and garden outside.  They grow enough arugula and mint for the entire restaurant.  And I must say, the arugula had the most distinct taste to it.  It was almost spicy!  After learning about the internship opportunity (which I will definitely be applying for), we were seated for lunch.

Dole

Chicago Spinach Dip with
chips, salsa, and sour cream.

When the event said that we were getting a tasting, I assumed we would get to sample some of the dishes.  Surprisingly, they catered a full on lunch to us (all on the house)!  We were seated in the back booths, as the rest of the restaurant quickly filled with other friday lunch goers.  Our waiter was super friendly and seemed very enthusiastic about his job.  I asked him how long he had been working there and he said that he's been with Hillstone for 13 years, but serving at Houston's for 10.  I couldn't believe it! That really tells you something about how the company treats their employees. He then said that we might as well call him Grandpa (which I proceeded to do for the rest of the meal).  I usually just order water with my meals when I got out, because I like to keep to keep my palate clean when I am tasting food, but this one drink the waiter described was too delicious sounding to pass up.  It's called a Dole, half lemonade/half pomegranate juice.  The perfect combination of sweet and tart.  
Our waiter then brought us some appetizers to snack on while we pondered the menu.  We started with the spinach dip and chips and the grilled artichoke.  Mike, the co-president of the club loves the dip from previous dining experiences, and said we must include the salsa on the chips too.  I'm usually not a huge spinach dip person, just because how cheesy it is, but this was by far the best textured and tasty dip I've ever had.  It was not as heavy as the usual spinach-cheese concoction, which made it a better appetizer (instead of a complete tummy filler).  The grilled artichokes are delicious.  I've always been a fan of artichokes and dip because my mom makes them at home all the time.  She just roasts the whole thing, but at Houston's they are split up and almost charred.  Gives it a nice smokey taste, which I love.  I actually had this appetizer last time I was at Bandera in Westwood with my mom and two friends, Kate and GuGu.  I was really surprised when a lot of the other club members said they'd never had an artichoke before, and I had to explain to them how to eat it.

Salmon Mango Roll

Coconut Shrimp Roll & Grilled Arichoke

Hiramasa Roll

Here comes the sushi.  I am usually reluctant to order sushi in a non-japenese restaurant, but my mind was blown.  My all time favorite sushi restaurant is the original Katsuya in North Hollywood.  These rolls came pretty close.  We were served the
coconut shrimp roll, the Hiramasa Roll, and the Salmon Mango roll.   Unfortunately I couldn't try the Shrimp roll, but everyone said it was really interesting.  And I didn't go for the Salmon one because there was a lot of asparagus in it, which I am not a big fan of.  The Hiramasa roll, on the other hand, was mouth watering.  I believe it was a spicy tuna roll with yellowfin tuna on top.  Like the best sushi out there, it basically melted in your mouth.  I didn't want to fill up too much, because I had a feeling a lot more food was coming out. I stuck with two pieces along with tasting the other appetizers.
Then it came down to the toughest decision: what to order for our meal.  All throughout the info session, everyone was recommending several dishes and even walking through the kitchen, my nose was bombarded with delicious aromas.  For me, it was between the Famous French Dip and the Crispy Chicken Sandwich.  I took this opportunity to order more of a lunch type dish than an entree because I don't usually dine out midday.  I went with the Chicken Sandwich.  Tambi, the HR rep said it was new to the menu, and very popular.  With fries on the side, this sandwich blew Chick-fila out of the water.  Although it was ginormous, it wasn't too heavy.  The salad slaw on the onion bun was creamy, yet light and the chicken was lightly breaded and grilled to perfection.  The fries were very skinny, and although not my favorite fries ever (not crispy enough for me) they were a perfect compliment to the sandwich.  Of course I ate them all.  House made ketchup and a spiced sort of mayo were included, both great on the fries.  I was able to eat 2 out of the three slices, and got a box for the remaining.

Ding's Crispy Chicken Sandwich with fries.

 The whole meal Tambi kept checking up on us, and continued to recommend the harvest cheesecake. Even though we didn't say anything, everyone was definitely too full for dessert.  But being the best hosts ever, Grandpa proceeded to bring out all three desserts on the menu. Set in front of us was the Warm-Five Nut Brownie, Apple Walnut Cobbler, and Harvest Cheesecake.  All three were great.

Apple Walnut Cobbler

Warm-Five Nut Brownie Sundae

The brownie sundae was rich and creamy.  My favorite of the three was the Apple Walnut Cobbler, not a huge walnut fan, but the apple pie dessert always gets me.  Something about the sweetness with the tart and cinnamon, warmed up with ice cream on top.  Can't get much better than that.  It's like a match made  in heaven.  The Harvest Cheesecake interestingly wasn't made with pumpkin (it was a butternut squash).  Completely original and exotic! Was a great fall dessert and I definitely recommend it while they still have it on the menu (and everyone is still obsessed with pumpkin like desserts).   Overall I had an amazing time at the restaurant.  The tour and session with the two employees was very informative and I officially fell in love with the industry.  The food was amazing and I will definitely have to visit more of the Hillstone Restaurants soon! 

Harvest Cheesecake

                 

Cupcake Cures

When we are sad, we eat cupcakes.  Monday was a rough day.  Both practices were a struggle for most  of the team.   Besides the fact that almost half the team was injured, everyone was exhausted from the two meets, making us all a little irritable/sad/depressed/tired/angry/strugglin'.  In order to lift team spirits, I texted some of the girls to meet me outside the dorm at 8:45pm for an adventure.  We headed to Beverly Hills and arrived at Sprinkles Ice Cream.  Personally, I like this place better than Diddy Reise.  Although it is more expensive, ($6.75 for a sundae!), how could you resist a scoop of ice cream between a cupcake?  The first time I came here I had to wait in line for about 20 min.  Since it was monday night, it wasn't as crowded.  I explained to the girls how only certain flavors were available each night, so you had to choose between the ice cream and cupcakes with the dots by them on the wall.  Here is a picture inside the stylish white store with the ice cream flavors for the day:
I love the inside of the shop.  The white walls make you feel like you are in a dream.  And what dream is better than ice cream and cupcakes?  I ordered the cupcake sundae.  Although they are famous for their red velvet, my favorite ice cream flavor is the cap'n crunch.  I do love cream cheese frosting and chocolate combined, but the caramelized pieces of crunchy cereal in the creamy ice cream satisfy me so well.  I wasn't feeling like a chocolate overdose, so I went with a vanilla cupcake with milk chocolate frosting.  It was a great combination,  Not too overwhelming.

Cupcake Sundae.  Vanilla milk chocolate
cupcake with capn' crunch ice cream.

The girls loved the cupcakes.  After finishing our sundaes we went outside to check out the famous cupcake ATM.  They definitely need to invest in more then one.  The line was about 20 people long, and when each person purchases at least 2 cupcakes, it takes a while.  Also the fact that it only lets you buy one at a time, and then proceeds to show you the delivery process doesn't go well with my lack of patience.  I picked out the chocolate marshmallow cupcake, intending to eat it the next day after practice. But of course, when I got home, I ate it right before bed.  There was no way I could fall asleep knowing it was sitting there, taunting me.  Wasn't my favorite flavor baked by them, the marshmallow inside didn't fulfill my moist cupcake desires.  Hopefully all mondays aren't a struggle like this one, but I definitely wouldn't mind going back to sprinkles whenever I feel like I need some cupcake love.

Gjelina with GuGu

GuGu and I before going out one night.

Guilana (GuGu) is one of my close friends on the tennis team.  This week she asked if I could give her a ride to Santa Monica for an appointment.  Luckily, midterm season was finally over, so tuesday quickly turned into an adventure.  After finishing up some of her business, near the Third Street Promenade, we decided to get dinner because traffic on the 10 was going to be horrible either way.  Although both of us weren't dressed to attend a 5 five star restaurant (SC workout gear), we were craving some quality food.  Actual Gjelina, was a little out of the price range for our casual tuesday night, but that didn't mean we couldn't enjoy some of the delicious food the iconic restaurant has to offer.
I have been to Gjelina before, once with my family and some friends for dinner.  Completely loved all of the small side dishes we shared with the table.  I believe I ordered a lamb dish for my entree, thinking it would taste somewhat like my mom's baby lamb chops (don't know what I was thinking).

Can see recipe here: http://gailsgalley.blogspot.com/2012/10/best-lil-lamb-chops.html  Although the dish was still delicious, it was a little bit to gamey tasting for me.  I will definitely have to go back and try again, which I am sure I will blog about in the future.  They did have some of the best apple pie I have ever tasted.  I'm pretty sure I ate more than half of my sister LuLu's dessert.
Gjelina Take Away is a restaurant I have visited many times.  With its easy access, somewhat quick service (when there's no line) and consistent delicious options, it is always my go-to on Abbott Kinney. For breakfast I had had the berry scones (moist, soft, but still filling) and lunch I have tried several of the side salads (much better and less oily than offered by Lemonade on campus).  I have also tried a blackened fish sandwich on brioche, that no longer seems to be on the menu, but it melted in my mouth.

GuGu and I were feeling some pizza, so we went with our gut instinct.  I ordered the Margherita Funghi (even though I'm not that huge of a mushroom fan, I love how veggies soak up all the flavors of the sauce on a pizza).  Gugu wanted the spinach pizza, but unfortunately they were out of it for the night, so she just went for the Margherita.

Margherita Funghi.  Three
types of mushrooms,
pomodoro sauce, basil,
mozzarella, sea salt, olive
oil, dried oregano.  

While we waited for our pies, Gugu and I discussed a future business plan. With her love of sweets (she probably has the biggest sweet tooth I have ever come across.  Mad props Gugu), she eventually wants to open up her own candy store or sweet shop of some sort.  As for naming it, she claims that she came up with GuGu's Candy Bar before Dylan Lauren, but I don't think that is going to fly.  Besides the naming factor, if I ever open my own restaurant, we talked about how we could combine venues and she could own the pastry shop or milkshake bar next door, which would also cater the deserts to my place.  We did think its was funny how "Gjelina" is basically a combination of our two names (Giuliana and Celia).  Maybe another inspiration?

My pizza was hot out of the wood burning oven.  And boy do I love that taste of thin burnt crust.  The mushrooms perfectly soaked up the spice of the pomodoro sauce and the just the right amount of mozzarella was placed on top (there should always be more sauce then cheese, can't stand Dominos).  I got a little excited and took a bite before I could get my camera out. Can't even really tell in the picture though.

I love sitting outside on the crates next to the restaurant on the side of the street.  Sitting under the leaf canopy and watching all the crowds walk past really gives a good illustration of the feel to Abbott Kinney.  After we finished our pizzas, in about 5 minutes, we started heading back to the car.  Even though Giuliana had made a bet with her roommate that she could resist sweets for a whole week, I convinced her otherwise.  Once we walked into N'ice cream, it really didn't take too much convincing.

Biscotti Gelato

N'ice cream is great because it is all organic homemade gelato and sorbet to with unique flavors.  Even though I love ice cream, gelato is better for you because it is made with more milk instead of just cream.  N'ice uses organic milk and their gelato is a little lighter than usual because they use all natural ingredients and less sugar.  Giuliana was quick to ask to sample several of the more chocolately flavors.  Her choice came down to chocolate hazelnut and hazelnut chip.  She said she went with the chip because the chocolate chips really added to the texture.  I wanted to try to the apple pie gelato, which was very fresh tasting, but after trying her flavors I was craving some chocolate too.  I ordered my usual flavor from there, the Biscotti.  Biscotti is actually one of my favorite cookies. I will never turn down a soft freshly baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, but there is something about a classic tea cookie that always gets to me.  I love dunking them in hot chocolate, or my favorite tea (the Market Spice Cinnamon Orange from Pike Place Market).  The biscotti flavor of the gelato mirrors a chocolate chip biscotti dipped in hot chocolate and then frozen.  Still having that chewy taste.  I even found a chunk of a cookie in my cone (it was probably the highlight of the treat).

Overall GuGu and I had a great time on our tuesday night adventure.  Unfortunately we had to head back to campus by 8, me for accounting tutoring and she was meeting some friends to study.  We will definitely have to go on another sweet escapade soon.  (Possibly Sprinkles cupcakes again?)