Rockenwagner Bakery

So sleepy and cold this morning that I stopped at Rockenwagner Bakery for an Americano. The menu said 2.50, but when the guy said “would you like an extra shot?” I answered yes without hesitation. My mistake. For those of you that don’t know, an Americano is espresso and water. No fancy syrups or milk necessary. You would think it would be cheap, but no. My drink this morning cost $3.52. It’s a decent Americano, but I doubt I will ever buy one from them again. Like the drink, the rest of their menu, composed of pre-prepared food already packaged and ready to go, is overpriced and mediocre at best. Another restaurant on 3rd street that I will never say “hey, let’s go there.”

Houston’s

I recently had an hour to kill at the Santa Monica Promenade. I got a glass of wine and my favorite (unlisted) side dish at Houston’s: the artichoke! It’s one of my favorite vegetables ever and I have found Houston’s to be the most delicious. However, for thirteen dollars a plate, I am willing to try to make it at home.

Houston’s - Santa Monica
202 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 576-7558

Lazy and Delicious

I recently have become discouraged (lazy) about making dinner. Instead, I have been buying a premade salad and a side of chicken at Whole Foods. They have a pretty extensive salad selection, but my current favorite salad is the Kale and Beet. It is the perfect blend of romaine, kale, feta cheese, cranberries, red beets, gold beets, red onion, and a sweet dressing that I can’t quite remember right now and am too discouraged (lazy) to research…

R + D

A few weeks ago my boyfriend and I went to the popular Hillstone Restaurant, R + D. I had accepted the fact that this is the latest hot spot on the west side and that we were going to have to wait 30-40 minutes by  embracing it with a glass or syrah as we stood awkwardly around. The restaurant, similar in design and decoration to Houston’s, does not have bar stools around their waiting tables by the window. I ended up unattractively leaning against the table. However, after we checked in with them when 20 minutes passed as they had asked us to, they brought over a pail of french fries to tide us over courtesy of the house. Not too shabby.

Their menu is limited and different than Houston’s (a menu which I also enjoy). My boyfriend and I shared the meatballs (even though the waitress told us the chips and guacamole appetizer was the best; my boyfriend isn’t a big fan of guacamole).

I ordered the seafood speciala of New Zealand Blue Nose Sea Bass. I have never had Blue Nose before, but wanting to get more Omega-3 in my life along with experience a new taste, I took a chance. A delicious chance. This fish is interesting because scientists didn’t start collecting information on it until the 1980’s, so nobody really knows much about it’s history. Which I guess, also makes it not the best time to be eating it because of what little is known about it’s history and population status. Oopsie.

R + D was only offering 2 desserts on their menu. A pots de creme and a carrot cake. The latter is a dessert I do not like, but the former is one that I always seem to enjoy. I also knew my boyfriend would enjoy the chocolate custard texture of it, so that’s what we got. I was surprised at how much my boyfriend liked it for someone that always poo poos ordering dessert. I would happily order this meal again.

R + D Kitchen
1323 Montana Ave
Santa Monica, CA 90403
(310) 395-3314

Mr. Cecil’s BBQ

I don’t know BBQ well at all. I rarely eat it. It’s not that I don’t enjoy it, it just never happens. My boyfriend however loves it and even stated that it was his favorite “food.”

We were on the hunt for dinner and driving down Pico when we saw Mr. Cecil’s tin can shack and thought it was probably the best bet for the night. The place is very small and has pictures of pigs all over the walls which honestly make the whole experience a little conflicting; cute happy piggies on the wall and dead, delicious piggie on the plate. Sorry, I didn’t take pictures of the walls. I was too sad.

I avoided this porcus conflict by ordering the Samara’s Southwest Salad - grilled chicken, salsa, corn, on a bed of lettuce with bbq ranch dressing. The salad was good, but not worth 13 dollars.

In order to make my experience more bbq-ey I also ordered a single beef rib. I don’t know anything about beef ribs, but I did know that this giant rib had more fat on it than it did meat which was a little disappointing. Maybe that’s just how it is supposed to be though and that is the wonders of beef ribs. The bbq sauce is nice, but both my boyfriend and I agreed that it wasn’t the best ever. Would I go back again? Sure, it was fine. But, I would also like to explore other bbq places in Los Angeles first…

Mr. Cecil’s California Ribs
12244 West Pico Boulevard,
Los Angeles, California 90064
310-442-1550

My Latest Favorite Thing

I am hesitant to post about how much I love my Made By Hank handmade bag because I know these bags (and anything else Katie Henry makes) sell out immediately after she posts them (if not before!). But, it really is one of my favorite things in the world. So here is one of several pieces I have in my Made By Hank collection. I highly suggest checking out her bags on her website and then ultimately buying one (for me :P) on etsy if you can. Also, Katie Henry is from Philadelphia. And she owns an adorable pug!

so tired

Must stay awake…

Note: This picture is from my recent trip to PA over Christmas. I had such a bad red eye flight (no sleep) that I bought a blueberry coffee with espresso (white cup) and asked for side of milk (brown cup on top of white cup). This is interesting because when I went to Dunkin Donuts near my parents house, they would not give me a side of milk in a different cup; the airport kiosk was more accommodating than an actual store.

Note 2: I don’t have enough time to finish the post I intended to write and Wednesday sleepiness is partly to blame so this is my way of saying I am still around and haven’t forgotten about FS.

Note 3: Do you like the holiday design: Happy HoliDDay?