Remember The Clay Pit? The Indian restaurant that once was in Brentwood by the Brentwood Court across from the Brentwood Tavern? — It was in the episode of Millionaire Matchmaker where Patti meets one of those lonely millionaires to condescendingly and hypocritically discuss the flaws of the millionaire? No? Not ringing a bell? Probably not because (1) The Clay Pit was practically always empty; and (2) No one watches Millionaire Matchmaker.
It doesn’t matter anyway because it has been replaced by Lemonade, the modern and adorable eatery that is “part lemonade stand, part grade-school cafeteria.” There are several Lemonades in Los Angeles. I had only been to the one on Abbot Kinney in Venice prior to walking into the Brentwood stand-eria.
The only purpose of my visit to the Brentwood chain was for lemonade. As you can see, they have quite a few options for lemonade. However, I daringly opted for the sugar-free peach lemonade that wasn’t listed on the menu nor visibly out in the open but had known about from my visit to their Venice location. I had also learned from my Venice experience that their sugar-free lemonade is the equivalent to drinking lemon juice straight from the lemon. Before the Lemonade employee even entered my order into the register, she gave me a warning about how incredibly tart the drink was, asking me if I wanted to sample it first. I laughed in her face said it was okay — I knew what I was in for.
As expected, the sugar-free peach lemonade was puckeringly tart. (In some ways it is an excellent option for me because I often drink as if I am dehydrated.) I added some Splenda to make it more pleasant. I didn’t choose sugar because the whole purpose was to avoid a sugar beverage bender like the one in the episode of The Simpsons where Bart and Milhouse drink a super squishy made entirely out of syrup. Overall, I think the sugar-free is great. But, I can understand why many would not agree. Especially when the regular lemonade comes in more flavors and tastes delicious.
Lemonade
145 S Barrington Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90049
Phone 310-471-9700
Twitter: lemonadela
I recently stopped byJin Patisserie, a pastry boutique on Abbot Kinney. My post won’t give the place justice because I did not sit down in the quiet tea garden or have any of their delicious pastries. However, I know from prior experience that this place is nice. It’s a quiet sanctuary separate from the hippy hustle and bum bustle of the street, an isolated zen-world. The owner, Kristy Choo, is an inspiration. She is a native of Singapore that has baked with some of the best. In 2003, she opened Jin Patisserie, combining her knowledge of traditional Asian recipes with the understanding of the American (specifically the LAian) palate to come up with unique creations.
Sadly, I didn’t have time to sit down and relax. But, I did have time for some green tea. Even when you order tea to go, it is still a thoughtful production. Instead of merely handing you your cup at the register, they ask you to sit down so the tea can properly be steeped (which takes a a few minutes depending on the tea) and then bring out a tray filled with your tea and sugar for your liking. Although such a small detail, it still impressed me.
I cannot remember the name of the green tea I ordered. This is good and bad. It’s good because it shows that there are a lot of tea options. Literally, pages of tea to choose from. It’s bad because I can’t find the tea menu online and this reminds me that I need to start writing things down. However, I am pretty sure you will be happy with whatever tea you order. They use tea from the French company Theodor ( Jin Patisserie is one of approximately 8 locations in the US that sell/use this type of tea).
This place isn’t just tea though. They make cakes, cookies, chocolates, and have a food menu that includes sandwiches and salads. When I was ordering my tea I couldn’t help but notice they had Yek Yek Cookies. I was all like: “What’s a Yek Yek cookie?” Probably a question the counter receives a lot. Apparently they are traditional cookies from Singapore that Jin has a family recipe for. I know, not very helpful. But from it’s description it sounds like a unique soft, shortbread cookie. They also have an eclectic and extensive list of chocolates that I would love to try some day.
Although I can’t remember specifics to what I drank, I do remember that I thoroughly enjoyed my cup of tea. It is the type of place you can go with just a close friend, a romantic date, by yourself, or with a large group (they have Tea Service!).
Jin Patisserie
1202 Abbot Kinney Blvd
Venice, CA 90291
(310) 399-8801
Recently my boyfriend and I went to the Abbot Pizza Company at it’s flagship location on Abbot Kinney. (The other location is on Pico in Santa Monica). Abbot Pizza Co. is quintessential Californian gourmet pizza. Known best for their bagel crust (a mixture of poppy seeds, onion, garlic and sesame) and supposedly as the best pizza on the West side of Los Angeles. However, the bagel crust is not the only option; if you were to order a pie they offer six crust options: Onion, Garlic, Sesame, Poppy, Hot-Crust and The Blend (Bagel). Also, they have a pretty wide selection of toppings (4 types of mushrooms!: shiitake, oyster, portobello, and buttons). The place is very small and filled up quickly with a wide variety of clientel. If we had not have come so early, we would have probably had to sit outside or get our food to go. Or be a looming (drooling) seat hunter.
I took the gourmet route and ordered a slice of the Cheese Bomb - parmesan, romano, fontina, gouda, ricotta & mozzarella cheese on an alfredo sauce.
And a slice of Popeye’s Chicken - spinach, mushroom, onion, tequila lime marinated chicken with mozzarella cheese on a garlic pesto sauce.
They were both great. I thought the cheese bomb was going to be my favorite because I love cheese, but other than the ricotta and mozzarella the cheeses were hard for my palate to pick up. I think I would have enjoyed the cheese bomb more if it had been a red sauce instead of the alfredo. I really enjoyed the garlic pesto on the popeye slice. I have yet to have a bad pesto experience.
In regards to both slice’s crust, I found it to taste more like a big soft pretzel than a bagel. I suppose when you add salt to a bagel, it increases it’s chances to taste like a pretzel exponentially. I would go again; it was good pizza. I want to continue trying their gourmet slices like the Meatless/Sauceless with pizza crust and seasonal vegetables. It’s a great place to go if you’re in Venice and hungry for pizza.
Abbot Pizza Company I
1407 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Venice, CA 90291
(310) 396-7334
Hours: 11am - 11 pm
Abbot Pizza Company II
1811 Pico Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 314-2777
N’Ice Cream officially opened up this weekend on Abbot Kinney. Immediately next door to a Pinkberry, a renovated garage has now become a cute little gelato shop. This place stands out to me because not only are their limited ice cream / gelato places (that aren’t corporate) in the area, but the owner I met was friendly and talkative (not too talkative though, just right talkative). I love when proprietors are social, it makes the experience more enjoyable; it’s good to know that someone cares about their product and their customers. Apparently, the owners are from Denmark (cool!) and are keeping N’Ice Cream a mom&pop place (not selling their souls franchising).
They make their gelato/sorbet fresh everyday (you can even watch them as they make it through a window). The day we went had about 10 standard gelato flavors, which is good for people like my boyfriend, but I love crazy ridiculous flavors. This is not to say I did not enjoy what I ordered. I am sure they will expand on that in the future. I chose a combination of Coffee, Chocolate Hazelnut, and Vanilla. Each one was wonderful in their own way. The chocolate hazelnut had pieces of hazelnut in it, making it my favorite of the cup. The vanilla had little black vanilla bean dots making it the most aesthetically pleasing. I regretfully did not get the white chocolate, but I heard people talk about how amazing it was. This place is great. In the heat, it will become quite popular especially since it is so close to the beach. They also do To Go packs. And they take credit cards. Go check it out.
N’Ice Cream
1410 Abbot Kinney Blvd
Venice, CA 90291
