Posted October 20th, 2008 by Meg
I recently was able to get a bag of Intelligentsia’s Itzamna, Guatemala. In Yucatec Maya mythology, Itzamna is the name of an upper god and creator deity that supposedly lives in the sky. The meaning of the deity’s name is unclear, but could refer to a large lizard or Caiman (itzam) or to a liquid such as dew (itz). Aspects of the god were sometimes designated by the epithet “Itzamna Kauil,” which could mean ‘the powerful’.
Flavor: Chocolate, red apple, date
Acidity: Buoyant, well-rounded
Finish: Walnut, nutmeg, butterscotch
Even though the harvest season is from January to April, the coffee tastes like you should be drinking it during the Fall season. Immediately at first sip, I taste the red apples which turns into a sweet slightly spicy taste, which quietly disappears. Not a shy exit, but a confident exit. As if the flavor just came to say hello, compliment you on how good you’ve been looking, and then be on their way out. Because of the transition from loud, pleasant taste to quick and polite exit, I was left wanting to drink more.
Counting down the days until Intelligentsia opens in Venice….
Intelligentsia
3922 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90029
(323) 663-6173
Posted September 24th, 2008 by Meg
Seriously, the name of this restaurant is Local. Even though it is not local for me, Local is worth the trip. Local has been open since September 2nd, 2008 and was only breakfast and lunch until a few days ago, now they also serve dinner. Local was opened by the executive chef behind Cobras and Matadors, Jason Michaud. Through internet research I have found out that Michaud is one cool guy; along with working in restaurants for the greater part of his life he was also a drummer in the metal math bands Spilth and Men of Porn. Metal math is experimental rock that is mostly guitars and drums and is complex, atypical rhythmic structures including irregular stops and starts, angular melodies, and dissonant chords. The mission statement behind this restaurant is genuine: committed to using local, organic products as much as possible. Local goes beyond just food and also uses antiques for furniture, energy efficient lighting, glassware (no plastic table cups), and the food for takeout rides in biodegradable plastic plates, bowls, and cups (made of potato and/or sugar cane, like these!). Bad ass.
It sits somewhere between Silver Lake Lounge and Dusty’s on the other side of the road on Sunset. I made my visit on a Wednesday at approximately 12:00pm. For lunchtime it wasn’t as packed as I thought it was going to be, but there was still a good number of hip Silver Lakers (or is it Silver Lakians?). It is the type of restaurant where you order at the counter, take your number, find seating and wait for the food to arrive. However, there are servers around to refill your water, get you silverware, napkins, condiments, or anything else you might need. It is a small/medium sized restaurant. Everyone that was working there (which were all guys) were above and beyond friendly and were obviously passionate about the restaurant. I think this is important to stress because when people show that they are invested and care about what they are doing (in general, not just food), it makes the whole experience much more enjoyable for everyone involved. Good tingling feelings. I was told that it gets packed on the weekends - I hope that they are just as friendly and outgoing under crowded conditions!
As you can see there is an organic salad bar. The fact that this salad bar is organic makes it a million times better than any other salad bar I have been to before (Whole Foods). After getting the recommendation for my meal of “everything is good”, I decided upon the Rocky Jr. Free Range Chicken Sandwich and an Iced Coffee. On the menu, there is no description of what is in the Rocky Jr. Free Range Chicken Sandwich, so it was an exciting surprise! Rocky Jr. is a free range, younger chicken that weighs on average three and half pounds and roams in spacious growth houses (not outside because they are young and partially feathered). The chicken is cooked with herbs and joined with fresh, perfect tomatoes, daikon sprouts, pickles, and sprinkled with salt. It sits between a bun that I don’t recognize but tasted like Hawaiian bread (yellowish insides) with sesame seeds on top. It was a big sandwich, one that requires two hands to eat. At first intimidating, after the first bite it becomes a challenge you want to take on and conquer. Instead of fries, I opted for a salad with a roasted red pepper purée on the side. It was all delicious. The salt really made the flavors in the tomatoes and pickles pop out. I would order it again. The iced coffee is made from Alessandro beans. Unfortunately, I cannot find anything on the internet about Alessandro coffee; let’s hope it’s organic too! (Free refills on Iced Coffee).
In regards to what is organic and what is not, it varies week by week because large shipments of organic food is not common right now in the restaurant world. The guy I talked to about organic food said that they try their best and want to go completely organic, but at this point in time they have to make do with the situation. The price of organic food is high, thus the prices on the menu are higher. My meal totaled to be around 17 dollars. I know, pricey, but it really is not too much more than most trendy Los Angeles breakfast/lunch places, so I don’t think it should be a big deal if you go to other expensive places already. If you look at it as being preventative maybe it will make you feel better: paying extra now so you don’t have to pay later in health and medical bills. Go to Local!
Local keeps things interesting; check out what I found in the bathroom! The statue/boy definitely scared me at first, but then I laughed about how creepy it is.
Here are some poor quality pictures I took of their menu (like all my pictures, click on them to make larger):
Local
2943 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(323) 662-4740
Hours
Breakfast and Lunch: 9am-3pm
Dinner: 5pm-10pm
They take credit cards!
Posted September 22nd, 2008 by Meg
I recently stopped by Blue Mango on Sunset with my roommate. It is bright, blue, and clean inside and there was no line because it was a weekday afternoon. I noticed immediately that there was a large variety of both frozen yogurt flavors and toppings.
The flavors, which are all kosher (UO-D), are: Plain Tart, Blue Mango (which is their crazy bright blue colored tart yogurt), Peanut Butter, Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, Coffee, and a Flavor of the Day.
The toppings available are: carob chips, yogurt chips, butterscotch chips, mini m&ms, white chocolate chips, chocolate chips, reeses chips, sprinkles, gummy bears, mochi, oreos, pecans, cashews, peanuts, sliced almond, hazel, walnuts, pistachios, strawberries, pear, kiwi, blueberry, mango, peach, blackberry, lychee, raspberry, pineapple, peanut butter crunch, apple jacks, captain crunch, fruity pebbles, honey bunches, coco pebbles, granola, and coconut. So many decisions!
I sampled the Blue Mango flavor, but the novelty of the neon blue colored tart yogurt was not enough. Instead, I ordered Peanut Butter with Mochi and Blueberry. I know it sounds a little weird, but it was delightful. The peanut butter yogurt was not too creamy but not too icy, nor was it a dominating flavor to the toppings. I love mochi/rice cakes and am thankful they do not sell it at stores (or I don’t know what stores they sell it at) because I would snack on it all the time. I enjoyed the yogurt, but the location is too far away for me. Their brochure says they validate 30 minute parking at 1114 Hilldale Street from 11am-8pm and then at 8961 Sunset Blvd from 8pm to close. However, I don’t know if that means free. They also take credit cards!
Blue Mango
8961 Sunset Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
Get Directions(213) 590-4545
Hours:
Sunday - Wednesday: 11am-12am
Thursday - Saturday: 11am-2am
I recently was able to get a bag of Intelligentsia’s Itzamna, Guatemala. In Yucatec Maya mythology, Itzamna is the name of an upper god and creator deity that supposedly lives in the sky. The meaning of the deity’s name is unclear, but could refer to a large lizard or Caiman (itzam) or to a liquid such as dew (itz). Aspects of the god were sometimes designated by the epithet “Itzamna Kauil,” which could mean ‘the powerful’.
