Restless in Venice

The weather in So.Cal has been unpredictable lately and we've been restless. And since we really haven't gone anywhere since SF, we decided to get a bit of fresh air and headed to a little shack in Culver City called Cafe Brasil. Our friends the Garcia's introduced us to this place years ago when they lived in LA. And since then, we've been hooked on their Havana sandwiches, fried bananas and tropical drinks. 

Alex on the patio cuddling with Mommy

We kinda spent a little too much on food, but it was worth every penny. 

After lunch we went to shop at Abbott Kinney, a cool little shopping district in Venice near the Mar Vista neighborhoods.

David stopped by Steven Alan, a New York label with a great eye for quality and simplicity.

We also visited Colcha, which carries one of my favorite home furnishing company - Casamidy.

I love their modern south-of-the-border hacienda aesthetic. A must read is the Casa San Miguel book which features many of Casamidy's collections. 

85 Degrees Cafe

After reading Edwin Goei's review in OC Weekly, we decided to check out the new 85 Degrees C Cafe and Bakery in Irvine. It is in the new Diamond Jamboree Center on Alton and Jamboree. Even on a Tuesday night, the place was packed, full of primarily college kids from nearby UCI.

The pastry and baked goods section is self-serve. You grab a tray and tongs and select what you want. We tried the Taro bun, Caesar the Great, a Calamari loaf (which doesn't have calamari but rather chicken or garlic and the bread is black from the squid ink) and 2 cake slices. We ate the Taro bun which was amazing. Light and fluffy like a croissant without the greasiness and a slightly sweet Taro paste filling. Delish. We saved the rest for munching on at home.


Alex dancing in front of the pastry bar


Taro Bun


Caesar the Great

Heaven's Delight

David's Strawberry, Banana, and Chocolate crepe!

David and I are always on the hunt for something new and creative in the OC, so we were thrilled to stumble upon two desert places called Heaven's Delight (Bolsa & Brookurst) and Yummy Yo (Westminster & Brookurst). On my birthday, David took me to Heaven's Delight for breakfast for freshly made crepes. Mylan, the owner and my new friend makes them so delicious you think you've died and gone to heaven.

Another place I ran into was a frozen yogurt joint Yummy Yo - their frozen treat was a little too sweet for my taste buds, but their girlie store design made me feel like I was in a Parisian parlor.


Yummy Yo interior

post by Armilyn

On the Road Again, Spanish style

A new PBS series I had heard about finally debuted--Spain, On the Road Again documents a road trip by Gwyneth Paltrow, Mario Batali, Claudia Bassols, and Mark Bittman around Spain, sampling its culinary delights. Makes me want to go visit Justine and Fernando in Spain.



The first episode is free for download via iTunes the week of September 30 to October 6, 2008.

post by David