Milk for Dinner!

Milk
7290 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 939-6455

A last minute urge for their blue velvet cake brought JM and UE to Milk, but what they got was a good hearty dinner on a cold LA winter night. Milk is typically a great place for lunch or dessert, and now it's good to know it's a great option for a quick dinner! Choosing from the permanent menu on the wall and the specials to the left, orders are made at the counter. It was hard for JM to focus since the gelato case was right next to the register and the dessert case was overflowing with fresh cookies, decorative cakes, colorful cupcakes, plump muffins and lovely bread loaves.

JM and UE shared the warm, creamy, corny with a kick, goodness of the tortilla soup. For the entree, JM had the croque madame. It was unconventional and was probably more like an open faced ham, egg and cheese sandwich topped with sausage gravy, but it hit the spot as a dinner sandwich. UE was craving meat and decided on the media noche. The hot pressed sandwich was hearty and the pickles added a surprising crunch. The side salad was perfectly simple with vinegar and a pinch of sea salt.

For dessert, the decision was extremely difficult. From red velvet cupcakes to strawberry ice cream sandwiches, JM and UE settled on the tres leches cake and the blue velvet cake (of course). The tres leche cake was not as milky and soaked as one would expect. The cake was a dry interpretation of the traditional dessert and needed more sweetness and milk. The vanilla bean whipped topping was nice, but added to the "typical" cake quality. The blue velvet cake was good as usual! The vibrant blue hue may throw some off, but the rich velvety blueberry cake with embedded blueberries helps to overcome the initial color shock quickly. In the end, definitely go for the food, but skip the tres leches....unless you like soggy vanilla cake.

Delicacheena in NYC

Brasserie Les Halles
411 Park Ave South
New York, NY 10016
212-679-4111

Au Bon Pain
Locations all over the East Coast

Grand Central Terminal
87 E 42nd Street
New York, NY 10017

INK did so much research that it's really a shame she didn't stay in the city longer, at least as long as her dining checklist. In the interest of time, convenience, and family relations, she ate pizza from Sbarro! (Although she did have some pretty good thin-crust eggplant pizza made by a New York transplant in Vermont. . .) No hot dogs from a street vendor were had, either.

The eating highlight was Les Halles, Anthony Bourdain's former gig, Bourdain of the what-really-happens-in-the-kitchen books and travelogues on the Food Network and Travel Channel. Mom likes the shows and Dad likes escargot so it had parental approval. Les Halles was dark and loud with happy locals and tourists and the usual "ain't we hip" restaurant playlist. The only song INK can remember is Amy Winehouse's "Rehab," but perhaps because that was the soundtrack of summer 2007.

We started with the escargot, of course, with plenty of bread to sop up the hot, garlicky butter. Even the first-timers dug it. Dad got the vertical pork tenderloin. Mom had the brasserie classic, steak frites. Cousin and Niece ordered the le fancy macaroni and cheese with gruyere and serrano ham. INK was very pleased with her truffle sauce and froi gras burger-- loosely packed and oh-so-juicy. Creme brulee, tarte aux pommes and profiteroles don't disappoint. Exciting and cutting edge? Definitely not, but rich, comforting, satisfying.

The next morning, the chain Au Bon Pain was a pleasant spot for breakfast before hitting MOMA to complete the Delicacheena van Gogh summer tour. Love the self-serve bakery of endless can't-decides.

A salad of falafel, couscous, tabouleh, salad green, eggplant, etc. at Grand Central was a healthy way to end the stay.

So perhaps this was more of a reconnaissance trip--a lot of ground was covered in that tour bus. INK, however, was pleased to have checked off eat a "fancy" dinner, run to/in Central Park to see the Alice in Wonderland statue, see "Starry Night," and don't kill any relatives.

Looking for K-town in Culver City

Gyenari
9540 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90231
310-838-3131

Delicacheena usually travels to Koreatown to satisfy their craving for sizzling meat and kimchee. With the opening of a Korean BBQ Lounge in Culver City, UE and the SPII crew sneaked in after the lunchtime rush to enjoy a meal that is happily consumed in the late-night hours.

Gyenari offers outdoor dining with a bar area located at the front. The remaining space contains black leather booths and a beautifully lit yellow flower wall divider. Unlike traditional Korean establishments, the atmosphere was calm and quite spacious.

The lunch menu offers both recognizable dishes as well as salads & sandwiches. No barley tea was available but we did enjoy the cranberry hibiscus tea. The surprisingly meaty pork Mandoo appetizer satisfied our empty stomachs but the mild kimchee and chicken broth side dishes set the tone for what we now knew would not be traditional Korean entrees.

The piknik plates were combination meals with different meat offerings. The tempura was light and the batter surrounding the vegetables and shrimp was flavorful and not over-fried. The side noodles were a solid offering that was appreciated more as the meal progressed.

We had high expectations for the bulgogi plates but like the kimchee before it, the spice level and seasonings were drastically dull. TOS was happy with his spicy pork but agreed the adjective "spicy" should be removed from the name. Meanwhile, KKK's beef bulgogi was not offered on a sizzling plate. Without the usual smoky flavors and inescapable meat perfume, the non-grilled meat left a bland taste and a chewy texture. For a traditional preparation, we recommend visiting during dining hours as patrons are able to grill meat at their tables.

UE's pan seared tofu was a bright spot among the piknik plates. The sauce was familiar and did not overwhelm the natural flavors of the tofu. The texture was slightly firm and maintained its form well. Overall, a simple dish that can satisfy any foodie.

Since the A.L.T. was not under scrutiny, URL happily devoured the sandwich and the perfectly shaped onion rings. The ahi burger was seared and prepared exactly as it should be. URL declared it the best among all she's ever tasted. After taking a bite, KKK was convinced and will order the sandwich on her next visit.

As lunch came to the close, we all left room for dessert. Four delightfully fried donuts with a raspberry cream sauce washed away any disappointment we had with our meal. The donuts crunched on the outside and warmth exuded from the center. The raspberry sauce tasted natural and freshly prepared. We stared at the empty plate and wondered when we would return for these treats again.

Gyenari is not a substitute for the traditional places in K-town. Do not be discouraged with the lunchtime combination meals as they come through with their other offerings and well-made desserts.

Pre-Game Treats

Treat Street
secret location varies

What a better way to preface a game day than with La Taquiza (if you're not tailgating, that is) and what's better than preceding that with baked goods?

The latest Treat Street bake sale was last Saturday on Carnation off of Micheltorena in Silver Lake. INK felt carsick after we missed a left and had to break out a map (!) and circle back around through the twisty streets. Plus it was an overcast morning, but that didn't put a damper on our pursuit of sweetness.

We bypassed the honeydew jigglers and Kiss in full face-paint cookies. UE particularly enjoyed the hand print sugar cookies. JM gave an unexpected high rating for the wheat-free apple blossom muffins. The UB40's, red wine chocolate caramel cupcakes with a sprinkle of sea salt, really tasted like all those things and worked well. The mini upside-down cakes, made with cornmeal, were tart with what may have been plum. There were doughnut muffins and moist "sarsaparilla thrilla" bundt cake. The butterscotch tarts were not butterscotchy enough. Salt n Pepa shorbreads were not too sweet, but the pumpkin whoopie pie was a sugary, creamy mess. . . that we loved. Olive oil cake had a nice texture. The lemon meringue cupcakes held up well to refrigeration and were still nice a few days later.

side dish: July 4th weekend

The Village Idiot
Clementine
BLD
Din Tai Fung
Tea Station
KC's Crepes

No fireworks for Delicacheena, but lots of good food, at least for UE, INK and cohorts (JM is in the wilderness).

BLD was closed on the 4th so we drove north to Village Idiot: hot-off-the-something BBQ ribs special with greens and cornbread, salmon on soba noodles, flaky veggie pie, "cheeky halves" of Heavenly Hef and Nectar of the Gods to quaff, apricot triple sec bread pudding, glorious peach shortcake.

Saturday included the dependable Clementine and finally BLD with standout special nectarine salad of spinach, chickpea fritters and ricotta. Eating all the seasonal stone fruits!

Today was about our inner cheena. Din Tai Fung: juicy pork dumplings, fried rice almost like Dad's, perfectly round and fluffy red bean bao. And taro and almond milk tea bobas from Tea Station

UPDATE: For dinner, after visiting BP and MH and the new baby. . . French bulldog, we head down Lincoln to KC's Crepes near LMU: crunchy sweet chili chicken with basil and greens, Margherita, and caramel vanilla crunch.

Treat Street - Back To School

Treat Street
Silverlake, CA

Back in September, Delicacheena visited the traveling bake sale known as Treat Street. Not as well as hidden as previous sales, UE and JM met up with TW to grab some Back To School treats. Among our favorites: PB&J Sandwich cookies, Expresso Cookies and Reese's Cup. Though we were able to purchase most of the treats, we were surprised at how fast the items were selling out. Treat Street is no longer a secret whispered among dessert fanatics. Delicacheena will have their dollars ready when the next location is posted. Stay tuned!

side dish: Fresh from the Toaster Oven

The Cobbler Lady
3854 Crenshaw Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90008-1821
323-298-2144
323-298-2148
contactus@cobblerlady.com


When a co-worker commented, "I haven't had cobbler in a long time," JM took it as a challenge. She would bring the best cobbler anyone had ever tasted to their friend's weekend barbecue!

On a sweltering first day of summer, we drove down Crenshaw to the Cobbler Lady in a strip mall near a Ralph's. We picked up a medium cherry, a medium peach, a mini apple, red velvet cake and a couple of cupcakes.

When it finally cooled off, UE and INK each bought a scoop of ice cream from Baskin Robbins. The refrigerated mini cobbler was stuck in the indispensable toaster oven (who could bear to turn on the regular oven in this heat even at 10:30 at night?) for several minutes. We don't know if it would have been just as good right from the store, but fresh from the toaster the crust was crisp and flaky. The apples were chunky, not mushy, not gooey as the fruit in cobblers often are. And the pastry was made all the better with the butter pecan and Heath Bar ice cream.

We don't know how everything else went over at the barbecue earlier that day, but we were happy with 31 Flavors and our toaster oven.

side dish: violet's cakes

Violet's Cakes
21 East Holly Street
Pasadena, CA 91103
626 395 9821
626 395 9571

INK managed to find metered parking on the opposite corner of the block and had enough change for seven minutes so she speed-walked to the quaint Violet's. There were a couple of tables outside and inside and the open kitchen dominated the space. A couple had a platter of cupcakes, sampling flavors for their upcoming nuptials. The display case would definitely take longer than seven minutes to ponder.

After waiting a day, INK was too eager to eat to remember photos. It was Father's Day and she hoped the ten cupcakes would be up to par: elvis, chocolate strawberry,oreo, blueberry, vanilla, banana , almond joy, toffee, brownie bomb, red velvet. Delicacheena has a reputation to uphold after all. Even after being refrigerated overnight, the $2.50 cakes were very moist and true to their flavor (except for the very subtle toffee). The frostings were also not merely sweet, although they were that, but tasted of fresh and real ingredients like butter and Valrhona Chocolate. Favorites of the group were the blueberry which was not just a glorified muffin, the elvis for the banana and peanut butter fans, simple vanilla and red velvet with cream cheese frosting.

Violet's is no Dainties with ethereal whipped cream. . . but at least they're not Sprinkles either.

Saturday Afternoon

Amandine Patissiere
12225 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025-1105
(424) 901-1249

After a lunch of ice tea with the vegetable omelette, the ratatouille omelette, and the tuna sandwich on soft pain de mie (each with side salad and sour cornichons), you can’t leave Amandine without dessert. We shared the rich, flourless chocolate gateau with a walnut crust at the café and brought home an almond croissant, a banana chocolate tart and an odd, but cute “zoo animal” brioche mouse.

Citrus at Social

Social Hollywood
6525 Sunset Boulevard
Hollywood, CA 90028
323-337-9797

Happy Birthday to BP! We were keeping our expectations low because restaurants attached to clubs. . . well, you know. Social's restaurant make-over with new chef consultant, Michel Richard, and chef de cuisine Remi Lauvand, was written up as an improvement on the former Moroccan-themed place.

It definitely is a lovely space of green satin and velvet booths and armchairs, a large picture of citrus fruits over the fireplace, yellow curtains hanging ceiling to floor, the essence of oranges and limes in the air, the original arched and frescoed ceilings. The large spacious room feels fresh and inviting in the daylight and warm and modern when the sun goes down. Unfortunately, the Money Mart signs shines through the west facing windows day and night.

The Valentino cocktail is sweet and goes down easy, but is tempered by the aroma of the whole basil leaf reclining in the yellow green liquid. The cu cu cocktail is refreshing with cointreau, cucumber and cilantro.

Looking at the individual prices of the appetizers and entrees, the table decides to order the prix fixe menu. We start with the amuse bouche--a flavorful mushroom cigar of finely chopped mushrooms wrapped in crisp filo dough like taquitos in a yogurt sauce.

Our first appetizer is a choice of two. The cold potato leek soup is poured into a dish where an upside-down glass has just been removed to allow an avalanche of potato flakes. MH says the soup is like cereal and INK agrees it is, but in a good way. The milk-white soup is creamy; the flakes have a hint of crispness then melt on your tongue. The beet and tuna salad, red cubes of the ubiquitous starter menu ingredients, also please.

The second appetizer is sablefish with artichokes or monkfish with duck au jus. Both are large portions. The sablefish is delicate; the monkfish meaty.

Two of us order the pork chop as a main course. It is small and lonely on the plate, but is juicy and complemented with chanterelles. Luckily MH and GG ordered the lobster burger to share. The meat is moist, but the sauce is a bit too sweet. The fries, which the table shares, are great--thick, hot, crisp and with a fresh potato flavor. The other entree option is the rib eye accompanied by a creamy polenta and a reduction sauce. All taste fine, but the thinly sliced meat is a bit overwhelmed by the sauce and polenta.

Desserts make us ooh and ah. The Kit Kat looks like a large piece of the candy bar with a chocolate and white chocolate bulls eye set upright in the center. The chocolate, noisette (hazelnut) and crisp layers are irresistible. The orange souffle with vanilla bean ice cream sounds simple. The elements come on a four section platter: the unmolded souffle resting on a thin cookie wafer, the ice cream in a ramekin next to a pitcher of caramel, sour orange segments, whipped cream with almond slices. The waiter pours the caramel on the perfectly formed, delicate souffle and we have fun mixing and matching.

Antwerp(en): Fashion and Food Capitol

We only had one day in Antwerp, the fashion capitol of Belgium. We knew we were in for a treat when we arrived in the beautiful art deco train station with one of those giant vending machines--diapers, wine, or Coca-cola Light, anyone?

At Renzo, we went Italian with ham, mozzarella, and pesto panini. INK wanted to try a the handmade "warm chocolate special" to drink. JM had ice tea (peach and fizzy, of course).

We loaded up on chocolate gifts at Pierre Marcolini and biscuits at Phillip's Biscuits. We looked out for ourselves at Goossen Pastries, an Antwerp institution with a long line of locals out the door.

Much to gusta at Gusto, a mondern little restaurant with orange lights and only one cook and one waitress. We started with a mixed antipasta. JM complimented her mushroom linguini with Fanta. INK had potatoes and gambas. We would eat there all the time if it was in L.A.

A shot of Belgium 45 Degrees added to the atmosphere of dark wood and scarred cats at the neighborhood gin bar. Our dessert was a shot of hazelnut creme gin.

We finished off the Goossen for breakfast the next day before catching our train to Amsterdam.

Stuffed!

Munky King
7308 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90046

Our Murakami day was pop art and food. This time the art was food. The Munky King on Melrose had a small, but satisfying exhibit of plush food. Handcrafted of felt and cotton by a variety of artists, the food was too cute and thus disturbing in its cuteness--Food with smiles or forlorn eyes, ready for consumption. Turkey legs, sticks of butter, cupcakes, and sushi rolls. Haminal, a pink rectangular guinea pig-like creature with a jaunty pineapple ring on his ear, came in a range of sizes and, as the ad claimed, was boneless and fit perfectly in the can. Delicacheena now has a small haminal at home. Tasty!



We planned on eating a late lunch/early dinner at Angeli Caffe for its comfort Italian since it was just steps away, but we always forget that they aren't open until 5 on the weekends. We turned around and snapped up a booth at The Village Idiot. We watched the last remaining light disappear as we enjoyed our meal of Fish and Chips with our beer and ice tea.

Murakami

Mitsuru Cafe
117 Japanese Vlg Plz Mll
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 613-1028

Like all the cool kids, Delicacheena had to visit the Takashi Murakami exhibit at MOCA's Geffen Contemporary. We were bombarded with color, flowers and toothy grins and loved it. As we expect at art exhibits, we experienced moments of "Is that what I think it is?" and of beauty. But we weren't challenged to think too deeply about the art and it was the first time that Delicacheena contemplated buying the same Louis Vuitton bag in a dozen different colors. After deciding we didn't really need to lay down hundreds of dollars on plush flowers (got the coffee table book and pink KaiKai, instead!), we followed our stomachs to Japanese Village Plaza across the street.

Usually we don't miss Mikawaya for mochi ice cream, but it was closed. Fortunately our other standby, Mitsura Cafe was cooking up fresh imagawayaki. They are pancakes filled with red bean paste. INK still wonders who was the first guy to think, "Let's add sugar to beans and make dessert!" Hot off the griddle, theses sweets are irresistible and are the Japanese version of the gorditas de nata enjoyed in Baja. But we can't live on pancakes alone so we also ordered a skewer of takoyaki (octopus balls) drizzled with a sweet sauce, slightly chewy and juicy.

Folks rave about that shabu-shabu spot and the maddening crowd waiting for tables knew what they wanted, but we couldn't endure the wait and a step inside revealed a not-so-nice aroma. We decided to travel west from Japan to Korea. One of Delicacheena's companions, MH, seems to partake in Korean barbecue once a week. We ordered a plate of beef tongue because we could. Hey, it's all you can eat! We decided we don't need to do that again.

In Bruges

Picturesque canals, shopping, seafood, fries, art, good-looking natives, beer--what more could Delicacheena ask for? This quaint town in Belgium was a great way to start a vacation. [We loved the new Colin Farrell/Ralph Fiennes movie!]
Belgium fries in the rain, with mayonaise, of course.

The Chocolate Museum: Chocolate hats and purses, the largest chocolate egg, chocolate demonstrations, free samples!

We found a younger crowd at De Republic. The kip (aka chicken) fajitas, pre-wrapped in tortilla, was palatable. But made all the better by more Bruges Triple beer. Unfortunately, that didn't help the asian-esque spaghetti bolognese.

Our first truly Belgium waffle reminded us of the delight of buying crepes in France. Hmm, what toppings? Nutella is a no-brainer.

Concerts and Waffles

The Waffle
6255 W Sunset Boulevard
Hollywood, California 90028
(323) 465-6901

We were not blown away by Nada Surf's latest; it's pleasant, but we had high expectations. Still we had several sing-alongs with the boys at their Wiltern show on the 19th.

Then last Wednesday we had to use our gift certificate before it expired so we got drinks and panini at Hotel Cafe. We think Test Your Reflex would have sounded better without the obnoxious "fans" standing behind us.

What do the above have in common? The Waffle. There's a new go-to food joint in Hollywood for after-concert noshing. The butterscotch-hued diner is near Sunset and Vine, across from the Bowery and Magnolia.

The first night we enjoyed the savory cornmeal and jalapeno waffle with chicken-fried chicken and white gravy; a small comforting chicken pot pie; and a large satisfying steak salad with grilled romaine, mushroom, onions, and peppers; and a bowl of waffle fries. We would have liked both forms of waffles to be crisper, but this was a great late night meal (that we managed to wait for with in case of emergency pretzels from Rockenwagner). The service was friendly, but a bit 2 a.m. wacky. . .

The second night was for dessert after the panini. We shared the waffle sundae with two small malted waffles, vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and candied almond slices. A good deal for $5 instead of the $8 sweet waffles from the entree section. The waitress claimed "The Pudding" was butterscotch (like the decor), but it tasted like chocolate milk with a layer of dark fudge underneath and topped with whipped cream and strawberries. We opted not to complain as we dipped the shortbread cookies in the creamy goodness. Who needs the bar upstairs when you got pudding downstairs?

[We couldn't help but read some of the other blogs. Perhaps the post-concert, post-1 a.m., on a weekday is the only way to go.]

P.S.
Bell X1 can be a bit sleepy and atmospheric on the album, but they shook the Troubadour last Monday. You name the hand held percussion instrument and they got it--maracas, cowbell, ear of corn shaker. . . See it always comes back to food.

side dish: Masa at Echo Park

Masa at Echo Park
1800 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(213) 989-1558

When you've stood in line for over an hour and finally admit to yourself that you're not gonna get inside to see the Kooks, turn around and trudge to Masa on the corner. Delicacheena was denied entry to the Echo, but at least we could enjoy a late dinner in a friendly setting.

The regular tables were taken, but Delicacheena was happy to sit back in the "living room" area. We started with the compressed manchego salad--refreshing, sweet, crunchy. The pasta fresca a la Siciliana--penne, basil, tomatoes, mushrooms and pine nuts--and the Masa penne--mushroom pasta and sun-dried tomato pesto with cream--were fresh, flavorful and hearty. A chat with our waiter and a glass of Blackstone Pinot Noir also helped to erase the indignity of loitering on the sidewalk.

We ended the night with the ultimate comfort food chocolate croissant bread pudding. . . and felt better that we weren't like our fellow diners who had been in line since 3 in the afternoon and still didn't make it inside.

side dish: Osteria Mozza

Osteria Mozza
6602 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323)297-0100

Believe all the hype--the Osteria has amazing food.

Delicacheena had its Christmas dinner there in January. (What? You think we only procrastinate when it comes to blogging?) Each dish had layers of flavors and textures. The wait staff needed to back off a bit--yes, we are going to eat each and every bite so don't clear our plates yet. They were friendly and helpful, if a bit too eager to move things along.

We started with crispy pigs trotter with cicoria and mustard. We fell in love with burricotti with braised artichokes, pine nuts, currants and mint pesto. How many incarnations of mozzarella are there? The Osteria can introduce you to all of them.

The francobolli di brasato with thyme was perfectly cooked ravioli-type pasta pockets of braised beef. The same beef without pasta was served as brasato with polenta & horseradish gremolata. BP enjoyed the grilled quail wrapped in pancetta with radicchio and sage honey.

The standout desserts were rosemary olive oil cakes with olive oil gelato and rosemary brittle. It took us back to Arles where we enjoyed olive oil gelato cones. That sprinkling of sea salt does wonders as it does for the budino offered next door at the pizzeria. The torta della nonna, with more honey for BP to enjoy and pine nuts, was a wonderfully warm and light cheesecake in a tart crust.

Save Dainties!

Dainties Cupcakes
11058 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025

One Saturday afternoon, INK drove up to the tiny storefront of Dainties and was afraid to read the sign posted in the door. She missed business hours by 30 minutes.

It's not closed for good, but apparently there was not enough retail/walk-in business. The retail hours are now limited to 10 am to 3 pm on Saturday only. You can still make pre-orders for Tuesday through Saturday by phone or internet, but not in person at the store.

Don't let it disappear. A dozen cupcakes a week is all we ask!

Happy Birthday to Me: Rose Garden Tea Room

Rose Garden Tea Room
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108

The Huntingon Library is well known for its gorgeous botanical gardens and historical art and manuscript collection. Tucked away in the center of it all is the Rose Garden Tea Room and Cafe. High tea was a bit different from the standard loose leaf selection and crumpets and biscuits tower. Instead, we were given 4 teabag choices and the finger foods were located in a buffet type cart in the center of the room. The egg salad sandwich left a nice buttery aftertaste but the other sandwiches were just decent. There were a good selection of cheeses and the caviar was a nice touch. The cookies and cakes were cute and delightful but after seeing a couple customers stick their heads underneath the cart, we decided to end our tea experience.

The Huntington Library should not be spent indoors. Instead, bring a picnic basket, find a nice shaded spot and just enjoy the scenery.

"Cheena" in Baja

Delicacheena ventured south to La Salina in Baja for the holidays. It was a week of cold wind, wild children and questionable plumbing, yet it was oddly relaxing.

La Salina is about forty minutes of Ensenada and twenty or so miles from there is La Bufadora. La Bufadora roughly translates to "the blowhole," where ocean water shoots up along the cliffs after being drawn into a underwater sea cave. It was not as spectacular as INK imagined, but it still evoked oohs and aahs and numerous poor photo attempts.

Si, the aquamarine sea and sky made a more delicious experience, but we had some fresh and pretty good fish and shrimp tacos at Mariscos Moreno, the stand closest to the blowhole. It was $7.50 or 75 pesos for five items. What a view if you choose to sit at the benches and enjoy your tacos garnished with shredded cabbage, pico de gallo, and hot sauces on site.

Instead, we meandered down the shop-line street to check out the deals. Lessons learned: bargain or it's no deal, get the gordidtas de nata. The sweet pancake smell tempted us on the way to the blowhole and we submitted on the walk back.

At $2 for four hockey puck diameter gorditas, INK kept being reminded that Baja wasn't dirt cheap for the tourists, but eight chewy on the outside, soft and warm on the inside disks were happily consumed by babies and all.

Dios mio! How could we forget the fresh churros sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar--cranked into hot oil, emerging curly and golden and so much better than the frozen sticks found in Los Estados Unidos.