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.

Taco Nostalgia

La Taquiza
3009 S Figueroa St
Los Angeles, CA 90007
(213) 741-9795

Delicacheena loves attending conferences at 'SC because it's the best university ever, but it doesn't hurt that La Taquiza is just a bit north of campus. This place has been around forever or at least since we lived on 30th St which was long, long ago. Nice to see the restaurant in a L.A. Times article about aguas frescas the following week.

Come to me tacos al pastor y carne asada con salsa rojo and a sprinkle of cilantro and onions! Carne asada is just-right tender and juicy. The pork is smoky sweet and melts in your mouth. They give you two kinds of salsa for to-go orders, but there are more options in the salsa bar. The red salsa is hot without numbing your tongue; the green is that watery avocado (I think) stuff that you get at some places, but it was a nice slightly creamy contrast to the heat, meat and grease (grease equals flavor).

I guess there are other great items to consume (TW raves about the mulitas), but I'm here to wax nostalgic about the tacos of my past. I order four at a buck and half each. Don't you want to bite into these fat babies? Bits of meat tumble out when you hoist them to your mouth, but don't let any of them get away. Savor each mouthful.

Our Favorite Hole in the Wall

Hole in the Wall
11058 Santa Monica Blvd. (Behind the Winchell's)
Los Angeles, CA 90025
310-312-3632

Carvel Ice Cream
11037 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
310-444-0011

We blame ourselves for the demise of Dainties. A half dozen about every month, was that the best we could do? Of course not. We didn't step up and now the best cupcakes ever are never more.

Now we have vowed singlebloggedly to raise the awareness of our favorite cupcake chef's newest endeavor and to assure that Hole in the Wall is with us for years to come. So, come on and eat their burgers already!

Delicacheena knows it's hot sitting on the parking spots with just some umbrellas for protection and there are countless high and low end burgers out there. But you know you can replace one of you meals from a box or a lousy chain with a juicy half pound of beef, turkey or veggie patty.

It's a build-you-own affair. There are checklists like at the Counter, but far more simplified. Choose your meat or lack-there-of, bun or bowl, cheese and mayo. Decide if you want all, some or none of the lettuce, red onion, tomato and house made zucchini pickles. Extras include apple wood smoked bacon, avocado, roasted peppers, sauteed onions, fried egg and sauteed mushrooms. There are packets of ketchup, mustard and Tapatio. Sweet potato or regular fries? They're both thick, crisp, hot and fresh-tasting and one order is enough for three.

The beef is juicy and, well, beefy. The meat was cooked the way we like it: medium. The fried egg is perfectly cooked, not rubbery, not runny. Had she known about the roasted peppers, TW would have paid the extra price to add it to her burger order.

The turkey burger is peppery, not as juicy as the beef, but moist and hearty. The chewy pretzel bun holds up well to the slippery mix of meat, provolone cheese, and cranberry mayo. On another visit, the chipotle mayo with its bite is more prominent than the the cranberry mayo.

The veggie burger tastes of smoky black beans and corn. The whole wheat honey is slightly sweet. Sans bun, this patty is the best choice for the burger bowl. Throw a fried egg, sauteed onions, provolone cheese, and mushrooms on a bed of red leaf lettuce and this truly becomes a very tasty salad.

We leave stuffed; the savory side of our stomachs satisfied, but the sweet side was a little sad. We ventured across the street to Carvel Ice Cream where we were able to calm our sweets craving. While we worked on our haiku, we reflected on the loss of the cupcake that should have been.

But maybe,if chef and co-owner William Dertouzos regains a little faith in the Los Angeles consumers, just maybe he'll feel we're worthy of his cupcakes again.

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.

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.

Tamale-Mobile

Los Angeles International Tamale Festival
MacArthur Park

Mama's Hot Tamales Cafe
2124 West 7th S.
Los Angeles, CA 90057
213-487-4300

Delicacheena loves an all over L.A. weekend: French-influenced dinner in Santa Monica, the game at Barney's in West Hollywood, early morning rowing in the Marina, shots in Beverly Hills, street festival at MacArthur Park.

It was misty at home, but the clouds were holding back around downtown and didn't turn the Los Angeles International Tamale Festival soggy on Sunday. UE and INK were ready with umbrella and, most importantly, empty stomachs. We joined the foodies and mostly Latino local families crowding 7th St. along the south side of the park. The soundtrack was five second snippets of classic rock and americana, a megaphoned street evangelist ["Jesus Cristo es el salvador del mundo."], hyperspeed dance remixes and blaring canned mariachi. There was a brief reprise from the medley when The Smiths' "There is a Light That Never Goes Out" en espanol was played in its entirety while we waited in line. [Hear Mikel Erentxun. Unfortunately you hear the audience singing more.] We ahhhed the tot clad in cowboy hat, vest and bandana astride the pony getting his photo taken, surrounded by wedding photogs hawking their talent, cookware demos, and citizens for Bill Richardson or Hillary Clinton.

The first stop was a booth frying up taco shells and taquitos, but they were temporarily sold-out of tamales so we moved on. We stopped at one of Mama's Hot Tamales Cafe booths. Mama's is a non-profit training restaurant and has a permanent location across from the park. Tamales were $3 at all the booths. According to the Mama's menu, the normal price is $2.75. They call themselves "The Tamales Capital of the World" and don't offer just the usual corn husk-wrapped variety. There were five available; we bypassed the vegan veggie and ordered chicken with vegetables from Honduras, the chicken and mole from Oaxaca, the Gutamalan pork, and chili cheese from Oaxaca. Only the cheese tamale was wrapped in corn husk, the rest were kept moist in banana leaves. The chicken with vegetables had a fry-sized length of potato, some peas and raisins and a green olive, no pit. The chicken with mole was oozing the rich, black sauce that would have been good with some rice. The meaty pork had red sauce and rice dough. Our hands-down favorite was the cheese with red and green jalapenos (rajas) that had a bit of kick and lots of flavor. Later we found that the earned best cheese tamale.

We had double-grease-torta envy even while we clutched our warm cornmeal bundles and sipped our two buck grande horchata, but a chewy on the outside, gooey on the inside cheese popusa is the only time we deviated from the tamale diet. Me Gusta Gourmet Tamales was winner of five of the six categories at last year's festival so we had to give them a try. This year they were named best beef and best pork tamales so that's what we ordered. They were wrapped in corn husks. The beef were hefty with masa, too much so, but the meat and red sauce were flavorful. The pork with green sauce were on the skinny side, but we were charged less for them. They were decent and tasted better with the mild red salsa poured on top. The cornmeal in both was fluffy and moist, but not as moist as Mama's.

We returned to the Mama's booth to find that they now had dessert tamales on sale-- strawberry and sweet corn. Delicacheena has enjoyed dessert tamales at Christmas time with pineapple and corn, but strawberry was something new. We were skeptical, but then even more delighted with the comfort food. It was like corn pudding (think New England), smooth and mushy, but with the sweet tartness of strawberries cooked down to nothingness. The sweet corn tamale was later devoured by JM. As we unwrapped the husks, the comforting smell of sweet corn revealed our treasured treat. The tamale did not disappoint as each bite melted in our mouths.

Fortifided with cornmeal and cheese, we headed off in the newly-christened Tamale- Miata-Mobile to make deliveries to the sick and infirm that could not join us that day. . .

Don't leave us Tia Juana

Tia Juana
11785 W Olympic Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064-1211
310-473-9293

The rumors were true. The westside tradition of comfort meals at Tia Juana near Olympic and Barrington is coming to a close on November 4th. Word is they lost their lease when the new Bed Bath & Beyond opened up. (Dern evil big box stores that tempt us inside, despite ourselves.) Adios to the funky faux finish walls and murals depicting dancers in Mexican dress and mock signs advertising abogados for quick divorces. Gone will be the asi asi margaritas, but quick friendly service. No more delicioiusly bad refried beans. No more melt-in-your-mouth tacos barbacoa. No more slap slap of the tortilla ladies patting out thick handmade corn tortillas and lovingly placing them on the gas griddle near the door. The handmade tortillas at La Cabana don't approach the corn flavor of Tia Juana. Best of all, it was just down the street. Guess we'll have to drive a bit longer to get our soft taco and corn tortilla fix. Reminds INK of when she moved away from La Taquiza and Tacos El Unico in south L.A. . .

Those of you in the OC can rejoice. Tia Juana has a new incarnation as La Choza. . . all the way down in Huntington Beach. Tell them Delicacheena says hola. They'll probably give you a bemused look, but do it anyway.

La Choza Restaurant
7402 Edinger Ave.
Huntington Beach
714-842-7888

Sprinkles What? Sprinkles Who?!

Dainties
11058 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA

Ah, yeah! It's all about the cream.

Hidden behind Winchell's, one block east of Sepulveda on Santa Monica, is Dainties with the best cupcakes Delicacheena has ever tasted.....at least for now.

At $3 a pop, most cupcakes would not be worth it--Dainties is. The bakery, which developed from a catering company, sticks to the batter they perfected: moist chocolate. Each cupcake is dipped in ganache and then injected and topped with flavored, fresh whipped cream. There are ten daily flavors. On a Thursday, we used our KCRW certificate for a free half dozen (hey, that's only two per person): banana, tiramisu, strawberry, caramel, vanilla bean, peanut butter.

The dainties are easily transported in a blue and white stripped box with a slot for each cupcake. We decided to tackle the generous-sized desserts in the packed order, alternating delicate and strong flavors.

The banana, oh, the banana, was topped with a banana slice. Yes, there are three bananas in that sentence because the essence of perfectly ripened fruit enveloped our taste buds.

It got better.

UE declared that the tiramisu was even better than the real thing--chocolaty with a jolt of espresso. We found with each cupcake, the ganache gave the tops a nice slightly chewy bite, like the edge pieces from a pan of brownies.

Then we sank our teeth into number three topped with a slice of strawberry and chocolate shavings. Inexplicably even better than the first two. Who needs ice cream when you have whipped cream that tastes like sun-kissed summer?

And caramel is no Kraft brand cubes; it's buttery, homemade melted sugar goodness. We cleared our palette with pure vanilla, flecked with vanilla bean from Madagascar. INK would almost give up ice cream if all whipped cream was like this.

We ended with a peanut butter bang! Topped with chopped peanuts, not waxy candy sprinkles, this cupcake is how chocolate and peanut butter were meant to be together. How can it be this rich and soothing, without being too heavy?

Quite content and quite full, we were planning our next visit in order to indulge in all the other flavors. There's coconut and New York cheesecake, Crème De Menthe and mango, Nutella, green tea. . . Good thing they're closed on Sundays.

Say goodbye to the summer. . .

Well, the summer's officially over and it's back to pushing paper. But the reminiscing lingers. Soon you can read about Delicacheena's European vacation (bratwurst and beer!), INK in NYC and various other meals to remember. . . or to try to forget.


In the meantime, have the gyro salad and spanakopita at
Papa Cristo's.
2771 West Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90006
Phone: (323) 737-2970 -- Fax: (323) 737-3571

Happy Birthday to Me at Mozza - Buon Appetito!

Mozza Pizzeria
641 North Highland Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 297-0101

When Nancy Silverton has a new venture. . . you hope you can get a reservation. On Mozza's menu it states, "A TAVOLA NON S'INVECCHIA MAI • AT THE TABLE, ONE NEVER GETS OLD." Delicacheena hopes so because sometimes one gets old waiting for an available table!

We arrived at Mozza (with your best Italian accent, pronounced mote-suh) to find a small space packed with foodies from wall to wall waiting for their next fix.With a 10 PM dinner reservation on a Monday night in April, we were ready to order everything on the menu, but managed to show some restraint and focus once we realized the quicker we order the sooner we would eat. Our waitress was very friendly, extremely helpful and knowledgeable about the menu. Once we were served our bottle of wine (2004 Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Valle dell'Acate), we were promptly served our starter, the salt cod "Montecato" bruschette. This savory appetizer is a can't miss if you're into lightly salted fish with a hint of black olives spread across a piece of crisp and chewy toast. It reminded UE of the Portuguese cod she has missed since last summer.

For our entrees, we each ordered a pizza. JM had the egg, guanciale (a kind of Italian bacon), asparagus, onion and parmigiano. The server informed her that her pizza was not sliced because the sunny side up yolk needed to be broken on top of the pizza before it could be sliced apart. The first bite proved the combination of the egg running over all the ingredients created a mouth watering experience.

Since the salame with wild nettles pizza was sold out (wanted to taste the buggers that were the bane of hiking trips), INK selected the squash blossoms, burrata and tomato pizza. Ever since her 2002 trip, she has associated the blossoms with summer in Italy. The oh-so creamy cheese and savory tomatoes combined well with the blossoms which taste of mild zucchini.

After a very impressive cod appetizer, UE chose the Prosciutto di Parma, rucola, tomato and mozzarella pizza. The crust was airy and the combination of ingredients created a perfectly balanced meal. The pizza was amazingly fresh and light, making it difficult to pause between bites.

Dessert did not disappoint, even though the one that kept floating by was also sold out. The cannoli was layered instead of rolled and was surprisingly light. The gelato sundae was great, but it was difficult to eat the accompanying shortbread with a fork or spoon without making it fly across the table. Butterscotch pudding (budino) is always a must-try for us anywhere. Melt on your tongue goodness with a touch of sea salt, an ever-lovin' dollop of whipped cream and lavender mini cookies on the side! We were spoon fighting over this one.

Growing old at the table? We don't care, as long as it tastes this good.

Side Dish: summer strawberries

Early summer (yes, we know it's now more than half over) means juicy, sweet strawberries in juicy, sweet treats. And of course, they're great straight from the basket.

A week or so after the strawberry rhubarb crumble from BLD (see May posts), JM, INK and TTO had a pre-late dinner nosh at the Village Idiot. The strawberry shortcake was excellent. The whipped cream complemented the slightly tart berries. With the cake--the perfect balance of cakey and crumbly--we sopped up all the light sauce.

Juquila Restaurante

Juquila Restaurante
11619 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
310-312-1079

Don't know what to order at this little Oaxacan restaurant on Santa Monica with soccer always on the flat screens? Just get the mixed grill, the one that has everything listed. And if that's not enough, also get a kicky rajas tamale. Occupy yourself with the tortilla chips with cojita cheese and mole for dipping while your waiting for your feast.

The Botana Oaxaquena has string cheese, grilled green onions and jalapeno peppers, and various meats (Delicacheena shorthand--sausage, strips, jerkey). We thought we were ordering what we got last time, what we lovingly refer to as "the boat." The boat was served on a platter, not on a grill and also included a pupasa type dish of corn masa, cheese and beans.

The mixed grill came with corn tortillas and rice and smokey black beans with more cojita cheese. Slap everything into a tortilla garnished with cilantro and avocado and you can't go wrong. (Although UE would advise against the too-much-cinnamon horchata.)

Side Dish: BLD

BLD
7450 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323-930-9744

After the healthy Eat Well dinner, Delicacheena was ready for dessert and headed back to BLD. An hour had passed and a table for three was still unavailable. Hey, stop savoring your pastries and french pressed coffee and clear out for us. . .

Finally we were seated and decided that there was room for a starter (we're always tempted by the dishes whisked by in the waiters' hands), although it was actually a transition between dinner and dessert. We ordered the tater tots with mixed charcuterie and cheese. The five croquettes were accompanied by mustard and some salad greens. INK had a feeling this would have been really good with wine, but we were here for dessert and just had a temporary lapse of focus.

Dessert started with the buttermilk bread pudding with brown sugar ice cream. The description sounded better than it was, but thankfully we ordered three desserts. With the start of summer around the corner, INK predicted that strawberry something would be on the menu. The strawberry rhubarb crumble was fresh and tart with a dollop of whipped cream. As we savored each bite, the crumble, fruit and cream combined into a mouth watering spoonful of smooth and crunchy fruit sweetness. While UE would normally not prefer such a tart dessert, her favorite spring oolong tea sweetened with honey (get a load of the honey dispenser) was a perfect counterpoint.

The yellow layer cake with chocolate icing (ala mode, of course) was the favorite. The cake was extremely moist and buttery like pound cake, the thick layers of frosting were rich and pure chocolate. Coffee and ice cream were a must. After a while the chocolate was too much and we ate the cake and ice cream sans frosting.

Since BLD does not take reservations for parties less than 6, wait times could be long. For a little wait, we'll try for dinner next time after 9:30 PM.

Side Dish: Eat Well

Eat Well
7385 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 938-1300

What if you're hungry and the hostess says there's 50 minutes wait for dinner at BLD? You walk a block west on Beverly and go to Eat Well on the corner of Martel.

Serving healthy fare and broccolini with every dish, this diner is good for a quick light lunch and not so much for dinner. INK went with the tofu steak served on asparagus. The menu said the accompanying starch would be quinoa, but brown rice was served on the side. There was also an unexpected serving of broccolini. The tofu was light and subtle with a egg-like texture.

The turkey meatloaf arrived with a side of mash potatoes and of course a side of broccolini. This dish was equally healthy and classic with a layer of ketchup on top....just like mom used to make (just not my mom).

UE had the veggie burger with broccolini. The patty was tasty by itself but combined with the whole grain bun, the burger was light as air. The meal was quickly devoured but left just enough room for some late night dessert.

Side dish: 25˚

25˚
Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
7000 Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood, CA 90028
323-785-7244

Delicacheena wanted a fancy burger without the Father's Office wait and/or fight for a table. Fortunately, there is no shortage of folks competing for best burger in L.A. We decided to see how 25˚, located in the Roosevelt Hotel, rated.

We deviated from our (or rather INK's) original intentions of a cold beer and tried the "fancy" Dry Sodas. JM had the just-like-Provence lavender and INK had the subtle lemon grass. Both were refreshing and not too sweet. We started with the 1/2 and 1/2, a mix of delicately battered onion rings and skinny fries with salt and parsley.

You can choose toppings and create your own burger or let them do the thinking and opt for #'s 1 to 3. INK ordered the # 1 to compare it to Father's Office. It was a messy meld of caramelized onion, big woods blue cheese, crescenza cheese, bacon, arugula, and thousand island. The large patty was flavorful, the brioche bun buttery, the bacon smoky and the arugula peppery, but the mix of melted cheeses and dressing made the burger hard to handle. The cloth napkin was worse for the wear. It was no Office burger, but still recommended.

JM chose #3, the turkey burger with straus family jack, a slice of a mild green chili pepper, avocado and chipotle sauce. Projecting the Office burger onto the #3, JM almost thought she was biting into a beef patty, but was happy with the flavorful ground turkey. Reading the ingredients, you would expect the burger to offer more of a kick but it was pretty tame.

Despite groaning stomachs, we ordered the 4 layer chocolate cake and were warned of it's size. Hey, we can handle it. . . or at least we thought we could. The slice was the equivalent of two very big wedges. The cake was dense and moist, the frosting had an intense chocolate flavor with a touch of liqueur. Well, at least UE can enjoy the abundant leftovers.

Dearly Departed

Fond memories of:

Norman's--Pig and paella on Friday nights, beautiful setting, friendly waitstaff, mojitos, flambeed banana split prepared tableside consumed in 2 minutes.

Amuse--Little yellow house with Brooke Williamson's market-fresh meals and chocolate mint ice cream sandwich in a skillet. Much more quaint than Beechwood.

Oplaline--Green walls and dessert trios in the ever-changing spot that now houses BLD.

Mago's--Little Hawaiian joint with the tender teriyaki beef on a stick.

Rocco--Luxurious Millionaire's Pasta and refreshing strawberries with balsamic. Luckily the chef is now at old-school Matteo's.

Moustache Cafe in Westwood--Now where are we going to get late-night chocolate/Grand Marnier souffle?

Posh on Pico--Slow, but friendly service. . .tres leches.

Country Market Cafe--Just drove past the place that had great sandwiches and a little gourmet market. Wish it had kept the dinner hours. Pitfire Pizza, a thin-crust place that we ate at downtown, is going to fill the void.

Food with Your Music, Music with Your Food

What's more important to Delicacheena, food or music? That would take more time and space than we have. Plus we'd lose half of our audience (ha ha). Here's a list of places where we can/could indulge both passions. However, "we're not talking fine dining."

The Echo --Nothing like chicken fingers on New Year's Eve. Booths around the perimeter.

The El Rey --Wolfgang Puck's cafe. JM will share her BBQ chicken pizza with you. Chairs and some tables along wall. Don't know what more is upstairs.

The Hotel Cafe --Remember when it was actually a cafe where you could get coffee and panini? They got their beer and wine license some time ago. Lots of tables since the expansion, but can you still get food?

Largo --(Usually) must order full meal if you sit at the reserved tables. Honey chicken? One of Delicacheena's favorite little locations because big mouths are not allowed, in the audience that is.

The Roxy --Garden burger with fries. Comfy raised booths. Depends on how many spots are reserved for the connected. Otherwise you can juggle a drink and a plate of fries right in front of the band.

Temple Bar --Small venue, selection of tea(!) and plantain quesadillas. Plenty of tables and cushy seating.

Spaceland --We've seen a guy with a cooler of tamales and we are willing to try someday, but don't tell the vendor police. Bar stools and tables, booths are usually occupied by the merch folks.

The Troubadour --For the longest time we thought we were just imagining the aroma of fries, but there really is a bitty kitchen in the corner behind the bar in the main room. A typical snack bar with gum, candy, dogs, fresh veggie plate. Fair amount of bar stools, some with tables. Another favorite venue--small with character and history and we can always find street parking.

The Wiltern --We smell the freshly baked frozen cookies, but we haven't partaken of the expensive treat. (Don't like that they don't manage their own website anymore, but are part of Live Nation.)

When Live Instruments Are Not Necessary:
Arena--Haven't been there in awhile, but it was nice to know you could cool off outside with a taco or burger in Arena's Giant and Spundae days. Circus Disco is there Saturday nights now, but Delicacheena feels funny about putting a link. . .

The Golden Gopher Bar --Decent jukebox and the table placards list places that will DELIVER to the bar. Plus there's the convenience-store-like front counter.

Mel's Drive-In --If you went there on karaoke night at the Hollywood Location, you might have heard JM and INK performing Squeeze while you ate your wet fries. Now there's a DJ late Friday and Saturday nights.

Palms Thai --Thai Elvis, anyone? Visit the bakery located in the same strip mall.

Outdoors:

Greek Theater --Bummer, you can't BYO anything, but there is food for purchase: ubiquitous chicken fingers, Pink's dogs, etc.

Hollywood Bowl --Everyone knows about the brilliance of the Bowl. Patina Group knows its way around outdoor dinning. Of course, can be as simple or elaborate as the meal you choose to bring. Haven't had the privilege of box seats. There are benches and tables outside the amphitheater, but its better to eat, hear and see "inside".

Ford Amphitheatre --Cute little guy to the Bowl's big-time sophisticate. We brought sandwiches from Susina and bought wine at the Ford. Such a pretty jewel with the bucolic hillside behind the stage and the stars above. The rain came later.

side dish: black and white at Canter's

It wasn't very long before a return visit to Canter's (Sondre Lerche at the El Rey). All INK knew of the over-sized cookie was what she saw on an episode of Seinfeld. To her surprise it wasn't just a generic butter cookie with frosting. The dough was soft and airy and melted in her mouth. Was that lemon zest? The "black" frosting was chocolate.

Been There, Ate That. . . too

JiRaffe--Probably the first place we had an amuse bouche. Ahh, INK's foot-themed meal: trout with peeky toe crab and black foot chanterelles. Why don't we go back?

Hungry Cat--Decadent lobster roll, heart-breaking chocolate souffle/creme brulee/bread pudding, few tables. Gotta try the creative cocktails.

!Loteria!--Because you can't always go to San Diego when you get a hankering for potato tacos.

Apple Pan--Burger, fries and apple pie ala mode. Or banana cream. Wonder which of the four veteran servers will be working our side of the counter. No nonsense, cash only.

My Secret Recipe--When you want oodles of spicy little octopi cooked in front of you in Koreatown. Believe them when they say medium is spicy. Wish the rice came at the beginning; like we said, it's spicy. Enjoyed the pa jun, fried pancake with more octopus and lots of green onion.

Bread Bar--Of course, that first visit during its early days was the best because they gave INK a free bag full of brioche and croissants.

Caprice--Don't really remember the French mini pastries too well. It's the experience of ringing the doorbell and either a tall, skinny guy with an accent lets you into the kitchen with large metal tray upon tray of delights. Or its a young woman or Caprice, himself, who will regale you about his youth in Provence. Sometimes its one on one. Other times there is a row of cooks with pastry bags in the background. They're all in their chef whites and they all offer free samples!

Tia Juana's--Soft tacos, so-good-must-be-bad refried beans and rice, handmade tortillas.