Recently in Food Category

I'm not sure what started me thinking about Swedish Fish this morning, but I do know that it has been a long time since I've had one. I was never really a huge fan of candy when I was a kid (Mom had the gall to suggest things like sliced apples for snacks), but I do remember how much I loved Swedish Fish. When I was handing out chocolates on V-day, I only hoped for some swedish fish (and perhaps 15 minutes at the back of the movie theater on Friday night) in return. Good times.

I love Target just like almost everybody else out there. They have good prices on brand names, but I am always on the lookout for generic substitutes for the things that I purchase a lot (Zone Bars, Vitamin Water, yogurt smoothies, cereal, paper towels, etc). In particular, the Market Pantry food brand has released alternatives for a number of items I am particularly addicted to, so naturally, I consider myself a perfect candidate to review these products. First up: Vitamin Water.

Ever notice how whenever you get on a roll with your workouts, something always comes along and ruins your your healthy ways? Yes, I mean something else besides "the weekend" and "happy hour". In my case, diet death came due dozens of little cuts. Dozens, of tasty, crispy, minty cuts. I received my order of Girl Scout cookies last week, and against my better judgment, I ordered three boxes of thin mints. I'm not saying that thin mints are bad, just the opposite. I could easily eat have a sleeve in one sitting and not bat an eyelash. Too bad that amount contains around 800 calories, or if you are scoring at home, more than 45 minutes on the treadmill. In other words, I would have to put in about 5 extra hours on the treadmill to make up for all of those calories. And you know what? I would do the exact same thing if had to do it all over again.

A few more posts over at Gridskipper for you to enjoy. Check out my guide to seafood in the 626 along with a primer on the "second string" sports teams of Los Angeles. The highlight, of course, is my Oscars Guide to Los Angeles. Enjoy!

Haven't done a Gridskipper update in a while. Some articles you may be interested in include Los Angeles Dog Parks, Unwarranted Door Policies, and Breakfast in West Hollywood. I think I am going to do some full reviews on some of the breakfast places because I wasn't able to give a lot of them the justice they deserve in the space alloted.

As part of my travails at Gridskipper.com, I have added a few more posts. Two articles on where to find good macaroni and cheese, and another article on frequent flyer dining on the West Side. I'll have an auto show post up later this week.

My last gridskipper article was about pho, an awesome vietnamese noodle dish. My writeups amounted to little more than backhanded compliments on most of the venues, so I decided I would do a follow-up. More to follow!

Some people may be saddened by the fact that they are not in a part of the country that has been graced by the presence of a Pinkberry. For my money, I am much more nervous when I get oustide driving distance of a Jamba Juice, but for some reason the Pinkberry frozen yogurt is the thing that all the kids are talking about these days. I will always contend that there is probably a cheaper, better tasting fro-yo place with a much smaller line within walking distance of any Pinkberry, so the whole phenomenon is beyond me.

It turns out that PInkberry isn't really even frozen yogurt. Some say that it isn't a big deal, and the entire hubub surrounding this thing is blow entirely out of proportion. I don't necessarily think that Pinkberry is bad, but they have marketed it in such a way so insecure people who can't think for themselves have yet another brand to fall back if they ever start fearing that they might be tricked into having an original thought at some point. ( And I say this as a card-carrying Gap whore.) I know not all of the people who go to Pinkberry are like that, but there are enough of them to taint the rest of the crowd. So when people say that I shouldn't get so worked up about it, I say I love knowing that this company has scammed a bunch of hipsters into overpaying for what we now know is has all of the dessert authenticity of a McFlurry.

Note: Picture cribbed from The Book Los Angeles

I love food. Growing up in a small town, there were not very many interesting restaurants. More often than not, the definition of a good meal was aided by the presence of a salad bar. I'm not trying to say that I am too good for a salad bar, but isn't it nice to live in a place where an establishment called "Hoss's" is not considered fine dining?

One place I would consider fine dining is Bin 8945, a little restaurant in West Hollywood where I joined my friend Ben and our friend Jason the night before they left for London a couple weeks back. We went there on the recommendation of the esteemed S. Irene Virbila, food critic for the LA Times, and she did not disappoint.

We all decided to throw down for the tasting menu at bin 8945, which weighed in at $100, but we convinced ourselves that we needed the wine pairing as well. Earlier that evening, we had the chance to booze it up with the inestimable Michelle Collins at the Standard. You see, the wine was necessary to keep the buzz going from all of those mojitos (the bill for our pool-side fun came out to $7 worth of food and $125 in booze).

Because of all the alcohol, I really can't remember what I ate, I just know that it was amazing and I want to go again. The wait staff was great and there were many items on the menu that were simply too good for words, as if I could have come up with any good ones in my altered state. The owner/manager David Haskell has managed to combine a very hip yet not pretentious vibe.

The appeal of the tasting menu we chose was that it went on until we could not go on. From the appetizers to the final dessert and champagne, we went through fourteen courses and it was one of the best meals I have ever had. At the end, the price of the meal plus the wine was well worth the experience.

My only regret of the evening was that I later joined a friend at Barney's and drank two more beers. Not only did I not need those beers, but it had the unfortunate effect of helping my stomach get rid of my lovely meal later that night. On the bright side, I didn't have any nagging guilt the next morning to burn off six or seven courses on the treadmill.