LA Food Tour Weekend

Every weekend I'm in LA can be a food tour weekend, but this weekend seemed to be pivotal. I was catching up with so many friends, who lived in different parts of town, craving a variety of things.

Friday night, the girls from grad school and I hung out in downtown Culver City. This little area by the Sony studios has become one of the little corners that I look forward to stopping by. One of my favorite lunch spots there is a southern fried chicken joint called Honey's Kettle, where the chicken and biscuits are to die for. But Friday night, we headed to Ford's Filling station for some good wine, cheese plates, and delicious dishes. The restaurant is so named for its executive chef and owner, Benjamin Ford, son of none other than Harrison Ford. I love this place not because it was owned by Indy's son, but because Ben Ford used to be the chef at one of my favorite breakfast spots, The Farm of Beverly Hills. And because his polenta cakes at his restaurant are my absolute favorite. I have cravings for them. And that's exactly what I dove into on Friday night. ;)

Saturday, I was meeting a girlfriend for brunch, and wanted her to try one of my favorite quaint cafes in Los Angeles. La Provence is one of those places where you can't help but feel happy when you walk in. This euphoria may be a result of the smell of the delicious baked goods (home of my favorite French macarons) or the aroma of the great coffee they serve. Or it may be because the cafe itself just bursts with happiness. The chandeliers and decorations exhibit a European air that takes me away everytime I go there. I often stop for an iced mocha on my way to work (and sneak in a lavender macaron), but I love going to brunch there as well. You may be sitting in the middle of a Beverly Hills strip mall, but one sip of your latte and one bite of the French bread with real homemade raspberry jam, and you're sitting on the sidewalks of Paris.

Lovely macarons at La Provence. Orange, lavender and rose flavoured :)

For dinner on Saturday night, I met another girlfriend to catch up over one of our favorite authentic charcoal Korean bbq joints in Koreatown. We were very lucky to get a table right away, because usually the line at Soot Bull Jeep is completely out the door. I was yearning for my favorite marinated squid there, as well as their beef tongue (don't knock it til you try it!). If you are a fan of grilled calimari, you will be in heaven once you taste this squid. Something about grilling your meat/seafood over charcoal makes it doubly as delicious. Coupled with their dipping sauce, the scallion and lettuce salad, and the array of kimchi, its actually a pretty healthy meal. The down side? Coming out of the restaurant smelling like you've emerged from an LA wildfire. But it was worth it :)

Marinated squid and beef tongue at Soot Bull Jeep

The culmination of my LA food tour weekend could not have ended at a better place. One of the reasons I am still happy to be an Angeleno if for the opportunity to drop by Pizzeria Mozza. It's not your typical pizza joint, as you may think. Nor can you really "drop in" (reservations are accepted one calendar month in advance only - nothing before that, and you can try for later than that, but you may have a 5pm or 9pm dinner). However, the times I cherish being an Angeleno are the times I know I have a reservation to Mozza upcoming OR a friend calls me up to join their long-planned reservation, where there is an extra spot at the table.

I can go on forever about my undying love for this place. How the cured meats are as good as I've had in Italy (because Mario Batali gets his meats from his dad's Seattle shop, and because his dad learned how to cure meats in Italy), how the buzzing atmosphere reminds me so much of Italian hospitality, how the pizza is good from the first til last bite, and how the servers remember what my favorite pizza is. But why elaborate? Go try it!!My favorite dishes at Pizzeria Mozza, from Antipasti to Dolci:

Appetizers and salads:

-Fried squash blossoms with ricotta

-Nancy's chopped salad - Named after Nancy Silverton, the best chopped salad you will ever have, hands down. The freshest meats, the most quality vegetables. Absolutely delicious.

-Mozza caprese - melts.in.your.mouth!!!

Pizzas:

-The "meat lover's" - a combination of Mozza's delicious meats, including their homemade fennel sausage

-Speck, bufala mozzarella, olive tapanade & oregano - I am guilty of ordering this pizza way too often. It's light, and nothing like a traditional pizza, but everything like the ones I've had in Rome.

-White anchovy, tomato & hot chiles - Americans' least favorite pizza topping, but so delicious with hot chiles. Gives a sweet and spicy light flavour.

Desserts:

-Butterscotch budino - a combination of light, but rich butterscotch pudding, the bottom of the cup is lined with sea salt crystals to give a burst of salty flavour. Served with rosemary cookies that blend so well with the richness of the butterscotch. In the words of a dear friend, I would lick the cup if I could.

-Olive Oil gelato - Who would ever think olive oil would make a great dessert? But it does! The richness of the oil leaves a subtle flavour in gelato form, with crystals of sea salt that blend so well with the rich texture of the gelato. I've put in requests on their comment cards to bring the flavour back when it wasn't on the menu.

To me, Pizzeria Mozza demonstrates that gourmet food doesn't have to always be an arm and a leg. The place is still reasonably priced (hence my all-too-often visits), the ingredients taste of quality, and the atmosphere is great.

The famous Nancy's chopped salad at Pizzeria Mozza

To taste for yourself:

Ford's Filling Station - 9531 Culver Blvd. in Culver City

La Provence Cafe - 8950 W. Olympic Blvd. in Beverly Hills

Soot Bull Jeep - 3136 W. 8th St. in Koreatown

Pizzeria Mozza - 641 N. Highland Ave. in Hollywood

HAPPY EATING! :)