Twenty-Four: LA

I still remember my sweet 16th birthday party, when my mom photoshopped my picture into a magazine called "sixteen" for my invitations. Life was pretty simple and sweet. I had just passed my driver's license test (after failing once) and I was working for the first time at Walgreens as a service clerk. That was 8 years ago?

Twenty-four. I had imagined my life totally different at this age when I was sixteen. I was hoping to have already been in professional school, ready to venture on my own and start my life. I'm getting there, I'm just taking it one step at a time. Slowly but surely... But for now, I'm having the time of my life!


I took the whole week off from work to make up for my birthday last year (they denied my days off, so I called out). Kyle and I drove on out to LA to have a quick getaway from all the hustle and bustle. We went to Hermosa Beach, one I've never been to, and walked around as we searched for a place to eat. We ended up driving to Manhattan Beach (only a mile away or so), and found this place called Manhattan Beach Post. What made us decide to go there? Truffle. Fried. Chicken.


      

[Bacon cheddar buttermilk biscuits and potato leek truffle ravioli]
The biscuits were so savory and flavorful - I highly recommend ordering it! On the other hand, the ravioli was a bit too sour for me. I don't think dairy and lemon go well together.

 

[brussel sprouts to die for]


Here it is. Truffle Fried Chicken. Kyle had a bite of it first, and the second he did, he looked at me and said, "Don't eat it. You won't think my fried chicken is the best anymore." Sure enough, my first bite was so crunchy, savory, and that hint of black truffle was just, perfect.

This meal was only lunch, by the way. We had a midnight snack later on - at one of the best ramen places I've ever eaten at. Daikokuya in Japan town, Downtown LA. We ordered the Daikokuya, with extra fat and I added more garlic. It was balanced. Not too salty, not too bland, the noodles were perfectly cooked and it was down right delicious. 


For brunch the next morning, we headed downtown again for Bottega Louie. I don't have much of a sweet tooth but how can you resist these beauties? The details of every pastry were ridiculous.


We were seated immediately despite how busy the restaurant was. Order the green tea mojito or the green tea Arnold Palmer - they're both quite refreshing. We had five small plates - portobello fries, spring risotto, duck prosciutto, squash blossoms and grilled octopus. It was a lovely late lunch! 


We can't leave Bottega Louie without grabbing a box of macarons. I asked for every flavor they had. They were all delicious. My favorites were Earl Grey, Mango and Salted Caramel. 


LACMA was our next stop. They had a special exhibit where they feature Van Gogh. I'm a big fan of Starry Night, only to find out it's not at LACMA but it's still at MOMA in NYC. We looked at works of art by different artists as well, Picasso was one of them. 


This was an interesting piece I saw in the Futbol exhibit. It shows how people all over the world come together to watch the World Cup. There's sculptures from different cultures, and even the Hulk is there too.


After all that walking, we wanted something sweet (and to kill some time before we head to dinner) so we tried this small place in Koreatown called Honeymee. I ordered the Honeymee, which is a serving of true milk ice cream and a cube of pure honeycomb. The ice cream went so well with the texture of the honeycomb. A bit chewy, but the flavor was amazing.


Our next stop: Black Hogg. A place we always passed by and always wanted to try. They had a special dineLA menu that night. 


     

[grilled prawns & chili-limon fries with bone marrow remoulade]


             

[garlic scallion green beans & bacon popcorn]



[bone marrow burger & wagyu steak tartare]


[churros & bread pudding]

My mouth is watering just looking at pictures of all this food. 

Next up - Twenty-four: Rx Boiler Room


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