I’ve got one more post about LA for you today. Jocelyn and I ate our way through that city like we were never going to eat again. A couple pounds might have been gained, but I have no regrets, only wonderful meals to dream about for years to come. Let’s get going…
On our third day in LA we got right to business and ate at three different restaurants, stopped for ice cream, and made it back to our hotel room – with a bottle of chilled rose – in time to get into jammies and watch TGIT together. Best day ever? It’s definitely up there. It doesn’t hurt that my friend Jocelyn is without a doubt one of the most delightful humans on the planet.
On day three we went to Republique first – I told you all about that last week. What you didn’t know is that we ate a second lunch at Bottega Louie two hours later.
Bottega Louie is one of the most aesthetically pleasing restaurants I have ever seen. It’s chic and girly with French vibes.
There is a case just filled with macarons! And several cases of gorgeous pastries.
One thing that might not surprise you, is that Jocelyn and are the types of people who look all around the restaurant to see what everyone else has ordered, and the table beside us had the most gorgeous pizza – so we had to ask them which one it was, and then order it ourselves.
The Burrata pizza had parmesan, prosciutto di Parma, rapini, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and of course, burrata. The burrata cheese was perfectly creamy, the prosciutto added a bit of saltiness, and the rapini gave the pizza a slight crunch of texture. It was completely different from the pizza we had tried at Bestia the night before, but just as good.
Remember how we ordered both pizza and pasta when we were at Bestia? Well, I did the same thing at Bottega Louie because their “Trenne” was just too interesting to pass up.
Trenne pasta is a triangular version of penne, that is sautéed until crisp on one side. Then it’s served with a braised beef rib sauce with black kale, caramelized onions, and parmesan. It kinda looked like french fries, but it tasted just like pasta. I had never tried browned pasta before, and by browning just one side of the trenne the pasta had both crispiness and a traditional chewy pasta texture.
Jocelyn made a healthier choice and ordered the Salmon, which came on a bed of faro, haricot vests, breakfast radish, and beets with a carrot vinaigrette.
We ended our meal with some strawberry sorbet, which tasted just like a ripe juicy strawberry. It paired well with the rosé I was drinking too.
We also ordered some birthday cake macarons to go. This was the maracon of the month, and it was too pretty to pass up. And it was the best macaron I have ever had!
Overall, while Bottega Louie’s space might be a bit girly, the menu caters to everyone. There is a wide selection of pizzas, pastas, meat dishes, and seafood. And you can’t help but be charmed by the space.
After two lunches we needed to go for a walk… so naturally we walked to the Grand Central Market and I ate an ice cream. It all started because we found a really cool wall and some beautiful ice cream, and wanted to take photos. And when you have an ice cream cone in your hand, you just eat it. This is McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams Eureka Lemon & Marionberries flavor – it’s tart and jammy.
That evening we went to Church & State Bistro for an early dinner (because we wanted the beautiful light at 6pm).
I toasted to our last night in LA with The Queen’s Cup, a cocktail made with vodka, pamplemousse, cucumber, blackberry, and lime.
We were still feeling a bit full from our day of eating, so we just ordered a couple of things to share. Le Cachat – herbed goat cheese with lavender and honey served with toasted baguette had a delicate flavor, and I kept going back for more.
Then they brought out gougeres, warm little cheesy airy bites of deliciousness.
The Balnquette de Volaille, a thinly cut chicken breast with glazed carrots, peas, mushrooms, haricot vests, and pearl onions in a velouté sauce managed with walk the line between light and creamy.
Our server brought over the dessert board, which gave us a visual of all Church & State’s dessert offerings. Even though we ordered the creme brûlée, I had to take a photo of the beautiful Fraises, white chocolate custard, strawberry tarragon syrup, candied almonds, and fresh strawberries.
Our fourth and final day in LA was brief since we needed to fly home to Chicago because we thought our husbands might miss us. (Who are we kidding, they probably loved the peace and quiet). Before we left LA, we walked back over to the Grand Central Market so we could have breakfast at Eggslut.
Eggslut must be one of the most popular restaurants on Instagram, it pops up in my feed all the time, and after seeing all the photos, I had to taste it myself. I ordered the Bacon, Egg & Cheese. It’s an over medium egg, topped with cheddar cheese and hardwood smoke bacon, in a warm brioche bun with chipotle ketchup. It wasn’t the most amazing breakfast I have ever had in my life – but it was a great take on a breakfast staple, and I would definitely go back to Eggslut. It was a hearty enough meal to keep me full for hours while we made our way back home.
For some reason I thought that I wouldn’t like LA, but I loved it. The city might be a bit spread out and challenging to navigate, but it has sunshine, sand, and a top notch food scene. You can read about doughnuts in Santa Monica here, and you can read about Bestia and Republique here.
Bottega Louie‘s address is 700 South Grand Avenue, they do accept reservations. They also sell their macaron’s, chocolates, and other sweets online.
Church & State Bistro‘s address is 1850 Industrial Street, they do accept reservations.
Both McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams and Eggslut are located in the Grand Central Market at 317 South Broadway. Except a line at Eggslut.
And in real time – today I am heading to Costa Rica! Follow along on Instagram and Snapchat – my user name is @thekittchen
grandbabycakes
Tuesday 3rd of May 2016
Gorgeous! That first shot of the pizza made my life!