Sunset Junction - Los Angeles

We just returned from a fun weekend in Los Angeles - Fri-Sun so we could be back in town for the 4th. We went to celebrate a birthday, but like good little hedonists, we slipped a second night in there for some extra fun. We had lunch at Pizzeria Mozza (as usual) and went to see the Tim Burton exhibit at the LACMA - which was great, but awfully crowded. I want to go back and check out the rest of the museum - I'd never been before and we only had time for the traveling exhibits this time. The "Gifts of the Sultan" was great too, so don't miss that if you go.

We stayed in a great little place in Los Feliz - the Los Feliz Lodge - which we found by looking for accommodations close to the party location (on Vermont Street). It also turned out to be just down the street from this great little corner called Sunset Junction. The coffee shop Intelligentsia, the Cheese Store of Silverlake and Cafe Stella are all located in a row in this cute little building - like a little slice of hipster foodie heaven.

On our first morning we drove over for coffee and a pastry before heading out on a hike in Griffith Park - just up the hill from Los Feliz. The coffee was good, but what really got me was the French encaustic tile floor. I love it.

I poked around in the Cheese Store - it was well stocked with attractively packaged condiments, pickles, crackers and other pantry items. They make sandwiches which they sell for $7. and of course, they offer a kick ass selection of cheeses. We also peeked next door at Cafe Stella - and decided to have brunch there the next day with some friends.

It turned out to be a good choice. We started with some deliciously decadent pastries and coffee (which they brought over from next door) and then moved on to some interesting brunch dishes - like James' Moroccan eggs with lamb merguez sausage...

Hilary's Croque Monsieur - a baked ham and cheese sandwich served with a butter lettuce salad...

And my sherry mushroom eggs on ciabatta bread with cheese and arugula. This was by far the best egg dish I can recall eating in a long time. (If I'm not mistaken I believe they make something similar at Cafe Chloe.)

Here are some photos of our accommodations. They only have a four rooms - two studios and two one bedroom apartments. The decor is cute, the price is right and the location is great. We liked it just as well as our other spot in Hollywood, the Villa Della Stelle - and it cost just a little more than half the price per night.

This was the view from the front porch...

And the living room...

All of Los Feliz is within walking distance, and a good bit of Silverlake too if you have on comfortable shoes (including the Junction.) There are great boutiques like the Mohawk General Store and Vivier and Bentley in the area, and the hiking trails of Griffith Park and the Greek Theater are just up the street.

Yes, I can definitely see us going back for another weekend visit soon!

The Rose Bowl Flea Market

Entrance - Antiques are to the left!

You might remember, if you're an attentive and diligent reader of this blog, that I mentioned a few weeks ago that I went to the Rose Bowl Flea Market. I'd been wanting to go to this flea market for YEARS - quite literally.  Like 10 of them. It's held the second Sunday of each month at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, so it does require a bit of thinking to plan a trip around it, and for one reason or another, I just couldn't get around to it until April.  I'd heard a lot of mixed things about it - it's overpriced, Long Beach is better now, it's too crowded, all the good stuff is gone after 9 AM, etc.  -  but for someone like me, just looking for some entertainment and a few cool things, the Rose Bowl was more than adequate.

In doing my usual over-zealous research, I might have actually screwed up a bit. I had heard that the best bargains were to be found in the farthest parts of the market - across the bridge, so to speak.  Yes, there was plenty of cheap stuff over there - but there was also a reason why it was cheap.  It was - for the most part - junk.  (Except for the vintage clothing, more on that later.)  Meanwhile, people were flooding into the grounds and heading straight for the good stuff - acres and acres of antiques located just to the left of the entrance.

Assorted and sundry... junk. 

By the time we made it back there, we really only had the time and stamina to circle the perimeter.  As such, we missed aisles and aisles of vendors, selling furniture, artwork, all KINDS of stuff - in the middle.

That's not to say we didn't find plenty of good stuff.  We were both on a bit of a budget, and neither of us were in the market for furniture, so we didn't feel like we missed out on much there.  Most of the furniture vendors with nice stuff also seemed to have cards out for their online or brick and mortar shops - and their prices were not much if any less than ordinary retail.

I had my eye out for interesting artwork or paintings and a vintage leather bag, and found both.  The dark brown vintage 70's bag was a serious bargain at $35, this poster from a 1956 Louvre exhibit was $100. but I kind of love it, it's nicely framed, and it was half the amount the seller originally quoted me.  That's the thing about bargaining.   When you offer and they accept, it's pretty much yours.

I actually found the bargaining a little annoying.  It's obvious that they jack the prices up - then they stand around and say "we can do better than that."   What that really means is you have no idea what something is going to cost you until you've agreed to buy it.  I think the only thing I bought without bargaining was the bag - they said $35 and I said "Sold!"  I also bought a vintage Tyrolean men's jacket - wool, really cute.  They asked for $50, I offered $40.  Sold!  Earrings, they asked for $30, I offered $20... Long story short - it's a good idea to make sure you actually want something before you start haggling.

In the "back lot" section of the market they do have some good deals on vintage clothing and textiles - and lots of smaller household stuff.  Some of it was overpriced - but it varied quite a bit from booth to booth.  If you're in the market for trendy wool blankets, Mexican embroidered dresses, Hawaiian shirts, vintage concert tees and denim, etc. it's definitely worth strolling back there.  No matter where you are, you're a lot more likely to get a good deal from someone with a bunch of random assorted stuff than a vendor who is specializing in a particular category.  The blankets and leather bags in the specialized booths in the front section of the market were waaaay more expensive than random ones.

The best part, is that you just never know what you're going to find, and chances are if you don't buy it, you'll never see it again.   For example, you won't find this poster at Z Gallerie -  though I guess whether or not you think that's a good thing depends on how you feel about clowns...

Nor will you find this inflatable Peter Max pillow - which sold while I was mulling it's $45. price tag (firm.)   It's probably just as well.   I really don't know where I would have put it.

A few tips and things I learned:

1)  Take a large bag or a cart - We took big tote bags from our Lucky Shops adventure the day before. People were also hauling those market carts around all over the place. You can rent one there for $15.
2)  Wear sunscreen, a hat and comfy shoes, and bring water - You will be walking around for at LEAST three hours - we were there until 1.
3)  Eat before you go and be prepared to hold it  -  There were very few bathrooms and one or two hot dog vendors in the section where we were.   Even trash cans were few and far between.
4)  Don't worry about getting there for the early admission - Just get there close to 9 and you'll be fine.  Most of the vendors were just finishing setting up at 9 and there is so much territory to cover, it can't possibly all be gone before you get there. I also can't help but think the vendors' willingness to negotiate increases as the day wears on.
5)  If you really want something, buy it - You'll probably never see it again.
6)  Don't expect miracles -  You're better off at garage sales if you're looking for steals - though I hear the chances of furniture bargains increase at the end of the day, since you'll be helping them out by hauling it away.
7)  Keep the five year rule in mind -  Anything you can't imagine keeping for at least 5 years, walk on by.  Makes those wobbly decisions much easier!

Rose Bowl Flea Market 
1001 Rose Bowl Dr
Pasadena, CA 91103
Held the second Sunday of every month. Next on July 10!

Spring Break Part II - LA {Pizzeria Mozza, AOC & 3rd St.}

Hello! Yes, I am alive! So much to say, so let's get to it. The second part of the spring break adventure was a short trip to Los Angeles with my friend Susan. We do this every so often - a little girls getaway. I'm not sure when I stopped hating LA and started loving it, but we have so much fun when we go up there. The impetus for this particular weekend was an event called Lucky Shops - put on by Lucky magazine. They set up a big warehouse (or in this case, a studio) full of small boutiques with discounted fashion items. We were both on a bit of a budget so we didn't buy much, but I was thrilled to find these Clare Vivier clutches at about 20% off, and I found these shoes. (I'm really inspired lately by Joslyn's credo - don't buy anything you can't see yourself keeping for at least five years - when it doubt that really helps with the decision making.)

After the Lucky Shops, we headed over to Pizzeria Mozza for an early dinner - and had the best pizza of our lives. The crust was paper thin in the center and puffy and crackly on the edges - and the toppings were shredded scallions, bacon and goat cheese. We also had the meatballs and an order of their squash blossoms - then we moved on to dessert.

Everyone raves about the butterscotch budino, but I for one am crazy about their gelato desserts. This was the banana ice cream pie with hot fudge and candied nuts.

And this is the caramel copetta, with marshmallow cream, salted peanuts and salted caramel sauce. I can never get enough of this. Sorry for the crummy iPhone photos, but I was too shy to pull out the real camera after they scolded me on the last visit. Though I have to say, I don't think anyone was really watching this time. It was definitely a lot less crowded than it's been on previous visits too - the hysteria may have finally died down just a bit.

After dinner we checked into our hotel - the Standard on Sunset. It's affordable but stylish - and we had a killer view.

The next morning, we headed down the hill to Third Street to do some window shopping and have brunch at AOC. I couldn't resist the smoked salmon platter with goat cream cheese, tomato, onion and cucumbers...

and Susan had the croque madame, a thick slice of brioche toast topped with bechamel and gruyere, layered with lightly dressed curly endive and a perfect fried egg. It was delightful. I hadn't been to AOC before, and was surprised by how "fine dining" it was. It was the kind of place where they re-fold your napkin when you get up to go to the bathroom. You don't necessarily expect that at brunch. It could be a little more relaxed, but it was certainly very nice. Not terribly expensive either, and they take reservations - no waiting outside for hours (like some of the other places in the neighborhood.)

As we were sitting at our table, I spotted Suzanne Goin at the bar, talking with the servers. Starstruck, I gasped (I thought quietly, but apparently not!) "There's Suzanne!" She looked up and said "I heard my name" then came over to say hello. She kindly accommodated my friend Susan's request for a picture - then Susan took one of me with her. It's the kind of thing I'd be too shy to ask for, but I'm glad we did it. She was sharp, funny and gracious - exactly as you would expect.

After brunch we strolled down Third Street and back, popping in and out of the boutiques, and stopping for a "cloud cupcake" - at Joan's on Third.  It was worth every calorie - moist chocolate cake topped with light marshmallow fluff dipped in chocolate.

We also walked into the new Magnolia Bakery almost right across the street, but we didn't have it in us to try another one.

One of my favorite shops on Third was OK. It's full of cool and unusual books, objets d'art, jewelry and useful household items. I bought some Japanese fabric shears for myself and an Opinel picnic knife to take home to James. (This collection of bottle openers is pretty awesome too.)

From Third Street we headed over to the other side of the Grove and CBS Studios to the Heath store on Beverly. We parked on a side street, and as we walked back toward the main drag, we checked out some of the very cool, classic Hollywood apartment buildings in the neighborhood. This place had a huge beautiful orange tree and a koi pond in the courtyard, along with beautiful classic light fixtures (the mailman clued us in to have a look inside as we were walking by!)

The Heath store is a must if you're a fan of the ceramics line. (I wrote about my visit to their Sausalito factory and store here.) This is their new Spring color scheme, lemongrass and creamy white linen.
Just next door to the Heath store, we stumbled on a lovely nursery and garden store, Rolling Greens. They had some beautiful gifts, garden furniture and plants as well as full nursery services.

The next day we did the Rose Bowl Flea Market, but that really deserves a post of its own. Maybe I'll mix that in with a little New Orleans, since I really need to get going on that! xox

Here's where we went:

Pizzeria Mozza
641 N Highland Ave
(323) 297-0101

The Standard Hotel
8300 Sunset Blvd
(323) 650-9090

AOC
8022 West Third Street
(323) 653-6359

Joan's on Third
8350 W 3rd St
(323) 655-2285

OK
8303 West 3rd St
(323) 653-3501

Heath Ceramics
7525 Beverly Boulevard
(323) 965-0800

Rolling Greens Nursery
7505 Beverly Boulevard
(323) 934-4500

Osteria Mozza - Los Angeles

Have you ever heard of anything so wondrous as a mozzarella bar? At Osteria Mozza, the more expensive and slightly more formal big sister to Pizzeria Mozza, the long marble counter wraps around a corner in the center of the room, giving patrons a birds eye view of their mozzarella-based crostini and small plates being prepared. Before visiting the Osteria, I thought the pizza bar at Pizzeria Mozza was fabulous, but truly, it's got nothing on this.

We were a party of five, and thus unable to sit at the bar, but we made sure to order a few things off the mozzarella bar section of the menu. This was the amuse bouche that arrived first. Crostini with fresh, creamy ricotta cheese and tapenade with basil chiffonade. When I tasted it I knew we were in for a treat.

Most of the mozzarella bar menu items are composed crostini, with layers of savory and sweet ingredients and some form of fresh cheese, such as burrata, burricota, fior di latte, bufala mozzarella or sweet fresh ricotta.

I have a feeling it's difficult to go wrong, but the two we ordered to share were amazing. We had the burrata with leeks vinaigrette & bacon, pictured above, and...

The burricotta with braised artichokes, pine nuts, currants & mint pesto. Each one was meticulously designed so that each ingredient complimented the others. I couldn't begin to tell you which one was my favorite, but I do know I want to go back and try everything on that menu, pronto.

For my next course I chose the Santa Barbara Spot Prawns. These are a local, seasonal specialty, with a sweet flesh reminiscent of lobster. I may or may not have moaned when I tasted the meat, after pulling it out of the tail and swiping it through the mint pesto butter on the plate.

James chose the roasted octopus on our server's recommendation. So often this type of octopus preparation is rubbery and tough or overly charred, but this was delightfully tender and flavorful.

The best dish of the evening though (and it had some competition, let me tell you) was James' Sweetbreads Picatta. This dish was a stunner. Everything on the plate was perfectly harmonious, from the slightly crisp but tender sweetbreads to the tangy and rich (but not too much so) lemon butter sauce.

My gnocchi with duck ragu standing alone would have been wonderful - but it paled by comparison with the other dishes on the table. One friend had the grilled beef Tagliata with rucola - sliced flank steak with arugula salad - which featured a tender and flavorful piece of meat, and another ordered the Orecchiette with Sausage and Swiss Chard, which our server said was one of their most popular dishes. It was simple - just the orecchiette and a sausage ragu with chard chopped up in the sauce - but so delicious I couldn't stop eating it.

We shared these dishes so everyone could try everything, and by the end of the meal we were far too stuffed for dessert. Our server let us in on a little secret though - we could buy the butterscotch budino (aka pudding) in little pre-packed to-go cups at their Mozza 2 Go shop to eat later. I was curious to see the place, so we walked around the corner. There was a class in session at the Scuola di Pizza, where they teach pizza classes (for a cool $150. per person) on Monday nights, and offer dinners and Sunday lunches for $75.00 per person.

The tiny little shop next door is outfitted with a few Italian specialty items, a bakery counter and a refrigerated case for the salads and budino cups, pictured below.

We walked out with two budinos and a bag of bakery items, and loved each one more than the last. The mini Torta della Nonna was my favorite (eaten out of hand after coming home from a concert at 2 AM.) I found the recipe online and I'm looking forward to trying it out. The budino is also every bit as swoonworthy out of a plastic cup as it is in the restaurant - they even include thecaramel sauce and  little dollop of sweetened creme fraiche on the top.  It gets a little smashed by the lid, but it doesn't matter - since you're not sitting in the middle of a restaurant, you can just lick it right off! 

Osteria Mozza

6602 Melrose Ave

Los Angeles, CA

323.297.0100

recommendations: Anything from the Mozzarella bar, the Sweetbreads Piccatta, Orecchiete with Sausage and Swiss Chard, Torta della Nonna, butterscotch budino and pastries from the Mozza to Go shop.

A few more photos can be viewed here.

Read my recent post about Pizzeria Mozza here.