2771 W Pico Blvd · Los Angeles, CA 90006 · Neighborhood: South Los Angeles (K-Town)
One of my favorite family-owned gems is a Greek restaurant located in Korean town! It’s been providing home-style Greek food and serving the community for more than 60 years. In 1948, Papa Cristos started out as a market meant to introduce the foods and wines of Greece to Los Angeles. Twenty years later, (second generation owner) Chrys Chrys, better known as “Papa Cristo,” purchased the business from his father hoping to continue the family’s legacy and open up a full service Greek Restaurant.
With the help of his daughter Annie and other family members, Papa Cristos has become a beacon for the Greek community and locals who come regularly to lunch on heaping plates of lamb kebabs, falafel, dolmades and sizzling feta (my fave!). Their tzatziki sauce is pure goodness.
In addition to being a market and popular lunchtime restaurant, they also host their famous Big Fat Greek Dinners every Thursday night. Guests are invited to a prix fixe sampling of Greek wines, salad, freshly baked bread, two entrees, several side dishes, baklava and Greek coffee.
During your meal, you’ll hear live music from their Bouzouki player Petros, and watch some (PG) belly dancing to cap off the night. You’re not allowed to be shy here! Patrons are invited to come up and dance (she’s very persuasive). Here you can check out my wonky dance moves.
Papa Cristos is also great for catering events or hosting large parties. The night I was dining, there was a fraternity from USC taking up the entire back restaurant.
In case you were wondering, these boys were very well behaved.
With three generations involved (Grandma Annie, daughter (also) Annie, and cousin Mark), this place is truly a family-run establishment. On any given day, you will find them all cooking, serving and chatting with guests.
BYB Tip: “Like” them on Facebook and watch for regularly held contests, which might get you a free dinner for their Thursday night feasts or other fun goodies.
Thanks again Papa Cristos! I’ll see you again very soon!
4150 Mission Blvd · San Diego, CA 92109 · Neighborhood: Pacific Beach
When I learned that my good friend “Boppa” was having her mom ship jars of peanut butter to her while she was living in a remote jungle in Brasil, I couldn’t imagine what life what life must be like down there without the ability to just go to the store and get some peanut butter. I mourned for her.
The 25-year-old owner of Pacific Beach Peanut Butter, Matthew Mulvihill found himself in a (sort-of) similar predicament. Wanting to make a PB&J sandwich but not having the ingredients readily available, he decided to learn how to grind and make his own peanut butter at home. He ordered a grinder and then had an idea. He moved back home, enlisted the help of his business savvy mom and with his grandpa as an investor, he began experimenting in his parents’ kitchen. A company was born!
I was kindly sent a complimentary package to sample and share my thoughts about with you, my reader.
Without further adieu, on to the product:
The peanut butter comes in a cute little 9oz glass jar. There are a variety of rad flavors. I had never had flavored peanut butter before, so getting to try a few of them at once was really exciting for me. Current varieties on their roster include M&M’s, CinnaYum, Chocolate Raspberry, Caramel, Toffee, Butterscotch, Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, White Chocolate, All Natural and All Natural Unsalted. Whew knew peanut butter could be so versatile!?
I tried them all straight out of the jar with a spoon and found that my favorites were the CinnaYum (this got eaten very quickly in my house), the Caramel and the Toffee. The Dark Chocolate is also pretty good: Think of a nuttier, denser version of Nutella. It’s also made with Belgium chocolate so it is less sweet yet richer in taste. This one was the hardest to spread, but their company website recommends heating it up just prior to serving or adding a dash of olive oil to make it more smooth.
Because their peanut butter has no added oils, sugar or salt, I found it to be less creamy than traditional store bought peanut butter in general. However, it was still spreadable and delicious. Warming it up did help with the spreadability factor but I usually didn’t bother to do this. I just attacked the jars with my spoon. I ate it straight up, on a bagel, with jelly, in my oatmeal, blended in a shake with some bananas, on my English muffin, in my cookie recipe, over some celery and raisins, on a few apples, on top of waffles… ok you get the point. The possibilities are endless.
Pacific Beach Peanut Butter, is definitely worth ordering for that special peanut butter lover in your life. It’s also gluten free and made with 100% Valencia peanuts. It ain’t no Jif, that’s for sure! Order online at www.wannaspoon.com.
Thank you Pacific Peanut Butter Company for allowing me to sample!
What delicious PB flavor would you like to see made? Coconut? Vanilla? Pretzels? Comment below… Maybe you’ll get your wish!
Also, just for fun… Here are some peanut butter Fun Facts.
Indeed, it was a very good desert. But was it worth the wait?
I knew I was going to be waiting for while and it got me thinking; why in the world do we, (foodies, Angelenos, humans) spend countless hours of our lifetime standing around waiting for the hope of something “special.” Whether it’s for opening weekend movie tickets (Twilight anyone?), a secret Paul McCartney show at Amoeba records (I’d give my right arm), to dance in a club (gotta make friends with those door guys!), Tacos from a truck (Roy Choi is doing something right!) or in this case, to get a scoop of ice cream.
Twice I have waited in this particular line (upwards of 90 mins!) to try ice cream and cupcakes at the newly opened Sprinkles Ice Cream shop in Beverly Hills. Wow. Why!? It’s crazy good, but still, it’s ice cream for peets sake!
I began to wonder, what are some other, more productive things could I could have done at that moment that would possibly make for a better use of my time… Instead of ya know, standing in line for an hour and thirty-two minutes for food on a Sunday night.
Here’s a few things I came up with:
Hike a trail (the hard one on the left) at Runyon Canyon (about 1hour 15 minutes).
Take a yoga class (most are 90 minutes long).
Go watch The Dictator (running time: 1 hour 23 minutes)
Plant a tree (about an hour?)
Catch up on the phone with my mom, dad, brother, grandmother, and old friend, etc…
Write a blog post (45 min to an hour)
Paint my kitchen. (90 minutes + dry time)
Attend a dance class. Salsa anyone? (60-90 minutes)
Learn a language. Listen to lessons 1, 2 and 3 of my Rosetta Stone Spanish CD. (83 mins)
Make a batch of ice cream at home! (Okay, this would take a little longer than an hour and a half – you know freezing time and all, but it sure would be more rewarding – and I’d have some for later too!)
I guess we do it because we want to feel like we are in the know. We do it because it’s cool to be elite or to be the first to do something. We do it because our priorities are a bit backwards and we are lazy (yes, there I said it). And we do it because we love to love things. Such is life.
9631 S Santa Monica Blvd · Beverly Hills, CA 90210 · Neighborhood: Beverly Hills
NOW OPEN!!
Yesterday, I got to check out the grand opening of Sprinkles new Ice Cream shop! There was a line, as expected. There was a mix of both families and foodies, as expected. And it was absolutely delicious, as expected.
However, I was surprised to find NO LINE whatsoever at the cupcake shop! This was an absolute first. Everybody was in line for the ice cream or trying out the cupcake vending machine. It seems that cupcake maven Candace Nelson has outdone even herself!
I waited for about 55 minutes before I made it to the front of the line. If you’ve waited in line for Sprinkles Cupcakes before, you know this is the norm. Angelenos take their cupcakes very seriously.
My chosen scoop was a vanilla base ice cream with chunks of their famous red velvet cupcake mixed throughout. No toppings needed. With this ice cream you can literally have your cake – and eat it too! My only complaint was that I wish the scoop was a little bigger. I devoured the whole thing before I made it back to my car! The long line was the only thing stopping me from going back for seconds.
For the opening, owner and pastry chef Candace Nelson was on hand to chat with and pose with fans. I myself have been a fan since 2005. When I used to work in Beverly Hills I ate probably a cupcake a week, no joke. They are addicting!
I almost feel like a proud parent seeing how much the Sprinkles Company has grown!
In addition to various (changing seasonally) ice cream flavors, this newest Sprinkles Ice Cream shop will offer cookies, brownies, and ice cream sandwiches. You will also be able to get your ice cream scoop sandwiched between two cupcake tops, or nestled between an entire cupcake, frosting and all! Uhm, yes please!
After fighting with myself trying to figure out which item to try, I decided on a Red Velvet scoop with a Red Velvetwaffle cone.
To go, I got a Chocolate Chip Cookie and a Salted Oatmeal Cornflake Cookie for later on.
I also decided that I would be back tomorrow to try some more.
BYB Tips: The Coffee Fudge and Almond ice cream flavor is AH-mazing! Or try the Snickerdoodle cookie or Peanut Butter Pretzel Chip Cookie – Both of which had sold out by 3 pm.
Feel like a late night nibble? Check out their cupcake machine for 24-hour vending goodness.
6600 Topanga Canyon Blvd · Canoga Park, CA 91303 · Neighborhood: Canoga Park
I hadn’t much been a fan of French macarons until very recently. My cousin who lived in the OC would often ask me to pick her up a box of ‘Lettes from my neighborhood’s Monsieur Marcel French grocer, and it was only a matter of time until I myself got bit by the macaron bug.
To my delight, the owner of a relatively new macaron shop in Canoga Park asked me if I wanted to try a box of their best flavors. “Of course!” I said, and the very next day this cute little box appeared on my doorstep!
Razmig Cyril Tchoboian, a French born former sound engineer, started Napoléon’s Macarons in October 2010. It was exclusively an online store. Yet as the shop grew, Razmig started providing macarons to various restaurants and chocolatiers and eventually opened up his first brick and mortar shop in the Topanga Mall shopping center.
Having apprenticed with a french chef, Razmig takes pride on his macarons being not only authentic but also gluten-free and made only with organic, natural ingredients.
In comparison to the Beverly Hills based, ‘Lette, Razmig says he focuses primarily on quality ingredients and less on sugar. He does away with unnecessary over-sweetening techniques yet finds a way to remain true to flavor.
The cookies were firm, yet crumbly and gave way to a bit of pressure between my finger and thumb. The ganache filling had a nice subtle taste, hinting at each macaron’s unique flavor. As a chocolate fan, I loved the Café and Intense Chocolate cookies. There are many other interesting flavor options including Baklava, Pistachio and Rose Water just to name a few.
Their shop is located right in front of Macy’s (upstairs) in the Westfield Mall in Canoga Park. If you find yourself in the neighborhood, you should definitely make the effort to stop by this little macaron shop and try a cookie or two. If you do, let me know what you think!
Thanks again to Napoléon’s Macarons for letting me sample your delicious treats!!
Perk!: Napoleon’s Macarons is offering Backyard Bite readers 40% off a six pack of macaroons until August 27th! Simply stop in and whisper the secret phrase: “bonjour napoleon!”
822 Washington Blvd · Venice, CA 90292 · Neighborhood: Venice
Having already been a fan of Sunny Spotsince they opened their doors this past November, I was super excited to learn that they were launching their inaugural brunch weekend just in time for Mother’s Day. A special Friends and Family sampling enabled me to try a few items on their menu. With every bite, I couldn’t help but think of friends whom I knew would really enjoy this place. It’s a very diverse menu and should make a lot of foodies salivate with glee.
Since he boldly arrived on the LA food scene in 2008 with his clever Kogitruck marketing tactics, Roy Choi has been redefining our food culture. He filters it through his own sensibilities, fusing upscale cuisine with street food and the foods he grew up with. With Kogi, he combined his Korean influences with Mexican tacos. He took what used to be a boring old IHOP and transformed it into A-Frame – a sleek, contemporary “modern picnic.” And now, such is the case with the fifth installment of his ever-growing empire, Venice’s Sunny Spot.
Roy and owner Dave Reiss elevated the previous resident Beechwood, by creating a sophisticated yet laid back, delicate yet bold dining experience, putting an LA spin on Caribbean fare.
Imagine a DJ sampling the ill’est beats; Roy knows how to take the best elements from various cuisines and make them work together like a badass mix tape – he summons up emotions. Sunny Spot is bolder than most restaurants in this part of Venice. Don’t let the dainty and floral décor fool you, the dishes here are man-friendly, savory and hearty. The plates are meant to be shared, and you’ll find yourself wanting to sample a lot. You’ll also find yourself wanting to save room for dessert, but this almost never happens.
As for the brunch menu, Sunny Spot is not your typical eggs and/or sandwiches kinda brunch. Instead, you have the option of Korean style baked steak and eggs, Jamaican Oxtail Stew, a ginormous plate of pillowy soft Banana French Toast, Smoked Baby Back Ribs or their popular Two Fisted Burger. The meat is expertly prepared so it falls off the bone… it’s really tender.
Roy’s spin on the traditional Cuban sandwich is instead a Cuban Torta with prosciutto, provolone, pickled jalapeño, mayo and mustard. Oh, yeah, Roy doesn’t mess around. There’s something on the menu here for your Paleo-dieting-CrossFit-loving-meat-eater friends and yes, also for your mom, who’d possibly rather get down with a Hearts of Palm Salad or a yummy bowl of AnSon Mills Porridge.
The atmosphere is chill and cozy. A DJ spins island songs while you sip a creamy Jamaican Coffee (spiced with Rum of course). Then you take in some California sun on the patio and you find that you can’t help but dance in your seat a little bit grooving to the mood setting beats. Ahhhh, life is good.
Although my boyfriend and I had devoured two huge dishes, we couldn’t help but get down with another plate – the smoked ribs. When I was done, I licked my fingers clean and smiled sheepishly. Nothing but savory, finger-licking good flavors in this dish. Two and a half hours later, we found ourselves lingering out on the patio just enjoying the calming ambiance, the good-looking people and the satisfying comfort food.
Brunch at Sunny Spot is like you’ve left LA and gone on vacation to a tropical island – minus the groping from TSA.
Bring your mom for mother’s day! Bring your date for brunch, dinner or perhaps their killer happy hour.
Anyway you go, you won’t be disappointed. And if you are – oh well, too bad. Go stand in line at GJelina.
BYB Tip: Parking is valet but also breezy around the corner side streets. Make a reservation in advance – especially for dinnertime.
If you go for dinner, be sure to try the sous vide, deep fried, Jerk Wings. Ah-Mazing! Also, great for private parties!
1800 Sawtelle Blvd · West Los Angeles, CA 90025 · Neighborhood: West Los Angeles
For my second visit over at the new-ish Plan Check Bar I got to help collaborate a special event. The trendsetters over at the street wear brand Stüssy (yes, remember them??) paired up with the new bar/restaurant just north of “Little Osaka” for a funky fresh evening. The private event was a cool little meeting of the minds; a mash up of fashionistas, bloggers, foodies and entertainment industry folk. There was no stanky fru fru, nor any of that “hollywood” pretentiousness going on here. Everyone simply gathered to share in some good food and good fun.
Stüssy collaborated with Plan Check’s Ernesto Uchimura (the former Umami Burger corporate chef) on a special menu for the night’s festivities.
It featured classic Stüssy inspired references as the titles of the dishes: I.S.B. (International Stüssy Burger), Worldwide Tribe Fries, The Livin’ Large, and Stoopid Fresh Donuts, to name a few examples.
The main course was an International Stüssy Burger made with Akaushi Beef, Jalapeño Escabeche, Americanized (house made) Cheese, Smokey Bacon, Battered Onion Straws, Knowledge Sauce and Uchimura’s classic Crunch Bun. If that sounds like a lot – it was. Plan Check doesn’t mess around when it comes to burgers. It was a huge, savory, Man-Burger.
Uchimura also put a delicious spin on their usual donut dessert. They were so good they disappeared from our table faster than you could say Stoopid Fresh. They included Cereal Milk Ice Cream from Milk and Caramelized Cornflakes. A must try.
The roughly 150 attendees left fully satisfied, full and/or drunk and with doggie bags that included a Stüssy designed Plan Check Tee.
If you didn’t get in to the party but want to try the special menu, you’re in luck. It’ll be available at Plan Check throughout the month of May.
For more info on Plan Check: Check out my previous post on their opening this past February.
Check out some some pics from the night!
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Amy T. Shuster is an actress, writer and food enthusiast. Her blog is backyardbite.com, which focuses on creating positive content to generate awareness of local independent foodie “gems” in the Los Angeles area. Amy lives and dines in Los Angeles, CA.
714 Traction Ave · Los Angeles, CA 90013 · Neighborhood: Downtown
Think back… way back… to your fondest “Pie” memory… Smelling the aroma of your grandmother’s pumpkin pie coming from the kitchen on Thanksgiving morning… Perhaps you think of enjoying warm apple pie on Independence Day with friends. Every American has a personal connection with pie. Me? Oh, I’m a sucker for a good chicken potpie. I can eat it anywhere, any time and it always hits the spot, especially on a cold rainy day. Whatever the case may be for you, Pie is a special food that makes us think of family, friends and no doubt triggers warm fuzzy feelings. Pie makes us happy.
Sean Brennan, co-owner of The Pie Hole Los Angeles says it best…
“Who has a slice of pie and a cup of coffee and feels shitty afterwards!?”
Enter on an ambitious group of entrepreneurs who decided to bring to LA a bit of what pie means to them. What used to be a sketchy Mexican restaurant is now a place for the community to gather. After some gentle coercing from her son Matt, the matriarch of the Pie Hole, Rebecca Grasley finally realized her dream of opening up a pie shop.
Luckily for us, she brings her award winning family recipes and a family lovin’ to The Artist District in downtown Los Angeles. The Pie Hole hasn’t had their doors open for more than little over half a year, yet residents to the neighborhood are very proud and very protective of their little Pie Hole. Located directly across from the popular sausage kitchen Wurstküche, Los Angeles locals stop in daily for savory chicken potpies or mac and cheese pies and saunter over in the evenings for a sweet treat. Along with various (changing daily) specialty pies, The Pie Hole Los Angeles offers custom coffee brews from the LA coffee maker Groundwork coffee as well as an emotional attachment, family history and sincere love of the pie itself.
Backyard Bite recently sat down with longtime friends and co-owners, Matthew Heffner and Sean Brennan to find out what makes their little Pie Hole so gosh darn special.
BYB: So, what’s your story? How did the Pie Hole come about?
Matt: We’ve been friends for 4 or 5 years now. Sean has had years of restaurant experience and my mom had always wanted to open up a pie shop. I always tell (people) the story about how my dad was going to open up a sporting goods store and then my mom would say, “We can put a pie counter in there!” When I was a kid, it’s all she had ever talked about. So when she retired, and all her kids had moved away I thought, man, I wish there was a way I could invest in this idea myself and start a business. So I said, ‘mom you should open up a pie shop! You’ve always talked about doing it, your pies have won awards in state fairs for years…’ it’s something that she loves to do, and is good at. She’s never been a shoot from the hip kinda person. But she said, “yeah, ok! Let’s do it!”
Sean: (I told them) There’s a market opportunity here, there’s sort of a trend going on now, and if you are going to do a “pie-thing”, you should do it, but there’s going to be a right way and wrong way to do it. I always give this advice to anybody starting up a business, get a partner – someone who knows what they are doing and then, invest in it and get it going. I thought they had a great idea there.
BYB: Was there a lot of compromising in taking the idea from your mom’s kitchen and turning it into a commercial brick and mortar shop?
Matt: Oh yeah, for sure. What you have to remember is that mom would bake only one or two pies. When she comes in the shop now, it’s still hard for her to get her single pie recipe out in 30 pies. She’s still living in New Jersey, but she’ll come in every few months and bring in new recipes and ideas. She’ll talk to our executive chef Adrianna Sullivan (Providence, Water Grill, Nickel Diner, Eveleigh, Manhattan Beach Post) and make sure they are on the same page. It’s really a nice working environment. Adrianna takes (my mom’s) recipes and puts them through a creative process where everything is a little bit tweeked and she is able to make them more commercial. This way, we are able to do 10 or 12 pies instead of just one at a time. My mom would come in here and do one single pie, one crust at a time and by midnight she’d finally have 10 pies. And she still does that! For Thanksgiving she flew in and she did all of our pumpkin pies. She made my great-grandmother’s recipe and made every single pie – one at a time, in one mixer.
BYB: Ooh, I bet those were good.
Matt: We’re talking like 40 pies over 3 days. It was just a lot of love and a lot of work going into them. I like to think that those Thanksgiving pies had a little something extra special in them.
BYB: Your pies change seasonally?
Matt: Oh, yeah. They change and everything is fresh. Nothing comes from a can, we don’t freeze anything. Everyday, we have a truck here delivering produce every morning.
BYB: Where do you get your produce?
Sean: We have local purveyors. Our strawberries for example, come from a farm where Chef Adrianna lives.
Matt: My machinist boss (from my other job) owns an avocado and lemon farm and he came in today with a huge box of lemons and was like “Hey! Can you use these!?” They are in the lemon meringue pie’s today! I’m going to text him later – that will really make his day. It’s called “Baker’s Green Acres.” It’s great.
Sean: We have regular deliveries that come. We always know the source of everything. It’s all local. That’s the best part about running a restaurant or pie shop in California; it’s the largest agricultural state in the country and there’s so much good stuff. Plus we keep the menu really limited. We felt very early on that there’s no way you can execute a massive menu well. We wanted to be the best pie shop in L.A., and we wanted to be able to offer the best quality product. That’s our goal. And the only way to do that is to focus on 5 or 6 sweet pies during the day so that you can just really kill it.
BYB: How many pies get made throughout the course of the day?
Matt: Well, it depends on the day. I just got done talking to our chef and she just finished 80 chicken potpies, it’s 4 pm now, and they are still going. The base of the pies – the “stuff” that goes inside is cooked off in the morning – but baking and cooking are just so different. In a restaurant you can run your kitchen until that individual stuff runs out. But here, for instance the chicken, you have to slow simmer and reduce down and everything gets set up each day. It’s not like we can just say, ‘ok, now we need 5 more pot pies.’ That decision had to be made three days ago. So it IS like a bakery in the sense that there’s a cap. Though it’s also kinda like a restaurant where we are working all day towards that end goal. It’s an interesting hybrid that we’ve created here.
BYB: Matt, do you make any of the pies?
Matt: Sure! I do when my mom flies in from Jersey. I’ve baked with her for years. It’s a nice mother-son thing we’ve got going on. It’s one of the things she looks forward to because owning a pie shop is something she’s always dreamt of doing. She likes to watch the kitchen work – it’s a well-oiled machine.
Sean: It’s really important, in doing anything, but especially in doing a restaurant, to focus on the elemental parts and just try to execute it really well. And we have a true love and passion for what pie represents and what it can do for people. Who has a slice of pie and a cup of coffee and feels shitty afterwards? By far, for the folks that are here right now, this is going to be the highlight of their day.
BYB: Did I hear you right? Did you say “Pie-light” of their day?
Sean: No, but I will now, that’s pretty awesome! Where we feel super strongly about is in the experience, and scaling that was interesting.
“Matt and his mother grew up LOVING pie and it meant so much to them. I think everybody can relate to something like that. (People come in and say) ‘Oh, my grandma made pies… I make pie… pie reminds me of the holidays and the holidays make me feel good!’ and that’s exactly what we want to do for people.”
Matt: For my family, the history was never passed down. We don’t have these long standing family heirlooms, but what we do have is our recipes. So my mom and I on Thanksgiving will make my great-grandmother’s recipe, (she’s someone) whom I never met, but it’s just a little something that I get to experience from her.
Sean: Yeah, and for them to be able to do that, on Thanksgiving – I mean, we’ve got a full staff and some people had never met his mom before and it’s like, now here she is; she’s coming in and making pies. This is what grounds us and this is what we do. You can’t front on pie. For me it’s that emotional attachment, that family history and that love of the pie itself. That is what sets us apart from any other pie establishment, I think. I just really like it. It’s such a blast to be here everyday.
BYB: It’s the “pie-light” of your day.
Sean: Haha, it is now!
BYB: I was so impressed by the buzz surrounding The Pie Hole even before you had actually opened. You have such a large social network presence. How did you guys get that going?
Matt: That wasn’t so much us. We definitely helped propel it, but I think it just caught on. We made pies for Bloomfest, which is a festival that is on this street every year. People were so excited after that, they just kept emailing us and twittering us. They just couldn’t wait to try the pie and were just really excited about it. All that buzz was organic.
BYB: How did this location come about?
Matt: I thought this was a fantastic little neighborhood. I remember thinking – wow, this is so cool! There were people walking their dogs at 11:00 at night…
Sean: Our criteria, was that we were looking for a really well developed sense of community. Foot traffic and things like that, but we always stuck to the basic premise which was: pie means family; family brings an emotional connection and that means something. The neighborhood down here is SERIOUS. They are not messing around. Now that we are a part of it – if something were to happen to us, they would rally around – there would be protests – it’s so cool. There’s something really special going on down here and it’s not yet defined either, it’s still growing. There are so many other cool things happening around here too in the Arts District. Over by Church and State there’s a bunch of stuff over there too. I just feel like we got here just at the right time.
Matt: I’ve lived in a lot of neighborhoods and I’ve never felt the sense of togetherness that this place has – ever…. Pie is a community-based food. Everyone has an emotional attachment.
Sean: We wanted to focus on accessibly. Your abuelita should come in feeling that this place is just as accessible as the hip kids from the Arts District do. It should be the same experience.
BYB: Pie should not be intimidating.
Matt: No way. It’s pie!
BYB: I hear that you handmade all of the décor in the shop? It’s actually the first thing I noticed when I walked in. The shop is very simple, it’s minimal, but you can sense that there was a lot of care that went into the making of the furniture, there’s a personal touch to it all.
Matt: We made it together.
Sean: I still have splinters.
Matt: Every piece of décor you see in there was thought of and executed by us and a group of friends. Everything. It was a pretty awesome experience to be able to do that. We were going for a wood and steel (theme), the chairs were made locally. The wood is from a reclaimed wood place. From May of last year to October, this place was a wreck, there was spackle and holes in the wall… it’s really neat when somebody walks up to a counter that you made and puts their purse down on it and there’s a transaction being made.
BYB: Tell me about your collaboration with Groundwork coffee roasters.
Matt: Our beans are organic and they are our own beans. Nobody else has our beans.
Sean: They roast for us, but it’s our own blend. We went through an exhaustive testing. We want people to come in for a cup of coffee and know it’s gonna taste the same (every time). There are a million different coffee options, but we wanted to use local businesses and focus on that… keep it as L.A. as possible. After all, we are called, “The Pie Hole Los Angeles” and if we ever open up a location in New York, it’s still going to be called The Pie Hole Los Angeles.
We really want to represent the L.A. food community and restaurant scene. We are proud of it and it’s really on the come up. (So) we put it in our name… This is L.A. and we are super proud and we don’t want to be doing anything else.
BYB: Last question, I just gotta ask… what are your favorite pies?
Sean: I like the lemon meringue.
Matt: My favorite, I think possibly of all time is the maple custard. It is to die for. It’s probably our best seller.
Sean: Bi-Coastal customers say it’s the LA version of the crack pie from Momofuku. I’ve had people tell me, THIS is your crack pie “don’t touch it, don’t change it, this is serious.”
Matt: One of the coolest things to do is to switch somebody over from their favorite pie, they say “well, I’m thinking about this one, but what’s your favorite?” and I’ll say it’s the maple custard and if you haven’t tried it you have to. You can see the trepidation in their face and they go “ehh, alright.” And then they’ll come back and say “that was AMAZING” and they are so excited. Two days later, they order three more and it’s really cool to see that. It’s one of my favorite things, to bring out an emotion in people.
When I was a young kid, my mom would always make sure to tell me to eat my greens. Somehow, I don’t think that eating a 5-course meal, centering on Chinese herbs and Cannabis, was what she was referring to. When I learned about the “special” dinner that was being arranged by Starry Kitchen owner Nguyen Tran and Chef Laurent Quenioux, I didn’t immediately jump out of my seat from excitement. Not really being a fan of “exotic” food, I was perhaps at the least, a little curious, and in the end, my curiosity won out.
I felt a certain foodie duty to partake in this underground dining experiment. I did it for my readers, yes, I took one for the team. After all, it was all set to go down on 4/20 day.
It is my understanding that this budding idea of doing a weed-themed dinner started back when Prop 19 was put on the ballot about 2 years ago to legalize Marijuana. The law obviously didn’t pass, still the the chefs wanted to plan some sort of special herb dinner regardless. They held a successful mini dinner, on April 1st that fed only a select few, approx. 30 guests. The diners included the LA Times food criticJonathan Gold and High Times editor (and author of the Official High Times Cannabis Cookbook), Elise McDonough. Shortly after the success of this dinner, tickets became available on Event Bright for a much larger event: a 5-course herb-filled feast for 100 lucky guests on April 20th. It sold out immediately. What? You’re surprised? Los Angelenos are serious about their underground supper clubs, and probably even more serious about their herb.
So this was the experience:
For a cool hundred bucks (plus tips), we were taken on a Lionel Ritchie Listening Tour with an “optional” dinner to follow (wink, wink). The prix fixe meal would consist of Chinese Herbs and some Lady Jane action. Day of the dinner, we were emailed the top secret location of our meeting place. And under the guise of Mr. Commodore Booty McHooters, our host lead us to the dining spot in a single file line. McHooters, or Nguyen Tran, as known to his Starry Kitchen fans and customers, is often known for his crazy antics (eg. dressing up like a giant banana). I found him and the whole production thoroughly amusing.
After being lead down a few very long sketchy hallways, we were given release forms upon entering the pre-dinner cocktail hour. Basically a holding area for guests while the chefs prepared. I got to take a peek in their makeshift kitchen in a neighboring loft space and watch a bit of the preparation.
7:45 ish The guests have now been seated.
Behind the scenes… A well-oiled machine.
All hands on deck! 105 plates are being prepped simultaneously. Cameras were everywhere documenting this extravaganza.
Internal monologue: Damn, this dessert is so good! Why didn’t they start with this dish!? Wait a sec, am I eating SOIL!? And what’s this asparagus doing in my dessert!? It’s kinda good though… it works! Are you gonna eat yours? Crap. Am I high? Bring me another! No more food? Aww.
When I asked McHooters if he was going to get to eat anything he simply said “Oh, I haven’t eaten all day! This is what I live for – just planning these crazy events gives me a high. I love it. It’s all about having fun!” Said by a true adventurer.
It was about a three and a half hour dinner or so from start to finish and despite the lag time between dishes, I thought they ran a pretty tight ship considering the amount of guest in such a small space. Hemp beer and custom cocktails, were mixed by Josh Goldman and I thought they were paired very well with the food just as the servers were quick and efficient in bringing it all out to the tables simultaneously.
For me, the best part of the event was actually the camaraderie that happened among guests. There was such an eclectic group of people: younger, older, foodies, non-foodies, bloggers, techies, birthday people and I’m sure, a few stoners for good measure.
I even ran into a few foodie friends! Shout out to fellow blogger @kevinEats. Behold our post-dinner faces.
Perhaps it was our common bond, the thrill of the experience, or simply the curiosity of the unknown – regardless, we all had a great time enjoying some eclectic food and indeed became buds by the end of the night. Get it? “Buds.” Heh Heh.
Note: We were warned a head of time that we would not feel some crazy psychedelic high after the meal and that the “herbs” were mostly suggestive. We were only given the minutest of amounts anyway, around 3 ounces for 100 people. However, by the time the desert was eaten, our talkative friends were suddenly very quiet, and our quiet friends had become rambunctious and giddy. I was certain I felt some sort of “fuzzy feeling” but perhaps it was simply the high of doing something deliciously taboo… Or maybe, I was just drunk.
Whatever, just call me a cab, I’m too full to drive.
423 Culver Blvd · Playa Del Rey, CA 90293 · Neighborhood: Playa Del Rey
If Buddha had a favorite dive restaurant, this would probably be it.
This tiny little gem is impossible to spot from the street, and I found myself driving back and forth a few times before my friend flagged me down from outside the restaurant. One could compare the experience of finding Destini Café to those trippy 3D Stereograms which slowly reveal themselves after you stare at them blankly for a while. Ahhh, there it is! I was never really good at those anyways. Luckily for me though, my friend arrived first and pointed the place out along with the adjacent alley where I would carefully drive down to park my car. We’re not in Kansas Los Angeles anymore, kids. The view from the parking lot was stunning.
Then, I turned around.
The place is surely a no frills café. Very simple. There’s a tent covering the outside seating area with a huge flowing Buddha fountain in the center to bless your every bite.
The cuisine can be best described as Korean-Chinese with various Singaporean and Thai dishes sprinkled throughout the menu. You can get anything from Pad Thai to Bulgogi, Ramen or stir-fry. My friend and I came here for a mid-day lunch and lingered for a long while. They never once interrupted us, or hurried us out. I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed the food.
They also have over 20 organic teas, which along with their other many beverage options take up an entire side of the menu.
I opted for the Spicy Hot Chocolate, which to me, tasted very much like a Chai Tea Latte. Regardless, it was very good.
Per my friend’s recommendation, I tried the Dol sot Bibim Bap. It is a Korean rice bowl topped with beef and vegetables and it arrived to our table in a sizzling clay pot that was very hot. I had never had it before so I didn’t know how to properly eat it. Shame on me. When it came to the table, I started to dig in immediately but my friend kindly instructed, “You’re supposed to mix it all up first!” She also informed me that if I didn’t scrape the rice off the bottom with the spoon it would get stuck and become burnt. Puerto Ricans call this crispy rice Pegao – which I make at home. Here, it was very crunchy and good!
My friend ordered the Black Bean Noodle Bowl. However, she told me that she recognized it as the Korean dish called Ja Jan Myeon. She said it was “originally a Chinese dish that Koreans have made into a street food – a favorite of college students, best at the end of a long night of drinking!” She said it’s usually made with pork but here they made it with beef. She ate it all up and called it “delish!”
Little places like this can be hit or miss, but Destini Café is legit. It’s a true gem that offers delicious and authentic Asian cuisine.
Special thanks to my AWESOME pal Hilary for bringing me here, 40 weeks pregnant, just a few days shy of having her baby!
BYB TIPS:
Local’s come for brunch and rave about their (western style) breakfast such as an Apple Chicken Sausage Scramble or the Maple Bacon and Avocado Omelet. Drive down the alley to find free parking in back.
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