Best Sandwiches in Los Angeles (#2 of 18): The Daily Dose {Sandwiches}

19 May

I’m ever so slowly making my way through LA Weekly’s top sandwiches in the city (emphasis on the slowly). In my defense, the list is lengthy (including runners-up), the city is massive and I have the rest of the places on my bucket list to get through :)

THE DAILY DOSE
www.dailydoseinc.com
1820 Industrial Street
Los Angeles, CA 90019

THE RATING

THE QUICK AND DIRTY: Tucked away in a quaint alley between two gorgeously aged brick buildings in the industrial part of DTLA (not sketch, I swear), The Daily  Dose is an easy-to-miss gem of a sandwich shop. Through the good graces of LA Weekly, we were able to find and partake in what could arguably be one of the best and freshest sandwiches the city has to offer (I’ll ignore the fact that this was on the list of runners up. While Baco Mercat was tasty, these sandwiches blow the toron out of the water). Everything is as local as they can possibly acquire – I mean, the bread is from a bakery one. street. over. The burrata is insanely creamy, melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The heirloom tomatoes taste like they were JUST picked after being meticulously vine-ripened (BLECH to mealy tomatoes, btw). I love a place that understands seasonality of produce, local is better when you want things fresh and that the food isn’t always about being showy when you use quality ingredients.

THE EATS:

{the farmer: roasted heirloom potatoes, heirloom tomatoes, eggplant puree, squash puree, burrata, red pepper ancho chili jam, almond pesto}

{mortadella, burrata, heirloom tomatoes}

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Chocolate Pot de Creme {Pinspiration}

16 May

This little lady’s still quite obsessed with a little site called Pinterest. I’m legitimately going to need a pintervention soon, especially if the pinspiring puns continue.

P-anyways. (ok. That one’s a stretch.)

Tackling another recent pin: chocolate pots de creme. Eeep!

—————————–

Recipe via tastingtable.com

Yield: Four 4-ounce ramekins

Cook Time: 5 minutes (plus overnight refrigeration)

{always be prepared}

{un cafe, s’il vous plait}

INGREDIENTS
1 cup coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate
3 large egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup granulated sugar, divided
½ vanilla bean pod, split and scraped
¼ cup hot water or coffee
Pinch kosher salt

 

DIRECTIONS

1. Place the chocolate in a medium bowl and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, combine the cream, ¼ cup of the sugar and the vanilla-bean pod and seeds and bring to a rapid boil.

{pouring the hot cream into the eggs}

3. Slowly pour the hot-cream mixture into the eggs, whisking to combine. Over the bowl of chocolate, strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve (discard the vanilla pod). Gently whisk in the water and salt until the mixture is smooth. Pour the mixture into four 4-ounce ramekins and refrigerate overnight. To serve, sprinkle each pots de crème with 1 tablespoon of the remaining granulated sugar and use a torch to caramelize the sugar.

{straining through a sieve. so fancy!}

 

{fire!!!}

Serve immediately. (If you don’t have a kitchen torch, use the broiler: Adjust the oven rack to the highest position and heat the broiler to high. Place the sugar-sprinkled pots de crème on a rimmed sheet pan and set under the broiler until the sugar is browned, turning the sheet pan midway through broiling. Note: Keep an eye on the pots de crème as the sugar can burn quickly.)

{the hardest part is waiting for them to refrigerate overnight}

{voila!}

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Little Dom’s…Again! {Brunch}

23 Apr

I’m a tofu-eating, yoga-practicing, toms-wearing, brunch-going twenty something living in Hollywoodland. I’ve become my own worst nightmare. My name is Shannon, and I am so LA.

Maybe it’s true. Maybe the sunshine does make us less cynical than our eastern counterparts (I still love you more, NY!). But how cynical can you really be on a sunshiney Sunday morning enjoying eggs benedict with your slightly woozy friends from the previous night’s debaucherous adventures? (life lesson learned: Jameson is stronger than beer.)

Enter the wonderful meal mashup that is brunch. I was particularly hyped when I found out that Little Dom’s in lovely Los Feliz served brunch, so duh, I dragged some (slightly hungover) friends to recuperate over some coffee and breakfast potatoes.

Little Dom’s
www.littledoms.com
2128 Hillhurst Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 661-0055

The Rating: 

The Quick and Dirty:

The wait wasn’t too bad during prime brunch time (maybe 20 minutes or so?). The coffee? Strong enough to kick that headache. The eggs benedict need to become a regular menu item, because they were perfection. For an Italian restaurant, the pizza is just ok (props for the homemade sausage though). No brunch is complete without pancakes, and it’s really hard to f those up, especially when they have blueberries and ricotta cheese in them. Yum.

The Eats:

{roasted garlic potatoes}

{bacon eggs benedict on focaccia}

{italian sausage pizza}

{ricotta blueberry pancakes}

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5 Signs You’ve Picked A Bad Restaurant {Truth}

19 Apr

Can I expand the list to 6 to include “There are photos of the food on the menu.” (And while we’re at it, “There are ads in the menu” cough Cheesecake Factory cough).

Via Huffingtonpost.com.

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Osteria Mamma {Mambo Italiano}

18 Apr

Saying I’m picky about my Italian food is like saying I like things neat. A gross understatement, at best. I have my (very) short list of go-to Italian restaurants in this town (just two, to be exact) and Osteria Mamma sits comfortably on par with them.

{genius. a light inside the check.}

 Osteria Mamma
www.osteriamamma.com
5730 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 284-7060

The Rating:

The Quick and Dirty:

MUCH easier to get a res at than the other Osteria a few blocks west. Cozy, lively, tasty. Splurge on the pink sauce pappardelle (you can go to the gym tomorrow). Located just a bit north of Larchmont proper. Street parking isn’t too bad. Gorgeous wall of wine. Wouldn’t get the pizza again. Friendly service. Amazing bread and slightly spicy red sauce dip. On my short list because it doesn’t try too hard. Italian is about using the best of the best simple ingredients and recipes. There’s no room for showyness here. 4 cupcake rating simply for the pappardelle.

The Eats:

Yum.

{pappardelle al fumo. pink sauce, pancetta, scarmorza cheese & oregano}

{lauriano pizza. tomato sauce, mozzarella, parma prosciutto, ricotta, arugula}

{ravioli a scetta. spinach & ricotta cheese ravioli}

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