We went to Los Angeles to visit my Son and his girlfriend and of course eating is our activity of choice.  I thought it would be fun to take you along. Step by step.
1. We arrived in the morning and immediately had to stop and grab lunch at a most wonderful cheese shop.   We picked up sandwiches.  My son thinks they are one of the best in LA, I have to agree.  It was called Froma on Melrose , try the sandwich which was brasaola, chevre, lemon and arugula on a baguette.  It was memorable.  It’s the thin sliced lemon that makes it amazing.  We ate that on the road as we drove in the Hollywood hills.  It was delicious and fun.  We had an appointment to get to before we went on our Food tour.

Maggie in front of Froma on Melrose

2. Six Taste Food Tour of Santa Monica.  We had a 3:00 tour.  We met our tour guide Teresa, who was so upbeat and knowledgeable.
First stop:  Rockenwagner Bakery Cafe known for their pretzels, bread and most amazing pretzel croissant.   I was knocked out.  I can’t stop thinking about it.

Theresa, our guide explaining the process of pretzel making.

The amazing pretzel croissant.

Second stop: Border Grill it was a sit down visit and margaritas were enjoyed if you wanted to purchase, but the tastings were fantastic.

We also went to the Tutor House a wonderful British Tea House and Grocery.  We tried a piece of the mushroom and Chicken pie or a spinach & cheese pie.  Everyone enjoyed shopping.
Third Stop: The Palisades.  It was sunset by the beach and we got a great history lesson and a piece of the Godmother sandwich featured on the Food Networks ” Best thing I ever Had”  It was beautiful and equally scrumptuous.

Fourth Stop: A Wine Bar called Pourtal. It has the I innovative Enomatic system allows you to taste what would normally be a $10 to $70 glass in a restaurant for a fraction of the price because it pours small amounts and the bottle can be uncorked for days without deteriorating.  Check out their video on their website.

Fifth Stop:  Angelatos Cafe we got 3 tastes and a cone or small dish.  It was creamy gelato in 100 flavors.  I had the chocolate peanutbutter.  What a way to end a great 4 hour tour  of fun tastings.  It was $65 and we added a tip at the end.  Well worth it, plus you get good excercise walking in between the tastings.

Day II was another adventure walking from Marina Del Rey through Venice, so charming to Abbot Kinney Street to start our eating tour.

Venice Canal

After a beautiful walk we ended up at Albert Kinney Blvd. and it was time for Coffee.  We stopped at a place that makes Coffee and Tea a science and they had the line to prove it. It is called Intelligentsia.  It was delicious and soooo California.

Barista at Intelligencia

Next, Don and my first food truck stop, we ate behind the truck. It was Dim Sum, a great variety of  small Chinese dishes called, DeluxeDumplings Usually served in steamer baskets in a cart where you are charged by the piece.  Here it was just a truck with a wonderful variety of small bites.  A great start to our day.

Dim Sum TruckVery Rustic dining, but we loved it!

We had cheeseburger dumplings, shumai, scallop, egg tart

Next off to shop a bit, browsing up and down the street are independent clothing, jewelry, housewear shops.  It is very trendy and great browsing on a Sunday.

My son trying on hats. A nice look!

We went to Jin’s Patiserrie for macaroons next.  This is a great tea house with a charming patio in the front.  They serve salads, quiche, tea and the best french macaroons in life!  These little cakes are fantastic and the passion fruit and strawberry meringue we had was sumptuous.

Macaroons & Meringue with passion fruit & strawberry

This was a wonderful sweet stop.  We went back to my son’s place and grabbed our belongings because we had an early flight, but we still had time for one last feast.  On the way to the airport we stopped for a seafood extravaganza at Quality Seafood at the Redondo Pier.  OMG!  It was festive with a Mariachi band and swarms of families walking around and seated at the outdoor tables.   It is a unique place.  THis is a huge fish market.  You can purchase to take home or they will steam and fry anything.   I have never seen so many types of clams and oysters on the half shell.  We bought Ipswich clams to steam at home.  They were amazing.  They have fresh sea urchin that they open live and serve.

picking the perfect Uni - sea urchin

Fresh Raw Uni

The dungeoness crabs are amazing.  We had 3 between the four of us. You put a deposit on your mallets and line your table with newspaper, be sure to cover your crab with the corner of the paper and bang away.  Great for getting out your frustrations and fantastic eating.  I did not like the butter to dip it in, I think it was margarine, but everything else was amazing.  It is a highlight.  A great finish to a fantastic weekend.