when i’m home, the santa monica farmers market is always a must! i usually visit often in the summer but this was my first time going in the winter. i was pleasantly surprised at the wide variety of produce and i actually like it better this time of year because of the many vegetables, especially squash and carrots. it was also less crowded which is always a plus. do you have a local farmers market you frequent?
i love farmers markets because they make for a wonderful combination of organic, locally grown food and beautiful flowers. the farmers market on wednesdays in santa monica is truly one of my favorite things about la. so much so that i’ve made over an hour and a half long trips just to go there. it is one of the biggest markets i’ve been to and on top of that, its great for people watching. you can always see chefs buying for their restaurants, florists with bundles of flowers and people with yoga mats grabbing produce after class. we found some yummy treats (post coming tomorrow) but the best part is experience walking around and seeing all the interesting and unusual foods, plants and other goodies. oh how i wish it was closer to home.
today, i finally tried sprinkles ice cream and it lived up to, even exceeded, my expectations! i want to hug whoever came up with the brilliant idea of mixing my two favorite things: ice cream and sprinkles cupcakes. i had the butter pecan which was good but the red velvet really took the cake (pardon the pun). the shop is absolutely adorable too with thomas jefferson’s ice cream recipe decorating the ceiling and a big white window seat for sitting. this ice cream, unlike sweet rose creamery, was definitely worth the trek.
i tried milo + olive a few weeks back and it did not disappoint. i’m still dreaming about the delectable food. everything our group had was so delicious and the atmosphere is very intimate. its tiny inside and we had to wait for longer than expected but was well worth it. yet another restaurant in LA added to my ‘must go back’ list
my friends and i have a tradition that every sunday before we go to church, we grab coffee up in LA, usually at intelligentsia in silverlake. i love the coffees here (especially the soy lattes), the latte art and their great selection of teas but what i love most is the beautiful building and ambiance. these mornings are some of my favorites and something i’m going to miss the most when i leave for new zealand.
while in search of ice cream, i stumbled on the brentwood country mart last weekend. its the perfect mix of kick back chill and LA classy. though i was disappointed by the ice cream (especially after hearing such great reviews), the vegetarian tacos were good, the independent bookstop is stelar and there is a darling little stationary store in the back that sells rifle stationary. overall, it was an afternoon well spent.
