Sweetly Inspired by Art

If food should be fun then dessert should be delightful. Here are some examples of desserts inspired by fine art. We love how creative and beautiful these sweet little indulgences are, how they transform art into an experience to remember.

Piet Mondrian
Salvador Dali
Alejandro Cartagena

John Zurier

Modern Gingerbread Houses

Tired of the overdone, over-decorated Hansel & Gretel style gingerbread houses?  Why not try a modernist version. Bring on the butterfly roof and the peppermint stick columns.  Be brave, be bold, be modern!    

LA Food Fest : : Saturday July 21st

LA Food Fest is back!  Tickets are on sale now and only available online.  Get em while you can! 

Pay Once = Eat + Drink your heart out.  Sample street food from 75+ Trucks, Carts, Restaurants and Chefs. 

Early Admission VIP Hour+ 3:00 - 4:30pm $65

General Admission 5-9pm $45

Click HERE to purchase. 

Eat your veggies!

Our Senior Partner Lynwen Hughes was kind enough to let us know that the new Altadena Farmers' Market is having their grand opening tomorrow, Wednesday May 30th, 3-7pm at Loma Alta Park in Altadena.  There are so many great Farmers' Markets throughout our communities, we thought we would share a few of our favorites.  

Santa Monica:

Arizona Ave. - Wednesdays 8:30am-1:30pm

Main Street - Sundays 9:30am-1:00pm

There's so much to see at the Santa Monica Farmers' Markets - Chef's, celebrities, pony rides, petting zoo, music.  These markets are dense, and vibrant.

The Main Street Farmers' Market has a bike valet!

South Pasadena: Thursdays 4-8pm

Unlike so many other Farmers' Markets that are squeezed into parking lots, the South Pasadena market has a great neighborhood vibe.  Located in the heart of South Pas on the corner of Mission and Meridian and right next to the Gold Line Metro, this market is surrounded by independently owned shops and restaurants.  

photo: Felicia Friesema

Yamashiro's: Thursdays 5-9pm 

Hands down, Yamishiro's wins the prize for the Farmers' Market with the best view.  And better yet, you can enjoy it with a glass of wine (or beer).  

photo: Lindsay William-Ross

Need a little culinary inspiration?  Check out Amelia Saltsman's Santa Monica Farmers' Market Cookbook.

Eat.Drink.Americano. - opens May 23rd in the Arts District

Our 940 E.2ND ST property Downtown in the Arts District welcomes our new neighbor.  Actually it's an old neighbor sporting a gorgeous new look - Welcome Eat.Drink.Americano.
Formerly Cafe Metropol, the new gastropub opens May 23rd with a new menu described as "locally sourced modern American Pub fare."  Can't wait to try it out.  
Click HERE for more details and photos.

My Burger As Art - Big Daddy's in Pasadena

Barry Gray, one of our Senior Partners just emailed us to ask - "are we doing food recommendations for our new blog? I just had the most delicious fire grilled burger at Big Daddy's in Pasadena."  Yes Barry, we are!  

from Barry:
If you dare build a hamburger joint literally next door to a classic In and Out Burger you better be good.....  I had a fire grilled angus beef burger (perfectly cooked to requested MW) with gorgonzola cheese.  Fries and rings are cooked in peanut oil.  They also serve beer and wine including their own brew.   Counter order with indoor and outdoor seating, food took about 15 minutes to arrive at my table but it was crowded and it was grilled to order - worth the wait.   Visit the nearby Pasadena Architectural Salvage they are having a sale all weekend.  Delicious burgers and vintage screen doors as art!

Big Daddy's: 2122 East Foothill Boulevard, Pasadena CA  tel. 626.796.1266