Friday Five: Best foods I ate in LA

There's a one woman dance party going on over here, and it's all in the name of Friday.  TGIF!  Dance with me, won't you?  Or, you know, humor me and let me believe you're dancing, too.

Even though I only worked four days this week, I'm practically giddy that the weekend is finally here.  I blame the fact that I totally thought Wednesday was Thursday, like, all day long.  But, it's Friday, and a fun-filled local weekend is peaking around the corner.  That being said, I couldn't help but take one more chance to relive our West Coast trip, which is the inspiration for today's Friday Five: the best foods I ate in LA!  Whatever you do and wherever you are this weekend, I hope it's delicious :)


Honorable mention - In-N-Out Burger - It's truly un-American that I've been to LA so many times and hadn't visited the famous burger chain until this trip.  We stopped at In-N-Out after our friends retrieved us from the airport.  Matt ordered two "Animal Style" burgers (from the not-so-secret menu) and fries.  The fries were just meh, but the burgers were freaking delicious!  We agreed the beef patties had a great taste and texture and seemed much more substantial than other fast food burgers.  I had only three bites, but that was enough to know that In-N-Out burgers are LEGIT, y'all.

5. Marinated fish & avocado with capers, Chinese peas, artichokes from The Milky Way - A staple of every trip to Los Angeles, this charming kosher dairy restaurant is one of my favorite places in the city.  Though I've tried nearly everything on the menu, I usually stick to a few tried and true items: mushroom fettucine (with steamed broccoli), tuna melts, salmon puffs, and the best-I've-ever-had guacamole and chips.  But, for some reason, I went rogue and ordered an item new to me... and it was awesome.

4. Mini peanut butter chocolate chip cupcake with PB buttercream from Sprinkles - Because one can never have enough dessert, especially on vacation, I convinced Matt to stop here after our shopping binge spree at Sugarfina.  When I first tried Sprinkles treats many years ago, I wondered if the cupcakes could possibly live up to the excessive hype; they did back then and still do today.  The peanut butter chip cupcake was petite but packed a big punch -- serious peanut flavor, a delicate moist crumb, and a buttercream for which I'd travel to the ends of the earth. 

3. Buttermilk pancakes from Mary & Robb's Westwood Cafe - Shame on me for not photographing these flapjacks because they were epic!  I ordered the garden vegetable scramble with fruit as my main meal but decided to share a short stack with Rachel.  Best.decision.of.vacation.  These pancakes were the fluffiest I've ever had yet still moist and buttery and full of flavor.  If I ever get to return, I'm going all in with a full stack.  This photo of the best brunch dates in town will have to suffice. 

2. Pistachio salmon sashimi from Yamashiro Hollywood - It was at this restaurant where I first tried sushi many years ago, so it's fitting that my first experience with sashimi was here, too.  The sweet citrus and pistachio accents paired perfectly with the melt-in-your-mouth salmon that was so smooth, I could've sworn it was made of butter.  It was so good that I wanted to devour it immediately but decided to make it last, punctuating each blissful bite of salmon with tastes of edamame, seaweed salad, and Matt's charred albacore.  I'm not ashamed to admit that I got a little teary-eyed when my plate was empty.

1. Cheese & onion boreka from Moishe's Village at the Farmer's Market - This.beautiful.thing.  It renders me speechless.  It blew my mind years ago when I first had it (it's my blogger picture you see in the upper right hand corner of the homepage) and did when I was reunited with it last week.  Just looking at this picture makes me weepy.  At first glance, you might think it's a simple, small pizza, but it's so much more than that.  The mild dough is hand-rolled and topped with sweet and tender onions and handfuls of stringy melted mozzarella.  Despite being cooked in a nearly 600 degree oven, the lightly browned crust has almost zero crisp to it.  Unless you want to burn your entire mouth (even then, it's worth it), let the boreka cool slightly (totally worth it) before cutting and devouring cheesy piece by cheesy piece.  This picture makes me wish scratch 'n sniff digital photography was a real thing.  Be still, my boreka-loving heart.


What's the best thing you've ever eaten on vacation?  Sound off!