tag: lunch

Before I left for Paris, I lived a few blocks away from Huckleberry. Somehow, though, I failed to visit until just before I moved away. I’ve been trying to make up for my negligence by visiting nearly every weekend since being back, getting runny fried egg and gruyère sandwiches or duck hash, and trying to save enough room to have a piece of rich salted caramel shortbread for dessert.

It’s a deservedly popular spot, and doesn’t take reservations, so be conscious of the wait if you’d like to eat in. Or, you can be like me and go at an off-time like 2pm. Or! You can get everything to-go and drive the mile or so to the beach and consume your comestibles while wiggling your toes in the sand.

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Posted in: dining out, los angeles, Uncategorized | Tags: bakery, breakfast, brunch, cafe, coffee, food, healthy, huckleberry, latte art, los angeles, lunch, organic, photography, restaurant, santa monica, santa monica brunch, santa monica restauarant | 3 COMMENTS

There are places I walk into and instantly know I’ll be a regular. Soul Kitchen was one of those places.

I first headed to this little behind-the-butte café due to a recommendation from Jackie and I can’t thank her enough. I’m here at least a couple of days a week now, leeching off their wifi and churning out some work while the restaurant bustles around me. I’m sitting in my usual corner seat as I type this, actually, listening to their awesome soundtrack which today includes Alt-J, Rufus Wainwright, Woodkid, and Regina Spektor.

Charming without being cutesy, hip without being pretentious, Soul Kitchen is run by the Anzel sisters, the sweetest restaurateurs you’ll ever meet. They serve simple, homemade food that’s often vegetarian, using fresh, seasonal ingredients. I realized last week that I had accidentally been eating vegetarian for three days because of this restaurant — and if you’ve been to Paris, you know what a feat this is.

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Posted in: dining out, paris | Tags: 75018, behind the butte, brunch, cafe, food, lunch, lunch montmartre paris, montmartre, montmartre brunch, montmartre restaurant, paris, paris restaurant, restaurant, soul kitchen, soul kitchen paris, travel, vegetarian, vegetarian restaurant paris | 14 COMMENTS

I’ve had a mild obsession with Jamie Oliver for years — I used to come home from school and watch him on Food Network. It’s cooks like him that started me on the road to being the food-obsessed girl I am now. So, I couldn’t go to London without visiting one of his restaurants.

Barbecoa is on prime real estate with floor-to-ceiling windows that look out on Saint Paul’s Cathedral, specializing in dishes centered around meat and fire, whether it’s steak on grills, chicken roasted in wood-fired ovens, or pit-smoked beef. It’s a testosterone-filled menu, though with the occasional delicate touch like my cocktail: a Death in the Afternoon with a rose petal for garnish.

Honestly, I felt a bit out-of-place. We went during lunchtime and were quickly surrounded by suits. Not that there’s anything wrong with suits, but the folks around us were clearly more interested in closing the deal than the (quite good) food in front of them.

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Posted in: dining out, travel | Tags: all the meats, barbecoa, barbecoa london, bourgeois, england, food, jamie oliver, jamie oliver barbecoa, london, london restaurant, lunch, meat, o, restaurant, suits, travel, uk, united kingdom | 0 COMMENTS

Sing it with me: impeccably-sourced products, natural wine, chill ambiance, warm service…

Vivant is another contender in the list of modern bistros with spin-off wine bars in Paris (see: Frenchie, Verjus, Septime), and they’re doing it right. I went with lunch on a rare sunny day with A, who can eat with the best of them.

Risotto / encre de seiche

Gnocchi / ragout de canard

Both of our entrées were, surprisingly, Italian-themed and, less surprisingly, amazing. I dream about that gnocchi. Cloud-like pillows in a rich duck sauce, it blew the gnocchi I had at Le 6 Paul Bert the night before out of the water.

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Posted in: dining out, paris, Uncategorized | Tags: 75010, bistro, food, lunch, paris, paris restaurant, pierre jancou, restaurant, travel, vivant, vivant paris, vivant table | 10 COMMENTS