It is nice live in a place where dining is not limited to a Red Lobster, TGI Fridays, Applebee’s or whatever is down by the local mini-mall. One great thing about Santa Monica is the diversity of its storefronts, boutiques, and restaurants.
DOWNTOWN — If you’ve ever wanted to shop at one of Santa Monica’s Farmers’ Markets but are intimidated by the vast selection of produce, have no fear — the chefs are here.
It was a Tuesday night around 6:30. I felt like a steak with a glass of red wine. So I walked into Boa steakhouse on Ocean Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard.
When I asked five of my friends if they were familiar with the Third Street Promenade’s Café Crepe, they all replied “yes.” But when I asked them if they ever stepped inside for some food, the answer was “no.
Building your own burger is no longer a novel concept amongst some of the better griddles here in town. Marking off a checklist to customize your burger’s, bun, patty, and toppings, is certainly a fun and interactive way to chow down.
For most people Taco Bell can best be described as nothing more than a guilty pleasure. It has also been pegged as a late night mainstay (hence the company’s “fourth meal” ad campaign) for the drunk, stoned, and struggling dieters that have gone way off the deep end.
Once at dinner at El Bulli in Spain, then considered the best restaurant in the world, we were served a course simply called “countries.” It consisted of three small porcelain spoons with a spoon full of liquid in each.
There are hundreds of diets. I know people who follow a raw diet, only eating raw fruits and vegetables; others follow a vegan diet, completely shunning any food from animals; and still there are those who follow a caveman type diet eating a lot of meat and virtually no grains.
With the weather being as unseasonably pleasant as it has been, I have found myself riding my bike solely to bask in this glorious warmth. A stop into the 17th Street Cafe & Bakery was for no reason other than the fact that I was hungry, and I was on the corner of 17th Street and Montana Avenue.
Patrolling the Santa Monica streets with fellow food writer Merv Hecht, a hot lead brought us to the Yahoo! Center on the east side of town. The complex is a major business hub with some high profile tenants like HBO, Apple and, of course, Yahoo.
When my dad first tasted pizza around 1950, he proclaimed it a fad that would disappear soon. Years later he would proclaim his love of American food, things like pizza and tacos.
If you take a look back on the burger timeline in Santa Monica, somewhere along it the classic hamburger slowly transformed into an elaborate gastronomic experience.
