Aren’t Smoothies Supposed to be Smooth?

Baby when I tell you this smoothie from a little juice bar in Beverly Hills had me chomping, it had me chomping!

If I wanted a treat that was part smoothie and part whole nuts, I would’ve ordered a smoothie bowl. And even when I order a smoothie bowl, I expect the smoothie part of it to be smooth.

I should’ve gone with my first mind and walked out when the lady at the cash register lacked customer service skills.

Let me tell you what happened..

I’m on a beautiful midday walk on this lovely day of the Lord, taking an aimless stroll around Beverly Hills when I came upon a sidewalk sign advertising rich, healthy beverages and snacks.

Maybe it was healthy, but it sure wasn’t rich.

After standing on the sidewalk in front of Juice Crafters Beverly Hills for a moment, looking over their “flavorful favorites” (or whatever sales-y lie was typed on the sign), I decided to go in. There was one guest in front of me and when that person stepped to the side to await his order, I stepped up to the register. The young lady behind the register stared at me with a stale face without saying a word. I said, “hi!” with my natural soft-smile disposition. She did one of those almost-grins that white men give when they don’t want to greet you but feel that they must.

I greeted the cashier again, this time with a two syllable salutation, “hello!”. This time she raised her right hand and did a jerky wave while keeping her lips sternly sealed, followed by a long blink.

My head went back in confusion in conjunction with that kind of quick triple-blink your eyes do when they’re trying to make sure they’re seeing correctly.

“Oh.. you’re not one to use words? You don’t care for using words,” I said with a playful grin and sarcasm, to which she responded, “I said ‘hey’ when you walked up, you just didn’t hear me.”

Hm. I mean I did still have my headphones in (though not much sound was coming out of them) and there was music playing over the store’s sound system, but I don’t know… I doubt a “huah” [H sound] came out of that girl’s mouth, let alone a whole “huah-aay” [hey]. And what type of customer-facing associate only says “hey” when a customer approaches a POS anyway?!

“Hey, any questions about the menu?”

“What can I get for you today?”

“Hi, welcome in!”

Or, the age-old, “hello, how are you?” would’ve worked. Even if she did speak under her breath, a full sentence would’ve been harder to miss.

Child, I paused and thought about turning around and walking out, because why should I spend my hard-earned money at a business that puts money in your pocket and you can’t even be pleasant?!

I decided to let it slide and placed my order, a 16-ounce of their “Wake Me Up” smoothie featuring almond milk, cold brewed coffee, banana, cacao powder, almonds, almond butter, dates, vanilla, cinnamon and chaga. Sounds delicious and nutritious, right?!

Tuh.

While I waited for my order to come up, I thought to myself, “this smoothie is about to be so good, I’ll forget the customer service was terrible.”

Why did I tell myself that? I think that made it worse.

One of the lil’ fellas that was back there making smoothies came out from around the bar and brought me mine where I was sitting on the window seal. Now that right there was nice, how at luxury retail stores they walk from behind the register and hand you your thousand-dollar jeans.

I walk out of the establishment, feeling positive, then take a sip…

Mm mn.

Well, I tried to take a sip, but the moment I sucked, something was blocking the other end of the straw, no matter how much I kept stirring it around and blowing out the blockage.

I continued along my Beverly Hills stroll, giving Juice Crafter’s smoothie the benefit of the doubt.. maybe I just needed to wiggle the cup around some more.

As I continued to struggle sips of the smoothie up my straw, I walked and looked toward the sky and appreciated the palm trees and the sun shining on them and on me, and sent my mind to parts of my body that felt aches from my first workout in a while day-before-yesterday, and listened to my TED Radio Hour podcast about the importance of moving the human body and felt gratitude for being able to move mine (and having always had a natural inclination to do so).

Then my mind’s eye came back to this unpleasant smoothie in my hand coming back up to my face. “Ain’t no way,” I thought. I took the lid off of the cup and realized I indeed wasn’t tripping; this smoothie had been the furthest thing from smooth!

But by this time, I was at the bottom of the cup and blocks away from Juice Crafters Beverly Hills.

I want my 12 bucks back. [inserts side-eye emoji] I could’ve taken that 12 bucks and bought something from Urth Café where I’ve never been done dirty. And this right here is why people stick to what they know, who wants to waste money?!

How are you going to be a higher end smoothie bar in Beverly Hills with low-end products and service?!

The smoothie at Juice Crafters Beverly Hills was NOT rich, was NOT smooth, and was NOT good to the taste. That smoothie at Juice Crafters Beverly Hills was chalk full of ice, making it taste watery, and the real ingredients that were in there weren’t even fully-blended. Look at the picture, zoom in, you can see whole almonds, solid pieces of dates, as well as chunks of ice. And I don’t mean a few fragments, I mean almost a quarter of the cup (and that was after I’d already been chewing and chomping pieces the whole time I was forcing solids thru the straw). It was really a cup of blended ice with superfood ingredients sprinkled in for color.

Girl, that blew me. If I wanted that experience, I could’ve put my lips around a pipe, stuck it in a pond and started sucking!

Before you pay for a smoothie, ask them to see their product or something (what they’re actually making, not what’s on a pretty picture). We can’t keep letting these smoothie bars (and other businesses) get over, charging high dollars for low quality.

First Food Stop in L.A. - Tacos? Nope!

Los Angeles is sometimes playfully seen as an extension of Mexico with the heavy Hispanic influence in this metropolis. So what is a girl in L.A. to do that doesn’t like Mexican food?! She’s in luck!

Los Angeles is a melting pot that does a variety of cuisines well.

One of my favorite cuisines to enjoy aroundLA is Asian cuisine. You can get dolled up and enjoy pan-Asian fare at higher end hot spots, such as TAO LA or Crustacean BH. Or, if you’re ready to chop your sticks without breaking the bank, you can check out one of my go-to spots for a baked salmon roll in Los Angeles: Crazy Rock’n Sushi.

To get some fresh air, I back home, down South, for a couple of months. As my flight to return to Los Angeles drew near, Crazy Rock’n Sushi swam thru my mind and saliva began to swell around my tongue.

I set up a sushi date with one of my girlfriends I met working luxury retail in Beverly Hills years ago. She pushed it back. I waited for her and had sushi at other locations in attempt to hold me over, but they failed to hit that right spot. When she asked for another rain check, I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to go to my go to sushi spot in Los Angeles, so I hopped on my bicycle, made my way north on La Brea, and it did not disappoint.

(Side note: I was waiting to go with a friend because Crazy Rock’n Sushi does a “buy one, get one” deal where you get 50% off your second specialty roll.)

The prices at Crazy Rock’n Sushi are less expensive than grocery store (pre-packaged) sushi at Erewon. When I told my co-worker that, she said, “well look where you at!” Yeah, I told you, Erewon is for Rich B*tch Grocery Shopping.

If you go to the Crazy Rock’n Sushi on the corner of Santa Monica and La Brea in WeHo, be prepared to see some sights… and for some of those sights to become interactive experiences, if you opt for outdoor dining.

Today, while I was eating at Crazy Rock’n Sushi, a woman, that clearly appeared to be experiencing homelessness, walked up to a blonde college girl sitting across the way from me and took an item off of her table. She began to eat it, then doubled back to the table and took a water off of the girl’s table too.

An employee came out and politely let sadly-covered-in-filth-lady know that she’d have to leave. She took her time, drinking a little more water, then left at no rush at all.

Los Angeles has some of the boldest unsheltered peoples I’ve ever seen. That’s a whole separate blog post in and of itself.

Whew child. I opened this blog post sitting at Crazy Rock’n Sushi well before 5pm, now it’s after 10pm that I’ve come back to finish it. That’s it. That’s all. I just wanted to tell you all about one of my favorite sushi spots in Los Angeles that I couldn’t wait to wrap my lips around when I returned.

This isn’t a paid ad; I’m only sharing the goods because it was good to me and I hope it can be good to you. For more info about Crazy Rock’N Sushi WeHo, visit their website (by clicking the handy dandy hyperlink). Let me know if you check it out while in Los Angeles, or if you know a good sushi spot aroundLA that I should check out!

Thank you for being here, riders! I look forward to riding with you another day.

Booted from Brunch at Blaqhaus (But It Was Good)

The entire 5 years I’ve been living in Los Angeles, working in the Food & Beverage industry, and enjoying a plethora of food and beverage entities in my leisure, this is something I’d never seen, let alone had happen to me..

I didn’t want to tell this story, but it has to be told

I’m rather torn because I’m a longstanding advocate of the, more recently popular, initiative to buy Black and shop small. This is the idea to patronize Black-owned establishments and spend your money with independent/local businesses, in effort circulate dollars within our communities. Participating in this type of spending is a way for all of us, at an individual level, to contribute to a more equal economy (less money to the ultra-wealthy, more money to the not-so-wealthy). I’ve done my fair share of research, and understand how powerful where you spend your dollar is, causing me to avoid saying anything that may discourage that dollar from being spent Black.

I’m rooting for everybody Black

Issa Rae is me and I am Issa Rae. I’m rooting for everybody Black — now, while it’s popular; 10 years ago, when I was still a kid in school before it was even a thing; and 10 years from now, however the trend may go.

The same wrong I would tear a hole in Cheesecake Factory for, I’d let slide from a local Black-owned restaurant. Aside from being rightfully biased, I’m aware of the challenges small businesses face, where large chains and corporations are wildly advantaged. When reflecting on my experience at an establishment, I grade them for where/what they are. I’m not going to sit in a fast food, fried chicken joint and say, “ugh! Maestros would never do this.” Well, duh, [expletive]!

BlaqHaus NoHo is an “Upscale Southern Restaurant”

That description, “upscale”, is the first to come up on their website summary when I type BlaqHaus into my Google search engine. That’s the way they describe themselves. Being that’s where/what they are, that’s the lens thru which I was extremely disappointed by what transpired during my visit.

It was going pretty good… until we were kicked out

This past Saturday morning, one of my girlfriends calls me saying she’s craving something savory. I was still in my bonnet with no plans of going anywhere, after having worked a NYE party and not getting home until the wee hours of the morning. But, with a few more nudges from my girl, I was up, sliding into some clothes and slicking my edges.

for southern brunch, chicken and waffles is a go-to of mine | photo: Black Restaurant Week

We were going to go to one of our regular spots, My 2 Cents, another Black-owned restaurant in Los Angeles touting tasty Southern cuisine, but found out they were closed for the holiday. To stay in the same realm of food offerings, I suggested BlaqHaus. My girl immediately declined. She did not have fond memories of our first visit.

This was us giving them a second chance.

The first time we went to BlaqHaus was back pre-COVID. There was a minor wait after checking in for our reservation, but it didn’t compare to the eons we had to wait for our food once we’d gotten seated and placed our order. Service was extremely slow, and I don’t mean “the kitchen missed part of the ticket, but we’re getting an extra well done burger going for you now” type of slow. That’s understandable, it’s a longer cook time, but not that long. No, it wasn’t that. It was a “the chef went to go find a cow to butcher, as soon as he gets back, we’ll get your burger started.” We didn’t make a fuss. We sat, we talked, we waited. The place was packed. We were being understanding. Then about an hour in, we had to know what was going on. We were told they had a back-of-house staff shortage, so basically one chef was doing everything on her own. I felt that struggle, and didn’t hold it against them. (I still included them in a previous post about best brunch spots in L.A., and didn’t say anything about the slow service.)

“Come onnnnnnnnn,” I pleaded with my girlfriend from her passenger seat, “let’s give them another try. They’d only recently opened then, they had some kinks to work out.”

She reluctantly put BlaqHaus into her GPS and we made our way to North Hollywood.

When we pulled up, it was MUCH more open space than our first visit. We smiled, hoping this meant wait times wouldn’t be long. We’d booked the next available reservation online, 2:30pm, but decided to see if they had room to take us early, and to our delight, they did!

We walked up to the host stand within a few clock strokes of 1:15pm. They seated us right away, we were greeted by our server quickly, and ordered drinks. Being silly, my girl snapped a picture of me giggling while I had my phone out looking at the digital menu, trying to decide what I wanted to eat, and sent it real-time in a group text. The timestamp on that texts reads 1:19pm. When the server returned with our drinks, we placed our food order. We were cheers’ing, after the server walked away with our food order, by 1:26pm, as captured by my InstaStory filter.

I know you may be thinking, “okay, T.K… that’s enough details, get to the part where they told y’all y’all had to leave.” And you see, I feel you, I know I’m long winded, but the details matter in this case.

Our food hit the table at 1:55pm. I have had to soothe unhappy patrons, while I’m working, when their food takes a half hour to come out. I’ve also had to encourage patience in my peers when we’re out to eat together and the food hasn’t come out in a shorter time. At the last luxury hospitality group I worked for, servers would be reprimanded if they didn’t notify a manager that their table hadn’t received food within 18 minutes of putting the order in (because to them it should’ve been out 5 minutes ago at that point).

This ain’t that tho. This restaurant isn’t those, and those people aren’t us. Waiting 30 minutes for food isn’t something, I, nor my friend, would complain about. We were chilling. We were thankful to have our butts in seats, and glad the food came out in a FRACTION of the time it did our first visit.

our food came out plated beautifully

We’d told the server when we ordered that we wanted to order two entrees and split them both. I get half of my friend’s entree, my friend gets half of mine. When she came back to check on us, as is standard within moments of food hitting the table, my friend reminded her that we needed two small/share plates. In the meantime, we snapped pictures of our food and posted videos to our InstaStory. We didn’t want to begin eating until we had the plates to split the food in half, that way my used utensils would only touch what I’m eating and vice versa.

I asked for a refill on my 20-dollar bottomless mimosa. The server responds, “okay, and how would you like the check?”

“Together. We’ll put two cards and split it equally down the middle.” I responded, ignoring the fact that there was still food on our plates. We still had forks in hand. We were actively eating.

She dropped the bill as we continued to nibble. She returned after some minutes and refilled my mimosa.

Our server was a thicker girl that my friend said favors Lauren London in the face. A very petite, chocolate brown girl comes and picks up our bill; mind you, she hadn’t done anything for us our entire visit (— which I point out because it’s strange. When servers help each other, they handle a task such as refilling drinks, or clearing empty plates. Picking up another server’s check from a guest is the last thing you do as a fellow server, unless that server or that server’s guests requests you do so, because each server can only close out their own guest check.). I specifically remember the deeper-complexioned girl because she was our server our first visit, and I remember that from complimenting her perfect little frame.

Our server returns with the checkbook in hand and a slightly confused expression. My brunch date tries to nod the girl away discreetly, but then reveals, “I was trying to surprise her.” Under the table (I assume), she’d taken my card out of the checkbook, so when it was picked up, it only had her card in there. (Side note: It’s usually me doing something like that, so it was so touching for someone to do it to me for a change.)

a look inside the space | photo: NoHo Arts District

Our server looks at the checkbook in an, “oh!” type of way, but not as in “I ruined the surprised.” It was a an “I don’t even know what y’all were talking about” type of “ohh.”

When she came back with the transaction receipt, I had to ask. Why was she looking confused about there only being one card in the booklet if she didn’t even know (or care) that there was only one card in the booklet?

She told me her look of confusion was caused by another server coming to her with the booklet saying “your table was trying to flag you down,” claiming that we were waving the check in the air. Now if the little dark skinned one really told her that, she ought to be shamed for being so cute telling bold faced lies!

They went from hinting that they wanted us to leave, to flat out telling us we had to leave.

A back-of-house staff member came out of the kitchen, in full kitchen garb, approached us saying we’d exceeded our stay way beyond the 2-hour limit and that we need to leave. I don’t know whose face was more bewildered, mine, or the one looking at mine from across the table. “We’ve been here that long?,” she wondered aloud.

Excuse me? My response was that confusion where you’re also a bit offended… becauuuuuuse, WHET?!

“Yeah, we have other people waiting,” she tried to clean it up after noticing my reaction. I glanced towards the clearly visible host stand, with no one around, the open walkway, and the less-than-packed parking lot, then back at her with my eyebrows squeezed together, my eyes squinted and my lips slightly parted. She knew what my face was saying. “Well, we have other reservations booked that’ll be coming in,” she continued to try to clean it up, but it was too late.

She told us they needed the table right then. My friend that I was out to brunch with is very non-confrontational, unlike me, and started to hit one of those, “oh, we were just leaving.” Girl, no tf we were not. I’ve barely even sipped my newly refilled 20-dollar bottomless mimosa. Because I’m working on being more agreeable, and I see my friend shifting in her seat, I decide to compromise.

“Okay, may we finish our drinks at the open space at the bar?” I asked. She gladly agreed, “oh sure, you can take it there, we just need this table.” I guess that made her feel less bad about giving us this unexpected boot.

My friend has already closed the drawstrings on her mini Prada backpack, has it in her lap and has said to hell with her bloody Mary. I politely take my time eating the last few bites of our catfish and grits entree, and then I begin grabbing my purse. As I’m putting my bag on my shoulder and sliding out of the booth, the same girl in the apron comes out of the kitchen and says, “actually… sit down. You want a shot?”

We let our butts fall back onto the seat, and neither of us say. We look up, once again, confused. “How’s tequila?” she continues her offer. “You actually have 16 minutes left.” With what seemed to be a genuine disposition, she tells us to enjoy and walks away.

I clicked my phone screen. It said 2:54pm.

Our server, the one that favors Lauren London, comes back flustered and says, “I’m so sorry about that, I’m getting y’all Don Julio.”

my brunch date at Blaqhaus NoHo

at Blaqhouse NoHo — my dear sweet friend, Shirley, that treated me to brunch as a birthday surprise

My friend and I are suckers, so when she came back with our complimentary shots of top shelf tequila, and she seemed like the job was putting her thru it, we added extra cash to her tip. It’s important to note that they’d already added an automatic gratuity to my friend’s card, in the amount of about $20. Then all I had on me was a 20-dollar bill. I put that in the booklet. Then on top of that, my girl put another two five-dollar bills in the booklet, saying “happy holidays.. I feel bad, they tried to sabotage her.”

I don’t know if her co-workers had really conspired against Ms. Thick Lauren London, or if she was in on it too, to get more tips (if she was, it worked), but what I do know is that I don’t like it.

Baby, give me upscale if you’re giving me upscale

That whole debacle was a mess that could’ve (and would’ve) been handled better with a better service team.

The lack of professionalism and decorum was deplorable for an “upscale” establishment with 17-dollar cocktails.

Oh, T.K., since you know so much about hospitality and the Food & Beverage service industry, how about you tell us how it could have been handled better? Chiiiiiiiild, I could write a whole essay, it would have to be its own blog post, but mentioning something about a time limit before it was time to kick us out, instead of blindsiding us, would’ve been a great start.

I’ve had brunch that came up to $150 for two before, not too long ago, at SoHo House, actually. In addition to stunning views and a luxurious environment, SoHo House has superior service. I’m not comparing the two restaurants, per say, because they’re in two totally different categories, I’m just giving an example of where brunch for two has come out to a similar cost and my mind wouldn’t even question it based off the experience I had.

If you’re going to present yourself as upscale, and you’re going to attach an upscale price tag, please have some upscale service; that’s all I’m saying.

Y’all still go check it out for yourselves

Though I don’t plan to rush back to BlaqHaus, I’d still recommended this spot to someone looking for a weekend brunch in Los Angeles with traditional Southern (style) cuisine. The food was tasty (and plated well), the music selection was one you couldn’t help but sing along to, and the vibes were cool (until we were told we needed to leave of course).

BlaqHaus NoHo
11671 Victory Blvd
North Hollywood, CA 91606

Nah, This Ain’t No Coffee.. This That COFFEE Coffee

Seriously, the name of the little café I stumbled into yesterday morning is Coffee Coffee LA.

Then you know how you say a word twice to double the emphasis? Yeah, after having a drink from them, I understand the emphasis in their name.

I felt like I was on speed.

Mind you, I’ve never even puffed a blunt, let alone done a hard drug, but I imagine that if I did, Coffee Coffee’s coffee is what it would feel like.

I ordered a decaf dirty chai latte with oat milk. I will say that this is my first time ever ordering a dirty chai, that means it’s a chai tea latte with a shot of espresso, but that’s why I got it decaffeinated. I thought it would be fine. I thought I would be able to handle it. I thought wrong.

When I was sipping on it at my first gig of the day (which is why I even got it in the first place because I knew I was working a double), I had to get up and bounce on my tippy toes while shaking my fingers and swinging my arms.

I let it melt down a bit, then added a bunch more ice, in hopes watering it down would decrease the potency. It didn’t work.

I don’t know where they get their coffee beans, but that stuff is strong!

Not too long after arriving to my second gig of the day, my heart began palpitating unusually fast. I wasn’t doing anything but standing there, smiling behind my mask, watching the talent and support eat at Universal’s event. The way my heart was racing, you would’ve thought I was walking thru the Halloween Kills immersive experience. After some minutes of this that felt like hours, I was freaking out. I had to leave the floor, go sit in the back and chant “Ommmmm” while taking deep breaths to bring down my heart rate.

I’m a daily chai tea latte drinker from coffee shops all aroundLA, and I also can throw back those Starbucks glass-bottled drinks from the grocery store without feeling an inch of extra energy, which is why I didn’t think I’d be so sensitive to real caffeine.

Coffee Coffee LA is real. Starbucks is a joke in comparison. And that’s what I’ve learned. There’s a big difference between real, high quality coffee, and a cup of sugar.

Oh, speaking of sugar, I almost forgot to tell you all about the delicious, baked-in-house cookie I also had at Coffee Coffee LA. Errrrr mah Gawd! My mouth is salivating at the thought of it. The flavors were rich and the texture was perfect. I’ll definitely be returning to try some of their other homemade menu items!

Coffee Coffee LA boasts handcrafted bites | photo: @coffeecoffeela on Instagram

Coffee Coffee LA boasts handcrafted bites | photo: @coffeecoffeela on Instagram

Are you a real coffee drinker?

If so, please go check out this high quality coffee cafe in LA! Tag @aroundLAwithTK in your InstaStory, or send me a Tweet when you do; I want to know how it is to you.

If you’re a girl like me, that’s a play play coffee drinker, trying to be cute, still go check it out because this place is a whole aesthetic! [inserts heart-gazed eyes] Located in the lovely Larchmont neighborhood of Los Angeles, from the lettering of the menu board to the couches and pillows, it’s stinking adorable! Go snap it up, friend.

Coffee Coffee LA
5630 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
United States

This Ramen Did Exactly What I Needed It To Do

You know when you have a taste for something, and then you go try to satisfy that urge, and what you get doesn’t hit the spot the way you needed it to? Talk about aggravating!

Baby, when I tell you I was the opposite of aggravated just now sitting on the corner of La Brea and Wilshire. It’s approaching four in the afternoon and I had not written yet, so as I sat here, getting ready to close out my bill, I told myself to post something before I get up. So, hey!

I said on my InstaStory that one thing I enjoy about Los Angeles is that it is an international destination, and its offerings reflect as such. This restaurant, La Brea Ramen and Sushi, is placed at the bottom of a nice apartment building and is one stretch of a leg away from a health foods grocery store, Lassens Natural Foods and Vitamins.

I was walking back from making a deposit at the bank [cues cash register sounds], and wanted something flavorful, maybe even salty. I slapped my knee and said, “I should’ve gotten some noodles from Ralph’s”. Then, I looked up and saw this ramen spot.

Mind you, I’ve lived in the Miracle Mile neighborhood of Los Angeles for years and had not once gone in for a bowl of ramen.

Well, today was the day. And my oh my, I’m glad it was. I ordered the spicy miso ramen. Oh my heavens, as I’m typing what I ordered, my mouth is salivating. It was good! Pretty sure, I’ll be back.

La Brea Ramen and Sushi

hours
11:30am to 10pm, daily
address
5224 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036
United States
phone
+1 (213) 537-0033
website
www.labrearamen.com

Look at that, a whole post, in under half an hour.. not my usual dissertation with quotes, references, and links to outside sources, but it’s a post nonetheless. And in the words of this very kind, middle aged man named James out here, “just write.” Period. That’s it. No set goal, no length, no quality level. Start off and keep yourself going by opening up your phone or pulling out your notepad and writing something, even if it’s only a sentence fragment.

Bird by bird, T.K., bird by bird.

How to Be Vegan in Los Angeles? It’s Easy As Pie!

You want to know how to be vegan in Los Angeles? Well, you’re in luck.

It’s easy as pie!

Okay, well, it’s easy if you’re dedicated.

Apparently, that’s what I’m not. I’m only 4 days into a challenge to myself to go vegan for 30 days… and today I had pie… and ice cream on top… and none of it was vegan.

I took to my @aroundLAwithTK Instagram to confess my sins. I realized I was about to eat dairy after I’d already gotten in the dessert line at a USC tailgate and asked for Bruce’s well-known “warm cookie pie.” The lady in her white, USC-logo-covered sundress, in front of me said, “oh, the smell.. this is how you know you’re at a USC football tailgate.. you can’t skip the cookie pie!”

And indeed, I couldn’t.

Side note: This is at their top donors tent. Don’t go to USC grounds looking for cookie pie elsewhere and say I lied to you.

Ugh! I failed myself and ate dairy.

(Not eating dairy was my main focus because I’m lactose intolerant and it’s been messing me up pretty badly as of late, so I was trying to lay off for a bit.. It’s not that I care about animals.)

But what is a girl to do without dessert?!

I want real dessert. That gluten-free, dairy-free, joy-free crap doesn’t cut it. I want creamy, rich, gooey goodness! Mm! I’m tingling simply thinking about it.

Wait, vegan dessert that tastes like real dessert exists?!

When I made it back on my bike ride from the USC season-opening football game, I looked through my pre-stocked picture ideas for an Instagram post on the @aroundLAwithTK page and it dawned on me..

T.K., you have had delicious dairy-free dessert!

As I mentioned in one of my very first entries on this Los Angeles lifestyle blog, the farmers’ market is my shiz-nye-ee! A few times that I’ve visited my Tuesday and Thursday farmers’ markets, I’ve picked up a pie from Ms. Shae.

Related: A Farmers’ Market for Every Day of the Week in Los Angeles

I didn’t know (nor care) that they were vegan.

All I knew is that they were good. The first time I saw this table of cobblers at the LaCienega Farmers’ Market, I stopped because the lady was Black and there aren’t ever many Black vendors at any of these markets, so when I see them, if they’re selling something I can eat, I’m buying.

When I stopped at her booth, Cobblermania, she began telling me about her handmade pies. She went beyond what flavors she offered. She told me how they’re made. Child, she may have even told me the ovens used! Of course, she said how they’re vegan; that’s a big selling point in Los Angeles being that everybody is or goes vegan at some point here (aren’t we annoying?! [inserts eye roll]). But what caught my attention most is that they’re sugar free!

photo: Foodzooka

photo: Foodzooka

You mean to tell me that a diabetic-friendly, dairy-free dessert actually tastes good?

Yes, that’s what I’m telling you. Yeah, I know, I could barely believe it myself. Really, I didn’t. I bought it only to support and figured I’d bring it by my 90-year-old, diabetic landlord. (Call me a kiss-a**, but I like to make my renters happy; please don’t ever raise my rent, baby.) It was after my landlord told me how good it was that I had to try it!

And honey, let me tell you, she ain’t neva lie.

(Please see a YouTube video by one of my girlfriends from Louisiana about things southerners say, by clicking here. It mildly annoys me when people tell me I have a grammatical error in my writing when what I wrote was very intentional. This goes for words such as “cain’t” as well. I didn’t graduate at the top of my college class — in journalism, at that — to not know basic subject-verb agreement. However, it overjoys me to know that people are really reading my stuff [inserts teary-eyed emoji].)

So, see, vegan dessert that tastes good is possible, meaning being vegan in Los Angeles is more than possible..

It’s easy as pie!

Now, go getchu some! You can find Cobblermania at the following farmers’ markets:

  • Hollywood Farmers’ Market

  • Culver City Farmers’ Market

  • LaCienega Farmers’ Market

  • Torrance Farmers’ Market

Related: A List of All Los Angeles Farmers’ Markets

The owner of Cobblermania, Shae Seward, also does catering and events. She can be reached by phone at 323.316.4793, or on Instagram @cobblermania.

Rich B*tch Grocery Shopping!

Though the large forehead may confuse you, I’m missing the thick thighs and tattoos. The above photo is Rihanna leaving a very ritzy market right outside of Beverly Hills.

Rich folks and celebrities need food too, right?!

Of course they do, and when they do, these are the high end grocery stores in Los Angeles you’re most likely to find them in:

Bristol Farms

9039 Beverly Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90048

Let’s start with the one who’s the thumbnail of this article, Bristol Farms. This “gourmet market chain with carefully selected meat, seafood, produce, cheese, wine & imports” is absolutely immaculate. One step into the door, you can see why Bajan songstress Rihanna chooses to shop there.

Rihanna bags her own groceries at Bristol Farms in West Hollywood on March 29, 2021. source : Hollywood Life by Bonnie Fuller

Rihanna bags her own groceries at Bristol Farms in West Hollywood on March 29, 2021.
source : Hollywood Life by Bonnie Fuller

From the pictures, it looks like Rihanna may have picked up some of their hard-to-find wine. I always go for their gourmet, fresh-baked cookie. Oh my heavens! It’s so girthy and rich. (What girl wouldn’t want something with that description? [inserts sly smile]). When you walk in, bakery’s to the left. Thank me later.

The West Hollywood location is directly across the street from a Ralph’s, so whatever you can’t find (or afford) at Bristol Farms, you can conveniently hop over to Ralph’s and pick it up there, while you’re out. It’s slightly west of the Beverly Center, and a few blocks south of celebrity hot spot eateries, such as Catch LA, Bottega Louie WeHo, and Cecconi’s.

Parking is super easy at the West Hollywood location, which is not a common statement when talking about any place in Los Angeles. You can pull right into the parking lot free of charge, and even plug up your electric vehicle to charge while you go in and shop.

Bristol Farms has 14 locations total, and some other Greater Los Angeles areas with one are: Woodland Hills, Santa Monica, Westchester, and Manhattan Beach.

grocery shopping la erewhon new.jpeg

Erewhon Market

7660 Beverly Blvd Ste. A
Los Angeles, CA 90036

The New York Times recently said Erewhon has become L.A.’s hottest hangout. Yep, a grocery store… a hot spot. Erewhon and Bristol Farms are equally gorgeous. Every item is neat and in place. The signage is cute and clear. The layout is lovely. It would be like comparing Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue.

However, what I will say is that Erewhon seems more inviting for you to come in a hang for a bit. There’s plenty of seating, and at the one by The Grove, the first three stations you see are stay-a-while options. There’s the sushi station, the salad bar, then the buffet, the a wall of desserts, then a whole tonic bar where you can order a tiny little health shot or a whole acai bowl. All of the items are made fresh and say “eat me right now,” or at least that’s what they say to me. So, I go right outside and do just that.

While eating at Erewhon, I overhear conversations about 50-thousand-dollar losses on an investment like it’s a glass of spilled water (not even spilled milk, less troubling), or acquiring a share of a new company that now has a valuation of 90-million dollars. It’s just their regular lunch talk. It’s inspiring to be around this type of dialogue.. I’m reminded there’s so much money out there to be made.. so much more I can do.

Miley Cyrus and male friend exiting Erewhon after a successful grocery run. source : Here's What The Grocery Store Where Tons Of Celebrities Are Doing Their Pandemic Shopping Is Like

Miley Cyrus and male friend exiting Erewhon after a successful grocery run.
source : Here's What The Grocery Store Where Tons Of Celebrities Are Doing Their Pandemic Shopping Is Like

There are only six locations: Los Angeles, Calabasas, Venice, Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades, and Silver Lake.

Lassens Natural Foods & Vitamins

710 South La Brea Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Lassens is a small health foods store with a deli, prepared foods and salad bar. Key word: health.

Lassens says it’s “supporting people who care about their health: Eco-consumers, Vegans, Raw Foodists, Foodies, Athletes, & you!”

Organic matters.

Los Angeles is a rather health-conscious city. So the previous stores on this list, and a number of others, do prioritize organic and healthy options, but Lassens only offers organic and healthy options. For example, Bristol Farms and Erewon both have whole wine sections in their stores; whereas, you will not find a drip drop of alcohol in a Lassens. Or, how I can go to Bristol Farms and get the orange chicken, whereas there’s no fried anything at Lassens.

The bakery at Lassens is all vegan, all gluten free desserts. They also offer an array of sugar-free sweets. I want no parts. I want “the cookie” from Bristol Farms with all the dairy, all the gluten, and all the diabetes. Yes, please, and thank you. It may sound as though I’m giving Lassens a hard time, but it’s actually the high end grocery store where I shop most often.. sometimes I’m there twice a day!

A couple of notable people I’ve bumped into at Lassens are Insecure’s Daniel, casting director Melana, and fashionista Tosha Eason. (Yes, Tosha was just as cute in-person, on her little beach cruiser and all, honey.)

Lassens is only in Southern California and has 11 locations, some of which are nestled into neighborhoods of Echo Park, Los Feliz, Thousand Oaks, and Ventura.

If Neiman’s and Saks were grocery stores..

They’d be these. Bristol Farms, Erewhon, and Lassens are the Neiman’s, Saks, and Nordstrom of the grocery realm. And the same way the wealthy and famous shop at those luxury fashion retailers, is the way they shop at these upscale grocery retailers.

If you’re visiting Los Angeles, pop into one of these at some point, even if it’s just for a morning cold-pressed juice to start your day. I’ve lived in and visited a great number of states, and I never knew luxury grocery shopping to be a thing until living here, so it’s definitely one of those smaller LA-lifestyle aspects worth experiencing during your visit.

If you live in Los Angeles, treat yourself to the luxury of shopping at one of these fine food shops occasionally. Or, don’t.. because you may be like me and get addicted. I honestly can’t do traditional (lower end) grocery stores anymore; I already don’t like grocery shopping, and then they’re messy, and crowded, and stuff is in the wrong place, and they don’t have truly fresh produce.. Yeah, it’s a no for me.

These upscale boutique markets are definitely pricey, but they’re worth it. It takes the chore out of grocery shopping. It makes the task more of a fun trip. (No exaggeration, my old co-worker and I would take “trips” to Bristol Farms as our outing for the day when Los Angeles was all shut down during the thick of Covid restrictions; whether we needed something or not, we’d find a reason.)

Let me reiterate, these stores are expensive. Don’t come back saying I sent you to a store and you didn’t know what you were getting yourself into. Be prepared to spend double what you would at a Walmart, per se. Okay, now that I’ve made that clear and you have your coins together, and you’re about to be all cute like Rihanna, go shop, friend! Tell me what you liked, I may want to try it out!

Click the button below to go over to the aroundLA YouTube series!

Six Spots for a Southern Sunday Brunch in L.A.

After a hike at Runyon the other Sunday, a couple of my old co-workers and I sat parked along the street trying to figure out where we would go to eat. We referred back to an Instagram post I’d sent prior, and as beautiful as the Black-owned Sunday brunch spots list was, it wasn’t functional for us in that moment because only one allowed you to eat there (My 2 Cents — which is where we’d just eaten our previous Sunday linkup; plus, one of the girls wanted mimosas and that’s not something they offer). All of the other places were only doing to-go.

We’re tired of ordering to-go. We want to eat out! And, at these places, you can… literally eat out.

Los Angeles County still has quite the restrictions in place, but businesses are finding a way to stay strong during this debilitating public health crisis. From lining tables along the sidewalk, to turning parking lots into full-blown dining “rooms”, some restaurants have figured out a way to allow their guests to dine onsite with them while still following public health guidelines.

Southern brunch is like soul food for breakfast.

It’s filling, rich, and warm. These ain’t no avocado toast type joints. We’re talking thick, creamy grits. We’re talking alcoholic beverages and not worrying about it being 5 o’clock somewhere. We’re talking sweets; dessert isn’t reserved to dinner in this culinary category. (My diabetes-ridden family has me slightly paranoid and playing it safe with this one, but occasional indulgence won’t have me pricking my finger anytime soon, hunh?) We’re talking bacon-fat-cooked anything. Who’s tossing out good grease after a single use?! (Remember, soul food was born out of American descendants of African slaves using leftovers from what they had prepared for the master’s meal). Whew, don’t get me off on a tangent. Let’s get into this list!

My 2 Cents

5583 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90019

You see, I’m going to be completely honest; their shrimp and grits is absolutely mouth-watering (my mouth is watering as I type this, no joke); it’s one of my favorites, but I’m still hungry after I finish them. The serving size is small. Maybe it’s only my little fat self, but I’d say you have to order something to accompany them, like maybe some biscuits, if you want to feel full. But wait, this is L.A., where people are more health-conscious than where I’m from, so someone who’s interested in lighter fare while still getting to enjoy that savory Southern cuisine may opt for this menu item.

I have been here multiple times with different friend groups, where we all order various meals and I’ve not heard one single complaint. If I haven’t ordered it myself, I’ve nibbled off of someone else’s plate (which I’m good for doing) and everything has been tasty. Their menu doesn’t confuse you with two many options, and you really can’t go wrong no matter what you choose.

Stevie’s Creole Cafe

5545 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90019

If the two sisters, daughters of Mr. Stevie, that run this place, don’t know my name, they definitely know my face. It’s hard not to become a regular after eating their food. It’s so good that when I met Mr. Stevie, I had to ask him where he’s from. He told me he’s from Los Angeles, but he must’ve done some mighty good research because his Louisiana Creole-inspired fare is rather convincing. It’s not my Teedie’s, but it definitely satisfies my cravings for comfort food while in Los Angeles.

If you’re anything like me and can always make room for dessert, add an order of beignets when you visit. Baby when I tell you, they’re worth every single calorie, they’re worth it! Go bike or hike it off later ☺

Delicious at the Dunbar

4229 S Central Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90011

The name “Delicious Southern Cuisine”, the location in the historic Dunbar Hotel (which was once the heart of Black Los Angeles), and articles about the restaurant that focus on talking points such as a “promise to return to South LA decadence,” could easily lead one to believe that this is a Black-owned establishment. It is not. (It’s the only one on this list that isn’t.) Let’s hope those characteristics are only coincidental, and weren’t intentional to seem Black-owned in hopes of getting more of the Black dollar. I digress.

The executive chef immigrated to Los Angeles from Puebla, Mexico when he was 20 years old. He started off washing dishes at a spot in South Central LA where Civil Rights leaders would meet, went on to work at other long-standing soul food restaurants, and eventually worked his way up to Cook, then built his own foundation, that he was able to pass along to his daughter. (That’s the story I much rather hear.)

This Latina-owned restaurant boasts Southern cuisine with a Mexican-Angeleno twist. I haven’t yet ventured into the menu items with a Mexican flare, but if it’s prepared as well as any of the other dishes I’ve had, I’m sure they’re good too. For brunch, I’m stuck on the french toast because it’s crispy then a tad gooey in all the right places. Yum!

Now these next three are on my list for my next available Sundays. Though I haven’t visited yet, I personally called each one and confirmed that they are indeed offering Sunday brunch and that patrons are able to dine onsite.

BlaqHaus NoHo

11671 Victory Blvd
North Hollywood, CA 91606

According to the raging reviews, this place is poppin’! Out in one of the valleys surrounding L.A., this restaurant offers all of your brunch classics, including mimosas! It’s giving bourgeoisie and down-to-earth vibes at the same time. This looks like a spot where it’s totally appropriate to arrive all dolled up.

Yes, sis, go get cute and sip your bubbly in their open-air patio dining area!

Serving Spoon

1403 Centinela Ave
Inglewood, CA 90302

This spot gives me “hey, baby, come on hea, sit down and eat you some food.” They hashtag their posts with #AintNoBetterBreakfast. And a scroll thru their feed also shows they’ve had quite some notable guests over the years, from L.A. Clippers’ Paul George to soon-to-be Vice President (we hope) Kamala Harris. It’s not some fancy smancy place that people would go to only for the look, so the actual food itself must be pretty darn good!

M’Dear’s

2450 E Carson St
Lakewood, CA 90712

A visitor to Los Angeles said in an Instagram post, “it’s like mama’s kitchen.” This little diner can make you feel at home and fill up your belly.

Gather your girls and go have brunch!

(But don’t gather too many, because even in open air spaces, Los Angeles County is still only allowing restaurants a party maximum of six; so if you show up with more than six people, they’re required to split your group into separate tables.)

Save this for later!

Who knows how long these restrictions will remain in place?! And even when they’re lifted, this is still a great list to choose from because you’ll know these spots have been in operation, even through the tough times.

All of the restaurant names in large font are links that you can click to go directly to their website, if you’d like to check out their menu or more about them.

Maybe you’re reading this and it’s not Sunday yet, or you aren’t in L.A. at the moment, or you already have plans for this upcoming Sunday… Just save this Instagram post, retweet this article, or share it on Facebook to easily come back to it when your ready to have a yummy Southern Sunday brunch in Los Angeles!