Issue 41 — We made it to hometowns! 🌲
But first let's hit Snaxpo West
Nothing like a dash-mounted coffee maker to get you through Monday morning.
Keeping this issue brief as I’ve been BUSY OK!?
🗓 A few things coming up…
3/18 Yess at Dudley — celebrating the closing out of California’s spiny lobster and chanterelle mushroom season
3/24 Everson Royce Bar Wine Garden — wine flights, cocktails, music, mayhem + more
3/23 + 3/24 Barra Santos Bday Block Party
Snaxpo
“EXPO tends to be so cost-prohibitive to the actual new and emerging brands, so every year, Snaxshot has been putting together our own event that helps showcase and bring visibility to the newest of new…. As usual, our curation will feature international brands, emerging and pre-launch brands! 😍” — Snaxshot
This year they partnered with delivery app, GoPuff, who supports emerging brands with the dedicated category ‘Latest and Greatest’.
I’ve loved Andrea’s newsletter, 👁💌 tweets, and hot takes on food & bev for years now, so I was thrilled when Annie connected me to help with with some of the production details. Tables, candles… and a very last minute tablescape to support the ‘challah + sauce’ table.
For a 3 hour turnaround, I’d say it turned out pretty good!? I cleared Cookbook out of chicory and my friends really came through with the silver platters... (We literally might start a small prop rental company lol)…
I heard 80 brands were present. Insane turnout. I saw so many friendly faces... Finally met Matt from Taste Podcast IRL.
A few memorable sips + bites: Nomadica’s Boxed Wine through the ice luge, Monte’s Sauce from a literal fountain, Pistakio Butter, and Hot Rosé 🌶🍷 — which HEAR ME OUT… could be a great liquor sub in a margarita. Not really sure what else you would do with it? I made
and try it too. But you’ll have to ask them what they think…
More Recent Bites
Sweetgreen — If you’re on set, and you’re ordering Chipotle, you don’t care about your crew!! Clean greens are the only answer for a long shoot day together. This time I ordered crispy rice with salmon. Really excited about this Whimsy shoot turned out too…
Civil Coffee — a classic breakfast for me, 3 sides orders. (Their gf bread slaps)
Dada Bar — Just opened behind Dada Market — home of Little Fish in Echo Park. I’m excited to see this place take form... Really cute crowd on opening day and the brothy beans were tasty.
Shaved Zucchini with Parm — Chloe made this Cafe Telegrama inspired salad for me an afternoon I was working with her. (Watch her make it for Toast on video! Shot + edited by Simi ;)
A Very British Supper Club — another perfect night at Chloe + Andy’s. This time I offered to assist BOH instead of dine. (but also ate everything ofc). She wrote all about it in her latest substack, which you should sub to if you haven’t already! 💌 This was my first time trying a vegetarian Scotch Egg and OMG. We need more pubs in LA! The whole meal was so comforting. Big love to these supper clubs.
The next morning I drove up to Marin. I’ve never seen i5 so green, or so many cybertrucks at once…
I stopped for a solo dinner right away.
Sushi Ko — Sometimes when you go back to a childhood favorite, it just doesn’t hit. That’s not the case with Sushi Ko. I went here a lot in high school with my mom. Sean Penn was often smoking a cig outside. (Probably the only one in the whole county who smoked publicly). I ordered shrimp shumai which is served with a spicy mustard I used to skip the mustart but now I get it. And of course, hamachi jalapeño. The first sashimi I ever loved.
Perfect bites. I was asked 4 times if someone would be joining me. Can’t a girl just eat alone at the bar?
The main reason I came up was for Jessie’s Bridal Shower! Her mom Lynn, and friend Ruth threw the sweetest garden party. The vintage milk glass place settings, pale pink tulips, quaint coffee station, the perfectly timed blooming magnolia tree… it was a dream. Catered by Comforts Cafe (which BTW…for how popular this place is, their online presence sucks?)
The Chinese Chicken Salad is PTA mom staple. The shop has an entire grab-n-go fridge full of ‘em (tofu too!). IYKYK
The celiac friendly cupcakes had me dead. (I won the ‘He Said / She Said’ game BTW) So excited to come back to Mill Valley for the wedding in a few months!!!
Burma Town — A neighborhood must every time I stay at my Dad’s. I started off with a glass of Cloud Juice - a reallly smooth orange that my family doesn’t hate. Every dish, just banger after banger.
We ordered the tea leaf salad, a bunch of bao, panko prawns, mushroom garlic noods, shrimp jalapeño chow fun, basil green bean stir fry, and a scallop special — which ended up being a table favorite.
For some reason we let cousin Jake take home the left overs.
Rulli — Another Larkspur classi. This Italian cafe opened in 1988 and hasn’t changed much since (for good reason). Get a cinnamon twist and a brioche bun (not to be confused with a croissant!)
Sam’s — the pics say it all, you know the vibes. Old bay fries, a buttery lobster roll, seared tuna salad. This spot has aged like fine wine.
Their Mai Tai was surprisingly one of the best I’ve had. Lilikoi foam float? OK Sam!
Love you Marin! Be back soon.
🔗 Last Week’s Most Clicked Link
Whole Foods heard out about the shoppy shop and wants in.
Never let cousin Jake take home the leftovers!!
ps. Omi Sushi in East Lansing, MI with Amy Dalebout is to me as Sushi Ko is to you… and their ginger dressing is the one I was trying to describe