Issue 37 — Edible Arrangements, Events + Melrose Hill
Not really a Valentine's Issue... sorry!
BITES
Hey book club, Ina Garten’s memoir comes out October 1.
Restaurant subscriptions keep coming up — Sweetgreen just launched an annual $100 membership Sweetpass+ offering members $3 off an order every day and special insider access.
There’s a new Invite-only dating app called Blush that matches people based on their favorite local places, bridging the gap between online and offline. With Blush, you can send roses that act like digital gift cards for places like Erewhon, Alfred Coffee, and Craig’s 🌹 …I think I hate it?
‘There are worse things than oat milk. The wellness girlies gotta chill.’ LOL
Now THIS is my kind of edible arrangement… 🥬
Move over olive oil, it’s time for Algae. Thank god
gave us a full report. I’ll be trying some this week…3 things: Bella Baxter, AI + Cheese 🧀
Steep reopened in Chinatown with a larger bar to fit both tea and alcohol… looks gorg.
Time Sensitive 🗓
Now thru — 2/19 Your fave non-brands Awan x Ghia collaborated on 4 limited flavors. (Plus Ghia brought back their oft-requested Ghianduja crunch (which is actually my favorite sweet spread) The first time I had it, I was instantly reminded of the Belgian Noir dark chocolate spread from Le Pain Quotidien I’d eat by the spoonful in college🍫
Little Fish x Dada: Lobster Pot Pies for Valentines Day! 🥧 Sounds like an easy meal to enjoy at home that still feels special. (A heart-shaped La Morra pizza checks the same box)
2/13 Fritz Coffee will be at Sqirl (of course there is merch) ☕️
2/14 Whitebark Workwear is hosting their 3rd Annual Broken Hearts Mend Club Event! 💔❤️ Bring clothes to repair, fix loose buttons… complimentary slices of Lucky Nick’s 🍕🧵
2/14 La Morra @ Capri Club for Valentine’s Day! This collab just makes sense.
2/16 Chloe Cooks x Bucatini — A ticketed soiree ft. a cozy menu inspired by memories of Italy with some Sicilian classics. Wine pairing by @marthastoumen is included. Tix here!
2/18: Pinyon Pop-Up x Bucatini — Ojai’s favorite restaurant is coming to Echo Park! (If you haven’t heard of Pinyon, do your homework read this piece by
to see why you too should be excited)2/29: Celebrate the release of Michael McGregor’s book ‘Room Service’ at the Georgian Hotel — a compilation of over 100 playful “point and shoot” drawings on hotel stationery. J’adore.
3/24 Nicole + Gia from Tabula Rasa are doing a pasta shaping /wine pairing workshop at Gorky !! 🍝
If you think I missed something, throw it in the comments!
Melrose Hill
First there was Ggiata, Le Coupé + Kuya Lord… then by 2024 everyone was talking about Café Telegrama + Étra. According to Eater reporting… the block is just getting started. One actor turned developer has plans for 14 buildings in the neighborhood including 18 storefronts.
‘Incoming tenants include a wine bar and tasting room from Jumbo Time Wines, a full-service home for seafood pop-up Little Fish, a fine dining and street food venture by Holy Basil, and another wine bar called Bar Etoile from the owners of the beloved 15-year-old wine shop, Domaine LA. Additionally, two Honey Hi alums will take over the Produce for Less Market space from its retired owners to open a market called L.A. Grocery & Cafe.’ — More on Eater
Jesus christ !!!
RECENT BITES
MIXT: Annie (salad queen) convinced me to give MIXT another try… and Sweetgreen better watch out. They have actually crispy cauliflower. Love!
Qin West Noodle: One of my favorite delivery orders (especially when you just moved and don’t have plates or silverware unpacked yet) PLEASE NOTE: I took this pic before I poured the deli full of chili oil all over it. So this is un-sauced…)
Tartine: 2 more salads. Pink chicory is in season and on every menu. I’m here for it. Also, I’m obsessed with how big their lattes are.
Ruby Marocchino from Kumquat: One of my favorite monthly specials. I always describe it like a box of chocolates for valentine’s day, but without any chocolate. Just go try it…
Mazal Pita: We ordered 150 fluffy pitas for an event and thank god because I snacked on the leftovers all weekend. (If you’ve never plopped your pita in the toaster… you’re missing out.) Also it’s a great vessel for a salad. Christine said she was going to heat her leftover pita in a bamboo steamer and serve with curry. bomb.
Will share more of the event soon … ;)
Whimsy + Row Girl Dinner: Threw an extremely wholesome Galentine’s event with the girls — We had Prime Pizza, Dena made a gorg strawberry cake + Rach filled the table with snacks and parm popcorn... Of course we had wine from our neighbors at Chuchi’s bottle shop, tea from Flowerhead and gifts from Fresh Sends. (thanks Nikki!) Grammy’s red carpet was playing in the background as we swapped romance novels. Simply the cutest. Really grateful for the community that showed up in the pouring rain too!
Croquembouche by @Catalinaawinemixer for Marleigh’s gallery opening. Simply stunning. (And so were Marleigh’s paintings!!!) Her first solo too! Many more to come…
Soothing Katchari: Chloe kindly sent me home with a packet of Divya’s ayurvedic lentil mix during a really busy work week. TBH I did not expect it to be this good which is why I don’t have any good pictures. But oh my lordt this was delish. I added seedy stuff and topped it with FBJ Chengdu Crunch, Momofuku Tingly Salt + pickled onions. Would def buy.
Ozempi-croissants have officially hit the market.
Don’t you love when fire is just blue?
🔗 Last Week’s Most Clicked Link:
“I loved this NYT piece on menus because it’s exactly the kind of deep dive I would do."
Tartine salads look so good. I'm going to try that non choc box of choc latte tomorrow stray from my routine
Woah, that app