santa monica Archives

June 2, 2017October 6, 2023

5 trendy spots for healthy meals on the go in Los Angeles

Don’t have time to nori-wrap your tempeh bulgogi or to slice-n-bake sweet potato toasts for your paleo tartine? Indulge your love of health fads and fusion food alike at these healthy to-go spots this spring.
__

Kye’s. Santa Monica: 1518 Montana Ave.

This sunny spot is the home of the Kyerito — which is basically a leaf or nori-wrapped breadless burrito. A special slip wrap keeps the warm stuff from touching the wrap part, so nothing gets soggy.

I loved the Tempeh Bulgogi Kyerito — a Korean-fusion deal with gochujang, kimchi, tempeh, rice, plus veggies and herbs, all wrapped in romaine. Most of the ingredients are local and organic too.

Kye’s also offers salads and soups — plus vaguely healthy sounding desserts like vegan black bean brownie and kabocha pie I hope to try one day —

Honey Hi. Echo Park: 1620 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles.

If you’re headed to an event at Stories or 826 LA in Echo Park, stop in at this organic and local, no refined sugar or gluten spot for a bite to eat. I recommend the breakfast bowl, made with sweet potato hash, pastured turmeric poached egg, Niman Ranch uncured bacon, greens, avocado, herbs, sumac, and smoked paprika.

The place also has sourdough tartines, sandwiches, juices and smoothies, and all the currently trendy health craze drinks: bone broth, reishi hot chocolate, bulletproof coffee, and more.

Erewhon: Three locations: Venice, mid-city, and Calabasas.

Once, I zoned out while driving west on Venice to a reading at Beyond Baroque, overshot it, spotted Erewhon, stopped in to eat a paleo tartine — and forgot about the reading. The sweet potato, greens, bacon and egg combo was delicious!

I got a green juice in a reusable glass bottle and a kelp salad too and ate everything in the sunny patio by this health-conscious grocery store and deli. The day was warm and the food was perfect.

The downside: Lunch cost me $30. Also, I missed the reading —

Sweetgreen. 8 locations around the city.

This popular salad-and-bowls chain’s been expanding like crazy across the country. Back in February, I had a Pesto Portobello bowl in Santa Monica — then flew to Washington DC for the AWP Conference and had another one. It’s a tasty warm dish: quinoa, arugula, roasted chicken, portobello, corn, chickpeas, and spicy broccoli tossed in pesto vinaigrette.

Sweetgreen takes local and seasonal seriously. At each location, a chalkboard lets you know where exactly the ingredients for your meal came from.

That does mean that some dishes will come and go with the seasons — so get them while you can! This OMG Omega bowl is a perennial though, and one of my favorites: arugula, baby spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, basil, avocado, roasted steelhead and nori furikake, tossed in miso sesame ginger dressing.

Frozen Fruit Co. Santa Monica: 729 Montana Avenue, Suite 2.

Okay — Soft serve ice cream perhaps doesn’t qualify as a healthy lunch on its own. But the tasty stuff at this place makes for a healthier dessert option! Frozen Fruit’s ice creams are basically just frozen and blended fruit — no dairy, gluten, or white sugar — with a few other clean ingredients.

And the concoctions are surprisingly creamy and tasty! The chocolate flavor — made with coconut milk and cacao — is my favorite. The place offers a bunch of toppings, from carob chips to the more delicious real chocolate chips, though I didn’t try those. Just the ice cream was enough.

Earlier:
* Best place for oysters after shopping at Alias Books: Plan Check
* Melrose Station: Best speakeasy hidden behind a bookcase

May 24, 2017October 6, 2023

Live Talks Los Angeles: Literary conversations with popular authors

Ever wonder how novelists are treated at the Oscars? At a Live Talks Los Angeles event on Monday, Colm Tóibín dished on his experience attending an Academy Award after his novel Brooklyn was made into a film.

“If you’re a star up for an Oscar, you go in one door, and if you’re a just a novelist … you go in another door. And it’s not just the red carpet. There’s no carpet!”

Colm Tóibín was paired with arts and cultures writer Scott Timberg for a wide-ranging conversation that covered everything from Brexit to Miro to Irish history to Elizabeth Bishop to Colm’s own latest novel, House of Names. It was a pretty inspiring time — and my first time at a Live Talks Los Angeles event, a speaker series that’s been bringing authors and other thought leaders to L.A. for seven years.

And conveniently for me, most of the events happen on the westside; Colm’s event was at the Ann and Jerry Moss Theatre at New Roads School. Sadly I learned of the series only recently — or I would have gone to the conversation between Jami Attenberg and Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney earlier this year!

Founded and produced by Ted Habte-Gabr, Live Talks LA somehow actually gets people to pay good money to see and hear writers of literary fiction. A general admission seat for Colm’s event cost $20, but tickets went up to $95 for literatis who wanted admission to the pre-event reception, a reserved section seat at the talk, and a copy of Colm’s book for the post-event signing.

Can’t afford the admission? Live Talks LA records all its events and puts them on its website. Plus, Live Talks LA has a free Newer Voices series, which highlights debut or early career authors. The next event in that series is An Evening with Nathan Hill, author of The Nix, happening June 26 at the Santa Monica Main Public Library.

In addition to novelists, Live Talks LA also brings in other well-known names. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, for example, is the featured speaker at an event tonight! Other upcoming speakers include meditation teacher Jack Kornfield and Senator Al Franken. Get on the Live Talks LA email list to hear about them all —

Earlier: 12 literary reading series in Los Angeles

May 19, 2017October 6, 2023

Best coffee shops for writers in Los Angeles: Westside

Picky writers can’t just go to any coffee shop. We need good working spaces with comfy chairs and tables. We need decent wifi and electric outlets for our laptops. We (or at least I) need good reading light. And we like to be able to hang for a few hours without feeling like we’re overstaying our welcome.

Which is to say — I’m really putting together this best coffee shops list for me.

I often find myself stuck in a part of town I don’t know very well — usually before or after some event — because I don’t want to drive home until after rush hour ends. Now (or more accurately, soon, when I finish this 5-part guide covering most L.A. neighborhoods), whatever area of Los Angeles I happen to be in, I know where I can stop to read or get some writing done while I wait for traffic to clear.

More:
* Best coffee shops for writers in Los Angeles: Central LA
* Best coffee shops for writers in Los Angeles: The Valley
* Best coffee shops for writers in Los Angeles: Northeast LA
___

Santa Monica: Funnel Mill. 930 Broadway, Ste A., Santa Monica.

If you’re into rare, exotic coffees — like the kind made from beans pooped out by little animals — you’ll find what you’re looking for here. I’m more of a plain soy latte type — so I go here for the comfy couches and relaxed atmosphere. Sadly this places closes at six on weekdays and opens not at all on Sundays. Still, during business hours, it’s a great place to get a lot of work done.

Sawtelle: Balconi Coffee. 11301 W. Olympic Blvd., #124 Los Angeles.

I probably spend more time here than any other coffee shop, because it’s my favorite spot I can walk to. Plus they make great espresso drinks with cute latte art. Their almond essence latte is a favorite with the regulars. Coffee snobs can try out unique beans brewed via that bubbly siphon method. Some caveats: The wifi is spotty, and the bathroom is like a block away and literally requires a map to find.

Brentwood: Coral Tree Cafe. 11645 San Vicente Blvd., Los Angeles.

This coffee shop has a full, mostly organic menu along with coffee drinks, juices, and wine, so if you like to eat while you work, try it out. Another bonus: The place is open until 10 pm! The downside: Parking is a bitch in this area. The cafe a small valet lot in the back for $3.50, but I don’t recommend it. These days, I just take a long walk to get there —

Venice: Intelligentsia. 1331 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Los Angeles.

This place makes hands down the best soy latte in L.A., IMHO, the deformed heart latte art on the one above not withstanding. I don’t know how they make them so creamy, but they do. The clean, industrial warehouse styled place always has a line out the door and lines of Macbooks on its rows of seats.

Venice: Deus Cafe. 1001 Venice Blvd. Venice.

I’ve already written about how this motorcycle-coffee-shop is the best place to read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance! Caffeinate, read, and chat with friends and strangers at the cafe’s communal tables. It’s a lovely spot with both a sunny courtyard and an airy indoor space, decorated with flowers and succulents. FYI: This place does not offer decaf.

West LA: Literati Cafe. 12081 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles.

The coffee and food is just okay here — but this place is open until 9 pm, offers good wifi, and has a full menu including coffee, juice, and wine — making it a great place to meet up with friends for a writing date or book club. My friends Beth and Nitika and I used to meet here weekly to write until Beth moved to Brooklyn — We miss you Beth!

Culver City: Bar Nine. 3515 Helms Ave, Culver City.

This big spare space serves good coffee with paleo pancakes and other good eats. There’s wifi and communal tables and friendly people. You might end up getting into conversations with strangers instead of getting work done — but that’s the fun part of going to a coffee shop —

Mar Vista: Coffee Connection. 3838 S Centinela Ave.

This gigantic coffee shop is, I think, part of a church — judging by the fact that patrons are allowed to use the church parking lot and that the spot is closed on Sundays — but I like this place despite my devout atheism! They have fair trade coffee, gluten free snacks, and tons of inside and outside seating of all varieties. The people who work here are really nice — though their latte art game is not strong.

Earlier:
* Bulletproof Coffee: Best coffee shop in Los Angeles for writers who love butter
* 7 Best public libraries in Los Angeles for writers
* 3 Los Angeles writing meetups where you can write in company

January 26, 2017October 6, 2023

Library Girl: A Santa Monica reading series with sugar and soul

Feed your literary soul — and your sweet tooth too! One Sunday a month in Santa Monica, the Library Girl reading series treats you to cupcakes before entertaining you with a themed lineup of readers — all in the lovely, intimate Ruskin Group Theatre.

In fact, the first Library Girl event of the year earlier this month had not just cupcakes, but tacos and gorditas too. We all ate a full meal (there was a cash bar too) while mingling out front and in the lobby — then filled the little theater for the readings.

Who is the Library Girl? That would be Susan Hayden (below), who’s been organizing this series for half a decade now! Each month’s event has a theme, and January’s was Weird Scenes Inside The Goldmine — the subtitle for the recently-published anthology, Los Angeles In The 1970s.

After an introduction by Susan — and a musical performance by her son, Mason Summit — a half dozen contributors read an eclectic mix of work from the anthology: Deanne Stillman’s hilarious musings on perfectly manicured gas station gardens, Jim Natal’s thought-provoking poetry, and much more.

The next Library Girl event, titled First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, will have a Valentine’s Day theme, featuring couples reading — and of course, sweet desserts. Go hear Jesse Welles Nathan and Stephen Nathan, Lin Benedek and Tom Benedek, Claire Holley and Chad Holley, Beth Ruscio and Leon Martell, Celeste Wesson and Robert Ward!

Tickets are $10 — all of which is donated to Ruskin Group Theater. I recommend buying them in advance through the Ruskin’s website, because the event can sell out.

Library Girl. Second Sunday of every month, 7 pm – 10 pm. Ruskin Group Theatre, 3000 Airport Ave., Santa Monica.

Earlier: 12 literary reading series in Los Angeles

October 28, 2016October 6, 2023

Best coffee shop in Los Angeles for writers who love butter

You love writing in coffee shops. But you don’t love the constant temptation of pastries and sugary frappes at said coffee shops. If you’re on a paleo, ketogenic, whole food diet — or are just trying to eat less sugar and processed foods in general — take your novel-in-progress to Bulletproof Coffee, where the brew is buttery and the food sugar-free.

The bulletproof diet has a growing fandom (as well as detractors), who swear on its high fat, lower carb way of eating — with an emphasis on healthy ingredients and upgraded supplements — for everything from weight loss to mental clarity to serious productivity. At the heart of this diet is bulletproof coffee — clean coffee blended with grass-fed butter and MCT oil — which many diet adherents drink in lieu of eating breakfast.

I’m one of these bulletproof coffee drinkers on some days. Buttery coffee is yummy, and the stuff really does give you a focus that lasts for hours! If you’ve never tried MCT oil before though, I’d recommend getting a small and maybe not drinking the whole cup. Otherwise you might get super jittery!

The Venice coffee shop also have a full menu of high quality foods. We’re talking grass-fed meats and fats, pasture-raised organic eggs, and organic, local veggies. Here’s the delicious steak and eggs breakfast I enjoyed this morning:

Then I sat down at the communal table and started writing with fellow bulletproofers. There’s indoor and outdoor seating and speedy wifi. One wall of the coffee shop features shelves full of upgraded whey protein and collagelatin and other bulletproof diet products — as well as The Bulletproof Diet book and cookbook for newbies to browse through and buy.

There’s a cafe in the Arts District of Los Angeles too. I think this one just serves drinks, though I haven’t been to that location yet. Stop by and see if bulletproof coffee helps you focus on your writing —

Bulletproof Coffee. Santa Monica: 3110 Main St. #116. LA Arts District: 300 S Santa Fe Ave.