Oh Joy!

{oh joy eats} the service station in los feliz... 16 May 2013

You know I love food truck nights (it's a great excuse to not have to cook dinner!). We religiously go to On The Lot in Los Feliz every Monday night, and I'm pretty giddy for the summer season and more pop-up food truck events. In fact, a couple of weeks ago, a new one opened up on Wednesday nights on the grounds of what used to be a gas station. The Service Station is an outdoor creative space that has pop-up shops, outdoor movie nights on Saturdays, and a food truck night on Wednesdays. While the food trucks seem to be a rotation of same three, they're solid ones that I really like.

Some of my favorites include the bacon mac n' cheese from the Flatiron Truck...

...and parmesan pesto fries and gooey s'mores from The Munchie Machine. We got coconut and salted Caramel S'mores, and they were the perfect way to end our meal. The Mandoline Grill truck (food not shown) is also at The Service Station, and they make great banh mi and Vietnamese noodle dishes. 

The area is painted with accents of mint green...um, hello, gorgeous color!

The best part is the huge areas of astroturf for the kids to run around in and the giant bean bags they put out. Ruby has the best time playing with her friends after dinner. It's just a great spot for all of us to enjoy the amazing warm weather and have an easy breezy mid-week dinner.

 The Service Station | 3160 Riverside Drive | Los Feliz, CA 90027 | @3160riverside

UPDATE: Sadly, a few days after this post, I got an email that city permits made it such that they had to close. They are trying to reopen in another area in the near future. :(

{Photos by Bob Cho}

things we love + a party with kate spade in santa monica... 8 May 2013

When Kate Spade New York was in the process of putting together their Things We Love book, they asked if the book could include this photo I took years ago while on a road trip up in Calistoga, CA. That photo is one of my favorites so I was thrilled and flattered to be a part of their special anniversary book...

To celebrate the opening of Kate Spade New York's newest Los Angeles store in Santa Monica on Thursday, May 16th, we've teamed up to give away prints of this photo to the first 100 shoppers. So, if you're in LA, come by and shop! I'll be co-hosting the party and look forward to meeting some of you there to shop (20% off for the night!)! Be sure to RSVP to the email address below...

Kate Spade | 395 Santa Monica Place | Santa Monica, CA | Thursday, May 16th from 6-8pm
RSVP to: nysocial@katespade.com

{oh joy eats} goldie's... 23 Apr 2013

There's no shortage of spots to have lunch in Los Angeles. But my favorites are places that are casual yet have a bit of character—places you'd want to meet up with friends for lunch to catch up. I recently visited Goldie's in Mid-City West, a newish spot by the owners of Eveleigh, for a mid-day lunch break. 

My favorite dishes were the avocado on toast, watermelon and burrata salad, and the pork belly and caramelized onion flatbread. Oh, that flatbread was the perfect combination of crispy, chewy, sweet, and salty!

I love the contrast of the handsome aesthetic inside with the greenery outside, which creates an indoor/outdoor space that makes wonderful use of the climate here and feels homey yet still very Southern California. And the polka dotted shirts the staff wear are pretty awesome. Where can I get one in my size, please?

We (especially Jen) loved being surrounded by the wall of flowers as we sat outside. The scent was just incredible on this beautiful, sun-filled day.

Goldie's | 8422 W. 3rd St. | Los Angeles, CA 90048 | 323.677.2470

{Photos by Bonnie Tsang}

{oh joy eats} sweet treats in little tokyo... 9 Apr 2013

When we visit our friends—especially those who have new babies—one of my favorite things to do is bring a box of treats for the new parents. And since we've had a ton of friends having babies over the past year ('tis the season!), I've been looking for something to bring other than my standard cupcakes or pies. So I took a little trip to L.A.'s Little Toyko in search of some treats for friends, as well as some for future sweet cravings of my very own.

My first stop was Fugetsu-do, a family-owned staple of Little Tokyo since 1903 that specializes in the freshest mochi (rice cakes) and manju (sweet bean-filled rice cakes). In addition to the beautiful mochi and manju, Fugetsu-do has packaged and boxed candies and crackers that I stocked up on for last-minute gift and snacking needs. (And they're up with the times and offer shipping across the country and sell online!)

For the best ice cream mochi (rice cakes filled with ice cream), Mikawaya (located in Japanese Village Plaza) was my next stop. Mikawaya has a ton of regular mochi options, but specializes in the ice-cream-filled variety. So while these might not be things I can take over to a friend's house, they are a nice treat to have while you're in the area shopping. The green tea, cookies and cream, and plum ice cream mochi were my favorites.

While in the Japanese Village Plaza, I stumbled upon Café Dulcé. I'd heard great things about the green tea doughnuts, and I loved the variety of doughnut and pastry selections available—it's simply a great Japanese version of your favorite local bakery. I especially loved the tapioca roll and, of course, the green tea doughnut.

Once all was said and done, I gathered together my finds from all three places to put together a little box of treats for friends. It was such a fun morning of exploring what Little Tokyo has to offer and experiencing a bit of Japan right here in Los Angeles...

Fugetsu-do | 315 East First St. | Los Angeles, CA 90012 | 213.625.8595

Mikawaya | in Japanese Village Plaza | 335 E. 2nd St.| Los Angeles, CA 90012 | 213.346.9910

Café Dulcé | in Japanese Village Plaza | 335 E. 2nd St.| Los Angeles, CA 90012 | 213.346.9910

{Photos by Bonnie Tsang. My outfit: dress by En Soie, tote by Mar Y Sol, vintage shoes.}

currently snacking on... 18 Mar 2013

Have you ever tasted something that you felt might have been created just for you? I recently came across a kouign-amann in the pastry section of one of my favorite speciality food shops in L.A., McCall's Meat & Fish Co. Kouign-amann is a speciality of the town of Douarnenez in Finistère (in the west of France), made of bread dough with layers of butter and sugar folded in. It tastes like a cross between a croissant and elephant ears thanks to its buttery, flaky pastry layers and crispy, sweet caramelized edges. It's so light and airy, too, that it fools you into thinking it's okay to have two in a row. Plus, anything caramelized pretty much makes me weak in the knees...

P.S. If you want to try making it yourself, David Lebovitz's got you covered.

{Thanks, Jimin, for the tip! Photo by Oh Joy.}

my favorite {los angeles} breakfast bites lately... 5 Mar 2013

Since I wake up at Ruby o' clock every day (around 7-7:30 a.m.), I'm always on the hunt for restaurants that open early for breakfast. Most of our favorite brunch places don't open until 10 a.m., and by that time, she's almost ready for a nap! So, I've been on a mission to find some new spots. Here are a few of my favorite breakfast bites around town these days (they open early, too!)...

The trout toast (avocado, smoked trout and pickled onions) and homemade biscuits (buttery pockets of heaven) from The Hart and The Hunter in West Hollywood (shown above).

 Vietnamese breakfast (including this delicious chicken meatball) at Viet Noodle Bar in Glendale.

The egg and bacon sandwich (the homemade ketchup and brioche bun are out of this world!) and the coddled eggs over mashed potatoes from the Egg Slut truck. 

Do you guys have trouble finding breakfast spots that open early? I swear, L.A. is a town that just starts to get going at 10 a.m.!

{Photos by Oh Joy}

{oh joy eats} breakfast at feed... 28 Feb 2013

While I certainly love to indulge in not-so-good-for-you things that simply taste delicious, I also find myself craving really fresh, healthy dishes that make use of the amazing produce we have available in L.A. I recently had breakfast at Feed, a new spot in Venice full of tasty and healthy bites.

We enjoyed the açaí fruit bowl (like a fruit smoothie mixed with a parfait) and the Southern Mexican bowl topped with tofu and poached eggs. Feed makes its own hot sauce, which has the best mix of spicy and tangy kick—perfect for a savory breakfast dish. Oh, and I'm a sucker for adult sodas, so Feed's natural soda (I got the blueberry and maple) made for the perfect companion to a light and fresh breakfast.

Feed | 1239 Abbot Kinney Blvd. | Venice, CA 90291 | 310.450.5550

{Photos by Bonnie Tsang} 

{oh joy eats} guerrilla tacos... 13 Feb 2013

One of the best parts about having good weather year-round are the pop-up carts and trucks that do business on the streets of Los Angeles. Guerrilla Tacos is a pop-up taco stand in downtown L.A. that serves amazing breakfast tacos a couple times a week. I've had a hard time finding tacos here in L.A. that compare to those in San Diego, but Guerrilla really left an impression on me.

And the prices! Seriously, so reasonable and delicious! $3-$4 for probably the best breakfast tacos I've ever had. The chorizo taco was spicy and savory, the mushroom taco was a great vegetarian option, and the tamale—um, out of this world.

It's amazing to me what can be cooked right on the street without the need for a fancy kitchen and equipment. Street food is probably one of my favorite kinds of food because the people who make it focus on one thing, and usually do it really well.

What kinds of pop-up food carts like this do you guys have where you live?

Guerrilla Tacos (at Handsome Coffee Roasters) | 582 Mateo Street| Los Angeles, CA 90013 | 818.640.3033

{Photos by Bonnie Tsang. My shoes are Crew Cuts.}

{oh joy eats} half & half tea house... 30 Jan 2013

You know might know that I love a good boba tea. Since I'm not a big coffee drinker, I love milk teas as a little midday pick-me-up, and Half & Half Tea House in Rowland Heights has become my new favorite spot.

With drink options like sesame black milk tea, lavender green milk tea, milk tea with caramel, pudding, and honey boba, plus a million other flavors, these teas are serious treats if you're up for some fun, exotic flavors. And Half & Half Tea House's tasty concoctions come in the most giant cups I've ever seen. They don't even fit in the cup holders in my car and they make me look like I have tiny hands! It's probably a good thing this place isn't too close to where I live because I'd be here every single day.

Half & Half Tea House | 17575 Colima Road, Ste. C | Rowland Heights, CA 91748 | 626.810.8778

{Photos by Bonnie Tsang. I'm wearing headphones by Frends, Madewell dotty leggings,  Milly jacket from a past season, eyeglasses by Rivet & Sway, hoodie from past season of J.Crew (similar), and boots c/o Loeffler Randall.}

{oh joy eats} breakfast at the parish... 16 Jan 2013

The Parish has been getting lots of praise for being one of L.A.'s best new resturants, and one of my favorite things to do is explore the breakfast or lunch menu at restaurants that are known for their dinner menus. For me, it's like seeing what a chef might make at home...a more casual version of their palate, if you will...

The breakfast staples at The Parish include a few kinds of biscuit sandwiches, like Fried Chicken with Maple Dijon and Pickles, Trout with Jalapeno Slaw, and Grilled Tomato and Cheese. They were all warm, savory, delicious and the perfect breakfast way to start the day.

I also loved the industrial, yet still warm and homey, feel of The Parish's Downtown L.A. space. The restaurant reminds me of one you'd find in Portland, with its very distinct aesthetic and comforting staples.

The Parish | 840 S. Spring St. | Los Angeles, CA 90014 |  213.225.2400

{Photos by Bonnie Tsang for Oh Joy. My outfit: Trench jacket from A-Thread, corduroys by J.Crew, blouse by Lauren Moffatt (similar), bag by Clare Vivier, boots c/o Loeffler Randall.}