oh joy day trip: koreatown...

I often get asked about what to do in LA when someone is coming to visit from out of town. I have so many favorite spots in Los Angeles, that it can be hard to narrow it down. And since LA is so spread out, you really want to see the city one neighborhood at a time as it's not easy to see a ton of different spots all around the city in one day.

So today, we're starting a new series called Oh Joy Day Trip, where we'll focus on one neighborhood in Los Angeles and share a few of our favorites there. It will by no means be able to cover everything I love in that neighborhood, but it's a good starting point for a handful of spots if you're visiting for the first time. Each day trip will include a mix of food, shopping, and treats, of course! See our first one below!

{oh joy eats} laurel point...

It's been a while since we've shared some local Los Angeles eats because I worry about it not being interesting to those of you who don't live in LA. But since some of you do still write in asking for restaurant suggestions when you do visit LA, hopefully, you still enjoy these and can bookmark this post for a future trip! 

Our most recent food adventure took us to Laurel Point in Studio City...

{oh joy eats} a play restaurant in west hollywood...

For over a year, the buzz has been swirling about a new restaurant/play space coming to Los Angeles called Au Fudge. It opened a few months ago, and the Oh Joy team took a trip yesterday for brunch and to see how a restaurant and kid's play space comes together in reality...

happy friday + oh joy eats this month...

Happy Friday guys! After our recent survey, those of you not living in LA said that sometimes I tease you with photos of the food that I eat here. I totally get it and photos of food tease me, too (especially if I can't have those things like RIGHT NOW). But, I love food and love sharing my favorites. I'll still share some Los Angeles spots with you from time-to-time, but instead I'm going to share a few of my favorites each month all in one post. So every month, those of you who are in LA or those who plan to visit soon can still get a round-up of new spots to eat at in Los Angeles if/when you are in town next ;) Click below to see my favorites from this month...

apple pie adventures...

It's finally feeling like fall here in LA in the last couple weeks, and I'm just loving it. As a child of immigrant parents, we never did seasonal things like apple picking (my parents just weren't aware of it because it wasn't a part of their culture). So it's been fun starting new traditions like this with my own family. Since we all love apple pie so very much, a few weeks ago, we took the kids apple picking so that we could show them what goes into (eventually) making an apple pie. Click on the video below to see our Apple Pie Adventures and subscribe to the Oh Joy channel for more videos!

And if you want to recreate my favorite apple pie, see more below!

{oh joy eats} hong kong egg waffles!

OMG. Have you guys tried these before? Yesterday, we took a out to San Gabriel (an area East of Los Angeles with a large population of immigrants from China and Hong Kong) to get some Hong Kong egg waffles at a little spot called Fresh Roast.

We got the regular egg waffle filled with chocolate. They pretty much taste like waffles and pancakes had a baby in the shape of jumbo packing bubbles. You can pull them apart and just pop those suckers right in your mouth. They are just SO FUN to eat.

We also tried a green tea (matcha) waffle filled with coconut which has a nice texture and tasted more savory then the sweeter chocolate version. It was warm and chewy in the middle with light crispy edges. And really just a nice, fun breakfast to have. 

If you want to try and make them yourself, it looks pretty easy if you have the right pan. I found this one from Williams-Sonoma that looks perfect and makes me want to try them at home (like right now). Or, next time you're in the LA area, check out this little spot!

Fresh Roast | 308 S San Gabriel Blvd. | San Gabriel, CA 91776 | 626-451-5918

{Photos by Casey Brodley for Oh Joy}

what i did in vancouver...

A couple weeks ago, I traveled to Vancouver for a few days to speak at IDS West's Social Sessions and to do a morning TV show. I had previously planned to bring my family with me and make a long weekend out of it, but it was turning into more of a work trip then I had expected so we decided to have the kids stay home and that come back again as a family next year when I could have a bit more leisurely time. I sadly couldn't hit as many spots from all your amazing suggestions this time (don't worry, I'm saving it all for our next trip!). But I did get to hit a few, very cute spots that I wanted to share with you...

(CLICK BELOW TO SEE MORE)

Chocolate Chip and Caramel Sandwich Cookies...

In honor of National Homemade Cookie Day today and as a Part 2 to yesterday's post, I wanted to share this very delicious recipe for Chocolate Chip and Caramel Sandwich Cookies by the ladies of Sweet Laurel Bakery...

what we ate in seattle...

I hope you guys are having a great, long weekend! I usually don't post on holidays, but I have so much I want to share after being away that I decided to post today ;)

Before I had kids, I would eat like five meals a day when on vacation to take advantage of all the amazing food in a new city. We couldn't quite go on a non-stop food tour of Seattle with the kids but we did make sure to have some fun meals, snacks, and a loooot of ice cream...

{oh joy eats} ohana seafood company...

One of the things I missed most during my past pregnancies wasn't alcohol, but sushi and other forms of raw fish. It's one of my favorite things to eat. I know raw fish isn't for everyone, but if you're into it, then poke (which is very popular in Hawaii) is one of my favorite ways to eat tuna. One of my favorite local restaurants, Black Hogg, recently closed and turned into Ohana Seafood Company. While I was sad to see the original restaurant go, Ohana's version of poke is out of this world and I now crave it daily. They offer options with rice, kale, kimchi cucumbers, glass noodles, edamame and other toppings with the tuna for a healthy and filling meal.

You choose a base poke and a bunch of sides that come all together in a simple bowl. Add an aqua fresca, and you feel like you just drank straight out of a watermelon or pineapple while sitting on the beach.

And my favorite combo is the tuna with chili mango...a little tangy, a little spicy, and so so good! There are two locations for Ohana—one in Silver Lake and one in Downtown LA— and is a must if you're a poke lover. I've been here three times in less than two weeks (insert embarrassed emoji face).

Ohana Poke (Downtown LA) | 130 E 6th St. | Los Angeles, CA 90014

Ohana Seafood Company (Silver Lake) | 2852 W Sunset Blvd | Los Angeles, CA 90026

{Photos by Casey Brodley for Oh Joy}