Apple Pan- West LA, CA

Another burger post!

The thing that sets these burgers apart from the rest are the "hickory" flavor. It's not in every dish (they also have regular burgers, tuna sandwiches, etc), but it's just so flavorful with that hickory taste. Also, note the size of that apple pie slice. They pour some kind of syrup or sauce on it too that's barely noticeable, but it mixed with the (handmade?) vanilla ice cream to make your pie a la mode and it's the end to a very complete all-american meal. A+ for the service too. I never had to refill my own ketchup (and if you know me well, you know I'm disgusting with the amount of ketchup i eat with my fries. I love the stuff, OK?!) There's so much more I could rave about this place, so I'll let the pictures explain the rest.

Matsuwa vs Nijiya - Los Angeles, CA

I don't know when the sudden obsession with Japanese desserts started, but it was definitely sudden. In any case, Sam and I went totally overboard with the purchases. See pictures for reference.

Nijiya
I blame the milk tea bars for the start of it all, now that I think about it. I don't know WHAT it is about them, but they flavor is mellow (not too sweet, not too bitter), and may even taste better than the boba-version. The consistency is perfect, and not too creamy, and definitely would be a fantastically cooling treat in the summer days. And they are small (as most Japanese things are) so they do not make you feel fat. Unfortunately, only Nijiya market carries them.

Matsuwa

A Japanese market on a bigger scale. These guys have what we THOUGHT were milk tea bars, but really they were only milk bars. It literally tasted like someone had put milk and sugar in a mold and froze it. Not as bad as it sounds. Also, don't get the green tea ice cream bars covered in white chocolate. UNtasty.

You can find the Melon bars and that wierd brand of ice cream that makes flavors such as Red Bean and Lychee (with Lychee bits in it!) at almost any asian market except maybe the Ranch 99's, but if you haven't tried those yet, you have not lived. Looks like my sweet tooth is back!

Chloe- Santa Monica, CA

I'm usually not a fan of those niche, funky bars. Nor do I enjoy those dimly lit, swanky places either. But there's a hidden bar recently discovered by my co-worker that I found worthy of a review.

If you don't know what Kir Royal is, please come to LA so I can show you. I'm already a big fan of Champagne, but the way Chloe makes it- Champagne plus a little Chambord (which I also already love) - makes a really tasty drink. Beware- drink slowly.

Also newly discovered favorite food- smoked salmon sandwich with thinly sliced cucumbers and red onions. And you're probably wondering if my breath stunk from the onions. Well, they were so thinly sliced that you could barely taste them. They definitely complemented the overall taste of the sandwich. Man, I love smoked salmon.

Note- if you have a craving for a Father's Office burger, but the line is too long, head over to Chloe's for a similar-tasting, but slightly smaller version. I've never had to fight for a table, and the place is filled with little couches and benches. Cozy.

B+ for bar food, A for drinks