3 Square Meals: 3 Square Cafe + Bakery

I am always on the looking for a good bakery to add to my list of favorite pastry-purchasing spots around town.

(My incomplete but constantly growing list includes Massimo's Delectables in Culver City (buttery italian cookies and amazing inside-out apple cake), Amandine Patissiere (fluffy pain au chocolate and homemade blueberry cheescake on Wilshire/Bundy), Susina Bakery (glossy fruit tarts and triple berry cake in spot where Sugar Plum Bakery used to be), Los Feliz's Alcove Cafe & Bakery (gargantuan slices of banana cream pies and triple layer chocolate cakes), Le Pain Quotidien (dense belgium brownies...mmm), even Whole Food's bakery section with mini lemon tarts and just-baked buttery croissants...but I digress)

With the discovery of 3 Square Cafe + Bakery along Abbot Kinney, my favorite street in LA just got better. The side-by-side cafe/bakey double-spot is the newest offering from Hans Rockwagner. I've been eyeing the spot for weeks waiting for it to open. Currently, only the bakery side is open, the cafe side (which will be serving more substantial breakfast, lunch and dinner is due to open in a couple of weeks). I haven't visited his other spot, R Bakery in Mar Vista (read fer food's blog for more info), but I hear his newest bakery shares R Bakery's same sandwich menu and tasty, oversized baked goodies.

Located in a modern, loft-like building, 3 Square is minimalistic (look for either the 3 small colored squares painted on the glass door, or in the mornings, the line of pastry-enthusiasts milling about with their fresh-baked raspberry white-chocolate scones and Europe-imported Meinl coffee.)

Inside, a long glass counter tempts with its array of fruity muffins, savory scones, chocolate-covered cookies, lemon bars and fruit tarts. I am normally a sucker for anything sweet and was eyeing this powdered sugar dusted pastry overflowing with juicy raspberry's but since I'm equally enamored with anything with cheese as a main ingredient, I was also leaning toward the poppy-seed/cheddar pretzel twist (which are available at the Rockwagner stall at the Santa Monica farmer's market) and the cheddar/bacon scone. I ended up going with the scone ($3) and unfortunately scarfed down the entire hunk of cheesy/bacony goodness before I could take a photo of it for this blog.

A chalkboard lists lunchtime options and breakfast specials. For future reference, I noted both the black forest ham, swiss and caramelize onion paninis and brie and caramelized pears on fig bread (both $7.50) as two tasty choices for next time.

The long skinny spot doesn't have too much seating, there are a couple of tables and a long wooden counter to eat at, but it's not conducive to long girly chatting over lattes and strawberry-creme tarts, like Jin Patisserie across the road.

Nevermind, I was craving the cheesy bacon scone so much, I made a special detour on my morning drive to pick one up on my way to work. The to-go experience is probably the way to go for the bakery. Neither the bakery nor street parking was super packed at 8:45am so the breakfast pickup was quick and easy--and definitely something that can incorporated as part of my morning commute routine.

3 Square Cafe + Bakery
1211 Abbot Kinney Blvd
310/399-6504
Daily Candy's Profile

Massimo's Delectables
13222 W. Washington Blvd
310/823-8381

Susina Bakery
7122 Beverly Blvd/La Brea
323/934-7900

Amandine Patissiere
12225 Wilshire Blvd
310/979-3211

Le Pain Quotidien

Winstons: Some Score Free Drinks at the Bar, We Score Free Sex Toys

A couple weeks ago, Cira and I grabbed dinner at the new WeHo restaurant Sur--good food (our seafood-mango salad was laden with meaty chunks of lobster and crab and the seared scallop appetizer over crispy potato cakes was tasty), flamboyant décor (covered patio with all-white, Liberace-approved furnishings and chandeliers), and even more flamboyant clientele (we sat next to a table of seven…which included five diners and a chair with two Pekinese sitting on their own tufted pillow). Afterwards, we headed towards WeHo to check out Winston's, the newly opened bar from the same owners behind lowkey hangout, The Dime.

Located in the epicenter of the seedy-yet-safe stretch of Santa Monica Blvd, Winstons—which is right next to TomKat Theater and directly across from the Pleasure Chest—is a stylish, dimly-lit lounge drawing in the same laidback scenester crowd as The Dime. Exposed brick walls, dark leather banquettes lining the walls and a doorman low on attitude add a NYC-cool vibe.

We grab drinks at the bar and courtesy of one of the owners--who’s friends with Cira--we scored a primo corner booth perfect for surveying the scene. We were soon joined by one of the owners and their friends. Under the blur of vodka-tonics, conversation somehow lead to ownership of sex toys—specifically, my lack of ownership of said toys and how our new-found friends were going to rectify that situation before the end of the night.

Any sketchiness associated with leaving the bar and heading over to the Pleasure Chest with semi-strangers who wanted to buy us vibrators was over-ridden by the sheer awesome randomness of it that there was no way we could decline the offer.

We crossed the road to find the Pleasure Chest closed (they really should rethink staying open until 2am on weekends now that both Winstons and the equally trendy Bar Lubitsch down the block have opened…they’d make a killing on drunken sex toy buying.) Before the closed store could be a buzzkill, someone remembered there was another porn store down the block. Not as classy as our first sex store pit-stop—and definitely a touch more gay… could there be any more geometry-defying anal twist plugs for sale?—nevertheless, the store had all the basics we needed.

Since I was a newbie, I was advised to pick up The Rabbit ($46.99), a non-intimidating, girly-pink vibrator with pretty, rotating pearls and stimulating rabbit ears which is apparently, a must-have for any respectable vibrator collection. Since this was a low-rent sex shop, it wasn’t the original Rabbit from Japan, but The Jack Rabbit (equivalent to a generic Ralphs’ brand of the same thing).

Cira picked out the Pocket Rocket (also $46.99) for portable, on-the-go pleasure that could be carried around in your jeans pocket. In addition to our big purchases, our generous, pleasure-spreading friends also bought us a vibrating dick-ring each ($6.99) and the store owner threw in a complimentary sample of gross, strawberry-flavored lube.

Despite the fact that they bought us vibrators, our friends for the night were actually very pleasant and very non-skeevy. By now, after our post-midnight shopping, it was last call and time to head home. We thanked them and bid them a surprisingly non-awkward adieu before walking past the crowd filing out of Winstons towards our car with our purchases safely inside unmarked, black plastic bags.

Sur
606 N. Robertson Blvd, West Hollywood
310/289-2824
Winston's
7746 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood
323/654-0105
Bar Lubitsch
7702 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood
323/654-1234
Pleasure Chest
7733 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood
323/650-1022
Nameless Gayish Porn Shop: I don’t know what it’s called but it’s one block West of Winstons on the same side of Santa Monica Blvd.

No Glove, No Love: Dress Up Against AIDS: Condom Couture

I've been a bit of a blogger-slacker as well as "doer-of-cheap-and-interesting-things" slacker for most of December.

However, new year, new fun and wallet friendly concerts and events, restaurants & bars, trips and freebies to discover in 2007.



Starting with the free, safe-sex advocating "Dress Up Against AIDS: Condom Couture by Adriana Bertini" exhibit at UCLA's Fowler Museum. This free exhibit mixes fashion with safe-fornicating to remind you to be prepared if you're gettin' some.

The exhibit opened December 1st and runs through March 11th. I recently stopped by the exhibit to check out. The art installation includes a bunch of sexy evening gowns, flirty hoop skirts and tops and demure suits which are artistic works of art in itself, but on closer inspection, are also fashioned entirely from rejected condoms which failed quality control tests. The beautifully vibrant, ornate and imaginative outfits could all have come straight out of a Project Runway challenge.

Definitely worth checking out. Bring a date (and a condom for later) and let the frisky fabric of the outfits plant ideas into his or her head.


UCLA Fowler Museum
December 1, 2006-March 11, 2007
UCLA campus, Westwood
310/825-4361

Tipsy Roadtripping: Wine-Tasting in Solvang For Only $75.25!

I recently acquired a fulltime job. So, naturally, the first I thing I did after celebrating the return of a regular weekly paycheck--and mourning the end of my immensely enjoyable 15 month ride of my non 9-6pm freelance writing lifestyle--was look into a quick pre-"start of work" vacation.

With limited time to plan and limited resources (unfortunately, I still have to work for two weeks first before getting paid), I decided on a quickie wine-tasting roadtrip to Solvang. This was also my first roadtrip with Ugly Shoe Boy so hopefully any potentially awkward 'first roadtrip together' moments would be softened--or forgotten--under the tipsy haze of a trip dedicated to the consumption of alcohol...because, let's face it, isn't 'wine-tasting' just a sophisticated and more acceptable form of day drinking? (For those who missed reading about my first encounter with him, Ugly Shoe Boy is not ugly, but in fact quite hot...hot enough to distract me into buying a pair of ugly running shoes--and consequently, go out on dates--with him.)

Solvang is an almost creepily quaint Disneyland-esque Danish town filled with tudor architecture, fudge shops, Danish pastry bakeries, wine-tasting rooms and a Best Western adorned with a giant windmill facade, as seen in the movie Sideways. Solvang's helpful official website, www.solvangusa.com lists a bunch of hotels, including Wine Valley Inn, which had rooms for $120 but let me book their manager's special for $62 which I found on Expedia.com directly with them instead; making the Dutch-style Inn cheaper than even the chain motels in the area (Vagabond Inn and Best Western are in the $80's range). Plus, they include free breakfast and about $30 worth of free wine-tasting coupons when you check in! Score! Our 'clock tower' suite with a queen was really spacious and came with a cozy wood-burning fireplace. (Each room is different with different amenities and sizes so make sure to ask for exactly what you want; our room was #216.)

Although there's not too much to do in Solvang except wine taste, eat Danish pastries to absorb some of the alcohol and then wine taste some more, so you feel better about doing another activity which doesn't involve consuming vino, it's worth it to wake up a little earlier to check out the nearby Nojoqui waterfalls (about a picturesque 10 minute drive along Alisal Rd and then an easy 10 minute stroll to get to the falls.)

There are 12 tasting rooms within Solvang's 4 block radius town ($5-7.50 per tasting). Our game-plan was to hit up the ones we had coupons for free tastings first.

Our first one, Royal Oaks on Copenhagen Drive, was so-so, but they had a fun strawberry/cotton-candy tasting Rose and our wine pourer had great recommendations for which other tasting rooms to hit and also her preferred wineries in nearby Santa Ynez (Rideau for it's historic tasting room and English gardens, Galney Vineyards for their in-depth winery tour, Buttonwood for Sauvignon Blanc and Sunstone for its 'Under the Tuscan Sun' gardens and setting.)

We got side-tracked by our original free-only drinking tour when we came across the Olive House, a wine & olive tasting spot. It was $7.50 to sample both but you're allowed to share one tasting between two. The wines, which included a selection of Pinot, Merlot and Syrahs, were good but our palettes were clearly more fine-tuned for olive tasting; ("Ooh, this pepperjack cheese stuffed olive has some kick and I like how that almond-stuffed olives give a good unexpected crunch". "I thought the blue-cheese stuffed one would be my favorite but the garlic-stuffed spicy cajun was way tastier don't you think?" ). Despite the stingy, light-handed pours, the wine-tasting stop was well worth it just for the olives.

We took full advantage of the tasting rooms opening right at 10am so were already quite tipsy at 10:45am. Our last stop before lunch was Presidio Winery, which ended up being our favorite tasting room; there were snacks and our wine-pourer had a way with words to describe the wines to the non-wine savvy ("yes, so many layers in this wine, it's a party in your mouth! It's a party in your mouth!") and was informative with what food each wine should be paired with. Both Ugly Shoe Boy and I liked their slightly sweet white wine, Gewurztraminer--which really was a party in your mouth. ($12)

We stumbled into the Solvang Restaurant to sample their hyped-up Aebleskivers (Danish versions of beignets covered with raspberry jam) and wait out our growing tipsyness so we could drive to the nearby wineries. The Abelskivers were ok and a good deal at $2.50, but I was expecting more of a crispy coating and doughy beigney consistency inside than its soft, bready texture.

Back on the road and taking our own mini-Sideways tour, our first stop was the Fess Parker Winery. We were still too buzzed to taste any wine so just checked out the pretty picnic grounds and stately looking wine-tasting room filled with bottles and Daniel Boone/Davy Crockett paraphenalia.

Next up was the Firestone Winery, which felt very commercial and impersonal. Our pourer was on auto-pilot with his recited info that really wasn't that informative at all "2002 Syrah: aged 14 months in French and American oak barrels" and would walk off between each pouring to repeat the same info to other wine-tasters before returning to ask if we wanted to purchase the bottle. Maybe the Firestone wines are also more fullbodied, which I'm not a big fan of, but their slightly harsh-tasting wines were also my least favorite of the trip. For the $10 tasting fee, we also got a Firestone souvenir glass and complimentary wine-tasting at the winery next door.

Solvang is perfect if you're looking for a quick and affordable LA getaway on the fly. We planned it only a few days advance, spent minimal $$, had plenty of time to stop off to walk around and eat at Santa Barbara's downtown State Street and UCSB's Isla Vista on our way back to LA and we were pleasantly drunk for about 80% of the trip--all for less than $100!

And, I didn't even get a hangover on my first day of work the next day.
Do the math:
Wine Valley Inn for two: $68 inc. tax
Wine-tasting for two: $17.50
Royal Oaks, Presidio ($0), Olive House ($7.50), Firestone ($10)
Solvang Restaurant: Abelskivers & lunch $15
Dinner at Joe's Cafe in S.B.: $35
Burritos at Freebirds in Isla Vista: $15
Total: $75.25 each

Santee Alley: Designer Knockoff Shopping Spree

Last Saturday, Chaya and I made the pilgrammage to downtown LA's discount shopping mecca; Santee Alley--literally an alleyway crammed with shops pandering super-cheap knockoff designer handbags, Melrose Ave-esque apparel and cute & surprisingly comfy $20 shoes. Personally, I find the scene too hectic to hit up more than twice a year but late fall is a good time to go since they have great bargain boots (my tan faux ultra-suede knee high moccasins purchase ($25) from last year are still getting compliments, ditto my $40 Melie Bianco velvet heart hobo knockoff) and you also need to allow about a month's lag time between the current season's fashions hitting mainstream stores and the cheaper versions showing up at Santee Alley.
(Previous Purchases)

Located in the Fashion District with hectic parking and even more hectic crowded streets, the slightly seedy Santee Alley isn't for the casual shopper--but the bargains are worth braving the questionably legal shopping experience and the even more questionable parking options. There are plenty of area lots available for a flat rate of $6-8; all are sketchy looking but, for what it's worth, so far, each time I've returned from my shopping excursions to find my car fully intact and not stolen, which is all you can really ask for.

It definitely helps to go with an agenda so you don't get sidetracked along the alleyway's more random bargains ($1 CD's & DVD's, pet turtles, luggage sets). Today, mine was shoes and Chaya's was jeans and boots.

On our first stop, Chaya found some knee-high chocolate brown suede mocassins ($30) while I picked up a pair of wedges for $20 and authentic Converse sneakers for $25, half the regular retail price.

We then went next door and a vendor immediately came over and started mumbling "True Religions? Sevens? $55". We had entered a designer denim haven! The key is not to question if the jeans are fakes (or stolen) but just bask in the glow of finding greatly discounted designer denims. They didn't have any in my size (I guess the box of 27"'s didn't fall of the truck that morning) but Chaya scored a pair of rockin' Rock & Republics for $55. The only downside is that they don't have dressing rooms, but if the store next door has a changing room so you can try them on and come back for an exchange if it's not the right size. For those who couldn't care less about Citizens of Humanity vs. Antiks, they also have a plethora of no-name booty-enhancing jeans for only $10.

Buoyed by our morning bargains, we bypassed some of the outdoor clothing stalls and went into the alley's more expensive "real stores" (as in, they have dressing rooms, don't bargain and take credit card); more expensive still means $20 jersey dresses, $12 yoga pants, $5 red pleather belts and $11 tops.

After hour 5 of our shopping day, we entered a shoe store so we could pretend to try on shoes for an excuse to sit and rest. After "trying on" a pair of red suede flats for 45 mins, we were asked if we were going to buy them "otherwise no-one else wil lwant to try on a pair of shoes you've worn for such a long time". I figured $20 was a pretty good deal for a pair of whimsical new red shoes and an nearly an hour of rest-time in their store.

Although handbags are Santee Alley's main draw, this time we left empty handbag handed. However, we did have fun bargaining down a Chloe replica for $30 and sifting through the vendor's "catalog" of inventory: a binder with pages of photos of celebs carrying prized designer bags ripped out of In Touch and Star Magazine.

I got a full days exercise (walking from store to store for 6hrs) and shopping bags full of non-cheaplooking purchases (3 pairs of shoes, a top and belt) for less than $80.

Some tips before you go:
Bring Cash!
Spanish-speaking skills helps during the bargaining process.
Ladies: Wear flip flops, a tank/tube top and a skirt so you can try on stuff over your clothes since dressing rooms are rare.
The second jean store on the right handside is the one that carries the designer denims; the brand jeans may be hidden in boxes behind the cheaper no-name brands so make sure to ask for them.
Pleather replica bags shouldn't cost much more than $30, and designer fakes with real leather no more than $70.
If you need a mid-shopping snack, the fruit cart by the scary-sounding 'Alley Hotdogs' actually has healthy and hygenic-looking fresh fruit cups $2 and granola parfaits for only $2.50

Santee Alley
Alleyway between Olympic and 11th, Downtown L.A.

Bergamot Station: With 30 Galleries All Aboard With Free Admission

My friend Carrie and I decided to go for an artsy lunchtime excursion last week and stopped by Bergamot Station in Santa Monica. The art gallery complex (a defunct trolley station which ran from the late 1800's-1953) boasts a smorgesboard of 30+ galleries featuring modern art installations, photography, sculptures, sketches and paintings as well as jewelry, fine-art paper and a charity boutique filled with designer and vintage clothing.

The good thing about Bergamot is that you don't really need to know what specific exhibit is going on because, with 30 options, chances are, you'll run into something pretty interesting. Highlights from our recent visit included cardboard furniture from various artists including Frank Gehry (Bobbie Greenfield Gallery) and the 2nd Annual L.A. WEekly Biennial exhibit of top selections from L.A. area art schools (Track 16 Gallery & Minispace) and the Flow exhibit of artwork painted on limited edition surfboards (Frank Picutres/Off Main Gallery).

Getting arty worked up an appetite and we lunched outside at the Bergamot Cafe. Featuring your basic cafe fare (soups, salads and sandwiches), we both ordered the 'Bundle Of Joy' half sandwich/half salad combo ($7.39). My greek salad and roast beef & avocado sandwich wasn't amazing but wasn't bad either. You can probably find other better eateries nearby but for its on-premises convenience (and selection of fun boutique sodas...I had the Bundaberg Ginger Brew $1.79) the cafe is totally doable.

Getting there is easy, there's plenty of free parking and free admission where you can just wander from adjacent gallery to adjacent gallery until you're all arted out. Closed Mondays and Sundays, but it's definitely an interesting weekday excursion you could fit during your lunch hour or Saturdays for a more leisurely arty walkabout.

Bergamot Station
Bergamot Cafe
2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica
310/586.6488
Hours: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. (Tuesday - Friday)
11 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. (Saturday)

Crazy Fish Sushi: Crazy Good Prices

After my sushi-licious splurge-fest at Katsuya last week, I needed to downgrade my sushi spending for my next outing so Chaya's suggestion of Crazy Fish the other night was perfect. Known for generous, fresh, creative--and totally affordable-- sushi, Crazy Fish has sporadically been a favorite spot of mine since college but for some reason I alternate between spurts of Crazy Fish obsession and spurts of forgetting about it. I haven't eaten here in over a year so I'm glad Chaya reminded me of it.

It's located on the corner of Olympic Blvd and Doheny, but if you come after 7pm, just look for the small crowd outside (they don't take reservations so expect a little bit of a wait.) Inside the corridor-shaped spot is Beverly Hill's version of hole-in-the-wall (pastel painted walls with stencilled fish, formica tables, bright lighting). They have some hot udon and tempura dishes but it's all about the sushi rolls here; there are over 20 creative--if not authentic--rolls to choose from (in addition to more traditional spicy tuna and spider rolls etc, there's also the Oy Vey! sashimi platter with salmon and red onions and the smoked salmon and cream cheese Jewish Roll.)

Chaya ordered a spicy tuna roll with avocado and cucumbers while I got a modified Kinta Roll (I switched spicy tuna with spicy yellowtail with no mayo, which is then wrapped in tempura-fried seaweed and drizzled with eel sauce). They were big, messy and totally delicious. There were other rolls that piqued our interest (Sno-Cone Roll: albacore-scallion wrapped in cucumber, Crazy Fish with yellowtail, salmon, tuna and asparagus, shrimp tempura roll topped with tuna) but with about 12 gigantic pieces with the diameter of a sliced tennis ball per order, we were too full to order more after our one roll each.

Our total bill was $17 for two heaping rolls and a pot of green tea; leaving both our tummies and our wallets satisfied. My ten bucks was doubly well-spent when I realized that my Kinta Roll cost less than the $10 bottle of Voss water we were charged at Katsuya.

Crazy Fish
9105 W Olympic Blvd, Beverly Hills,
310/550-8547