Adventures in the World of Mobile Knowledge Workers

Food Lab - Another Visit

I made another visit to Food Lab, and was completely wowed. This time we shopped for a picnic.There was still a great crowd and a fantastic vibe. 

I chose what turned out to be a superb meatloaf sandwich, garnished with really good caramelized onions and slightly spicy mayo with flecks of red pepper and small pieces of pickle. My husband thinks that it was Russian dressing. Maybe it was, but I'm detailing the contents for you because even this humble condiment felt carefully prepared. On this day I spared myself nothing: I also ordered cider vinegar and sea salt potato chips, lingonberry lemonade, the famous homemade s'mores and a chocolatey cookie. My husband had a delicately flavored wiener schnitzel sandwich, cheddar and chives chips and lingonberry lemonade.

One thing that happens at Food Lab is that there are so many good looking items around that it's hard to stop ordering. Because it was my birthday, and I was hesitating about getting yet another sweet, they threw in alphabet gummies on the house. I absolutely adore gummies, so the gesture was very much appreciated.

And perhaps because it was my birthday, the whole day was filled with grand gestures. Shortly after I took this picture, I spilled an entire cup of coffee on the table that you see here. I was trying to get another shot. The Food Lab staff was imperturbable. I didn't even feel like an idiot, which was pretty astonishing given all the coffee dripping on the floor and the chairs. They replaced my coffee with a smile and cleaned up the mess efficiently.

It was raining quite a bit by the time we got to the field for our picnic. So we made a party in the car. Eating food that feels crafted is wonderful because it makes you feel good, even beyond the tasting of it. And then the sun came out.

I love Food Lab. What's not to love when the people are kind and the food is good?

Just in case you missed the previous post, click here for Food Lab contact details.

Ramma Geni Cafe - Melrose between La Cienega & West Knoll Drive

I stumbled upon another slice of undiscovered LA recently. The subtitle of this post should read "In which the Mobile Knowledge Worker discovers free wi-fi, great food and wonderful service at a West Hollywood hookah lounge." But I'm getting ahead of my story.

I walked into Ramma Geni Cafe and immediately felt that I had walked into a speakeasy. The bright light of day version.

La Conversation Cafe - Doheny Drive at Nemo St.

What better place to have French conversation than at La Conversation Cafe? My dear friend and I were going to meet there to give me some French practice. I speak the language, but don't have much chance to use it these days. He is French and fascinating.

I arrived a bit early and selected our table. I decided to sit directly across from the pastry case. When you enter La Conversation Cafe, you feel that you have stumbled into Old France (maybe circa Napoleon Bonaparte).

Food Lab - Santa Monica Blvd between Gardner & Sierra Bonita

As I approach Food Lab's door, a little Cindy Lou Who look-alike runs up to door. She presses her face against the glass. It becomes a pinkish blob studded with two bright blue eyes. She laughs, I laugh. Her parents aren't as amused as we are.

Play time over, I enter the cafe. Food Lab is tiny and filled with the smell of baked goods. I'm hungry. I've just finished driving on the freeway in a heavy rain. I'm exhausted by the effort of being a defensive driver, as all around me acted as though we were competing in the Indy 500, with the added fillip of slick roads and poor visibility.

I look at the menu board on the wall and settle upon the Cuban sandwich. My frazzled nerves need to be soothed by something sweet. I choose a container of financiers. I splash out on a double espresso. While I'm waiting for the coffee, I notice a man standing just to the side of the servers, behind the counter.

Kaffee Wien - Melrose Ave. between Norwich & Huntley

On the day that I visited Kaffee Wien, everyone was talking about the weather. Even me. It was overcast and rainy. Rain is the Los Angeles equivalent of "weather," i.e., snow on the East Coast. The server said "We need some rain. I like rainy days." That's what people always say. The veracity of this statement is undeniable. And yet, I'm often a little annoyed when it rains. Los Angeles is known as the Land of Endless Summer. When I moved here, I expected sunny, mild conditions and being able to drive down the coast with all the windows open, the radio playing and the breeze blowing my hair. All year round. The idea of a rainy day must have been in the small print that I somehow missed.

As we'd gotten the weather discussion out of the way, we began to talk about more important things. Like my food choices.

Plaisir - p.s.

In case you're ever stuck for a hostess gift, I now have two words for you: cream puffs. Plaisir has them in boxes of 8 or 16. I've tried the pomegranate, vanilla and cheesecake flavors. Cute to look at and yummy.

Click here for Plaisir details.

Plaisir - Santa Monica Blvd between Westmount & Westbourne

Plaisir is the Mobile Knowledge Worker's wet dream: the food is great, the vibe is good and the experience is customizable.

Owner Philippe, Mr. Plaisir, is behind the counter. I know his name because it's lettered in white (I think) on his black chef's top. He's very personable. Perhaps he spotted my fantastic laptop backpack (more about that in another post). But in any event, he volunteered that Plaisir has free Wi-Fi.

The menu is classic French cafe fare: Croque Monsieurs, quiches, etc. I'm in the mood for a sandwich, however. I notice the turkey and brie option. "Is it good?" "Yes, very good." Philippe replies. And as for the salad that comes with it, "Do you want Caesar or spinach with strawberries?" Always a forthright Midwesterner, I ask, "That sounds a little odd -- is it good?" "Yes, it's very nice. There's a raspberry dressing and some feta." I decide to trust him and select the spinach salad.  I finish up by ordering a Napoleon pastry and coffee.

I take my place at one of the glossy copper-colored bar tables around the perimeter of the room.

Salades de Provence - La Cienega & Holloway

As promised, I went back to check this place out. This time I was armed with my laptop. The same handsome waiters were in attendance. It looked as though sunlight had painted the walls, but it was simply a clever paint job using  burnt yellow paint. You can see the brushstrokes. The tables are dark wood; there's a tablecloth near the entrance with one of those typical Provencal patterns (olives I think, on a yellow background). Lovely.

I couldn't decide what to order. Should I try a sandwich? Or a salad? Or should I just go with a quiche? The waiter walks towards me. But then he immediately says,  "Prenez votre temps Madame (Take your time Madame)," because he reads the indecision on my face. Nice.

He has brought me a glass bottle filled with water. Slices of lemons are at the bottom. The bottle has a heft that's comforting. The water tastes good. I munch on ratatouille on "toasts" as I mull over my food choices.

All kinds of people come in:  a woman with a baby, who gurgles.

A Wi-Fi Find in West Hollywood?

I discovered this place on my way back from checking out an Angels vs. Yankees playoff game in Anaheim last week. It was one of those days when my calendar was jam-packed. I had a meeting later in the day. I couldn't rely on the quixotic nature of Orange County to LA freeway traffic. So I took public transportation on the way back. It was a brilliant scheme. And as you'll see from this story, the moral is that there are unexpected benefits to being green.

I walked through the Angel Stadium parking lot for literally three minutes to get to the train station. I took the train to Union Station. I then walked one minute (still inside the train station) to get to the subway, got off after a few stops, walked across the street and took the bus from there. The whole trip took about an hour. And for those who remember the bad old days of public transportation in LA, I can report that this bus was clean and that the riders seemed to be regular working people.

I reached the nadir of the expedition, however, when I got off of the bus. I was thirsty and, as a result, felt travel weary. Although I had tried to ration my teeny bought-at-the-ballpark bottle of water, it didn't last the journey. My misplaced skepticism about the train running on time didn't help me either. I sat in full sun for 15 minutes (at least) at the train station. In retrospect, this was a completely ridiculous strategy, although it was pleasant to sit outside. My thinking was, 'What if the train comes early?' The rational answer would have been 'It will wait until its scheduled departure.' But as I could not afford to miss this train, I erred on the side of irrational thought.

'What to do?' I asked myself, tired and trudging up the hill. Then hope appeared.