Showing posts with label craft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label craft. Show all posts

Saturday, May 22, 2010

UniqueLA: Shopping for Pig Stuff and Food

UniqueLA Marketplace brings more than 200 local independent vendors under one roof for two days at a time, all for your shopping convenience. I had never been to one before this last Spring show, so when SauceLA invited to attend as press, I happily accepted. I was so in the mood to go shopping.

This time UniqueLA was held at the penthouse of the California Market Center in downtown LA. Clothing designers, arts & crafts, greeting cards, LPs from Amoeba Records, and of course, food.

From the ridiculously cute pillows, stuffed animals, and more that I tried very hard to justify buying ...
to some high end, beautifully minimal home decor items I wish I could afford ...

I ended up spending my time around the $5 bins and "SALE" signs, of course.

When I saw this necklace at the Flea Market Girl's stand, I had to get it. I just had to.
Plus it was only $5!

But what would a GourmetPigs blogpost be without food. Moving on to the food ... there was the wildly popular peanut butter cups from Ococoa.
You wouldn't care for Reese's at all after you've had these. She also offers a variety of interesting flavors like Marzipan Truffle and Sunflower Honey, but they were not available for sampling. I guess I'll just have to buy and try them out later. Why must good chocolates be so expensive?

There was also PopShop with their organic gourmet popsicles.
Organic, no high fructose corn syrup, these are at least a little healthier than your grocery store popsicles, but with flavors like Mint Lime Mojito, Amaretto White Peach, Chili Chocolate, Lemon Basil, and more, who cares?

On the savory side, Flying Pig Truck had also set up a stand here. I've never tried them before and since their name held a strong appeal for me, I did so this time.
Braised Pork Belly Bun ($4):
It turned out to just be OK. I found the filling to be lacking in both portion and flavor to stand up to the thick bun. It could've been good, but it seems to me they're skimping a bit.

Besides letting you peruse cute things, get some great deals on clothes & more and support your local independent designers, and taste some "gourmet edibles" you probably had never tried before, UniqueLA also managed to raise $4000 for Greenwish. How's that for guilt-free shopping?

Thursday, October 30, 2008

In for a Well-Crafted Meal, but Could be Better

I've been to, and liked, Craft in Dallas so I was pretty happy when Craft opened up in LA. I've actually gone there when they first opened but never took photos, so when we went there again it's my chance to blog!

We knew what we liked so we didn't get the tasting menu. Our meal started with a slightly spicy tartar amuse bouche.



I tried out their seared foie gras with mango and grapes.
The foie itself could be better, but I did like how the tartness of the mango cuts the fattiness of the foie.

We also got the quail with blueberries, which I had in Dallas and really liked.
I must say the one I had in Dallas was better, and I think it was due to the bird itself. These are a little on the small side (considering it's $16) and not as gamey and flavorful. I still like the preparation with the blueberries, and I enjoyed it quite a bit, but having had a better version of it I was a bit disappointed.

For our main dish we got the Braised Beef short ribs with Root Vegetables
The short rib was tender and flavorful. I've had better short rib but this one is not bad at all. It's a nice, hearty 'comfort' dish.

And of course side dishes are important when you're ordering a la carte at Craft. Side portions are generous and they have a nice selection.
In case you haven't noticed yet, I love sweet corn.
The corn was sweet with a nice texture. They were also not too oily.

The other side dish we got was sweet potato, my companion's favorite.
Pretty good and creamy. I'm not a huge sweet potato fan, so I can't say much, but I still enjoyed it.

Now, the thing that really made an impression on me at Craft Dallas was their gelato sampler! The one here is more expensive! 3 gelato/sorbet sampler for $10 or 6 for $20! In Dallas we got 6 just for $12 *grumble* Granted the scoops are pretty big, but still ..
But we got the 6 anyway, which included chocolate, strawberry, concord grape, honey yogurt, and ... basil.
The basil was one of my favorite! Unique, but very refreshing and delicious. Honey yogurt is another highlight.

Instead of petit fours, we were served coffee cake and torrones, both delicious. I usually do not like torrone because they stick to my teeth but I enjoyed these ones.

Overall I enjoyed my experiences at Craft LA and I'll come back again - but I know it could better. Because Craft Dallas is, and cheaper too.


Craft Los Angeles
10100 Constellation Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90067

(310) 279-4180

Craft on Urbanspoon

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