Trip to Los Angeles

I spent a couple of days in Los Angeles at the LA Mart and California Gift Show.  I used to travel to the California Gift Show twice a year every year and dreaded spending time in downtown LA.  It, to me, is just not a fun city I can never find any place to eat, lots of bad shopping centers and just generally nothing fun to do. So I brought lots of books and planned to spend my free time in my room or by the pool reading.  I am happy to report I was surprised how much fun I had on this trip.  

I spent the first day at the Mart visiting the showroom where our products are displayed exploring other showrooms. 

I woke up the next morning with the plan to get out and do something fun.  I read about the Los Angeles Flower Market the night before and I knew that an adventure to the flower market would be the perfect way to spend my morning.  On my way to the flower market I passed this building and when I looked inside I was shocked at how beautiful it was esp. for downtown LA.  The name on the building was Bottega Louie.  Inside was a huge space, bright white marble floors and huge ceilings.  I walked in and discovered a combination pastry shop, gourmet grocery store, restaurant and bar.  I purchased an apple tart and a pastry I have been wanting to try for a long time, french macaroons.  

Let me just say my new favorite pastry is a Macaroon.  I tried the red (raspberry) and purple (lavender).  I went back the next morning and bought one of each color to eat at the airport while waiting for my flight. So cute and delicious.

Cupcakes in the pastry shop. I love the fancy gold cupcake cups. And I feel like I am falling in love with the white marble in the case.

The grocery store where I purchased Chai Tea Cashew brittle from this company.  Holy cow delicious! I am learning how to make brittle this weekend. 

The Restaurant

Beautiful little sandwiches in the grocery store. They also had a fantastic cheese case. I could have lunch here every day for the rest of my life and be happy.  The whole concept was so well put together with a beautiful assortment of food and so well merchandised. 

With apple tart in hand I continued on to the flower market and when I got there I was in heaven. There were two large warehouse buildings filled with flowers.  The buildings were so beautiful, bright and smelled amazing. There were rooms filled entirely with roses, rooms with orchids and areas filled with every other type and color of flower you can imagine.  I wish I had a better camera with me.  The iphone just did not capture the beauty of the flower market.  

After the flower market I went to a farmers market and bought some heirloom tomatoes and a delicious peach.  I also bought a goat cheese and roasted chili tomale and tried a vegi pupusas.
 I have never tried a pupusas, it was a cheesy flatbread with grilled vegetables with some sort of coleslaw. It was really good.
The last day I was in LA I went back to the Mart and bought a salad at a little kiosk set up by a local shop named Milk.  

I ordered the most amazing salad I think I have ever had in my life.  It was baby arugula, manchego cheese, sliced peaches or maybe nectarines, dates, caramelized walnuts, wheat berries and walnut vinaigrette.  It may have changed my life.......ok maybe not, but I must try to figure out have to recreate this  salad.  

In the end it was a nice little trip, both refreshing for my soul to get away for a few days and a productive visit to the Mart.