LA Street Food Truck Fest and Free Milkshakes February 10, 2010
Posted by Dorothy in information, sweet eats.Tags: dessert trucks, food trucks, LA food trucks, los angeles street food fest, valentine's 2010
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This Saturday, February 13, is LA’s first ever official street food fest! LA’s most popular food trucks are getting together, on one street, for one delicious day of eating in the streets!
The trucks will be offering up a ‘tasting menu’ with small bites of their most popular dishes and even day-of-event exclusive items! Items are $1 – $5 so you can try as much as you want without getting a stomache from eating too many full-sized entrees!
Check out the wide variety of participating trucks here. There’s something for everyone – pizza, pastramis, brazilian food, pancakes, kabobs, indian, bbq, and dessert! The dessert trucks I am most excited for are:
Coolhaus – architecturally inspired ice-cream sandwiches. Pick a cookie, and then pick an ice-cream to create your dream ice-cream sandwich! Wide variety of ice-cream flavors include your favorite flavors as well as some fresh ones – lambrusco, apple pie, blood orange, and earl grey tea! Pair any of those with your choice of cookies, including brioche, chocolate chip, and chocolate.
Sweets Truck – a mobile bakeshop and gourmet coffeehouse. Hand-picked sweets and rotating desserts! This is a sugar rush you can feel good about – Sweets Truck offers organic milk, sugar, eco-friendly paper goods, and a variety of vegan items! Menu items include red velvet cookies, Auntie Em’s famous cupcakes, pudding “shooters”, Babycakes NYC cookie sandwiches, and a fun variety of old-fashioned candies and sweets.
The Popshop – ice pops reinvented. 100% natural, handmade ice pops! All ice pops are vegan and they even use compostable wrappers! Flavors change each week (and they welcome suggestions!) and include: Pumpkin Pie, Avocado Vanilla, Mojito, Bananas Foster..
Along with the food vendors there will also be local designers and artists in the Valentine’s Marketplace! Eat, shop, be merry!
LA Street Food Fest (February 13)
LA CENTER STUDIOS (Enter on 500 S. Beaudry Ave, LA, CA 90017)
11am – 5pm
And Free Food Alert! Free milkshakes at Ruby’s Diner this Valentine’s weekend! Hugs, Kisses, and Shakes!
Las Vegas Dessert Tour: World’s Largest Chocolate Fountain October 10, 2009
Posted by Dorothy in bars, chocolate, cookies, cupcakes, dessert tour, ice cream, information, sweet eats.Tags: bellagio, chocolate, crepes, jean philippe patiserrie, las vegas dessert tour, las vegas desserts
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Let’s continue on my Las Vegas Dessert Tour with a stop at the delicious Jean Philippe Patisserie inside the Bellagio:
Berry Crepe
Chocolate Crepe with Dark Chocolate Fudge
Not only is the Jean Philippe Patisserie famous for their Chocolate Waterfall, they are also known for their French style crepes. There are all sorts of crepes – sweet, indulgent, fruity, and savory – to satisfy everyone. We tried three different crepes:
Veggie Crepe: Crepe filled with Mediterrenean vegetable mix and a side of field greens. Good, but not amazing. Tasted a little bit like marinara pasta and salad.
Chocolate Crepe: Crepe with chocolate syrup, intense chocolate fudge, brownie bites, chocolate shavings, powdered sugar and mint garnish (comes with whipped cream if you like). I LOVED this crepe – Very indulgent and SO delicious! Extremely chocolate-y; a must for chocoholics!
Berry Crepe: Crepe with berry (strawberry, raspberry, and blueberry) compote, powdered sugar, and whipped cream – my favorite one of the three! Sweet and berry delicious! I loved the chunks of fruit and the perfect balance of sweet and tangy fruit. Very light and leaves you craving more.
Pastries
The dessert paradise that is Jean Philippe Patiserrie has a never-ending supply of pastries, candy, cakes, and gelato. There are giant almond brioches, fancy eclaires, a variety of sandwhiches, baguettes, hazelnut spread, opera cake, slabs of chocolate from the chocolate fountain, Sponge Bob birthday cakes, Hello Kitty cupcakes… you name it! I could barely take it all in with my eyes. Can’t wait to go back!
Jean Philippe Gelato
So I think I met myself from the future… September 20, 2009
Posted by Dorothy in information, sweet eats.7 comments
… not really but totally kind of! Well I didn’t meet her but I know she’s out there! PROOF BELOW:
Bakery owned by my Future Self in Korea
THAT photo above is a shot of the entrance to the Dorothy Ann bakery in Korea!! DOROTHY. ANN. BAKERY. in KOREA.
and its HOT PINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I cannot believe someone beat me to it and opened a hot pink bakery in korea named after myself. I have forever been wanting to open a hot pink bakery named Dorothy Ann!! And I’ve always wanted my bakery to be in Korea because I wish I was Korean! Absolutely cannot believe that there can be another person SO similar to moi but so much more accomplished.
Then I realized it has to be ME from the future!! I mean, that’s the only explanation for the existence of this bakery. It looks exactly like the one that’s been sitting in my head! It IS the one that’s been sitting in my head.
I hope she’s married to a korean pop star.
Dorothy Ann Sandwich
Seoul, Korea
Los Angeles Dessert Tour: (I strongly strongly recommend) Porto’s Bakery August 25, 2009
Posted by Dorothy in bread, cake, chocolate, cookies, cupcakes, dessert tour, information, sweet eats.Tags: burbank desserts, cheap bakeries, cuban cuisine, cuban desserts, glendale desserts, los angeles bakery, los angeles dessert tour, los angeles desserts, porto's bakery
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- Dulche de Leche Napoleon
Porto’s Bakery is my newest love and obsession! This place is so super wonderful; I have no idea why it took me so long to find it! Located in the heart of Burbank or Glendale (there are two locations), Porto’s is just a quick (and very worthy) drive away from L.A., and a definite dessert stop in Los Angeles. I recently visited the location in Burbank, and had the time of my life. The place is almost as big as a Whole Foods store, and packed to the max with cakes, pastries, desserts, and customers! This dessert heaven is completely family-owned and operated, and all the goods are made fresh at the premises.
Exotic Red Velvet Cupcakes
Surprisingly, Porto’s is actually a Cuban restaurant and features a wide variety of (delicious) Cuban sandwiches, snacks, and drinks along with traditional Cuban desserts and exotic pastries. Even though they are a Cuban bakery, they still have a great selection of the regular cakes/pastries/desserts we are used to. There is also a huge selection of fresh baked breads and rolls, too. I’ve never had real Cuban cuisine myself, but a customer standing in front of me in line told me Porto’s had the most authentic Cuban cuisine she had ever had in California – and yes, she was Cuban.
Delicious Banana Chips
Now, I never write about real food because I don’t really eat it, as I just live off dessert, but the real food at Porto’s was SO good that I am going to mention it. I had a vegetable sandwhich which was perfectly cheesy and delicious, but the thing I really want to talk about are the banana chips that came with the sandwhich. These are supersuperthin slices of banana that are freshly fried into crispy banana chips – also know as plantain chips. Soooooogood! They are the perfect thinness and perfect crispiness and they even come with a delicious dipping sauce. I suggest you order a large side and enjoy!
On to the best part now – the desserts! Porto’s is super fun because it has two extremely long glass display cases that stretch the entire length of the store completely filled with all the sweets you are craving. A lot of the sweets feature the exotic flavors of guava, mango, pineapple, apricot, and coconut which you don’t usually see in desserts at traditional bakeries. Here’s a small sample of what they have to offer in those wonderful display cases: Opera Cake, Apricot Empanada, Cheese Roll (sweet cream cheese filled pastry; their best-seller), Tiramisu, Guava Pie, Napoleons, Mariner Cake, Red Velvet Cupcakes, Tres Leches Cake, Raspberry Pudding…
Mango Turnover
admist all this wonder, I finally settled on six sweets to try:
Coconut Strudel: my favorite item from Porto’s! This was so coconutty and sweet, I ate half of my strudel and ran inside to buy more 
Dulche de Leche Pound Cake: good, like caramel pound cake from anywhere else. The only average-tasting item I had at Porto’s all day.
Dulche de Leche Napoleon (I was having a caramely day): soooo good! The layers were flaky perfection, the buttercream filling was delicious, and the dulche de leche definitely filled my caramel cravings.
Chocolate Eclair: this was pretty average as far as eclairs go.
Mango Turnover: delicious! Mango in a turnover is genius.
Refugiado (guava and cheese pastry): omg so good! I have never had guava in a pastry before, but I have totally been missing out! Similar to a raspberry and cheese strudel, but more tangy. The tang compliments the sweet cheese perfectly.
Refugiado (guava and cheese strudel)
Next time I go, I am definitely going to stock up on Coconut Strudels and Refugiados. I also want to try their Cinnamon Rolls, which are bigger than my head, their best-selling Cheese Pastry, and the Tres Leches Cake.
Doesn’t Porto’s sound amazing?! Well, I didn’t even tell you the best part yet – the PRICES! I have never been to a dessert place with prices this good. My favorite Coconut Strudels are only 85 cents each, and $7.40 for a dozen. The delicious Refugiadosare only 65 cents each! Most cheesecakes/sliced cakes/Napoleons are only $2.50. The cheapest I’ve ever had for a Napoleon outside of Porto’s was $6.50! The cinnamon rolls that are bigger than my head are $1.50! Everything is super worth it.
After that life altering dessert trip, I have added a new life goal to my list of life goals: to try every sweet at Porto’s Bakery! Yay, this is going to be so much fun! If you’re planning on going, be prepared to park far away and wait in long lines as the place is ridiculously popular and always packed and there is no such thing as big parking lots in or around LA. Porto’s Bakery has two locations to satisfy your sweet tooth:
Glendale Location
315 North Brand Blvd.
Glendale, CA 91203
tel. (818) 956-5996
fax (818) 956-0696
Map it
Burbank Location
3614 W Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91505
(818) 846-9100
Map it
So if you live near LA, go! Now!! I’ll see you there
Los Angeles Dessert Tour: Gourmet Churros on the Boardwalk August 3, 2009
Posted by Dorothy in chocolate, dessert tour, information, sweet eats.Tags: chocolate, churros, gourmet churros, los angeles dessert tour, los angeles desserts, santa monica, third street promenade, xurro
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Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, California, is a sunny wonderland offering blocks of ocean, shops, and most of all, delicious eats. Its the ultimate place for some fun under the sun!
Santa Monica, CA
A recent addition to the overflowing dessert shops lining up and around Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade is Xooro, home to the most exciting premium spanish fritters I have ever encountered. This is a brilliant concept. Bascially, its an ubergourmet churro. A Xooro (pronounced SURE-oh) is a filled (chocolate, caramel, etc) churro that is coated in chocolate, caramel, etc.
Xooro has a wide variety of fillings and coatings to choose from, such as Maple Bacon (churro filled with dulce de leche then dipped in white chocolate and coated in bacon pieces), Raspberry (churro filled with raspberry filling then dipped in white chocolate and coated with white chocolate sprinkles), and the Triple Chocolate (self-explantory). There is also The Original (also available as Chocolate Original), which is a churro filled with custard, and The Original Gluten Free.
We tried three different xooros:
Missippi, Jordan's Special, and Tortoise
Tortoise: The Tortoise is filled with dulce de leche, dipped in chocolate, and then coated with crushed pecans. It was delicious, but not as good as it looks. The dulche de leche filling can definitely be better, but the chocolate is very milk chocolate and the pecans and churro were satisfyingly crunchy.
Missippi: The Missippi is filled with peanut butter filling, dipped in chocolate, and then coated in crushed peanuts. Again, not as good as it looks, but still delicious. The peanut butter filling was more like straight up peanut butter; I think it would be a lot better if it was filled with a sweeter, thinner concoction, like peanut butter frosting. Also satisfyingly crunchy.
Jordan’s Special: This one is my favorite out of the three. Jordan’s Special is filled with Nutella, dipped in white chocolate, and drizzled with dark chocolate. I really liked the white chocolate here; the sweetness really balanced the bitterness of the dark chocolate and the Nutella. And the Nutella filling added the perfect hint of hazelnut flavor to complement the churro.
And don’t feel guilty about eating these! These churros are fried in rice bran oil, so they are slightly healthier than other churros. If you’re not in the mood for a Xooro, there are also a variety of cold and hot drinks, like Spanish Hot Chocolate or Dulce de Leche.
All in all, a very fun place to visit for dessert in Los Angeles. And its right next to the beach! Xooro has two locations:
Xooro
125 Broadway
Santa Monica, California 90401
(310) 260-2919
8360 Melrose Avenue
West Hollywood, California 90069
(323) 951-9592
