LONDON GUIDE: MARYLEBONE FOR FOODIES

Although London might not have the best reputation for food, I can promise you that things are changing.  There are a lot of great neighborhoods in London, but after having spent the past year exploring Marylebone High Street, I can tell you that this is where the foodies are hanging out. From great restaurants, speciality food shops, cooking schools and a Sunday farmers' market, Marylebone has it going on. 

Speciality Shops: 

•Chocolate- Rococo Chocolates is an adorable little shop with some of most delicious handmade chocolates in London.

•Fishmonger- The fishmonger Fish Works also has a restaurant and cookery school.

•Cheese- With a great cafe, shop and hundreds of types of cheese, La Fromagerie is definitely worth a stop!

•Butcher- The Ginger Pig sells some of the highest quality meat around, and if you're interested, they have butchery classes as well.

Cafe/Restaurants:

•Tapas- The Providores is hands down one of the best restaurants around!

•Fish + Chips- The Golden Hind is an institution in and of itself. Started in 1914, this restaurant has some of the best fish n'chips in the area.

•Steak- Le Relais de Venise doesn't take reservations and doesn't even have a menu. You simply tell your waiter how you'd like your steak cooked and you are presented with a delicious steak and frites.

•Organic/Artisan Cafe- The Natural Kitchen offers fresh seasonal food to eat in their restaurant or to take-away. 

•Italian Cafe- Cocorino is a delicious hole in the wall Italian cafe + gelatoria.

Pubs/Bars:

•Coco Momo Cafe Bar is a charming little corner place to stop and have a glass of wine or cocktail.

•Marylebone Tup, a cute place to grab a drink.

•Purl is a personal favorite. This underground speak-easy requires reservations and has some of the most interesting cocktails around.

Cooking Schools:

•Le Cordon Bleu, one of the most reputable culinary institutions in the world, offers 3-9 month long courses.

•Divertimenti has daily and evening classes along with a great kitchenware shop.

• La Cucina Caldesi is a charming little Italian cooking school.

Farmers' Market

•Marylebone hosts a Farmers' Market every Sunday from 10am-2pm at the Crammer Street Car Park. With over 40 stalls of locally grown produce, your tummy will be singing its praises all week.

{photos by Julia Ferguson of Room for Dessert}

MILK

If you haven't tried MILK yet, then it needs to be next on your list.  This Los Angeles hot spot has some of the best ice cream in town, not to mention their oh-so-amazing ooey gooey chocolate chip cookies.

{photos via MILK}

CALIFORNIA ROAD TRIP

James and I had the best time on our road trip down the California coast.  We started in Monterey, passed through Carmel, Pebble Beach and Big Sur where we marveled at the stunning coast line and visited San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo Mission.  Then, we stayed a night in San Luis Obispo.  In the morning, we headed to the Central Coast wine country where we went on a 20 mile bike ride through the countryside (lunch at the Los Olivos Cafe was fabulous).  Exhausted, we curled up for the night at The Ballard Inn.  Next we were off to Santa Barbara.   There we visited friends, and James attended his first yoga class.  Then we were off to Los Angeles which included stops at the Farmers Market, The Getty Center, a walk on the beach in Santa Monica, strolls down Abbott Kinney and Main Street, and burgers at Father's Office.  On our way home we had dinner at Buona Tavola in Paso Robles, and spent a night camping at Lake Nacimiento.  We had way too much fun!  Here are some photos from the trip...

{photos: Julia Ferguson}

DELLA FATTORIA

Over a year ago, I stopped in Petaluma for a bite to eat at the little cafe, Della Fattoria, on the way back from an events workshop.  I was unfamiliar with the restaurant at the time, and little did I know that I would be craving to go back ever since.  Simply stated, it was one of the most memorable meals I've eaten.  I ordered the special that say, homemade ravioli.  For dessert, peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies for the road.  And don't even get me started on the bread!  Lucky for me, when I don't want to make the drive up to Petaluma, I can always stop off for a baked treat on Saturday mornings at the Ferry Building Farmer's Market in San Francisco.

{photos: Della Fattoria}

THE TASTE OF HOME AT THE TAQUERIA

As a Californian with Mexican genes, I have desperately been missing Mexican food since I arrived in London.  I'd tried it at a few places, but in general, it had been a pretty pathetic experience.  I had read about Taqueria on GOOP, but didn't have that high of hopes.  I could not have been more wrong.  Last night I went to Notting Hill to check it out.  Taqueria is definitely a fabulous little Mexican restaurant.  It was so good, I would even go so far to say that it could compete with most Mexican restaurants back home.  The carnitas tacos make my mouth water just thinking about them.  All of the food was so flavorful and delicious.  I'm seriously dying to go back.

{photos: Taqueria}

YUM FOR DIM SUM

I have been to this restaurant at least four times since I've arrived in London, and I think it's about time I wrote a post about it.  If your in London and have a hankering for Dim Sum, you will have to check out Phoenix Palace.  Just off Marylebone Road in NW London, on Glentworth Street sits this gem.  The restaurant is quite large, and is generally packed full with Chinese families.  With excellent service, terrific food, and over 300 items to choose from on the menu, there will be something for everyone.

{photo: Julia Ferguson}

JULIA'S LOS ANGELES RESTAURANT GUIDE

As the Guest Services Manager at the Channel Road Inn in Santa Monica, CA, I became very familiar with the Los Angeles restaurant scene, particularly places on the Westside. There are hundreds of amazing places to eat in LA, but here is a list (in no particular order) of some of my favorite:

Santa Monica - General

• Border Grill - Nice Mexican place. Try the Tortilla Soup and the Green Corn Tamales!
• Chez Mimi - So charming...great with mom, girlfriends or a romantic date. The Tomato Soup is an absolute must!
• The Counter - Good burgers
• The Lobster - Great views
• The Penthouse - Great views and super swanky
• Rustic Canyon - Delicious food with ingredients from local farmers. Great wines too!

Santa Monica - Main Street

• Library Alehouse - Fun outdoor seating area
• Urth Cafe - Great salads, sandwiches, tea etc. My personal favorite is the Urth Salad with extra feta. Yum!
• World Cafe - Great outdoor seating with nice lighting and ambiance at night

Santa Monica - Montana Avenue

• Father's Office - The BEST burgers in town (and possibly the world). Also, a great wine and beer bar. It can be tough to get into this small venue so you may also want to try their Culver City location which is quite a bit larger.
• Locando Portofino - Italian
• Marmalade Cafe - Great for lunch, eat-in or take-out

Santa Monica - Channel Road

• Caffe Delfini - Charming beachy Italian
• Il Ristorante di Giorgio Baldi - First-class Italian (very expensive)
• Sam's by the Beach - Fusion Mediterranean and the nicest staff

Brentwood

• Coral Tree Cafe - Casual and great food. Free wireless internet. I love the Penne Arrabiata (beware: the garlic chunks are so big I thought they were pieces of chicken the first time I had this dish)
• Katsuya - Expensive but oh so good sushi

Venice - Abbott Kinney

• Axe - It's about the food and the people
• Hal's - Good food, art, and some nights they have live Jazz music
• Joe's - California-French Cuisine
• Lilly's - French. Great for lunch. Has a wonderful outdoor patio that is beautiful at night.
• Primitivo - Tapas and wine

Culver City

• BottleRock - Fun wine bar with a nice food menu
• Ford's Filling Station - American gastropub
• Fraiche - French and Italian
• Tender Greens - Casual eating with great salads and outdoor seating

Beverly Hills

• Bossa Nova - Brazilian cuisine
• Crazy Fish - A hole in the wall sushi place that is so good and inexpensive
• Frida - Upscale Mexican restaurant

Malibu

• Geoffreys - Great views
• Inn of the Seventh Ray - Nestled in Topanga Canyon, this is one of the most romantic places in town.
• John's Garden - Located in the Malibu Country Mart, this spot is a great sandwich joint. A perfect place to stop on your way to the beach.

Westwood

• Diddy Reise Cookies - Loved by all, this great cookie shop is open late into the night and has the best ice cream sandwiches around (plus, each cookie is only .35 and an ice cream sandwich is just $1.50).
• Native Foods - I'm afraid to tell you it's a vegan restaurant because you may judge this place before you've tried it.  I've taken South African rugby players here (I didn't tell them it was vegan beforehand) and they LOVED it.  My favorite is The Mama Mia pizza.
• Shaherzad - My favorite Persian/Iranian restaurant. The #7 (Kashk Bademjan) is the main reason I go here.

BRAZILIAN BBQ

Before arriving in South America, I was basically a vegetarian. However, the allure of the Brazilian meats changed my ways, and I am now a serious omnivore. The main reason for this change was the Brazilian Churrascaria (steakhouse/BBQ). If you've never been to a Brazilian Churrascaria, then you are missing out on life. The rules of the dinner are simple: eat as much as possible. Each diner is given a little card which is used to indicate to the waiters if they are hungry or full. One side of the card is green, indicating the diner would like more food. The other side is red, meaning they are finished. Well dressed waiters circulate around the restaurant with large slabs of beef, appetizers, sausages, fried bananas, and desserts. They serve you until you indicate with your card that you are full, and just can't take another bite. In Rio de Janeiro, there are multiple options for Brazilian BBQ, but the two I would recommend are Porcão and Caretão Churrascaria. Porcão is upscale and expensive, while Caretão Churrascaria is a bit more casual and moderately priced. Both offer exquisite all-you-can-eat food, and are not to be missed when in Rio de Janeiro.

{photos: Julia Ferguson}