Savor Los Angeles - One Sweet Event You Don't Want To Miss!

It is no secret that I love sweets! All shapes, flavors and sizes (espcially the cake kind). Finally there is an event that has me practically drooling. Friday at Miauhaus Studios on La Brea, Savor Los Angeles presents an exclusive best of the best sweet tasting event. From 7pm-10pm ticket holders get to enjoy endless amounts of delicious confections. The wash it all down they can enjoyed a steaming cup of Intellegensia coffee or a sweet sparkling Izzie soda or my personal favorite choice PAMA liquer cocktails. Savor Los Angeles is an intimate unique gathering all centered around sweets. Participating establishments are chosen for their emphasis on fresh and organic ingredients, alternatives to high-fructose corn syrup, vegan offerings, presentation & design, and good ol’ overall yumminess. The result is an environment that feels luxurious, genuine and exciting. Guests are invited to sample an assortment of delectable delicacies from Babycakes NYC/LA, Frosted Cupcakery, Gotta Have S’more, N’ice Cream, p.o.p. candy co., Plaisir, Popcakes, Pure Cheesecakes, Sweets For The Soul, The Crosby, and XT Patisserie.

So what are you waiting for! Tickets are only $35 for all of this goodness. I can't wait to eat my way through my favorite brownies from Sweets For The Soul and some pineapple coconut cupcakes from Frosted and I'm excited to finally get to try Plaisir creampuffs and p.o.p. candy! I will be there enjoying as much as I can before I fall into a sweets coma, hope to see you there!

For tickets and more information on participating vendors check out www.savor-losangeles.com

Soul Satisfaction - Four Cafe's Summer Menu

Four Cafe first opened its doors in April of this year. They offer fresh local organic ingredients using a slow food cooking approach. The menu changes with the seasons, offering only dishes at their peak of deliciousness. Since the restaurant's opening days I have been an enthusiastic regular customer. Each visit never disappoints and my love for this neighborhood gem only grows stronger with time. You may remember my first post about it here; if that didn't entice you to visit this Eagle Rock cafe the new summer menu certainly will have your jumping off of the couch and into the car!

True to form, Four Cafe has a list of mouth-wateringly delicious soups, salads and sandwiches, highlights of which are the shrimp and fennel soup, the southwest steak salad and the grilled fish burger. But be sure to save room for some of chef Michelle Wilton's sweet confections. Coming from a girl who loves anything sweet, these are some of the best desserts I have had. This summer look for a rich apricot cobbler, blueberry cheesecake bars and raspberry pistachio buttermilk cake.

This is what I call a summer soup. Funny as it may sound, some soups can be summer-friendly without being gazpacho. Soft fennel flavors penetrate this silky pureed soup. The flavors are subtle until the first bite of shrimp. The shrimp pop with savory flavors. Salty and smoky, the shrimp compliment the delicate fennel and create an all too scrumptious starter.

The southwest steak salad is something at which to be marveled. The honey jalapeño lime dressing is maybe one of the best salad dressings I’ve ever tasted. The enchanting taste is so good you will find yourself frantically taking stabs of the crisp lettuce in an almost compulsive manner. The steak is medium rare with a nice charred taste. Juicy chunks of jicama and yellow bell pepper are scattered throughout. This is a hefty, hearty and addicting meal.

I am a huge fan of a good grilled fish burger, but I never eat them. The reason for this is that the only good one I have found in LA is at Houston’s. That is until now. Four Café has a grilled fish burger just as good as Houston’s. Perfectly seasoned fresh fish, topped with a crunchy slaw on a homemade bun. They do not skimp on the dressing either, so grab some napkins because this burger is a messy tasty treat.

Apricot cobbler. I come once a week now even if it is just to take home a slice of cobbler. This cobbler has a thick almost viscous crumble topping. Below lies the real jewels: apricot halves that are a rich syrupy delight. I also have Four Cafe's berry crisp waiting for me in the kitchen - I couldn't resist and took it to go. I'm sure it will not disappoint.

I could go on and on waxing poetic about everything on Four’s summer menu. You should just go to Four Café and enjoy it for yourself. This is soul satisfying, comforting food. Convivial atmosphere, amazing food and some of the best service you will find. Enjoy the flavors of summer!

FOUR CAFE

2122 1/2 Colorado Blvd

Eagle Rock CA 90041

323/550-1988

If You Don't Know, Now You Know!

Have you heard the news!? Of course you have I can't stop talking about it. But here it is again and I couldn't have put it better myself! Straight from my partner Marvin Gapultos' (aka BurntLumpia) blog! http://burntlumpia.typepad.com/burnt_lumpia/2010/06/heres-the-filipino-food.html

We are both so excited to have embarked on this amazing adventure! Together we are bringing Filipino food to the masses of Los Angeles with LA's FIRST Filipino food truck! I hope I see you all out there on the road and please please help us get the word out! Tell all of you friends and follow us on Twitter @manilamachine! Find our weekly schedule on our website www.themanilamachine.com!

Our launch June 10th Downtown LA Artwalk...

people were lined up before we even opened...

and the line continued for three and a half hours until we sold out of everthing on the truck!

First night on the road check! Success check!

the next week we were invited as a special guest addition to the

Americana at Brand Streat Feast!

again never ending line! The excitement is awesome and we are so glad to be bringing Filipino food to the masses!

We are on the road now and the fun never stops! Hope to see you out there!

Eat My Ube Cupcake

It is that time again folks, a time to over indulge in some sweets while giving back to your community. It is time for Eat My Blog, a charity bakesale hosted by fellow Angelino bloggers Cathy Dahn of Gastronomy Blog and Diana Hossfeld of Diana Takes a Bite. All proceeds from the bakesale go to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. The innagural Eat My Blog bakesale was held last winter and was a huge success. Eat My Blog gathers food bloggers, restaurant owners, chefs, bakers and the like to contribute sweet goodness to raise money to help fight hunger. Last year I contributed Let Me Eat Cake oatmeal sandwich cookies. They were a hit and I had a blast being part of this amazing event.

For this year's second annual Eat My Blog charity bakesale I will be donating ube cupcakes with a coconut buttercream frosting from The Manila Machine (LA's first and only Filipino food truck- my food truck!). We are excited to contribute and hope that you all come down and share in the fun. It is going to be a sweet time for a good cause. Come enjoy a plethora of confections and meet some bloggers. I will be working 10am-1pm so make sure to say hi!

Now you can drool over this preview of the cupcakes I will be bringing...

You can find the Manila Machine ube cupcake recipe here, but why bake them visit us on the truck and you can enjoy theses plus many many more delicious Filipino eats!

The Manila Machine Hits the Streets!

photo courtesy of Cathy Dahn www.gastronomyblog.com

I have been absent from the blog lately, but for good reason … I am now co-owner of LA’s first and only Filipino gourmet food truck, the Manila Machine! It has been so exciting and crazy the past few weeks. The Manila Machine officially launched last Thursday June 10th at the Downtown LA Artwalk. The response was overwhelming. We got a great spot right on the corner of 5 th and Main and before we finished parking we had a line of people. Three and a half hours later we sold out of everything on the truck. What a night! Tomorrow we will be at the Americana at Brand for Street Feast, which is sure to be a huge event. I’ve been rolling lumpia, baking leche flan and buying up the city’s ube! So come share in the fun and try some tasty Filipino home cooking off a truck! Follow us on twitter @manilamachine to find where the truck is rolling each day. Hope to see some familiar faces out there!

photo courtesy of liezl estipona