food love: santa monica

When we were in Los Angeles last week, we went to some of the most incredible restaurants. I mean seriously, it was food love. 

Our favorite, by far, is Huckleberry Cafe (cue round of applause). It was there that I found love in a donut, and entered into the first monogamous relationship I've ever had with an item of food. There is no need to consume another donut if it isn't from Huckleberry Cafe. We may or may not have had 400 of them while we were there. You can see them in the background of the photo above. Toasted coconut, you temptress!

We also had their fried egg sandwich, breakfast burrito, and green eggs & ham. So delicious, I would eat here everyday. And I did, while visiting the area. I won't deny it. No shame here.

Also in the Huckleberry Cafe family is Rustic Canyon, a quaint little spot on Wilshire in Santa Monica. Spencer and I loved the warm, almost community-style atmosphere. At the recommendation of our hotel's concierge, we ordered their burger and fries. I can't even think of appropriate exclamatory words for how incredible (word not good enough) this burger was. SO GOOD (caps helps). It was kind of busy and a bit loud, but we were looking for a night on the town and we definitely found a gem.

Just down the street from our hotel was Blue Plate Oysterette. The decor in this place had me drooling, and we decided to sit at the bar so we could watch all the chef's in action. It's so lively in there, and I was reminded of a New England pub, with all it's seafood, lively conversation and overflowing beer. They even had Allagash White on tap, and that was enough to get me going. We had their calamari, fish and chips, and fish of the day. The calamari was corn meal encrusted, which was unlike anything I have had before, but it was delightful! 

Other favorite restaurants:

1. Umami Burger - delicious burgers and fries

2. Urth Cafe - this LA franchise consistently has great, fresh food

3. The Basement Tavern - quirky bar beneath an old Victorian house. really fun!

4. Rawvolution - yummy desserts that spencer can eat!

Spencer and I are new to the whole traveling/exploring thing as newlyweds, and we really enjoyed asking around for recommendations and exploring a new area of the country. I think we both went into the vacation looking for an experience outside of resorts and all-inclusive and what not. We wanted to get a feel for the culture and the community, and it wasn't as intimidating as we thought it'd be. Los Angeles is a lot of things, but the food is amazing. Check it out!