On my LA trip, it was all about work. Hanging with my West Coast family was the best part about it. Coming in right behind them (haha…) was, of course, the thing our life rotates around after my son: food! Work and food, work and food, work and food…
Right out of the gate on Thursday, we headed to dinner; we checked out this nice place downtown.. Karl Strauss Brewery… very good, plus happy hour prices on apps and drinks… good start. There was another brewery that we used to frequent back in the day, the Bonaventure Brewery; many good memories in that place. From one brewery to the next… Next was breakfast. I was told when I checked in to my hotel that breakfast was included, to be more specific, the breakfast BUFFET; jackpot! It was fine, although I did check to see if I could get it removed, since I wanted to hit up some other stuff for breakfast; it could not be, so… I went there 4 out of the 5 mornings. Eggs benedict, chorizo and eggs, sausage, bacon, french toast, pancakes… fruit, cheese, yogurt, toast… I tried to maintain and not go overboard. Funny thing orange juice wasn’t included… still, had my milk though. Breakfast was covered, for the most part.
I did meet for breakfast at a 24 hour place we’d met at when I lived out there; Astro was the name of it. It was solid. The other place I wanted to go for breakfast was of course the best place in LA… Tommy’s! Sausage, egg, cheese, and chili sandwich for breakfast… not too shabby; no need for lunch when that’s for breakfast. I should have made it to Tommy’s again, but… it wasn’t in the cards. I did make it to another one of my favorites, Canter’s. Pastrami and Corned Beef with plenty of pickles and potato pancakes… yeah, that’ll work. El Compadre’s was another of our favorites back in the day; we hit that place up on my last evening in LA. I think I talked about this place already; it was good though.
Before boarding that plane to come home, I needed to bring some goodies with me. Buttermilk donuts… with so many donut shops in LA, it’s a must; I had already made one stop earlier in the trip, but made sure to bring some back with me too. Finally, In & Out… brought my wife and son home a burger & fries each… and of course one for me… on top of the one I ate in the car on the way to return the rental car… haha. Two double doubles in one day? Why not.
Sadly, the one spot I couldn’t go to was The Reel Inn; it had burned down in the recent wildfires. That was our spot for seafood…. right on PCH in Malibu, not a trip to LA would pass without a stop there, until now. I tried to at least pass by, but… the roads were all closed; hopefully The Reel Inn will be back in business soon. If so, we will definitely be back!
Being from Chicago, I’m very familiar with good food. Heading to LA, I was worried. I’m not saying LA compares to Chicago in the food department, but we found our spots; definitely got it covered for any trip back. When will we return to LA? Time to come back home…
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