best of twenty twenty four

in: winestaurants, tiny filthy tinis, wood paneled walls, red booths + complimentary df milk

best of 2024:

a weird year, but i guess when is it not these days… that said, i did eat and drink very, very well. here’s my top fifty, in order of consumption:

b + i walk to play tennis at the echo park courts weekly and often find ourselves at clark street afterwards and this week the saffron bun spoke to me

• (many) vegan olive oil cake slice(s) at just what i kneaded

• choc chip blondie pinyon x bucatini x bandini pop-up

• mango sticky rice at night+market song

• castelvetrano olives from bucatini

• amy’s macro bowl from amah foods shoot upstate ny

• veggie burger from superiority burger, nyc

• a tart glass of orange at frog, brooklyn

• raspberry coffee cake + cappuccino at le pick up, montreal

• fries + aioli with a rosato at la buvette chez simone, montreal

• tofu pad thai at miya

• vegan margarita pizza at triple beam

• veggie noodles at woon

• shrimp burger at the sea shack, hilton head island

• polenta olive oil cake at la grocery & cafe

• extra dirty extra dry vodka martini at capri club

• berry scone + cappuccino at all time

• scallop tacos + oyster martinis at loreto

• buffalo cauliflower + fries + martini at ye rustic

• buffo utopia rosato c/o bar bene at garibaldhina society

• salmon skin bagel at belle’s

• homemade olive oil raspberry pistachio cake by b

• vegan carrot cake at lowdown, edinburgh

• olive oil cake at two eight seven, glasgow

• fish & chips at fish shop, dublin

• (another european!) vegan carrot cake at the morning bakery, dublin

• six piece cut sushi rolls (+ avo) at sogo

• l'absurde genie des fleurs ploum chilled red wine at seco

• apricot hojicha cookie at colossus

• egg yolk buns at jade dynasty, vancouver

• japanese sweet potatoes with tahini at sam’s place

• grilled fish + pasta shoot leftovers at ètra

• homemade cappuccino w/ macadamia milk made with my new espresso machine

• teriyaki salmon brown rice veggie plate at el pescador, la jolla

• kabocha persimmon cake at modu cafe

• frozen mango margarita at kinda tropical, austin

• breakfast taco at granny’s tacos, austin

• glass of briney orange wine at lolo, austin

• tuna tostada + rice pudding at nixta, austin

• persimmon sample at santa monica farmers market

• egg avo housemade hot sauce english muffin at doma, chicago

• hot mustard + dirty martini at chef’s special, chicago

• spicy bloody mary at the roxy supper club, oshkosh, wi

• thanksgiving vegan pumpkin cheesecake from kitchen mouse

• chilaquiles burrito at evil cooks

• stir fried rice cakes at rasarumah

• japanese sweet potato at rvr

• oat cappuccino + vegan banana bread at picnic

• vegan burger + fries with spicy mustard mayo at cassell’s

• vegan pumpkin persimmon loaf at sqirl

• saffron bun at clark street

among the best bites of the year: pad thai, vegan olive oil cake, montreal fries + wine, shoot leftovers, filthy martini, vegan pizza, austin tacos, sushi, dublin vegan carrot cake

best newness of 2024 — la edition:

• new restaurant: sam’s place

• new coffee shop: picnic

• new bar: seco

• new shop: la grocery & cafe

• new movie: the beast

• new series: baby reindeer

• new book: worry by alexandra tanner (girls hbo coded)

• new cookbook: the four horsemen food and wine for good times

• new cpg brand: molly baz’s ayoh! mayo

• most visited: canyon coffee, followed by just what i kneaded

• most played: chappell roan

• most photographed: oslo on couch

• most read substack: feed me by emily sundberg

• made the most: cappuccinos + eggs

eggs + capps, oslo on couch, seco, the four horsemen, lag&c, ayoh!

in / out:

in:

• wine bar / restaurant hybrid (winestaurants — think sam’s place, seco)

• tiny filthy martinis

• reservations at a low lit plush red booths

• revitalizing iconic establishments (cafe tropical + well wishes for silverlake lounge)

• wood paneled walls (ètra, sam’s place + well wishes for silverlake lounge)

• cute clients only

in: cute clients, wood paneled walls, no upcharge for non dairy milk, plush red booths + filthy tinis

out:

• upcharge for non-dairy milk in my damn coffee! (ty to la’s free dairy-free milk pioneers canyon + picnic)

• tiny pours on a +$18 glass of wine

• bots taking up all the resys

• small plates so small you leave hungry and have to eat again when you get home

la happenings + openings:

bernee - all time does no wrong especially with its newest opening in altadena, focusing on wood fire cooking

altadena got a keeper: bernee

friends & family silverlake - shooting (when i’m back in town!) the newly opened f&f branch with all your favorite pastries and solid coffee program, across the street from silverlake wine

woon two - gearing up to finally open its second location in pasadena — gooood time to be wining and dining in the ‘denas

now playing:

2y & 6m by cindy
a hidden gem on my liked songs

at the airport heading to charleston + hilton head island to be with family for the holidays 💌 talk to you in the new year my friends

charlie brown tree irl at picnic coffee