I don't understand what's the fascination of Porto's in Los Angeles. This is my second time at the Glendale branch on a weekend, and the line was super long even though they had different lines for pick-up, coffee, pastry orders, etc. This time, I waited for 20 minutes just to get a few pastries! 

As usual, I picked the popular guava strudel, which has somewhat of a cult following at Porto's. While looking back at my photos, I realized that they actually spelled 'strudel' incorrectly! So why the fascination with Porto's? Is it because guava is considered an exotic fruit in the U.S.? I grew up with a guava tree at home so I don't find anything special with guava in a puff pastry. Someone please enlighten me. Is it because it is a legendary bakery? Yelp reveiwers say it is cheap, which is debatable depending on how you analyze the cost, and there's a tons of assorted goodies, but not as inventive as the also popular Voodoo Doughnuts in Portland. There's got to be more than that to have legions of followers. What say you?

Halloween monster cupcakes

Cheesecake

Please spell STRUDEL correctly!!

My guava strudel

Cheese roll

Butterscotch pot de creme

Grilled octopus (?) delish!

My fish entree. Light with well-balanced flavors.

Almost the last ones out.

I had to get a cup of coffee to keep me up and running the whole night.

Bad blogger can't remember what the desserts were specifically. But I can assure you, all were excellent.

Millennials seek for more experiences.

A study by Harris Group found that 72 percent of millennials prefer to spend more money on experiences, including travel and food, than on material things. For an experiential millennial, going to a restaurant does not just mean having a good meal and fun conversations. Whether it’s an unexpected location, a chance to interact with the chef, or a unique menu or theme, millennials want to experience more.

This trend creates an opportunity for companies that cater to providing such experiences, whether they are in verticals of travel, culinary or lodging. Airbnb Trips, which launched in 2016, now has over 800 trips worldwide with intimate experiences that are mostly run by non-professional tour guides. Others in the running with similar ticketed experiences are IfOnly and Verlocal. Specifically, food establishments on these websites are now offering culinary classes and pop-up dinners, which is the fastest growing trend at 82% growth according to Eventbrite’s food and drinks category.

Dot & Pin, a personalized recommendation engine and travel concierge platform, goes beyond the traditional one-off ticketed experience. By catering to user's preferences and tastes, users of Dot & Pin are assured that the suggestions are of relevance. This saves them time which would otherwise be spent skimming through many options and reading reviews from people who don't share the same preferences or are tourists themselves. The experiences are curated from top influencers, who are akin to local experts in the urban cities where Dot & Pin is live, specifically in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and New York.

Dot & Pin enhances "bleisure" travel, a combination of business and pleasure travel, by aligning recommended activities with the user's busy schedule and likes/dislikes. According to Expedia, 62 percent are more likely to extend their business vacations to gain cultural experience and see more of the world, all while on their company’s dime. To further save time, a personal concierge service via messaging can expedite the experiential process through conversations with a real, local human. Do you want to know where the latest pop-up restaurant is in San Francisco during the summer? Your hotel concierge might not, but your Dot & Pin Concierge, who is a local expert, would - and could do more for you.

Dot & Pin's Concierge caters to user's busy schedule and preferences.

We were trying to talk in a different language (to make remarks about our neighbor), but alas, both our Dutch failed on us!

Cheesy risotto with cauliflower.

We TRY to be healthy.

Because we are at a restaurant called Fig, might as well try their figs with stuffed cheese and nuts! Mmmm.

July 4th is around the corner. Instead of the usual BBQ, why not try something different? During my recent gastronomy adventures in Los Angeles with food blogger, sssourabh, we discovered an off the beaten hotel for brunch in Santa Monica.

Their outdoor swimming pool/patio/restaurant area smelled diving with BBQ meat. However what I found surprising was their entrees of well-executed meals, including a healthy chicken salad topped with sunny side eggs, kale salad with poached eggs and simmered tomatoes called shakshouka- it was my first time hearing about this Israeli Tunisian dish so googling it was called for. The shakshouka tasted similar to the sauce of 777 tomato canned sardines I grew up on, but it is obviously made out of fresh ingredients, such as onions, eggs and chilies. I was thrilled to learn about a recipe that I can actually replicate at home. So during this coming Independence Day, why not opt for a new dish that impresses your loved ones?

To die for shakshouka

Uber healthy chicken salad

Another uber healthy kale, quinoa, poached egg salad

The heatwave in SF usually means that I have ton of blog backlog because there is way too much to do outdoors rather than sitting down in front of my laptop. But just so you know, tons of articles are coming your way, including my recent gastronomy trip in Los Angeles. Stay tuned...

Preview of Katsuya, L.A. Live

 

Noodle World didn't rock my world. It is a cheap place to fill your hunger, but don't expect mother's Thai cooking here.

iced green tea

Tom Kha soup

Veggie roll

Pad Thai

Updated: March 2016
I was inspired to write this post since I got a message from a professional contact, a newbie to the Bay Area, on LinkedIn recently commenting on how this blog has helped him get to know the city more. I didn't even know he reads my blog so it came as a surprise! (Hi!)

So without further ado, here are my top 5 picks for the best dessert shops in San Francisco in no particular order:
1. Le Marais: I am so happy that they have expanded next door. I drop by here whenever I'm in the neighborhood for their gateau.

2. DeLise: This little gem in North Beach hits the right spot with its bite-sized pastries and home-made gelato. My hands-down favorite is the green tea cupcake (because I love anything matcha) with a burst of red bean, and the Thai tea gelato.

3. Craftsman and Wolves: They have expanded down under in Los Angeles. Congratulations!

4. B. Patisserie: A hit or a miss if they still have inventory for the day when you get there. But once you do find yourself at B. Patisserie and they DO have pastries left, try multiple items, such as the chocolate vanilla choux below.

5. Dandelion Chocolate: Breath deeply when you enter Dandelion to suck in all that chocolate heavenly scent. Enjoy their iced or hot chocolate drinks. 

B. Patisserie's Chocolate Vanilla Choux with pate choux with sable, choco cremeux, chantilly, sable breton croutons, choco rice pearls

Archived:
theLab (NOW CLOSED): I ogle at their science lab inspired interiors and ogle more at their root beer float, a rich smudge base of Recchiuti extra-bitter chocolate sauce layered with house-made vanilla ice cream, frothed milk and topped with Virgil's root beer! Mouthful, I know, but it tastes as good as it sounds.

The totopos- a sexier version of the regular nachos with house made chips tossed in creamy salsa roja with cashew crema and cilantro.

Horchata latte. A semi-caffeine booster.

The heavier entree, verdolagas. Sauteed purslane with corn, tomatoes, onions and garlic. Topped with cashew cheese and pepitas. Served with black beans, rice and corn tortillas.

Baked churros with ice cream. Dessert is not their strongest suit. Better stick to the savory dishes.

Tip: This place doesn't take reservation. If you don't like to wait, get a seat by the bar.