California knows how to eat

We left the sun and came home to rain. But even cloudy weather can't get me down after an amazing trip to California. It was short but sweet, filled with friends, fun and food. Actually, it was filled with lot's of food. Lot's of really good food.

We hung out on Abbot Kinney Boulevard, a cool stretch of boutiques and restaurants near Venice Beach. We ate outside at Gjelina, a rustic Mediterranean bistro. It was slamming busy, which is always a good sign. It was well worth the wait.

I had a homemade Ginger-Lime Italian soda and this Lamb Sausage, Confit Tomato, Rapini, Pecorino and Asiago pizza.

We headed down the street for a cappuccino from Intelligentsia, which has become our favourite L.A. coffee bar. You can buy the coffee here in Calgary at deVille downtown, but nothing beats sipping in the California sun, wondering if the crazy looking writer next to you might be working on the next big script.

We also snacked on less than trendy fare during our visit, such as the famous California fast food spot, In-N-Out Burger. We ate cheese burgers, fries and chocolate milkshakes while everyone around us complained about the Lakers loss that night.

The most outrageously expensive meal we managed to eat, came in the form of a hot dog and a Corona. We scored some amazing seats to an L.A. Dodgers game and although I am not an advocate for fake nacho cheese, somehow it just seems right at Dodger Stadium. Like good fans, we downed Dodger dogs, nachos, beer, soda, garlic fries and pretzels.

Cube Cafe is a cute bistro on La Brea that's all about cheese. We were double date style, so we shared the most amazing charcuterie plate to start and rounded things off with a Prosciutto, Buffalo Mozzarella, Heirloom Tomato and Basil Pesto panini, with Wisconsin Cheddar & Moretti Beer soup.

It was a hot week, so one afternoon while shopping in West Hollywood we cooled off with some delicious frozen yogurt from Pinkberry. I had Lychee frozen yogurt with mango, pineapple, coconut and fresh lime.

More delicious food was enjoyed on our last morning in L.A. We brunched at BLD (it stands for breakfast, lunch and dinner!) on Beverly Boulevard. I had Flatiron Steak Eggs Benedict with Cabernet Sauvignon Hollandaise, but I was totally having order envy over Chris's Bacon, Cream Cheese and Berry Compote baked french toast. Check out the maple syrup house!

For me, great trips, events and gatherings are often marked by wonderful food. We had a blast eating with good friends, visiting some old favourites and discovering some new spots. Can't wait to go back.