California ! Randy Doughnuts!

It's been awhile since we've talked doughnuts!  Let's take care of that!

In Diana and my ongoing quest to complete the Top 10 Doughnut Places in America, I managed to convince Greeshma on our past trip to California, to take me to Randy's Donuts immediately after my flight landed at LAX.  On these eating marathon trips, there simply is no time to waste!

Literally minutes away from LAX, Randy's Donuts is a bit of a national icon with its 32 foot tall namesake donut which has been featured in several movies and televisions shows, including Iron Man, The Simpsons and Arrested Development.

Lovely Greeshma in front of the donut landmark

Mid-afternoon, there were no line to be had at this 24-hour donut shop, so Greeshma and I were able to take our time to contemplate the menu and peer through the walk-up window at the racks and racks of doughnuts.

Racks and racks of doughnuts

Everything sounded great, so we just ordered a bunch willy nilly!

Of course, the classic glazed:

 

it was truly a classic glazed doughnut - every bit as yeasty as one should be with a thin sugary glaze, totally decent, but not as extraordinary as beloved Voodoo Doughnuts.

Crumb cake doughnut:

Easily my favorite with its streusel-topping and cinnamon-spice flavor.  That pretty dusting of powdered sugar surely helped win the vote also. 

The buttermilk:

Thick and heavy - this was one dense mutha.  Okay texture but just a bit filling.

The maple iced long john:

The layer of maple icing was mega thick, cloyingly sweet without much hint of natural maple sweetness. It had the aroma of maple syrup but just not the right taste.  The yeast base was the same as the classic glazed.

And finally the apple fritter:

An incredibly fried puck of apple bits mixed in glazed doughnut batter.  Okay flavor, but a bit hard for my liking.

It is clear that Randy's Donuts is an iconic doughnut spot dishing up old-fashioned, traditional doughnuts.  The ones we didn't care for might be best had with a fresh batch, but the classic glazed and crumb cake are solid choices to order when checking out this landmark doughnut shop.

Randy's Donuts

805 West Manchester Avenue, Inglewood, CA 90301

California ! The Griddle Cafe in Los Angeles

The second best thing Greeshma and I ate during our California trip had to be the pancakes at the Griddle Cafe.  The cute West Hollywood breakfast spot with warm brick walls and vinyl booths and seats is a favorite among celebrities like Jessica Alba and Megan Fox.  If they could look that good eating pancakes, then we can too!

In addition to perfectly cooked eggs and lovely fresh fruit, there are two notable things at the Griddle Cafe:

1. The namesake Griddle potatoes.

A near-footlong slab of hot griddled potatoes, the inside soft and mashed with chopped sweet onions and crisped to perfection.  Hash brown meet mashed potato meet pure awesomeness.

2. Quite most importantly, the pancakes.  Duhhhzzz.

My eyes could not even comprehend the size of these three gargantuan flapjacks.

The pancakes come in thick stacks of three in a variety of fashions and flavors including red velvet (with cream cheese frosting - yah huh!), Oreos, S'mores, caramelized bananas and more.  

Here's a shot of the pancakes in front of Greeshma for size relation.  

Greeshma and I chose the "Teacher's Pet," featuring their classic buttermilk pancake cooked with baked cinnamon apples inside.  The warm, tender apple slices were plentiful throughout the pancakes.  "There must be at least two whole apples in here!" Greeshma marveled.  Indeed there were - it was entirely dreamy especially doused with melty butter and pure Vermont maple syrup.

Places like The Griddle Cafe make me sad that my stomach isn't large enough to eat three different varieties of their pancakes in one sitting or that the restaurant isn't closer to home, but hopefully other people will be able to try this spot to experience the beautiful joy of good ol' fashioned oversized pancakes.

The Griddle Cafe

7916 W. Sunset Blvd., LA, CA

323-874-0377

California ! Sweet Rose Creamery: The Most Delicious / Best / Extraordinary Ice Cream Ever

It feels like it has been ages since Greeshma and I ate up the California coast (LA+Carmel+SF) even though it was just three weeks ago.  Still, not a day goes by where I do not think about (in the most lusty of lusty manners) the ice cream from Sweet Rose Creamery.

The Santa Monica ice cream shop churns out small batches of ice cream (made without any stabilizers or ice cream bases) and makes all their cones, toppings (including pecan brittle and brownie bites?!) and sauces from scratch daily!  With a baby on the signage, it is all too easy to fall immediate in love with Sweet Rose.

All signs pointed to awesome as we were greeted by a rotating glass case at the entrance showcasing Sweet Rose's confections.  It instantly brought me back memories of our dear Voodoo Doughnut case (*tear*), so it just goes to show: if your restaurant/shop features one of these display cases, chances are, everything is bound to be fantastic.

Sweet Rose Creamery counter

Sweet Rose's most popular flavor is the Salted Caramel, but they also have several other interesting flavors including Horchata, Cafe Luxxe Coffee, Lemongrass Jasmine Tea Sorbet and others.  

One scoop of everything please!

However despite the various options, Greeshma and I just had to have one flavor and one flavor only: fresh mint with homemade chocolate chip.

At first bite, every thought in my mind completely vanished, overwhelmed by the incredibly fresh tasting mint flavor that was magically encapsulated in the rich, creamy spoonful.  It tasted as if we had literally chewed a fistful of mint leaves from the most verdant garden.  The homemade dark chocolate shards also accented the unbelievable flavor well.

In addition to the cup of mint ice cream (that elicited guttural swoons with every bite), we also shared the s'mores pie: the most beautiful pie with an ultra-thick graham cracker crust, a base of chocolate ice cream and a topping made of homemade marshmallows enveloped in homemade marshmallow fluff.  The  ice cream clerk asked if we wanted the pie broiled.  Uhm.  Duh?  (Why is this a question??)

The marshmallows were delightfully chewy, the crust perfectly gritty against the creamy chocolate.  Ice. Cream. Heaven. Ohmuhguh.

If we were not headed straight towards dinner afterwards, Greeshma and I could've eaten a few more items.  But unfortunately, there was not enough time or stomach space, so...

We came back the following day! Hahaha.

And got us a candied Niman Ranch bacon sundae !

This bad boy was piled high with the ice cream flavor of your choice (we opted for vanilla), drowning in a bacon bourbon sauce, chunks of crunchy bacon sprinkled across the top, and two thick strips of candied   plugged deep into the glass.

This dessert amplified the lovely balance of salty / sweet, but some spoonfuls in, both Greeshma and I were slowing down.  The dessert may be a bit too indulgent, and may be best shared with a few friends for the taste and experience, but is a bit difficult to complete on one's own.

Greeshma and I also nabbed a couple more samples of the mint ice cream on our return visit.  Man that stuff is wicked good.  I don't think I can ever stop being surprised at how remarkably fresh it really is.

I don't say things like this lightly, but I am certain Sweet Rose Ice Cream is the best ice cream I have ever had.  I'm going to use my next birthday wish and hope they begin shipping asap!  In the meantime, if you ever find yourself in Santa Monica, run, don't walk, to Brentwood Country Mart for an amazing scoop!

Sweet Rose Creamery

225 26th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90402-2569, (310) 260-2663