City Taven & Sprinkles Cupcakes in DTLA at FIGat7th! | @FIGat7th #FIGat7th

City Taven & Sprinkles Cupcakes in DTLA at FIGat7th!

By Erin

*Disclosure: I was invited out to FIGat7th to try out a couple different places for purposes of this post. All thoughts and opinions remain my own. :)*

Fall is here and the holidays are just around the corner! As Thanksgiving festivities and yuletide cocktail ideas dance in our heads as to what to serve at holiday parties, FIGat7th’s restaurants and eateries have great options for your upcoming winter and holiday food festivities, or if you just want a delicious meal out without any fuss to enjoy the holidays with.

The restaurants at FIGat7th are cooking up with the most fresh and seasonal ingredients to create up a collection of amazing signature dishes. Located in DTLA (Downtown LA) at 7th + Figueroa, it is a bit of a hidden gem in the heart of downtown, not too far from the Staples Center (but without the huge price tag for parking as you can park all day for only $5 with validation on weekends and after 4pm on week days! You really can’t beat that price in the DTLA area!)

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Our first stop was to City Tavern, which is located on the lower level of the mall. Once you enter this large space with exposed brick walls, reclaimed wood floors & walls, with wooden tables and chairs, you will forget you are in a mall. It’s like a little oasis in the big city.

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We came on a Sunday and they were serving brunch. Brunch is served until 3pm on Sundays. Obviously as you can see from above, I had to have a mimosa. What would a Sunday Funday Brunch be without some yummy mimosas? 😉 My friend and I both love cheese, so we decided to start out with the farmhouse cheese boardwhich is off of the “SHARE” part of the menu, consisted of: cheeses, crisps, and accompaniments. It was the perfect way to start out our meal.

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Another one off the “SHARE” portion of the menu that we decided to sample were the Deviled Eggs! Chopped bacon, housemade hot sauce and chives made for a unique twist on the deviled egg!

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Next, we opted for the kale and quinoa salad that is in the “GREENS” section of the menu. Besides quinoa  and kale; apples, raisins, walnuts, and apple cider vinaigrette topped this one. It made for a nice, light, and very tasty course.

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Moving onto some of the main courses during brunch, one that caught our eye was the fried chicken and biscuit from the “RISE & SHINE” part of the menu. The fried chicken was amazing, crispy on the outside while the meat inside was so tender and juicy, while the county sausage gravy and biscuit were so heavenly!

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If you’re looking for more of a burger or sandwich, then give this lovely number a shot! The pastrami swiss burger from the “HELD” part on the menu will make your taste buds happy. Smoked pastrami, swiss cheese, creamy coleslaw, on a whole grain bun with mustard aioli makes up this tasty piece.

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At this point, we were starting to get pretty full, so we decided to call it a day at City Tavern so that we would still have room for some cupcakes at the Sprinkles Cupcakes upstairs. 🙂

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With so many different fun flavors to choose from, it was so hard to pick two to try! They all look so yummy and delicious!

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I ended up going with the seasonal choice, Pumpkin Spice (on the left, which is available through November 30th) and the Cuban Coffee flavors. Oh my, there are no words to describe how utterly delicious a Sprinkles cupcake is. If you’ve had one before, then you know what I mean. They were both fantastic, I enjoyed every last moist, flavorful morsel of each one of these cupcakes. The Pumpkin cupcake is laced with fragrant ginger, clove, nutmeg and cinnamon and is topped with a sweet cinnamon cream cheese frosting. The Cuban Coffee is a Belgian light chocolate cake topped with a powerful dark roast coffee frosting and subtle notes of cinnamon and cocoa. After having these, we were stuffed and decided to a little bit of shopping before heading back home.

What would you have at City Tavern for Brunch? What flavor cupcakes would you choose at Sprinkles? FIGat7th has a flavor everyone can enjoy this holiday season! 🙂

Gluten Free Fine Dining at Darren’s in Manhattan Beach!

Gluten Free Fine Dining at Darren’s in Manhattan Beach!

By Erin

Only a block from the beach and located in the heart of Manhattan Beach, Darren’s features a variety of savory small plates and delicious fine dining options. Set in a posh yet welcoming and relaxed environment, you will feel at home quickly with the extremely friendly staff. Equipped with a full-bar and an extensive wine list, along with seasonal specialty cocktails you are sure to find something to quench your thirst. Darren’s also has a nice Happy Hour and Bar Menu that is perfect for watching the big games on their flat screen TV. When I was invited to come over and give Darren’s a try, I couldn’t resist. The best thing was how accommodating they are at Darren’s. My friend is on a very strict Gluten Free diet, and they made sure everything served was gluten free (unless otherwise stated). Why don’t we take a look around now?

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 The outside of Darren’s. It’s clearly marked, making it easy to find,which is always nice! 🙂

Darrens Tables

Inside, the tables are very intimate and cozy. I loved how bright and airy it was. Perfect for taking all of my pictures… 😉

Darrens Menus

A peek at the menus here at Darren’s.

Darrens Drinks

We started out with a couple of drinks to get started with. Pictured here is the Bath Water-American Harvest Vodka, St. Germain, Cucumbers, Fresh Basil and Lemon Juice. On the left is the Strawberry Kiss- Stoli Strawberry Vodka, Fresh Lemon, Fresh Strawberries, and a Kiss of sparkling wine. Both were made very strong.

Darrens Drink

A Little bit later we tried this one, called The Bear-Stoli Blue Berry, Fresh Lemon, Fresh Blue Berries, Basil Press. This was my favorite drink. Not quite as strong, with just enough of a fruity sweet taste from the berries.

Darrens GF Crab Cake

The first dish we tried was the Crab Cake-Jumbo Lump Crab, Daikon Sprouts, Soy Dry Mustard Sauce, Sriracha, Sweet Soy Sauce. The Crab Cake we had was a little bit different than what is stated on the menu as this one was made Gluten Free for us and it was VERY delicious!! We had fun trying to figure out all the different flavors it was that we were tasting.

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The Melting Pot: A Fondue Paradise in Brea, California

The Melting Pot: A Fondue Paradise

By Erin

*I was invited to come in as a guest and check out The Melting Pot. All thoughts and opinions remain my own.*

Chocolate, strawberries, cheesecake, oh my! Who doesn’t like some good old fashioned fondue? At The Melting Pot, not only do you get an amazing meal, but a truly unique experience as well. If you love cheese and chocolate as much as I do, then you will surly be in heaven here! With quite a few locations to choose from in Southern California, there are also many others spread throughout the United States. Check their website above for exact locations in order to find your nearest fondue paradise. 😉

Perfect for a girls night out, date night, anniversaries, birthdays, graduations, happy hour, some dessert after a movie or other outing, or any other special occasion! Get ready for the experience of a lifetime!

The Melting PotMy local Melting Pot is in Brea, California.

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Getting ready to fondue it up! 😉

Experience Fondue Paradise at The Melting Pot

You get to customize your fondue experience any way you like. Their menu allows you to order 1, 2, 3, or 4 courses. Whether you’re craving a duet of cheese and chocolate fondue or want to experience all four courses, you can pick and choose to your hearts content. We went with the 4-Course Experience in order to give you all a little taste of what you can expect here.

4-Course Experience

1. Select one cheese fondue per cooktop.
2. Select your individual salad.
3. Select your individual entrée from their menu.
4. Select one chocolate fondue per cooktop

Melting Pot Cheese Fondue

Cheddar Cheese Fondue being made table side!

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