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! 🙂

Del Taco’s New Handcrafted Ensaladas & Giveaway | @DelTaco #SaladAtDel #UnFreshingBelievable

Del Taco’s New Handcrafted Ensaladas & Giveaway

By Erin

*Disclosure: I received free product as part of this review. All thoughts and opinions stated remain my own.*

On those nights when I am in a hurry and it’s getting late, and I don’t have time to cook, I want something quick, yet something that isn’t greasy, fried, and filled with a gazillion calories. Del Taco has the perfect solution for me. Del Taco  is now offering their new Handcrafted Ensaladas! Priced at $5.49, Del Taco’s new Handcrafted Ensaladas are made to order salads that you’ll crave for under 600 calories (with cilantro pepita ranch dressing)Each salad is made to order for you with a fresh lettuce blend, hand sliced avocado and fresh made tortilla chips, and pico de gallo that is also made from scratch. You’ll be surprised to get this quality at this price from a Del Taco or drive-thru! I sure was!
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Choose from these three delicious salads:

  • Chicken Bacon Avocado Salad
  • Mexican Chopped Chicken Salad
  • Signature Taco Salad

Prefer ground turkey over beef? Just ask for it to be substituted! Going veggie? No problem, just ask for your salad without meat.

Salad Descriptions

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Chicken Bacon Avocado Salad: features freshly grilled marinated chicken, fresh sliced Hass avocado, crispy hand-chopped bacon, handmade pico de gallo salsa, chopped cilantro, and fresh house-made tortilla chips atop a mix of fresh crisp romaine and iceberg lettuce. Served with new cilantro pepita ranch dressing and only 590 calories.

Del Taco Salads

Mexican Chopped Chicken Salad: includes a fresh blend of romaine and iceberg lettuce topped with fresh sliced Hass avocado, handmade pico de gallo salsa, chopped cilantro, fresh house-made tortilla chips, spicy jack cheese, seasoned black beans, and freshly grilled marinated chicken. Served with salsa casera and only 510 calories.

Signature Taco Salad: features seasoned beef, freshly sliced Hass avocado, handmade pico de gallo salsa, cheddar cheese freshly grated from 40-pound blocks, chopped cilantro, seasoned black beans, fresh house-made tortilla chips, and real sour cream on a mix of fresh crisp romaine and iceberg lettuce. Served with salsa casera and only 540 calories.

Each of Del Taco’s new Handcrafted Ensaladas are served in eco-friendly containers made from recycled beverage bottles.

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Del Taco on Social

Hashtags: #SaladAtDel and #UnFreshingBelievable
About Del Taco

At Del Taco, all menu items taste better because they are made to order with fresh ingredients including cheddar cheese grated from 40-pound blocks, handmade pico de gallo salsa, lard-free beans slow-cooked from scratch, fresh sliced avocado and marinated chicken grilled in the restaurant. The menu, which includes a full line of breakfast, includes classic Mexican dishes such as tacos, burritos, quesadillas and nachos as well as American favorites including hamburgers, crinkle-cut fries and shakes.

Buy it: Head over to your local Del Taco and try one of the Handcrafted Ensaladas for yourself. For a limited time, you can download a coupon for a free small drink with the purchase of a salad here.

Win it: One of you will win a $20 Del Taco giftcard, so that you can try one or all of the new Handcrafted Ensaladas! Please enter through the Rafflecopter below, you may need to click on the Rafflecopter link. Ends 10/26/15 at 12AM PST. Open to US Residents age 18 years and older. See Sweepstakes Rules tab on the blog for more info.

Which Salad do you want to try the most? 🙂

Top 10 Food Picks You Won’t Want to Miss at L.A. County Fair #LACFNaturalHigh @LACountyFair

Top 10 Food Picks You Won’t Want to Miss at the L.A. County Fair

By Erin

*I was invited to attend the L.A. County Fair’s Media Food Preview to facilitate this post. This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.* 

It’s every foodies favorite time of year again! It’s fair time, and you know what that means! All the tasty and delicious fair food is back, and it won’t disappoint! I grew up coming to the L.A. County Fair and I always love and adore coming back to enjoy all of the sights, sounds, and smells that the fair brings along with it. This year the Los Angeles County Fair is back here in Pomona and is here through September 27th. A few days ago, I went to check out some of the best food items that the fair has to offer at the fair food preview for media. Here’s a list of my top 10 picks!

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10) Deep-Fried Peanut-Butter Pickle at Chicken Charlie’s

LA County Fair - Fried Peanut Butter Pickle from Chicken Charlie

This one is a bit unusual, and probably something you’d never think of to combine together, (I know I wouldn’t have!) but Charlie does it again! By mixing a savory pickle with the creamy natural sweetness of peanut butter and chocolate sauce, Charlie comes up with another brilliant idea that works. It’s a BIG pickle, so it’s perfect for sharing; especially if you plan on sampling a lot of the fair food. 😉

9) Blooming Onion at the Fresh Frys Stand

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You can’t go wrong with this old fair favorite! A crispy, battered and deep-fried onion with a cool ranch dip that is also great to share.

8) BBQ Beef Sundae at Chuckwagon

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The BBQ Beef Sundae from Chuckwagon starts with mashed potatoes instead of ice cream, then layered with a generous portion of barbecued brisket slices, and is topped with a cherry — a cherry tomato, that is. This is probably one of the healthier food options this year, as at least it is not deep fried!

7) Chicken & Waffles in a Cone at Cornucopia Foods

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A new twist on Chicken and Waffles! It’s served in a Waffle Cone, making it easy to carry around the fair. This tasty number is loaded up with chicken nuggets and mini waffles that are doused in maple syrup and is then topped with bacon bits and powdered sugar. Can you say YUM???? You will get super sticky after eating this one, so be prepared to get sticky. You might want to have some wipes on hand if you don’t want to be making an extra trip to the restroom to wash them off. Another one to share if you plan on trying everything at the fair.

6) Deep-Fried Corn at Chuckwagon

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A much healthier item at the fair by far, and one of my personal fair favorites since I was a kid. It may be simple, but adding some toppings to it makes it an extra special treat.

5) Deep-Fried Bacon Wrapped Chicken & Waffles at Chicken Charlie’s

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You can never have too many versions of chicken and waffles right? I am a total sucker for all things sweet and savory so I love this version of it from Chicken Charlie’s!

4) Deep-Fried Guacamole at Chicken-Charlie’s

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I love all things made with avocado, so it is no surprise that this one is towards the top of my list of “must haves” at the fair this year! Take the crispy goodness of the deep-fried crust with the gooey inside of the soft guacamole and you get one delicious, tangy and flavorful treat. Dip it with just enough ranch dressing to make it the perfect fair snack.

3) Mango Michelagua at Ricco’s Michelaguas

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This one is a super refreshing treat! I could seriously drink these all day at the fair and be perfectly happy and this isn’t even an alcoholic drink! You will want one (or two) of these to cool off with on a hot day at the fair. This one shown is Mango but there are other varieties like Pineapple-Spinach and Lemonade-Cucumber. Filled with fresh fruit and topped with cherimoya and chili around the rim, makes it the most refreshing treat to cool down with and quench your thirst.

2)  Teriyaki Chicken Pineapple Bowl at Pineapple Express/Chicken Charlie’s

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This has to be my most favorite healthier option at the fair. Take some tender teriyaki chicken in Charlie’s secret sauce and put it over rice and pineapple chunks in a real pineapple  bowl and you get one sweet and delicious tropical meal.

1) Deep-Fried Cinnamon Apple Rings at Chuckwagon

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If you only try one thing at the fair this year, make sure it’s THIS! New to the L.A. County Fair, these Apple Rings have been deep-fried and lightly coated and sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar. Dip them into the whipped cream and you have the most sweet and delectable treat one can imagine. Now this may be one you DON’T want to share! 😉

So there you have it! My top 10 food picks for the fair. My advice: if you plan on attending this year’s fair, prepare yourself and pace yourself! Share everything with a buddy so you have more room to enjoy all of the deep-fried goodness that the fair has to offer. Wear comfortable pants that aren’t too tight. If your eyes are like mine, they are bigger than your stomach. So even if you don’t want to, SHARE. Otherwise, half-way in you will already be stuffed like a Thanksgiving Turkey! 😛 Trust.Me. On this! Also, this way, instead of gaining a gazillion pounds, it will probably be more like 2.

 

P.S. Don’t forget to check out the awesome lights at night at Luminasia! It is sadly in its final year at the fair so you won’t want to miss out on that. Don’t forget to say hello to all of the cute animals either, and to play some games and go on a ride or two once all of that food settles a bit…. and  The Steam Punkers at Grinding Gears! They are returning again this year and they are pretty awesome. 🙂

What are you looking forward to pigging out on at the fair this year? 😉

LA County Fair 2015

Dates: Sept. 4 – Sept. 27, 2015

CLOSED Mondays (except for Monday 9/7) & Tuesdays

Fairplex Exposition Complex
1101 West McKinley Ave.
Pomona, CA 

(909) 623-3111