Destroyer Tarragon chocolate chip cookie: A cookie that has mass appeal, with its gooey, 80% baked texture and generously sized (mostly melted) chocolate morsels. A dusting of tarragon powder adds a pleasant amount of bitterness, elevating it beyond a classic but extremely well done chocolate chip cookie. 4.0/5.0
recommended la destroyer tarragon chocolate chip cookie 4.0
Destroyer Lemon ginger tonic: At a restaurant where the menu is projected onto the wall and their business card is a tiny sliver with no actual information other than its name, Destroyer could be easily dismissed as pretentious style over substance. But this lemon ginger tonic was just a perfectly balanced, no frills version of that drink, with just the right levels of carbonation, sweetness, and sharpness. 4.0/5.0
recommended drinks la destroyer lemon ginger tonic 4.0
Ring Baked Tofu Donuts Adzuki Donut: Ring is a donut shop in Los Angeles I've been wanting to try for a long time but haven't until now because it's a bit out of the way in Canoga Park. Their vegan donuts are made from tofu from Meiji Tofu (previously reviewed on Tasty Snacking) along with other high quality local ingredients. Located in an office park, it has a small storefront with a variety of Japanese flavored donuts as well as a selection of house-made beverages. I tried three different donuts which I'll write reviews o... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended dessert japanese ringbakedtofudonuts adzuki donut 4.0 losangeles la
Bhan Kanom Thai Kanom Bueng Kem: Bhan Kanom Thai is a dessert shop located in a strip mall in the heart of LA's Thai Town. Immediately upon entering the store, you're struck by the wonderful smell of toasted coconut as multiple cooks prepare fresh traditional Thai treats. Along the walls are shelves of packaged snacks, from potato chips to dried seafood to wasabi peas, all from various asian countries and most of which I had never seen before. Many of their house-made pastries are pre-packaged in quantities of 6 or more,... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended la thai crepe bhankanomthai kanom bueng kem 4.0
Dominique Ansel Bakery Frozen S’more: Brûléed to order, this sizable toasted marshmallow resembles a baked Alaska, with a vanilla ice cream interior mixed with chocolate crunchies. The texture of the marshmallow is excellent - light but having a satisfying chew - and it has a crisp honey-flavored sugary shell. Before you reach the ice cream filling, it’s overly sweet due to the layer of caramelized sugar, but the chocolate crunchies add a touch of bitterness that ultimately balances it out. An elevated and playful reworking of a... (read more) 4.0/5.0
dessert recommended la marshmallow icecream chocolate dominiqueanselbakery frozen s’more 4.0
Gjusta Miso date cookie: Gjusta, the sister bakery of Gjelina in Venice, LA, is apparently popular enough to not need any signage. It’s unlabeled storefront conceals a narrow counter and dining area, where patrons wait for a variety of pastries (cakes, cookies, croissants) and hot and cold prepared items (pizza, salads, pâtés). Luckily, their express line was relatively short, which meant purchasing this miso date cookie took just a few minutes. The sizable cookie contains a single date at its center. Its texture is... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended pastry sweets la losangeles venice gjusta miso date cookie 4.0 dessert