Chocolota, Torrance, CA
Monday, July 6th, 2009
Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
With over 120 varieties of top-rated chocolates from all over the world,
Go in and say hello, but make sure you have about fifteen minutes or so to receive sufficient lay of the land.
Chocolota
Artisan Cheese Gallery, Studio City, CA
Sunday, January 11th, 2009
So from here on in I think I will refer to this place as The Cheese Sanctuary, or maybe Cheese Heaven. Not that Artisan Cheese Gallery is not a wonderful name, but I believe I might be a bit more accurate in my description on this one.
What fun we had at this splendid family run establishment. One of the owners, Fred, explained to us that cheese was alive and ever evolving. You could taste it one day and then come back in a couple of days and the flavor could be that of a completely different cheese. After telling him we wished to sample a few to make our choices for purchase, he made it clear that he would sell no cheese to anyone unless they first agreed to taste it. We greatly appreciated that rule and intended on whole-heartedly adhering to it, and subsequently enjoyed a wonderous journey through their enticing land of fromage!
He first started us out with several soft cheeses of the Chevre and Brie varieties. Oh…sooo good!
Goat cheese is one of my favorites and he came out with something called Leonora which was exceptional. The Brie we decided on was a traditional French one even though he had also introduced us to some intensely flavorful pics from Switzerland. Then Fred was called away somewhere, and the very knowledgeable and friendly Alex stepped in to take his place. Apparently Alex is the buyer for the store, and he certainly knows his product. We received the most interesting descriptions and explanations of how each wheel was crafted, and little slices of information like how the beautiful orange color on the outside of one particular cheese round was formulated from a certain bug that bore its way through the surface to savor all the mold that was forming on the top of the cheese, leaving the essence of the cheese itself entirely alone, but providing a very beautiful and ornate texture on the outside from the process. He also told us how cheese is described and used phrases like “barn yardy” which of course none of us had ever heard before. He informed us on the rinds you could eat that were made of dried milk or other organic substances such as coffee grounds, and showed us other rinds you wouldn’t eat that were made of wax, or were just not great for eating.
We went from soft cheeses to some harder Italian selections and unanimously decided on a dense, very nicely textured Pecorino Toscano made from sheeps milk. Then we moved to the Swiss cheeses, where it was explained that “Swiss” was in reference to where the cheese was made and not to the holes it contained. An Appenezeller raw cow from Rolf Beeler was the choice there. Then a very strong and crystally raw cow Gruyere, which was the perfect representation of another all time favorite. Then ending up with the blues, ranging from mild and lovely to very strong and pungent. Decided on a delightful middle of the road Blu de Basque sheeps milk, and lastly dripping decadently with a very expensive dollop of honey was our final sampling of blue – apparently this is a very popular dessert somewhere (can’t remember if he said France or Switzerland) but it was a delicious new twist for us, and even the kids seemed to enjoy the strong taste of blue presented that way. Wow, what an extravaganza and how deeply satisfying it all was!
Alex wrapped our choices up as he explained the proper way to store cheese, and then one of the other owners, a very pleasant woman who I believe was named Melody, checked us out and happily gave the kids a couple of Artisan Cheese Gallery stickers to place on their skate boards per their request.
We chose to take out our cheese, but they had quite a nice cafe menu accompanied by an intriguing wine list and an array of other fine cheese accoutrements, and the place was packed with happy faces eating really amazing cheese. This is the stuff that sweet dreams are made of, at least in my head anyways!
Check them out here on their website, and take a virtual tour here, to see their gorgeous shop!
Out of My Tree Candles & Bath, RHE, CA
Thursday, August 21st, 2008
Breathe in….hmmmm….breathe out….ahhhhhhhh…
Just pass the threshold of this gorgeous, relatively new shop in Rolling Hills, and you will be subtly and sweetly struck with a multitude of heavenly aromas with every step you take.
While waiting for the kids to finish their pottery class the other day, my Mom and I decided to check out the shops on Deep Valley Drive as it had been a long time since we ventured to the top of the hill. Leisurely strolling around we happened upon a very enticing window that was entrancingly beckoning us, so we decided to accept the invitation. We were happily met by all sorts of colors and textures as well as aromas and lovely engaging displays – plenty of pick me up, feel me and smell me opportunities ranging from
all- vegetable, soy and beeswax candles, to beautifully crafted soaps (I have been enjoying my pumpkin loofah bar immensely – I am so wonderfully smooth now!), milk baths, essential oil blends, sugar scrubs, body splashes, green cleaners, and exquisite gift items from around the world.
Recently I had been searching online for a candle company that used all natural ingredients scented with pure essential oils, and I was unable to find one that possessed all the elements I was looking for, and voilà, here it was all along and practically in my own backyard! (Their Hermosa shop is actually even closer.) The very friendly owners Ken and Denise kindly welcomed us and gave us a bit of the background of this enthralling enterprise. Apparently Ken has been making candles now for over 26 years, and what started out as a passion that he shared with his wife Denise has evolved over time into the booming candle/natural body product business that they have created together. With two retail locations, an online store, and a warehouse/studio where they do all their formulating these alchemists certainly are busy, and the high quality goods they are producing are greatly appreciated by a loyal following of retail clients and wholesale customers alike. Having a wedding or special event? Need fabulous corporate gift ideas? Call them up and they will be more than happy to explore the options with you. Everything is all hand manufactured from the purest of raw ingredients, and they are very environmentally conscious as well.
So go check them out on the hill or at the beach, whichever place is closer for you, or online if your not local. But if you happen to be free tomorrow night go experience all this for yourself at:
An evening in South Africa – a wonderful wine tasting event happening
Friday, August 22 from 5 to 8 p.m. at their Rolling Hills location. I am going to try and make it – maybe we’ll meet you there!
The Out of My Tree
Rolling Hills shop is located at:
550 Deep Valley Drive, #114 (in the Promenade of the Peninsula)
Rolling Hills Estates, CA
The Out of My Tree
Hermosa shop is located at:
1134 Hermosa Ave.
Hermosa Beach, Ca 90254
(stop by and meet Herbal Jude!)
And their online store is at www.outofmytreecandlesandbath.com
Phone: 310.971.5126
LADURÉE – Paris, CHANTILLY – Lomita
Wednesday, July 30th, 2008
Got to love friends who tantalize your senses and tempt you with rich sweet goodies that tease your tongue and bring such profound delight! They told us that they must take us to LADURÉE on the Champs Elysées - not only a grand, stunningly civilized yet festive place to indulge in exotic teas but more importantly a place where you can thoroughly enjoy a color filled feast with the likes of these sublimely delicious macarons in flavors such as: coffee, chocolate, vanilla, coconut, lemon, raspberry, pistachio, mint, liquorice, caramel, orange flower, black currant-violet, and more.
They were packed up in this very beautiful box and were pretty much demolished by the seven of us right after we took these pictures. I enjoyed a lemon one with additional shared tastes of a pistachio, and then vanilla – Oh My God is something I recall saying – really amazing, perfectly balanced flavors, fantastic delicate texture, just the right amount of cream filling. An exceptional indulgence to further grace an exceptional walking tour of Paris led by our three wonderful friends!
So this was back in May, and as I have mentioned in previous posts I have been wanting to hold on to our Paris visit for as long as I can. I thought I would try to make these but even though I have found a few recipes: one recipe, another recipe, and another (and this last one is supposedly “the” translated recipe direct from the source) – I haven’t attempted it yet. If you decide to try any of these will you let me know how they come out? Thanks…. and of course thanks to these three terrific sites that I found them on.
When I found Delicieuse (scroll 2 posts down for that write up), I asked the owner if she made macarons and she told me no as her company was not a patissiere, but she suggested a lovely patissiere not too far in the city of Lomita, so I decided to give it a try. (BTW we finally went to Delicieuse for lunch last Saturday – fabulous – really wonderful, great food in an enchanting setting with kind, attentive service, and of course I was in great company – couldn’t have asked for more!)
So my son’s and I made a special trip to find Patissiere Chantilly one day last week. It was quite a bustling little shop, with every table full, and people lined up at the counter waiting to place their order. Everything looked so perfectly beautiful set behind the shiny glass case, decorated with great attention to little details. We ordered 6 macarons in the 3 flavors they had available that day – Green Tea, Chocolate, and I didn’t catch the type of the last one, but it may have been Black Currant. My guys ordered a Mont Fraise each, which was a fancy and fun looking pink strawberry mountain, and I had a small slice of their signature cheese cake, Chantilly Fromage, which was quite luscious – nice and dense with an intense cheese taste (I had planned on getting a Choux á la Créme but the lady in front of me walked out with 3 huge boxes of them and I was informed there were no more left – next time maybe.) The guys ate their mounds in the back seat of the car on the ride home – said they were very good with an interesting, gelatinous texture sitting atop a scrumptious strawberry tart. We anxiously awaited to taste the macarons until after we shot an acceptable photo. Don’t they look pretty?
Well, they do look very nice, and they tasted good, but not exactly what we were anticipating, unfortunately. The texture was completely different and the filling, although quite tasty, was a bit over powering. I really wanted to love these – but there just is no comparison (really, how could there be? Besides, our trip to Ladurée was just a small, yet really enjoyable part of the bigger package – that being the sensational reconnection with our dear friends, and the only way to recapture all the sentiments that went along with that would be to go back to Paris- to expect to hold on to that point in time by way of something we ate, is just ridiculous and way too much responsibility for one tiny confection. There, I have come to my senses- I will just treasure the memories!)
I will definitely go back to this enticing shop though, they had many other delectable little goodies I certainly wouldn’t mind trying. I hope you decide to check it out too – you may want to call first to make sure they are open – they were working with summer hours and actually the first time we went to check them out after noon on a weekday, they were closed.
So after you go visit, come back and let us know what we should try next!
Visit their website for address, hours, alluring color photos, and full menu.
Delicieuse Cafe, Redondo Beach, CA
Sunday, July 20th, 2008
Driving around enjoying the fine company of one of my sons while we waited for my other wonderful son to finish baseball practice, I remembered an intriguing little French cafe I had been wanting to try, that just happened to be in the very neighborhood we were in. We concurred it was the perfect time to check it out.
As we entered this charming bistro, we were greeted by the very friendly owner, Patricia, who proceeded to show us around her delightful “labor of love.” She has created quite a welcoming feel in this very comfortable and pretty cafe – tables beautifully dressed in the French Provencal style, cozy couch and chair arrangements provided so you can enjoy your desserts while visiting with friends. Shelves of unique and fun items for sale, and an enchanting Moroccan themed room where you can hold your next special family, friend or business event.
She explained that during the week their primary business was filling orders for their many wholesale accounts with their Delicieuse French Ice Cream and Sorbets, but that the cafe is open on weekends for lunch, dinner or a quick ‘best you ever had’ (our words, not hers) ice cream/sorbet/dessert stop. Since it was after 3pm on a Friday, only dessert was available, but since that is all we had time for anyway, that worked out great. We were encouraged to sample as many different flavors of ice cream as we liked, and ohhh, they were all so profoundly delicious (the companies title is in no way a misnomer!) Many of them were made from goats milk, and Patricia explained that if you are lactose intolerant, goats milk should be easier for your system to handle since its chemical makeup is the closest to humans.
Adam decided the Mango Sorbet was his favorite for the moment – it was just the pure taste of the fruit in its frozen form, not ultra sweet with an excess of added sugar – great texture. I ended up choosing the Coconut Goat’s Milk Ice Cream, which I was told was made from Virgin Coconut Oil, and it tasted so fresh as if they had just cracked the coconut right there while I was waiting. We also had the opportunity to try the Lavender Ice Cream and the Lemon Basil Sorbet both with incredible richness and flavor – we really could have been quite happy just staying there all afternoon and trying them all – that is how enticing they all looked and sounded.
This company’s mission statement is simple, if I may paraphrase – they offer a superior product using the freshest of organic and natural ingredients, creating an extraordinary variety of artisanale ice creams and sorbets that have been expertly blended to produce exceptionally exquisite taste!
We felt happy all over after that visit and look forward to it again. Maybe next time for lunch or dinner some weekend – they have a lovely menu offering quiche, salads with homemade dressings, hearty soups and comforting traditional French stews, sandwiches and crepes, with a beautiful ending of ice cream or sorbet of your choice, or you can choose from several traditional French desserts such as Creme Brulee or Tarte Tatin. Apparently they even offer wine pairing evenings which sound quite interesting and fun to me.
For terrific photos and explanations of all they have to offer, including an alluring list of ice cream and sorbet flavors, visit www.icedreamonline.com – or better yet, if your local – take a ride and experience these incredible tastes for yourself.
2503 Artesia Boulevard (cross street – Phelan Avenue)
Redondo Beach, CA 90278
(310) 793-79079
They’re opened:
Fridays – 12 noon to 3pm (lunch), 3pm to 6pm (Dessert Only)
Saturdays – 12 noon to 9pm (Lunch and Dinner)
Sundays – 12 noon to 4pm (Lunch Only)
Mondays through Thursday they are not open to the public as this is when they do their ice cream manufacturing.
Lafuma Zero Gravity Recliners
Monday, May 19th, 2008
For years I practiced foot Reflexology with clients lying on a massage table.
I had seen these portable reclining chairs in massage catalogs periodically that were sold in packages with other Reflexology paraphernalia, but I always thought client’s would be more comfortable on a table, propped up with pillows as I had always done.
But, last year I decided to bite the bullet and purchase my first Lafuma Zero Gravity Recliner, as I thought it would be much easier for house calls. What a HUGE difference! It is great not having to lug my awkward table around anymore!
It’s like being in a well supported hammock that bends the way you do, letting you sit back without stress on any part of your body. And it couldn’t be easier as a practitioner because it puts the feet at the perfect height. You just need to put a pillow under their ankles so they don’t touch the metal bar at the bottom. It has a handy dandy locking system under the arm rests so your client won’t be bouncing all over the place as you work. Light as a feather (comparatively speaking) and folds up nice and neat. Best business investment I have made in a long time.
Not only do they manufacture many different styles from a wide range of fabrics, but they also have an XL model which is approximately 2 inches wider, 2 inches more back support, and 2 inches longer for longer legs – perfect! I purchased one of their cushier models called Lafuma Mellow, and it is quite comfortable in a durable chocolate brown faux suede.
By the way, these chairs are not only wonderful for Reflex, but are just great to relax in, whether you are at the beach, your backyard or in your living room.
For a pretty complete representation of all that Lafuma has to offer, visit:
This Ohio based store also offers other products useful for good sleep, a healthy back and deep relaxation; exercise, hydrotherapy and massage; travel and outdoors; and more.
Greater Good Magazine, UC Berkeley, CA
Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008Not much of a magazine reader (I more enjoy looking at pictures), I surprised myself when I replied to a subscription card I received via some unknown source (God knows how many mailing lists one gets on), and agreed to receive my first issue free of a magazine with the very timely title of Greater Good – The Science of a Meaningful Life.
I don’t think there has been in recent years anyway (in my teens there was The Journal for The Protection of All Beings, and CoEvolution Quaterly...) a magazine that I would or could actually read cover to cover without my mind wandering to various and sundry locations. But I did it with this engrossing publication, all the way through from back to front! Even the message from the editors page in the beginning (something I usually disregard), as I was very curious who these people are who created this intriguing slice of science and optimism.
Just fabulous – l loved it -lots of interesting things being put out there from the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley. According to their site, they are a “non-profit organization that promotes the study and development of human happiness, compassion and altruism…” Sounds good to me – I look forward to the next issue!
Go check out their site for the Center itself: greatergood.berkeley.edu
For their magazine: www.greatergoodmag.org
And for their Blog, Half Full – The Science of Raising Happy Kids: greatergood.berkeley.edu/half_full
Citron Tea – Good For What Ails You
Thursday, March 20th, 2008
Reminder to self – be careful what you draw your attention to!
(YIKES! By the very virtue of this post I am doing it again – HUGHHH!!)
Anyway – about a month ago, I remember telling someone (and now in hindsight it may have been a bit cockily) “Oh, I never get sick, MAYBE one short cold a year, but it never lasts for very long….” HMMM…got to love how the universe works. So as I am sure you can surmise, I have been stuck with the pesky cold that is going around, on and off ever since.
The good news is my friend Seon Hee told me about this Citron Tea last time I was visiting her (and she happened to be sick), and told me she drinks it all day long when she gets a cold, and it fixes her up right quickly. (Although she didn’t really say it like that….)
So I finally had enough energy to go out and get some today, and as of the 3rd cup, I am starting to feel a bit better. Mind over matter? The placebo effect? Just the power of citrus and sugar? Hey, whatever the reason, I am up for whatever works, so I thought I should share it with you.
If you are in the South Bay, go to Market World, a fabulous Korean grocery on the southwest corner of Sepulveda and Maple in the fine city of Torrance. Or try to find it in a Korean grocery near you.
(Ps. Print quality represents my present state, my apologies. If you can’t see the label as clearly as I thought you would be able to, it says Citron Preserve on the box and Citron Tea on the Jar and it is manufactured in Korea from a company named Doowon Nonghyup)
Update: Okay, so it is a few hours after I started drinking this delicious “tea” – initially after the 3 cup I was feeling pretty good – throat/cold wise anyway, however, now I am feeling a bit nauseated, headachey, and woozey, like one usually feels after eating too much sugar, especially since I forgot to eat lunch. So just a word of caution – still love the product, but yet another lesson – Moderation is key with most things in life – and not too much sugar on an empty stomach!
Rescue Remedy – Natural Stress Relief
Monday, March 17th, 2008
So this little goodie was just one of many of the complimentary samples we received at the Natural Products show – I will be relieved to seek the sanctuary it offers next time I am in need!
Do you need help restoring emotional or mental balance?
For years the Bach Flower Essences have been able to simply and safely do just that. Based on the work of British physician Dr. Edward Bach, and formulated in part from his original list of 38 healing flowers, this blend of essences has been instrumental in bringing one back from emotional and mental distress, to a place where life can be calmly dealt with under many given stressful situations.
In times of heartbreak, grief or trauma, or if you are experiencing any extreme emotional or mental fatigue – reach for the bottle and take a few drops. It truly can work wonders. Give it a go, see how it can change your disposition, or maybe even your life. A friend of mine who had had countless sleepless nights due to a highly stressfull corporate restructure, swears it is one of the most effective sleep and stress solutions she has ever found.
And now, not only is it available in the original dropper method, but they also have sprays and chewy candy type “pastilles” if that is more palatable.
My first experience with Rescue Remedy left quite a lasting impression.
It was about 20 years ago and I was in my early twenties working at a day care center and going to school nights for Reflexology. In one of the community rooms they had at the center, one of the teachers had set up some small animal cages. One day while passing through the room I noticed the gerbils in one of the cages looked dead. I inspected a bit more closely and realized they were still breathing but very shallowly, and their tiny bodies were limp and practically lifeless. Well, work was just about over for me and I was headed to class, so I wrapped the two of them up in a small blanket and placed them gently in a shoe box. They were going to come with me to class, and I would figure out what to do from there.
When I got there I explained to my teacher what happened, and she quickly produced this curious little bottle labeled “Rescue Remedy”. She told me to keep trying to get them to drink every hour or so until they start to respond, and then every couple of hours and see how that went. They had no swallowing ability at that point and the liquid just kept spilling out of the corners of their tiny mouths. I took them home and continued to administer the drops – I can’t even remember how many times. It wasn’t looking too good. At around 1 a.m. I was exhausted and thought I would catch a little sleep but set my alarm for 3 a.m. so I could check on them. When I awoke, I checked in the box and one was missing!
Needless to say that was a tad surprising. I finally found him hiding out in a corner of my closet, and he was quite perky at that – if not a little freaked out! The other guy was moving a lot slower, but he seemed to have gotten the swallowing down. I placed him back in the box and the other in another make shift home, and went back to bed. Set the alarm for 5 a.m. Went to the shoe box and that little guy was moving around a bit. The one in the other box may well have been doing cartwheels – he was so alive. By the end of that day, I had purchased a new aquarium, a wheel and all of the other necessary components of setting up gerbil digs and I found myself the happy co-dweller of two healthy adorable (and really noisy – at night anyway) rodents!
So those are some powerful flowers -paired with positive intention – the result was miraculous in my estimation – thanks Dr. Bach!
Rescue Remedy is readily available at Amazon.com, Whole Foods Market if you have one close by you, and certain boutique health food stores, as found in smaller towns. For more information, visit their website at:
www.bachflower.com
Heaven is a Cupcake
Wednesday, March 12th, 2008
Dead Cupcake Carcasses….
That is what my friend Kris used to call them, and that was all that remained after 10 minutes of being home.
I normally don’t look through the many coupon books we receive in the mail, but just happenned to glance through one this past week and found this adorably enticing ad that was offering me a free cupcake – well, who wouldn’t want a free cupcake? Anyway, I kind of surprised myself as I was heading south on Hawthorne Boulevard that I would make a tiny confection my destinational focus for the moment – and twenty minutes away for that matter. I mean I might do that for chocolate, but for little cakes – this was a first. They made them sound so appealing though on their website (yes, I checked them out before making the trip), and thought it seemed definitely worth the ride, especially since the kids were having company after school – thought it would be a nice treat.
When I entered Baby Cakes Baking Company, I was greeted kindly by a friendly young woman who started to give me the lay of the land. She introduced me to both their cupcake selection and muffin offerings, and told me a bit about the fresh ingredients these baked-daily goodies were created with, and a little about the inspiration for this 4 month old venture. Then she offered me a free sample of the day - Espresso Cake with Mocha Chip Buttercream – oh my gosh, wow… is all I could say after tasting that…truly sublime… Then she carefully put together my six pack and my free cupcake - Rich Chocolate with Chocolate Mousse, and I was off.
All in all we sampled 5 different flavored cakes (cut them like a pie so we all could share) and they all were so amazingly delicious – rich, but not overly sweet, incredibly moist, and just really satisfying! Anyway, I think the favorite of the favorites was the Zesty Lemon with Meyer Lemon Buttercream, very complex, evolving taste, and a real wake up to the senses!
So go check out their website and explore their gallery at www.babycakesshop.com
Or better yet, drive 1 block south of PCH on Hawthorne Boulevard and try some of the samples – guaranteed you won’t be able to leave empty handed!
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