Surfas Culinary District+ Cafe Surfas

Culinary shops have a special effect on me. Shops like Williams Sonoma, Sur La Table and Surfas Culinary District are like Disneyland for a foodie like me. I am just as at home in a culinary store as I am in a swanky high fashion boutique. If you live in Los Angeles, Surfas Culinary District is a food lovers dream and the in house cafe (Cafe Surfas) makes insanely delicious food and desserts. I often shop at Surfas when I am looking for extra unique ingredients or that something special that I can't find in a regular grocery store.

The store boasts a wide array of exotic spices, unusual jams and syrups, pungent cheeses, pasta in every shape size and color that you can imagine and every ingredient you need to make drool worthy desserts.

I recently had lunch with a friend at Cafe Surfas after searching the aisles for rose petal jelly and lavender sugar. The lunch did not disappoint. The salad of spring mix and a rainbow of edible flowers was light and delicious. My Turkey sandwich had marinated green beans, red onion marmalade, raclette cheese and roasted tomatoes. It was absolutely delightful, but I had to get used to eating green beans in a sandwich. Unexpected and unique indeed.

What an amazing selection of olive oil and every other cooking oil you can fathom

 All the flavored syrups your heart desires. These are great for making mocktails or putting into your coffee and of course they are perfect for creating desserts

 I never met a cheese I didn't like

 If you try these Surfas freshly made pickles, you will never want the ones in the jar again

 Green Tea Chocolate? Don't mind if I do

The cafe is a quaint little place to stop for a quick bite

Salads and artisan sandwiches

Who can resist a great sandwich?

Every old and new school soda you can imagine

Red Velvet Cake

Lemon Tarts, Macaroons and Tarts

Cheddar and Chive 72 Layer Biscuit? Get in my mouth right now!

Melt in your mouth cupcakes

Cookies cookies and more cookies:-)

The close up shot above did not show this scrumptious salad. This was the perfect lunch. Even if you are not a chef or someone who likes to cook, just go to the cafe and grab some good eats

I don't think I have ever seen a more beautiful salad. The edible petals added a hint of texture and a slight bitter edge similar to radicchio, which was a great complement to the balsamic salad dressing

 Watermelon lemonade is the perfect thirst quencher

After much pondering over the delicious desserts, I went with a lavender lemon bar, which was very very very lemony and tart with a strong note of lavender

This lemon bar with fresh lavender on top was the perfect sweet ending. This is a great spot for a quick and inexpensive lunch made with fresh ingredients and that gourmet flair that feels like 5 star dining in a casual setting. If you are a vegan or have food restrictions, they have a great selection of vegetarian items on the menu that will make you smile as much as your carnivore loving friends.

Surfas Culinary District & Cafe Surfas

8777 Washington Blvd

Culver City, CA 90232

310-559-4770   

The Penthouse (LV's LA)

 I recently dined at the Penthouse in Santa Monica for a birthday celebration and even though I have been coming here for years, I am always blown away by the scenery. This beautiful rooftop restaurant located in the Huntley Hotel has 360 degree views of the Pacific Ocean from every possible angle. 

The vibe is chic and hip with white on white decor, beach cabanas with flowing white curtains and elegant chandeliers. The beach vibe is relaxing and the setting is gorgeous.  The food offerings are global and tasty and one of my favorites was the truffle grilled cheese and truffle macaroni and cheese. Two great excuses to cheat on your diet.

This is the gorgeous bar area, which has quite a bit of action after 6:00

This gorgeous lounge is perfect for sipping a refreshing libation before you are seated for dinner

We started off with this fried calamari. It looks better than it actually was. But things got much better as the evening progressed. The rest of the tasty tidbits more than made up for this calamari disappointment

 Thyme and Cucumber Amnesia is a signature cocktail at the Penthouse. I was surprised at how delicious this was. The drink has muddled cucumber and Thyme, Aviation Gin, White Cranberry Juice and Lemon. This was a very refreshing drink and tasted like a very grown up lemonade. The hint of cucumber added a great flavor dimension.

The truffle grilled cheese was a delicious appetizer and so  good that I almost wanted to have another one for dinner. Crispy buttery bread with cheese scented with truffle flavor oozing out. Yes Please!

I just can't tell you how good this was

The Penthouse is light bright and full of sunlight. I had to take this shot by the window:-)

These pre dinner watermelon lime agua frescas were compliments of the chef and absolutely sweet and delicious

A delicious Arnold Palmer to have with dinner

There is nothing like celebrating another birthday because each one is a blessing:-)

 Crispy Salmon with Saffron Aioli

Amazing presentation and just as good as it looks

Truffle mac n cheese. We lost our minds when they brought this out

Nothing like mac n cheese. the ultimate comfort food

And this was our view from the dinner table. So Beautiful! I love California:-) And I love anything by the beach:-)

It is just as stunning in person

No matter what part of the restaurant you are in. You will have a gorgeous view

Just when we thought things could not get better out comes the profiteroles, Hot fudge sauce. And the homemade vanilla bean ice cream sandwiched between the profiteroles was perfection. Yum!

And they were even better drenched in fudge

Creme Brulee with a medley of seasonal fruit. Scrumptious!

This gorgeous fireplace really caught my attention

Sun streaming through the windows. I could come here just for the view. 

I love the atmosphere at the Penthouse and I think you will too. They have a great Sunday Brunch and if you just want to take in the view. Have a drink and a snack and enjoy the gorgeous setting:-)

The Penthouse

1111 2nd Street

Santa Monica, CA 90403

310-393-8080