The weather is simmering here in Southern California. Simmering = 85+ degrees and up! It’s amazing to have this weather now and then have to deal with the Santa Ana desert winds that are usually about 15 MPH but these few days they have been running at 25 + MPH and where the fires are (yes.. we have had a couple of fires) it’s been more than 40 MPH.
We welcome the heat, not so much the ash and the wind that plays havoc with your allergies. That said, it’s still great to go out for brunch, dinner or even dessert no matter what time of day.
Here are three new places to check out:
Cafe Vida is the new kid on Culver City’s ‘restaurant row” in Old Town Culver City. The reviews on Yelp have been astonishingly great. I haven’t been there yet but I checked Yelp reviews and they were very very upbeat on this place (4.5 out of 5 stars!!) So go for brunch and be prepared for a wait. It’s natural, holistic, gluten-free and often have great vegetarian/vegan options
Blueberry Corncakes with fruit
About the food of Cafe Vida
Café Vida provides a distinctive combination of low fat California and Latin dishes that bring together a variety of unique and delicious flavors. Quality and consistency are top priorities. We use only the best products and the freshest ingredients, which means we never need to use any heavy oils or sauces, just simple cooking that tastes great, looks great and makes you feels good.
The rave reviews on Yelp plus the amazing photos that you can see in the Cafe Vida Food Gallery provide lots of options for those who want to eat breakfast, lunch or dinner or even brunch on the weekend. It sounds like an amazing place to check out for any meal on Mother’s Day! Don’t forget to try the mimosa, sangria or the champagne cocktails– it’s worth the extra bit for this special day! There are THREE Cafe Vida locations: Culver City (new!), El Segundo and Pacific Palisades! What’s not to love here?
If you are looking for a smaller crowd, “small plates”/tapas fare and/or a more intimate space, check out Manchego on Main Street in Santa Monica. This restaurant recently moved from another space down the street. It’s blue and white interior is lovely.
This is a Spanish Tapas bar and features the traditional dishes and presentations of Spain. The Deviled Eggs are great and aren’t your typical deviled eggs either! The menu which suits the restaurant’s hours which is primarily dinner or snacks. It’s really a fun time and one can find that suddenly you have spent 2 hours there. See their food gallery here and the menu here. For more information including details on their hours, please check out the FAQ page on their site http://www.manchegosm.com/faqs/
You won’t be sorry with the food at Manchego. Look for a review on this fine establishment soon!
Another outside the typical place to go for Mother’s Day OR a way to get something special for Mother’s Day made up to be served at home is at Bulgarini Gelato— in Altadena or in Culver City. Wait.. don’t groan and moan and think it’s just “ice cream”. It’s not just ice cream. It’s far from “just ice cream”. It’s real Italian gelato with recipes by the people who own it who are Italian. The flavors are quite diverse from rich goat’s milk gelato spiked with roasted cacao nibs; apricot sorbetto that captures the elusive, almond essence of the fruit; or bitter, intense gelato made with salted Florentine chocolate to a variety of other flavors.
Pomegranite Sorbetto with a spirit pairing
This is the real deal when it comes to gelato and all things that relate to “ice cream” in Italy– only it’s not US ice cream, it’s the Italian version. Once you have Bulgarini Gelato or Sorbetto, you will never think of US ice cream as all that grand. (It’s not!). I had a chance to try some Bulgarini Gelato and owner Leo is an expert at pairing gelatos and sorbets and even granitas with different spirits and wines.
It’s NOT inexpensive but it’s MOM and she deserves something really special. Bulgarini is really special. Contact the Cafe in Culver City or the other location in Altadena for information on orders and/or just stopping by for an amazing treat you will NEVER forget. You can find more information on the Bulgarini website which is HERE . Look for a review on Bulgarini Gelato and their food soon!
There will be more gift guides on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day and separate reviews on Bulgarini Gelato and also Manchego in Santa Monica!
Stevie Wilson,
LA-Story.com
Stevie Wilson,
LA-Story.com
DEALS and STEALS
Get a free La Roche-Posay lip cream when you spend $30 on select La Roche-Posay products (a $17.99 value) at drugstore.com Offer ends 3.30.2014. (text 3814)
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Mines the tapas please! I think you have a coding error I can see the HTML for some of your page
Fixing it Fiona! Thank you
Cafe Vida looks interesting. However there are only a limited number vegetarian dishes on the menu. Likely, one could order other entrees and hold the meat but this tends to alter the flavor profile. The restaurant may be a good choice for health-conscious omnivores. The fact that the use purified water for their food and beverages is a big plus.
Kevin, Cafe Vida offers vegetarian options as specials daily. The 3 cities where they are located are huge for vegans and vegetarians .. and they can adapt to anything. The YELP review speak volumes beyond the menu.. because a lot of them are so very positive about the vegetarian options. But it’s definitely something they should consider.