This week's DELIGHT: Walnut Chocolate Cake

I still need to post about this year's Thanksgiving recipes (lots of delicious food, as usual!) but I'm already thinking about Christmas ;) And with the chilly and rainy weather around here, nothing better than a Walnut Chocolate Cake.

It's a delicious cake with a soft and moisty texture, however, as the nuts have a good amount of natural oil in them, it is not a very fluffy cake. I used semisweet chocolate chips, but if you like a sweeter cake, I suggest using milk chocolate (I liked it with semisweet).
You can also switch for macadamia or pecans, take out the chocolate chips (I don't recommend...) or even add a glaze or ganache. Merry Christmas!

This week's DELIGHT: Quinoa Pizza Ball

As you know, I am a huge fan of quinoa and I've prepared  dozens of recipes with it.
I usually make it as a salad changing the ingredients depending on what I have in the fridge (tomatoes, dried cranberries, grated carrot, chopped almonds, corn etc.) and sometimes we have it warm (like rice) cooked with vegetable stock.
I thought it was about time to try something different and after doing some research on amazing food websites, I found what I was looking for: Quinoa Pizza Ball.

It's simple, healthy (it's baked!) and it really tastes like pizza!
You can have the filling you want. I tested it 3 versions: mozzarella, cream cheese and plain (mozzarella is the winner!). The only problem is that you have to eat it right away. Otherwise, it will lose its crispness.
A healthy and delicious appetizer! Check out this and other recipes here.

The Bazaar by José Andrés

If you have some extra money or want to go a very nice place with delicious food and amazing drinks, The Bazaar by (the Spanish Chef) José Andrés is a great option!

The menu is composed by several Spanish dishes and all of them have an ultra modern and irreverent presentation (croquetas de pollo served inside an acrylic shoe, and take a look at their version of Philly Cheese Steak!)
Last time I went there, we were invited to a friend 's surprise birthday party (my first one!) and we had the opportunity to taste a very good amount of items available on the menu ;)

Unfortunately I didn't take many pictures (I didn't want to tell to people to not touch the food because I had to take pics...) but here are some memories of that delicious dinner:

Drink of the night: gin tonic. I don't know if you will be able to see, but it comes with an ice ball so clear that looks like a crystal ball! PS: the caipirinha is frozen and made right in front of you with liquid nitrogen!

Pan con tomate and cheese

More (why not?) pan con tomate and prociutto

Lobster

Philly Cheese Steak

And here is a pic "inside the Philly" so you can see the melted cheeeeeeeese...

But this was not all we had: we also had croquetas de pollo; olives and caprese salad made ​​in a way that I never had in my entire life; brussels sprouts and others that I can't remember.

It is important to say that the dishes are quite small and the price is high, but it is a gastronomic experience which you and your guest will not regret at all!

Note: Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner. Get ready for amazing recipes!

This week's DELIGHT: Yogurt Cake

I know that the last recipe I posted here was a Lime Yogurt Cake, but this one is so simple and delicious, that I thought was worth sharing with you. As my grandma would say "it is a cake that tastes like cake" (ie: no predominant flavor) but still, is so good and moisty because of the yogurt. If you want, you can add lemon/orange zest or berries, but it is delicious the way it is, simple. And as I say almost every time I give these tea cake recipes: it is perfect for your afternoon snack with a cup of coffee or tea!
This and other recipes you can find here.

Neighborhood...

It's been a long time since my last post (many things going on: work, visitors, trips... ), but now I'm back and I really hope to be able to post more often. I'm already organizing all the pictures to show you some cool things that happened during this period I was away. Stay tuned!
So, in order to celebrate you and my neighborhood - two things I was missing a lot - today's post is about two restaurants and a delicious ice cream shop that hubby and I love and which are very close to our home:

Momed
Mediterranean menu with a modern twist, this restaurant has a casual atmosphere, friendly waiters and a menu that ranges from super tasty lamb burger and hummus avocado to farro salad to freshly baked flatbreads.

Bibigo
Korean food restaurant with a more modern presentation for traditional dishes, the main attraction is the traditional bibimbap (dish consisting of carbohydrate, protein and vegetable) served in a hot stone bowl .

Sprinkles - Ice Cream
For dessert: Sprinkles Ice Cream. Last year, the LA most famous cupcake opened an ice cream shop (it took us almost a year to try it). Inside the shop, everything is white and red and the ice creams are delicious. You can have regular cones/cups but you can also make sandwich with ice cream + cookies or ice cream + cupcakes!
The first time we went there we had red velvet (white chocolate ice cream with chunks of red velvet cake) and chocolate. They still hold the title of the best red velvet cupcake but the ice cream didn't wow me. However, the chocolate flavor is very good!

International cuisines at affordable prices just a few steps away from home ;)

Wurstküche, Downtown LA

This post pays homage to my German in-laws: a simple but cool German restaurant in the Arts District Downtown LA: Wurstkuche.

It's a small modern place that serves delicious traditional (and non-traditional too) grilled sausages and some nice German beers!

You order at the counter (you choose the sausage and the sides) and they bring them over to your table which is already fully stocked with a fair variety of mustards.

It's a great option for those days you want to eat fast food but with better taste, cool people and nicer environment (in the main area - pic below - they have a DJ playing live).

In love: Rockabye

How not to fall in love with these rockers from RockAbye?

Super cute, with colorful and playful designs, they do not resemble anything the rocker chairs of my time.

The price is higher than average but the company claims excellent quality and you should also think it as a piece of decor for your kid's bedroom.

Rocking the rockers!