Showing posts with label South Pasadena. Show all posts
Showing posts with label South Pasadena. Show all posts
Comfort Carbs at Heirloom Bakery and Cafe
South Pasadena doesn't get credit for some of the solid food establishments it contains. It's not exactly the international food capital of L.A., but there are some highlights.Another local comfort food favorite of mine, the Heirloom Bakery and Cafe, in the Mission West area is a very convenient snack, breakfast or lunch stop adjacent to the Gold Line train station.
On my first visit, I noticed this large tray in the glass case with these cubes of mac and cheese.
After taking it home, smashing it with a fork and heating it up 2 minutes in the microwave, I had this comforting bowl of warm bubbling mac and cheese, complete with bread crumb topping.
It's surprising how much volume that cube grows into once smashed and heated. The pasta is al dente with gourmet cheese flavors.
The quiches, or at least the mushroom/spinach/parmesan quiche pictured here taste very savory, light and fluffy. They come whole or cut into these very generous slices.
This gorgeous multi-layered banana and chocolate cake looks like the perfect slice of cake in my head. The flavors remain subtle, natural and not overly sweet.
With the ubiquitous cupcakes, especially the red velvet, it's hard to stand out. I particularly loved the presentation of this one with delicately piped frosting and a lovely red rose petal as garnish. Simple and elegant.
In the cupcake department, one can't do much better than their Hostess inspired cupcake. I love the way they packed it upside down in this plastic container - very smart.
I've had several grown-up versions of the highly processed Hostess cakes that I loved as a child but can barely tolerate as an adult.
This one looks and tastes the best, in my opinion, and also wins in the moistness category.
The advantage of taking it home is being able to enjoy it out on the patio, in the sun. The smooth as silk chocolate ganache, moist cake and marshmallow cream filling satisfy every sweet craving imaginable.
All in all, this bakery and cafe provides a fantastic tucked away (on Meridian Avenue rather than on Mission) retreat for when you crave those comforting carbs.
Thoughts After A Year of Blogging
Apparently most bloggers quit within a year.Today marks the one-year anniversary of the day I started this site. To celebrate passing that hump and 69 published posts, here are some thoughts to update my initial first Introduction post. And so you're not drowning in text, I'm interspersing photos I took of some beautiful locations in my neighborhood.
To begin writing I picked a date I would easily remember, in this case, my late father's birthday. Doing something positive on an otherwise sad day always helps balance things for me, and I know he would have enjoyed this site.
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| The Colorado Bridge - Pasadena, CA |
Looking back from this point, I tried to assess how things evolved and what followed the 'plan'. Reading back through my first post coupled with the light traffic analysis I do (to figure out what people like to read), it's interesting to see how my interests aligned, or didn't, with what readers like.
This blog is more of a 'lifestyle' blog with food as the focus. The surprise was that it began with an intention to document my mother's authentic recipes, and evolved more into sharing my foodie experiences - not many restaurant reviews, but experiences I enjoyed.
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| Colorado Bridge - Pasadena, CA |
With our 'day' jobs, it's been more challenging than I thought. And I might rethink this as a more cohesive body of work that I slowly make progress on but compile together. It doesn't lend itself to quick blog posts. Rest assured, I am still working on it in the background and it will emerge when it's ready.
In the meantime, to get my feet wet, I might do a few quick and easy posts on cooking recipes or simple techniques.
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| The Colorado Bridge - Pasadena, CA |
Because of the home projects, time for other design work slips through the cracks for now.Working on the always-in-progress house projects takes up most of my free (i.e. non-work) time and because I'm so immersed in it, I decided not to extend that time by writing more about it. Okay, so I'm a Libra and obsessed with balance.
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| Old water tank in the fog - South Pasadena, CA |
This past weekend, a longtime friend was visiting from Canada. We have been in touch over the years but had not seen each other for 20+ years. He's been to L.A. several times and didn't need to sight-see. Being a fellow foodie I struggled with choosing the perfect culinary experiences.
Eventually I realized that the the focus of our time together was catching up and having fun. So instead we went to places that were new to both of us and took the gamble. I struck out to some extent on meal picks, but that is not what each of us will remember about the visit, I'm sure.
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| Palm trees in the fog - South Pasadena, CA |
Writing and photography serve as great creative outlets and I don't want to pressure or limit myself into finding a 'voice'. I'd like to keep exploring what inspires me to write about, letting the voice develop over time. Like with my friend, let's explore new things together.
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| Trees in the fog - South Pasadena, CA |
