Mo Better Burgers is Still Mo Better
As far as food goes, I don't usually get too nostalgic about the past because there is so much in the present to discover and taste. Over the years each time I had one of the fancy, designer burgers in town, I kept thinking back to my former favorite.
It was then called Mo Better Meatty Meat Burger. What a great name, isn't it? I love the redundancy.
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| Photo appears at WSC When Saturday Comes site: http://www.wsc.co.uk/forum-index/28-world/441477-who-likes-looking-at-maps?limit=20&start=220 |
They were known for their quality of meat and produce as well as their very popular veggie burger.
A couple of months ago I drove down La Brea and saw a sign in a strip mall for Mo Better Burgers. I wondered, could it be?
Yes, it was. A quick web search later I found out the beloved burger was back! Apparently the original founder's daughter, Eve Fouche, is part of this glorious comeback. Evidently they use an organic angus chuck blend, organic turkey and non-GMO produce.
Because I no longer live in the neighborhood and they close relatively early in the evening, I tucked this idea in the back of my head.
Well yesterday at work, we successfully completed a large and long term project. As a celebration, I drove past my old apartment (my first one after college). It happened to be 4 blocks away from Mo Better Burgers.
I couldn't resist going in and having a taste. There was just 15 minutes before I had to meet a friend so I reigned myself in and had the small 3" burger without fries. From what I remember their seasoned fries also delivered.
I used to enjoy it with raw onions, but since I had to be somewhere I went for the grilled. And even though I don't eat much dairy anymore, I had to go for a slice of cheddar for old times' sake.
It tasted just like I remembered. Just a great, finely seasoned burger, as you can see from the multiple spice tins by the grill. Always made fresh to order, the meat gets grilled in its own juices.
The veges are fresh and crisp, not the limp and processed stuff you get at a fast food joint. The potato bun is light and fluffy giving it just the right ratio of meat to veges to bun. One of the few burgers where I do not have to remove one of the buns nor add more meat to taste it.
Although perfect as is I usually add a few shakes of their house made hot sauce which also tastes uniquely flavorful. After my first bite I regretted getting the smaller size.
The clientele seemed to consist of regulars and each person who walked in after me was greeted by name. It's a wonderful touch you do not see much these days. They asked me how I heard of the place and greeted me by name when I left.
There is a special Magic Johnson burger on the menu, as well as his signed memorabilia throughout the store as well as mementos of the earlier burger stand.
Gourmet Cobbler Factory
Even though we haven't seen true autumn weather in Southern California, this time of year it's hard to avoid the fall temptations.The other day I had an hour to kill before a volunteer assignment, had to eat something and was not ready for dinner.I drove by the Gourmet Cobbler Factory and remember hearing several recommendations for it in the past. Fruit pies are very dear to me and this sounded like a great afternoon snack.
I'm not sure what the difference is between a pie and cobbler. Possibly it has something to do with the crust - no crust on the bottom of a cobbler? Either way, they both taste great and hit the spot.
The shop has a really casual, local vibe, not to mention the welcoming sight of mini sweet potato and mini pecan pies. It appeared that most of their orders were for large cobblers but they do have "singles", which could easily feed two people. Service was prompt, friendly and no nonsense.
This cobbler did have a very thin crust at the bottom, brimmed with fruit slices and the filling was a bit on the runny side. It was like the most awesome peach soup in a way. They serve the cobbler a la mode as well if desired.
The fact that the cobblers had just come out of the oven and were warm in the center made me giddy. In fact, they were expected to stay warm for over an hour. Not that I knew because I dug in within minutes.
Just another great example of a neighborhood gem doing what they do just perfectly.
New Urth Caffé in Pasadena!
Last month, Pasadena added yet another impressive entity into its foodie scene - Urth Caffé.
Along with Intelligentsia, Jones Coffee Roasters, Zona Rosa and other solid coffee options, many residents have been delighted to welcome Urth's organic, fair trade coffee from around the world to the Pasadena Playhouse District.
The tiled downtown LA Urth Caffé always stood out, as well as the high energy West Hollywood branch, but this new site might have them both beat in beauty with handmade tiles, iron work, art and plenty of green plants.
For the opening, they generously served at no cost their organic coffee, a seemingly endless supply of sandwiches, desserts and pastries.
I grabbed some snacks behind the shop where tables were also set up, and have been waiting till full opening to sample my favorite beverages - Matcha latte, Spanish latte and of course my favorite Hello Kitty foam, which you can find here.
In late August they held an early grand opening celebration for area residents, which a friend kindly told me about.
To their credit, they created quite a bit of buzz. The local Police had the streets closed down and one could spot the long lines of excited people on Colorado Boulevard and Madison Avenue from far away.
Frankly, many locals couldn't help but notice months earlier that they were planning to open. Having worked in the area for several years, it gets more and more exciting to witness the increase in quality of food and drink in the neighborhood.
Since they are right across the street from very popular Tender Greens, hopefully they will obtain plenty of foot traffic as well.
Since they are right across the street from very popular Tender Greens, hopefully they will obtain plenty of foot traffic as well.
I grabbed some snacks behind the shop where tables were also set up, and have been waiting till full opening to sample my favorite beverages - Matcha latte, Spanish latte and of course my favorite Hello Kitty foam, which you can find here.
Baja Summer Trip - Views from the Road
This bonus post contains scenery from the vehicle, mostly while we were driving around. I was mainly practicing holding the camera steady and taking quick photos, but then saw that the scenery was quite lovely in many areas.It was nothing like I remembered in my prior trips down these highways.
On our trip to La Bufadora, the last few miles of the drive consisted of many uniquely beautiful vistas.
We stopped and picked up some wonderful olive oils, jams, honey and other treats at this roadside stand. I loved the seasoned (clamato, hot sauce) olives. They had avocado honey for sale which just sounds good, but I did not taste it.
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| winery in Valle de Guadelupe |
This beautiful building houses Laja, the Baja "French Laundry" type of restaurant. I made a mental note to come back.
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| tuna farms - colored by me via Photoshop |
I look forward to the next Baja visit. Until then, this ends the series of posts.
Baja Summer Trip - Markets, Cities and Hotel
One of our last stops at the end of our wonderful weekend away was a for tacos at La Taqueseria at the Food Garden in Tijuana.
We really enjoyed the Taqueso, filled with shrimp and ribeye beef, and Taco Dulce, made of shrimp and fruit sauces, from Marco Flores’ food stand. We pointed out how we shouldn't have enjoyed the sweet and salty taco as much as we did, but we just did.
I even followed it up with a supplementary smoked marlin taco, the 2nd taco from the bottom in the above set of photos. Although I was full, it was a taste I enjoyed and missed so much from prior visits. Marlin is not readily available in L.A., although I hear it's making a couple of appearances lately.
Our guides from Club Tengo Hambre told us that was the Gastromercado farmer's market's very first day opening.
Puesto Fenix
In Ensenada we had just enough time to see the main square. I spent 5 minutes buying a hand embroidered cotton blouse and dress at a boutique, and we headed off to the next stop.
On our last day, we made a stop in Ensenada for a fish taco at Puesto Fenix. Because you can't really leave Ensenada without a perfecct fish taco. Lucky for us, we do have a fish taco option in LA that meets if not slightly exceeds this one in taste.
During one of our few breaks at the hotel, a couple of us walked over a a couple of blocks to the center and tourist area of Puerto Nuevo, a well known lobster town.
In prior visits I thought this was as good as it gets with Baja food. I'm sure it's all great but incomparable to the food and views we'd witnessed the past few days.
There were some interesting signage and statues through Puerto Nuevo.
Our hotel, the Grand Baja had a few quirky elements and spotty upkeep, but overall, it fit the bill. Our guides worked hard to iron out any small kinks for which we were grateful. We made full use of the wifi in the lobby.
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| Russian embassy on the hotel grounds and hand lifted parking gate |
