We packed as much eating as we could into our short 2 1/2 days in L.A., but missed out on the Kogi Truck. They weren’t running the exact days we were there because it was Labor Day weekend. How the Kogi Truck and The Krave Truck compare, the world may never know…(Do you remember the old Tootsie Pop commercials?) That was such a bummer, but on the flip side, there was a lot less traffic than the last two times I was in LA, which makes the experience so much more pleasant. Note to self: only go to LA during a holiday if I want to keep all my hair.
I didn’t write about our lunch at Old Country Cafe 2 East Valley Boulevard, Alhambra, CA 91801, a pretty ghetto Taiwanese spot, or Palms Thai 5900 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 9002 (well, a Thai restaurant) because they were inexpensive and decent, but not particularly memorable. If you’re planning a trip to LA, Little Saigon, Porto’s Bakery, and The Bazaar by Jose Andres are musts!
Our hotel, The Millenium Biltmore Hotel, had a fancy schmancy lobby, but it ends there. The room was small and had an ancient tube television. There wasn’t enough counter/desk space, or even adequate places to hang wet towels. Though we were several rooms away, we could hear the bell from the elevator at all hours (including when were sleeping), but ironically could never use the elevator going down because it was always too full by the time it reached the 4th floor. The room smelled musty all the time and it wasn’t cheap. Plus, valet parking is another $40 per day. (The garage was $15 every time you go in, so that was not practical.) We would never go back to this hotel.
It was time to embark on the drive to the Cambria/San Simeon area, about four hours north. Roughly in the middle is Santa Barbara a nice place to stop, see some art galleries, do a little shopping, and stretch your legs. The restaurants look a bit touristy and over-prised, so it wasn’t hard getting back in the car, especially knowing that the drive just keeps getting more and more beautiful as you head north.
Delicious eats in Cambria coming soon…
LA traffic makes me not so eager to visit again, but I’d love to be able to go to a Jose Andres restaurant. Gorgeous last photo!
Love the scenery shot
I wish I had any Santa Barbara insight. I’ve been to three literary conferences there, but they were short and involved Chipotle. Gah.
Good luck!!
lisaiscooking, try going during a long weekend. That may be the trick.
Kasi, we have lots more scenery pics that we’ll put on flickr when we get home.
EMC, we didn’t see the Chipotle and we’re glad. Try visiting Cambria one day. I don’t think there are any chains there, and of course, despite our many chains in NY, I still want you to visit NY!
soooo beautiful!! love that view :0)
You didn’t miss much with Kogi…way over hyped we say. The Palms also is famous for their Thai Elvis…also, not missing much either! 🙂
Ravenouscouple, it’s so disappointing when a restaurant or dish doesn’t live up to all the hype, but I guess I kind of expect that more often than not. When I get back to LA, I’ll definitely be hitting up Little Saigon again.
Old County Cafe is our go to for TW eats. They serve a beautifully made TW pork chop over rice, as well as a fun milk tea with pudding (bottomless refills). Their mango shaved ice is also one of tops (far superior to anything I’ve had in Flushing). Too bad you guys ordered the ho-hum items.
SinoSoul, we had the pork chop which was good but not notable. It was kind of hit or miss but since you give it thumbs up and it was recommended by my friend Angie who has never failed me before, I think it might have just been a fluke.