Kristen S.'s Profile

Strawberry Fields salad will always be in my top ten. Wow!

This is the most tender, moist and delicious cake.  For parties, when I don't feel like destroying my kitchen by baking, I pick up a box or two of their assorted flavors of "Bundtinis" (cupcake-sized bundt cakes).  My guests have all been ecstatic.

There are always samples!  It's absolutely adorable inside the shop.  

However, if you don't like cream cheese frostings, Nothing Bundt Cake is not for you,

Want to spice up your boring cubicle, and entice co-worker visits? Pick up some of Wacko's wind up toys.

Or bring a funny friend (or me!) and browse all the dirty books!

This used to be, unequivocally, my favorite place at The Farmer's Market.  I loved nothing more than drenching the meal in their amazing green hot sauce.

It is with great sadness that I admit that something is slipping in terms of taste and food quality.  I was in gastronomic distress after my last two visits, after half-finishing my meal, but I was in severe denial until others dining companions started sharing their thoughts.  Maybe times are rougher - the buffet isn't replenished as often with smaller crowds?

When it's good, it's the best Brazilian in town.

20 years ago, I had a vision of the best 7th birthday party in the entire world: my best friends and I putting in 10 dimes in the jukebox at Ruby's to hear "Leader of the Pack" as many times as it took for them to unplug it.  And this would be followed by a trip to the little gum ball machine that only cost a penny!

Ruby's Auto Diner had just been open for a couple of months at that point, taking the place of the abandoned Duke's Burger.  Our family had been following the drama for a while.  As I recall, there was an extremely lucrative bid for the land placed by McDonald's but Laguna Beach wanted McNone of it.  Ruby's was the compromise. As Ruby's was being built, I was overcome with anticipation.  Then the classic cars showed up.  I was beside myself.

Ruby's back then was crazy-packed - lines literally out the door.  People would wait for over an hour.  Kids meals came in detailed cardboard hot rods, like a pink cadalliac.  Many a Barbie doll has forsaken her Barbie Corvette in favor of a slightly grease-smudged Ruby's car.

Since I'm already writing a long love letter, I should talk about the food. Ruby's has the world's most delicious Cobb Salad.  I have ordered cobb salads all over Los Angeles in famous restaurants - none rival Ruby's.  The blue cheese dressing is a revelation.  The turkey is fresh-roasted.

I especially love the chili, the super burger, the blues burger, the ingenious turkey club with the cranberry sauce and the seasonal pumpkin milk shake (an annual tradition in my family). Ruby's has been kind enough to make me a Chili Size (an open-faced burger topped with their chili) which disappeared from the menu, so all is forgiven.

Of all the things I miss since moving away from Laguna Beach, I miss this particular Ruby's the most.  It's probably beyond meta* to have nostalgia for a nostalgic diner but I don't care - Ruby's is the crown jewel of 40s diners.

* Don't worry, I know that I don't know what meta means.

Sometimes amazing, sometimes diarrhea.  But it's so close to the ArcLight!

I love Griffith Observatory for it's gorgeous Art Deco architecture, engaging science, panoramic views of a metropolis that seems limitless.  This absolute treasure being free nearly makes up for the great inconvience and cost it is to do anything else in Los Angeles.  It is really worth the trip, especially if you have time on a weekday.  Excellent first kiss scenery, if you don't mind company watching.

The absolute best time of year to visit is the winter, after a rainstorm.  The visibility is incredible.  You can see the ocean and Catalina Island.

I usually pitch Tender Greens to my friends as "A Chipotle for gourmet salads."  And it works every time.

I've had the Caesar, Flat Iron Steak and the Cobb salads.  Loved all of them (mind you, I really love Cobb salads).  Fast enough for lunch during the work week.  Easy to modify ingredients for specialty diets. The patio is also extremely enjoyable on a perfect L.A. day.

Every steak-loving adventurer on their way to the Grand Canyon needs to spend an afternoon being charmed by Williams, Arizona and an evening here enjoying a steak you will remember for years.

Four years in my case.  My husband, my mother and I still recall the night with fondness.

Choffee Choffee in a waffle cone is the best ice cream treat in the world. Once, we served a pint of it at a dinner party and had everyone begging us for more information, including a few who were initially reluctant to try coffee ice cream.

While it is made from scratch, it's not magic ice cream.  You will get sick if you eat a lot of it.  It's also located in Los Angeles, so it will be comically expensive.

Cash-only. ATM nearby for addicts.