When I think of the South, the three things that are generally at the top of my list are humidity, guns, and gloriously unhealthy food. With the opening of the new bar SOUTH in Santa Monica, the latter of those three is making a daring appearance in one of the most body-obsessed cities in the country.

Started by two Georgian transplants and a Tulane grad, SOUTH boasts an extensive selection of well-known Southern dishes and drinks. The interior is open, casual and inviting, although the army of sleek flatscreens plastered all over the walls doesn’t really do much for authenticity. There isn’t much seating, so if you’re going during peak hours, plan on standing.

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Although L.A. sometimes feels like the universe’s center of fickle taste and rapidly changing appearances, it’s still possible to find little nooks and crannies that are untouched by time. One place is breakfast/lunch spot Snug Harbor in Santa Monica. Opened in 1941 as an all-American burger diner, Snug Harbor’s interior is nearly all original – green leather booths line the perimeter, with matching barstools affixed around a stainless steel and linoleum counter. Its worn, relaxed patina is very soothing, and it will convince you (if only temporarily) that it’s ok to slow down - you’ll have time for everything.

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Every Wednesday and Saturday morning, the crowded, lively Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica somehow manages to get more crowded and lively. From 8:30am-1pm, local farmers and artisans bring their choicest products to sell to eager, hungry crowds. Piles of fruits, vegetables, nuts, honey, eggs, herbs, orchids, beef, pork, and many other natural foods dazzle and tempt buyers. So if you’re in the mood for a bucket of unrefined honey, a radish the size of Popeye’s forearm, or the sweetest oranges you’ve ever tasted, visit an ATM and bring some cash down to the market.

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It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do – everyone is Irish on St. Paddy’s Day. Every March 17^th, pubs across town fill up with lads and lassies searching for a cold pint and a good time. Not sure where to go? Try out one of these Irish-themed watering holes:

Sonny McLean’s (2615 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica 310.449.1811) If you love Beantown and the Red Sox, this is your bar. No other bar in town pledges greater love for New England sports, as is evidenced by the shamrock mural on the Westside of the building. Be advised that this quaint little bar lacks a parking lot and serves beer and wine only. A small price to pay for a little bit of Boston.

If you’re searching for a harder drink, cross the street to O’Briens (2226 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica 310.829.5303). With lots of seating and a full bar, you’ll find it by the light of the neon shamrock on the outside of the building.

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I’m not gonna lie to you. I love tomatoes. I love tomatoes so much that I have made it my life’s mission* to convert supposed ‘tomato haters’ into die-hard tomato loving extremists. You heard me right folks, tomatoes are good. I’m not talking about that transparent mushy thing in your hamburger, or the crunchy pinkish thing in your ’salad’. I’m talking about red, juicy, room temperature, giant tomatoes. The kind that have a flavor. They taste like tomatoes, the way God intended them to taste. Not the way Ralphs or Vons intended them, but God.

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Enough with the hate.When a person is willing to go to blows over a cupcake bakery, I admit that I may have made a mistake. I’m not saying that I was wrong, because I still don’t believe Yummy to be the very best cupcake in town, but I may have been unnecessarily harsh.

Here’s what happened: a member of my tasting squad, enraged by my dismissive tone, demanded that I give Yummy Cupcakes another try. I refused, stating that the cupcakes were dry and the frosting too sweet. She scoffed at my refusal, unwilling to admit defeat. She even brought them to a small birthday celebration over the weekend, announcing to all who would listen how I’d publicly denounced the bakery. I had to taste the cupcakes again.

And you know what? It was good. Real good. The red velvet was moist and soft, and although there was still too much frosting for my taste, I liked it. The heavy cream cheese frosting left a thin coating on my tongue, but in a good way, a way that confirmed that they used real, full-fat cream cheese. Is it The Absolute Best Cupcake in LA? I’m going to stand by my original review and still say no it isn’t, but it really is a mighty fine cupcake and certainly worth the trek to either Santa Monica or Burbank.

Photo by jslander via Flickr

Figuring out what to make for dinner can be a revelation, and then most of the time it’s a big pain in the ass. It’s the deciding that kills me. There seem to be so many options. So my strategy? The Farmer’s Market. All it requires is that I walk through it and buy what looks most beautiful. Then I get home and can figure out what to make with what I’ve bought. This time of year it’s all about root vegetables and thus my absolute favorite: beets.

My recipe (or I should say my dad’s recipe ) for the best beets ever in under 10 minutes from start to finish:

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I’ve become very enthusiastic about Santa Monica in the recent month. It’s the new it-place on my list, not necessarily for being trendy or hip, but for being (relatively) more laid-back than the rest of Los Angeles.
So like I admitted in one of my first blogs, I hold a special little, well big, spot in my heart for San Francisco. And living in L.A. part-time, while I love it, does make me miss the cool, funky, mellow, welcoming, warm atmosphere of my birth place city (warm, probably not the best word to describe San Francisco, considering that walking along the piers during summer requires a scarf…)

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I heard it over and over again. “Yummy Cupcakes are delicious! The best cupcakes in Santa Monica.” Considering that there are three bakeries in a 4 block radius, that’s a bold statement, one that necessitates an investigation.

A visit to Yummy Cupcakes in Santa Monica yielded one classic vanilla cupcake with sprinkles, one chocolate with vanilla frosting, an “old school” chocolate cupcake with creamy filling and a quirky peanut butter flavored cupcake, complete with a dollop of the sandwich spread for garnish. One by one, my tasters and I sliced up the cakes, taking bites here and there while discussing the ratio of cake to frosting. The consensus:

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Here are some pictures from the LA dodgers autograph event. It was on 3rd street promenade in Santa Monica.

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Here are some pictures from the LA dodgers autograph event. It was on 3rd street promenade in Santa Monica.

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I am so excHIKEted for this post!

K. Sticking the word hike in there didn’t look as cool as I thought. But that’s alright, because no one will care how cool you look, or how nice you’re dressed, when you go on a hike! Nature, clean air (well, relatively, compared to the Valley I suppose), dirt, the earth, and hiking, that’s all that matters. And in this case, the moon! And stars! Because if you go on a Twilight Hike through the Santa Monica mountains, you will, yes, be hiking in the twilight. How eerie and mystical!

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