Campfire bars

N'awlins

Thanks to a brilliant radio show called Good Food on KCRW (that I only extremely recently discovered), I heard about this market in Chinatown, Los Angeles called the Little Jewel of New Orleans. It has a kitchen, as well as a market for all of your southern cooking needs. Now YOU can go home and make red beans and rice - properly - with the right ingredients.
We were on our way out to a gallery show not too far from there, and decided to stop in for a quick meal and peruse the market to find anything that might strengthen my gumbo game (impossible!). And actually, they sold tasso! I have only used it once in my gumbo (on advice from a southern friend) and it has brought my gumbo game up a notch! Thankfully, now I/we have two sources for it in Los Angeles. In addition to many of the products I've seen in New Orleans (Zapps, Abita, chicory coffee, Camellia beans, Crystal hot sauce) they also have an old school candy aisle that's just fun!
I will return, this time with a decent sized cooler, and ingredients list so I can take a stab at more recipes from my southern cookbooks. Like bbq'd shrimp and grits, red beans and rice, maybe even something with okra!

Kumquat Tart

Apple pie

Beginnings of a frittata

Spiralized zucchini with turkey bolognese

Prosciutto wrapped asparagus

A quick trip to SF

Magnificent food city! I didn't take too many pictures because I was too busy eating and enjoying friends. Here are some highlights...

Besties

Clockwise from top left: Crumbs from a variety of pastries at Tartine Bakery, the unbelievably delicious Croque from Tartine, Frozen yogurt dessert from Nopa which was described by the waitress as the "sleeper hit" of the dessert menu (it was insanely good!), and of course a view of the Golden Gate Bridge from a stroll at Land's End

Cuban Natilla

Another macaron day