Q4 Wrap Report: Drinking Specialty Coffees, Chasing Sunsets, and Dancing in a Pizza Parlor

October - December 2024 review

Hello!

Hoping we can review this report async and follow up with any questions via e-mail given we’re bumping up against the holidays - let me know if you’re aligned?

If you’re new here - I compile everything I’ve tried in LA + beyond each quarter and *attempt* to structure it into a digestible reading format. Q1, Q2 and Q3 linked here if you’d like to catch up!

Q4 was filled with fun, let’s get into it!

The Forbidden Apple Latte at Goodboy Bob

I drank this latte 5x in the month of November and forced a few friends to do the same, so it feels fitting to kick off the Q4 recap. I’ve become a cappuccino purist over the past year or so, but treated myself to this delicious cup of apple (half) sweetness and was pleasantly surprised! GBB makes their own syrups and they do it with expert precision. Their concoctions are never too sugary sweet. Though the apple latte has retired for the year, I highly recommend giving their other seasonal drinks a try.

RIP The Rose, All Day Baby, Soulmate, Bar Nine, Winston House

Q4 saw a lot of restaurant closures, and I shared fond memories with quite a few of them. It continues to be a hard time to survive in the food industry, and I strongly encourage you to keep showing up and supporting your favorite places in the city - they need you!

Erewhon… ugh

This bougie grocery store continues to play a significant role in my life on the weekly. I’ve scaled it back a bit, but you’ll find me here at least once a week grabbing a $20 smoothie or a plate from the hot bar.

Chasing sunsets

Have you ever watched a sunset? Insane stuff, especially in Southern California! I’ve been putting in extra effort to catch as many sunsets as possible these days, because you can always count on them to bring you a little spark of joy (& an aesthetically pleasing photo, duh)

We are on a quest to find the best cinnamon roll in town

Spurred out of a friend’s pregnancy craving, a focus group of friends & I are on the hunt for the best cinnamon roll in LA. A few recent taste tests below, tell us where else we need to go!

• Petit Grain Boulangerie

• Eller Bakery

• Old West Cinnamon Rolls

• Balboa Island Baking Co

• Baltaire table-side cinnamon roll *JK we haven’t been here because the brunch is $150 and the cinnamon roll experience is EXTRA. Can I please speak to the manager!

TTS Travels in Q4

• New York

• Austin (trip #3 of the year, wowie!)

• San Luis Obispo & Cambria

Q4 Happenings

• Magic Castle - Magic is cheesy as hell but this is a must-do for every resident in Los Angeles IMO. Do it at least once in your life, it’s so fun!

• Race Service x Porsche x La Marzocco - coffee & cars continue to be paired together and I love it. Race Service puts on a damn good pop up and I love their space! Also love the Porsche x La Marzocco collab.

• Dodgers Parade - wrote all about my experience HERE!

• Dance party in a pizza parlor - following in the footsteps of groups like Disclosure and Empire of the Sun, LA folks are catching onto the “DJ sets in unconventional spaces” / Boiler Room / pop up dance party trend. And I’m all about it! Had an absolute blast at a recent pizza party pop up and want to check out a couple others popping up very soon!

• Olafur Eliasson at MOCA Geffen - this exhibit is still on, highly recommend a visit!

• Concerts

  • Still Woozy & Paw Paw Rod at the Greek

  • Dom Dolla at LA State Historic Park

New (To Me)

Here’s all of the places I got to check out in Q4!

Restaurants

• Friends & Family - a lovely spot for a cozy breakfast or catch up lunch with a pal

• Luke’s Lobster - an East Coast legend has made its way to Santa Monica! Delicious lobster rolls & clam chowder

• Convi - Jurassic Magic’s sister shop with a great selection of snacks + a yummy breakfast burrito

• Chez Jay - I know I know, I’m late! I loved it, as expected. Red & white checkered tablecloths, cheesy nautical decor + great ‘tinis

• Old Place - another place where I was overdue for a visit. It’s pretty perfect! Baked potato & beer pls

• Monroe Place - so many sandwich options, I was overwhelmed. A good quick pick up lunch in Culver!

• Pizzeria Bianco - so so great! Row DTLA isn’t always convenient but I do love it there every time I visit

• Yess - it was so fun to watch Chef Junya do his thing here a few weeks back. Though dinner was very special, I almost preferred coming back for breakfast just a week later - loved my egg salad sandwich + capp from Moim (more below)

• Dune - another long overdue visit! I got the fried chicken “schwarma” wrap and it was sooo tasty. Modern Mediterranean done right

• Irv’s Burgers - BLT + tots cured my hangover almost instantly

• American Beauty - wait for it… another extremely overdue visit! Though I’ve been for cocktails at the bar many a time, I had my first dinner here and I’m thrilled to say I loved it! The group discussed and AB will be a staple for 2025.

Coffee & Pastries

• Good Friend Coffee - this shop started construction just as I was leaving the Virgil Village neighborhood. It was a treat to come back and pay a visit, love it here!

• Yala Coffee - I have a little bit of resentment every time the valley gets something cool, as someone who grew up there and had literally none of these options. All that to say, Yala is wonderful - thanks to Ben’s Bagels for getting me out to Ventura Blvd on a Sunday AM!

• Eller Bakery - best pastries in OC I think?? Excellent cinnamon roll as discussed above

• Flo Coffee - my new favorite coffee on the West side <3 Gabe is an expert and I love stopping by on my way to work for a capp!

• About Time - the matcha einspanner is incredible

• Gremlin Garage - More coffee in OC! Fun specialty lattes

• Moim Coffee - Moim is a traveling pop-up experience, and they just ended their residency at Yess. Excited to see where they head to next!

• Fugetsu-Do - so so fun picking out flavors of mochi to try, there are so many kinds!! A cute treat to pick up in Little Tokyo

• Paisita Cafe - from the people that brought you Amigo Roasters + Bluey’s… comes Paisita! Excited to have another great coffee shop on the West side

• Proof Bakery - such a fun selection of pastries, my cardamom bun really hit the spot

Cocktails & Beer

• Board Room Brewery - I have thoughts on El Segundo *but* they do have quite a few great breweries!

• Highland Park Brewery - a pretty perfect brewery and prime real estate for pre-gaming a concert at LA State Historic Park

• The Georgian Room - A beautiful speakeasy inside The Georgian Hotel. Full heads up, 1) you probably need a resy and 2) your cocktail will be $22+

• Tiny’s Hi-Dive - still not sure LA knows how to do dive bars but Tiny’s is a good time! Don’t miss the claw machine…

• The Garage on Motor Ave - warmed my heart to see a bunch of Eagles fans coming together to watch the game in LA. Good wings!

• No Smoking - still very sad to see Mandrake go, but No Smoking has maintained the bones of what made it great. It’s cozy, cocktails and beer selection are solid, and I feel age appropriate being there (vs feeling surrounded by children that just graduated college heh)

• Death & Co - great spot for a cocktail before dinner in the Arts District!

• The Mermaid - a fun dive on the border of Arts District & Little Tokyo. Beware… they have karaoke :/

• Wolf & Crane - Japanese whisky and craft cocktails, excellent music curation to boot

What did you try in Q4? What do I need to add to my list for Q1 ‘25? Drop a comment on Substack or reply directly to this email with your recs! EOY Wrap Report to close out the year coming very soon! Bye xoxo