Farm Fresh Sandwiches

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I’m always on the lookout for a new casual lunch spot in Los Angeles. And most of you know how much I love places near my home.  So, recently a Mendocino Farms opened up in the Marina Waterside shopping complex.  They bill themselves as the premier “eco-artisan sandwich concept”. Weird, but definitely new and different.  They do sandwiches almost exclusively with some salads and chips thrown in for variety.  I like the casual “farm-like” vibe and Sebastian loved the chalkboard wall and kids’ communal table. Very fun!  The sandwiches are excellent, fresh and innovative. We tried the Kurobuta Pork Belly Banh Mi and Prosciutto & Roasted Chicken.  But  since I am not going Back East this Summer, my next trip I’ll try their lobster roll.  Care to join me?

Ruth

Antica Pizzeria

[tweetmeme only_single=false source=”RuthDelRey”]We finally signed Sebastian up for his first team sport, basketball and we somehow got a practice time of 5pm on Fridays. Ridiculous. So, each Friday we find ourselves  hungry and exhausted. It’s 6:30 pm and I never feel like going home and making dinner. SB always suggests pizza, but I  can’t bear the thought of greasy take-out.  So we’ve been finding ourselves at  Antica Pizzeria. We seem to take the place for granted and forget to go there, maybe because it’s right in our hood. But every time I turn around lately another magazine is writing it up as one of the best pizzerias in Los Angeles. You can even find it in this month’s Sunset Magazine.  They do quite an authentic Neapolitan pizza with the real wood burning oven. We love the Pizza Bianca al Prosciutto (prosciutto and arugula) and Pizza del Cafone (Italian sausage, rapini and smoked mozzarella).  They are known for their pizza, but we really like their pasta. You can’t find Bucatini (the thick pasta with the hole in it) anywhere and they have a  delish Bucatini alla Amatriciana (pancetta, prosciutto, tomato sauce and Romano cheese) as well as a yummy Pennette al Sugo di Agnello (Small penne with lamb meat fine ragout and tomato sauce). My only warning is that the pizza does not travel well and is soggy once you get it home. Eat there. The staff is lovely and muy Italiano.  Have a glass of chianti. Let your kid order off the kid’s menu.  Maybe you’ll see us there next Friday night.

Ruth