The holidays are great.

The days and weeks surrounding Christmas and New Year’s are full of cheer, merriment, and joy. With all the presents we give and receive one of the gifts we give is love–especially between couples. As a single gal this holiday season I find myself resisting the urge to throw a brick at all the happy couples. It’s the same level of self-control I exhibit around Valentine’s Day. Don’t let the supposed aggression frighten you, the thoughts are few and fleeting. Amidst all the love we show one another, single or taken, one of the best ways to show how much we care for others is around food. What better way to do just that, then with all the holiday inspired food around Los Angeles. While I’ve reviewed some places below a few I haven’t. Regardless all of them are appropriate to explore with someone you care about, or alone with a brick in your hand. From donuts to a prix fix menu, check out some of the holiday cocktails and dishes you can get right now!

Birdies

Birdies is one of my favorite restaurants! I love how fresh and nicely fried their chicken sandwiches are and the price is just right. In addition to serving chicken sandwiches, they make delicious donuts. It wouldn’t be the holidays at Birdies if they didn’t have a holiday donut. With three holiday flavors available, Strawberry White Chocolate and Double Chocolate (not pictured) I loved the Peanut Butter and Jelly donut ($3.50) the most. Aside from the cute frosting, the donut was unexpectedly delicious. Filled with peanut butter and jelly, it was a sandwich wrapped in sweet dough. Mothers preparing lunch for their kids could take a note from Birdies.

Follow Them.
Address: 314 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Phone: (213) 536-5720
Hours: Monday through Thursday – 6:00am to 9:00pm, Friday and Saturday – 24 hours, Sunday – Closes at 8pm
Social: Website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Mr. Holmes Bakehouse

Mr. Holmes Bakehouse is fun place to grab unique pastries. Earlier this month I stopped by the shop and sampled their holiday pastries. I had the Cinnamon Hot Cocoa Cruffins ($4.50 each) and Eggnog Donuts ($3.50 each). I’ve had a few of the donuts in different flavors previously so I already knew these would taste good. The bread of the cruffin was flaky on the outside and soft on the inside. The semi-sweet dollop of custard infused to the center of the cruffin had a moderate amount of a hot chocolate taste which is more than welcome in my book. I liked the eggnog donut because it was cute, covered in sugar, and injected with a silky smooth and sweet custard. While these specific flavors are not available currently they have different flavors that are just as good.

Follow Them.
Address: 111 S Ave 59, Los Angeles, CA 90042
Phone: (323) 739-0473
Hours: Monday through Friday – 6:30am to 4:00pm, and Saturday & Sunday – 8:00am to 4:00pm
Social: Website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Sidecar Doughnuts

Sidecar is a well-loved donut shop in Santa Monica even though it hasn’t been in the area for too long. If you wonder how they’ve won over so many people, it’s their well-crafted donuts. If the thought of paying more than a few quarters to a dollar for a donut frightens you, stay away from Sidecar. If you love a good donut and don’t mind paying a bit more, then Sidecar is for you! I stopped by their shop to try out three of their donuts, Eggnog and Gingerbread (not pictured, reviewed in an upcoming post), but it was the Pear Charlotte ($4) that was the clear standout. The Pear Charlotte had a Bosc pear compote in the center, a salted caramel glaze, and was topped with a vanilla cream, that was sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. The dough of the donut was soft, the glaze was like a sweet glass, the pear and seeds were a beautiful fruit pairing on top of the sweetness of the whole donut.

Follow Them.
Address: 631 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Phone: (310) 587-0022
Hours: Sunday to Thursday – 6:30am to 4:00pm, Friday and Saturday – 6:30am to 9:00am
Social: Website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Faith and Flower

For Christmas Eve, Faith and Flower has a prix fixe menu ($65 per person + tax and gratuity) that I got to sample. The menu is stellar and the restaurant feels so welcoming of the holidays. While there were so many delicious items on the menu, one of my favorite that was incredibly unique was the Oxtail Agnolotti ($17). It was made with bone marrow butter, stone fruit conserva, and beef tendon chicharrones. The close to perfect dish holds a pasta with a multitude of levels to its flavor and texture. Spicy from the inside, smooth on its shell, and with a pleasant and gradual increase of sweetness as you progress from each bite, this dish is a great way to close out the year.

Follow Them.
Address: 705 W 9th St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Phone: (213) 239-0642
Hours: Monday through Thursday – 11:30am to 2:30pm and 5:30pm to 10:00pm; Friday – 11:30am to 2:30pm and 5:30pm to 11:00pm, Saturday – 10:30am to 2:30pm and 5:30pm to 11:00pm, and Sunday 10:30am to 2:30pm and 5:30pm to 10:00pm
Social: Website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

True Food Kitchen

On the healthy side of the holidays, True Food Kitchen offered a pleasant dish in the Seasonal Ingredient Salad ($13.50). The vegan and gluten free dish took a handful of Brussels sprouts and placed it with slices of butternut squash, cauliflower, white beans, pomegranate, toasted mulberry, and a horseradish vinaigrette. It was a brightly colored assembly of vegetables, fruits, and beans that was charming to the eye. What I loved about this dish was the drizzle of the vinaigrette, the charred taste of the squash and cauliflower, and the sweet crunch from the mulberries.

Follow Them.
Address: 395 Santa Monica Place, Suite 172, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Phone: (310) 593-8300
Hours: Monday through Thursday – 11:00am to 9:00pm, Friday – 11:00am to 10:00pm, Saturday – 10:00am to 10:00pm, and Sunday – 10:00am to 9:00pm
Social: Website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Brack Shop Tavern

My recent visit to Brack Shop Tavern wasn’t holiday related, however, they had a delicious holiday inspired cocktail. The Coquito ($10) was made of rum, coconut cream, and spice. The manager explained that this cocktail was a classic Puerto Rican eggnog. With the sips of it, I fell in love with the robust spices, milkiness, and how simple it was in its appearance. This is the type of drink that makes you want to return for more regardless of the time of the year.

Follow Them.
Address: 525 W 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90014
Phone: (213) 232-8657
Hours: Sunday – 10:00am to 12:00am and Monday through Saturday – 4:00pm to 2:00am
Social: Website, Facebook, and Instagram.

Plan Check

A quick stop to Plan Check in Downtown LA was to grab a couple of holiday cocktails. The first was the Uncle Clyde’s Sour ($11). The sour was made with Cynar, maple syrup, lemon juice, egg white, and garnished with grated nutmeg. The bartender described the cocktail as bitter, but it really wasn’t as bitter I thought it would be. With the few sips I found that I loved the deep layer of foam on the top. Getting through that layer I then enjoyed the combination of the sweet maple syrup that somehow blended harmoniously with the lemon juice and then spice from the nutmeg.

The second cocktail was the Sailor Jerry’s Sleigh Ride ($12) which was made of fireball whiskey, heavy cream, vanilla syrup, orange bitters, shaken with ice and topped with a foam served on the rocks. Based on appearance alone I assumed this would be the lighter girly drink. When it came to taste this one was much stronger than the previous. It was extremely smooth with a strong aftertaste of alcohol. It could be the perfect NYE drink where one is enough and two will turn the night into something you’ll hopefully remember the next day.

Follow Them.
Address: 1111 Wilshire Blvd Los Angeles CA 90017
Phone: (213) 403-1616
Hours: Monday through Friday 11:30am to 10:00pm, Saturday and Sunday – 10:00am to 10:00pm
Social: Website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Vinoteca

A dinner at Vinoteca at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills was just as beautiful as my dinner at the Four Seasons in Mexico City. On this visit, one of the items I checked out was the seasonal cocktail, La Speranza ($18). The cocktail was made with La Niña del Mezcal, lime, cucumber, and a black pepper agave. It was such a light and flirty cocktail that was made mysterious and deep with the black pepper that lined half of the rim of the glass. I liked how the pepper was a contrast to the tart lime and that the two together enhanced the mezcal. It was such a great drink!

Follow Them.
Address: 300 South Doheny Drive, Los Angeles, CA. 90048
Phone: (310) 860-4000
Hours: Monday to Wednesday – 11:00am to 10:30pm, Thursday to Saturday from 11:00am to 11:00pm; and Sunday from 4:00pm to 10:30pm.
Social: Website and Instagram.

With so many great holiday drinks and eats there are great places within Los Angeles to celebrate the holidays through food. Whether you grab donuts, cocktails, or oxtail pasta, there are great choices to fit your seasonal tastes! Visit as many of the restaurants as possible before the items are gone!