food is my nish

Angelenos are obsessed with doughnuts. Ask any one of us and we'll be able to rattle off some of our favorite spots to grab a doughnut hole, glazed creation, or apple fritter.

Just about every city has their own version of a beer festival or food fair, but what's Los Angeles' recent claim to fame: the 2010 LA Donut Summit. Brought to you by Metblogs, the cost of admission is very affordable: bring either a dozen doughnuts or a large coffee-to-go carton from Starbucks, Coffee Bean, etc.


Where? Griffith Park, near the Vermont entrance
When? Sunday, June 13 at 1:00PM
How much? One dozen doughnuts or one large coffee-to-go cartons
How will I sustain my doughnut cravings until then? Follow @donutsummit on Twitter!

There is nothing dainty about eating a cupcake curbside. I have sincere issues when it comes to devouring this dessert on the steps of a museum in Little Tokyo or walking amongst dolled up creatures on Abbot Kinney. When crumbs fall, I brush away a tear and wish for a small plate and earth friendly cutlery.

Everyone's cupcake eating regimen varies; some completely unravel the cake from the wrapper and proceed to indulge. Others, myself included, unravel as they nibble, which inevitably leads to a frosting-tipped nose, tissues, and retouches of makeup.  

It's pretty evident that cupcakes are an over exhausted trend and some crumby cupcakeries should be nipped in the bud and (ideally) be replaced with the truly dainty, French macaron. I've managed to track down the Dainty Cakes truck three times, but was successful in acquiring a cupcake on the third visit, which only exhausted the cliche "third time's a charm."


Only problem was... the cupcake wasn't all that charming! My friend Joanna picked the classic red velvet, her favorite, while I went with the "cookie monster." I half expected a blue velvet cupcake, as I always equate the name to the vibrant blue cake found at the Milk Shop on Beverly. Instead, I was pleased to read that the cupcake was chocolate frosting on chocolate cake with an additional helping of crushed Oreo pieces    ideal for a chocoholic, no? 

On May 16th, a whooping month and a half from now, I will be hosting my very first food crawl. It's very appropriate that the theme is Indian khanna (food) because I was born in New Delhi, India and whisked away at the young age of three and a half!

I enjoy over-spicing just about every plate in my kitchen and have been known to eat lick a mound of chaat masala out of my hand. Thankfully, I have the manners not to do that on the food crawl, but if we were talking chocolate, I'd be licking the plate.

Although it isn't formally known as Little India, most people know that it's the concentration of Indian-owned stores in Artesia that   Pioneer Boulevard is littered with saree boutiques, jewelers, tons of Indian grocers, craft stores, and most importantly, Indian food joints from just about every region on the subcontinent.


Here's a sneak peak of some of the street grub from one of the eateries we will be stopping at:



It's all about the Indian street food. It's something that is replicated at home, but never as good as what you find on the street side. Delhi chaat generally contains deep-fried hollow shells stuffed with boiled potatoes. It is topped with yogurt and two chutneys: sweet tamarind and a limey-cilantro sauce. We've asked for tons of sev, the crushed instant noodle like topping, as it adds another layer of crunch and spice to the mixture.




Jalebi is one of those foods you need to carry a moist towelette in your purse for. It's a sweet fried dough that is plunged in loads of syrup. There is a hint of saffron, but most palates can't take the sweetness of the dessert. Indian food really screams extremes. It's mostly very spicy or very sweet. I always leave the store with four to five pieces of this delicious treat.


Surati Farsan Mart
11813 E. 186th Street
Artesia, CA 90701