Sorry for the delay…
There was actually a tie btw cephalopods and fruits, so I threw in a vote as a tie-break.
BEGIN!!!
Sorry for the delay…
There was actually a tie btw cephalopods and fruits, so I threw in a vote as a tie-break.
BEGIN!!!
Didn’t have that much fruit on my trip (and all this happened last 2 weeks in May)…
Grapefruit and lemon juice (ceviche style) with Peruvian scallops at Fishing With Dynamite (Manhattan Beach)
The delectable baby peach marinated in syrup (wakamomo no kanroni) and loquat as part of the Premium YOLOmakase platter at Mori Sushi
A dessert trio, of which the fruit platter was pristine white nectarines and seasonal cherry (Mori Sushi)
love those
Huckleberry and strawberry at sidecar
Tapia Brothers still has great Rainiers. Sorry no picture.
Great pictures! Thank you!
Bulgarini Gelato
With the nice warm weather, it was time to make the trek again. Time for some awesome Bulgarini Gelato!
Fragola Sorbetto (Strawberry Sorbet):
For those that don’t know, Leo Bulgarini obsesses over making fine Italian Gelato and Sorbet. Hearing @J_L @ipsedixit and many others talk about their experiences with Mr. Bulgarini and it’s apparent he is a devoted specialist to his craft.
He hand picks and is very particular about his ingredients. When we arrived he had a BUNCH of fresh Apricots and Peaches laid out, hand picked and ready to be made into a fresh batch of Gelato / Sorbet.
For the Strawberry Sorbet, WOW! It literally tastes like fresh, sweet, bright Strawberries (in season) distilled down into a cool, chilled cup of Awesome! It’s sweet, fragrant the way that only Fresh Farmers Market Strawberries are fragrant, and PERFECT for this hot weather!
One other thing I really appreciate about Bulgarini is that unlike Ice Cream, his Gelato is less fat, tastes lighter, is more delicate and is a pure distillation of awesome natural flavors! I can’t wait to see what he does with fresh local farm Peaches.
Bulgarini Gelato
749 E. Altadena Drive
Altadena, CA 91001
Tel: (626) 791-6174
Chi SPACCA
Red plum gelato and kiwi sorbetti.
Kiwi was okay.
Red plum was the essence of red plum distilled and concentrated. Perfect texture. One of the best sorbets I have had.
When talking about Fruit as Dish of the Month, we should look to the source when possible.
The Local Farmers (via Hollywood Farmers Market)
Harry’s Berries
Opened in 1967 by Farmer Harry Iwamoto and his family, Harry’s Berries is a Certified Organic Farm in Oxnard, California. There is a reason many of the top restaurants in L.A. use Harry’s Berries for their desserts (on any random Sunday at the Hollywood Farmers Market, or Wednesday at the Santa Monica Farmers Market, you can see chefs and restaurant staff hauling off pallets of their amazing Organic Gaviota Strawberries).
Their most popular and famous variety of Strawberry is their Gaviota:
Gaviotas are the lowest acidity, very sweet and fragrant. They are hands-down THE best Strawberries I’ve ever eaten in my life! They are so good! Naturally sweet, delicate, with a genuine “Strawberry Aroma” that is unparalleled.
Seascape Strawberries:
Look very similar to Gaviotas, but they are medium acidity (to add a bit of tart to the sweet), but very fragrant as well. It’s just a matter of taste preference. I like these as well and usually get 1 basket to go with my 2 baskets of Gaviotas.
Mara Des Bois Strawberries:
These are the smallest Strawberries from Harry’s Berries, but they are very unique. They are sweet, but they have an aftertaste of Grape Punch! It is the most bizarre but awesome tastes from fresh fruit that I’ve had.
Harry’s Berries gives away Free Samples, so feel free to stop by their booth and try all 3.
Viva Patricia Strawberries:
Thanks to @cookiemonster, we found out about a 4th variety of Strawberries from Harry’s Berries called Viva Patricia. Indeed they are very aromatic, with a wonderful, fragrant smell, and it has a more pronounced berry flavor. One of the farmers mentioned when they were first ripened, they almost had a Cantaloupe finish to the Strawberry, but over time, they matured a bit more and have settled on this “berry” type of sweet finish. It’s nice.
Note: They are so popular they usually sell out of their Strawberries well before the Farmers Market closes. The Hollywood Farmers Market (Sunday) being the biggest / most popular one, they usually sell out of their Strawberries by 11:00 a.m. or earlier.
My friend mentioned hitting a smaller Farmers Market where they attend might be easier (like my friend goes to the Pasadena Farmers Market (Saturday) and says there are plenty). Me? I just show up earlier to Hollywood Farmers Market to make sure I get some. Paging @MaladyNelson @TheCookie and everyone else interested in great fresh fruit. Highly recommended!
Harry’s Berries
(@ Hollywood Farmers Market (Sunday)) (North of the Arclight Cinemas)
1600 Ivar Ave.
Hollywood, CA 90028
Day: Sunday
Hours: 8:30AM - 1:00PM
Also at Farmers Markets in:
Beverly Hills
Hermosa Beach
Montecito
Ojai
Pasadena
Santa Barbara
Santa Clarita
Santa Monica
Thousand Oaks
Torrance
Venice
Ventura
West Hollywood
See Website for more details:
Tenerelli Orchards
I love Tenerelli Orchards! Their Peaches are some of the best you can get around L.A. They usually disappear from the Farmers Markets for the late Fall and Winter (since their fruit they grow is focused on Stone Fruit (Spring / Summer). And this week, they are back!
Their Peaches aren’t ready yet, but they have Organically-grown Rainier Cherries and Bing Cherries in season right now.
Rainier Cherries:
Wow! They are amazingly sweet, and so fresh! These are the best Cherries I’ve tasted this season so far.
Be on the lookout when they debut their Snow Queen White Peaches in the coming months. The Snow Queens usually only last for 2 - 3 weeks and they are gone. But they have been super sweet, delicate and juicy and delicious!
Tenerelli Orchards
(@ Hollywood Farmers Market (Sunday)) (North of the Arclight Cinemas)
1600 Ivar Ave.
Hollywood, CA 90028
Day: Sunday
Hours: 8:30AM - 1:00PM
Also at the Santa Monica Farmers Markets (Wednesdays).
Redbird
And to see the source (fresh Farmers Market Fruit) turned into a dessert:
Pavlova (Harry’s Berries Strawberries, Matcha, Meyer Lemon):
When you start out with Harry’s Berries’ Organic Strawberries the dessert is an instant WIN already. LOL. It was fabulous! A huge part of the success was Harry’s Berries, but the balance of flavors of the Matcha and Meyer Lemon worked.
Redbird
114 East Second Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Tel: (213) 788 1191
[quote=“Chowseeker1999, post:13, topic:3447”]
Paging @MaladyNelson @TheCookie
[/quote] Right! I am so all over this!
Love your strawberry report.
Can’t find a better piece than that in the professional publications.
[quote=“Porthos, post:16, topic:3447”]
Stone fruit from mom’s backyard
[/quote] Uhh… Wow?
Thanks for the shout-out, @Chowseeker1999! Harry’s Berries is from my hometown - nice to see Oxnard on the map. I need to venture out to the Hollywood or Santa Monica farmers markets and stock up on strawberries. I usually end up at Mar Vista due to its proximity from home. And those cherries from Tenerelli Orchards look enticing! Kudos to your investigative know-how; we are the lucky beneficiaries here at FTC!
@Porthos, would your mom consider adopting me?
Over the top once again! Thank you - although have you ever had wild strawberries? So much sweeter and strawberryish than any cultivar. I will post a pic of mine when I get more.