love #7.

Well, hello. Welcome to Love, Edition #7. Let's take a look at what we're loving this week.

1. Much has been made about the opening of the new Joan's on Third in Studio City, but I like to think we already have our own Joan's on this side of the hill, only it's called Olive & Thyme. I like to take out-of-town guests there, and it makes me feel fancy. Their new location, one block east of the previous O&T makes me feel even fancier. I stopped in with my sister before driving her to the airport.

The new Olive & Thyme.

2. I finally got to try the vegan dog at Fritzi Dog at the Farmer's Market, which is actually...wait for it...a braised, roasted carrot topped with Brussel sprouts. It's not every day you can spend $7 on a carrot, but this day I was treating myself after participating in Cedars Sinai's Run for Her 5K to raise funds and awareness for Ovarian Cancer.

Many would argue that the phrase "treating yourself" and the word "carrot" have no place in the same sentence. They would have a valid point.

The coveted Carrot Dog at Fritzi Dog. Coveted by me.

3. I love what is fast becoming my favorite neighborhood java go-to --the Coffee Commissary in Burbank. I usually just go for a good pour-over or cold press, but I'd like to try breakfast and lunch soon. I bet NBC employees are happy to have this across the street. And the baristas are all sweethearts.

The sun shines on the heirloom tomatoes at Coffee Commissary.

4. I'm starting a post-cancer nutrition study this week, so I whipped up a new salad to help cover the five servings of vegetables I need to eat every day. I combined lettuce, baby kale, pea shoots, yellow bell pepper, cucumbers, carrots, beets, chickpeas, kalamata olives, green onion with a touch of feta and sunflower seeds. And yes, I was still hungry after eating it. But it sure is pretty.

My new signature salad.

5.  I came across this recipe for Immunity Soup on the fabulous blog averiecooks.com. There are a lot of immunity soup recipes out there in the internet universe, but this one looks so easy to make. All I really need when I get home from work is a big bowl of soup. Excited to test it out.

6. I don't like to promote stuff the rest of the internet is yakking about, but occasionally I'll jump on the bandwagon. I'm super psyched about Chelsea Peretti's new Netflix comedy special One of the Greats. Ever since I discovered Brooklyn Nine-Nine--which totally got me through my chemo months--Chelsea my new funny goddess. When you can steal the show from Andy Samberg AND Andre Braugher--you're a star.

Photo by Kevin Scanlon via Chelsea Peretti.

7. I love these beautiful photos of California I stumbled upon by Myann Sofia. You can find and buy them here.

Point of View via Myann Sofia.

8. One of the things I've always meant to do in my musical life is listen to Beach Boys albums. Music critics always go nuts for their songs that aren't on the radio, and I've always wanted to see what the fuss is about. Well, the other day I heard Heroes & Villains and my God, it was one of the most gorgeous pieces of music I've heard in a long time.

9. I've also come under the spell of Amy Lavere, specifically her song Killing Him. How have I not heard of this gal until now? She's a singer, songwriter and actress who portrayed Wanda Jackson in Walk the Line and warbles those ghostly alt-country tunes I love so much.

10. Finally, I love the swirly sunsets we have here in L.A. this time of year.

Photo by Toy Tanks--that's me.

Good night! I will be back soon.

third street.

I'd like to take a moment to talk about a nice little stretch in L.A. that's chic--but not irritatingly so--lovely and perfectly walkable: Third Street. I'm sure I've mentioned it before in previous posts, but it's worth taking another stroll. WARNING: what follows is a very food-centric post.

Last week, I finally made it to Son of a Gun (it's on third street!).  I'd been wanting to go for so long. It's a "hot" restaurant right now, but I found it delightfully sleepy at lunchtime, and it didn't disappoint, like so many "hot" restaurants do.

The best lil' lobster roll in in Los Angeles.

In fact, I had the best lobster roll I've had since moving to L.A.--and that's saying something. I've tried a few pale (and very expensive) imitations, but nothing compares to what you can score in New England. Son of Gun's sandwich is only the size of a dinner roll, but it's also only $8, and that plus a salad was just right for lunch.

 Afterwards, I had to cross the street to check the good ol' Magnolia Bakery.

I remember visiting Magnolia once in NYC when it was just sparking the cupcake revolution, but I wasn't impressed. My cake was a big, dry, overrated mess. I'm happy to report this was not the case with the Third Street location. I hate to use the word "moist,"--because I hate the word "moist," (go ahead and Google "hate the word 'moist'")--so I'll say it was light, fluffy and delicious.

Third Street is dotted with restaurants and boutiques; walking the stretch from La Cienega to Fairfax makes for a lovely afternoon. Way back when I first visited L.A. in the late 90s while still living in Minnesota, I spent an evening at The Little Door followed by drinks at El Carmen. It was such a quintessential L.A. night out--the Moroccan/Spanish atmosphere of the Little Door, dining next to actors I couldn't quite name but knew I had seen on the big or small screen, the Mexican wrestling kitsch of El Carmen. I was smitten. Utterly seduced. I knew I absolutely I had to live here.

And I've never been back to The Little Door or El Carmen since.
 

But I do love the Little Next Door, which is much more laid-back than its counterpart, just like a little Parisian brasserie...or patisserie...or both?? I get them confused. But I do like to get breakfast after the Farmer's Market and watch all the people walk by.

And if you do find yourself strolling down Third Street, you have to pop in to Joan's on Third, which is like L.A.'s very own Dean and DeLuca.

My friend, Gerry, who lives just off 3rd Street, invited me over for brunch the other Sunday.

He lives in the classic L.A. screenwriter's pad, one of those beautiful Spanish-style apartment buildings that cover the Fairfax District and Mid-City. I never get tired of their charm.

Gerry's place was sunny, airy, filled with books and accented with vintage typewriters.

And a few sweet doggies running around--which always makes a pad a home.

Brunch was delicious--with everything from the farmer's market on Melrose Place, which is fast becoming one of my favorite, new places, and which we'll explore in an upcoming post.

Egg salad is a whole new experience when it's just eggs mashed 

with olive oil on a bed of arugula and topped with fresh figs.

Now that the weather has cooled down (just a little), I've been whipping up more than just gazpacho in my own little kitchen. I'm really enjoying flatbreads. So easy to make, a little lighter than a pizza and just as satisfying.

Flatbread topped with tomatoes, arugula, artichokes and goat cheese.

I also tried out a recipe given to me by my friend Kaiza. Polenta, it's nice to meet and eat you again.

1-2-3!

It's as easy as it looks in the photo. A simple tomato sauce with carmelized onions, pan-seared polenta, topped with wilted Swiss rainbow chard.

I've been really trying to get up into the Hills as much as I can before Daylight Savings Time. I cam across this super-cool dog statue standing guard outside some gloriously ostentatious mansion.

We see lots of cool things in the Hills. And we're heading up there right now.

Good night, Hollywood.