If you have followed my blog recently this year (if so, thank you!) you might remember my series titled "Keto Along the Way" from last December. For health reasons, I have been on again off again with this insanely low carb diet. Before leaving for Los Angeles and from there to Tokyo, which is the sticky rice capital of the world, I knew in the back of my mind that it wasn't realistic to stay nearly carb-free during this travel time. I thought I would however, maybe try to "play it safe" with minimal intake and not necessarily as low as the Keto diet which is supposed to be limited to 25 grams of carbs or less. Well, just like my money at the airport after bag fees, that also went out the window fairly quickly. What was I thinking??
In and Out Burger
Yes, I know it's a well know chain but just like Whataburger, it is not in Georgia. There was even a rumor on the internet that an In and Out was coming to the Atlanta area. It turned out to be a hoax but it created somewhat of a frenzy for us here in Georgia who were already familiar with the chain. In and Out burgers are known for a special sauce and are overloaded to where you enjoy the challenge of not being messy and not ruining your make up. There is also the John 3:16 bible verse at the bottom of your cup which I like.
While well intended, I thought the bun would be my "cheat" for that day. A few of the fries wouldn't kill me either and they had a killer sugar free lemonade that tasted the same as the regular. I didn't even really bother to check the nutrition facts of any of it (in Tokyo, there all in Japanese anyway so there's my excuse).
Diddy Riese
If you have read my Disney blogs from last year, you might remember that we had beloved family who worked for Disney and lead the way the whole time. Since we were staying with this same beloved family who has lived in LA for many years, we once again had well versed tour guides. We
were led to the Westwood district close to the campus of UCLA. My
brother and law and my niece were talking about a place nearby and a
rich sounding dessert with the follow words "We have to take them
there." Once again it was decision time. Before I knew it, I had caved
and was eating a chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream sandwich in
between two made from scratch chocolate chip cookies which was the same
size as the burger I ate-something of which I had not eaten in probably
in a year! Then I just felt like a fool. Not for caving but for resisting something like this on my vacation and in Los Angeles. Diddy Riese has been in business since 1983 and is a one of a kind business that has never been a chain.
Sprinkles
Cupcakes are a thing now, yes I know, but in the heart of swankytown just off Rodeo drive surrounded by homes probably showcased at some point by Robin Leach on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous (back when that was a thing), you can get a Red Velvet cupcake for about $4.50. That's actually pretty reasonable since many celebrities and other people who have more money than me often pop in regularly. The cupcakes are colorful, moist, rich and perfect in every way. Laurel had pineapple upside down cake and I selected strawberry. They were all place in an adorable box which we had to pay extra for. When we returned home, I went to a place of solitude outside on the balcony which looked over the busy streets of LA. I cut the cupcake into little bites and savored each one of them accompanied with a glass of white wine. Urth Caffe
Since I had the pleasure of visiting Los Angeles for both the beginning of my vacation as well as the last stop before returning home, I was treated to a kind of place that was a bit more up my ally.Though I had just returned from Tokyo and my Keto diet had been long since abandoned, there were many entrees loaded with things like avocado, grilled chicken as well as vegan and gluten free selections. I ordered an entree known as simply just "The Tostada." There was no picture on the menu but the description given, it had everything I was into that was keto-friendly plus a few other things that were no no's like black beans and the fried flour tortilla bowl that everything would be piled into. It was actually my last day of my vacation and we were planning on returning to Sprinkles anyway after lunch.
The salad looked like something that would be featured quite possibly on a televised eating contest. Everyone else at my table had something modestly portioned and properly eaten with a fork and knife. I, however had food before me that would need to be tackled with no polite way of eating along with the challenge of once again keeping my make-up fresh and the floor clean under the table. Needless to say, I failed miserably at both of those things. I didn't eat the whole thing but did some pretty significant damage. Any regrets? None! Additionally, I found my self wondering why the heck am I avoiding things like ice cream sandwiches with cookie dough while it's okay to eat fried pickles but I can't have an apple. It just doesn't make sense. So what happens when I return home? I will probably return to my old ways and old habits of cheese slices, nuts and strawberries which isn't such a bad thing. But I will also soon most definitely return to Los Angeles!
There are Urth Caffe locations in Santa Monica, LAX, Los Angeles and Melrose. The amazing location I visited was in Beverly Hills.
Dark Horse Moment of the Day:
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