The Choosy Foodie: Los Angeles - Issue #12
Gluten-Free / Dairy-Free Tortillas, Thai Takeout, Rooftop Wonders & Mycoproteins!
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Hi all,
I’m not sure what it was about the month of August but I was in a real life tortilla rabbit hole…. so I thought I’d share my top two findings:
There are a lot of incredible GF & DF tortilla options:
Siete is a common favorite, but I’ve really been enjoying the taste of Coyotas (also grain-free and vegan) and Maria & Ricardo’s sweet potato version (also grain-free, soy-free, and egg-free). FYI —> The latter is hidden in the frozen section at Sprouts.
I’ve also heard really great things about Rise & Puff, and my mom (
) loves crisping up an everything flavored Egglife.
Homemade tortillas reign supreme:
I made the tortillas (more like low-key roti) with Otto’s simple cassava flour recipe. As you can see I rolled the dough balls out between two badly torn pieces of parchment paper🙃... They came out great, and I love the more filling, bread-like texture. I highly recommend them with some berry jam!
Okay, enough about tortillas!
Let’s get into it…
WHAT'S COOKING LOS ANGELES
1) MIYA - This new, little-known Thai homestyle kitchen is getting some great reviews from various food outlets. Located in Altadena, and available only for take-out, it’s menu includes some GF & DF friendly options. They’re also implementing plant-based Tuesdays, which I think is great. Here’s an image from their Instagram that looks like some mouthwateringly good Pad Siew🍜🤤:
2) Mother of Pearl - This new rooftop lounge in downtown is serving up some shmancy seafood, champagne, and fresh-pressed juices. It’s not specifically gluten free, but the focus is on the raw seafood bar. This, paired with the view of L.A. Live made it worth mentioning. Next time you’re in the area for an event and have something to celebrate — check it out. Here’s an image from their website🍾🦞:
What Else is Simmering…
(restaurant news & images)- I’ve written about a handful of these new vegan restaurants in Los Angeles🌱🥗, so I won’t get into the weeds, but I love this roundup from VegOut.
(grocery news)- Erewhon is opening up in Pasadena😋🔓on September 13th! It’s their tenth location so far (someone take my wallet away from me pronto…).
(bar news)- A ‘Family Guy’ themed miniature golf/bar event⛳🍺is happening on multiple dates in the Arts District… (couldn’t resist including this).
(spreadsheet)- Diners in LA are so fed-up with service charges that Reddit users have created a Google Spreadsheet tracking restaurant fees🧾☑️ (bless).
(article)- In partnership with Partake, DoubleTree Hotel is now offering guests an allergy-friendly version of their infamous chocolate chip cookie at check-in🏨🍪(GF, V, NF, etc...)!
(products)- A few vegan milk tea🌱🧋options you might want to check out.
(product)- These organic, non-GMO and GF peanut butter graham cracker sandwiches🥜from Once Again look divine.
(product)- The packaging Sea Monsters’ allergy-friendly sorghum & seaweed puffs🦑🐚 for kids is too cute to handle!
(recipe)- A GF & V strawberry cheesecake recipe🍰🤤you should check out…
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
(article)- Really enjoyed this Vox piece by
on food influencers breaking down the ‘old guard’ of traditional food media networks & celebrity chefs. For the plant-based eater who may be interested, Kennedy’s first book, No Meat Required🌱🥗🫘📖, is out now!(video)- There’s a new type of alt-meat in town made up primarily of mycoprotein (aka mycelium). Mycelium is essentially the fibrous, root-like network that grows underground, and whose buds are mushrooms! Companies like Meati 🍄🌱🥩are manufacturing cuts of “meat” from mycelium, & Meati’s products are GF / top 9 allergen free… (I’m planning on trying it)!
(article)- If interested, this interview with
dives deeper into the world of mycoproteins. I find the crossover between food & tech really fascinating, and follow her newsletter: Technically Food🔬🍗.tweet by: @smerobin:
Closing Thoughts…
As always, feel free to hit reply and shoot me an email or DM on Twitter X. I’d love to hear your feedback on how I can improve this newsletter to better suit our free-from community.
I’ll be in your inbox next month!
Hugs,
Noam
🙆🏻♀️ website: noamleead.carrd.co
📖 book editor: Happier Being by Dr. Tal Leead
🥗 referral link: click to sign up for Thrive Market (love this delivery service)
**If you’re reading this newsletter and haven’t subscribed yet, please do and support my work. It’s free! You’ll get future issues sent to your inbox once a month!**
The Siete tortillas are sold at our local Costco and are a staple food in our house!
I didn’t know about that spot in Altadena! I’m gonna try it asap.