The latest from our culinary editor, Jackson! You can find more of our delectable delights at Tasteologie.

Cupcakes are wonderful. While they have perhaps become a little over exposed in the last few years, they are certainly still a tasty treat. There are so many different kinds, different cakes, different frostings… it seems like there is one for every mood. Sprinkles has upped the ante by providing cupcakes for when you are feeling anti-social, hungry at 3am, nostalgic for automats, or for when you just want dessert handed to you from a robot with its own twitter handle. Their new Cupcake ATM has certainly captured the imagination of the Internet, Los Angeles, and now me. I too have succumbed to the siren’s call of that winning combination of fat, sugar, and machine. The Sprinkles Cupcake ATM even has its own twitter - @CupcakeATM and facebook. Take a peek at our cupcake adventure on the next page!

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Sugar! Sugar! SUGAR! I’ve been on a bit of a sugar high since this mysterious packet of mini packets of sugar samples arrived from Chambre De Sucre and i tore them all open to shoot/taste it for this post. SO much sugar. And it’s all so delicately pretty. Oh, and we also brewed quite a few cups of espresso to try them with. We’ve been buzzing over here.

These sugars from Chambre De Sucre are not just gourmet sugars… “The sugars are handcrafted by one of the oldest family-owned businesses in Japan with the highest quality sugar possible. They are over 270 years old and have provided the Royal Family in Japan with their sugar since the time of the Shogun. Japanese artisans still use traditional methods to create this luxurious sugar for your cup of tea and coffee.” Their about page tells you a heart-warming story of Lisa’s past and what these sugars mean to her through her childhood experiences in Japan. They are the first to import these sugars to the US! The assortment of sugar options are mind blowing as you browse their site, and the packaging looks beautiful for gifting as well… on the next page you can see close ups of the many little samples sent over as we tried our way through them!

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This week’s droolworthy roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious includes Boxberry cocktails, sea scallops in black tie and Cacao Bliss. To find out more about each delectable post, click on its indviidual image.

This post is coming to you from MiO. Change your water. Change your day. What do you want to change?

Our Tasteologie editor, Jackson, found a Peanut Butter & Jelly that is unlike any other… and most definitely not what you’d picture at first… here’s what he discovered!

We have seen countless variations on peanut butter and jelly, but it has never looked like this. This playful and sophisticated turn on an old favorite was concocted by pastry Chef Santanna Salas in the new Pasadena location of Haven Gastropub. Originally knowing only that she wanted to do something with peanuts, she transformed the childhood standard into a modern dessert. Its flavors are instantly recognizable but the textures and plating are all cleverly interpreted. I got to chat a bit with the chef and go back into the kitchen to see how they make peanut butter and jelly Haven style.

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What is it about artisan goods being beautifully packaged and displayed? On a quick run over to brentwood country mart to get green juice and amazing tacos… got drawn in by the adorable glow of awesomely labeled goodies at the Farmshop’s Artisan Market, and then went iPhone crazy (being camera-less at the time) while shopping through it for grilling meat, wine, TENNESSEE WHISKEY ICE CREAM, and fresh peanut butter cookie dough… it was all so pretty and filled with inspiring packaging/label design i had to share… shop with us on the next page!

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Perfect momos, Meyer lemon margaritas, and luscious, honey-sweetened blood orange curd are all part of this week’s roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious. To find out more about each delicious post, click on its individual image.

Bouncing jello shots, party balloon pastry pops and succulent roasted pork belly sandwiches are all part of this week’s mouthwatering roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious. To find out more about each delicacy, click on its individual image.

I’ve been obsessed with the adorableness of these little waters all over the hotel here in Rio. Aguas Ouro Fino ~ adorable nearly spherical little water bottles… reminiscent of the baby squid/octopi… take a peek at them on the next page!

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Chocolate margaritas, Domo-Kun heart cookies, and a goat cheese burger are all part of this week’s roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious. To find out more about each delectable post, click on its individual image.

This week’s roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious features killer guacamole, lasagna soup and coconut lime margaritas. To find out more about each delectable post, click on its individual image.

Black + Blum’s new Eau Good filter water bottle - the new water bottle was spotted at NYIGF by Core77 and at IDS by TreeHugger. The concept is interesting ~ the piece of Binchotan active charcoal snaps into place when the bottle is squeezed (and you do the same to release it)… made of BPA free tritan, the bottle is closed with a simple cork. See more pics on the next page…

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Green tea cream puffs, delectable pho bo and ‘The Duck Fat Sazera’ are all part of this week’s roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious. Find out more about each delectable post by clicking on its individual image.

This post is coming to you from MiO. Change your water. Change your day. What do you want to change?

Our Tasteologie editor, Jackson, took on the challenge of shaking the usual up to mix and match unexpected tastes for a surprisingly delicious experiment this weekend! Here are his results!

My favorite thing about food, apart from its uncanny ability to keep me alive, is its flexibility. Flavors, textures, ingredients, regions… can all swivel about and inject new life or old comfort into just about anything. Growing up, some of my favorite meals came from visiting relatives down in North Carolina. The flavors of soul food and bbq just make me smile. Other friends have some of the same warm fuzzy feelings of family and home associated with Jewish food during the holidays. Combining the two together seemed like something we had to do.

We’d been playing around with smokers lately and I was keen to put one back to work. Inspiration came in the form of the wonderful smoked applesauce from The Gorbals in downtown LA. On a lazy Sunday afternoon the course became clear… sweet potato latkes with a smoked apple sauce. See the process on the next page…

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These made my day. Corkers are a design collaboration between Oded Friedland and Reddish Studio for Monkey Business are push pins that you can prick into wine/champagne corks to turn them into little creatures! The options are ‬Monkey‭, ‬Deer‭, ‬Buffalo‭, ‬Bear‭, ‬Bunny‭ ‬&‭ ‬Crow. The packaging turns it into a fun wine bottle hang tag/gift ~ perfect for the next bottle of wine… Take a peek at more details up close on the next page.

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Exploring the culinary side of LA ~ our Tasteologie editor, Jackson, had a fun chat with Chef Andre Guerrero about their variety of speciality grilled cheeses and beer director Ryan Sweeney about their Belgian brews over at Little Bear. Here’s a look at his latest adventure:

I love grilled cheese. It is the combination of two of humankind’s oldest food products. As it is about ten thousand years old… we’ve had lots of practice in eating and making this comfort food staple. Little Bear, a new bar in downtown L.A., offers a quartet of interesting grilled cheeses to go along with its amazingly well curated selection of Belgian Beer. It is a fantastic addition to Los Angeles’s Arts District and fits into the growing local network of lofts, artists, artisans, film shoots, factories, and restaurants. Little Bear brings nuance and great attention to detail raising otherwise straight forward food and beer into a warm comforting embrace. I couldn’t resist sampling their entire grilled cheese lineup! See more pics on the next page!

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