The most expensive Ice Cream Sandwich

A rad piece of furniture, Ice Cream Sandwich Ottoman

If this Ice Cream Cookie was real I would eat it. It is real. A real ottoman, not a real giant dessert. Made of solid foam, this Ice Cream Sandwich from Jellio will just encourage you to get fatter as you lay on it and eat Klondike Bars all day. It will likely be the most expensive Ice Cream Sandwich you'll ever buy - setting you back only $1,050.

Color: Red Walnuts

These "Red Walnuts" have a beautiful, deep red-purple hue, almost the color of red wine. Product of California.

Mammoth Burrito Truck

Roving Mammoth Burrito Truck. Mammoth Mountian Ski Resort, California.

Now I've seen it all. I think. From food carts to food trucks, this is the biggest beast of them all. The
"Roving Mammoth" Burrito truck. These snowcats are rigged to serve up delicious eats to the people on the mountain at the Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort in California. When you get a little hungry from skiing the slopes, warm up your tummy with burritos or calzones from the other truck roaming the mountain.

Not-So-Brittle Brittle

My grandma makes the best peanut brittle. I love it. I made it on occasion with her while I was growing up. And by "made it", I mean followed her around the kitchen and watched everything she was doing. I decided this year to make some brittle myself. How hard could it be? One pot, three ingredients, twelve minutes. Well, unless you've been doing this 70 years, it's not as easy as it seems. You see my grandma had learned this recipe when she was a kid from her aunt "Pud". My grandma is an expert at this by now. I am not.

Not like grandma used to make.

As soon as I poured my first batch of peanut brittle, I knew from the color, something was wrong. I called my grandma to find out what it could be. She acted in disbelief as if something could go wrong, because I don't think it ever does for her. Then she assured me that the last batch she made she over cooked a little. This batch happens to be en route to me. She then told me I probably under cooked it. I realized I did. A combination of undercooking and the wet air from the rainy weather didn't allow the first batch to set. I ended up with a cross between a caramel and a nougat.

My "brittle" was so pliable, I could roll it. NOT, the texture I was going for.

All rolled up...

The moldable candy provided some interesting textures.

I set out for batch two. This time cooking it a bit longer and higher temperature. It totally worked. I didn't use peanuts this time around, I made a Sunflower Seed - Cacao Nib - Coconut brittle. It was airy, crackly and crisp. 

The final brittle turned out splendid. Sunflower Seed, Cacao Nibs, Coconut Brittle.

Louie's Passion Fruit Munchies

What can be better when you're high at a party than to find out you're friend, who happens to work at Bottega Louie in Los Angeles, happens to have pastries in the back seat of his car. That's a quick way to get me into the back seat.

We joined him in the car for a tasting of gold leafed macaroons, passion fruit eclair and chocolate raspberry tarts. That passion fruit was a like an explosion of wonder in my mouth. What a wonderful way to satisfy the munchies.

Not the best photo of these treats. They had quite the trip through the rain and in the taxi cab.

Sprite goes Snow Global

This holiday season, Sprite has released a limited edition "snowglobe" bottle. It's a very cute shape and concept. However, the graphics demonstrate a complete lack of imagination.

Latte Art: My Mocha has a Penis

I had a delicious mocha at Intellegentsia Coffee in Silverlake. As soon as I got it, I noticed it had a penis! I'm not sure if this was a mistake or especially for me. I'd like to think it was especially for me.

Intellegentsia Silvelake Coffeebar is located at 3922 W. Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, California 90029. There is always a line, unless you get lucky.

See more treats from Intellegentsia on Foodspotting.

CostCo and the Onion machine

It's on very rare occasion that I would ever go to CostCo. I found myself there today. I arrived starving and we had to immediately hit up the line for hot dogs. I can't believe you can get a giant hot dog and soda for a $1.50.

They have quite the set up for ketchup, mustard and relish. Not to mention the crazy onion dispener machine. You crank a handle on one end and onions come out a hole on the other. Very strange.

See more from this CostCo on Foodspotting.

Hangover Cure TVC

A trip to TVC is something we often have to do. One of the first things I learned about when I moved back to this part of LA was about Tacos Villa Corona. My neighbors introduced me to it after a hard night of partying. We all woke up in a little pain with an intense hangover. We needed something in our bellies and everyone's immediate first response was "TVC!".

I couldn't muster up the energy to go, but the girls brought me back the most delicious breakfast burrito filled with eggs, potatoes, spinach and cheese. It's even good for vegetarians. Make sure to order the "papas burrito with spinach" and ask for extra salsa. Though you'll be tempted to gobble it down, take your time and cure that hangover. You might want a little hair-of-the-dog too.

Tacos Villa Corona is located in the Atwater Village neighborhood in Los Angeles at 3185 Glendale Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90039. (323) 661-3458

See more delicious food from Tacos Villa Corona on Foodspotting.

Holding Buddha's Hand

I was at Jimi's last night. He reached below the counter to grab something and said "Check this out this lemon". He tossed on the counter what appeared to be a mutated lemon. It was yellow like a lemon, a the top wear the stem was looked like a lemon, but the other tip of the fruit was bizzare. It had many small fingers that grew concentric and appeared to be a cross between a flower and a squid. I imagined it coming to life and the fingers moving like tentacles and the center closing like the mouth of a sea anemone. Then I quickly remembered reading about it and blurted out, "I think it's a Buddha's Hand". He had no idea what I was talking about and I wasn't sure I did either, so I googled it on my iPhone. Sure enough Wikipedia confirmed my information.

Indeed this fruit was known as a Buddha's Hand. It is also known as the Fingered Citron and in Japan, bushukan. Supposedly it has very little flesh inside. It is very fragrant and the peel can be used for citrus zest.

Take me away in the Pattywagon! LA's Hamburger Food Truck

I love the Pattywagon. It's one of my favorite food trucks in LA. Fortunately for me and my friend David (and his lovely wife, Nina) they have a weekly stop here in Silver Lake near Trader Joe's on Wednesday evenings. I've also been lucky enough to run into them elsewhere in the city.

There's nothing new about a burger truck, but Pattywagon offers grassfed beef. And boy is it delicious. Those little hamburgers are packed with flavor and melt away in your mouth. They are prepared with an array of toppings and sauces and the menu changes regularly.

Check out Pattywagon's menu and follow them on Twitter to see where they are in Los Angeles.

Foodspotting

I love documenting my adventures, especially with food. Then Foodspotting came along and gave me an excuse to do so. Foodspotting is a great service that works with a website and mobile app (they currently have one for the iPhone and are working on one for Android) that allows users to find food with visual aid. If you're like me and prefer pictures to words, then it's perfect for you. It let's you see what your in store for so you know what to expect from your meal.

Let's say you want a burger. You can search "burger" in your nearby area and photos of burgers will appear. You can get it the way you like it: big-meaty-and-juicy, diner-style, sesame seed bun, or flimsy fast food. But when you see that burger that was meant for you, your stomach will tell you right away. And thanks to Foodspotting, you will know where to go to make your stomach as happy as your eyes.

Foodspotting also let's you follow other fellow spotters, favorite restaurants and guides created by others and you too!

They recently picked 100 Super Spotters and I was named one of them! Thanks Fooodspotting!

Follow me on Foodspotting and see some of the delicious and sometimes tragic things I eat.

I am the Growler

My name is Larimie. My friends call me Growler. I am an artist and designer living in Los Angeles, California. I am inspired by the experiences of food. Everyday I look forward to my meals and the adventures that come with them. Now, I am going to share them with you.

Leftouts: Leftover Turkey? Make Soup

I've been calling "leftovers", "leftouts" for over a year now. My friend from Colombia, Rapetino, had some language mix up while he was visiting and always called leftovers, leftouts. It would make me smile because it was so genuine and quite an adorable mix up. So I've officially adopted "leftouts".

My dad makes good soup (though sometime a little too salty for me). After Thanksgiving he made a Turkey Barley Vegetable Soup with the left over turkey. Mmm... Good. Just shred the left over turkey, throw in some veggies and barley. Cook on low for an hour or so.

As you can see, unfortunately, my dad is still a fan of paper plates, which I am highly against for so many reasons. Please practice sustainability and use real bowls.

Intelligent Choice for Pumps for Intelligentsia

Girl in line at Intelligenstia Coffee in Los Angeles rocking some cute red pumps.

See more from Intelligentsia on Foodspotting or check it out in person in Silver Lake near the Sunset Junction. Intelligentsia Silver Lake Coffeebar is located at 3922 West Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90029.

LA Food Truck: Gastrobus

The Gastrobus is one of my favorite food trucks in LA. Anytime I spot the yellow mystery machine, I always check it out. You never know what they are going to be serving that day, but you can always count on it to be fresh and locally sourced from a farmer's market or local food shop like McCall's butcher in Los Feliz where they get their meat.

Today I had the Pumpkin and Green Bean Tempura. It was drizzled with Plum Mustard and served with Ponzu dipping sauce on the side. It was one of the best treats I've had in awhile. I also tried their comforting Spiced Apple Cider.

You can regularly find them Sunday morning's at the Los Feliz Farmer's Market where they have a tapas style brunch menu for "Organic Sundays". Check them out this Wednesday night at McCall's and follow them on Twitter @thegastrobus.

See more from Gastrobus on Foodspotting.