Donut Friend, Donut Lover

Donuts at Donut Friend in Highland Park

Sometimes you want to make love to a donut. Sometimes the donut just wants to be friends. That donut would be found in Highland Park at Donut Friend. At Donut Friend you can build a donut any way you like it. They have a selection of cakes, glazes and a plethora of fillings and toppings to make either a sweet or savory treat with your own unique flavors.

I went there to pick up some donuts as a treat for my colleagues at work. It was early, I hadn't had my coffee yet and I had no patience to customize fifteen donuts for everyone. So, I took the easy road and got a box full of their signature donuts with unique flavors like nutella, maple-bacon and classics like chocolate with rainbow sprinkles. Oh, an their "minus the bear claw", actually looks like a claw with pecans for the nails on each toe!

The "Caramel Assault" is sweet and sticky with a bit of sea salt. Another and even better sweet and salty treat is "Bacon 182" with sweet maple glaze and topped with crunchy bacon. You can never go wrong with the "Nutellavision" filled with Nutella and a dash of olive oil. They also have gluten-free and vegan options for your donuts so don't be afraid to go get a bite.

Donut Friend also has some very cute murals along with a cute donut/apple logo. It's a great place to take kids or fun for a date night and build your own donuts together.

Xhico in the donut hole. Photo via @chasedesigngroup

Evan is happy for the donut surpirse! Photo via @paula112

Toppings for DIY Donuts at Donut Friend in Highland Park

DIY Donuts at Donut Friend in Highland Park

A dozen delicious "Donuts Done Differently"by Donut Friend

Cute Mural "Donuts Done Differently" at Donut Friend

Donut Friend
5107 York Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90042
Neighborhood: Highland Park
213-995-6191

Hours:
Monday: Closed
Tues-Thurs: 8am to 9pm
Friday & Saturday: 8am to Midnight
Sunday: 8am to 9pm

Spitz for Lunch Fits!

Beef-Lamb Wrap at Spitz, Los Feliz, Los Angeles

There can be some pretty pretentious places in this neighborhood. Sometimes you just want to grab some good grub and a beer without overpaying for food to sit with a bunch of hipsters. Spitz is "home of the döner kebab" and it's also affordable and delicious. The term döner kebab is way over used on their menu and to save you confusion, it basically means "rotating meat". This refers to the cooking method which is very similar to al pastor. 

They offer beef, lamb, chicken for your döner kebab and have vegetarian options as well - like falafel. You can grab a decent wrap, sandwich, salad or their crazy street fries and get some great beer on draft to help wash it all down. I'm also a big fan of Crispy Garbanzos with Fried Olives (though sometimes they can be over salted).

My only complaint is the decor. I cringe everytime I go there. I'm an artist and I also used to run a street art blog. So their attempt to simulate street art as decor is terrible at best and definitely offensive to my eyes. Thank god the food is good.

Go to Spitz, but eat with your eyes closed! They also have curbside pick up and delivery at some of their locations - Little Tokyo, Studio City, Eagle Rock, Los Feliz.

SPITZ
Neighborhood: Los Feliz
1725 Hillhurst Ave,
Los Angeles, CA 90027

(323) 522-3309

11am - 10pm, Sun, Mon, Tues
11am - 11pm, Wed & Thurs
11am - Midnight, Fri & Sat

Rambutan in Silver Lake

Rambutan in Silver Lake is an average Thai restaurant with a great atmosphere of bright orange and acidic green The tables are sparse with white plates and accents of colorful chopsticks. Everything is pretty good but nothing was a total standout for me.

The Summer Rolls were refreshing and the peanut dipping sauce made me want more. The Pad Kee Mow aka Drunken Noodles was very good. I've normally had it with a light coat of gravy, but at Rambutan they do it two ways. You can get it "dry" with a light coat of gravy like I normally get. But the best option here is to get it in a bowl with gravy to the brim. It does make the noodles extra slippery and you may need to master your chopstick skills. I got some gravy in my eye when the noodles slipped away from me. The Crying Tiger beef neither made me cry nor feel like a tiger. It was a simple flank steak grilled almost perfectly, but by itself had little flavor. It's all about the sauce. It's sweet and tangy and a little onion-y. It kept reminding me of flavors in Mexican Salsas.

RAMBUTAN THAI
2835 West Sunset Blvd
Silver Lake, Los Angeles, CA
213-273-8424

Thai Iced Tea

Summer Rolls

Summer Roll

Pad Kee Mow

Crying Tiger Beef

Jasmine Rice

Pizzle with Pesto

I got to go to one of my favorite sandwich shops today for lunch... Ike's Place on 16th and Sanchez. I love The Pizzle on Dutch Crunch. I swear the Dutch Crunch bread almost tastes like Round Table Pizza crust. The Pizzle is Chicken, Cheddar, Bacon, Ranch, Lettuce, Tomato, Pickle - I pass on the Onion and Pepperoncini's. The guy recommended trying pesto on it. So, of course, I did. It was pretty killer. Grub!