DONUTS & ESCARGOT

Today is National Donut Day… or something like that. One of my boyz from back home sent out a link to access a free coupon from Krispy Kreme. I would so be on that, but I actually don’t have time to run over to the local KK. Oh well. I sent out the coupon to my buddies at work anyway, and I pretty much got chastised for not actually bringing in the “real deal” for everyone to share. Uh, I will not have that on my conscience. No sir.

One of my buddies, however, was adamant about having his donut (and eating it, too). So three of us took a little walk to Fritelli’s on Canon. First of all, we get there and it’s “Cash Only.” Who still does that besides the super cheap (and super yum) Thai places in Thai town? Secondly, who only has six (yes, count ‘em: 1-2-3-4-5-6) donuts left at like 11:00AM?! And on “Donut Day,” or whatever it’s called?! So much for the early lunch trip, huh? Thankfully, the time spent equated two of the mandatory 10-minute breaks required by CA state law. It wasn’t so much a loss. I must say, however, that their donut samples were awe-some…
---

Since the donut excursion was a virtual bust, I will have to dish on a better foodie experience – both for your benefit, and my own. To re-live yum food moments is bliss. Two Thursdays ago, I met a friend at Le Petit Four in West Hollywood. This cozy French café is in the people-watchy Sunset Plaza, and it’s a great spot to dine at if you’re lucky to get a table outside facing the street. We were seated outside right next to a woman who had a botched plastic surgery job… or series of wrong plastic surgeries. And as much as I feel bad for blatantly saying so (because she was super nice/sweet; yes, we exchanged a few words here and there), it was just painful to look at. Anyway. Back to the food.

We decided to pick a few things to share: escargot, Maine scallops salad, and chicken Marsala. My friend hadn’t tried snails before, and the only time I tried them previous was at some random Chinese restaurant in DC’s Chinatown eons ago. (I skipped the time my younger brother was all over the snails that our cooks prepared for us during one of our visits to The Philippines years-years ago.) The experience at the Chinese restaurant was absolutely forgettable. I felt like I was eating something rubbery doused in oyster sauce. Same with the escargot. But this time, the little guys were already shucked out of their shells, and nicely baked in a pesto sauce; still rubbery-feeling, but tasted fine. Not sure if I’d brave the traffic on Sunset for that experience again, but it wasn’t a bad thing at all. The chicken Marsala was good… but it wasn’t any different from the versions I’ve had at other outposts (Say Maggiano’s?! But yeah, Sherlock, Maggiano’s is Italian… same difference in this case.). The chicken was nicely prepared though… thin, yet juicy. And the Marsala sauce wasn’t too sweet, and not too bland. 3.5 out of 5 stars. The mashed potatoes/beets that accompanied it, however, was outstanding. The crowned jewel of the meal, however, was easily the Maine scallops salad: nicely seared (and fat!) scallops scattered over a mix of field greens and baby spinach… winner! The balsamic vinaigrette added a nice touch, too. If there’s anything that I would go back for – it would be this salad.

Overall, the experience was a nice one. My friend’s sister actually works as a server there, and she ate with us before her shift started. She totally scored us an employee discount, so that made the whole experience all the more worthwhile…! But even without that perk, I would go again. I’d 86 the escargot, though.

PS: This photo of the scallops salad is not mine, nor am I sure if it's from Le Petit Four. But the salad I had looked just like this one. Thanks to www.taunton.com for the awesome pic!