633643 Thu Jul 02 22:38:42 -0700 2009 7 2 Los Angeles Area 0 4826514 Irvine's my usual but I have plans Saturday morning and still need to do the shopping. What's the best Friday market? Downtown Long Beach? Uptown Whittier? Laguna Hills? Thanks, Hounds! Thu Jul 02 22:38:42 -0700 2009 10811 Das Ubergeek 1 4826520 Dommy sez the last time she went to the one in DTLB it was terrible. If you can make the trek, the one in Venice is small but worth your while and it is near enough to Surfas and Market Gourmet you can pick up other supplies. Thu Jul 02 22:44:44 -0700 2009 4826514 12588 Mattapoisett in LA 2 4826561 Venice farmers market is pretty good as the selection is very good for its size. Harry's Berries is usually there - you can use this as a gauge. But just a heads-up - like Harry's, lots of the produce seem to be higher than average. My wife recently kinda complained about how "it's gotten expensive like the Santa Monica farmers market on Arizona and 3rd..." It cuts out early as well - 11AM is the formal closing time, so start out early if you're coming here. Market Gourmet is like a mini-Surfas. Very nice selections considering its diminutive size. Almost all of the inventory is concentrated on food - no wine, not much equipment or tools. Lauren (the owner) enjoys the process of discovering different products and puts them on her shelves. If they don't work out, they get marked down and she moves on. While the cheese section is small - like the rest of the store - it's actually really good. IMHO, not a bad choice in the bunch. She also carries La Espanola products. You also have the relatively new Whole Foods on Lincoln and Rose. The selection is good, but the place can be a zoo, the parking is not ideal, and most of the help isn't, but you of all people won't need any. :) Thu Jul 02 23:30:15 -0700 2009 4826520 64003 bulavinaka 3 4827916 Traffic prevented my going to Venice this morning (though your descriptions made me think about fighting my way up the 405), so I ended up at Laguna Hills, which is run by the OC Farm Bureau (same people who run my usual Saturday UCI market). It's smaller than UCI and has some conspicuous holes (no potatoes? seriously?), but one gem I found is grass-fed, sustainably-raised beef from Five Bar Ranch in Trabuco Canyon. I bought a tri-tip at $9 a pound. I'll see how it is -- looks great, good fat cap, heavily striated muscles (kind of the point of a tri-tip), but I suggested that maybe they ought to come to Irvine on Saturdays. Fri Jul 03 14:54:03 -0700 2009 4826561 10811 Das Ubergeek 4 4828127 Traffic just in the Venice/Westside area was/is really bad today - I think you made the right choice. Fri Jul 03 16:59:40 -0700 2009 4827916 64003 bulavinaka 5 4828197 This is why we ride our bikes when we can. Now riding to Dinner @ Somosa House I think. Fri Jul 03 17:49:45 -0700 2009 4828127 12588 Mattapoisett in LA 6 4828226 Oh so smart in so many ways! I've gotten into the habit on weekends. I consider it earning my consumption points... Fri Jul 03 18:05:19 -0700 2009 4828197 64003 bulavinaka 6 4828585 I ride my bike too when I can, but riding from Anaheim to Venice and then returning with four large sacks of produce, etc. is Right Out. I'd be road pizza with organically-grown vegetarian toppings before I even hit the Orange Curtain. I saw online that there's a market at the Phoenix Club. I live near the Phoenix Club and have never seen a market there (and I bike right past it, too). Fri Jul 03 22:08:22 -0700 2009 4828197 10811 Das Ubergeek