Foodie Souvenirs
Hello all. I posted a similar request on the SD board, but since LA is split, I'm duplicating my request here.
Unfortunately I will not be visiting the area any time soon, but the SO is (end of August - early September). He has kindly offered to bring me back an assortment of souvenirs. Any recommendations as to what he could fly back with him, i.e. any food items that are special/unique to the area that can't be acquired in Toronto, our hometown? Thanks in advance!
By LTL
on Jul 27, 2010 01:47 PM
View »
Video
Philippe's The Original, home of the french dip sandwich in downtown Los Angeles, sells their famous hot mustard. A true LA original.
http://www.philippes.com/
Permalink | Reply
Do you mean food items? Or any foodie souvenir? There are a lot of things like restaurant napkins, menus, matchbooks/boxes, that you can't get in Toronto . . .
Permalink | Reply
Both food items and foodie souvenirs. SO will be shocked to the length of my quickly expanding list of requests, but I'm loving all the suggestions! Thanks, everyone. I hope to make it out there soon myself to sample the fresh goods that are banned from going through customs.
Permalink | Reply
Lawry's The Prime Rib sells C.C. Browns original hot fudge.
http://www.lawrysonline.com/e-store/p...
Permalink | Reply
Most meats, vegetables & fruits are out, since the customs & border control agents will confiscate banned items...
Permalink | Reply
Folks, please keep this thread focused on the L.A. food gifts, not the customs regulations. If you'd like to continue the customs discussions, please start a new thread on the Not About Food board, where that topic is allowed. Thanks.
http://chowhound.chow.com/boards/29
Permalink | Reply
Wow - Toronto has great food and great ethnic areas. So you've got tons. That said --
California wines - always good. CC Browns hot fudge is also available at Tam o Shanters. Yummy. I love Penzy's spices and they have a shop in Santa Monica (and torrance). Their natural cocoa is amazing for baking, but all their stuff is divine. Based in Wisconsin they are US unique.
You could also buy local celebrity foodie trinkets for fun - anything with Wolfgang Puck, Nancy Silverton or the two hot tamales would certainly rep LA : )
Happy shopping, what a fun quest!
Permalink | Reply
More specific thoughts on the wine (if you can bring some).
My husband and I stayed in Montreal for a week and ate our way through the town. Such great food. We got to know the head salesperson at the nearby SAQ and he was so knowledgeable and so helpful. The one wine he loved that was harder to get in his area? California Pinot Noirs. They truly are unique!
Permalink | Reply
Love these suggestions. Sounds like we have similar tastes :)
Permalink | Reply
happybaker, have you tried Spice Station yet? I think you would really enjoy if you like Penzey's.
Permalink | Reply
Hmmm... somehow spice station slipped under my radar - it looks like great fun!
Penzeys will probably stay tops in my heart for many reasons, but I will definately check out Spice Station : ) Thanks!
Permalink | Reply
you bet. I was in love with Penzey's until Spice Station stole my heart. I do think Penzey's might be better for baking ingredients, though.
Permalink | Reply
Well.... I AM a very happy baker (hence my name) but I do love fresh cheap good spices for cooking as well. Pretty cool that in Los Angeles - I get to have both places! Thanks for the rec : )
Permalink | Reply
Whenever I travel out of state, I usually bring almonds & wines as gifts. Trader Joes has these exceptionally yummy cocoa-dusted almonds which can be addicting. They're often found above the refrigerated cases.
http://www.traderjoes.com/index.asp
Permalink | Reply
Yes I find nuts and chocolates to be a popular and easily transportable gift. Though cocoa dusted almonds from Trader Joes don't strike me as particularly Southern Californian . . .
Permalink | Reply
Almonds aren't Southern Californian; they're Californian...and for folks from Toronto, I would consider almonds, like Californian wines, to be a regional/local souvenir.
Permalink | Reply
Well because almonds are steam pasteurized or chemically treated even when labelled raw, certainly from Trader Joe's. I think the only way to get the really good raw almonds is to buy directly from the farmer, because those same restrictions aren't in place to export or even on imported almonds. Plus, the cocoa dusting isn't very California-y either. Trader Joe's sell a lot of choco-almonds, some say the cocoa is Belgian from what I remember . . . you're free to give them, I just think there are more Californian souvenirs.
Permalink | Reply
LOL. You don't have to give them out; I was just offering a suggestion that's been well received (and requested).
Mrs Knott's jams, See's candies and Philippe's hot mustard (all of which I've given as gifts in the past) have all been chemically modified with out-of-state or out-of-country substances--and it doesn't make them any less Californian.
Permalink | Reply
I think those three are better suggestions. Especially See's candies . . . What I meant was that if you go to Canada, the raw California almonds are actually raw, not steam pasteurized or chemically treated--I mean to some people that makes a difference. Californian farmers cannot sell truly raw almonds to Californian distributers and retailers without those restrictions. Farmers can only legally sell it directly to consumers in small batches in California--what I think is unfair is that foreign almond producers are not bound by those rules.
Permalink | Reply
You might consider some See's Candy. The amusing thing is, Charles See immigrated to the US (Los Angeles) from Canada in 1919 and opened his business here originally. The corporate head quarters has since moved to San Francisco, but there is still a manufacturing plant here in the LA area. So a little reverse story going on here.
Permalink | Reply
Whenever I travel, I try to find and bring home some local honey. From SoCal, orange blossom honey or honey from desert flowers would seem like a pretty good local souvenir.
Permalink | Reply
That is a good suggestion, also because its easy enough to get directly from the producer in Southern California at Farmer's markets and roadsides stands if you go inland. You can get fresh strawberries from some farms in Orange County--I don't think they travel well and they might be some of the restricted fruits in Canada.
Permalink | Reply
I like the honey idea too!
Permalink | Reply