Sqirl and a day in Silver Lake

Sqirl is the one spot that everyone talks about going to in LA.  Have you been?  Are you going?  I spent the day with my friend in Silver Lake and our first stop was Sqirl.  We got to sit down with Jessica Koslow who is the entrepreneur behind Sqirl.  Super sharp innovative and is great in savory and sweets.

toastricottabloodorangeIt was fascinating sitting at Sqirl for a few hours to watch the rhythm of the crowds.  Pretty much always crowded with a line but between the meals there is a very short lull. We tasted a bunch of things.  We began with a toasted brioche lathered with freshly made ricotta and blood orange jam.  Let’s just say that if I wasn’t sitting there with two other people tasting a bunch of items that I would have slowly savored every bite of this and devoured it myself.

rice:egg:ricottaRice bowls are abundant in LA.  The runny egg and whipped feta cheese mixed in with this sorrel pesto rice makes this quite the savory treat.

kalteChopped kale with pine nuts.

potatoes:greens:ginerRoasted sunchokes with greens and a ginger sauce.

english thingI can not remember the name of this but it is off the charts.  This is made with brown sugar, apricot jam and butter.  It is like an English pastry.  Over the top.

wildshopauraAfter Sqirl we drove over to Otherwild.  A funky shop that sells everything from books to jewelry to candles.  They happened to have a tent in the store that day where people were having their aura photos being taken.  Think mood ring.

valeriepetitfoursValerie’s is down the street.  I picked up her cookbook and a handful of petit fours that she is known for.  Really delicious!

dreamcollectiveNext stop was Dream Collective with a mixture of jewelry and ceramics.

clarevAround the corner from that is Clare V. known for her handbags.

tomatoesOur last stop was where we walked up to the farmers market that happens twice a week in this location.  Happy to have picked up some cherry tomatoes.

spicestationThe Spice Shop is there too.  Could have probably spent some serious time here.

There was one other store we wandered into that has a nice mix of women’s clothing.

We hit the spots that we wanted to see.  I have been out there a few times now.  It was good to drive around and see the neighborhood.  There is definitely a Brooklynesque feeling to the area but it is really spread out which makes sense.  It is LA after all.

 

Comments (Archived):

  1. awaldstein

    A fan of Silver Lake and a fan of LA food.Question–as unique as the food is to LA for a New Yorker, LA also has a pretty ingrained and very cool music scene. So many legendary garage bands came out of there.Get any time to dig in while you were there?

    1. Gotham Gal

      listening to LA music ( but we always have ) but have not been to any shows.