Melting Pot Food Tours

Our newest Recipe is Love Knots - something we think you’ll love, especially if you’re entertaining at home for Halloween. These tiny pastries are simply milk chocolate Hershey’s kisses wrapped in puff pastry, dredged in cinnamon-sugar, and baked to perfection. It doesn’t get easier or more amazingly delicious than that. Story of their amusing Italian origin and recipe is now on our website:... Meltingpottours.com/love-knots See more

Did you know? One of the best Happy Hours in town is @FiaRestaurant in Santa Monica! Lisa and Di celebrated their sister Suz's birthday this month, and were blown away at so much deliciousness in such a gorgeous patio setting.... Chef Brendan Collins - who doubles at Market Tavern's Chef at the Original Farmers Market - preps up incredible small plates to fill you up for Happy Hour 7 days, 3pm-5pm. Their dinner menu is equally spectacular and service is kind, warm, and welcoming. Did we say how much we loved it? Everyone needs and deserves this kind of afternoon! We hope you'll visit soon.

Just this month our own Di spoke with AFAR, a highly-regarded travel magazine, about the points on our East LA Latin Flavors Tour. They did a great job providing links and updated information for this unusual season and lovely photos too, we hope you'll have a look! https://www.afar.com//essential-latinx-food-experiences-in

This Throwback Tuesday is about a loving nod to our friends who were the heart and soul of Primera Taza, once near Mariachi Plaza. This former, fabulous coffeehouse was once the last stop on our East LA Latin Flavors Tour. Here is Angel and Rosa, our two loves who brought the finest coffee, tea, and most amazing sandwiches to the table. ... Their warmth and grace were always a joy to experience when they served iced chocolate and pan dulce to our guests. We miss them, and invite you to stay connected to Chuy, Angel, and their own angels @elcafeprimera and @lateteriacafe. They are up to some amazing new ventures lately!

This week’s Recipe is Apricot-Aleppo Glazed Chicken Thighs. Bone-in chicken thighs are dredged in an easy-to-make blend of apricot jam, a little balsamic vinegar and soy sauce, and Syria’s special Aleppo pepper this could become one of your family’s new weeknight favorites! Find recipe on our website now... https://meltingpottours.com/apricot-aleppo-glazed-chicken-/ See more

Have you heard this wonderful news for our City of Angels? Earlier this month, the LA Music Center announced that it received a $25M gift from Tina and Jerry Moss to benefit new programming initiatives. In addition to presenting an annual free summer concert, this gift will infuse funds for free and low-cost events, and a commitment to formally launch art partnerships with community to help uplift artists and their work. ... Special emphasis will be focused on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) artists. Jerry Moss is a generous philanthropist and recording industry legend for decades. He co-founded A&M Records with Herb Alpert; together they guided the careers of Quincy Jones, the Carpenters, Joe Cocker, Sting, Janet Jackson and countless other superstars in the music industry. https://www.musiccenter.org//the-music-center-announces-m/

Today’s Throwback Tuesday is circa October 2017, when our loves at Magee’s celebrated their Centennial anniversary there in the East Patio of the Original Farmers Market 100 years in LA! Once Magee’s Counter opened in LA’s Grand Central Market in 1917, Blanche Magee was inspired to become a new resident Chef ;) when she served handmade sandwiches from her picnic hamper first to farmers, then customers when the Farmers Market opened at 3rd&Fairfax in the early thirties. W...ithin short order, she and her husband were instrumental in working to incorporate all of the necessary measures to convert the outdoor market, to a permanent marketplace. Their Magee’s Kitchen was the very first restaurant in the Market. A few generations later, Dwayne Coy (center, red shirt) and his fabulous wife Martha (second from left with their two daughters) are in charge of still, one of the most delicious kitchens in our City of Angels. It is sincerely our pure joy and pleasure to be their fans, and we congratulate them on 103 years in LA this month!

Our newest Recipe is Greek-Inspired Baked Pasta, for which our guy at Patsy D’Amore’s Pizza was Chef Di’s muse! A savory creation that marries shell pasta with lamb, roasted garlic béchamel, spinach, fresh herbs, and two imported cheeses, this will surely call you home even if you simply have a passion for things Greek. In Chef Di’s new YouTube series, Cooking by the Sea, she and Athanasios prepare this incredible dish together, so stay tuned for news on that video. ... Meanwhile, find story, recipe, etc - right now on our website! https://meltingpottours.com/recipes

Here is a daily dose of good news - we're just guessing everyone can use that right now ... 5-year-old Carver was helping his grandma bundle love with household goods for California firefighters and first responders in the treacherous domain of the ongoing fires. He spotted his Baby Yoda on a shelf and perhaps channeled the little creature's wisdom-beyond-years. He wanted to help by bringing light to others, in such a dark time.... With his grandma's help, he wrote a note to the firefighters that said, "Thank you, Firefighters. Here's a friend for you, in case you get lonely." By now, this same Baby Yoda has travelled to numerous West Coast hot spots, bringing comfort and care to the front lines. His exploits are even chronicled on his own Facebook page. Yoda, the astute Jedi master believed, truly wonderful, the mind of a child is. We have nothing to add, only sending blessing to little Carver and everyone on this legendary path. The Force is with them all. https://www.facebook.com/babyyodafightsfires

Throwback Tuesday once again takes a while back, this time to December 2011 when Melting Pot Tours gained fame as one of LA Magazine’s top ways to be a tourist in our own great city! Christmas came early for us.This magazine cover was such a rush to see for the first time! The Foodie Fantasy mention inside called us the boisterious Scalia sisters.... Um ok yeah. We took that. And were quite honored to be included!

Here’s a recipe that is so delicious it bears repeating just in from our archives. While LA still has some summer sun going on and some of us are in the mood for autumn to arrive, this soup ought to make everyone happy. It’s a sublime blend of carrot, ginger, tomato, and enough lemon pucker to make your taste buds think they’ve truly met the proverbial wow factor ... Let us know what you think! meltingpottours.com/summer-meets-autumn-in-a-soup-bowl/

If you haven’t ever been to Corona Del Mar SoCal’s sparkling Crown of the Sea - we found something that just might lure you that way. Rendez Vous Café (rendezvouscafecdm) is direct from France and so very special! Di and a friend discovered it just recently when they set out on a day’s adventure. A glorious brunch in the sun-lit patio Lamb Merguez Sandwich topped with fries and French dressing and Croque Madame + lattes extraordinaire with French music in the backgroun...d, got even better with an exquisite selection of several pastries for dessert. We dare you to order just one thing from their amazing all-day menu - Tre Magnifique! Our adventuresses came away with almost one of everything from the pastry case but not before meeting the acquaintance of owner Nina and her son-in-law Rami, and promising to return again as soon as possible. Visit them on Instagram @rendezvous.cdm and treat yourself to a visit soon!

Today’s Throwback Tuesday is really a trip down memory lane, dating all the way back to November 2009. Lisa received very short notice from CBS-TV to star in a segment about our Farmers Market Tour. This was just after a stellar story appeared about us in the LA Times and got attention from CBS! Feeling like she was floating outside her body (and Di was in France so she was no help ;), her sister Suz drove her to the Market on a crowded Veterans Day Monday for her closeup. ... Lots of people won that day, including would-be Price is Right attendees who truly delighted in being last-minute Tour guests. Have a watch and notice all of the joy + how retro the Market appeared at that hour! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m53kymyBYFg

If there was ever an extraordinary way to celebrate Fall (and apples), it would be this French Apple Cake with Spanish Topping. Inspired by one of Di’s favorite heroes, it is very likely to render really rave reviews. Story and recipe on our website now... Meltingpottours.com/recipes See more