Pie Hole and the Griffith Observatory

As I've mentioned before, I have a legitimate Los Angeles bucket list on my phone. I add to it every time I see something that I want to do before I leave California after college... while that is in two years' time, I still try and take advantage of the fact that I currently live in one of the most vibrant cities in America.

One such entry on my bucket list was a place called The Pie Hole, a restaurant in the Arts District of Downtown LA that serves, you guessed it, all sorts of pie. My boyfriend and I drove there on a Saturday night in the early evening, ordered dessert for dinner (even though Pie Hole has savory pies), and found a table outside where the breeze (and drinks) found us.

In the spirit of adventure, I ordered a house-made Arnold Palmer, which is half tea and half lemonade. I was never a huge Arnold Palmer fan in my youth, but it sounded really refreshing... and it was! The drink wasn't too bitter nor too sweet, and had a really nice balance between the tea and lemonade. My only gripe was that it was gone to soon!

B ordered an espresso. He is an avid coffee drinker and savors his espressos, and he really enjoyed this one. Pie Hole takes great pride in their coffee, even selling their own roast in the store, and this pride is apparently deserved. B thought that this espresso was somehow lighter than other espressos that he's consumed, but in a nice way. I didn't try it, but he felt that it was just a very solid and delicious espresso.

Fun fact: one major reason that I wanted to go to Pie Hole was because my boyfriend had never had pie before. Yes. Never had pie. It was a big deal. So, being adults, we ordered pie for dinner... because we can! He went with the classic American double-crust pie a la mode. While I don't think he quite knew what to expect, he really enjoyed it! The apples were spiced wonderfully with cinnamon, and had softened while cooking yet maintained a substantial mouthfeel and bite. The top crust absolutely deserved an honorable mention--while it may be hard to tell from the angle of the photo, you can sort of see the caramelization on top. It seemed to be burnt/caramelized sugar, like the crust of crème brulée!

I went with the cherry almond pie, which also had a double crust. The filling was thick, but I couldn't really taste much almond. I think the crust may have been made with almond flour, which is the only explanation I can really think of. The crust in this pie was also delicious--it was covered in sugar, so how could it not be? The ice cream (just plain vanilla bean) really added a lot to the pie, though. While the pie by itself was good, the addition of the ice cream gave it more depth and made the tartness of the filling a little less pronounced.

From our table, we watched everyone at Wurstküche line up around the block to wait for their gourmet bratwursts. It's yet another delicious restaurant in the Arts District that I highly recommend! Next time I go, I'll make sure to bring my camera along.

Now, after Pie Hole, we tried to head up to the Griffith Observatory. We couldn't figure out why it took us almost a half hour to get to the top of the hill... and then we looked at the calendar and realized that the Observatory was holding a summer solstice celebration. D'oh! Having lost our spirit of adventure, we turned around and went back home...

However, all was not lost! A week later, we grabbed a quick bite to eat, checked the calendar, and ventured back up to the Observatory. We nabbed a parking spot in the main lot, and had about forty-five minutes before the park closed to wander around.

The Griffith Observatory and the views of LA were even more beautiful and breathtaking than I had imagined--I'll let the above pictures do the talking. B let me drag him around and stop at random places to just look, and it was really wonderful.

The inside of the Observatory also hosts some cool displays and exhibits; I only wish we had more time to explore! I'm hoping to return and thoroughly soak up all of the information inside the building, as well as seeing the show at the planetarium.

This room compared and contrasted the various planets in our solar system, explaining everything from size to temperature to gravitational force! Also of note--I fell up those stairs in the bottom/bottom left of that picture. With one hand on my camera and the other holding my boyfriend's hand, it was a bit of a scary moment, but I cradled my camera and let my shin take the force of the impact. My priorities are definitely in a weird place.

After a few laughably bad selfie attempts in front of the Observatory, B and I called it a night and headed to the car to drive back home.

With all this free time in the summer, I've been loving exploring LA. Do you have any suggestions for cool things to do? Let me know in the comments below! And, as always, you can find me on Instagram at @__katherinew

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Los Angeles Institutions

I'm not even kidding when I say that I have a Los Angeles bucket list. It ranges from restaurants to museums to just plain places I want to see. Naturally, whenever I have the opportunity, I try to cross something off. Last Wednesday, my boy and I went on a date and crossed a few things off the list!

We started the night with Pink's Hot Dogs. B loves hot dogs, so our recent outings have focused on these super glamorous and romantic foods. (Can you feel the sarcasm?) We went out to Wurstküche a few weeks ago, and we were kind of curious to know how these two famous LA sausage joints stacked up against each other.

It's a pretty cool place--Pink's just a little stand off La Brea, where six or seven workers are bustling around the grills and fryers. It's the original building from 1932, and it's such an authentic-feeling place. These hot dogs have such a reputation that, even at 8:15 on a Wednesday night, the line was pretty long! While we waited, we watched the assembly line and deliberated about what to order.

After we ordered, we rounded the corner and paid. It was a quick transaction and we were handed our meal on a tray. We headed outside to grab a table, and tucked in!

In true LA fashion, even a hot dog stand offers a vegetarian-/vegan-friendly option, which makes my culinary exploration a lot more fun! I ate the Baja Veggie Dog, which was a pretty standard veggie dog topped with guacamole, tomatoes, and onions. While the dog was a little rubbery, it was very passable in conjunction with the squishy bun, flavorful guac, and chunky veggies. It wasn't exactly the most graceful meal, but certainly tasty!

B ordered the Chili Cheese Dog, without mustard or onions. In his words, the first bite has a great "crunch", and a very solid taste. The chili, while quite a fine mix, was allegedly on-point both flavor-wise and texture-wise, and complemented the taste of the dog. Finally, the cheese, while nothing more than a simple slice of the good ol' processed stuff, was apparently subtle and added just the right amount of creaminess to the overall experience. B really enjoyed it! He said that it was just a very good, classic hot dog.

Finally, the fries. Mmm, the fries. They were a little greasy, perfectly crunchy, and so well seasoned. While I am known for never meeting a potato I didn't like, I could have eaten these fries all day. After we ordered, we noticed that you could actually order your dog with fries ON TOP. Whoah, game changer! While we obviously weren't in the know for that, I'm certainly intrigued about future possibilities...

With lots of outdoor seating, I can just imagine Pink's jam-packed on a summer Saturday. While we may have gone on a less-busy night, there were still lots of families and youths (ha) enjoying their meal. In regards to how Pink's compares to Wurstküche, B and I agreed that it's like comparing apples and oranges. They are very different experiences, in that Wurstküche definitely has a hip vibe and focuses on gourmet and exotic sausages as well as an extensive beer selection. Pink's is really where you can get a classic dog--no rabbit and rattlesnake dogs here, just a good old-fashioned frank!

After we finished our very classy and dignified hot dog dinner, we hopped back in the car and kept on truckin' over to the Bigg Chill. Now, I've seen this in about a million Instagrams, and I've heard about their legendary frozen yogurt. While it may be a little too close to rival territory, it's rumored to be worth the invasion.

Located in a small strip mall, this small cash-only store also carries an assortment of convenience-store foods, as well as their famous froyo. They have a small selection of flavors, but also offer items like pie, muffins, and other fun things like that!

In true Katherine fashion, I ordered the chocolate with jimmies and Reese's. I debated a few other flavors, including the roasted almond, graham cracker, and cafe latte, but who can resist a classic chocolate? Not me! The consistency was a lot like soft serve ice cream--it was super creamy and delicious. We both got the small size, which are 6 ounces, but it felt like a decadent treat.

B got the simple peanut butter flavor without any toppings--hence the slightly smaller cup! I stole a bite and really enjoyed my sample. It was a bit lighter in texture than my chocolate (do you see the air bubbles?) but it was really excellent in both flavor and consistency. The nuttiness wasn't too overwhelming, and it was a very balanced bite.

Even though we visited late on a Wednesday night, the Bigg Chill was so busy! We somehow made it right before the crowd, but as we left, our table was immediately snagged by other customers. I stopped for a quick picture and Instagram, and we headed back to school, with a greater understanding and appreciation for these classic LA eateries.

I've actually done a fair bit of foodie exploration lately of Los Angeles with B, but I thought I'd be considerate and spare him the camera-wielding, photo-op-focused Katherine for a little while. However, prepare yourselves! He's a great sport and actually looks forward to reading this post, so fingers crossed the camera will emerge some more as we continue to cross some things off of my LA bucket list!

Also, follow me on Instagram @kat_herine_w to see more of my Los Angeles explorations, and the other awesome foods I make and eat!

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