After sleeping off all that buttery Thanksgiving food, I headed up to Los Angeles for the weekend with he who must not be named. Friday was a bit more brisk than I’m used to in SD, but thankfully the sun was out, making it a beautiful day to explore Venice Beach and the surrounding boardwalk. 

We arrived in the Venice area around noon and headed straight for lunch at Green Leaf. Though I can’t get enough of Thanksgiving leftovers, I think my stomach gave a sigh of relief when I ordered the LA LA Bowl with quinoa, balsamic vinaigrette, smashed avocado, black beans, tomatoes, corn, kale tossed in vegan ranch and drizzled with vegan nacho aioli–yum!

The rest of the afternoon was spent walking around the boardwalk and exploring the nearby shops. The boardwalk was bustling with people. I was surprised at how big the area is compared to Pacific Beach with the basketball/tennis/whatever else you can think of courts and of course muscle beach. Even the beach itself was larger and way more scenic with mountains looming in the background.

The people watching there was top notch, especially at the skate park. I could’ve watched the skateboarders roll around for hours, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I swarmed in to get a good view with the rest of the crowd.

As night fell, we headed to our home for the weekend in Manhattan Beach where I had one of my best dinners in California. If you’re in the area, then you MUST check out Manhattan Beach Post  for delicious local and foreign dishes.

To start, we had the warm blueberry cornbread with smoke jalapeño butter and dill inside that added the perfect touch, marinated olives, in-house goat ricotta with smoked olive oil, and Cabacero de Iberico de Bellota Pura aka the world’s best pork from an acorn foraging, black hoofed hog.

Every bite and combination was both interesting and delectable. For the mains, we tried the Japanese hamachi sashimi that had a unique tomato and melon salad, and the dark rye pappardelle with boar sumo. All that good food plus the wine and great company left me feeling full and happy. 

Saturday was game day. No, really. It was the USC v. Notre Dame game in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Our pre-game pregame started a Hotel Erwin in Venice Beach. The rooftop views allowed us to see all of the boardwalk and beach, while basking in the sun. Though the views were awesome, the service was the complete opposite. If you do want to grab a drink with a good view, then I’d still check it out for that alone.

We also stopped down the street by The Venice Whaler, which is the only other restaurant/bar with a rooftop view in Venice Beach. This bar was way more relaxed and had a friendlier vibe. It’s definitely a good spot to catch a game.

I’m not super into football, but the past few games I’ve been to have actually been fun…or should I say tailgates. This game was particularly engaging since #4 ND was getting smoked by USC. If you do follow football, then you know that ND did pull through and is now in the quarter finals. G’Irish!!!

The weekend flew by and I was sad to leave, but a lot happier when I learned we were biking to Manhattan Beach for brunch. The bike was quick and helped make room in my stomach for The Strand.  I’m normally not one for sweets, especially for breakfast, but the stuffed french toast was calling my name (and the bacon). The challah bread was stuffed with huckleberries and mascarpone that I immediately devoured.

After brunch, we walked around the pier for a bit, then biked back to the hotel. I thought we would immediately return to San Diego, but we made a stop in Newport Beach! I’d never been before and enjoyed walking around the quieter boardwalk.

This perfect weekend ended with me slurping up a bowl of RakiRaki’s spicy kimchi ramen, while watching The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and then falling into a blissful slumber.