As if the signage on 4th and Colorado in Santa Monica at the new Santa Monica Place doesn’t spark your curiosity and suck you in, the smells surely will. “The Market” made its debut to the public last-week and we were on hand for a VIP sneak peak of the artisan purveyors and their gastronomic delicacies.
Plenty of visual stimulation awaits as you make the drive into the parking garage at the corner of Broadway and 4th Street in the 3rd Street Promenade district of Santa Monica.
The newly erected Santa Monica Place opened with high expectations and they continue to bring Angelinos a bountiful contribution of dining options and sweet closers with it’s new Artisanal Marketplace located on the dining deck at Santa Monica Place. If you are seeking something organic, fair trade, locally sourced and home-made your options are essentially endless.
Vendor highlights and a taste of some of our Faves:
We were on sensory overload when we arrived at “The Market” and were excited to eat and drink our way through it. Tray passed small bites were provided from the restaurants from the Market’s “Dining Deck” and showcased the worldly flavors that make up our diverse city of Angels. With far too many to mention we have recapped some of our favorites.
Zengo
Asian-Latin Fusion cuisine. Need I say more Angelinos? Well if you are a fan of the Kogi truck you will enjoy what Zengo has to offer. The famous tenor Placido Domingo believes in the concept so much that he has become a key investor in this micro artisan restaurant concept.
-Thai Chicken Empanadas with Mango salsa
-Pulled pork Arepa with Guacamole
“Back to the Beach” was the theme and the 50’s Beachy Cream ice-cream sandwich girls kept things cool with their samples of all-natural, locally sourced, organic and homemade Chocolate Chip and Vanilla Ice Cream Cookie sandwiches. We had time to take a moment and chill out with them while the explained their story and why their founders have to decided to plant the “Malibu” based ice-cream catering company in neighboring Santa Monica. Their is even a Gluten free cookie option available(upon request).
Xino Dim Sum Lounge
Chris Yeo of restaurateur fame gives his successful concept a new home at Santa Monica Place. SINO (pronounced “SIGH-no”), Think of SINO as your exotic Dim Sum house with a splash of culinary ingenuity. The menu is creative and out of the box, while keeping things on the traditional side. After one bite you will feel why Dim Sum is “A little Something from the Heart,”
-Pulled pork folded bun(mini sandwich) with curried onion and Hoisin BBQ sauce
Pizza Antica
A taste of Italy with premium ingredients and fine dining Italian technique at reasonable prices is the reason for their growth and recent opening of the 4th location at Santa Monica Place.
-Bruschetta w local goat cheese, roasted red pepper.
Ozumo
This contemporary Japanese restaurant encompasses an arsenal of Japanese cuisine. It has a robata grill, sushi, sashimi, private dining lounges and even boasts a “beer garden” One bite will get you hooked literally.
-Hamachi Jalapeño roll with Wasabi Aioli
True Food Kitchen
Based on the principals of living an Anti-Inflammatory diet and made popular by Dr. Andrew Weil is at the core of this new healthy eatery and is part of a family of restaurants with roots in Arizona and Southern California. They are also Green Restaurant Certified and support local farms and purveyors.
-Mini Crudite w seasonal and local vegetables with Tzatziki sauce
The Gourmandise School of Sweets and Savories
When you want a boutique option to traditional culinary classes in baking and pastry than this is the venue for you to “hone your skills” From intro to knife skills, Beginner Basics Cookies and French Macaroons this local school can provide you with exactly what you are craving.
Need I say more. Aurelie’s boutique bakery prides themselves on preparing artisan chocolate chip cookies in a simple organic way. “Crispy, chewey and oey guey sums up Aurelie Vacheresse’s vision of what a chocolate chip cookie should taste like.
Fresh gelato and sorbet made on the premises with the finest fair trade and organic ingredients that have made their Venice locations so successful. The Champagne sorbet and and Salted Caramel Gelato were a little something out of the ordinary and showcased their diversity. Why pop champagne when you can eat it frozen?
A Chocolaterie and artisan French pastry shop all rolled into one. With a chocolate fondue fountain as its centerpiece and a “choose your own dipped Waffle, Madeline or Strawberry in chocolate fondue you will not be disapointed. Other offerings include decadent hot chocolate, hand painted chocolates and traditional multicolored French macaroons.
Organic local, sustainable and fair trade with a coffee roastery here in Los Angeles have made Groundwork so popular amongst its customers.
This micro coffee purveyor now has 6 locations from Downtown to the beach and everywhere in between. Look for the Custom Italian coffee roaster table out in front of the store and tell your friends “meet me at the coffee table” for a cup of Organic Java or tea.
Vibes & Atmosphere:
DJ Lindsay Luv was spinning the funky beats. Some of you may remember her from our coverage of Bottlenotes “Around the world in 80 sips.” Mixing up everything from Florence and the machine to Snoop Dogg and the Police DJ L-Love kept guests wanting more. Catch her Poolside this summer at Skybar or any of her other residencies.
Friends in High Places:
At the Market, we bumped into our friend Rosalie from “Call me Grace PR”; that makes it twice in one week and twice in 2 days. “Isn’t it ironic don’t you think.” We also mingled with the “Monkey(s) in LA” our old, but new friends and their entourage of food and lifestyle editors, writers and publicists from “Your Daily Thread,” as we ate, drank and chatted our hearts out. It’s a foodies life and we are living it.
What to expect:
Artisan locally sourced comfort foods and a great shopping atmosphere unite at “The Marketplace”. It’s not a food-court so don’t be fooled by previous misconceptions about eating at corporate shopping malls. The Market is not just food, it’s a way of life. For the hard to shop for person in your family visit Venokado where you will find everything from Jonathan Adler vegetable candles to Hitachino beer and even locally sourced wine at this one stop gift shop.
“Closing time – one last call for alcohol, so finish your whiskey or beer”:
We wrapped up the evening in the “Blogger Lounge” complete with a “Tweet Sheet” that provided a who’s who of twitter addresses and facebook links so we could all drop a shout-out of our favorite purveyors from “The Market” as we recapped our whirlwind evening. We are quite happy to say that now {LA} finally has its own miniature version of San Francisco’s Ferry Marketplace.
Special thanks:
We want to thank Groundwork Coffee for having us as invited guests and we wish them countless success with the new location. Our hired lens this evening was our good friend Lisa Robinson from Stone Orchard Photography and we thank her for taking such an amazing photo documentation of our trip to “The Market.” We would also like to give a shout-out to Bootleggers Brewery for providing us with some quality ales and for keeping our glasses full!
