Joan's, How I Love Thee

I have been making the trek to L.A each week to have lunch with Jerome (whom works in Beverly Hills), and check out the local sights. I LOVE L.A because there is so much to do and see. The shopping is great, and  for a 'foodie' like myself, the dining is even better. For the past two weeks, I have met Jerome for lunch at Joan's on Third. In the past, Jerome would go there with his co-workers, and often he would rave about their sandwiches and chocolate and peanut butter filled cupcakes. After years of hearing about it, I decided it was time to check it out for myself, and boy am I in love! It has undoubtedly become one of my favorite spots to grab a delicious, gourmet bite to eat! 

Joan's has a cafe, marketplace for gourmet shopping (cheeses, meats, spices, prepackaged meals) and bakery full of delectable treats. The sandwiches are amazing. I am particularly fond of their egg salad, which is a childhood favorite of mine. I am rarely able to find it at restaurants, but my search has ended at Joan's. Jerome loves their curry chicken salad, which is quite tasty too. There are plenty of other items on the menu to try, but we are such creatures of habit, we can't seem to breakaway from our old standbys. The cafe has cute little tables out on the sidewalk. The seating is all self-serve, and since this place is usually packed, it can be a daunting task trying to get a seat. Once seated, a server brings you water in a big, glass bottle. It is probably tap nonetheless, but the presentation is key! 

While eating, you can people watch, which is definitely one of the best reasons to go there! Last week, Jerome and I saw Nicole Richie, eating inside the cafe, with what appeared to be Brody Jenner and one other unidentifiable chick. As you know, we are celeb-obsessed, so this was a definite notch in the belt. I dined there again today with him and Elise, but there were no celebs to be seen. However, on a humorous note, there was a mother and daughter duo sitting at a table and whispering to each other that I (yes, me) was somebody famous. Ha! Ha! If they only knew! Needless to say, I enjoyed my minute of fame.

Besides the amazing food, stargazing and scenery, there is one more reason to visit Joan's. The Bakery. There treats are out of this world! There are cupcakes, cookies, bars, tarts, and so many other slices of heaven. The first time Jerome took me, I felt like an addict in a crack den. I wanted it all! Between the past years of Jerome bringing treats home and my recent visits to Joan's, we have managed to sample quite a few of the cupcakes and cookies. Most notable have been the Chocolate Peanut Butter, Chocolate with Marshmallow Creme, Raspberry Vanilla, Chocolate, Macaroons (the BEST I've ever had), and these lovely little cookies called Chocolate Dreams, which are tiny chocolate cookies that are so moist and chewy- like little brownies. Even better than all the flavors is the fact that they are so delicious, and larger and cheaper than most gourmet cupcakes. The beat Sprinkles by a mile! Today we got a Carrot Cake Cupcake to try. We are saving it for dessert tonight, so I will keep you posted on how it tastes. I can't imagine it will be anything but amazing. 

Next week I am going to head back up to L.A, and we are going to go to hit up another one of Jerome's favorites, Toast (another celeb filled bakery-cafe located just across the street from Joan's). My mouth is already watering!