The days are winding down to when I have to leave home and start school at Berkeley. I'm insanely excited to start this new chapter of my life, but it also means I have to learn to say some temporary goodbyes. Although I know I'll always be able to come back and see my family, things are a little less certain when it comes to friends. All of my close friends are going to different schools so although I'm hopeful that we'll stay close and reconnect during our time off, I have no way of knowing this will happen. I've decided to cherish the time I have with them now, because everything else is uncertain. It sounds pretty cheesy, but I've made some incredible memories this summer, so I'm sticking to this mindset.
What better way to stay connected than over lunch? I've been friends with Katie since 3rd grade. Although we've been at different schools since 6th grade, and getting together hasn't always been easy, we've made it through thick and thin, and we've become close like family. Katie, our moms, and I ventured out to West LA to try Joan's on Third. I've been hearing about Joan's on Third for the longest time but haven't been until now. I would say it was worth the wait.
Thrown off by the bustling cafe and rather large variety on the menu, I decided to get a salad trio - couscous, heirloom tomatoes, and egg salad. It was HUGE. Usually, when you order salad, you're thinking that you took the healthy route. Don't worry, this was still a very healthy lunch, packed with omega threes, complex carbs, and vitamins; it was just massive. I ended up finishing everything but half the egg salad, so not too shabby!
We also got a bag of chips to share. They were probably some of the best chips I've ever tasted. They were nice and crispy, but not too oily. After discovering how incredible they were, we bought another bag to take home.
To keep the meal healthy, I got a gigantic glass of freshly-pressed juice called "The Pipe Cleaner." Don't worry, the thing that you're thinking happened, didn't. You're safe to drink this. The juice was a refreshing blend of lemon, ginger, and apple. Absolutely amazing. The ginger was super strong, but I've grown up with ginger, so I didn't mind the kick at all :)
I also really enjoyed the fact that we got a bread basket to go with our respective meals. The egg salad was delicious enough on its own, but smothered on top of freshly-baked french bread? DIY egg salad tartine.
After lunch, we were still keen for dessert, so we headed back inside to explore the dessert/bakery section of the store. Though the decadent chocolate cake and various cookies seemed to be calling our names, the hot weather got the better of us, and we resorted to ice cream from Salt & Straw. I found out about Salt & Straw from a very kind reader of this blog! We attended the same summer camp at USC last year and became friends on Facebook. Almost a year later, I received the kindest compliments on my blog through a Facebook message she sent me. She even recommended that I try Salt & Straw, an organic ice cream shop based in Portland, Oregon, when the first location opened in Beverly Hills. I put the name down in my restaurant list and expected that it would be a while before I got to taste the ice cream my friend spoke so highly of.
What were the odds that I would find that very same ice cream at Joan's on Third?! Desperate for a cold dessert while I was burning away in my all-black outfit, I ordered the Bourbon Coffee ice cream. The bourbon flavor was relatively nonexistent, but it was still a pretty darn good coffee ice cream. Why drink coffee when you can eat it in ice cream form? Amiright or Amiright?
Look at how happy I look about it in this polaroid that's now on my bedroom wall :) I highly recommend it.
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