TBJ TRAVELS USA 4: Shopping and Dining in Los Angeles + Travel Guide

The Beauty Junkee Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Welcome to our last day in Los Angeles. Today, let's do two of my favorite hobbies: Shopping and dining!


Los Angeles is a known shopping destination in the West Coast; many brands, from affordable to luxury (especially luxury) can be found here and the city seems to have more brand options than San Diego just because it's the shopping capital in the West Coast. When it comes to food, there are more options as well, from expensive to affordable, from Asian, American, to continental cuisines.

The thing with LA though is the city is HUGE; it's not really a walkable city. There is this feeling that the main lifestyle establishments are far from each other, therefore you have to take a car if you want to get from one lifestyle complex to the next. According to locals we've asked, Uber is the best way to get around because it's relatively cheaper and much more convenient. The Uber drivers are very professional and it's so easy and fast to book a ride! I have never encountered a snooty Uber driver nor someone who has complained about distance.

SHOPPING IN LOS ANGELES

THE GROVE

The Grove is a high- end mall located beside the historic and first Farmer's Market.

Did you know that The Grove is considered as one of the most beautiful malls? It is one of the highly acclaimed malls in the USA and the top grossing as well, thanks to brilliant design and zoning that just keep on attracting customers. The Grove feels more like a communal area where nature, art, and shopping converge. A lot of malls in the USA and in other countries as well have made The Grove as benchmark for their mall layout. This mall is beautifully designed that I went back here twice during my short stay in LA!

The Grove hosts a variety of mid to high end brands; you will find here Nike (beautiful store!), Coach, J.Crew, American Girl, Barnes and Noble, Sephora, Gap, Charlotte Tilbury, Apple, and MAC to name a few. There is also Nordstrom, a high end retail department store.

Shopping on a budget? Just across The Grove is Ross Dress For Less, a popular affordable clothing fashion chain.

RODEO DRIVE

Dubbed as the 'most expensive shopping street', Rodeo Drive at Beverly Hills is the shopping avenue for those who like to splurge. Celebrities love shopping in here as well for their luxury handbag, shoes, and accessories fix. Brands to see here are Goyard, Hermes, YSL, Gucci, Louis Vuitton Van Cleef and Arpels, Rimowa, Celine, Balenciaga, Valentino, Gianni Versace, Chanel, and more.

Inner monologue: I'm broke when I go back to Manila. Now what? LOL
I have two activities in my travel bucket list: One is to shop at Rodeo Drive and eat at Rodeo Drive. I was able to do both! This is where I got my 31st birthday gift and I have treated my mom and cousin to a fancy dinner after strolling along Rodeo Drive.

Rodeo Drive is it's just a 6-10 minute walk from end to end and that's it! Unless you have deep pockets or visiting with the intent to buy, there's really not much to do at Rodeo Drive aside from window shop! I just went here once to pick up my birthday gift, a Gucci Dionysus, and that's it!

HOLLYWOOD AND HIGHLAND

Hollywood Boulevard is a better shopping destination for frugal travelers (and even big spenders). Aside from having a high concentration of souvenir shops, there is a sprawling mall in here called Hollywood and Highland.

Hollywood and Highland used to be a studio until it was converted to a mall. Brands that you will find here are Sephora, Sanrio Hollywood, Victoria's Secret, and more.

Los Angeles charges the biggest state tax between San Diego and Las Vegas at 9.25%. Unfortunately, most of the cities in the USA do not offer tourist refunds for purchases including LA. Prices of items are tax exclusive; tax will be computed when you check out so take into consideration the tax before purchasing!
Other places of interest: Westfield Century City mall, Fairfax Avenue (this is where brands like Rip N Dip and Thrasher have started; it's just a 10- minute walk from The Grove), Americana at Brand in Glendale for more affordable brand options.

DINING IN LOS ANGELES

FARMER'S MARKET

Located beside The Grove is the original Farmer's Market; founded in 1934, this place started out as a trade venue for small- time, local merchants who produce mostly produce, plants, and gourmet food. It is considered a historical place and a well- known landmark among locals.

Pampas Grill is one of the famous food stalls at Farmer's Market; it's a buffet- style Brazilian Churrasco where your food is priced by weight. Their meat is SO GOOD; no wonder people are falling in line for this! My plate is only 12 dollars and it's one of the best meals I've had in America. 

I highly recommend Farmer's Market if you're looking for cheap but good eats.

DOMINIQUE ANSEL

One food destination that I wanted to visit in LA is Dominique Ansel at The Grove.

Dominique Ansel is the guy who invented the Cronut! As a Cronut lover, I just had to make the visit happen!

Dominique Ansel is a great place for dessert and coffee, or if you just want to people watch with a nice cup of coffee in hand.

There was only one Cronut available: plain with buttercream laced with Lemon Zest and it did not disappoint! Cronut was nice, chewy and crunchy at the same time, and sweetness was just right! Also, their coffee was pretty good too!

MARMALADE CAFE

The first restaurant we ate in upon arrival in LA was Marmalade Cafe. This quaint cafe has a charming jazz club style interior; it's American cuisine with Asian, French, and Continental inspirations.

Reuben Sandwich. Not really a fan of sandwiches, more so Reuben Sandwich so I didn't taste it. The amount of French Fries the plate has was pretty overwhelming though, but as they say, everything is big in America!

Spaghetti with Meatballs. Classic.

Caesar Salad. I appreciate the poached egg and avocado slivers; the whole thing tasted healthy and I love that they did not go crazy on the dressing.

Tuna Tartare. Tastes interesting and I loved the medley of Avocado and Tuna sashimi; it tasted pretty healthy.

A watermelon and coconut cooler; 'twas the perfect welcome drink for my first day in LA!

Marmalade Cafe is pretty convenient because it's one of the first cafes you'll see when you enter The Grove. However, I can't say that their dishes are amazing; they're decent; on a positive note, the food sizing is generous so you can always share and save.

208 RODEO

For dinner, I celebrated it at 208 Rodeo, a fine dining restaurant. It is conveniently located in the Rodeo Drive shopping complex plus it's one of the only two restaurants in the area (the other one is Tiffany and Co. Cafe) so more or less, you have no choice but to eat there when violent hunger and exhaustion strike.

For my birthday, I had a steak with grilled Asparagus and Black Truffle shavings. Shockingly, the Black Truffle is as expensive as the steak and sadly, I realized, I prefer taking Truffle in oil form.

Sea Bass for my cousin.

Rum Cake. This one's pretty good' and I loved the rich taste of Rum in the sugar glaze.

Salted Caramel Ice Cream with Pop corn and Brownie Chunks. I love the sea salt and rich caramel taste of the ice cream, plus it tasted fresh.

I loved the location and ambiance of 208 Rodeo. Our bill was 360USD. The food was good, but I wouldn't really pay 360USD for a visit again; I also wished that the waiter straightforwardly said that the Black Truffle is not free of charge because the way he recommended it, it felt like it was a free add- on. The truffle add- on was 60USD!

To be completely honest, expensive restaurants in Manila such as Stockton Place, Blackbird, and L'Entrecote can give 208 Rodeo a run for their money, and I am so sure I wouldn't need to shell out 360USD in a visit so there; I paid 360USD to let you know that 208 Rodeo is only great for the experience, but not really the food so you don't have to. Dessert and coffee were good though; that I would come back for.

That's it for our last day in Los Angeles! Tomorrow, let's fly to the entertainment capital of the USA, Las Vegas!

Tipping feels somewhat mandatory in the USA and the servers will really communicate that they would like to receive their tips after service. Tips are based on a percentage; minimum is usually 8% and highest is 15%.
Check out my USA itinerary:


Check out my other travel guides in the West Coast:



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